Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

The night on the vast plains was exceptionally cold.

The massive battle of 100,000 troops during the daytime turned this area, spanning dozens of miles, into a bloodbath.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood and burning, and even the moon in the night sky appeared eerily red through the thin layer of blood mist.

Inside Chu Chang's central command tent, several ever-burning lamps emitted a soft glow, yet they could not dispel the heavy and intense atmosphere within.

"Supreme Deacon, all departments are ready."

The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect stood bowing to one side, his expression filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He handed over a jade slip and reported in a low voice: "The three thousand core disciples of the Divine Sword Sect have set up the Qiankun Locking Yuan Array outside the east and south gates of Qianjing City, sealing off the void to prevent any remaining forces within the city from escaping through the void using secret techniques. In addition, more than 74,000 independent cultivators from the martial world have been organized into eight main attack formations, temporarily led by eight renowned independent cultivators at the late Golden Core stage. As long as you give the order, we can launch a general attack on Qianjing at dawn!"

"very good."

Chu Chang nodded slightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound.

"Tell those wandering martial arts practitioners that after the city falls, whoever seizes any royal treasures belongs to them, and I will never go back on my word. But if anyone dares to shirk their duties during the siege, or secretly colludes with the enemy…"

Chu Chang raised his head, a chilling demonic light flashing in his deep eyes: "Lin Wuwen's Ten Thousand Soul Banner is lacking some living souls."

The sect leader trembled and quickly bowed his head: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this disciple will convey these words to every rogue cultivator without fail. Under Your Majesty's might, they would not dare to slack off even if they had ten lives."

After they withdrew, the entire camp resembled a sophisticated and massive war machine, emitting a deep and violent roar under each command.

Countless beams of magical light shone throughout the camp as the rogue cultivators polished their magical artifacts and adjusted their state. The Divine Sword Sect's warships also slowly rose into the air, with a massive spiritual energy storm accumulating within the array at the bottom of the warships, locking onto the towering walls of Qianjing from afar.

Meanwhile, in the Golden Palace of Qianjing City.

"The Shadow Guards... wiped out?"

Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty slumped weakly on the dragon throne, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Your Highness, several royal retainers, covered in blood, knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty, the life-bound soul tablets of the Five Shadow Guards... shattered simultaneously half an hour ago. Not even a wisp of their remnant souls escaped. That Chu Chang... that Chu Chang must have broken through to the peak of the Profound Realm; we are no match for him at all!"

"Peak of the Profound Realm..."

Qian Yuanzi muttered to himself, his eyes filled with despair.

Just a day ago, he was only at the late stage of the Netherworld Realm, relying on the advantage of puppets to annihilate an army of 100,000. How could he have broken through in just one night? Such a cultivation speed is simply unheard of!

"Your Majesty, before His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus went into seclusion, he instructed that if the situation became a matter of life and death, the Heavenly Sword Token could be used."

The old eunuch crawled forward on his knees, holding a token made of purple gold aloft. The token was engraved with a giant sword that pierced the sky, exuding a suffocatingly sharp sword intent.

That was the token of the fourth-grade sect, "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain".

"Yes! Yes! I also have Ten Thousand Swords Mountain!"

As if grasping at the last straw, Qian Yuanzi snatched the token and frantically poured his true essence into it, while biting his tongue and spitting a mouthful of blood onto the token.

"Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty begs the Immortal Envoy of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain to descend and save my Great Yuan! I am willing to offer you control of the underground sword immortal ruins!"

hum!

The token unleashed a beam of golden sword light that shot into the sky, instantly piercing through the protective array of Qianjing and hurtling straight into the heavens, hurtling towards the Tianqian Domain.

…………

…………

…………

The next day, at dawn.

As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, the desolate plains outside Qianjing City were already resounding with the earth-shaking sound of war drums.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The Divine Sword Sect's warships lined up, and the allied forces of rogue cultivators spread out like a tide. The brilliance of countless magical treasures shimmered in the morning mist, exuding murderous intent, and they pressed straight towards the gates of Qianjing City.

Chu Chang, dressed in black, stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the main warship.

Behind him, fourteen black-armored demon puppets stood in a row, exuding an aura of death.

However, just as the order to attack the city was about to be given, a piercing sword cry suddenly came from the distant void.

"Hey!"

A golden sword light, tens of feet wide, like a dazzling meteor, tore through the morning mist and streaked across the sky at an incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye, the sword light had already reached the front of the two armies.

The sword light faded, revealing the figure within.

It was a huge golden flying sword, and standing on it was a young man wearing a white robe with gold trim.

The man was handsome, with a cold and arrogant expression, and exuded the powerful cultivation aura of a late-stage Purple Mansion Realm expert. Most striking was the three-inch sword embroidered on his chest—the insignia of a core disciple of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain.

