Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens

Chapter 74: Chapter 046 Killing Qi Realm

"Mm," Yan Chuan responded with a deep hum.

"I'm going now!" Huo Guang was about to gather the First Legion.

"Now? For what?" Yan Chuan shook his head.

"Huh?"

"Wait. Remember, always remain calm. They're currently fighting the demonic beasts. We'll strike after they're done. Besides, their leader hasn't even shown up yet," Yan Chuan said in a low voice.

"Understood!" Huo Guang answered swiftly.

Meanwhile, atop another mountain peak, five men in Daoist robes stood, each with a sword strapped to their backs, gazing coldly down at the city below.

"Big brother, there's someone over there," one of them remarked in a somber tone.

The group turned their heads, spotting Yan Chuan and his retinue in the distance.

"Three thousand men? That many?" one of them furrowed his brow.

"Who are they?"

The group exchanged wary glances, but the leader only smirked, "No need to worry."

"Oh?"

"I know them. It's been the talk of the town for over a month. That's Yan Tao's bastard," the leader sneered.

"Yan Chuan?"

"Yes, just a bunch of people who've only recently ascended from the mortal realm," the leader scoffed.

"The city's full of our men fighting the beasts. Yan Chuan couldn't possibly be thinking of reaping the rewards, could he?"

"Hmph, does he even have the right?" the leader sneered.

"Big brother, what should we do?"

"Let him stay if he wants. Once my Sun and Moon Alliance earns its merit, we'll deal with them. Three thousand men? The five of us won't even need to lift a finger," the leader said with an air of disdain.

"Understood!"

At that moment, Yan Chuan, from his distant perch, also turned his gaze toward the five men.

"My Lord, there are people over there!" Huo Guang's face tightened.

"Five in the Qi Realm, nothing to worry about," Yan Chuan said calmly.

"Understood!" Huo Guang nodded.

The army waited patiently.

Finally, two hours later, the demonic beasts in the distance had been thoroughly eradicated. Of the nearly a thousand cultivators who fought, around a hundred had perished. The survivors dragged their exhausted bodies back, receiving the gratitude of the city's people and earning a significant amount of merit. With the beasts' corpses in tow, the group left the city and joined up with the five Qi Realm experts, heading toward Yan Chuan's location.

Yan Chuan led the First Legion, slowly making his way to a massive gorge, where they stood face-to-face with the members of the Sun and Moon Alliance. The five Qi Realm cultivators looked at Yan Chuan with mocking smiles.

"So, you're Yan Tao's bastard?" the leader sneered.

"You know my father?" Yan Chuan chuckled.

"How could I not? I personally witnessed your father's suicide when we surrounded him all those years ago. What, here for revenge?" the leader taunted.

"You're right," Yan Chuan smiled faintly.

"Huh?" The five men were briefly taken aback.

"Tiger Formation!" Yan Chuan's expression suddenly hardened.

"Yes!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three thousand soldiers instantly formed the ancient battle array, a surging wave of blood energy coalescing into the shadow of a massive tiger.

"Oh? A formation?" The five Qi Realm experts narrowed their eyes.

"Ocean Vast as Rivers, Blood Qi into My Body!" Yan Chuan roared.

"Roar!"

With a thunderous shout, the three thousand soldiers simultaneously thrust their arms forward, sending streams of red blood energy into the formation, which then surged into Yan Chuan's body.

Boom!

Yan Chuan's long hair whipped wildly in the wind as his body absorbed the power of three thousand men, unleashing an overwhelming aura that seemed to overturn the very earth.

"What is this?" one of the Qi Realm experts gasped in shock.

"He's gathering the power of three thousand men to elevate himself to the Qi Realm?"

"Hmph, even if he's reached the Qi Realm, so what? At best, he's only at the initial stage!"

"Exactly, power alone doesn't make up for lack of experience in battle. He's nothing to fear!"

Despite their scornful words, the five Qi Realm experts drew their swords, their expressions tense.

Yan Chuan's aura surged, his strength forcibly raised to the initial stage of the Qi Realm, bolstered by the blood energy of his three thousand soldiers. He stepped forward, wind swirling around him.

"Zing!" Yan Chuan unsheathed the Jade Emperor Sword.

"Huo Guang, have the men rest for a moment. After I've dealt with these five, not a single one will be left alive!" Yan Chuan said in a chilling tone.

