Chapter 78: Ambivalent Regrets, the Clear-Sighted General Snaps the Hateful Sword

The three stood tense and on guard amidst the corpse-strewn field and dissipating black smoke.

Now that the tall mountain had migrated behind them undetected, the path ahead was finally visible. It plunged into the depths of a thick black forest; the strange squawking of crows echoed intermittently within the countless trees, exceedingly frightening. Xie Lian went on the alert and sharpened his senses, and yet at the same time he still unconsciously reached for Hua Cheng's hand. The moment their hands touched, he noticed an alarming sign.

Hua Cheng was of course a ghost, but his body temperature was blistering hot, like he had a high fever. Xie Lian was taken aback.

"San Lang…are you changing back?" he whispered.

Although Hua Cheng was burning up from his forehead to his fingertips, his expression remained unchanged.

"Soon."

Hua Cheng was going to transform back to his true form—wonderful news, considering their circumstances. However, the lead-up to the official return of his old self was inevitably the most critical, perilous time.

Making a split-second decision, Xie Lian cried, "I'll set up an array and shield you!"

And he went straight to it. He called forth Ruoye and had it form a large circle, twelve meters in radius, around Hua Cheng. Then he plunged Fangxin into the earth in front of the circle as the "lock" on the array's "door."

Hua Cheng sat on the ground to meditate. "Gege, keep Fangxin with you for protection."

"No, this array can't be sloppy; it must be sealed by a bladed weapon that's touched human blood…" Before he could finish, he felt something rubbing against him behind his back. When he looked, he was rendered speechless.

A tiny silver scimitar was standing upright behind him. It blinked its big silver eye and nuzzled against him with its hilt, as if it was nominating itself for the task.

Xie Lian crouched down. "Eming, why are you like this too?"

The infamous scimitar Eming, a long, slender blade, bewitching and wild…had shrunk in size by at least half. Its silver eye used to be long and narrow, but now it was big, shining, and round, like a child's.

At Xie Lian's comment, it seemed to feel wronged and tried to push its hilt into Xie Lian's hand with renewed fervor.

Pei Ming also crouched to look. "So this is the infamous scimitar Eming?"

He looked like he was about to reach out and touch it. Eming changed face in an instant and pointed its blade at him threateningly.

Fortunately, Pei Ming pulled away just in time—otherwise blood would have certainly spilled.

Xie Lian stroked Eming. "Fangxin is still better-suited."

Fangxin remained motionless. Eming had tried so enthusiastically to offer itself up but was so blatantly rejected. It hopped back to Hua Cheng's side, weeping. Hua Cheng didn't spare it a single look before he smacked it with a backhand slap.

"What are you crying about? This happened because you're useless!

Trash!"

Eming fell flat on the ground like a piece of unwanted scrap metal, as if that strike had struck it dead. Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he quickly scooped Eming into his arms to stroke it a few times.

"Nothing of the sort. Don't listen to him. You're not trash—you're very useful!"

Pei Ming couldn't stand the mood in the circle anymore and stepped out to stand at the boundary, unsheathing his sword once more.

"Things weren't supposed to be this tense. Who knew we'd run into such an impressive, difficult character right at the start? Your Highness really does have the very best luck…" They had made the trip to Mount Tonglu in the first place to eliminate any inhuman candidates who had the potential to become supremes—that meant hunting down all of the most powerful ghosts. Xie Lian couldn't tell whether this counted as good luck or bad.

However, Hua Cheng said, "Why do you state so matter-of-factly that His Highness's luck is the problem, General Pei? Have you ever considered that the Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade might have been targeting you?"

Pei Ming laughed out loud. "If he were a woman, I'd believe it."

He hadn't laughed for long before his expression suddenly changed, and he leapt backward. As he looked up, blood trickled down his cheek.

A bloody cut had appeared on Pei Ming's face!

He felt his cheek in disbelief, and his whole palm came away smeared with blood—this was no mere scratch. And although they were on high alert, Xie Lian didn't sense any killing intent directed toward him at all. He was unharmed.

And so, he said truthfully, "It seems…it really is coming for you, General Pei."

Pei Ming was about to speak, but once more he heard the sound of a sharp blade slashing through the air. This time he was ready and swung his sword—and the strike found its mark. A figure appeared hanging in midair, then split in half from the slash and fell to the ground with a thud, upper and lower body now separated. Its eyes were gloomy and vicious as it glared intently at Pei Ming.

It was Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade!

Pei Ming walked over and stepped on the demon's chest, the tip of his sword pointed at the creature's throat.

"What are you?"

This being had claimed to be a spirit formed from the blade of an executioner. If that was true, then he should've shown his true form and ended this ridiculous charade after Pei Ming cut him in half. What kind of blade could still act with such arrogance even after getting snapped in two?

Suddenly, Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade's eyes bulged, and he sneered. He reached up and snapped Pei Ming's sword with his bare hands!

Clang!

Pei Ming's eyes went wide. And it wasn't just him—even Xie Lian reacted the same.

Pei Ming was, at the very least, a formally ascended martial god.

Even though he was trapped within Mount Tonglu's boundary and his spiritual powers had been suppressed to the bare minimum, his spiritual device shouldn't have been broken so easily!

Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade gave a resounding laugh. "I can't believe you'd use such a trashy sword!"

With his weapon broken, Pei Ming resorted to using his fists. But with a slap of his hand on the ground, Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade launched himself into the air. Pressing the fingers of his hand together, he shot out a blast from his palm. A bright, chilling, metallic light flashed on the edges of the blast as it hurtled past; it was a gust of power with a razor's edge. It seemed that the creature's true form really was some sort of sharp, bladed weapon!

Xie Lian stood up and made to leave the circle to help but was stopped by Hua Cheng.

"Gege, watch closely," he said with a low voice.

