I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 506 A Single, Devastating Slash
Ying Xun ignored the old Japanese emperor for the time being and went straight to the vase.

Looking at the near-perfect flower arrangement, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. With a wave of his hand, he inserted a chrysanthemum into the vase.

The old emperor, who was standing to the side, noticed this scene out of the corner of his eye. His body trembled slightly, his face turned pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat, revealing his shock.

Seeing his expression was far more shocking to him than the fact that the Fist God had died and the gunpowder had never detonated.

In fact, it does.

Whether it's martial arts or gunpowder, any plan can have unexpected twists and turns.

But this vase contained the perfect essence he had painstakingly crafted over decades, his most prized work. Yet now, Ying Xun's casual act of inserting the vase had utterly destroyed the perfect artistic conception of the entire vase, and no matter how he tried to salvage it, he could never return to that perfect artistic conception.

In other words, Ying Xun casually destroyed the perfect path that he had spent decades of effort on.

Could it be that... there is no such thing as a perfect move in the world?!

Upon realizing this, the old emperor's face grew even paler.

“Show me your Shattering Heaven Technique,” ​​Ying Xun said calmly as he turned around.

The old emperor was filled with trepidation: "This humble prince dares not."

"Um?!"

The single word contained immense pressure and strange power, like a bolt from the blue, leaving the old emperor's mind blank, his blood surging, and he couldn't help but spill a trickle of blood.

"Xiao Wang understands."

The old emperor suppressed his fear, and a powerful force suddenly erupted from his withered body. His dry, brittle hands, with cracking knuckles, launched a frenzied attack on Ying Xun.

He used all his strength in this attack, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

—Since you want to see my Heaven-Shattering Technique, I'll let you see it to your heart's content. If you get injured as a result, then I suppose you have nothing to say.

However... those hands, which were said to be able to shatter the heavens and destroy the earth, seemed to be engulfed in a lump of paste when they attacked within three feet of Ying Xun.

Every inch forward required an enormous expenditure of true energy and physical strength. In the end, the power of this strike was completely exhausted, but it was still some distance from Ying Xun's body.

"Young Master Nineteen's skills are unparalleled; I am far from being his match."

The old emperor stopped, once again revealing his sycophantic demeanor.

Judging from his performance alone, it is absolutely unimaginable that he had previously been determined to kill Ying Xun.

"Your Shattering Heaven Technique is quite remarkable; the shattering intent it contains is indeed unique." Ying Xun's words were full of praise, but then a mocking smile appeared on his face: "Your Majesty, first you sent people to sabotage the ship, then you made me fight the Fist God to the death, and then you tried to use explosives to make me and the Fist God be shattered to pieces. Tell me, how do you plan to settle this score?"

The old emperor once again showed a look of fear and trepidation: "Please, Young Master Nineteen, investigate carefully. Ever since the Wushen Jue Palace ran rampant in Japan, the imperial family's prestige has been declining. Although my martial arts skills are still quite good, I am old and can no longer control these wolves and ambitious men under my command. They have long harbored rebellious intentions, and their actions are by no means at my behest. I hope that Young Master Nineteen will see the truth!"

"Haha, really?"

Ying Xun saw through his intentions but remained silent, simply smiling faintly: "I have crossed the sea this time to take control of Japan. Regardless of what happened before, in ten days, I require you to lead all the royal family and nobles of Japan to surrender to me. Otherwise... hehe..."

It was probably because Ying Xun's ambition was beyond imagination that the old emperor couldn't help but look up at Ying Xun.

"Young Master Nineteen, this..."

"What, you don't want to?!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty dares not." The old emperor bowed respectfully, but in his heart he thought that no matter what, he should first stabilize Ying Xun and save his life.

Ying Xun waved his hand: "Since you don't dare, then hurry back and prepare."

"Yes……"

As the old Japanese emperor departed, Ying Xun's gaze turned rather cold.

"He just agreed like that?"

In contrast, You Ruo was somewhat stunned. She didn't believe that the old emperor would submit so easily, and finally said with some worry, "He agreed to you so easily, I'm afraid he has ulterior motives. We should still be careful."

Ying Xun hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything more.

He knew that Emperor Shōsei wouldn't be honest.

After all, an emperor of a nation, or even just an emperor of a small country, would certainly not be willing to submit to others, let alone be forced to submit by the people of the Central Plains.

Moreover, apart from the old emperor, it is unlikely that other masters and forces in Japan would allow him to take over Japan, such as the leader Xiao Aoshi, and the Hidden Sword School and Xuanhua, which he led.

But...so what?

