In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 439 Isn't it only natural to die outside?

Gu Shaoan's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained calm and composed.

"What is the King of Zhen referring to?"

Zhu Qiyang chuckled: "A mere martial artist dares to attack the royal family. Do you think things will end so easily?"

Gu Shaoan looked at Zhu Qiyang, who seemed relaxed and in complete control, and said in a calm tone, "Then, I wonder what the King of Zhen wants?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyang's gaze shifted slightly over Gu Shaoan until it settled on Gu Shaoan's right foot.

"You moved your right foot before, so cut off your right foot yourself, and the matter can be put to rest."

A cold glint flashed in Gu Shaoan's eyes as he listened to Zhu Qiyang's words.

"What if I, Mr. Gu, am unwilling?"

Zhu Qiyang twirled the jade bead in his right hand and said casually, "Do you think I'm discussing this with you?"

With his gaze fixed on Zhu Qiyang, Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "It seems that the purpose of the King of Zhen coming to Emei today is to cause trouble for me."

Zhu Qiyang nodded and said, "That's part of the reason. What? Do you want to make a move against me?"

Gu Shaoan slowly stood up and said, "What you seek, you will obtain. Isn't this the same purpose behind the King of Zhen's request?"

Finally, Gu Shaoan paused, then changed the subject, saying, "I'm also curious about the level of strength of the strongest Zhenwang King among the several Celestial Realm experts in the court."

After saying that, Gu Shaoan turned and walked out of the main hall.

Gu Shaoan had originally planned that if he couldn't reach an agreement with Zhu Houzhao today, he would inevitably have to show his strength.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Houzhao did not come; instead, Zhu Qiyang did.

Gu Shaoan doesn't like to stick to the rules.

If Zhu Qiyang remained safely within the palace, Gu Shaoan would not be able to rush directly there without a suitable reason.

But now that Zhu Qiyang has actually come to him of his own accord, Gu Shaoan naturally doesn't mind modifying the original plan.

Seeing Gu Shaoan stand up, Zhu Qiyang narrowed his eyes slightly, the hint of mockery in his eyes seeming to be blown away by the wind for a moment.

"Heh~"

He didn't get up. After letting out a contemptuous snort, he suddenly placed his left hand on the armrest and clenched his fingers slightly.

The next instant, a surge of powerful energy, like a dark dragon crawling along the ground, silently rushed towards Gu Shaoan.

Despite this, Gu Shaoan seemed oblivious and continued walking step by step toward the palace gate.

Just as the force was about to reach Gu Shaoan's feet, Gu Shaoan took a step forward.

The movements were slow, and not even particularly sharp.

The moment his foot touched the ground, it was as if he had stepped on some unseen "node".

Then, the force that surged from the ground vanished completely in an instant, like snow falling into boiling water, without even causing a ripple.

The jade bead between Zhu Qiyang's fingers stopped.

His mask-like relaxed demeanor finally cracked slightly, revealing genuine surprise in his eyes, which quickly subsided.

When her gaze fell on Gu Shaoan again, her eyes held a new layer of coldness and scrutiny.

A few breaths later, his voice lowered slightly: "Tu Baichuan died at your hands?"

Gu Shaoan's expression remained unchanged, and he said in a calm tone, "I am not someone who likes to actively seek trouble, but if trouble comes to me, I am not without the ability to resolve it."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan's gaze swept over Zhu Qiyang.

"Besides, if you can't control your own dog, isn't it only natural that it would bite people and die outside?"

After Gu Shaoan finished speaking, he turned his head and took another step forward.

But after taking that step, Gu Shaoan's figure vanished from the main hall in an instant.

But in the next instant, Gu Shaoan's voice slowly echoed between the beams and pillars, as if his voice was faster and more stable than his body.

"There's no room to free up your hands here."

"I trouble the town king to change his position."

Zhu Qiyang clenched his right hand, and when he released it again, some powder scattered between his fingers.