Pei Ming shouted to him as well. "No need to interfere!"

If the esteemed Martial God of the North couldn't even defeat a lowly ghost blade on the outer edges of Mount Tonglu, how could he live with himself?

Still, even with only an upper half, the Swift-Blade demon was extremely agile. No matter where Pei Ming struck, it seemed to predict his every move, which made Pei Ming's chances look rather poor. Hundreds of moves later, the Swift-Blade demon had inflicted dozens of deep wounds on Pei Ming. Xie Lian couldn't watch anymore and called out.

"General Pei, come back into the circle!"

Pei Ming's expression was growing grimmer and grimmer. He refused to retreat, and Xie Lian couldn't simply jump into the fight to make it two against one. Some martial gods would find it humiliating to require help in a one-on-one duel.

"General Pei, come back! There's something weird going on! Can't you tell?" Xie Lian tried again. "This creature knows your sword techniques and moves too well!"

Naturally, Pei Ming had also noticed—he just couldn't believe it yet.

But since even Xie Lian had seen it while observing from afar, he had to accept it even if he didn't want to. Xie Lian pulled Fangxin out of the ground and opened a small gap in the array. Pei Ming took the chance to leap back into the protective circle, looking extremely upset.

Xie Lian plugged Fangxin back in. "General Pei, aren't you going to pick up your broken spiritual weapon?"

Pei Ming wiped away the blood on his forehead. "That's not a spiritual weapon," he replied darkly. "It's just a decent sword I grabbed at random."

Hearing this, Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief. While any sword Pei Ming randomly picked from his collection would still be a fairly valuable tool, it couldn't compare to a real spiritual weapon.

"Why didn't General Pei bring his spiritual weapon when coming here?" he asked.

"I haven't forged one," Pei Ming replied.

Xie Lian found that even more amazing. "Why not?"

Martial gods typically forged their favorite weapon into a spiritual device, which was much like adding wings to a tiger. Pei Ming had no answer for him, and Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade scoffed.

"That's obvious. It's because his best sword no longer exists!"

Pei Ming frowned. "Who are you, exactly?"

"You're not asking what he is anymore?" Xie Lian asked.

Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade humphed again. "Who am I? Ha! Pei Ming, when you snapped me in two with a blast from your palm, did you ever expect this day would come?"

Xie Lian's eyes widened. "General Pei, do you know him?"

Pei Ming pondered for a long while, and his expression grew more and more solemn. Finally, he hazarded a guess.

"You're…Mingguang?"

Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade's smile faded at the mention of that name. He no longer looked like that common, puny little ghost from earlier.

"He's 'Ming Guang'?" Xie Lian questioned. "General Pei, isn't General Ming Guang your title?"

In an instant, countless possible stories of fraud and substitution flashed through his mind. They weren't outlandish assumptions, considering that there was now precedent in the heavens. He couldn't help but think, Is this another Earth Master Yi?

Pei Ming seemed to see through his worries. While covering his wounds with a hand, he said, "Your Highness, what are you thinking? I already told you I'm the genuine, authentic General Pei. I'm the real thing!"

"Then why did you call him Ming Guang?" Xie Lian demanded.

"Because his name is Mingguang. It's the name I came up with. He's my sword!"

Xie Lian made a noise of understanding. "Could you be…'The General Who Snapped His Sword'?"

"That's right," Pei Ming replied. "Mingguang was my sword when I was a mortal. And centuries ago, I snapped it with my own hands."

No wonder!

No wonder "Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade" knew Pei Ming's sword techniques well enough that it was like he could predict every move. He was the sword that Pei Ming had wielded as he won countless victories from north to south, so he naturally knew Pei Ming's technique inside and out. And no wonder that even when he was slashed in two, he could still move so easily—like the injury had no effect on him whatsoever.

It was because he had already been snapped in half!

"So that gash from before was from stabbing himself?" Xie Lian said.

"Then the holy light on his wound was…?"

"My own," Pei Ming said. "Back then, I ascended as soon as I snapped him in half. I suppose that must have been when the light stained him. And it can't be cleaned away."

Demon of the Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade—no, Mingguang— started using his hand as a sword and began to slash at Fangxin. His expression was gloomy, like he was visualizing attacking Pei Ming himself.

Xie Lian couldn't help but ask more about this whole thing. "Um… General Pei, why does your sword resent you so much? What did you do to it? What's the story behind The General Who Snapped His Sword?"

Pei Ming felt around for his pill bottle. "Some raggedy story from hundreds of years ago—what's the point of talking about it now? Let's find a way to beat him first!"

Although Ruoye formed the protection circle, half the array would collapse if Fangxin was cut down; it was similar to breaking the lock on a door. Xie Lian glanced behind him and saw that Hua Cheng had entered a meditative state. His eyes were shut tight, and he seemed totally unaware of the outside world. Xie Lian was slightly reassured at the sight.

Pei Ming's voice pulled him back.

"Your Highness, will your sword hold?"

Xie Lian turned back. "I don't know. Fangxin's old, after all."

"That's all right," Pei Ming said. "Mingguang's pretty old too."

Xie Lian sighed in relief. "Then as long as he doesn't call for help, we should be able to hang on for a w—" Before he could finish, heavy footsteps sounded from within the forest. A huge, burly, hideous man with dark skin appeared. The burly man wore broken leather armor and was abnormally tall. The moment they saw him, both Xie Lian and Pei Ming felt a drop of cold sweat drip off them.

The burly man had noticed someone madly chopping at a sword with his bare hands; he seemed to find the sight surprising, so he walked over to investigate. Xie Lian and Pei Ming both covered their faces with their hands and turned around. As for Mingguang, when he noticed a giant corpse approaching who looked quite physically strong, he called out to him.

"Hey, big guy, give me a hand! Help me knock away this sword and break the array. I'll split the heads inside with you!"

