Chapter 1143: Chapter 1142: Emperor Zhou, Leaving Changâan
These dragon horses were pulling an imperial sedan.
On each side of the sedan, followed an elderly man in a long robe.
As if possessing a spirit, the dragon horses slowed to a halt at a distance of three meters from the crowd.
The ground shook as dragon roars and horse neighs rose in unison, and the imperial sedan landed with remarkable steadiness.
âAs swordsmen all, why press so bitterly against one another,â came a voice from inside the sedan, laughing as it spoke.
âXie Changliu, show some face to me. Break one of his legs and spare his life; how about that?â
âEmperor Zhou, save us,â the two Nameless swordsmen immediately pleaded for help as the person in the sedan spoke out.
âWhat worth does your face have?â Xie Changliu looked up and sneered dismissively.
âHow audacious,â the two elders on either side rebuked with imposing vigor.
âDo you also wish to test your skills against me?â Xie Changliu asked confidently, unconcerned.
âEveryone, step back. Donât be rash,â Emperor Zhou inside the sedan spoke in a gentle tone.
The golden curtains of the imperial sedan were drawn open, revealing a middle-aged man who slowly stepped down.
This middle-aged man was not very old, yet he gave off the feel of antiquity.
As if a newly sprouted tree was on the verge of withering away.
His black and white hair was neatly tied, his face lined with many wrinkles.
A dragon robe adorned his body, majestic and vast, giving off an aura of innate Holy Power.
âWe pay our respects to Emperor Zhou,â the members of Lianjian Academy promptly knelt down and called out loudly.
âRise, all of you,â Emperor Zhou gestured with his hand, walking step by step toward Xie Changliu.
âI know you. You were once Li Ziâs disciple and afterward spent thousands of years in the Edge of the Sky, End of the Sea mini-world.
Youâve only recently come out, havenât you?â Emperor Zhou said with a smile.
âI imagine you, like your master, are someone who cherishes the past and are greatly dissatisfied with the current state of Great Zhou.â
âIâm just here to seek justice. I donât meddle in the affairs of Great Zhou,â Xie Changliu said indifferently.
âThen letting your master become the head of this Study Palace is fine by me. I do trust the reputation of Sword Madman,â Emperor Zhou said with a smile.
âAlso, if youâre interested, within Great Zhou you can choose any official position. You and your master could also work together.â
âIâm not interested. But we had a wager before the duel, what now? Does Emperor Zhou intend to stop me?â Xie Changliu asked.
He slowly lifted the longsword in his hand, his Sword Intent growing stronger.
âNot at all,â Emperor Zhou shook his head and said with a smile: âI merely see a pillar of our realm in you and wanted to get to know you.â
âThen please step aside,â Xie Changliu responded.
Emperor Zhou laughed softly and stepped to the side.
The two elders who had followed closely seemed dissatisfied, but they were stopped by a gesture from Emperor Zhou.
âEmperor Zhou, you cannot ignore us,â seeing this, the two Nameless swordsmen also panicked.
âYes, it was your command thatâŠâ
Before the man could finish speaking, an elder next to Emperor Zhou struck with his palm.
A hand clad in Spiritual Energy sent the two Nameless swordsmen flying away.
Bloodied and their features a mangled mess.
âYou would do well not to discuss matters concerning Emperor Zhou,â the elder with eagle-like eyes warned in a sideways glance.
Xie Changliu approached and looked at Li Zi, asking, âMaster, how do you wish to deal with them?â
âThey broke my leg, and made me struggle for my life in Changâan for so long.
I canât be bothered to hold a grudge, just make it quick,â Li Zi said.
âThen you may personally put an end to this,â Xie Changliu replied.
Li Zi limped forward, picking up the Canghe Sword that the Nameless had dropped, and slowly stepped forward.
âUsing anotherâs sword to kill you would sully that sword. Itâs most fitting to use your own swords for this task,â Li Zi said.
The two Nameless continued to plead for mercy, devoid of their earlier demeanor.
But it was to no avail, as Li Ziâs longsword descended; blood spurted, heads flew, and all was returned to tranquility.
âLetâs go,â Li Zi dropped his sword and said calmly.
âBefore an appropriate candidate is found, the position of Palace Master of the Study Palace is reserved for you all,â Emperor Zhou said with a smile as he watched them leave.
âYou may return at any time.â
âThese people are too presumptuous,â said the elder by his side.
âEven if Xie Changliu is strong, how dare he wantonly kill within my Great Zhou?â
âDo you think itâs Xie Changliu Iâm afraid of?â Emperor Zhou asked in return.
He coughed a few times as he spoke, his frail figure appearing exceptionally weak.
âCould it be Li Zi?â the elder asked with doubt.
âHave you not been paying attention to that young man standing by his side?â Emperor Zhou asked.
The elder thought back slightly; Xu Zimei had been silent the whole time, which made it easy to overlook him.
âWho is he?â asked the elder.
âSome time ago, I received intelligence that the Misty Capital Great Emperor of Emperor Tan Mountain in the Four Directions Domain had been killed.
The slayer was a youth named Xu Zimei.
There are portraits, and Emperor Tan Mountain has been issuing warrants,â said Emperor Zhou.
âA few days ago, I heard that the Brahma Sect in the Western Region had completely taken control of the small world at the Edge of the Sky, End of the Sea.
I suspect that certain changes unknown to us have occurred to that existence they have long feared within it.
Coincidentally, Xie Changliu emerged from the small world at the Edge of the Sky, End of the Sea, and appeared together with that youth. You can ponder the details yourself,â said Emperor Zhou.
After speaking, Emperor Zhou boarded the imperial palanquin, his body looking extremely frail.
He couldnât stand for long.
âYour Majesty means to say that the one who killed the Misty Capital Great Emperor, and the changes in the small world at the Edge of the Sky, End of the Sea are both related to this youth?â the elder quickly asked.
âIf thatâs the case, why doesnât Your Majesty recruit him?
Our Changâan could be much stronger,â he said.
âHe has slain a Great Emperor, so he would certainly not think much of our Changâan. If I rashly tried to woo him, it would only leave a bad impression,â Emperor Zhou shook his head and said.
âBy forsaking the Nameless Swords, I am giving him face. He should see this.
Otherwise, what would Xie Changliu count for by himself?â
âYour Majestyâs strategic foresight is beyond us,â the elder said with emotion.
âAlthough often secluded deep in the palace, your reach extends across the entire Mortal Domain, no stir can escape your notice.â
âLetâs return to the palace,â Emperor Zhou waved his hand, as if he didnât wish to say any more.
âŠâŠ
âMaster, what do you plan to do next?â Xie Changliu looked towards Li Zi and asked.
âTo leave Changâan and live a reclusive life, to enjoy a simple living,â said Li Zi with a smile.
âNow, I can only live the life of a commoner.â
âTake care,â Xie Changliu took a deep breath and replied solemnly.
After the three left Changâan, Xie Changliu and Li Zi parted ways.
Because both were going to find Old Zhuoqiu.
The huge figure of Chaos vanished into the void, with Hurricanes swirling on both sides.
âEmperor Zhou is not simple,â Xie Changliu suddenly spoke up.
âHe recognized me,â said Xu Zimei.
âOtherwise, he wouldnât have let us leave so easily. This Changâan is quite interesting.â
âI owe you another favor,â Xie Changliu said.
âFollowing me, youâre constantly in danger. That favor isnât worth much,â Xu Zimei replied.
He knew his enemies well and, of course, the dangers they posed.
âI fear everything, except death,â Xie Changliu replied.