Faced with Gu Shaoan's challenge, Zhu Qiyang remained silent and charged out of the hall like a comet.

Upon seeing this, Cao Zhengchun and the woman whose face was veiled by snow-white gauze immediately set off to chase after them.

Just as the group was leaving, two figures silently swept across the sky above the Golden Roof Hall, hanging far behind them, passing by without a sound.

The surrounding area was a plain about ten miles away from Mount Da'e.

The sun was directly overhead, so bright that one had to squint to open their eyes. The grass lay flat on the ground, the soil was cracked, and there were scattered shrubs and shallow ditches in the distance.

In the center of the plain, Gu Shaoan stood with his hands behind his back, his robes swaying gently in the hot wind, his short shadow lying at his feet, yet he was like a sword that refused to bow its head, showing no sign of softening even when standing in the sunlight.

Zhu Qiyang rushed over as if stepping into thin air. When he landed on the ground, the soles of his shoes crushed the dry grass, and the grass blades fell flat without any wind.

He stopped ten feet away from Gu Shaoan, his posture still relaxed. However, a strong wind blew by, causing his wide sleeves to cling to his body, subtly revealing his muscular physique.

Cao Zhengchun and the woman wearing a snow-white veil were using their lightness skills to get closer.

After scanning his surroundings, Zhu Qiyang's lazy yet somewhat cold voice rang out across the open plain a few breaths later.

"You've chosen a good spot; it's a good place to bury your bones."

Gu Shaoan chuckled lightly, then said, "Given your status, you must know about Zhu Houzhao's premature aging disease. Before I even began to treat him, you were already so eager to kill me. Did you not consider Zhu Houzhao's premature aging disease at all?"

Zhu Qiyang said calmly, "Zhao'er has already entered the Celestial Realm, which is enough to allow him to extend his life by ten years and find another way. In comparison, you are a greater threat."

To be able to reach the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age was a talent that secretly surprised Zhu Qiyang.

With his internal energy cultivation level of Condensing Yuan into Gang, Zhu Qiyang believed he couldn't kill a Celestial Realm expert in a battle beyond his level.

The key point is that Gu Shaoan killed a Celestial Realm expert from the imperial court.

If Gu Shaoan is already like this now, if he were given a few more years to reach the Celestial Realm, even Zhu Qiyang wouldn't dare to provoke him easily.

Rather than letting such a potential danger grow under our noses, it's better to nip it in the bud.

Sensing the chilling look in Zhu Qiyang's eyes, Gu Shaoan narrowed his own.

"Although they are both royalty, their relationship doesn't seem to be very good?"

If Zhu Qiyang had any blood ties with Zhu Houzhao, he wouldn't be thinking of killing Gu Shaoan directly, but rather crippling Gu Shaoan so that Gu Shaoan could treat Zhu Houzhao afterward.

Zhu Qiyang's resolute killing intent clearly indicated that he did not want Gu Shaoan to treat Zhu Houzhao.

Royal rivalries have existed since ancient times.

Although Gu Shaoan was surprised by Zhu Qiyang's attitude towards Zhu Houzhao, he had no interest in studying their royal family's affairs in detail.

After glancing at Cao Zhengchun and the woman who were already close but still nearly ten feet away from Zhu Qiyang, Gu Shaoan raised his right hand and said, "King of Zhen, please."

Zhu Qiyang's smile vanished.

"court death!"

Before he finished speaking, his internal energy surged violently, and his aura was like a dormant volcano being forcibly unleashed. Then, Zhu Qiyang's body seemed to be partially obliterated by the midday sun, and in the blink of an eye, he was already three zhang in front of Gu Shaoan. His right palm, as imprinted as a mountain, crashed down.

This palm strike was "straight," "heavy," and "fierce." Before the palm even arrived, the pressure came first. The air was squeezed, producing a low, muffled boom. The dust on the ground was squeezed into a circle of earth waves that spread close to the ground, and the grass blades flattened in unison, as if they had been flattened by an invisible giant wave.