But the burly man likely hadn't been a citizen of the Central Plains in life, and he hadn't died a ghost of the Central Plains, which meant a language barrier. He didn't seem to understand what had been said and shouted something incomprehensible in reply. The two shouted at each other for a while, but nothing was achieved aside from some new veins popping on both of their foreheads.

Pei Ming did his best to look natural and suave while keeping his face covered. "Your Highness, what's that brute yelling about?" he whispered.

"He thinks your sword is trying to provoke him, so he got mad. He's telling him to kneel and beg for mercy, lest he beat him to death," Xie Lian whispered back.

"Oh, good," Pei Ming said. "Hope they start fighting each other soon."

But the giant man heard their whispers and turned to stare, his brow wrinkling as he scrutinized them. Xie Lian and Pei Ming tightened the hands covering their faces, no longer able to care about appearing natural;

but the burly man still recognized them. He stamped his foot, and the entire ground quaked with it.

"It's you! Scrap-collecting cultivator! Pei Xiu's boss!" he roared.

Since they had been recognized, the two dropped their hands. After some hesitation, Xie Lian replied with forced warmth in the Banyue tongue.

"General Kemo, please calm down."

The peculiar burly man was Kemo, who had escaped his seal after Mount Tonglu's tremors aroused millions of ghosts. He had been captured initially by Xie Lian, and he'd seen Pei Ming later standing next to Pei Xiu during his trial. His eyes went red at the sight of his enemies, and he kicked at Fangxin without another word. The blow knocked the sword off-center by a few centimeters!

Mingguang clapped and cheered and kept shooting out blast after blast. "Divine!"

Seeing that Fangxin was shaking harder and harder under their combined attacks, Xie Lian felt Hua Cheng's forehead, but his hand shrank back from the heat.

"What should we do?!"

Xie Lian needed to shield Hua Cheng with the array and couldn't be distracted, and Pei Ming posed no threat at all to the weapon with which he shared such a strange familiarity.

Just then, they heard Mingguang cuss.

"You bloody savage! Can you not smash where I'm smashing?! You hit my hand!"

Kemo ignored him completely. Noticing the friction between the two, Xie Lian grabbed hold of Pei Ming.

"General Pei! Kemo won't believe that you mean him no harm and will keep coming after you! Quick, press the fingers of both your hands together, cross your wrists above your head, then press downward from your head before opening your arms. This is the hand gesture his people use to ask for truce. Either way, just show him your goodwill and make him stop for now!"

Pei Ming was bewildered. "Huh?! You know full well that the resentment Kemo and Mingguang have for me isn't just some small misunderstanding. How could they be pacified with a simple hand gesture?"

But Xie Lian paid him no mind and grabbed hold of him. "Come, do it with me to make him stop!"

Pei Ming's hand was injured; the corners of his lips tightened as Xie Lian grabbed him. Even so, he was about to do as instructed—but Mingguang had already heard everything they said. He leapt in front of Kemo, then crossed his hands above his head and slid his arms down before opening them. He smirked smugly at the two in the circle.

"As if I'd let you!"

When Kemo saw that gesture, however, his eyes bulged, and thick veins surfaced on his dark skin. He opened his palm and swung his hand down like an iron cattail-leaf fan, sending Mingguang flying through the air.

As his slap flew, neither Pei Ming nor Mingguang understood what had happened. It was only a moment later that it dawned on Pei Ming, and he turned to Xie Lian.

"Your Highness, I thought Mingguang was cunning. I hadn't imagined you would be more cunning than him. I'm impressed."

Xie Lian wiped away his cold sweat. "It's nothing, it's nothing, much ashamed."

Although it seemed like his instructions were for Pei Ming, they were actually intended for Mingguang. When Mingguang overheard, he would obviously rush to show Kemo goodwill first and obstruct their plan.

However, the gesture that Xie Lian described didn't really call for a truce— it was an insult. Indeed, it was the rudest provocation in Banyue culture, like a combination of "chop off your shitty head," "fuck your wife," "murder your whole family," and "level your ancestors' graves." Four power attacks all at once; how could Kemo not be outraged? Under any other circumstances, Mingguang might have been suspicious of Xie Lian's words, but because the situation was dire and Pei Ming had almost raised his arms, Mingguang didn't take the time to think carefully and was easily deceived.

Mingguang snapped out of it when Kemo sent him flying. He wanted to fix the situation, but they still couldn't communicate, and his instinctive reaction was to yell—so it looked even more like he was cursing Kemo. He tried a few other hand gestures, like a thumbs-up, but that was hardly convincing at that point. It simply looked like someone begging for mercy by faking goodwill after they'd just hurled the most malicious, vulgar abuse. It didn't feel sincere at all, and he got pounded a few more times for the effort. Kemo also knew some rough Central Plains profanities and he swore as he struck, so Mingguang was starting to get angry himself. They continued to escalate, beating each other harder and harder. Pei Ming almost wanted to cheer them on.

Mingguang glanced over, incredibly irritated. He waved a hand in front of Kemo. Then he pointed at himself, then at Xie Lian and Pei Ming inside the circle, before doing that crossing hand gesture again.

Kemo actually stopped and asked with a frown, "Are you directing that at me or them?"

Oh no, Xie Lian thought but didn't dare speak rashly—he couldn't be sure how to best influence Kemo. Seeing that there might be a way to turn this around, Mingguang tried harder. He turned to Pei Ming to repeat the gesture with a savage face, but when he turned back to Kemo he immediately put on a calm expression. Matching the emotions in his eyes to his repeated actions, Kemo finally understood what he was saying.

They had the same enemies!

Once they were unified, Mingguang and Kemo came charging at the array once more. Xie Lian's mind whirled rapidly. He inhaled deeply, then hollered at the top of his lungs in the Banyue tongue.

