Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 46: Sword Heart Clear
Inside the hall, the four leaders of the Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence and Righteousness Association had recovered most of their injuries after a night of rest.

Fortunately, they were of one mind and had some resistance to the true energy of the other three, so the rampage of true energy last night did not damage the four of them.

The four looked at each other, glancing at the jade-faced man in black robes at the head of the table, still feeling as if they were in a dream when they recalled the events of the previous night.

The opponent, a lone swordsman, stormed into the heart of the Heroes' Guild and effortlessly seized control of the lives of the four brothers—a feat they had never witnessed before.

Of course, if this person's methods were limited to this, it wouldn't be enough to convince them. The battle they just witnessed in the training ground was what truly made them completely convinced.

The Four Symbols Battle Technique, which usually caused even Heavenly Realm experts to suffer repeated defeats, was full of flaws when facing this person and was completely broken in less than ten rounds.

"It does indeed look like the Four Symbols Sect's most powerful technique, but unfortunately it only has the cultivation methods for the first few levels, so its value isn't very high. Where did you get these tortoise shells?" Di Yi put down the tortoise shells in his hand and asked the four people.

"Reporting to you, sir, this is something we found in a ruin deep within Tianmo Ridge. My brothers and I searched that ruin several times, but we couldn't find any more tortoise shells. Perhaps they were already destroyed," Zhao Quanzhong replied.

Di Yi inquired about the details of that secret realm and memorized them.

The tortoise shell was very sturdy and did not seem to be easily damaged; the rest of the shell was probably buried around the ruins.

The Kunlun Realm has a long history, and countless ancient ruins exist in its wild wilderness. These ruins often contain treasures and classic texts left by our ancestors, many of which are divine martial arts manuals that have been lost to the world and are of immeasurable value.

The complete Four Symbols Heavenly Technique is something even saints would fight to seize, so Di Yi was naturally tempted.

"The first four levels of the cultivation technique recorded on the tortoise shell are still quite complete. Give me a few months, and I am confident that I can repair and perfect the fourth level, giving you a chance to break through to the Heavenly Realm."

The four were shocked upon hearing this, their expressions showing disbelief.

"Is what you say true, sir?" the four asked in unison.

The four brothers had reached the Great Perfection of the Earthly Realm ten years ago. If their cultivation techniques were complete, they should have reached the Heavenly Realm by now.

"I'm about 60-70% confident, but I'll need your cooperation during this period to conduct experiments little by little," Emperor Yi said.

"If you can truly perfect the cultivation technique and enable my brothers to break through to the Heavenly Realm, my four brothers and I will swear to follow you to the death from now on," Zhao Quanzhong said solemnly.

After promising the four a lucrative deal, Di Yi summoned Zi Qian and Lei Kaishan, instructing them to continue gathering the scattered White Horse Gang disciples.

The Heroes' Guild controls the waterways in the western part of Yunwu County, while the White Horse Gang is well-informed on the land routes. By combining their resources, they can weave a vast intelligence network covering the entire western part of Yunwu County to help him find the whereabouts of the extraterrestrial fragments.

After entrusting these trivial matters to the two of them, Di Yi himself worked with the four Zhao brothers to deduce and improve the fourth level of the Four Symbols Heavenly Technique, while also working on improving his own martial arts cultivation. At the early stage of the Earthly Realm, his cultivation was still somewhat insufficient to move freely in the Yunwu County.

Three months later.

With the arrival of many members of the White Horse Gang, Qinghe Town became increasingly prosperous.

In the town center, the plaque reading "Heroes' Gathering" on the sandalwood gate of the mansion has been removed and replaced with "Hidden Dragon Hall".

This is the name that Di Yi came up with for his new force. Choosing a new name not only signifies that Qinghe Town has changed hands, but also facilitates the integration of the Heroes' Association and the White Horse Gang.