Zhu Qiyang's first move was a killing blow, leaving no room for survival.

Gu Shaoan, however, remained expressionless.

He brought his right index and middle fingers together to form a sword shape, and lifted the fingertips lightly—the movement was as light as lifting a fallen leaf.

But in that instant of slight lifting, the sunlight above the plain seemed to be "folded" with a tiny crease, the originally hot flow in the air suddenly stopped, and even the rolling of the dust waves slowed down by half a beat.

"Om-!"

A clear, melodious sword cry suddenly rang out.

A condensed sword aura nearly three zhang long formed in front of Gu Shaoan. It was as white as jade, with a clear spine and distinct edge. The edge was so sharp that it seemed to be able to cut through light. It swept diagonally through the air and went straight for Zhu Qiyang's palm.

What chilled Zhu Qiyang even more was that, in addition to Gu Shaoan's internal energy, the sword energy also contained "the power of heaven and earth" and "the momentum of heaven and earth".

The wind direction, air pressure, and the undulations of the earth's veins were all forcibly manipulated, as if the entire plain was drawing its sword for Gu Shaoan.

Even Zhu Qiyang couldn't do that.

He didn't understand: how could a martial artist who had condensed his inner energy into a powerful force be able to condense the power of heaven and earth into sword energy?

For the first time, he felt a sense of absurdity.

As shocking as it may be, the fact that it involves the power of heaven and earth is enough to demonstrate that Gu Shaoan's strength cannot be measured by ordinary martial artists who have condensed their Qi into Gang.

Therefore, in a flash, he stomped his right foot on the ground, causing the ground within a three-zhang radius to sink three inches, effectively "nailing" his rushing figure to the spot.

At the same time, his right shoulder sank down, his palm changed direction, and layers of fiery red energy enveloped his palm, as if cast from molten iron, and he fiercely struck at the three-zhang sword energy.

"boom!"

When the palm and the sword touched, the plain seemed to be struck by a heavy hammer.

Visible shockwaves exploded in all directions, flattening the grass into rings, sending dust columns soaring half a meter high before being pushed back to the ground, and causing the branches and leaves of distant bushes to fly off.

Cao Zhengchun and the woman in the white dress were pushed back half a step by the blast wave, leaving two clear drag marks on their feet.

The ground beneath Zhu Qiyang's feet was cracked like a spider web. He staggered back three steps before regaining his balance. Each step felt dull on the ground, like drumbeats striking everyone's hearts.

Once he regained his footing, Zhu Qiyang's expression was no longer relaxed. He looked up at Gu Shaoan, a look of barely suppressed surprise appearing in his eyes for the first time, and his voice unconsciously deepened:
"How can you draw upon the power of heaven and earth?"

However, when faced with Zhu Qiyang's question, Gu Shaoan had no intention of responding at all. With a light sway of his long sleeves, his sword intent flowed rapidly into the surrounding space like mercury.

The moment the sword domain enveloped Zhu Qiyang, he felt as if an invisible and intangible, yet very real, film had suddenly covered his heart.

Sensing something was wrong, Zhu Qiyang's face darkened, and he gave a low shout, his upper body already leaning forward.

But before he could even move, Gu Shaoan lightly tapped his fingertip in the air.

"Buzzing..."

The next moment, nearly a hundred sword energies instantly condensed from the air and the ground.

Each sword aura was about three inches long. Although it was as thin as a willow branch, it was incredibly condensed.

Just one glance is enough to give you a sharp and piercing feeling.

The moment nearly a hundred sword energies condensed, they intersected in the air to form invisible walls, completely blocking all straight paths in front of Zhu Qiyang.

Zhu Qiyang's eyes turned cold and fierce. He changed his attack to a press, and with a stretch of his arms, his fists rained down like a sudden storm.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Numerous fist shadows slammed into the sword energy, shattering it into tiny specks of light that scattered. The remaining force left shocking sword marks and craters on the ground around Zhu Qiyang.