"General Pei Junior! Banyue!"

At the sound of those two names, Kemo stopped abruptly and demanded sharply, "Are they nearby too?!"

Xie Lian didn't answer, just focused on shouting. "General Pei Junior! Banyue! Kemo is here—don't come close! Hurry and run away! And don't come back!"

This naturally made Kemo think those two were nearby and that Xie Lian was telling them to flee. His fury flared.

"As if I'd let you!"

"Hey! Big guy!" Mingguang yelled. "What are you running for?! He must be lying! Come back!"

But Kemo was long gone. Mingguang stomped his foot in anger.

"Dumbass!"

Xie Lian wiped his cold sweat away for the second time and thought sincerely, Learning another language is infinitely beneficial throughout your life!

Seeing that Mingguang was about to attack Fangxin again, he raised his hand.

"Stop! Keep this up and we won't be so nice!"

"And how are you being nice to me now?" Mingguang countered.

"Did you forget something?" Xie Lian asked.

"Forget what?"

Pei Ming looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped and pulled something out from behind him. "How could you forget something so important?"

The object he'd dragged out was the legs of Mingguang's lower half.

The moment Mingguang saw them, his expression froze.

"Huh?! My lower body!"

This whole time, he'd been using his hands in place of feet, using his arms to prop himself up and jump around. It seemed he'd gotten used to moving that way without realizing it and had completely forgotten that he hadn't yet retrieved the rest of his body. While he and Kemo were fighting, Pei Ming took the chance to leave the circle and dragged his abandoned, immobile lower half into the boundary.

"You'd better not do anything unnecessary," Pei Ming threatened.

The thing was, this threat was obviously very awkward. If the hostage were a complete person, Pei Ming could sink his fingers into their neck or skull while making such a threat. The resulting picture would be much more effective at showing that he wasn't bluffing. However, they only had the lower half of the man's body on hand. Where could his hands go that could still strike fear without being awkward?

Pei Ming couldn't think of anything, so he simply stepped on one of the legs.

"Are you shitting me?" Mingguang said.

Xie Lian also didn't think this looked like much of a threat, and he courteously suggested, "General Pei, stepping on a leg isn't terribly convincing. Can you maybe…make him think you've got him by something more critical?"

"Your Highness, don't say something like that so lightly," Pei Ming said. "Do you think I'd choose to step on a leg if I didn't refuse to do something so classless? Why don't you come and grab him where it hurts?"

"…" In the end, neither of them was willing to grab that critical place.

"Never mind," Xie Lian said. "Then why don't we do this!"

After huddling up for a moment, they each grabbed one of Mingguang's legs. Now this definitely looked much more threatening and less awkward.

"Please back off," Xie Lian demanded. "Otherwise your true body might suffer further damage."

Mingguang just sneered. "Ha! Did you actually believe my lower half is useless?"

As soon as he spoke, Xie Lian sensed a murderous aura rapidly crawling up his arm. He immediately tossed away the leg in his grasp.

"General Pei, watch out!"

The seemingly dead lower half suddenly swung its legs and kicked out without warning. Pei Ming threw the limb in his hands just in time and avoided being struck when those swift legs churned up blades of wind. The lower half flipped itself around in the air and landed with a single knee to the ground, then slowly straightened until it stood upright.

The moves were clean and impressive, and Xie Lian praised them in spite of himself: "Nice!" But then he immediately changed his tune. "Not nice!"

Not nice indeed. The protection circle that he had so arduously created was made to keep Mingguang out, but things had now become rather complicated. Even though Mingguang's upper half was still outside, his lower half was in!

Pei Ming also realized this. "We've been had," he muttered.

Some nefarious creatures with bisected bodies could only move if one half was leading, and others could move both parts at will. They originally didn't know which class Mingguang fell into, but his lower half had been rigid as a corpse, unmoving even when stepped on—and so Pei Ming had thought him to be the former. But it seemed he was only pretending that he couldn't move.

Mingguang was clapping in mirth outside the boundary. "That's right! This is what they call 'inviting a wolf into your home,' and 'catching turtles in the pot'!"

The three inside the circle each faced their own impairments. Hua Cheng was meditating with his eyes shut tight; it was a critical moment in his struggle. Pei Ming's sword had long since been broken by Mingguang.

Xie Lian's Fangxin was acting as the lock to their protection array. The latter two had no weapons to wield.

With no other choice, Xie Lian called, "Eming!"

Scimitar Eming had been lying on the ground like scrap metal, but it instantly jumped up at Xie Lian's call and flew into his hand. Xie Lian gripped the hilt and swung. Mingguang's lower half raised a leg and kicked;

while it blocked Xie Lian's strike, it was pushed back a couple of steps and almost fell outside the protection circle. His upper half watched from the outside, and its expression faltered, now looking rather wary. He clapped his hands, and the lower half returned to its true form—a verdant sword nearly a meter in length. It boiled with killing intent as it hung in midair.

Xie Lian didn't usually use scimitars, but Eming was agreeable in his hands. He was about to charge forth when Pei Ming spoke up.

"Your Highness, not to panic you at a time like this, but your Hua-chengzhu seems to be having a little bit of trouble."

Startled, Xie Lian whirled around. Sure enough, Hua Cheng's brows were even more tightly knit, and the hands that made seals while resting on his knees were shaking. Noticing Xie Lian's distraction, the broken verdant blade seized the opening to lunge—but Eming slipped out of Xie Lian's hand on its own and blocked the broken sword mid-attack with a resounding clang!

"Eming, please hold him off for a bit!" Xie Lian called, then he crouched in front of Hua Cheng. "Why is he like this? What went wrong?"

"Don't look at me, Your Highness," Pei Ming said. "I'm not as familiar with the ghost king as you are!"

