10th SS - The Loyalty of a Demon King
It was currently the year 1365. The Yuan Dynasty was on its last legs as Emperor Shun tried to calm his nation's people while a rebellion was brewing under his nose.
Alas, there was nothing he could do as those around him were sabotaging his commands left and right. His right hand advisor was the famous military strategist Zhuge Lin who hailed from the Nine Sects One Clan.
Although Emperor Shun treated his advisor with respect and held him in high regards, Zhuge Lin's impression of Emperor Shun was the opposite.
Spineless, chubby, and lustful…Zhuge Lin could only sigh helplessly as he watched the Yuan Dynasty fall on its own head. He was a spy sent by the Martial Union 10 years after he rose to fame.
So yes, it was Zhuge Lin's job to sabotage Emperor Shun till the Yuan Dynasty collapsed.
Emperor Shun was too naive to realize what was happening until the rebellion force accompanied by martial artists of the Martial Union stormed into his palace last year.
Just like that, the Emperor Shun of Yuan was killed by the rebel army and the Yuan Dynasty ended there.
Or so the general public thought.
***
Just hours before the rebel army broke through the palace's iron gate and stormed the palace, Emperor Shun was already notified of their arrival beforehand.
His left hand, Myriad Sword Demon King, clan leader of the Myriad Sword Demon Clan had risked his life to infiltrate the Martial Union and spy on them till the day they announced themselves as allies of the rebel army.
From there, the Myriad Sword Demon King brandished his sword and fought against the thousands of peak martial masters stationed within the Martial Union till he reached the gates of the palace while barely alive.
Slash, thrust, parry and stab…the Myriad Sword Demon King had only one thing on his mind when he fought the entire Martial Union that day. 'The Emperor…I must get this piece of news to the Emperor!'
He managed to kill his way out of Beijing with just a sword, annihilating hundreds of sects and clans that were a part of the rebel army.
He had hoped to dwindle the rebel army's strength and save his majesty's life in exchange for his life.
His prayers were soon answered after he had sacrificed his left arm to kill the master of the Shaolin Temple.
The Myriad Sword Demon King soon gained enlightenment and became an unrestrained martial grandmaster, thus allowing him to utilize his inner qi to kill his enemies faster.
It was at this moment that the Myriad Sword Demon King fully portrayed the power to move mountains against the jianghu.
"Myriad Sword Demon Arts, Mountain Splitting Slash!" The Myriad Sword Demon King shouted fiercely as he channeled his inner qi into his sword, making it grow in size till it reached the same height as that of Mount Kunlun.
The hundreds and thousands of martial artists trembled in fear when they saw the mountain sized sword wielded by the Martial Union's enemy.
"This…How the hell are we supposed to kill him?! Wouldn't we die first at this rate?!"
"The Martial Union is doomed! With a martial grandmaster that can fly freely without using any light arts, the central government will surely take this chance to exact revenge on the jianghu."
"Cut the crap! We are martial artists that fight for the just faction! If the Emperor is corrupt, we kill the emperor! If the ministers are corrupt, we will kill the ministers! And if the entire palace is corrupt, we will destroy the palace and kill everyone inside! For the Martial Union, for the just faction–"
"Swish Swish Swish!" That one fellow that shouted to kill the emperor was immediately sliced into minced meat by his fellow martial artists.
Because unlike the just fellow, the rest of the martial artists following the Martial Union were anything but just. They only became martial artists because the Martial Union guaranteed them fame and money as long as they became the union's dogs.
What was justice and righteousness? Even the head of the Martial Union treated justice and righteousness the same as cursed words. One's gains and benefits were more important than trying to uphold justice in this corrupt world.
The Myriad Sword Demon King was aware of this truth too, yet he remained loyal to Emperor Shun despite having the strength to overthrow the central government by himself.
'What use would I have if I were to overthrow the government by myself? I only want to study the ways of the sword till I reach my limit. And seeing how I managed to get stronger with each trial assigned to me by the emperor, I'm sure that protecting the emperor is the best thing I could do in this life. Wait for me, wife. I'll join you soon.' The Myriad Sword Demon King thought to himself as he swung his mountain sized sword down, splitting Beijing into two sides with a deep chasm formed in the middle.
Seeing how the martial artists that were chasing after him were now dead, the Myriad Sword Demon King sheathed his sword and flew back to the palace located in the central plains.
***
Upon arriving at the emperor's quarters, the Myriad Sword Demon King bowed before Emperor Shun before he stood up to present several heads to his majesty.
Emperor Shun remained unfazed while he examined the heads one by one. Zhuge Lin on the other hand, was stunned silent when he recognized the heads the Myriad Sword Demon King brought back.
'That bald head belongs to the master of the Shaolin Temple…Insane, are you telling me that a transcendent martial master like the Myriad Sword Demon King could defeat an unrestrained martial grandmaster like the Shaolin Temple Master?! Insane! The heavens have gone insane!'
But before Zhuge Lin could recover from his shock, Emperor Shun began to clap his hands.
"Hahaha, wonderful. Truly wonderful. As expected of my most trusted subordinate, Myriad Sword Demon King. Alas, it's a shame that you will have to die here with my advisor as I escape into the north. I pray that you will get to live a happier life in your next life, Myriad Sword Demon King."
With that, Emperor Shun got onto his carriage with a satisfied look.
He wouldn't be surprised if he died now. He had already done enough in life to acquire a loyal subordinate like the Myriad Sword Demon King. It was a shame that Zhuge Lin did not treat him with respect like the Myriad Sword Demon King did.
But that's just asking for too much. A human shouldn't be greedy when it comes to collecting good karma. Then again, the emperor felt that he had already used up a lifetime's worth of good karma already.
He only had bad karma left.
Thus, as the Myriad Sword Demon King fought the rebel army till he dropped dead under the countless slashes and stabs of his enemies, Emperor Shun was able to safely leave the central plains and continue his legacy in the north.
The loyalty of the Myriad Sword Demon King thus gave birth to the Northern Yuan, with Emperor Shun as its first Khan.