I am a high-level martial arts master.

Boom! ...

Ye Li's third strike shook the heavens and the earth!

If the first two strikes merely left two shocking cracks in the sky above the southern border...

So this ultimate strike, which unleashes all its power and burns through every possible limit, has already transcended the limitations of its region!

Throughout the entire universe, no matter where you are.

In that instant, all living beings, sensing something, looked up at the sky.

A blade of light, indescribably brilliant and resolute, appeared, like the light of creation at the very beginning of time!

It traversed the endless Milky Way and tore apart the eternal night!

Zhongzhou, Daqing Immortal Dynasty, Golden Palace.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Dead!

Absolute silence!

The resounding sound of imperial blood splattering that had just echoed throughout the universe has now transformed into a thick, viscous echo in the deathly silence.

Pale gold imperial blood, mixed with fragments of dragon robes, bones, internal organs, and brain matter, splattered across the purple-gold ground like ink.

All the court officials, whether they were high-ranking ministers or generals with great military power, were frozen in place.

Their eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to burst.

What did they see?

The supreme emperor of Daqing, right before them, on the dragon throne symbolizing supreme power, suddenly shattered!

Chest, arms, neck, head...

Everything belonging to Emperor Qing's upper body no longer exists.

Only his legs, below the waist and clad in the tattered hem of his dragon robe, remained, still seated on the dragon throne soaked in imperial blood.

This is the flesh and blood of a grandmaster!

If it were to explode in the mortal realm, a single drop of blood would be enough to crush billions of galaxies.

But under Ye Li's single strike of the Causal Space Slash, it was not only cut in half!

All extraordinary elements above the waist were erased, turning into the rotten flesh and blood of an ordinary person.

Under the horrified gazes of all the courtiers, the emperor's foul-smelling blood splattered everywhere, making the entire hall resemble a scene of carnage.

The clothes, faces, and hair of everyone present were covered in meat scraps.

Even though they were covered in a foul stench and looked disheveled, none of the officials present dared to erase the bloodstains.

This scene is absurd, terrifying, and blasphemous!

It should absolutely not have appeared in the magnificent and imposing Golden Palace, exceeding the comprehension of all the court officials.

It was a scene they never dared to dream of and could never imagine!

The emperor, who symbolized the destiny of the Great Qing Dynasty and the divine right of kings, appeared before them in such a disheveled state!

Panic began to creep into the hearts of the court officials, but then...

"quiet!!!"

Just as people were contemplating change, a majestic voice filled with anger echoed throughout the hall.

The imperial authority carried by the voice was unquestionable, calming everyone's thoughts and bringing a sense of relief to the assembled officials.

"It's Emperor Qing's voice!"

The assembled officials immediately focused their attention on the remaining lower half of the body.

Before everyone's eyes, Emperor Qing's legs slowly rose from the blood-stained dragon throne... He stood up! The hem of his tattered dragon robe swayed slightly. Without the support of his upper body, the scene was incredibly eerie, almost like something out of a horror movie. It was just half a broken body; even a Grandmaster, let alone a Primordial Immortal, wouldn't die from that.

For Emperor Qing, who was united with the dynasty, as long as the country did not perish, he would not die!

"I... am fine."

Emperor Qing's voice rang out again, tinged with anger:

"A little... the backlash of ants cannot shake the foundation of Daqing!"

Before the words were even finished, the imperial dragon energy surged from the severed wound of the mangled body.

Flesh, bones, meridians, internal organs... are all regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Soon, under the watchful eyes of the courtiers, flesh and blood were reconstituted in the blink of an eye, and the blurry outline of a head appeared.

however!

Just as the facial features were about to become clear.

*Pfft!* *Bang!*

The upper body, which had just begun to take shape, along with the immense dragon energy it was enveloped in, exploded again without warning!

Golden fragments of dragon energy, mixed with bits of newly formed flesh and blood, scattered and flew everywhere once again!

This time, even his remaining lower body shook violently, and his legs beneath the tattered dragon robe seemed to dim slightly.

"You bastard!!!"

Emperor Qing's roar finally shattered the forced peace.

"Cause and effect...calamity...what a Ye Li! What a legendary entry!"

Emperor Qing's voice was filled with deep-seated hatred.

He probably realized that Ye Li's final strike had erased the concept of existence through cause and effect.

His upper body was affected by the Blade of Cause and Effect, causing his physical concept to be separated.