"San Lang? Can you hear me? Come out! Stop subjecting yourself to this!" Xie Lian called out to Hua Cheng.

Mingguang shouted from outside the circle, "A little blade dares block my way?!"

During the previous exchange, the broken sword Mingguang and Eming had already parried countless times within the space of an instant, sending sparks flying. If this had been the normal scimitar Eming, it would have immediately gained the upper hand, but the shrunken Eming facing the longsword Mingguang really did look like a child getting beaten by an adult. Although it was ferocious, it simply wasn't long enough—its abilities were unavoidably hampered. Things had gotten perilous a few times, and Xie Lian spared glances while keeping his focus on Hua Cheng.

"Watch out!"

After he called out, Eming flipped and flashed, becoming a streaming silver whirlwind that successfully struck the broken sword. The Mingguang outside the circle gave a shout of pain; it must have been a substantial hit.

"Good Eming!" Xie Lian praised.

Pei Ming spoke up. "Wait, Your Highness. I think it got bigger when you complimented it."

Xie Lian looked closely. "Really?"

"Seems like it," Pei Ming said. "Why don't you try again?"

It was only some praise; no big deal. And so Xie Lian said, "Very well. Eming, listen closely! You are handsome and carefree, cute and kind, clever and intelligent, gentle and determined, number one in the world…" He trailed off, then stopped entirely. Pei Ming applauded enthusiastically. Outside the circle, Mingguang's expression was one of disbelief; he was as flustered as he was furious.

"What kind of wicked spell is that?! How come I've never heard of it before?!"

Indeed! With every word of praise Xie Lian sang out, Eming's blade grew a little bit longer. If it looked like a ten-year-old child earlier, then now it was a youth of fourteen or fifteen!

The broken sword facing the now-grown Eming was in trouble. It could only awkwardly move left and right, while Eming was growing swifter and more unpredictable. With the way this would end getting clearer, Mingguang made a hand seal.

The moment Pei Ming saw, he called out, "No good—he's transferred all his spiritual power into his lower half!"

Sure enough, the black aura surrounding the body of the broken blade explosively expanded in size. When Eming struck, it was bounced away by the black aura and plunged into the ground at a slant. Xie Lian hurried to pull it out.

"Are you all right?"

"Don't worry. Watch this," Pei Ming said, then took Eming from Xie Lian's hands.

Xie Lian was puzzled, but he suddenly felt cold on his skin. Whap!

Pei Ming had pushed the scimitar into his face, the hilt touching his lips.

"…" Xie Lian removed Eming from his face. His lips were slightly numb from the impact of the cold silver, and he rubbed at them, baffled.

"General Pei, is there a reason you did that?"

"Of course. An excellent reason," Pei Ming said. "Your Highness, please look down."

Xie Lian looked down and was struck speechless. Eming had grown even longer!

Mingguang couldn't hold back anymore, and he screamed at them from outside the circle. "What the fuck! And what wickedness is that? You might as well use all your tricks at once!"

"Truth be told, I also want to know what caused this," Xie Lian said.

Full of spirit once more, Eming stood tall and lunged at the broken sword Mingguang. Sword and scimitar battled relentlessly in the air. Xie Lian went back to check up on Hua Cheng, and Pei Ming watched Mingguang, who was bent over not far away. All of Mingguang's spiritual power had been transferred to the lower half that was battling Eming, so any threat from his upper half was greatly lessened. They all understood this, and Pei Ming rose to his feet to take him down.

However, another series of heavy footfalls came running up at top speed. Kemo had returned.

"You cunning Central Plain cultivators!" he cried hatefully. "You lied again! I hope you collect junk for the rest of your life! They weren't nearby at all!"

Xie Lian hadn't expected to keep Kemo away for long anyway, but he'd returned earlier than expected, and right at an inconvenient time.

Mingguang was overjoyed, and he pointed at Fangxin.

"Big guy! Quick! Knock that sword over! Once the array is broken, the ones inside will be helpless!"

He didn't need to say anything. Kemo swung his hand down to chop and Fangxin was knocked five more centimeters. Another chop, another five centimeters. Another chop, and Fangxin fell!

The protection array had finally been broken!

The broken sword stopped fighting Eming and flew out of the circle, returning to Mingguang's side. It transformed back into a pair of legs, and Mingguang stitched his two halves back together. He leapt to his feet and patted Kemo, then pointed at Pei Ming, then at himself. He pointed at Xie Lian, then pointed at Kemo. Kemo understood and nodded—this meant they were splitting the prey. As Kemo walked toward Xie Lian, who was shielding Hua Cheng, he cracked each knuckle on his iron-slab fists.

Mingguang stretched out his legs as he smirked. "Pei Ming, are you going to snap me in half again? Come give it a shot."

Pei Ming didn't speak.

Mingguang sneered. "The General Who Snapped His Sword. Heh.

What a fine tale. The heavens are clearly blind if an incident like that could be turned into a beautiful story!"

"I never took it for a beautiful story," Pei Ming said.

"Bullshit!" Mingguang spat. "You know full well just how many you've killed. Brothers in arms, subordinates who followed you for years and years."

Meanwhile, Kemo had closed in on Xie Lian. Xie Lian gripped Eming tight. He wasn't afraid of Kemo, but he was worried that something could happen to Hua Cheng if he was careless.

Kemo noticed that his eyes were unfocused like he was thinking. "No need to come up with any more cunning tricks; I won't let you deceive me again!"

"I wasn't lying to you," Xie Lian said. "Banyue and General Pei Junior really were nearby earlier, but they fled after I told them about you.

Huh? Banyue? Why are you here?!"

"Do you take me for an idiot?!" Kemo raged. "A foolish trick like this…" Yet before he finished, a voice rang out from above him. "Kemo!"

