The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 338 Xu Xingchen: For serious illnesses, strong medicine is needed!
Xu Xingchen's words plunged everyone into silence.

after awhile
Ouyang Feng spoke first: "The world is inherently subject to division and unification; no dynasty can exist forever; why should we martial artists in the Jianghu worry about such things?"

Huang Yaoshi remained indifferent.

Hong Qigong frowned and said, "Although the old poisoner's words are unpleasant to hear, they are indeed profound truths; how can we, as people of the martial world, interfere in matters of the imperial court?"

Xu Xingchen sighed, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate!"

Huang Yaoshi sneered: "I didn't expect you to be a patriot who cares about the people; but what does this have to do with our Mount Hua Sword Tournament?"

"Of course it's relevant; we should be prepared for unforeseen circumstances," Xu Xingchen said calmly. "This time, the sword competition won't take place on Mount Hua; I'd like to hold it in the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the others, he raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle to look at the sky, adopting the air of a superior being, and slowly uttered sixteen words as sharp as knives and swords: "On the night of the full moon, at the summit of the imperial palace, heroes vie for supremacy, the number one under heaven!"

Upon hearing this, the group's eyes gleamed with excitement, and their auras surged. Even the usually indifferent Huang Yaoshi was stirred by these sixteen words, unable to remain calm.

In the most prestigious place under heaven, on the rooftop of the most prestigious place, under the watchful eyes of everyone.
These top masters vie for supremacy, engaging in fierce battles—what a carefree and exhilarating thing that must be!
Once this unprecedented and groundbreaking feat is spread, it will definitely shake the entire world and attract countless discussions.

Even after hundreds of years, it will still become an incredible legend, enduring in the martial arts world and praised and admired by future generations!
Just thinking about their past and future reputations made even those who had roamed the martial arts world for decades and possessed profound self-cultivation feel as if an electric shock had run down their spines, causing them to tremble slightly and their scalps to tingle.
However, nothing can ever be all good and no bad!

If they were truly to carry out this grand undertaking, the Song Dynasty imperial palace, their battlefield, would inevitably be destroyed and razed to the ground.
Such an act of offending the imperial majesty will surely enrage the current emperor to the point of utter fury.

They would inevitably incur the hatred and disgust of all the ministers in the court and all the scholars in the world; at that time, they would be subject to verbal and written attacks, and their names would be written and biographical, making them infamous for eternity.
They were inevitably wanted by the imperial court and became traitors whom officials everywhere wanted to kill!

Once you do this, your fame will spread throughout the world, and so will your infamy.

The disadvantages and advantages are almost equal in magnitude!
Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, and Hong Qigong were all thinking rapidly, weighing the pros and cons. Their gazes toward Xu Xingchen revealed a strange look, as if they were looking at a freak.

Guo Jing grew up in the grasslands and deserts and didn't have a clear understanding of the affairs of the Song Dynasty court, so he was just a little confused!
Zhou Botong's eyes darted around as he pondered how amusing this would be. A smile unconsciously spread across his face as he chuckled and said, "This is fun! Fun! Hahaha, it's going to be really fun!"

The others immediately gave him a disdainful look.

This old rascal only knows how to play, little does he know the terrible consequences that will follow after he does this earth-shattering thing!
the other side.
The group of men and women in white from White Camel Mountain, as well as Ouyang Ke, were all in a state of shock.

In particular, Ouyang Ke was invited by Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Dynasty, to become a guest of honor at the prince's residence.

Although Wanyan Honglie treated him with great respect, he did not dare to put on airs.

He was not his uncle Ouyang Feng after all!

But even his uncle would probably have to think twice before engaging in something as exciting as a "decisive battle atop the Song Dynasty palace," right?
This matter is of utmost importance, and no one can make a decision in a short time.

In addition, Huang Yaoshi set up three competitions to find a husband for his daughter, two of which ended in a draw, and one ended without a result.
Today's "grand event" has come to a somber end!
Zhou Botong followed Xu Xingchen and the other two back to the courtyard, pushed open the door, and sat down on the bench next to the table.

Hong Qigong, who had been deep in thought, looked up at Xu Xingchen and exclaimed, "Your medicine is too potent. If the court officials cannot withstand it, or if it is not handled properly, I fear it will greatly damage the prestige of the entire court, demoralize the people, and make it even more difficult to resist the invasion of the Great Jin Kingdom."

Xu Xingchen calmly said, "A serious illness requires drastic measures! The Song Dynasty is currently in a stage of its final resurgence."

"The ministers and scholars in the court thought the world was at peace, that they could live a life of mediocrity, that they could continue to hide under the covers and pretend to be asleep, pretending not to see the precarious state of the Song Dynasty."

"I'm going to wake all those who are dreaming with one blow."

"They'll either rally up, strengthen their military, and come to hunt us down."

"Or..." Xu Xingchen's face darkened, and he said coldly, "The sooner we die, the sooner we'll be reborn. Let's annihilate each other quickly!"

Hong Qigong wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only say helplessly, "Illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon; your method is too dangerous!"

Zhou Botong, who had been listening for a while, scratched his head and said, "Old beggar, how is this dangerous? We're just having a little fight and a martial arts contest on that emperor's roof."

"At that time, many people will go to watch, and the scene will definitely be very lively and fun!"