At worst, it's just a one-hit wonder.

I've learned this stunning move for so long, but I've never used it at full power. Now, it finally has a chance to be put to good use.

……

Edo, the imperial city.

The old Emperor of Japan stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the moon, but his mood was quite heavy.

As Ying Xun said, he was not willing to submit to a person from the Central Plains.

The old emperor was ambitious. The reason he was willing to share the country with Jue Wushen was because he knew that Jue Wushen's ambitions did not lie in Japan and that he was fully confident in dealing with Jue Wushen.

But now, in the battle of the Godless Palace, the Japanese royal family suffered heavy casualties. Although he is not entirely alone, all his experts have been killed by Ying Xun, and what remains are just some small fry.

These lackeys might be able to handle ordinary experts when they team up, but against peerless masters like Ying Xun... they pose absolutely no threat. Going up against them would only be suicide.

Is Your Majesty worried about Ying Xun?

Just as the old emperor was worrying, a calm voice rang out.

The old emperor was suddenly startled.

Although the royal family's experts were almost all killed or wounded, the palace's defenses were still quite strong.

Three steps to a post, five steps to a sentry.

Moreover, the old emperor himself was one of the most powerful masters, whose strength surpassed that of the God of No God. Yet, someone entered his residence without him noticing at all. The newcomer's martial arts skills were simply beyond imagination.

Of all the masters the old emperor knew, only Ying Xun was capable of doing this.

But the person who came was clearly not Ying Xun.

The old emperor slowly turned around and saw a tall, middle-aged man standing behind him, wearing a bronze mask and exuding an aura of an invincible overlord.

The old emperor had seen this domineering aura in Jue Wushen before, but compared to the person before him, Jue Wushen was like a stream compared to a river, or a sand dune compared to a mountain—the two were simply not on the same level.

"May I ask who you are...?"

The old emperor's heart skipped a beat, knowing that he had encountered a peerless master. However, he was a person who had long held a high position, so on the surface he remained calm and composed. But behind his back, his hands were frantically accumulating the power of the Shattering Heaven Technique.

"I am Hayato Ten'in, the master of the Hidden Sword School. I greet the Emperor," the masked man said indifferently, showing no respect for the royal family in either his tone or his demeanor.

"Oh, the Hidden Sword School? It seems that Japan truly is a place where hidden talents abound."

The old emperor chuckled, seemingly pleased that Japan had gained such a peerless master: "I wonder what brings Master Hayato here?"

"As a subject of Japan, I have naturally come to share Your Majesty's burdens," Hayato Ten'yō chuckled. "Your Majesty, how about entrusting Ying Xun to our Hidden Sword School? We guarantee it will be handled perfectly, so Your Majesty will have no worries." The old Emperor was taken aback, and frowned slightly, asking, "What are the conditions?"

Hayato Ten'in's lips, visible beneath the bronze mask, curled into a faint smile: "The Hidden Sword School is currently just a small, unruly sect in the mountains. It would seem illegitimate for us to take action. If His Majesty the Emperor could grant the Hidden Sword School some official positions in the imperial court, everything would naturally fall into place."

Clearly, their aim is to gain access to the court, seize control of the government, and ultimately usurp the throne.

The old emperor naturally understood, and sneered inwardly, but on the surface he still maintained a very good imperial demeanor: "I can grant your request, but how can I believe that you can deal with Ying Xun? He is a top expert who has swept across the Central Plains."

"Empty words cannot convince people."

Hayato Ten'in smiled, slowly extending his hands from behind his back to his face. He spread his hands out and clenched them, a seemingly ordinary action that gave rise to a feeling that all things in the world were within his grasp: "Your Majesty, your Shattering Heaven Technique is also a unique skill. I imagine you have accumulated enough power by now. You will know once you try it."

Seemingly not expecting that the other party had already seen through his actions, the old emperor, who had been calm and composed all along, finally showed a slight change in expression, and then laughed heartily again.

"Very well, let me test Lord Hayato's martial arts skills."

As the last character "功" (gong, meaning merit) fell, the old emperor tapped his toes, and the ground shattered instantly. His hands, which had been behind his back, suddenly shot forward like a dragon reaching for its claws, moving with incredible speed.

Moreover, his withered hands were already bulging with muscles, containing a terrifying destructive power.

This Heaven-Shattering Technique, after being fully charged, is the indestructible golden body of the Godless God. Even the old Heavenly Emperor was confident in breaking through it, let alone a mere mortal body.

In the old emperor's view, Hayato Tenkaku would be severely injured even if he didn't die from this attack.

