Martial Cultivator

Grand Tutor Wei was dead.

The teacher of Emperor Taizong, the elderly man who should have disappeared into the long river of history, finally returned to the dust tonight.

The Great Liang Emperor did not look at the corpse of Grand Tutor Wei as it fell but instead turned his gaze to the now disheveled Chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution, with little emotion in his eyes.

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman deeply regretted it at this moment. Before tonight, the Wei Family Head had repeatedly told him what would happen and the outcomes they could expect. He had chosen to believe, but now it was clear that those stories had all been lies.

That beautiful future existed only in the Wei Family Head’s words, not in reality.

”Your Majesty...”

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman hesitated for a moment, then spoke reluctantly.

The Wei Family Head shouted angrily, ”Fellow Daoist, do not waver in your resolve! It is true that Chen Che can kill, but do you really think he can kill so effortlessly?!” ”Killing my Wei Family’s ancestor must have consumed a great deal of his power. Fellow Daoist, hold on for just a little longer. Once I kill this eunuch, I will come to your aid!”

Seeing the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman wavering, the Wei Family Head was anxious. With Grand Tutor Wei dead, if he surrendered without fighting now, the aftermath of tonight would be unpredictable. However, he and the Wei Family would almost certainly face utter annihilation in an instant.

Initially, they had gathered countless Nepenthe powerhouses. Regardless of how many powerhouses the Great Liang Emperor had, they believed they could handle them. The final scenario was supposed to be three people surrounding and killing one person. But unexpectedly, this Imperial City still had a Li Heng, who had always remained low-profile. His emergence had completely disrupted their plans.

The situation of three surrounding one had turned into two surrounding one. Furthermore, from the very beginning, the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman had been holding back his strength, which had resulted in this situation.

The Wei Family could already foresee that they had reached the most dangerous juncture.

He could not shake Li Heng off, and the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman was bound to die at the hands of the Great Liang Emperor. Once the Great Liang Emperor freed himself and joined forces with Li Heng, death would be the only outcome for him as well.

Death itself was not frightening, what was terrifying was the inevitability of it.

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman was just about to speak again when an overwhelming pressure descended upon him. The Great Liang Emperor, who had previously appeared ordinary, seemed to suddenly tower to immense heights, as if he had transformed into a colossal mountain standing between heaven and earth, exuding an oppressive aura.

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman was still hesitating about whether to resist. At this moment, sensing such pressure, his Dao heart wavered in an instant. This was virtually a fatal blow for a powerhouse at the end of Nepenthe.

While his mind faltered, the Great Liang Emperor spoke rather coldly, “We have treated you well. You received a salary from the Great Liang’s coffers, yet you commit such deeds. You cannot be allowed to live!”

As his voice fell, the Great Liang Emperor waved his sleeve, and an overwhelming surge of qi descended. Many Nepenthe cultivators, acting on the Wei Family Head’s orders, wanted to block the attack for the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman. However, before their techniques could fully manifest, they were mercilessly torn apart by the surging qi. Though they were also among the strongest in the world, they were utterly powerless before that qi.

They could only watch helplessly as the qi surged forward with unstoppable force.

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman, bearing the brunt of the attack, quickly regained his senses and began to counter it. Countless radiant beams of light emerged from his fingertips, colliding at immense speed with the qi that carried an emperor’s unshakable dominance.

The collision of the two powerhouses’ qi exploded in mid-air, creating visible ripples that spread outward. The already debilitated plaza suffered further devastation from the shockwaves, while all the powerhouses present watched as ripples visible to the naked eye spread across the sky.

The sea of clouds in the night sky split open, revealing the bright moon that had been hidden all night.

Moonlight poured down, bathing the Great Liang Emperor in a silvery radiance that made him appear like a deity descended from the heavens above.

”Cough...”

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His complexion turned deathly pale as though he had suffered a devastating injury in an instant. Ṟ�

The radiant beams of light around him shattered and dissipated without a trace, as if encountering something.

Under the moonlight, the Great Liang Emperor looked at the Chairman he had personally elevated, utterly devoid of emotion.

The Wei Family Head’s face grew darker than ever as he watched the scene unfold.

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman had lost.

He had anticipated his defeat but had never expected it to happen so quickly and decisively.

The Wei Family Head knew that after this Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman’s defeat, his own turn would come next. It seemed that tonight’s plan had completely unraveled. Yet, he still refused to give in, clutching desperately to the promises made to him by a certain individual.

