Nangong Chunliang’s heart quivered. His eyes widened in disbelief. He thought that he was hallucinating.
“It’s really Yu’er. How can this be?”
After checking it several times, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank. It was like that the sky had collapsed and all his strength had been drained in an instant. His hand started shaking and then the jade box fell to the ground with a clatter.
The two heads rolled out to the ground and got stained with dirt.
At that point, other people also noticed that something was wrong.
“Isn’t that… Nangong Yu?”
“Oh my, did my eyes deceive me?”
“Nangong Yu is dead?”
“How?”
“Could it be…?”
Although it had not been a long time since Nangong Yu reached the Void-breaking Realm, as a famous figure in the past few months, Nangong Yu was already well known. His portraits had also spread among the major forces. So, some people immediately recognized that one of two heads on the ground belonged to Nangong Yu, the “number one martial arts cultivator” in the world.
After a brief silence, the crowds gathered outside Lord Virtuous the Eighth’s manor burst into an uproar.
Waves of shock raged in everyone’s heart.
It felt as if the highest mountain had fallen heavily on the surface of the sea from a height of 10,000 meters, splashing thousands upon thousands of waves, making everyone overwhelmed and dizzy.
“What happened?”
“Nangong Yu has been killed?”
“Nangong Yu, the ‘sea-crossing bridge and sky-propping pillar’ of the Nangong family, the first person in this world to enter the Void-breaking Realm in the world, has been killed just like that?”
“That skinny, bamboo-like man has just introduced himself. Where is he from again?”
“He said he is a servant of the Knife Hut?”
“Does that mean… Li Mu has made his move?”
“Nangong Yu died in Li Mu’s hands.”
A series of messages naturally linked up in an instant. Many people quickly grasped the cause and effect and came to such a conclusion in an instant.
All of a sudden, what happened that day became a joke, a farce.
The Nangong family had rapidly risen to power and just couldn’t wait to dominate the world. They immediately chose to direct their blade at Li Mu, the former top broadsword cultivator in that world, hoping to take the throne by stepping on the most powerful person in the past. The idea was quite plausible, only that they underestimated Li Mu’s strength.
Now that Nangong Yu died, what awaited the Nangong family was not only disbandment but a downfall that would come as fast as an avalanche.
After losing the protection of Nangong Yu, the number one expert in the Void-breaking Realm, the Nangong family that had enjoyed a history of 1,000 years would certainly be gnawed away bit by bit by the various parties like an elephant being eaten up by ants. That was because they had recently offended all the forces with their high-profile and cruel deeds.
What was more, the most formidable figure the Nangong family had affronted was Li Mu, the God of Broadswords.
Looking at the past, all those who were against Li Mu had been buried.
After seeing Nangong Yu’s head, the royals of the Northern Song were dumbfounded for a short while. Then, they felt the exultation that they could hardly conceal and the cheer after their spite was vented.
Nangong Chunliang stood still as if rooted to the spot.
In an instant, he seemed to have aged hundreds of years and lost all his energy. He no longer had the kind of vigor and arrogance that allowed him to look down upon the whole world a moment ago.
The expressions of the disciples of the Nangong family, who were originally overbearing and pompous, could be said to be extremely interesting. They were like frostbitten eggplants, trembling as if the doomsday had come. Some of them already panicked and began to squeeze their way into the crowd, attempting to sneak out when no one was looking.
“Master, master, what should we do?” Kong Gang yelled; his face was full of horror.
Looking like a dead man, Nangong Chunliang was unable to answer.
Zhang Yue, who was standing aside, was also astounded at that moment.
“How could things turn out like this?”
He felt that the neck of Lord Virtuous the Eighth that he was clamping was like a fiery hot iron. The fear in his heart was indescribable. He quickly let go of Lord Virtuous the Eighth and forced a smile on his face. “Your Highness, I…”
Lord Virtuous the Eighth landed on the ground and coughed heavily.
Immediately, a guard from the lord’s residence rushed over and supported Lord Virtuous the Eighth to his feet.
Zhang Yue, who had Nangong Chunliang for a teacher, also turned out to be a ruthless character. Seeing that Lord Virtuous the Eighth gradually caught his breath and looked rather unfriendly, he knew he would be executed without a doubt. Emboldened by his ferocity, Zhang Yue decided not to kill the lord. However, as soon as he came up with that idea, he was pinned down by a strange Qi wave.
The lanky man who claimed to be a servant in the Knife Hut strolled over with a faint smile. One look from him already made Zhang Yue feel a chill in his heart and did not dare to move!
Those disciples of the Nangong family who were gripping Zhao Ji and preparing to pierce his shoulder blades also panicked. Previously, they bullied the others by dint of the power of the Nangong family. But now, they had no way to extricate themselves from this difficult situation. They just stood there holding Zhao Ji, having no idea what to do. And their faces were as bitter as one could imagine.
“My master said that the Nangong family has to answer to Countess Huanzhu. As long as she is satisfied, he will not continue to pursue this matter.” The Knife Hut servant gazed at Nangong Chunliang and said serenely, “Do you understand?”
Nangong Chunliang suddenly came to himself as if awakening from a dream.
He fixed the lanky man with a complicated look. There was a lot of fear in his eyes, but he could not bring himself to show any hatred.
Nangong Yu was dead. The most outstanding descendant of the family was dead. His dear son was dead. Though infuriated and frightened, Nangong Chunliang didn’t dare to show the slightest desire for revenge.
As a millennium-old clan, the Nangong family had established a good foundation and had its own secret for existing for so many years. They could adapt to the environment and bow their heads if necessary. At that time, if they went desperate and launched a fierce strike, it would inevitably lead to the end of the whole Nangong family.