As long as this concept remains, his act of forcibly condensing his upper body is like creating something that should not exist in the world!

Unless he spends an unimaginable amount of time and national fortune to slowly erase this conceptual imprint.

Otherwise, for a considerable period of time...

Even he, the supreme emperor of the Great Qing Immortal Dynasty, could only maintain this form with only his waist and below remaining... a mere shadow!

Let alone reshaping flesh and blood, he couldn't even conjure up a phantom of dragon energy.

Because of this conceptual erasure, none of Emperor Qing's memories after Ye Li swung the sword would contain an image of his upper body. This is simply...!

It is an indelible disgrace that can never be washed away for all eternity!

In the imperial court, you could hear a pin drop.

Having endured yet another baptism of minced meat, the courtiers all bowed their heads, foreheads pressed against the cold ground, lest they offend the emperor. The emperor's mangled body stood silently before the dragon throne, its tattered hem swaying slightly.

Sensing the trembling officials with his true energy, he transmitted his voice through his true energy:

"Immediately investigate the situation on the land and see what damage that strike caused..."

Meanwhile, in the southern sky on the other side!

Yun Huanzi hovered blankly at the spot where Ye Li had last swung his sword.

The area before me was completely empty, with only a raging, chaotic aura raging.

His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, as if trying to grasp something, but all that remained before him was emptiness.

"My disciple...my...my disciple..."

The sect leader of the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect had lost all his grandmaster's dignity. Turbid old tears rolled down his deeply lined cheeks, falling into the void and instantly evaporating in the turbulent currents.

His back was hunched over, as if he had aged a thousand years in an instant.

Disheartened and utterly despondent.

In the final moments, to evade the Blade of Cause and Effect, Emperor Qing manipulated the dragon energy to disperse while attempting to banish Ye Li from the Universe Realm using spatial power. However, as he was struck by the blade, Ye Li was successfully banished into the endless void beyond the Universe Realm.

His disciple, a prodigy of the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect.

Before his very eyes, in such a tragic way... he was exiled.

Shen Qinglian appeared beside him, and a cool moonlight shield silently opened, enveloping the four distraught disciples below. Her face was still pale, her expression unreadable, yet subtly heavy.

"Master!" A mournful cry, tinged with sobs, rang out.

Shen Fuyao broke free from Luo Yuqing's support and threw herself into Shen Qinglian's arms.

Her whole body was trembling violently, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, instantly soaking Shen Qinglian's elegant clothes.

"Master... Waaah... Ye Li... Ye Li... He... He did it to save us..."

Shen Fuyao spoke incoherently, her voice broken and fragmented, clutching Shen Qinglian's sleeve tightly, her eyes brimming with tears:

"That big hand...that sinister hand...he wanted to capture me...it was Ye Li...it was Ye Li who stood in front of me...and slashed me twice from behind..."

"He...he's been...slipped away...Master! Master, please save him! You're so powerful, you'll definitely find him! Bring him back! Please, Master! Waaah..."

The girl's cries were heart-wrenching, filled with helplessness and guilt.

The moment Shen Qinglian's body stiffened slightly, almost imperceptibly, as Shen Fuyao threw herself into her arms, a touch of sadness appearing on her face.

At this moment, the smile Ye Li gave her when he looked back last replayed repeatedly in her mind.

Listening to her disciple's heart-wrenching cries, Shen Qinglian unexpectedly felt a slight pang in her heart.

The state of mind honed through centuries of quiet cultivation was stirred by an irrepressible surge of emotion at this moment.

Experiencing this helplessness once again, I was ultimately unable to remain calm.

Shen Qinglian's fingertips tightened unconsciously, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Shen Qinglian didn't speak, but even Shen Fuyao herself was aware of the difficulties involved.

The chaotic void beyond the heavens!

Besides endless planes, there is also boundless void!

Even a martial saint would find it difficult to accurately locate a tiny individual within it.

Ye Li was caught up in it, like a grain of sand in the ocean. How could he find it?

"Fuyao." Shen Qinglian was momentarily at a loss for words to comfort her: "Ye Li, he..."

"My disciple isn't dead yet!"

Yun Huanzi's somewhat hoarse voice came from the side: "Before leaving, he lit the Soul Lamp in the Starry Sky Palace! I could sense it!" "Although the flame of my disciple's lamp wick flickers weakly at this moment, it is still burning! Still burning! This means... means that Li'er... is still alive!"