That was the Banyue tongue—and a very familiar voice. Kemo looked up and came face-to-face with a large bundle of something wine-red falling on him from above. His face instantly dropped, and he hugged his head as he roared.

"Go away!"

It was a rain of those poisonous vipers found only in the Kingdom of Banyue, scorpion-snakes! And, naturally, the one who had flung them was the State Preceptor of the Kingdom of Banyue.

Banyue leapt down from a tree and landed next to Xie Lian. "General Hua…" Xie Lian turned to Kemo. "I told you, Banyue really is here…" Kemo didn't listen to him, just continued roaring at Banyue. "You threw them at me! You threw those scorpion-snakes at me! You know I hate scorpion-snakes, but you still threw them at me!"

Banyue crouched down. "I'm sorry…throwing scorpion-snakes is all I know how to do…" Mingguang noticed that the situation was shifting and grew alarmed.

"Who's there?!"

A shadowy figure leapt down from a tree and obstructed his path.

"The former Deputy Martial God and Official of the Palace of Ming Guang, Pei Xiu!"

A miraculous cavalry had arrived, and Pei Ming was dumbfounded.

"Little Pei? Why are you here too?"

"Banyue, weren't you with Lord Rain Master?" Xie Lian asked.

Pei Ming frowned slightly at the mention.

"Yes," Banyue replied. "We came with Lord Rain Master."

Mingguang evaluated Pei Xiu with a calculating eye. "You're Little Pei?"

"I am," Pei Xiu answered.

Mingguang narrowed his eyes and glanced at Banyue.

"I heard you threw away your heavenly official status for a little girlie," he taunted Pei Xiu. "Ha ha! Pei Ming, didn't you always proclaim that 'brothers are like limbs; women are like clothes'? Why's your descendant nothing like you? He doesn't even have a tenth of your eye for picking women! The State Preceptor of Banyue looks like a little quail;

what the hell? Did you get cheated on and wind up raising someone else's spawn all those centuries ago? Ha ha ha ha…" "Nothing but nonsense," Pei Xiu stated, then shot a blast from his palm.

Kemo leapt into the air, roaring, "You are my sworn enemies!"

"Hey! Big guy, we're on the same side!" Mingguang shouted.

Kemo turned his head and saw Mingguang jump up and transform into a long verdant sword that flew into his hand. Kemo opened his large hands, his palms like iron fans, and clutched the hilt. A black aura exploded from his giant body.

A menacing corpse taking up a demonic sword was like a savage beast growing venomous fangs!

When Pei Ming tapped Xie Lian's face with Eming, it had given Xie Lian an idea. Although he couldn't quite understand why, he felt that maybe the same trick could help Hua Cheng. He would sneakily transfer some of his breath to him while no one was looking to see if it would bring him some relief. However, as the dire situation continued to unfold, he couldn't help but shout.

"Watch out!"

It was awkward for Pei Ming to join the fight, so Pei Xiu and Banyue banded together to attack. One was sharp and direct, and the other agile and unpredictable; however, form alone wasn't enough. Pei Xiu had no spiritual power, and Banyue lacked brute strength. Kemo had both in spades, and they felt the strain as they continued to fight.

After being berated by Kemo, Banyue was too embarrassed to throw any more scorpion-snakes. But Pei Xiu had no such concern and threw out snakes like rain, enraging Kemo—the man roared ceaselessly in protest. It was only due to the protection of Mingguang's sword qi that none of the snakes dared approach.

Despite all that, after watching the fight for a while, Xie Lian began to relax. This was because he could tell that Kemo and Mingguang didn't match well.

Kemo grew up in the Kingdom of Banyue and was used to wielding a mace. He was accustomed to large, heavy weapons, so he wasn't used to swords. Even though he possessed unimaginable strength and the weapon in his hand was incomparably sharp, he couldn't necessarily unleash their full potential as a pair, nor could he immediately learn the tricks of the trade.

Thus, Xie Lian seized his chance and clapped his palms together in a prayer toward Hua Cheng.

"Forgive me!"

However, Xie Lian felt frozen as he stared at Hua Cheng's handsome, snow-white, little face, with its eyes shut so tight. Finally, he made up his mind and shut his own eyes to press close. But in his nervousness, he missed and ended up kissing Hua Cheng's forehead. While it was light and gentle, his heart was crushed.

A voice spoke up next to him. "Your Highness, you're doing it all wrong. What's the use in kissing his forehead?!"

Xie Lian almost fell over from shock. When he turned his head to look, Pei Ming was crouched next to him.

Sounding unusually indignant and resentful, Xie Lian said, "General Pei, can you not look?!"

Pei Ming raised his hands in defense. "All right, all right, all right. I won't look."

Then he turned around to watch the ongoing fight instead. After observing for a while, he shouted to Kemo, "You don't use swords like that.

If you don't know how to wield a sword, then don't wield one at all!"

Naturally, Kemo didn't understand, but the Mingguang in his hands was all too eager to reply.

"Says the guy who snapped his own sword and can only stand around uselessly criticizing others!"

As he yelled, Pei Ming flew in and entered the brawl, landing in front of Kemo. Kemo swung the sword, but there was an incredibly crisp clang!

The strike didn't hit anything. When he looked down, he was dumbfounded.

The Mingguang sword in his grip had been snapped once again!

Seizing this chance, Pei Xiu hurled over another large wave of scorpion-snakes. It was like he had spilled a huge vat of dye that covered Kemo in dark wine red from head to toe. He growled as he desperately tried to smack those slippery snakes off his body.

Pei Ming, on the other hand, looked down at Mingguang. "You know my techniques inside and out. And naturally, I know where you'd break the easiest."

Banyue plummeted from the sky with two pots raised high. Without a word, she flipped the pots so their mouths were facing down and captured the shocked Mingguang and the roaring Kemo within them.

