The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 244 Heroes Gathering

Faced with Nangong Diyi’s question, Xu Pingjing and others were furious. He roared in a low voice, “Nangong Diyi! So you still know that you are a disciple of the Taoist sect? What have you done over the years? You are just a lackey for the imperial court! Atop the Niushou Mountain, you and Zhongnan Four Swords grappled, which made the Taoist sect lose the green lotus, and Li Ye reaped the benefits. You are the reason that he is able to make waves now!”

Having heard these words, Bai Jingxue, Wu Jinling, Wang Sanxian and others had strange expressions. At the end of the day, supporting Huang Chao was a matter for the Zhongnan Mountain Taoist sect. And it had nothing to do with the other four sects. Only Zhang Jiuling glowered up at Nangong Diyi, and shared a bitter hatred for the enemy. After all, the Penglai Taoist sect was deeply affected since Li Ye had commanded Pinglu.

Nangong Diyi sneered. “Nonsense! It’s not the Taoist way to fight over power and money. What’s the difference between you and the wicked and venal ministers that fight for power? Looking at you makes me sick!”

Xu Pingjing was furious. “Nangong Diyi, you...”

Nangong Diyi rolled up his long sleeves, pulled away and went straight to Qi Mountain. It was as though he didn’t want to stay with them for a moment longer. “The Taoist sect? That’s bullsh*t. You’re only good at fighting amongst yourselves in times of peace. Once enemies invade, you are the first to betray your ancestors!”

“You have long forgotten about those Central Plains sword-wielding cultivators, from centuries ago, who went west and climbed the Golden Mountain alone, and how strong, fearless and fierce they were! They are the backbone of the Divine Land, but you are just a group of locusts. You may have forgotten them, but I, Nangong Diyi, will not forget them! They went west alone with nothing but their green robes and their sword. They climbed the Golden Mountain and gave their lives without even leaving a name. They did that all just for the peace of the divine land—such acts of bravery, I, Nangong Diyi, will not be a coward!”

Before his last words even landed, Nangong Diyi had disappeared far away. Then, all the people were relieved. When Nangong Diyi first arrived, they felt full of oppression as if Mount Tai was on their shoulders. Nangong Diyi was so arrogant, and obviously, he did not think much of them. He wanted to fight side by side with Li Ye, but no one dared to do anything because the pressure was too great.

After Nangong Diyi went away, Wu Jinling was shocked, he added, “When did Nangong Diyi reach the Spiritual Master Realm? Why do I have a feeling that seeing him is like seeing a sword out of its scabbard, making us people feel like we are on the brink of a deep gulf?”

There was fear flashing in Wang Sanxian’s eyes. “I am not aware of when Nangong Diyi reached the Spiritual Master Realm, but his power is indeed extraordinary. In the past, when Nangong Diyi had made some strides in comprehending the sword, he went to the border and killed eight hundred enemies with three slices. He left behind the legend ‘When thunderstorms hit, insects would awake and all would die after three Buyue sword attacks’. It can be seen that his cultivation of the Way of Sword is extraordinary. Nowadays, Nangong Diyi had achieved the Spiritual Master Realm, and I guess his cultivation of the Way of Sword had made quite a few strides. Perhaps you and I cannot match.”

Bai Jingxue sneered, “You mean you can’t match.”

These words had totally offended Wu Jinling and Wang Sanxian, and both of them glared at her. Wang Sanxian smiled insidiously and said, “It is indeed a great thing that the Sword Wielder of Shushan is born again. But we have not seen this Sword Wielder yet, when can you make arrangements so that we could meet the Sword Wielder?”

Bai Jingxue sneered. “The Sword Wielder of Shushan is not a clown; do you expect us to parade the Sword Wielder around to let people see? When it’s time to show up, she will naturally appear.”

Wu Jinling laughed and added, “If Li Ye really got out of the Military Formation of Monk Militarism...”

Bai Jingxue immediately added, “Then he will die under my Shushan Immortal Inquiring Sword.”

In the Military Formation of Monk Militarism, Li Ye and Li Xian were fighting for their lives. Both of them were seriously wounded. They couldn’t hold on for much longer, but Li Ye’s eyes were still full of determination, looking as though he would not stop till he died. Li Xian was also very calm, he too looked like he did not care much about life and death. Before he got there he had told Song Jiao that life and death were not something he could control, so he had no fear for it. So he too was willing to give up his life.

He was like the countless top masters of the Divine Land for hundreds of years, leaving Yangguan alone and traveling westward to Big Snow Temple on the Golden Mountain.

The difference was that one was for the Tang Empire’s community, and the other was for the inheritance of the ancestors in the Divine Land.

Just when Li Ye and Li Xian were about to collapse, suddenly, thunder struck on that sunny day. Then, three streaks of blue light energy landed in the Military Formation of Monk Militarism.

The blue light covered the sky and the sun, making people feel like being in a different world. Then, the ground was moving and the mountains were shaking. It seemed that a big earthquake struck and countless bloody light flew in the air. Waves of screams were everywhere, and the previously orderly formation was immediately turned into a mess just like a vegetable garden trampled by wild boars.

Nangong Diyi stood in the air. After Three Buyue swords, he fell into the barrier and came to Li Ye.

Li Ye smiled when he saw Nangong Diyi. “Why are you so late?”

Nangong Diyi glared at him. “I’ve come to save you, and you don’t even thank me, but blame me for being late?”

Li Ye smiled. “We drank together, how could you not come?”

If others heard these words, they probably would not have taken it to heart, after all, who would set much store for words on the drinking table? But after hearing those words, Nangong Diyi laughed and looked very satisfied. “I’m glad I made the right friends.”