Hearing the sect leader say that the soul lamp had not been extinguished!

Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up!

Gu Tianchen, Xiao Jue, and Luo Yuqing were also jolted, a glimmer of life returning to their ashen faces as they stared intently at Yun Huanzi. Yun Huanzi nodded heavily, tears welling up again, but this time tinged with the excitement of surviving a calamity.

"It's absolutely true! As the sect leader, I am connected to the Soul Lamp Hall by mind and body, and there is no mistake! Li'er's soul lamp... is indeed still there!" However, this excitement and hope only lasted for a moment.

The excitement on Yun Huanzi's face slowly faded, replaced by a heavy sense of helplessness:

"But... that Karmic Calamity Blade..."

As the conversation progressed, everyone fell silent, and the group of grandmasters who had followed the commotion from afar also wore indifferent expressions. These numerous grandmasters made no attempt to conceal their appearances, but rather appeared openly and honestly.

Yun Huanzi gave these people a cold glance.

Some of them came to lend a hand or watch the spectacle, but many more were people who had previously concealed their identities to take advantage of the chaos and ambush Ye Li. Hearing Yun Huanzi's words, the group of grandmasters began to whisper and discuss among themselves with varying expressions:

"I've heard of the Karmic Calamity Blade; every strike it delivers reduces one's lifespan by half."

"So, Ye Li only has one-eighth of his lifespan left. With his early-stage Innate Realm cultivation, he can only live to be 37 years old?" "If you ask me, this kid's talent is truly terrifying. Let alone Innate Realm, even a Grandmaster couldn't unleash a single strike from him, yet he managed to strike three times in a row. "The legendary entry is indeed terrifying, but I'm afraid from now on... alas."

"What a tragedy!"

As these masters spoke, they gazed at the unhealable Dao marks in the sky, and fear returned to their eyes.

Even throughout the entire history of the universe, very few have unleashed such a deadly technique as burning, let alone burning a legendary inscription. In the entire history of the universe, only…

The next instant, as the thought arose, the group of grandmasters turned their heads in alarm to look at Shen Qinglian.

The last person to do this was also a member of the Heavenly Illusion Sect!

The masters suspected that there might be something wrong with the people who came from the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect.

Who would teach their disciples something like this?

And it seems that Shen Qinglian also has an incomplete golden attribute entry...

In other words, if she wanted, she could burn the remaining part and make another cut.

The thought of Shen Qinglian burning her life in front of their sect sent shivers down the spines of these grandmasters.

This strike could cleave the heavens and earth; no force could withstand it.

Moreover... the group of grandmasters were horrified to discover a problem.

They only know that Shen Qinglian's entry is incomplete, but they don't know why it's incomplete!

Following this line of thought, they immediately arrived at a terrifying conclusion!

That is, Shen Qinglian's move that left the entry incomplete not only completely annihilated the enemy!

Even the concept of the existence of an enemy has been erased.

Otherwise, given the terrifying power of Ye Li's strike, Shen Qinglian's move would definitely not have gone unnoticed.

In other words, at least one grandmaster-level figure or sect was once annihilated by Shen Qinglian in the long river of time, and its existence was no longer remembered!

"hiss

The group of masters were horrified upon reflection, and the more they thought about it, the more frightened they became. They all quietly moved a little further away from Shen Qinglian.

This is practically a self-destructing, unstable bomb.

Similar discussions were whispered among themselves, but how could they possibly escape the notice of Shen Fuyao, who possessed innate cultivation?

Upon hearing that he could only live for thirty-seven years, he almost fainted.

With only 37 years left of his 300 years of cultivation, all his aptitude has vanished, and his attributes are missing again.

For ordinary innate cultivators, even a hundred years isn't enough to break through from the first to the second stage. Ye Li's aptitude might even be inferior to that of a post-natal martial artist, so how could he possibly break through? As the atmosphere grew heavy, Yun Huanzi said coldly:

"Fellow Daoists, the Cloud Illusion Immortal Sect requests that you search for my disciple in the outer heavens. If you find him, please bring him back. The Immortal Sect will reward you handsomely." The old man's eyes were filled with sorrow, but he forced himself to be spirited.

The most urgent task now is to find Ye Li and then use a massive amount of resources to cleanse his qualifications.

Given the capabilities of his Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect, it's hard to say whether Ye Li could reach the Grandmaster level.