Behind him followed two elderly men at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm, their temples bulging and their auras steady.

"This is an official matter at Wanjian Mountain. All unauthorized personnel, please step aside!"

As soon as the aloof young man appeared, he looked around and his voice contained powerful true energy that rolled across the plain like thunder.

Upon hearing the words "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain," the previously high morale of the wandering martial artists immediately faltered, and many of them revealed expressions of fear and apprehension in their eyes.

The Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Sect, a fourth-rank sect!

It was a colossal entity that surpassed even the Great Yuan Dynasty. Not only were there several powerful figures at the Purple Mansion stage residing within its sect, but it also controlled several dynasties similar to the Great Yuan. For these independent cultivators, Ten Thousand Swords Mountain was truly a place of divine power, not to be trifled with.

With a flash of golden light, the arrogant young man rode on a flying sword and arrived directly in front of the main warship of the Divine Sword Sect, looking down at Chu Chang from his high position.

"You are Chu Chang?"

The young man raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying an undisguised arrogance.

Chu Chang looked at him coldly without saying a word.

"I am Situ Lei, the personal disciple of the leader of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain."

The young man raised his head and said in a condescending tone, "The Great Yuan royal family has already offered the remains of the sword immortals in this place to my Ten Thousand Swords Mountain. Considering your arduous cultivation and your ability to subdue such a puppet, I will give you a chance. Take your men and immediately withdraw your troops, and submit to me. I can guarantee your Divine Sword Sect's rule over the Great Yuan territory. What do you say?"

Inside the grand formation, Qian Yuanzi was overjoyed to see Situ Lei appear and shouted, "Immortal Envoy Situ, do not let this traitor escape! He killed my Grand General and 100,000 soldiers!"

Situ Lei glanced coldly at Qian Yuanzi, ignoring him, and continued to stare at Chu Chang, waiting for his reply.

In his view, with the reputation of Wanjian Mountain looming over them, the native cultivators within the Great Yuan territory had no choice but to kneel and submit.

After listening to Situ Lei's words, Chu Chang suddenly smiled.

The smile was both playful and cold.

"Mount Wanjian?"

Chu Chang gently stroked the Broken Dust Ancient Sword in his hand and said indifferently, "What kind of thing is this, worthy of my submission?"

"presumptuous!"

Upon hearing this, the two elders behind Situ Lei were immediately enraged.

"You ignorant brat! You don't know what's good for you! When Wan Jian Shan is enraged, a million corpses can fall! You're just a local who luckily obtained some puppet inheritance, yet you dare to disrespect my young master?!"

Situ Lei's face also turned completely gloomy, and a chilling killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Chu Chang, I'm only speaking kindly to you because I value your talent. Don't think you can rule the Great Yuan with just these few dead puppets. In the eyes of Wanjian Mountain, these are nothing but toys."

Situ Lei snorted coldly and slammed his folding fan shut.

"I'll ask you one last time: surrender, or die?"

"Noisy."

A cold glint flashed in Chu Chang's eyes.

Without any warning, his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, a black and white Tai Chi sword aura, carrying a destructive chaotic intent, tore through the void and struck Situ Lei's head without warning.

"You're asking for it!"

Situ Lei was shocked. He did not expect that Chu Chang would make a move so suddenly, and the power of the sword energy made even this top genius of Wanjian Mountain feel a strong threat of death.

"All swords return to their origin, unleash your power!"

Situ Lei reacted extremely quickly, forming a sword shape with his fingers and thrusting it forward sharply.

The golden longsword on his back instantly unsheathed, transforming into a hundred sword shadows that formed a dazzling golden sword shield in front of him.

boom!

Chu Chang's seemingly casual sword strike produced a deafening roar the moment it struck the golden sword and shield.

Click!

The sword shield formed by the third-tier top-grade flying sword only lasted for half a breath before crumbling inch by inch under the corrosive and domineering power of the chaotic true essence. The intense recoil forced Situ Lei back dozens of steps, his blood surging, and his face instantly turned somewhat ugly.

"Peak of the Profound Realm! You actually broke through!"

Situ Lei exclaimed in surprise.

He initially thought the intelligence was wrong; how could a native possibly break through in such a short time? But the terrifying true essence contained in that sword strike was several times more powerful than his own late-stage Purple Mansion realm cultivation, built up with countless elixirs and miraculous medicines from Ten Thousand Swords Mountain!

"Elders, do it! Kill him!"

Situ Lei finally abandoned his arrogance and shouted sternly.

"You thief, how dare you!"

Seeing their young master suffer a loss, the two elders from the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain roared in anger and summoned their natal flying swords.

