I Have the Martial Arts Heavenly Eye in the Storm Riders

Thousands of miles away, in the Imperial City of Japan.

This enormous palace, perched atop the island, is built against the mountainside and exudes a magnificent aura. Its black tiles gleam coldly in the sunlight, resembling a black dragon that has been coiled for thousands of years, overlooking the entire land of Japan, emanating endless ambition and murderous intent.

The palace, resembling a black dragon, winds its way up the steep mountain ridge. Layer upon layer of halls are densely packed like dragon scales, with flying eaves and brackets piercing the sky. Every corner of the eaves seems to conceal a thousand years of conspiracy and bloodshed in Japan.

The area is heavily guarded, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Not even a fly can get in. The glint of swords and the shadows of spears form an impenetrable iron net. At the slightest disturbance, countless ninjas will emerge from the shadows and instantly annihilate any unusual activity.

Today, the area in front of the palace is deathly silent.

The guards held their breath, not daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the front with awe, a hint of unease mingling with their reverence, as if even the air itself had frozen into ice.

Their hands were pressed firmly on the hilts of their knives, their knuckles white, yet they dared not show even the slightest tremor, for that accumulated power had seeped into their very bones.

On the white jade steps leading to the palace gate, a group of people were climbing steadily, each step seemingly treading on the lifeblood of Japan, echoing in a way that made one's heart tremble.

The leader was dressed in a nine-dragon imperial robe and wore a flat-topped crown. His face was majestic, and his eyes shone brightly when they opened and closed. Every move he made exuded an aura of dominance over the world.

That face, that bearing—it was none other than the Emperor, who had just left Japan not long ago!

Behind the "Emperor" were a man and a woman.

The man was dressed in a dark red Japanese samurai outfit, with a bright, crimson sword at his waist, its blade faintly radiating a scorching heat.

He had a handsome face, a faint, wicked smile playing on his lips, and his eyes were taking in the scenery around him with amusement.

The woman wore a brightly colored brocade kimono, her hair was tied up with a shimmering tortoiseshell and gold hairpin, and her pearl and jade hairpins swayed with an alluring spring-like charm;

Her makeup was glamorous, and a hint of alluring charm flickered in the corner of her eye as she nestled gracefully beside the man.

Behind the two were two guards, a man and a woman, both dressed in black tight-fitting ninja outfits, with cold faces and long swords on their backs.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

As the Emperor approached, the guards along the way knelt down, their foreheads pressed to the ground, and loudly prostrated themselves in worship.

However, beneath their lowered eyelids lay deep doubts.

"Strange, didn't His Majesty just lead Lord Fire Wolf to the Central Plains a few days ago? How come he's back so soon?"

"Furthermore, where is Lord Fire Wolf? And who are these people?"

"Could something have gone wrong along the way?"

Despite their deep-seated doubts, the Emperor's long-standing authority and the ingrained fear made them too afraid to even look up, let alone voice their questions.

In Japan, the Emperor is a god, and the will of the god is beyond question.

The Emperor, without glancing to the side, ignored the kneeling samurai and walked straight through the palace gates toward the main hall of the palace.

Only after entering the main hall and dismissing the attendants did the "Emperor," who had been looking dignified, suddenly breathe a sigh of relief and rub his stiff cheeks.

"Oh dear, I'm exhausted. Does this old man always keep such a dignified air? His face is practically cramping up."

The Emperor's voice suddenly changed; it was no longer the deep, authoritative one before, but rather sounded much younger.

He reached up and wiped his face. Although his appearance remained unchanged, his domineering aura vanished instantly, replaced by cunning and ruthlessness.

"Alright, stop complaining."

Duan Lang casually sat down on the dragon throne that originally belonged to the Emperor, crossed his legs, and lightly flicked the scabbard of the Fire Scale Sword with his fingers, producing a crisp "ding" sound.

"Now that you're here, you have to play your part completely. From this day forward, you are the Emperor of Japan."

Duan Lang's gaze swept over the magnificent golden hall, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"That old bastard never dreamed that his lair would be wiped out the moment he left."

Yan Ying then walked to Duan Lang's side, leaning against him as if boneless, and said with a sweet laugh:

"Lang is truly clever; his 'usurping the nest' tactic is brilliant. The Emperor is fighting desperately in the Central Plains, while we're enjoying ourselves here. If he knew, he'd probably be so angry he'd vomit blood."

Jue Tian pursed his lips, walked to a side seat, sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a big gulp:

"However, there are quite a few guards in the palace. When I came in just now, I sensed several powerful auras. If we force our way in, it will be quite troublesome."

"What are you afraid of?" Duan Lang sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"With me here, this Japanese imperial palace is already ours."

Compared to the undercurrents and decadent extravagance within the Japanese imperial palace, thousands of miles away in the Central Plains, the area outside Lingyun Cave was already a desolate scene of blood and corpses.

As the sounds of the emperor and his entourage's killing spree were gradually swallowed by the deep cave, the surrounding dense forest returned to its tranquil stillness.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the forest, like the cry of an old ape, scattering withered leaves all over the ground.

Before the fallen leaves touched the bluestone, in the bleak breeze, a figure in white robes, pure as snow, appeared on the once empty rock top.

Jiang Chen stood with his hands behind his back, letting his clothes flutter in the night wind.

He was not still; even his breath was integrated into the ebb and flow of time. If not for the naked eye, no one would be able to detect a trace of his life force.

