Supreme Sword Exalt

Northwest of the imperial city, the black-robed Elder Zhou slowly descended, exuding a faint murderous aura.

Having received Yu Miao’s orders, he did not dare delay in the slightest and traveled with full force. It was only today that he arrived in the imperial capital.

“Finally, I’m here! I didn’t expect the young lady to be a princess.” He had seen when Feng Xi took Yu Miao away. “Enough. Finding her junior brother was still the priority. Oh, right. She said not to put on airs and be courteous, lest it displease Young Master Gu.”

Putting aside his thoughts, he forcibly squeezed a smile onto his stiff face and blocked the path of a cultivator. “Excuse me, Fellow Daoist.”

That person was startled. “W-what do you want?”

Elder Zhou tried his best to make his smile genuine. “May I ask, where is Princess Feng Xi’s travel palace?”

At the same time, Wang Yong’s voice rang out in the distance. “May I ask, where is Princess Feng Xi’s travel palace?”

The Luoheng Holy Land and the Western Extreme Holy Demon Sect were roughly the same distance from the Great Flame Empire, so they had arrived in the imperial capital one after the other.

As if sensing something, their gazes briefly met across the distance. Almost in unison, they thought, Hmm? He’s a formidable opponent.

However, before they could speak, a sudden commotion came from afar.

“Hurry! Hurry and watch the excitement!”

“Someone seems to be fighting a death match with Young Marquis Song!”

“A death match? My god, who would be so bold?!”

“I know, it’s that person beside the Little Prince. Earlier, he even took Miss Xue Yu away from the Xian Ya Pavilion. His origins are very mysterious, and he seems to be staying at Princess Feng Xi’s travel palace!”

Hearing the discussions, both their hearts stirred.

Found him!

***

At the same time, on the other side of the imperial city, Fatty sighed in relief as he touched the storage ring on his hand. “Just in time! Thank god for the old ancestor. Otherwise, I really might not have made it in time.”

Soon, the commotion reached his ears.

Fatty scoffed. “Hmm? That bastard’s causing trouble while I’m not here! Death match my ass! You’ve only got a few days left to live, damn it!”

***

At Marquis Song’s mansion, after the three supervising men heard Gu Han’s words, their expressions turned even uglier.

The leader gritted his teeth. “Little Prince, the Yudan Sect has rendered considerable service to the Great Flame Empire. Do you truly not care about the friendship between the two families—”

Yun Fan sneered coldly. “Stop rambling! Brother Gu is already doing you a huge favor by sparing your lives!”

He was about to cripple the three on the spot when Song Jian screamed, “Little Prince, please, show mercy!”

The marquis had arrived just in time with the female cultivator. His pupils contracted sharply at the sight of Gu Han, clearly having guessed the latter’s identity.

Song Jian saluted Yun Fan expressionlessly. “Little Prince, I did not know you were gracing us with your presence and failed to welcome you. Please forgive me.”

As he swept his gaze around, he immediately spotted Zhao Mengyou and lit up. What a beauty! Even more beautiful than Xue Yu!

Yun Fan was full of contempt. “Song the Lackey! Brother Gu’s maid is off the table. Careful, or I’ll dig your eyeballs out!”

Song Jian’s expression darkened. Being openly called a lackey in front of so many people stung his pride.

He reined in his anger with difficulty. “Little Prince, I just overheard you saying you were going to make a move on these three?”

Yun Fan shot him a glance. “So what? You got a problem with that, Song the Lackey?”

Zhao Mengyou was in disbelief. She felt Yun Fan had no self-awareness whatsoever. Calling someone a lackey left and right, aren’t you the biggest lackey yourself?

Song Jian shook his head. “You can’t do that. They are disciples of the Yudan Sect. The current situation at the front lines is critical. If they are injured, it might affect the harmony between the two families.”

The three secretly sighed in relief. With Song Jian here, they felt they should be fine.

Yun Fan was full of disdain. “Harmony? Do they have the right to make me talk about harmony? Besides, Brother Gu is only going to cripple them, not kill them. Isn’t that giving them face?”

Gu Han suddenly asked, “What kind of place is the Yudan Sect?”

Yun Fan quickly explained. The unceasing border wars of the Great Flame Empire demanded countless numbers of pills. Located in the southern region of the Eastern Wasteland, the Yudan Sect specialized in alchemy, and was considerably larger than the Yuqing Sect. Due to lacking combat strength, they chose to seek shelter under the empire, requiring them to send disciples to the borders to refine most of the pills required for the war effort.

Having said this, he added, “Brother Gu, no need to spare them any thought. They’ve become increasingly greedy and insatiable in recent years. Despite demanding outrageous amounts of spirit herbs, their output has decreased, and most pills are ruined. They’re clearly lining their own pockets, using our spirit herbs to support their sect.”

“Little Prince, you cannot speak nonsense like that!”

“We are all sincerely working for the Great Flame Empire!”

“Refining pills is inherently not a sure thing. Isn’t it normal for some ruined pills to appear occasionally?”

Of course, the three wouldn’t admit it, repeatedly protesting their innocence.

Inside the hall, a group of scattered alchemists were extremely indignant. Shameless! Too shameless!

Song Jian sighed, cupping his hands toward the two.“Over the years, the Yudan Sect has done their utmost, refining a sea of pills. This is evident for all to see. Besides, none of us are proficient in alchemy. How can you slander their good name without cause?