However, with the massive influx of resources, it wouldn't be a problem to forcibly elevate Ye Li to the level of a half-step Grandmaster.

Even if only one-eighth of the original three thousand years of lifespan is left, it will still allow Ye Li to live for several hundred more years.

only………

Yun Huanzi tried his best not to think about whether his disciple, who had lost all her talent, would be willing to live that long.

"What are you saying, Yun Huanzi? Of course!"

"Our Northern Wild Sword Sect will keep a close eye on things beyond the heavens."

"Those from the southern borders share the same blood and are connected by blood; this is only natural."

Upon hearing Yun Huanzi's words, the group of grandmasters readily agreed, their tone very amiable.

This is not just polite talk; they are genuinely prepared to make a move to find it.

After all, in their eyes, even if Ye Li survived, he would probably be no different from a dead man.

The only difference is that he dies later; this prodigy is no longer a threat.

So, it was just another order to have his subordinates search for it.

If we find their location and inform the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect, thus doing them a favor, it wouldn't be a big deal.

After thanking the group of grandmasters, Yun Huanzi gritted his teeth and said:

"That hand that blots out the sky, after being struck by my disciple's blade, will surely suffer a great loss even if it doesn't die."

"The immortal sects of the Southern Territory are of one blood; we must find the mastermind behind this offense!"

"I urge you all to search again for any trace of the person behind this, and strike while they are weak! If the opportunity arises, I will personally dig up their grave, exterminate their body, and whip their corpse! I will wipe out their entire family!"

As she continued, Yun Huanzi gritted her teeth, her eyes overflowing with unprecedented resentment!

The disciples of the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect present harbored a greater hatred and resentment towards that mastermind than any of the grandmasters!

At that time, all the grandmasters in the world were stunned by Ye Li's first strike.

If it weren't for that colossal hand that blotted out the sky.

Why should his disciple strike twice more and leave for a distant land!

The Great Qing Dynasty, inside the Golden Palace, was deathly silent!

The courtiers held their breath and suppressed their heartbeats, not daring to make the slightest sound in this somber occasion.

Inside the entire hall, the original imperial blood and minced flesh had been completely cleaned up.

But the hearts of the courtiers were even heavier than before!

"I...I report to Your Majesty..."

An elderly official in charge of surveying the earth's veins at the Imperial Observatory, his voice trembling uncontrollably, prostrated himself on the ground, almost burying his head in the floor:

"The Dragon Vein of Central China... Dragon Vein"

His throat bobbed, and immense fear rendered him speechless.

"Speak!" Emperor Qing's voice was as cold as ice from the deepest hell, filled with impatience.

If not for the severe loss of his current spiritual power, there would be no need for the ministers to conduct their investigation; simply merging with the nation's destiny would allow him to clearly understand and control everything within the land. The old minister trembled violently, almost crying out:

"The dragon vein of Daqing was nearly 70% wiped out by that scoundrel's sword!"

"The corresponding territory...is depleted of spiritual energy, the earth's veins severed, and fertile land turned into barren wasteland! Living beings...have their natural talents destroyed, and the path to cultivation...is severed! The nation's fate...the very foundation of the nation's fate...is greatly damaged, Your Majesty!"

boom!

A terrifying shock swept through the entire court.

The ministers were deathly pale, their bodies swaying precariously.

The Great Qing Empire had boundless territory, but seventy percent of its land was reduced to ruins, and seventy percent of its people were forever lost to the ravages of war…

This is no longer a matter of crippling the nation, but a matter of shaking the very foundation of the country!

"Ye! Li!"

Emperor Qing's mangled body trembled violently, the hem of his tattered dragon robe fluttering even without wind, and his terrifying killing intent almost materialized.

"That damned beast! How dare he! How dare he?!"

"My land! My very essence! He's destroyed it all!!!"

The remaining body of Emperor Qing, standing alone before the dragon throne from the waist down, let out a somewhat defiant roar!

Those two remaining legs seemed to bear an overwhelming hatred:

"I will condemn you to eternal damnation! To be forever condemned to the deepest hell! Even if your soul is scattered and lost in chaos, I will pursue you to the very end of time, imprisoning your remnant soul in purgatory to suffer the most extreme punishments imaginable!!"

Emperor Qing was on the verge of madness; only he knew what the Great Qing had lost.