With this, Xie Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly remarking, More people definitely get things done faster!

Banyue sealed the clay pots and shook them in her hands, pressing her ear close to listen for the echoes inside.

"Banyue, stop playing around," Xie Lian hastily chided. "Put them away, and be careful not to let them escape."

Banyue nodded. She crouched in front of Xie Lian and looked at Hua Cheng.

"General Hua, is this your son?"

Xie Lian smiled. "Regrettably, he's not."

But soon, the smile fell from his face. Banyue gave an oh and said, "I saw you kiss him earlier and thought that he was."

Xie Lian covered his forehead with his palm, not wanting to bother explaining things any further.

Banyue seemed to find Hua Cheng rather adorable. She pulled at one of his little braids and commented on him with deep concern.

"He seems sick. Should I put him in a pot to help him recuperate? I felt better really quickly after I went into General Hua's pot."

Pei Xiu finally walked over. "No need. Don't worry about him; His Highness will take good care of him."

"Oh," Banyue said.

Pei Ming glanced at her. "You're the State Preceptor of Banyue?"

He stared down at Banyue, his disdain apparent. Shrouded in his shadow as she crouched on the ground, Banyue nodded. Intentionally or otherwise, Pei Xiu took a step forward to stand in front of her, but Pei Ming pushed him aside and approached her as if he wanted to scrutinize her more closely.

When he was only about two steps away from her, Banyue's face changed color drastically and she hurried to hide behind Xie Lian—it was like she couldn't get away fast enough, but judging from her expression, she didn't seem scared. Everyone was puzzled, but Xie Lian soon understood.

"General Pei, um…the Ghost Scent Candy…" he courteously hinted.

Pei Ming blinked, then his face turned a little dark. It seemed the Ghost Scent Candy's…perfume hadn't yet dissipated. Since Banyue was a female ghost, she couldn't tolerate that vulgar ghost qi and fled from the stink… Xie Lian snorted in spite of himself but quickly schooled his expression. "Why has Lord Rain Master also come to Mount Tonglu?

Where is he now? Why aren't you traveling together?"

"Due to the agitation of ghosts, large numbers of inhuman creatures swarmed toward Mount Tonglu. When they passed Yushi Country, they captured some farmers to use as rations. At the time, neither Lord Rain Master nor the Guardian Steed were present; after learning of the incident, we've come in pursuit," Pei Xiu explained. "We were all traveling together at first, but on the way, we heard Your Highness calling for us in Banyue tongue. We split off to come investigate."

Xie Lian had simply been yelling random things due to the urgency of the situation and hadn't actually thought they were close by—he'd hit the mark by accident. And Yushi Country looked like a small, quiet village from the outside, so it wasn't unusual for ghosts to pass by and stupidly try to grab people.

"I couldn't find you in the Mortal Realm before," Pei Ming said with a frown. "How did you end up with Lord Rain Master? Don't tell me you were chasing after the State Preceptor of Banyue."

Pei Xiu lowered his head slightly. "No. It was Lord Rain Master who saved me."

Pei Xiu had been wandering the Mortal Realm after his exile, and since he had the time, he smashed up a few of Qi Rong's little lairs. Irked by this, Qi Rong rustled up a gang of who-knows-what in an attempt to surround and destroy him. If Pei Xiu had still had his spiritual power, that rabble wouldn't have been able to harm him. But he now possessed a mortal body, so when he was attacked by hundreds of ghosts, he sustained injuries and was stuck in a difficult predicament. As he fought with all his might, hanging on by a thread, the Rain Master happened to ride by on an ox and lent a helping hand. After the Rain Master ensured that his identity and story checked out, Pei Xiu was taken to recover in Yushi Country.

"Lord Rain Master didn't give you trouble?" Pei Ming asked, seeming astounded.

According to Shi Qingxuan, Yushi Country and the Palace of Ming Guang had been at odds in the past. Hundreds of years ago, the Rain Master knocked out Pei Ming's previous deputy general. It seemed Pei Ming didn't think the Rain Master was the generous sort.

"No," Pei Xiu replied. "Lord Rain Master never gave me a bit of trouble. On the contrary, I've received much support."

Just then, an echoing voice sounded out. "Rain Master? Is the Rain Master from the Kingdom of Yushi?"

"That's right," Xie Lian replied without thinking.

It was only after he responded that he realized the voice belonged to Mingguang—although he was locked in the pot, he was still listening intently to everything outside. He clicked his tongue at Xie Lian's answer.

"Pei Ming! You've slept with so many women, but that useless descendant is the best you can produce?! He actually needed the protection of someone from the Kingdom of Yushi to survive, and he's even speaking well of them?! Honestly, each generation is only getting worse! Ha!"

Pei Ming looked a bit uncomfortable at his jeering. Xie Lian didn't understand the joke—or what was worth being angry about—so he asked Banyue in a whisper, "Do you understand what he's saying?"

"Not really," Banyue replied. "But I think I heard Pei Xiu-gege say that before his general ascended, he was a general of the Kingdom of Xuli."

"…" Was there anything wrong with Pei Ming being a general from Xuli?

There absolutely was!

Because, as far as Xie Lian knew, the Kingdom of Yushi had been flattened by the iron cavalry of the Kingdom of Xuli!

"Lord Rain Master was the last ruler of the Kingdom of Yushi," Banyue added.

"…" No wonder Pei Ming always looked odd whenever the Rain Master was mentioned, and no wonder the Rain Master didn't hold back when disciplining that former deputy heavenly official. It seemed both parties held a long and ancient grudge.

It must be known that heavenly officials considered it quite natural for the Mortal Realm's kingdoms to fight and annihilate one another. It was always the same old story being played out over and over, century after century. But it was often hard to let things go when their own turn came. It had to be vexing to be forced to stand in the same court as a man who had annihilated one's own kingdom, and be forced to watch said man cavort and strut around the heavens.