"Yes!" Huo Guang replied.

With a powerful stomp, Yan Chuan shot forward.

"Huh?" One of the sword cultivators charged at him with a cold expression.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Zing!"

In a flash, Yan Chuan sliced the man clean in half with just five strikes.

"Fifth Brother!" one of the remaining men cried out in disbelief.

"Impossible! How is this possible?!"

"Five strikes? He killed Fifth Brother with only five strikes?!"

The four remaining Qi Realm experts felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end, terror written across their faces as they stared at Yan Chuan.

"What kind of swordsmanship is that?" the leader asked, his face grim.

"My swordsmanship. Sword Twenty-Four. Too bad, he was too weak. He didn't even make it past Sword Five," Yan Chuan sneered.

"All at once!" the leader commanded, his face darkening.

"Alright!" the remaining three responded.

The four of them immediately formed a sword array and charged toward Yan Chuan.

Yan Chuan's lips curled into a cold smile as he rushed to meet them head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Swords clashed in rapid succession as Yan Chuan transformed into countless shadows, his sword radiating streams of energy. With a single swing, he blocked the onslaught of the four Qi Realm experts with ease.

"Impossible! The four of us, and we can't take down this brat? Sun and Moon Sword Formation!"

Roar!

A violent wind whipped up around them, dust and debris filling the air, as the sword energy of the four men erupted in every direction.

Huo Guang and Liu Jin looked on with worried expressions.

Swoosh!

A spray of blood shot into the sky, along with a gruesome shower of entrails and gore.

"Second Brother!" a voice cried out from the swirling dust.

"This is only Sword Five. Now, Sword Six!" Yan Chuan's cold shout echoed from within the dust storm.

Swoosh!

Another streak of blood soared into the air as a severed arm flew out from the dust.

"Ah! Third Brother, you killed Third Brother!"

"Sword Seven!"

Swoosh!

"Ah! Big Brother's dead! You killed Big Brother!" The voice trembled in fear.

"Trying to run? Sword Eight!"

With Yan Chuan's final roar, another burst of mutilated limbs and blood shot into the sky, leaving the disciples of the Sun and Moon Alliance utterly petrified.

As the dust settled, Yan Chuan emerged, covered in blood, but not his own. The Jade Emperor Sword gleamed red with the blood of his enemies.

He walked forward coldly, leaving the soldiers of the Jin Yi Army in stunned silence. Five Qi Realm experts—slaughtered by their king.

"Huo Guang, the rest is up to you," Yan Chuan said in a low voice.

"Yes!"

"Brothers, target the enemy two hundred paces away. Leave no one alive! Kill!" Huo Guang shouted.

"Roar!"

Thousands of arrows were loosed, followed by three thousand soldiers charging ahead.

At their king's command, not a single enemy would be allowed to escape.

As the army surged forward, the dust from the battlefield finally settled, revealing a gruesome scene of dismembered bodies—all that remained of the Qi Realm experts.

"My Lord, are you alright?" Liu Jin rushed forward.

"No harm done. Just need to wash off later. The Tiger Formation's 'Ocean Vast as Rivers' can't be sustained for long. Those five Qi Realm fools brought this upon themselves," Yan Chuan said with a slight smile.

"Kill!"

"Revenge for the Emperor!"

"Unstoppable!"

Three thousand soldiers charged forward with a thunderous roar.

The disciples of the Sun and Moon Alliance, already exhausted from fighting the beasts, stood no chance against the well-coordinated Jin Yi Army.

"Ah!"

"Don't kill me!"

"Help!"

Their pitiful cries echoed, but none were spared.

The battlefield was soon littered with corpses.

"Search their bodies. Hand anything you find to Liu Jin. Afterward, bury them all," Yan Chuan ordered.

"Understood!"

They found some medicinal herbs, fasting pills, and three thousand low-grade spirit stones, all of which were handed over to Liu Jin's spatial scroll.

As for the weapons, except for the five Qi Realm experts' swords, the rest were beneath Yan Chuan's notice.

After burying the members of the Sun and Moon Alliance, the army gathered the corpses of the demonic beasts and swiftly departed. They stopped by a large lake to wash the blood from their bodies before feasting once more.

Hundreds of beasts were consumed over the next few days, their abundant essence causing everyone's strength to increase steadily.

The group continued their journey toward Liangjing, the capital of Liang Kingdom.