He clasped his fist in his hands at Li Xian and said, “Old Prince An, it’s been a long time.”

Li Xian smiled and added, “Chief of Nangong, your cultivation of the Way of Sword is at the zenith, and even I can no longer say that I can beat you.”

Li Xian was right. Nangong Diyi’s three sword strikes had killed at least 80 people. These were eighty high-level Qi-refining cultivators, not to mention the power added by the Military Formation of Monk Militarism. They were not the eight hundred grassland cavalry soldiers.

After Nangong Diyi’s Three Buyue sword attacks, the monk soldiers were all a bit shocked. At this moment, they were obviously in fear. This was something that they had never seen before, and this was the first time they had expressed fear during this long battle.

However, the monk soldiers did not retreat. After the initial shock, they charged again.

The three of them looked at each other and got excited. They then wielded their swords and went charging towards the oncoming monk soldiers.

Tian Luo’s face was now dark as ink, he looked at Nangong Diyi who just joined the fray and his features were all twisted. Looking livid like he wanted to eat someone alive, he asked, “Who the hell is this?”

Fa Yi sighed and replied, “When thunderstorms hit, insects would awake and all would die after three Buyue sword attacks... apart from Nangong Diyi, who else could it be? The former Chief of Tang Empire Imperial Astronomical Observatory. Who would’ve thought that after disappearing for a few years, he has reached the Spiritual Master Realm?”

Tian Luo frowned, since Nangong Diyi was not of the Spiritual Master Realm, his reputation was only known in the Tang Empire. So Tian Luo who had always lived in the Western Regions, naturally did not know about him, he thought about Fa Yi’s words and asked, “All would die after three Buyue sword attacks? What does it mean?”

Fa Yi glanced at Tian Luo and replied, “This Nangong Diyi was infatuated with the Way of Sword and he forged the Awaken Sword himself. He then invented the Buyue sword art. When he made some strides in comprehending the sword, he went up north to the grasslands. After encountering cavalry who wanted to breach the borders, he killed eight hundred cavalry soldiers in an instant. The rest of the grassland cavalry immediately retrieved. Thus the legend ‘when the Three Buyue swords strikes, even if there are thousands of soldiers, they would all die.”

Tian Luo gave a cold laugh; there was already hatred in his eyes. He then added, “What arrogance! all would die after three Buyue sword attacks! I want to see how he’s going to kill my monk soldiers! Even ten Spiritual Master Realm cultivators will fall in the Military Formation of Monk Militarism, much less three!”

Tian Luo was indeed full of hatred because he thought that this was the best opportunity in eight hundred years for Buddhism to come out and help Li Changyan overthrow the Tang emperor. Then they were planning to make Li Changyan surrender to Li Keyong when he came with his troops. By then Li Keyong would be in a position to take over. After that, they had planned to use the eighteen guardian warriors, the thirty-six arhats and the eight hundred monk soldiers to help Li Keyong wipe out the enemies, by which time the Divine Land was for the taking.

But who would have thought that their plans had changed before even reaching Fengxiang. First, it was the news that Li Ye had earned the three merits of wiping out the rebels, and then it was Li Ye reaching the Spiritual Master of the Spiritual Pool. And after hearing about his tyrannical strength, Buddhism came to stop him but no one predicted the price they had paid.

Li Ye was supposed to have fallen in the hands of the thirty-six arhats, but because of their cowardice, the devil escaped. Li Ye was bound to die in the Military formation of Monk Militarism, but Li Xian came to his aid, and as if that wasn’t enough, Nangong Diyi had also come. Now, the Monk soldiers had already lost two to three hundred men, which had greatly weakened them.

Tian Luo couldn’t help thinking, “Perhaps I’d really have to use the Great Six Paths of Reincarnation Formation on Li Ye?”

As soon as that thought popped in his head, Tian Luo quickly shook it off. The Great Six Paths of Reincarnation Formation was Buddhism’s last card, so he could not expose it so casually. Li Ye did have two helpers, but three Spiritual Master Realm cultivators including Li Ye, still could not break the eight-hundred strong Military Monk Formation.

Fa Yi was not as optimistic as Tian Luo.

In fact, as soon as Nangong Diyi arrived, a bad feeling already popped up in his mind. Li Ye was a formidable force that killed the eighteen guardian warriors and thirty-six arhats, though he was weakened by wounds, he was still not to be underestimated. He had not seen Li Ye’s powers erupt yet since he entered the eight-hundred strong monks’ Military Formation.

And Nangong Diyi’s cultivation of the Way of Sword was profound, whose strength was also not to be predicted. After he joined Li Ye and Li Xian, they had already made themselves a complete battle ground. Unlike previously when they could only defend against the Monk soldiers’ attack, they now had excess power to attack.

They no longer had to worry about being attacked from all sides at once, for they now had formed a mini Military Formation. It was now much more difficult to hurt any one of them, and not only that, their number of monk soldiers was falling.

Fa Yi frowned and lowered his head, Li Ye was too strong, so was Nangong Diyi. And add in Li Xian, it could be said that the top cultivators of Tang Empire had gathered together. When the most talented and powerful masters in decades joined forces, how could they be easily defeated?

As far as Fa Yi was concerned, if the monk soldiers were to win this fierce battle, the only way left was for the monks to use their numbers and lives to consume Li Ye and others’ Spiritual Qi. When all of their Spiritual Qi had been consumed, that was the opportunity for the monks to kill them.

However, if that happened, how much of the eight hundred monk soldiers would be left?