During this period, some disturbances naturally arose, some from within and some from outside, but they were all quelled by Lei Kaishan and his elite disciples from the Qianlong Hall. This former third leader of the White Horse Gang was not just a fool with brute force; his experience in managing power impressed the Zhao brothers.

The Hidden Dragon Hall was thriving, but Emperor Yi was not in the hall.

Qinghe Town is nestled against Tianwu Mountain, where mist lingers year-round and large bamboo forests grow.

In earlier years, the Zhao brothers led their men to build mountain strongholds in the mountains, most of which have been abandoned in recent years.

When Emperor Yi deduced the Four Symbols Heavenly Art, he often needed to fight and verify it with four people. The battles were comparable to those of experts at the Heavenly Realm, and the commotion was too great to be carried out in Qinghe Town, so he came to Tianwu Mountain.

As autumn deepens, the bamboo forest remains lush and green, undulating in the wind like a green sea.

A two-story bamboo house is built against the mountain and hidden deep in the bamboo forest. One person is in seclusion upstairs, while another silently guards downstairs.

Although they haven't seen each other much over the past few months, Ziqian is very content with this kind of life and has experienced an unprecedented peace of mind in the past sixteen years.

The Zhao brothers found another place to live in the mountains and would only come every few days when summoned by Di Yi. Only Zi Qian stayed under the bamboo house and was the person in the Hidden Dragon Society who was closest to Di Yi.

Ziqian was secretly delighted, thinking that it would be wonderful to be able to rely on each other like this. Of course, she dared not say these words out loud, nor did she understand why she had such a strange thought.

From within the bamboo house came the melodious sound of a zither, like the flowing of a clear spring, echoing through the empty valley, with a cleansing effect on the soul. Zi Qian calmed herself, sat cross-legged, and placed the Fish Intestine Sword between her knees.

A sword must never leave one's side; this is the principle of an assassin.

She began to circulate her cultivation technique, mobilizing the true energy in the Qi pool between her eyebrows. The cultivation technique she was practicing had been changed from the high-grade Spiritual level Heavenly Silkworm Technique to the Four Symbols Heavenly Connection Technique.

In theory, a martial artist who has reached the Great Perfection of the Yellow Realm has basically fixed his meridians, and even if he switches to other cultivation methods, he will not be able to open up new meridians. However, there are always exceptions.

Zi Qian is a descendant of a saint. It was the thin saintly blood in her body that allowed her to open up new meridians after switching to a higher level of cultivation. Although she could not cultivate the first level of the Four Symbols Heavenly Technique to its fullest extent, she had already opened up twenty-eight meridians, far surpassing her previous level. Her realm remained unchanged, but her strength had increased significantly.

As the music ended, the true energy in Ziqian's Qi Pool was completely transformed into the Four Symbols True Energy unique to those who cultivate the Four Symbols Heaven-Reaching Technique.

Her Qi pool had long been filled with true Qi, and now, as the time was right, it began to expand, transforming into a Qi lake and stepping into the early stage of the Profound Realm.

After an unknown amount of time, Zi Qian consolidated her martial arts cultivation at the Profound Realm. She opened her eyes and saw the jade-faced, black-robed figure sitting to the side drinking tea, and her heart immediately warmed.

"Thank you for protecting me, Your Excellency."

Di Yi poured boiling water from the copper kettle into the purple clay teapot. The bamboo leaf green tea produced in the Tianwu Mountain range unfurled freely, emitting a faint fragrance.

"I have already told you the origin of the Four Symbols Heaven-Reaching Technique. Now that you have used it to break through to the Profound Realm, there is no turning back."

Ziqian sat down at the table, looking somewhat awkward and reserved.

"With the adults around, I'm not afraid of either the Four Symbols Sect or the Taiji Sect."