His person is like a solitary peak under a cold moon, and his mind is like a deep abyss of cold water.

That transcendent demeanor was like a celestial swordsman descending to earth, treating the carnage, greed, and anger of this mortal world as mere fleeting clouds.

"The Emperor is certainly going to die, so there's nothing to worry about. I just wonder if Lian Chengzhi's biological father, Shenwu Kazuo, came along with us."

Jiang Chen stared intently at the dark entrance of Lingyun Cave, lost in thought.

"If Shenwu Kazuo had also come, and we had taken him out while we were at it, would the great calamity that followed have been avoided?"

A moment later, he shook his head and chuckled to himself.

"So be it. New talents emerge in every generation, each dominating the scene for a few decades. Even if Liancheng Zhi is gone, there are still Zhang San and Li Si."

With this thought in mind, Jiang Chen stopped worrying. He swayed slightly, and like a wisp of smoke, he drifted straight into the dark entrance of Lingyun Cave, disappearing instantly.

His movements were as light as clouds, like a sword immortal riding the wind, leaving a faint trace of sword intent that lingered in the mountain breeze.

Deep within Lingyun Cave.

The Emperor and his entourage explored the winding cave passages in greater depths.

The deeper you go, the drier the mottled rocks on both sides become.

The air gradually filled with a strong, scorching smell of sulfur, as if one had fallen into an infernal hell.

Waves of viscous heat, like the breath of thousands of invisible fire dragons, licked in through the dark and cramped crevices of the rocks, scorching everyone's skin and making their chests feel heavy.

After wandering in the dark, hopeless underground for an unknown amount of time, the suffocating view ahead suddenly opened up.

Suddenly, the view opened up ahead, revealing a huge stone dragon lying dormant on the cave floor.

The dragon's body extends along the chisel marks on the stone wall towards the unknown abyss, its scales and claws outstretched, lifelike.

Although it has no life, it exudes an ancient and unstoppable dragon's might deep underground;

It seemed as if it might transform at any moment and soar into the sky, swallowing up the winds and clouds of heaven and earth.

The Emperor stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over the stone dragon, a glint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes.

"This is it..." He turned around abruptly and coldly ordered his trusted men:

"Plant explosives to completely block their escape route!"

Upon hearing this, several trusted subordinates paused, a flicker of astonishment crossing their eyes. The leading Jonin couldn't help but kneel on one knee, his voice trembling as he spoke:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Cutting off our own retreat is a cardinal sin in military strategy! Once the passage is destroyed, we will have no way to retreat, and if..."

"What? Does my word no longer carry weight?" The Emperor interrupted him coldly, his tone icy.

Several trusted subordinates trembled as they met those abyss-like, icy eyes, and a sudden realization dawned on them—

It turns out that from the moment His Majesty stepped into the Central Plains, he never intended to return alive!

This journey is one of either success or death.

This deadly madness filled everyone with bitterness, yet they dared not hesitate for a moment longer.

"Hai!"

The trusted men acted swiftly, planting the high explosives they had prepared beforehand at the entrance to the passage.

"BOOM—!!!"

With a deafening roar, countless boulders collapsed, instantly blocking the only exit completely.

Dust billowed, and the entire cave trembled a few times, the tremor like an earth dragon turning over, echoing for a long time in the deep underground world.

Seeing his escape route completely blocked, the Emperor's lips curled into a mad smile.

"To be reborn from the ashes. Today, I will use this dragon vein of the Central Plains to forge an immortal empire for the Japanese imperial family!"

"Walk!"

With a wave of his sleeve, he led the group forward in the direction where the stone dragon lay dormant.

After passing through the passage where the stone dragon was coiled, the scene before us changed once again.

This is an enormous underground cave with a dome hundreds of feet high. The surrounding stone walls are inlaid with countless luminous pearls, illuminating the entire space in a golden and magnificent light, just like daytime.

On the vast and desolate bluestone ground, thousands upon thousands of terracotta warriors stand in neat rows!

The long years have turned them into cold clay, but they have not been able to erase the spirit of battle and armor that pierced through them.

They wielded long spears that cleaved the sky, their bodies clad in sturdy armor, forming square formations as imposing as mountains and abysses.

This underground royal army, buried by the river of history for thousands of years, exudes a chilling killing intent in the deathly silence, enough to sever a throat.

In a daze, one could almost hear the war drums and mournful cries that seemed to pierce through the ages, as if a single drop of blood could awaken them and they would once again shatter the Yellow Springs and slaughter the world.

The empty eyes of those stone figures, devoid of sorrow or joy, coldly gazed at the uninvited guests, exuding an awe-inspiring resentment that had lingered for millennia, sending shivers down one's spine.

The Emperor and his entourage walked among these totem-like clay figurines, as if a small boat had sailed into an ancient battlefield of calamity spanning a thousand years.

The intertwined illusions of desolation, grandeur, and insignificance pressed down upon them, forcing these arrogant masters to barely dare to breathe.

Just then, the fire wolf suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed:

"Your Majesty, look over there!"

Following the direction he pointed, everyone saw that at the end of this underground army of terracotta warriors, there was a cave entrance leading to a deeper area.

Deep within the cave entrance, a soft and sacred aura emanated, starkly different from the magnificent and menacing mausoleum hall surrounding it, making it appear exceptionally otherworldly.

The Emperor's pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing became rapid.

"That...could it be the legendary dragon vein?!"