Compared to the 70% of the dragon vein, the damage to the upper body is a minor matter.

Because the dragon's energy was severely damaged.

At this moment, he... could no longer easily unleash the techniques that were comparable to those of a Martial Saint.

This means that the entire Daqing has fallen from being a top-tier power in the universe to a first-rate one.

In the Universe Realm, there is only one standard for whether something is a top-tier power.

That is, whether one can easily unleash power comparable to a martial saint!

The might of the Martial Saint is indestructible and eternally indestructible!

Without considering any specific terms, even if all the Grandmasters in the entire universe combined their strength, they still couldn't budge a Martial Saint's finger! Therefore, throughout the entire universe...

Being able to unleash the power of a Martial Saint allows one to join the ranks of top-tier forces.

And a first-rate power below the top power!

The minimum requirement is to have a master at the Grandmaster level.

If your faction has a Grandmaster at the peak, it is considered a first-rate faction.

Even if your force has one hundred, one thousand, one thousand, one hundred million Grandmaster-level experts, it can only be considered a first-rate force.

The difference between them and top-tier forces is that they don't have the power of a Martial Saint.

The number of Grandmasters within the territory of Daqing in Zhongzhou is comparable to that of the Southern Region.

However, without the power of a Martial Saint, they can only fall to the level of a first-rate force like the Heavenly Illusion Immortal Sect!

If we had to categorize them, those with a Martial Saint contributing would be T0, and those without would be T1.

Daqing, relying on its large population, barely qualifies as TO5?

Just like the colossal hand that Emperor Qing created by transforming dragon energy to cover the sky.

With just a few decades of recuperation, one can easily unleash the power of a martial saint.

With just a gentle squeeze, that hand could crush all the grandmasters in Daqing, comparable to those in the Southern Territory!

Because of Ye Li's life-risking strike, seventy percent of the dragon's energy dissipated, turning the boundless fertile land into barren wasteland.

Emperor Qing was so angry he almost bled.

The remaining 30% of the dragon energy is indeed barely enough to unleash the power of a Martial Saint.

But unlike before, this time, if it is barely unleashed, the entire Daqing will instantly fall apart.

It's like throwing a punch at your peak, only slightly exhausting.

But Ye Li chopped off most of your head with a single stroke, successfully sending Da Qing to the ICU.

In this situation, you will continuously lose health even if you do nothing.

If one forces oneself to continue boxing despite illness, the moment one throws a punch will be the moment one's body collapses, and even a celestial being cannot save one.

The entire universe is filled with forces of different martial saint lineages.

There are definitely more than just a few families that can desperately unleash the power of a Martial Saint.

However, there were very few that could be easily mobilized. Ye Li had directly cut Daqing from the top to the first-rate, which was enough to show how badly it had been damaged. Emperor Qing trembled with anger as he looked at the reports on the fate of Daqing presented by his ministers one by one.

The loss of 70% of the nation's fortune does not mean that the remaining 30% is safe.

He's just putting on a brave face.

Whether it's the concentration of spiritual energy, the output of rare and precious materials, or other data, they can't even maintain 10% of what they used to be, let alone 30%.

Emperor Qing's lower body trembled slightly, but he still forced himself to speak:

"From this day forward, the allocation of spiritual energy will be changed to a rationing system."

"From now on, those who cultivate beyond the Innate Realm will need to possess the corresponding permits to be qualified to absorb spiritual energy."

"Squeeze out the vital resources to supply the 30% of the people who were not affected. The remaining 70% are not allowed to cause trouble. If they rebel, they will be suppressed immediately!" Emperor Qing sat on his throne and announced the strategies one by one in an attempt to minimize the damage caused by that blow.

At this rate of austerity, it would take at least tens of thousands of years for the entire Great Qing Dynasty to return to its former glory. But just as Emperor Qing was becoming increasingly agitated, a panicked voice came from outside the palace:

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!!!"

"So noisy!"

Emperor Qing let out a cold snort, his voice filled with anger, and said, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"

"The various factions in the Southern Territory have formed a coalition army, demanding territorial concessions and reparations! The slogan 'A blood debt must be repaid in blood' awaits them beyond the borders!!!"

Emperor Qing: "What did you say?!"

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(This chapter is 6,000 words long, please vote with monthly tickets and recommendations! The next chapter will put a lot of pressure on Emperor Qing! Also, thanks to Master Luo for the illustrations.)

o(一_T).