Hong Qigong turned to Zhou Botong and said irritably, "Old rascal, stop making trouble here; if this isn't handled properly, none of us will be able to survive in the martial arts world anymore."

"If the Song Dynasty really rallies its forces, it will send troops from all over the country to hunt us down; then, let's see how you'll be able to roam around then!"

"Oh dear!" Zhou Botong exclaimed in surprise, "Is that really the case? Then that's no fun at all!"

Guo Jing listened for a while and gleaned some clues. He carefully considered his words and said in a low voice, "Master, we can help the Song Dynasty resist the invasion of the Jin army; we can also resist the attack of the Mongol army."

Xu Xingchen raised an eyebrow and asked with a light laugh, "How do you plan to defend yourself?"

Guo Jing thought for a moment and said, "We can choose a magnificent city near the north and help the local officials and soldiers defend it; for example, Xiangyang."

Xu Xingchen narrowed her eyes and calmly asked, "Jing'er, how do you know about Xiangyang?" Guo Jing scratched the back of his head and explained, "Rong'er and I went there when we traveled."

"I see!" Xu Xingchen stopped asking questions, but sighed inwardly, "Going to Xiangyang to defend the city, is it really your destiny?"

"However, the Song Dynasty today is like an old man who has lost all his teeth. You can defend Xiangyang for one or two decades, but you can't defend it for a lifetime, nor can you protect the Song Dynasty for a lifetime."

"If the Song Dynasty does not strengthen itself, become independent, and save itself, you and Huang Rong will be like water without roots or a tree without soil, unable to accomplish anything other than prolong your lives."

Their courtyard became much livelier after Zhou Botong joined them.

Whether it was due to the inertia of events or not, Zhou Botong and Guo Jing became very close overnight, and even slept in the same room that night.

When they woke up the next morning and the four of them gathered together, Xu Xingchen and Hong Qigong were surprised to find that their way of addressing each other had changed.

The Old Mischievous Boy calls Guo Jing "Brother"; Guo Jing calls the Old Mischievous Boy "Big Brother".

Hong Qigong asked out of curiosity and learned that the two of them had actually become sworn brothers the night before.

This operation truly opened Hong Qigong's eyes and made Xu Xingchen cover his eyes and smile bitterly.

When they met again, Huang Yaoshi had already made his decision.

Her daughter's marriage was postponed, and she began seeing off guests today, no longer allowing Xu Xingchen and the others, along with Ouyang Feng's group, to stay on Peach Blossom Island.

As the master of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Yaoshi was also a powerful figure isolated overseas. It was impossible for his shipyard to be without other ships.

He instructed his mute servant to use a large ship to send Ouyang Feng and his group off Peach Blossom Island.

Then they put Xu Xingchen and the others onto a small boat.

Huang Rong stood on the shore, watching her beloved Jing-gege's small boat gradually disappear into the distance, and couldn't help but burst into tears.

He stomped his foot, turned around and ran towards the island, ignoring even his father's calls behind him!
On the vast, undulating sea, the boat carrying Xu Xingchen and his companions, though small, was actually not that small.

With mute servants busy at both ends, the four of them didn't need to handle the sails or rudder at all.

The ship returned to Zhoushan Wharf in just half a day.

Subsequently, the small boat carrying Xu Xingchen and the other three joined together with the large ship carrying Ouyang Feng and returned to Peach Blossom Island.

The mute servants on both ships were all very obedient, and none of them dared to take this opportunity to sneak away.

They had been given a vicious acupuncture treatment by Huang Yaoshi, and without Huang Yaoshi's antidote, they would slowly die in endless pain when the time came.

Not far from Zhoushan, the four encountered Ouyang Feng, who was blocking their way.

The giant black snake was not following Ouyang Feng; it must have disappeared into the mountains.

Holding the Ghost-Headed Serpent Staff, Ouyang Feng looked Xu Xingchen up and down several times before praising him, "Boy, I accept your invitation. On the night of the full moon, at the top of the imperial palace; heroes vie for supremacy, and the world's number one will be decided!"

"For you to come up with such a daring idea, you must be a fearless person. I just hope you can break through to the fourth level of the Breakthrough Realm before then, otherwise, you won't have the chance to participate in that epic battle that will surely go down in history! Hahahaha!"

After saying these two sentences, without waiting for Xu Xingchen's response, Ouyang Feng laughed loudly, turned around, and led the men and women in white away.

Before leaving, Ouyang Ke glared fiercely at Guo Jing. Clearly, he was still somewhat dissatisfied with the results of the three matches on the island!

Watching the departing figures of the White Camel Mountain group, Hong Qigong laughed and said, "That old poisoner, he truly has boundless heroic spirit!"

After leaving Zhoushan, Hong Qigong parted ways with Xu Xingchen to deal with some matters concerning the Beggars' Clan.

After walking for a while, Zhou Botong also left the group, saying that he wanted to go back to the Quanzhen Sect to see his fellow disciples, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

He repeatedly warned Xu Xingchen, "Nine Yin Manual, don't show it to anyone else!"

Xu Xingchen thought about it and felt that there was probably no one in the world qualified to read this book, so he agreed.

Several days later, he and Guo Jing returned to Jiaxing, only to find out that Yang Kang had once again left without saying goodbye and secretly departed.

Soon after, a shocking rumor spread throughout the martial arts world and even the entire nation.

The world is shocked!

(End of this chapter)