Chapter 158 : Chapter 158

Chapter 158: It Must Have Been Prince Qing’s Lineage That Suppressed That Brat Cheng Yu!

【Reward: The Thousand-Forged Ice-Thunder Xiuchun Saber (Low-Grade Earth-Rank) has been upgraded to the Semi-Divine Armament Dragon-Dethroning Xiuchun Saber (High-Grade Heaven-Rank)!】

【Reward: The Dragon-Silk Cold-Origin Flying Fish Uniform (Low-Grade Earth-Rank) has been upgraded to the Semi-Divine Armor Dragon-Silk Throne-Defying Python Robe (High-Grade Heaven-Rank)!】

【Reward: the High-Grade Heaven-Rank artifact “Nether Command Seal”!】

Once the rewards had been issued, the aura around Cheng Yu immediately became even more mysterious and powerful.

Even the Jinyiwei subordinate who was in the middle of reporting the results could not help pausing for a moment.

The Cheng Yu before him suddenly seemed a little more restrained in aura.

Yet he did not think for an instant that something had gone wrong with Cheng Yu’s cultivation. On the contrary, he became even more convinced that Cheng Yu had made some kind of breakthrough.

Clearly, his guess was correct.

“My lord is becoming even harder to fathom!”

The Jinyiwei man was somewhat surprised, but more than that, he felt it was only natural. As expected of Lord Cheng—he was growing stronger every moment of every day!

Cheng Yu’s expression remained utterly calm, yet inwardly he was somewhat surprised by the contents of the rewards.

As the great cause of the Jinyiwei advanced, his paired Xiuchun Saber and Flying Fish Uniform had once again been upgraded.

On top of the overwhelming power they already possessed, they had now received another all-around enhancement.

High-Grade Heaven-Rank!

A level like this was vanishingly rare in the entire history of Great Qian martial arts.

Even among the Heavenly Armaments on the Supreme Weapon Ranking Under Heaven, the last few on the list were only at this level.

If one of them were taken out on its own and placed within one of the Jianghu’s great super-sects, it would be enough to serve as a sect-defining treasure passed down for ages.

Yet Cheng Yu had obtained two matching pieces in one stroke, and they could continue to improve even further.

It surpassed anything others could possess, beyond even their wildest imagination.

The aura of the Dragon-Dethroning Xiuchun Saber was no longer as ostentatious as before. It no longer burst into lightning and frost the moment it was drawn.

When slaying enemies, it no longer announced itself with thunderous booms that dazzled the eye and shook the ear.

Now, though even more powerful than before, it had instead become incomparably restrained. At the command of his thoughts, its appearance could remain exactly as it had been before.

Under Cheng Yu’s mental control, the Throne-Defying Python Robe likewise retained the appearance of his former Flying Fish Uniform, only now it no longer drew the eye at all.

At this moment, both items had become utterly plain.

They emitted not the slightest aura and looked completely ordinary.

Yet with a single thought from Cheng Yu, the Xiuchun Saber and the Python Robe could transform at any time into peerless treasures of extraordinary bearing.

Cheng Yu also noticed the names of the two pieces of equipment.

The saber was named Dragon-Dethroning, and the robe was named Throne-Defying.

As for what that meant, the system had already made it as plain and direct as possible.

As a Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Commander, one of the Son of Heaven’s personal guards, Cheng Yu’s duty was to carry out imperial orders.

But he was by no means the imperial house’s slavish hound.

If the Great Qian Emperor was wise and clear-sighted, Cheng Yu could strike down rebels below.

If he was muddleheaded and incompetent, Cheng Yu could just as well cut down a foolish ruler above!

Cheng Yu understood this very clearly.

Though he often shouted of the Great Qian court and the Great Qian Emperor, those exalted grandees of the court were by no means of one steadfast heart with him.

Nor could the Great Qian Emperor decide very many things on his own.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the court’s Moderate Faction, even the Jianghu martial artists who suppressed the court were closer to them than an uncontrollable factor like Cheng Yu.

Openly and secretly, they would suppress and target him in every possible way.

Had Cheng Yu not struck first, it was likely that the matter of exterminating Prince Qing’s Remnants would never have gone as smoothly as it had this time.

As for such people, he absolutely could not sit still and wait for them to act.

Great Qian was not Cheng Yu’s backer.

He had to cultivate a force of his own, loyal to the core, before he could gain the means to contend with those people—and in turn make them understand the stakes.