The Great Liang Emperor approached the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman. Clad in emperor robes, his figure exuded grandeur, while the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman, in comparison, seemed pitifully small.

“This is impossible...”

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman murmured in disbelief. Though both were at the end of Nepenthe, he could not fathom how he not only failed to match the Great Liang Emperor but was utterly powerless against him.

When comparing Nepenthe versus Nepenthe, there were distinctions in strength. The same is true for those at the end of Nepenthe, yet how could the gap be so vast?

He had already reached the summit of the mountain, but could it be that someone like the Great Liang Emperor had ascended beyond the clouds?

”In this life, We loathe betrayal the most. Thus, not only will We kill you, but We will also strip you of everything before you die.”

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman, his eyes indifferent. In an instant, a terrifying aura surged into the Chairman’s body, obliterating all his meridians and apertures.

This powerhouse, who had cultivated bitterly for many years to finally reach his current level, now experienced excruciating pain beyond measure.

”No... Your Majesty...”

He pleaded desperately, his voice strained. His cultivation was not easily attained, and no one would willingly abandon it. Yet at this moment, his fate was entirely out of his control.

In front of the will of the man standing before him, how many in this world could truly resist?

The Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman had no answer, but he knew he was utterly powerless to resist.

As he watched the qi within the Heavenly Imperial Institution’s Chairman dissipate bit by bit, the Great Liang Emperor suddenly found it meaningless. Extending his hand, he ended the man’s life.

With this, two cultivators at the end of Nepenthe had perished in the Imperial City.

The remaining Nepenthe powerhouses who were still alive looked at that towering figure with a mix of complex thoughts. It was unknown what they were thinking, but they were undoubtedly filled with fear.

The Great Liang Emperor did not take any further action but simply gestured with his hand.

Someone walked out of the great hall, carrying a chair.

If that chair were placed anywhere outside the great hall, it would likely draw no attention. But within the great hall, it carried immense significance.

This world, this throne, everything was represented by that chair.

The Great Liang Emperor returned to the front of the great hall and slowly sat down.

Cultivators began to emerge from all around and started to take action.

Those Nepenthe powerhouses who had entered the Imperial City tonight, regardless of their intentions, would have no chance of leaving.

Many would die tonight, and all those who died would be among the powerhouses of the current era.

Such an event would inevitably be recorded in the annals of history, written with vivid and heavy strokes.

But the Great Liang Emperor was fully aware that the Wei Family, the greatest traitor in these thousand years, and the most deeply hidden of traitors, was actually not important at all tonight.

They were merely the ones who opened the door, they were not even worthy of stepping inside to take a look. Those truly qualified to step through that door had not yet arrived.

The Great Liang Emperor gazed silently for a long time at the people who were currently fighting in front of him. Then, he rubbed his brows, raised his head, and looked at the night sky.

The view tonight was quite beautiful, but it was a pity that the woman who used to be by his side had been gone for a long time.

……

……

In the academy.

The Dean looked at Wei Xu who was kneeling at the small courtyard gate, the emotions in his eyes indescribably complicated.

Suddenly, he turned his head to look into the distance. From the direction of the Imperial City came many powerful auras. Many stories were already unfolding there.

The Dean wanted to leave this place, but he could not.

He knew that after he left this place, Wei Xu would die.

Perhaps Wei Xu was not trying to stop him with his own death but was giving himself a reason to die with peace of mind.

This student of his had likely long prepared for death, waiting only for the Dean to leave so he could end his own life.

Among all his students, only Wei Xu had stayed with him the longest. Hence, he understood this student of his deeply. But with so many years of companionship, how could the Dean bear to see him die?

He had no children, so he regarded each of his students as his own child.

And as a parent, how could he possibly watch his child die before his eyes?

The Dean sighed.

“Teacher.”

Suddenly, a voice broke through the night. A figure carrying a lantern arrived..

It was precisely Zhou Gouqi who had arrived from Wei Prefecture.

This scholar, who had been away from the Divine Capital for many years, had now truly returned. If his previous visit to see the princess did not count, this moment marked his genuine homecoming.

Wei Xu also heard the voice and seemed a bit dazed.

The Dean looked at Zhou Gouqi, who stood outside the small courtyard holding a lantern, his expression complicated and unsure of what to say.

Zhou Gouqi looked at Wei Xu who was kneeling outside the courtyard gate and said softly, “Junior Brother Wei.”

In the end, they were fellow apprentices.

Back then, they had studied together, debated the Dao together, and played chess together.

At that time, their rivalry was one between gentlemen.

Just like his current rivalry with Xie Nandu.

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