Two loud "bangs" rang out simultaneously as the Heaven-Shattering Hand struck Hayato Ten'in's chest. However, Hayato Ten'in remained unfazed, as if the attack was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him, not worth mentioning.

Hayato Ten'in glanced at the hands on his chest, snorted coldly, and then suddenly jerked his body.

boom! !

In an instant, a surge of intense heat erupted from his body.

The aura was so powerful that the old emperor could not withstand it at all. Blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

This aura then spread outwards, and the immense power contained within it shattered the originally exquisite house into pieces, causing it to collapse with a deafening roar.

"What happened?"

"Assassin, there is an assassin!"

"It's His Majesty's palace! Quick, protect His Majesty!"

A group of palace guards rushed over. Some helped the old emperor up from the ruins, while others drew their swords and stared warily at Hayato Ten'in, wary of him making another move.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with my strength?" Hayato Ten'in asked with a smile.

The old emperor was helped up, coughing incessantly, feeling his blood surging uncontrollably, the intense heat and immense power making him feel as if he were about to explode.

After a long while, the old emperor finally steadied his breathing and said in a deep voice, "I agree to your conditions."

He understood perfectly well that Hayato Ten'in was also a wolf in sheep's clothing.

However... things have developed to this point, and there is no other choice.

Of course, it would be best if Hayato Ten'in and Ying Xun fought to the point of mutual destruction.

Hayato Ten'in could naturally guess the old emperor's thoughts, but he didn't care. His tone was full of confidence: "Your Majesty, rest assured, leave everything to our Hidden Sword School. There will be no problems. I will take my leave to make preparations."

……

Time slips away silently.

The ten-day period agreed upon by Ying Xun and the old emperor has arrived.

The old emperor stood atop the imperial city wall, gazing into the distance.

He had already arranged a banquet in the city, waiting for Ying Xun to drink the poisoned wine before a powerful member of the Hidden Sword School would take his life.

Thinking of this, the old emperor couldn't help but glance at Hayato Amagami beside him.

The cultivation level of this Hidden Sword Sect Master can indeed be described as unfathomable. He could probably fight Ying Xun even without resorting to tricks and schemes.

Not to mention, Hayato Ten'in wasn't the only one who came this time; there were also other masters of the Hidden Sword School.

In any case, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a sure thing, according to the old emperor.

But he was not in a good mood; on the contrary, he was quite heavy-hearted, because even if he could get rid of Ying Xun, it would be nothing more than driving a wolf to devour a tiger.

There are too many masters in the Hidden Sword School, and several of them are even no less skilled than him.

If the Hidden Sword Stream is allowed to enter the court this time, it is obvious that it will not be long before he will be stripped of his imperial power and become a puppet emperor.

But as I said before, he has no other choice now but to hope that Ying Xun and the Hidden Sword School will fight to the death.

Thinking of all this, the old emperor couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.

"coming!"

Hayato Tenkaku suddenly spoke.

The old emperor immediately focused his energy in his eyes and indeed saw two figures coming from a distance, namely Ying Xun and You Ruo, a married couple.

However, the couple did not enter the city, but stopped about a hundred feet away from the imperial city.

Immediately afterwards, the two seemed to say something, and then Ying Xun took a jade pendant from his waist, which instantly turned into a knife.

A Green Dragon Crescent Blade!

Ying Xun slowly raised the sword in his hand high into the sky, as if he wanted to borrow strength from the heavens.

With a loud "boom," a surge of violent true energy, almost tangible, burst forth from his body.

The true energy quickly turned fiery red, like a burning flame, enveloping his entire body.

Moments later, the flames shot into the sky, stirring up the wind and clouds and turning half the sky blood red.

"What...what is he trying to do?!"

Seeing Ying Xun's actions, the old emperor suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.

Hayato Tenkaku did not answer the old emperor.

Because he sensed an invincible sword intent emanating from Ying Xun.

An invincible sword intent that will last for eternity!
An invincible sword intent that should not belong to the mortal realm!
He cultivated the Myriad Paths of the Universe, making his perception of all things in heaven and earth extremely acute. Thus, he had already sensed the flow of energy between heaven and earth, as well as that chill that penetrated to the bone.

Although Hayato Ten'in felt that at a distance of over a hundred feet, not to mention Ying Xun, even his master, the chief Xiao Aoshi, could not possibly hurt him, he still followed his heart.

They chose to flee immediately.

They fled the capital at top speed, without even having time to say goodbye to anyone else.

At the same time, a thunderous shout rang out.

"A single, devastating blow!"

(End of this chapter)