The two flying swords transformed into two giant ice and fire dragons, each tens of feet long, carrying violent energy that tore through the air, and attacked Chu Chang from the left and right.

"The swordsmanship of Wanjian Mountain is nothing special."

Chu Chang stood in the void, his expression unchanged. He didn't even use Lin Wuwen and the other puppets. Now that he had broken through to the peak of the Tongyou Realm, he needed a great battle to test his true combat strength.

[The primordial chaos creates the profound Taiji seal!]

Chu Chang formed hand seals, and the chaotic true essence within his body surged like a raging torrent.

A gigantic gray seal materialized out of thin air in the sky, its surface engraved with mysterious patterns depicting the beginning of the universe and the evolution of chaos, exuding a terrifying aura that suppressed eternity.

"fall!"

Chu Chang flicked his finger, and the gray seal crashed down.

boom!

The fierce ice and fire twin dragon flying swords, upon touching the gray seal, were actually suppressed by the mountain-like force, their light dimmed, and they emitted a piercing wail.

"This power... how could it be so strong?!"

The two elders from Wanjian Mountain were horrified. They desperately tried to retrieve their flying swords by channeling their true essence, but the suction force on the gray seal was like a black hole, holding their natal flying swords tightly. Under the erosion of the chaotic true essence, the spirituality on the swords was rapidly being lost.

"Die."

Chu Chang's figure flashed, appearing behind one of the old men like a ghost.

"Watch out!" Situ Lei exclaimed.

But it was too late.

Chu Chang drew his fingers together as a sword, a three-inch-long gray chaotic sword light emanating from his fingertips, and gently slashed.

puff!

The protective true essence of the elder in the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm was easily sliced ​​open like tofu by the chaotic sword light. A terrified head shot into the sky, blood gushing out like a fountain. The soul that had just escaped from its body was burned into nothingness by a Taiyin True Fire casually unleashed by Chu Chang.

"Second Elder!"

The other old man's eyes widened in fury, but before he could react, Lin Wuwen appeared behind him without him noticing, and a dark, demonic hand pierced through his chest, crushing his golden core.

In just a few breaths, two Purple Mansion Realm experts from Ten Thousand Swords Mountain perished!

"You...you actually killed them! How dare you kill people from Ten Thousand Swords Mountain!"

Seeing this scene, Situ Lei's arrogance was finally shattered, replaced by endless fear.

Those were two elders at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, a backbone force in Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, yet they couldn't even withstand a single move from this native.

"I've killed people from Ten Thousand Swords Mountain before."

Holding the Broken Dust Ancient Sword, Chu Chang approached Situ Lei step by step. Each step felt like it was stepping on Situ Lei's heart, making his face even paler.

"You can't kill me! I am the sect leader's personal disciple! If you kill me, my master, the Purple Mansion stage ancestor, will never let you go, and the entire Great Yuan will be buried with me!"

While shouting loudly with a fierce but weak voice, Situ Lei secretly crushed a fifth-tier "Heavenly Escape Talisman" from his sleeve.

hum!

A ring of spatial ripples spread out around Situ Lei, and his body began to become illusory, attempting to directly merge into the void and escape.

"Before me, even space is a slave."

Chu Chang narrowed his eyes slightly, and the Chaos Divine Seal between his brows suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

[Chaotic Realm, Space Imprisonment!]

Situ Lei, who was originally illusory and about to disappear into the void, suddenly shuddered. At this moment, the surrounding space seemed to be injected with pig iron, forcibly squeezing him out of the void.

"No!"

Situ Lei let out a desperate scream.

Without any hesitation, Chu Chang raised his hand and waved the Broken Dust Ancient Sword, which transformed into a gray lightning bolt and instantly pierced through Situ Lei's dantian.

puff!

The raging chaotic true essence exploded within Situ Lei's body, mercilessly tearing apart his meridians and golden core. This peerless genius of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, hailed as a once-in-a-century talent, gradually lost his luster in his eyes, and his body fell limply from the sky, crashing heavily in front of the gates of Qianjing City.

The entire room fell silent.

On the city wall, Qian Yuanzi's legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, muttering, "It's over... the Great Yuan is completely finished..."

After a brief silence, the wandering cultivators who had been intimidated by the reputation of Wanjian Mountain erupted into cheers several times more enthusiastic than before.

"Supreme Lord Chu is invincible!"

"We've even killed that worthless genius from Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, who in the Great Yuan Dynasty can stop us?!"

"Charge into the capital! Kill!"

Chu Chang stood in mid-air, his clothes fluttering and his hair flying. He looked down at Qianjing City, raised the Broken Dust Ancient Sword high, and his voice resounded like thunder in all directions:

"All troops, listen to my command: Attack the city!"