The Return of the Condor Heroes: Starting with a Suicide Note and Conquering All Realms

Two days later, in Lin'an City.

West Lake.

A cool night breeze rippled across the pond.

On the lake, there are rows of painted boats.

The lights were bright, turning the lake water into a luxurious dark red.

On the largest royal pleasure boat, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

Several geishas draped in thin veils danced gracefully on the deck.

Her waist swayed, and a fragrant breeze wafted through the air.

Inside the cabin, Jia Sidao, the prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, leaned against a soft couch.

He held in his hand a luminous cup, a tribute from the Western Regions, filled with scarlet wine.

Several high-ranking officials of the imperial court sat to one side, their faces full of flattery.

Outside the painted boat.

The songstress's lyrics drifted on the wind.

"Beyond the mountains, green hills rise; beyond the towers, more towers stand. When will the songs and dances of West Lake cease?"

The soft, melodious music echoed across the lake.

Top deck of the pleasure boat.

Emperor Lizong of Song, Zhao Yun, reclined on a soft couch, his arms embracing two laughing concubines. He picked up a white jade cup and drank the wine, a tribute from the Western Regions, in one gulp.

The current prime minister, Jia Sidao, sat at the lower end of the table. He was dressed in a purple casual robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, and his face was flushed.

"Your Majesty," Jia Sidao put down his folding fan, cupped his hands in greeting, "the military report from Xiangyang has been suppressed. With Kublai Khan dead, the Mongol army has retreated. This tremendous achievement is naturally due to Your Majesty's boundless blessings and awe-inspiring power throughout the world."

Zhao Yun let out a hiccup and reached out to pinch the cheek of the concubine in his arms: "Has that Jianghu outlaw named Lin Yuan received the imperial decree?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured." Jia Sidao's lips curled into a cold smile. "He's just a mere military man. I've dispatched the most elite imperial guards from the Imperial City Guard to deliver the imperial decree. Give him the honorary title of Grand General, and he'll be ecstatic, rolling over to Lin'an to express his gratitude. Once he enters this Imperial City, he'll have to coil up like a dragon and lie low like a tiger. I have plenty of ways to make him hand over his martial arts skills and become a dog for the royal family."

Zhao Yun nodded in satisfaction: "I have always trusted you with your work, my dear minister. Now, let the music continue, let the dance continue."

The sound of string and wind instruments rang out again.

"boom!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from the due north direction.

The waters of West Lake surged violently. The painted boats rocked violently. Several dancing girls lost their footing and fell directly into the lake.

The white jade cup in Zhao Yun's hand crashed onto the deck, shattering into powder. He pushed aside the concubines and stood up in alarm: "What happened! Did the earth rise up?"

Jia Sidao's face turned pale, and he rushed to the railing.

He looked due north. That was the direction of the north gate of Lin'an City.

A dark golden pillar of fire shot straight into the sky from the pitch-black night sky, illuminating half of Lin'an City as if it were daytime.

The north gate of Lin'an City.

The thick iron gate, three zhang thick, has disappeared.

Lin Yuan stood where he had originally been at the city gate. He remained in the stance of throwing a single punch.

Dark golden flames erupted from his fist. The seemingly indestructible iron gate, the thousand-pound winch, and the brick walls on both sides melted instantly under the extreme compression and high temperature.

Molten iron mixed with vitrified bricks and stones flowed along the gap.

The moat water overflowed. Upon touching the dark red scorched earth, the water instantly vaporized, sending up plumes of white steam.

The imperial guards defending the city didn't even have time to ring the alarm. The hundred or so soldiers closest to the city gate didn't even have time to scream before they were charred to ashes in the pillars of fire.

Lin Yuan withdrew his fist. His gray Taoist robe billowed in the heat.

"Let's go." Lin Yuan strode forward, stepping on the dark red, scorched earth, and entered Lin'an City.

Yang Guo followed behind, dragging his heavy Xuan Tie sword. The sword tip scraped against the bluestone slabs with a harsh, screeching sound. Xiao Longnv protected Ouyang Feng, bringing up the rear.

The alarm bells of the Imperial City Guard have finally rung.

The mournful tolling of the bells echoed throughout the city, completely waking the slumbering city of Lin'an. Countless people hid behind their doors, peering through the cracks in the doors into the streets in terror.

Lin Yuan walked straight ahead along the Imperial Street, his destination the Imperial Palace.

At the end of the street ahead, torches stretched out in a continuous line.

Three thousand fully armed Imperial Guards formed a battle formation, blocking the way. Spears were like a forest, and crossbows were nocked.

At the front of the army formation stood twelve old men.

These twelve men wore identical grey robes with golden dragon patterns embroidered on their chests. They were grandmaster-level martial arts masters serving in the imperial palace. Normally, they held high positions and were solely responsible for protecting the emperor's safety.

The gray-robed elder at the head of the group drew his longsword, pointing it directly at Lin Yuan: "You audacious madman! Daring to invade the imperial city, you will be killed without mercy!"

"Form the formation!" the old man shouted.

Twelve grandmasters leaped into the air simultaneously. They occupied twelve positions in mid-air, their inner forces linked together. A fierce wind arose, whipping up sand and stones. This was the Heavenly Wind Dragon Locking Formation. This formation was said to be able to trap and kill any top master in the world.

Lin Yuan stopped in his tracks. He looked at the twelve people who had formed an array in mid-air.

He did not draw his sword. He did not use the King's Flame.

The true essence of the Tang Dynasty plane, at the level of shattering the void, surged within his Qi Sea. Lin Yuan raised his right hand, flipped his palm, and struck out with a palm strike from top to bottom.

The air was completely sucked out at that moment.

A massive, transparent wall of air, visible to the naked eye, descended from the sky with a terrifying, overwhelming pressure.

"Snap!"

The internal energy circulation of the Heavenly Wind Dragon Locking Formation collapsed instantly.

The protective aura that twelve grandmaster-level experts were so proud of couldn't even last for half a breath.

"This is impossible!" The leading elder's eyes bulged, and his bones creaked as he stared intently at Lin Yuan, screaming in terror, "This kind of chilling internal energy... it can only be from that eunuch patriarch back then..."

Before he could finish speaking...

The air wall pressed down completely.

Twelve grandmaster-level experts exploded mid-air. Their flesh and blood flew everywhere, creating a bloody storm that rained down on the three thousand Imperial Guards below.

One palm strike. All twelve grandmasters were wiped out.

The morale of the Imperial Guards collapsed instantly. They threw away their spears and crossbows and turned to flee in a frenzy.

Yang Guo let out a roar.

He gripped the heavy iron sword, weighing eighty or ninety pounds, with both hands and charged into the rout of the army.

A heavy sword has no edge, and a heavy sword has no skill.

Yang Guo didn't need any special moves. He simply swung his heavy sword, sweeping it left and right.

The heavy sword slammed into the Imperial Guards' heavy armor, crushing them and their armor together. Limbs and severed bodies flew everywhere. Blood stained the bluestone slabs of the Imperial Street.

Yang Guo was blinded by rage. He poured all his resentment towards the corrupt court and his disdain for the Guo family's hypocritical righteousness into the sword.

They swept through the enemy lines.

Lin Yuan stepped over the corpses scattered on the ground and entered the main gate of the palace.