Pei Xiu added a talisman to the surface of the pot, and Mingguang's voice came to an abrupt stop.

"Why has the general come too?" Pei Xiu asked.

"Isn't it so I can drag you back sooner?" Pei Ming replied.

Xie Lian remembered Hua Cheng's words. It seemed this was a "benefit" Pei Ming had negotiated with Jun Wu when being dispatched to Mount Tonglu.

Pei Ming patted Pei Xiu's shoulder. "Since you're here, make me proud. If you perform well, perhaps you can return to the Upper Court early."

The talisman on the pot in his hand burst into flames before Pei Xiu could answer. The imprisoned Mingguang's fury was so hot that he burned it.

"Pei Ming! Do you still remember what you said back then?!"

Pei Xiu was about to add another talisman to shut him up, but Pei Ming stopped him.

"I've said too many things over the course of this lifetime. What are you referring to?"

"Do you still remember your excuse when you killed all those men who had followed your command for years? 'Some people can be killed, some can't. Some things can be done, some can't.' Sounding like you possessed the heart of Buddha, forgiving of all!" Mingguang spat hatefully.

"And now? Do you think no one knows what despicable deeds your Little Pei has done? Word has already spread! And here you are, trying to wipe his ass and help him hide his past! The brothers who followed you in battle from north to south deserved to die, but when it comes to your descendant, he doesn't? You toss away clothes once you've used them and break limbs after they've served their purpose! What, so your little Pei is a gem, and the rest of us are weeds?!"

He roared furiously and mindlessly, but Pei Ming listened to the end.

"You're not Mingguang," he suddenly said.

The pot instantly fell silent. A moment later, Mingguang's voice resounded once more. "What bullshit are you spouting? Have you not witnessed that I'm Mingguang? Did you not see my form with your eyes?!"

However, Pei Ming stated with conviction, "No. You're not Mingguang."

The voice inside the pot was grouchy. "Then who else could I be?"

Pei Ming took the pot from Pei Xiu's hands, sounding sure in his response. "I think you're Rong Guang."

When that name was said, the pot went completely silent. Pei Xiu's eyes widened slightly upon mention of the name.

"General Pei Junior, who is this Rong Guang?" Xie Lian asked.

Pei Xiu snapped out of it, hesitating slightly before he answered.

"Before the general ascended, Rong Guang was the deputy general who'd followed him the longest, and his most capable subordinate."

And thus, Xie Lian finally learned the story of the General Who Snapped His Sword.

Back when Pei Ming was still mortal, he was successful on the battlefields of both love and war—as a general, he was constantly victorious for decades, without a single defeat to his name. Naturally, his own courage and skill were to credit, but the support of his deputy general couldn't be ignored. This deputy general was named Rong Guang.

Rong Guang was famous for cunning, deception, and manipulation.

The two had very different personalities and styles, but they had known each other since they were young and their collaboration was unexpectedly good. One in the light, one in the shadows, their friendship spanned years and was made of iron. Pei Ming's sword "Mingguang" was a name they had come up with together and was a combination of the pronunciations for "Ming" and "Guang" from their own names.

Pei Ming was good at fighting wars, and in a turbulent period of history, that was much more important than knowing how to make money or anything else. Naturally, he only continued to rise in rank. However, no matter how high he climbed, the position of general was the highest he could go. There might be endless honorable and esteemed titles added before the word "general," but there would always be another sitting on his head. Before the king, he must bow and kneel.

Pei Ming had no particular opinion on the matter. However, as he conquered city after city and the glory on his armor shone brighter and brighter, the troops under Rong Guang's command grew restless. While Pei Ming never had so much pride that he forgot his roots and principles, his subordinates had swelled infinitely with it on his behalf.

The worst offender was Rong Guang. Since he was closer with the soldiers, it was extremely easy for him to fan the passion in their hearts, planting ideas in the minds of those former subordinates. "General Pei deserves more than he's been given!" "General Pei is oppressed, just as we are!" "The Kingdom of Xuli needs General Pei to save it, and it needs us to help him do it!" They planned to invade the Imperial Palace of Xuli and declare Pei Ming king, then have him lead the elite troops to further greatness, towering over all as the strongest kingdom. They dreamed of the grand future that awaited once they flattened all four seas with their iron cavalry—a world unified under one nation.

Unfortunately, Pei Ming himself had no interest whatsoever in becoming king.

His greatest joys in life were fighting victorious battles and sleeping with beautiful women, and he didn't need to be king to accomplish either of those things. Besides, while the King of Xuli had no great achievements, he didn't do anything particularly wrong either—and Pei Ming knew that he might not do better if he took over. The potential for chaos had more drawbacks than benefits, so why bother with mutiny for no reason? And so, Pei Ming skillfully thwarted Rong Guang every time he dropped his eager hints.

But not only was Rong Guang unconvinced, he became more and more obsessed with every failed attempt at persuasion. Until finally, the soldiers resolved one day that they would revolt regardless and worry about the consequences after the fact. If the insurrection was successful, there was no way Pei Ming could back down from the position.

Having listened to this point, Xie Lian was left speechless. Can you actually force that on someone, like ushering ducks onto a perch…?

Pei Xiu saw his confusion and said, "Rong Guang may not have truly wanted to crown Pei Ming king, but he needed to borrow the general's name to incite a revolt. He didn't have the level of prestige that the general did, so he might not have been able to earn the people's support if he raised his own flag."

Xie Lian pondered this. "That might not have been the only reason."

They were using Pei Ming's name to put him on the throne, and with that banner raised, the man himself couldn't pretend not to know what was going on. And so he picked up his sword at once and led a small, trustworthy troop of soldiers to rush the palace.

It was the last battle of his life.