“Moreover, now that the battle on the front lines is intensifying, the Yudan Sect provides seventy percent of the pills the Great Flame Empire needs. If we rashly create a conflict with them, I’m afraid the consequences would be dire.”

After saying this, he bowed deeply. “Regardless of their faults, please consider the greater good!”

The speech was forceful, passionate.

Earlier, when Song Jian saw Xue Yu arriving instead of Steward Song, he knew the matter had already been exposed. He could vaguely guess the purpose of Gu Han and the others’ visit.

However, he wasn’t flustered. He believed that with the pressure of righteousness and the common good weighing down on them, the two couldn’t possibly resist.

Yun Fan’s expression was gloomy. “Song the lackey, I didn’t expect your tongue to be quite sharp.”

At this moment, Divine Physician Xue gradually calmed down, slowly standing up with Xue Yu’s support.

He had already heard the whole story from Xue Yu and couldn’t bear to see Gu Han put in a difficult position. “Kid, I’m already immensely grateful to you for being able to rescue Xiao Yu. As for other matters, there’s no need—”

Gu Han smiled slightly. “Senior, I understand. The greater good must come first!”

Hearing this, the three were overjoyed inwardly. They felt that everything would be fine today.

Yun Fan was momentarily unsure of Gu Han’s intention. “Brother Gu. So...”

Gu Han’s smile deepened. “Go ahead and make a move. He wants the greater good? Fine, I’ll give him the greater good.”

“You...”

The three were stunned, and before they could react, they felt someone beside them. Yun Fan!

In an instant, screams rang out in succession. The three were only at the Spirit Profound realm and stood no chance against Yun Fan whatsoever. In less than two breaths, their cultivation was completely crippled, their limbs broken. They lay on the ground and wailed incessantly.

The crowd hadn’t even had time to react. Of course, even if they had reacted, they wouldn’t dare stop it.

Song Jian turned ashen. “Little Prince, you are playing with fire!”

He never expected the other party simply wouldn’t play by the rules!

Only Zhao Mengyou showed no surprise at all, casting a contemptuous glance at the marquis. Keep going! Keep provoking him!This guy dared to confront a Holy Land head-on while at the Divine Connection realm. Do you think he’d be intimidated by your righteousness? If you think he’s someone who compromises, you’ll die worse than anyone!

Gu Han glanced at him. “Wait a moment. It’s not your turn yet.”

Song Jian’s heart dropped. “What do you mean?”

Gu Han ignored him, walked straight over to the three, and looked at the one on the left.

His face was expressionless. “I am not fond of killing. I ask. You answer. Understood?”

That man was in despair. “What... This is—”

Sword light flashed before his eyes, decapitating him.

Yun Fan inhaled sharply. “Has Brother Gu always been this ruthless?”

Zhao Mengyou shook her head. “No.”

Yun Fan was taken aback. “Hmm? There’s worse?”

Zhao Mengyou sighed softly. “Yes. When he was avenging... his friends.”

Gu Han looked at the one on the right. “I do not like killing. I ask, you answer. Understood?”

The man was scared out of his wits. It was a sight that filled the scattered cultivators in the hall with immense satisfaction.

“I am a disciple of Yudan—”

Another flash of sword light and another head rolled.

Inside the mansion, a group of servants and guards watched in terror. What? He said he dislikes killing!

Ignoring them, Gu Han’s gaze shifted and landed on the middle one.

He hadn’t even asked anything before the man broke down, weeping bitterly. “Don’t kill me! I’ll talk! I’ll spill about everything!”

Gu Han nodded. “Good! I just heard you say your master let Senior Xue live an extra twenty years. I imagine that matter back then was his doing?”

“Yes! Yes!”

“The reason?”

That man didn’t dare hide anything. “The pill formula! Before the Ghost Physician left, he left behind a pill formula for Elder Xue. My master demanded it, but he refused to give it, s-so he used the lives of his entire family as leverage...”

“How did he know?”

“My master was once an old friend of Elder Xue, with over a decade of friendship between them!”

“Did he get the pill formula?”

“Y-yes”

Gu Han was somewhat puzzled. “That’s strange. He got the pill formula, so why did he still kill his entire family?”

“It’s jealousy! My master was jealous of Elder Xue’s higher talent in the alchemy field. He also said to cut the roots and eliminate the source, otherwise there would be endless trouble in the future!”

Gu Han smiled slightly. “So your sect killed over a hundred of his family members?”

“Yes—no!” Upon seeing Gu Han’s smile, the man was scared out of his wits. “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me! It was my master and the sect master, it was their idea! It had nothing to do with me!”

The alchemists in the hall heard everything, word for word. Vicious... No! Simply insane and devoid of all conscience!

The middle-aged alchemist sighed. “Fellow Daoist Xue, you...”

The past re-emerged, and Divine Physician Xue was filled with pain and guilt. “That year, I mistakenly believed that man’s lies, causing my entire family to be cruelly killed. I was blind!”

The crowd shook their heads inwardly. If this kind of thing happened to them, they’d probably end up the same. Who could have imagined that a close friend, trusted for over a decade, was secretly scheming to harm him every moment? All one can say was, “The human heart is poisonous, hard to guard against.”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Your sect was all involved in this matter?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Gu Han finally understood and smiled at the man. “I see. You’ve been quite cooperative.”

“It’s... it’s the least I could do.”

“Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome.”

“What reward do you want?”

“C-can you let me go?”

Gu Han smiled apologetically. “Sorry. That’s the one thing I can’t do.”

The sword light came again, instantly shredding that man into a mist of blood.