Especially those sword marks, some long, some short, some deep, some shallow.

The longest sword mark was seven or eight zhang long and about one zhang deep, resembling a ravine.

And this is only the result of residual energy.

Upon seeing the sword marks all over Zhu Qiyang's body, Cao Zhengchun and the woman with the veiled face couldn't help but gasp and take several steps back.

Inside the arena, fists flew everywhere, and sword energy rained down.

Waves of air continuously erupted from the center of Zhu Qiyang's fist.

As the last wisp of sword energy was shattered by Zhu Qiyang, Zhu Qiyang twisted his body and took a step forward.

But he had only taken half a step when his brow suddenly twitched, as if he had stepped into some extremely dangerous premonition.

Without hesitation, he pulled his foot back, shifting his body half a foot to the side.

The next second, in Zhu Qiyang's peripheral vision, the grass on the spot where he was about to land began to slowly rise.

It wasn't blown up by the wind.

Instead, it was as if it were being lifted up by an invisible hand, the blades of grass trembling slightly in mid-air, then transforming into an extremely thin, fine, and sharp blade that skimmed across the ground.

"Hiss~"

A shallow mark silently stretched across the soil, extending several feet away, severing grass roots along its path, the clean cuts sending chills down one's spine.

"Sigh~"

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhu Qiyang couldn't help but gasp, his eyes twitching slightly.

"Damn it, when did the Emei Sect develop such bizarre martial arts? How can someone who has condensed their inner energy be able to gather sword energy with a wave of their hand to defend against enemies?"

As the thought arose in his mind, Zhu Qiyang looked at Gu Shaoan again, his heart now filled with seriousness.

As Zhu Qiyang began to take Gu Shaoan seriously, Zhu Qiyang's fighting style changed instantly.

When he set off again, Zhu Qiyang's shoulders slumped slightly, and his steps were sometimes light and sometimes heavy, sometimes straight ahead and sometimes sideways, as if he wanted to test the limits of Gu Shaoan's sword domain.

Seeing Zhu Qiyang's actions, a hint of praise flashed in Gu Shaoan's eyes.

Putting everything else aside, Zhu Qiyang's ability to calm down, adjust his mindset, and seek a solution as soon as he sensed something was wrong is something most people couldn't do.

Inside the arena, just as Zhu Qiyang's fist had shattered a wisp of sword energy, a thin, cicada-wing-like sword energy suddenly condensed three steps to his left front, skimming along the ground at a tricky angle as if it had been waiting for him to take that step.

Zhu Qiyang's eyes darkened, and he forcefully stopped his forward momentum. He tapped his toes and slid half a zhang to the side, avoiding the sharp edge of the sword energy.

He had barely shifted his position when a second sword aura "stood" up at his original spot, like an invisible stake, aiming straight for his return path.

This forced him to change again.

The sword energy surged like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, or like the setting sun, gaining momentum with lightning speed.

Or like willow branches arriving with the spring breeze, continuous and silent.

Zhu Qiyang had absolutely no idea where the next wisp of sword energy would come from.

All the sword energies seemed to be connected from beginning to end, leaving Zhu Qiyang no room to think and only able to dodge and swat with his fists to deal with them.

Beads of cold sweat began to trickle down Zhu Qiyang's cheeks, and the heaviness in his heart grew heavier and heavier.

Now, Zhu Qiyang suddenly felt like he was fighting a cricket. He was like the cricket in the cage, and the endless sword energy around him was like the wooden stick in Gu Shaoan's hand. Gu Shaoan wanted him to move in a certain direction, and he could only move in that direction.

As he dispersed another wisp of sword energy, a thought flashed through Zhu Qiyang's mind, and he asked in a low voice, "Wait a minute, this is the 'Yi Sword Technique.' What is your relationship with Fu Cailin? Why do you know his 'Yi Sword Technique'?"

　Thank you for your understanding! I didn't expect it to get so serious so suddenly, and it's been delayed for too long, so I'll only be updating once today! Please forgive me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)