The system’s third reward only deepened that conviction.

The Nether Command Seal!

It came from the same source as the cold and ghostly techniques of Great Qian’s Jinyiwei, and through Internal Energy it could summon a ghostly army from the Netherworld.

They feared neither pain nor death, and their loyalty was absolute!

So long as he had enough Internal Energy, summoning an army of thousands upon thousands would be no difficult matter.

Cheng Yu alone could become an army!

This was perfectly suited to becoming an important part of the force he meant to build.

At that thought, Cheng Yu began laying plans in his heart for the development of his own power.

The Sword Bearers would likely become his staunchest supporters, able to provide mid- to high-level combat strength within his faction.

And as for the most crucial part of that force—

Cheng Yu looked at the Jinyiwei before him, who was still reporting the results while bearing injuries.

The man stood there with his head respectfully lowered, waiting for his lord’s reply.

Cheng Yu nodded.

By the rules of the Thousand-Household Office, those wounded in battle did not need to participate in the cleanup afterward, yet this man had volunteered and taken part of his own accord.

“I understand. Since the inventory has been completed, prepare to depart with the spoils.”

“Yes!”

The injured Jinyiwei quickly nodded and accepted the order, then turned to go notify the others.

Suddenly, a gust of force swept past, and a tiny blood-red pill was flicked into his hand by Cheng Yu.

It was so full of Vital Blood that it seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

And yet it carried not the slightest trace of violence. Instead, it was incomparably gentle.

“This is...”

The Jinyiwei subordinate’s eyes widened. He had been in charge of looting the treasury of Prince Qing’s Remnants, and with a single glance he recognized how precious this thing was.

Compared to the strongest Vital Blood elixir in that treasury, its medicinal power was even stronger!

A treasure like this—

Lord Cheng had actually bestowed it upon him!

The Jinyiwei subordinate immediately kowtowed in gratitude.

“My thanks, my lord! I will never forget your grace for as long as I live!”

Cheng Yu shook his head.

“This is what you earned. The men of the Jinyiwei follow me through life and death. I will never let your sacrifices be for nothing.”

“As for the Vital Blood pills collected by Prince Qing’s Remnants, divide them among yourselves according to merit.”

When the rest of the Jinyiwei heard Cheng Yu’s words, they all dropped to the ground together in excitement and gratitude. To have encountered a lord like Cheng Yu, they truly felt blessed for three lifetimes!

The looks in their eyes as they gazed at Cheng Yu grew even more reverent and devoted.

For many of them, this was the first time in their lives they had ever been valued so highly—let alone by a figure as godlike as Cheng Yu.

Seeing their reaction, Cheng Yu waved a hand and told them all to rise.

These men were the true foundation upon which he would build his power.

How could the great cause of the Jinyiwei exist without Jinyiwei?

...

Near the borders of Lingdong Circuit, a group of Jianghu martial artists had gathered together, all staring anxiously in the direction of Iron Halberd Mountain.

The moment they heard that the Jinyiwei had poured out in full force and launched a massive assault on Prince Qing’s Remnants, they all rushed over without the slightest delay.

They had come for one reason only—to see which side would remain standing after this battle.

The reason was simple.

The outcome of this fight would determine their own fate.

If the Jinyiwei won, then Cheng Yu—already arrogant, ruthless, and fierce—would become utterly unmatched, and people of the Jianghu like them would forever be trampled underfoot,

slaughtered at will!

If Prince Qing’s Lineage won, they would inevitably use the opportunity to rise up—whether by peacefully taking control of Jiannan Circuit or by slaughtering through sheer force.

Either way, it would affect the Jianghu martial artists directly.

Only by knowing the result could they make plans in advance.

None of them dared approach too closely. They only dared to remain far away, sensing the aftershocks of battle from a distance and guessing at the state of the fight.

After waiting a long time, the aftershocks gradually began to fade.

“It’s over! It looks like there’s a result!”

Someone grew excited. “It ended so quickly—it must be that Prince Qing’s Lineage has suppressed that brat Cheng Yu! That damned Imperial Hound dared make us register by name. At worst, I’ll just rebel!”

“Exactly! Registering by name exposes our strength. They’re digging up the very roots of martial artists like us!”

Whether by what they believed should happen, or simply by what they personally wanted, they all believed one thing.

The Jinyiwei was bound to lose—and had to lose!