Di Yi handed her a cup of tea and said, "Tianmo Ridge is ultimately just a small place. Your ability to master the Four Symbols Heaven-Reaching Technique is a stroke of luck. I have already perfected the fourth level of the technique, and with this, reaching the Heavenly Realm should not be a problem. You have good talent and the bloodline of a Saint within you. By relying on the Four Symbols Heaven-Reaching Technique to build a foundation in the four realms of martial arts, you may achieve considerable success after leaving Tianmo Ridge in the future."

"Thank you, my lord. I will certainly live up to your expectations and cultivate to the Heavenly Realm as soon as possible, and follow you forever."

Ziqian held the teacup with both hands, took a sip of bamboo leaf green tea, and left a faint lip print on the rim of the cup.

She understood that for someone like Lord Yi, Tianmo Ridge would only be an ordinary scene on the path of cultivation, and he was destined to leave in the future.

Cultivating the Four Symbols Heavenly Technique gave her the possibility of following him to the Black Market's First-Class Hall in the future.

"Thank you for staying by my side during this time. This seclusion has finally yielded great results."

The Emperor swept his palm across the teapot, using his true energy to draw up a leaf that had unfurled. Influenced by an invisible force, the leaf shot out, flying dozens of feet, piercing through all the bamboo along its path, causing the bamboo leaves to fall one after another.

Ziqian was stunned by this incredible skill. After regaining her senses, she exclaimed with delight, "Congratulations, sir, on your further advancement in cultivation!"

Di Yi smiled faintly. After three months of cultivation, his martial arts cultivation had successfully improved by a small realm, reaching the mid-stage of the Earthly Realm.

However, the method he just used could not be achieved simply by improving his cultivation level; its root lies in his comprehension of 'Sword Heart Clarity'.

Within the dantian between his brows, a faint light the size of a grain of rice emanated a powerful sword intent. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a long sword, which was precisely the sword heart that Emperor Yi had comprehended.

In the three realms of swordsmanship, even sword cultivators at the Fish-Dragon realm rarely comprehend the Sword Heart Clarity.

"Now that my cultivation has broken through, I am confident that I can defeat a Heavenly Realm expert. It is time to suppress the power of the Hidden Dragon Hall back to the Guanchao City area."

"The Crimson Cloud Sect only has Shan Baihu, a martial artist at the early stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, so he is not a major threat. The only thing to worry about is that the Yunwu County army in Guanchao City might get involved. I heard that the Qingxuan County Princess who is stationed in Guanchao City is a martial arts expert who has reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm for many years. If she gets involved, I'm afraid there will be some trouble."

Zi Qian said, "The Hidden Dragon Hall now has more than two thousand elite disciples, as well as four elders: Lord, Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, and Righteousness. Unless Princess Qingxuan disregards the covetous eyes of the four northern kingdoms, it is unlikely that she will take action. Once the Hidden Dragon Hall demonstrates its strength far surpassing that of the Crimson Cloud Sect, Princess Qingxuan is more likely to step forward to win them over."

For the royal family of Yunwu County, the sects and gangs within its borders have always been merely objects of cooperation and utilization, driven by self-interest.

With Princess Qingxuan stationed in Guanchao City, as long as the western border of the prefecture can be stabilized and the invasions from all surrounding prefectures can be resisted, she naturally wouldn't care whether she was cooperating with the Chiyun Sect or the Qianlong Hall.

As long as they are not well-known evil forces like the Poison Spider Merchant Guild or the Underworld Gate, which are not tolerated by the imperial court and the martial arts market, other righteous forces, or gangs in the gray area like the White Horse Gang or the Heroes' Association, are all potential targets for recruitment.

This was originally part of Emperor Yi's plan. His purpose was not to stir up trouble in Yunwu County, but to quickly weave an intelligence network in Yunwu County and even the entire Tianmo Ridge to serve him, to collect information on the fragments of the outer world. The black market, the royal family of Yunwu County, the Wushi Bank, and even the elusive Baiyue Demon Cult could all be partners.

(End of this chapter)