As long as the Nangong family survived, there would be hope for it to rise again.
And perhaps they could cultivate a second or even a third Nangong Yu.
But if the Nangong family was gone, everything would be lost.
“I… I understand. What our Nangong family did… is wrong,” admitted Nangong Chunliang as he lowered his head in a very sincere manner, his expression desolate.
The moment he lowered his head, he drew a complete end to the hot debate about “Who is the number one cultivator in the world” on the Divine Land.
The answer was clear now.
Taibai City was simply too terrifying.
Such a super big event that was enough to influence the fate of the entire Divine Land for thousands of years in the eyes of the others was as boring as a children’s game to Li Mu. He even did not bother to show up in person but just randomly sent a Knife Hut servant to solve all the problems.
In comparison, the Nangong family that had held their noses in the air and considered the whole world beneath them these days looked rather like a joke.
And those who had been arguing which force was more powerful and those who had sighed for Li Mu were also like a joke.
As for those forces and sects that took the initiative to follow and make friends with the Nangong family, and even did not hesitate to add fuel to the fire, secretly slander Li Mu, look down on Taibai City, manipulate the public opinion, and did everything to please the Nangong family, they were now more like a huge joke as well.
But how did Nangong Yu die?
No one knew the answer to that question.
Yet, the question did not matter anymore.
What mattered was that Nangong Yu was dead, while Li Mu was alive.
The lanky man’s eyes swept over the members of the Nangong family. Then, with a sarcastic look on his face, he sneered and said, “There are still three more Knife Hut servants like me in that Knife Hut. So, don’t do stupid things. Even if all the sects, clans, and empires in this world unite together, they can’t resist an offhand attack of our Taibai City.”
With that, he turned around and took a step forward, disappearing between heaven and earth.
Everyone in front of the mansion of Lord Virtuous the Eighth fell into dead silence.
After a long time, a resolute look appeared on Nangong Chunliang’s face.
In the presence of tens of thousands of people and under numerous gazes, he suddenly whipped around and knelt down at the gate of Lord Virtuous the Eighth’s manor. Then, he said out loud, “The sinned Nangong Chunliang, takes the Nangong family’s disciples to plead guilty to Countess Huanzhu. I know that I can’t be pardoned for what I have done and am willing to die to atone for my sins. But please spare the old and the young of the Nangong family!”
At that moment, Nangong Chunliang suddenly recalled that only two days ago, when he deliberately broke into the boudoir of Countess Huanzhu and flirted with her, the most beautiful woman in the Northern Song asked him with a calm expression “Why don’t you appreciating being alive?”. At that time, he took those words as the bluffing roars of the weak when struggling against the strong. But now, it seemed that those words were more like pity and disdain from the strong when looking down upon the weak.
Tears welled up in Nangong Chunliang’s eyes at once.
He regretted it so much.
If he did not provoke Li Mu and stayed humble by making his son consolidate his cultivation like that golden-winged roc, how could the Nangong family be in such a situation now? As long as he did not get the wrong side of Li Mu, there would have been at least one expert in the Void-breaking Realm in the family, and they could become the martial arts clan second only to the Taibai City and have thousands of years of fortune and glory.
Thump! Thump!
The members of the Nangong family dropped to their knees at the gate of the manor one after another.
That scene astonished countless people around.
The world changed so fast!
No one knew that the Nangong family, which was supposed to conquer the world, would turn into dust in the blink of an eye. People watched them build a skyscraper, feast guests, as well as the collapse of that skyscraper.
Everyone in the royal family of the Northern Song was beaming with joy.
Under everyone’s gaze, a timid-looking maid hurtled out of the manor and snapped, “Get lost. Don’t block the road before the manor, and don’t let your blood blotch the gate.” Then, she added, “That is from Countess Huanzhu.”
In the end, the Nangong family left in dejection.
The grand wedding ceremony ended just like that.
Numerous people were sighing with emotion. There were so many beauties in the world, but why did the Nangong family have to ruffle the feathers of Countess Huanzhu. They all reminded themselves that they must not upset that countess in the future.
Lord Jin, who once had the power to unify the Northern Song before, was killed ruthlessly because he attempted to control Countess Huanzhu. Now, the Nangong family also tried to handle the most beautiful woman in the Northern Song. What was the result with Nangong Yu, the strongest cultivator in the Void-breaking Realm? He was killed, too.
The two incidents had put a mysterious and noble air on Countess Huanzhu. And she became even more famous than before.
Soon, the drama was over.
Half a day later.
In Taibai City, after reporting the process of the trip to the Northern Song, the lanky man bowed and withdrew from Li Mu’s study.
He was still shocked by the wisp of Broadsword Intent released from the jade medallion. He could not comprehend it, or see it through. Although he could also kill a small bug in the Void-breaking Realm like Nangong Yu, he still needed to spend some time and effort on the work if he was asked to do it. There was no way for him to do it neatly like what his master did— with a flash of a wisp of Broadsword Intent, Nangong Yu was already dead.
“What realm has my master reached then?”
As two years passed, the strength of each member of the Four Men’s Symphony had been greatly improved. Nevertheless, when they faced Li Mu, they felt more and more stressed and fearful.
In the study.
“Young Master, that Nangong family is incredibly sinister and vicious. They insulted Sister Yu. It can be seen that all of them are scourges. Do we simply let this go after killing just Nangong Yu?” Ming Yue, the little attendant, said indignantly.
Li Mu got up and walked to the window. Gazing at the flowing water outside the window, he sighed and said, “Some people will go to deal with the Nangong family with crueler means than mine. That family will be finished off soon enough.”
