This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Besides her, Chen Miao also crushed the railing in her hand; she too had seen through everything.

"Men, retreat completely! Get ten miles away. We're not going to concern ourselves with what's happening here."

She shouted anxiously.

While her subordinates were still confused, Chen Miao had already rushed out the door and left first.

The Human-Sword is about to be born, and everyone within a ten-mile radius will die from depletion of their life force. She doesn't want to become nourishment for the Human-Sword.

Most importantly, the news that the Great Qian Emperor is forging a human sword must be spread.

However, she clearly underestimated Emperor Wu's thoughts. Just as they left, a series of figures followed them. Emperor Wu on the city wall merely gave her a glance and then paid no more attention. It seemed that in this world, the only person who could catch Emperor Wu's eye was the man imprisoned in the middle of the Nine Nether Platform.

"Everyone, this is my explanation to you. Xiao Jianren has committed numerous evils and has now been brought to justice. You have all witnessed this. Princess, please stay. Everyone else, please step down."

Suddenly, Emperor Wu spoke.

Although the ministers had doubts, they all began to back away; no one dared to disobey Emperor Wu's words.

After everyone had left, only Emperor Wu and the Eldest Princess remained on the city wall. Emperor Wu did not speak, and the Eldest Princess dared not speak either; the two simply gazed at the Nine Nether Platform.

The eldest princess knew that Emperor Wu was telling her this matter must not be revealed, because everyone here except her would die. The reason he had sent so many ministers away was also for this reason; he couldn't very well kill his own ministers.

Sitting on the Prisoner's Chair, Xiao Xingchen could never have imagined that behind Xiao Jianren, there seemed to be a sword lurking, ready to strike.

The sword was constantly gleaming with sharpness, tearing through his flesh repeatedly, while the pillar behind him tightly bound his body.

He had been trying his best to endure it; he didn't want anyone to see the tragic side of the Chinese people. But the excruciating pain from the sword still made him scream in agony.

At that moment, the executioner made his move. Xiao Xingchen's pupils contracted; he could clearly feel a sharp blade cutting through his flesh.

First came the slow, agonizing torture of cutting flesh, then the shattering of bones by flying swords.

"Emperor Wu of the Great Qian Dynasty, I'll fuck your mother!"

Xiao Xingchen cursed loudly at the city wall.

"Damn it, if I don't die today, I'll skin you alive in the future. We'll never be friends again!"

"Damn it, come on, this feels so good, keep going, go ahead and kill me if you dare!"

"Remember my name, my surname is Xiao, the Xiao of arrogance,"

Xiao Xingchen could see nothing but blood red; the bloodstains spreading across the bodies of the common people beneath the Nine Nether Platform grew increasingly thick.

He could clearly sense that those people who were cursing him just a moment ago were now lying on the ground, looking completely bewildered, as if all their energy had been drained, turning them into dried-up corpses.

"Wipe, rub, rub,"

Xiao Xingchen's worldview was about to collapse. What the hell was going on? Was time travel really this terrifying? This was way more thrilling than watching a horror movie!

But he had no time to care about others; the excruciating pain from his very soul told him that he would probably soon become a dried-up corpse in the audience.

It's better to be dead. Death will end this pain. The executioner beside him had stopped moving at some point. The shriveled corpse lay on the ground, the pieces of flesh that had been neatly arranged on a table by the executioner. Now, the flesh had lost its luster and become dry.

Although the process was far from pleasant, the thought of dying soon was a kind of relief.

But things didn't go as planned. For some unknown reason, as the lines of blood rushed towards his back, his body began to recover. The near-death Xiao Xingchen suddenly opened his eyes, and then a curse escaped his lips.

He could feel his spine being pulled out of his body, and his bones were shattered into fragments everywhere. If it weren't for the pillar supporting him, he might have collapsed like a deflated balloon. He had accepted that death could come at any moment.

But the sword disagreed; a constant surge of power coursed through his body, making him acutely aware of the excruciating pain of his shattered bones.

This is akin to torture: first, beat someone half to death, then heal them, then beat them half to death again, then heal them again, creating an endless cycle.

Destroy it, I'm tired.

Xiao Xingchen was too lazy to curse anymore. Now he had some understanding: perhaps the ultimate goal of the Great Qian Martial Emperor was the sword inside his body.

As for why he was certain it was a sword, it's because he saw it.

How could one see what's behind them when their eyes are in front? Xiao Xingchen didn't know why, but he just saw it. He also saw people falling continuously within the besieged city, their blood pooling behind him, and a crimson sword shadow slowly forming behind him.

In the past, he would have thought this was a very cool thing. What are superheroes? This sword behind me can kill everything.

But now it seems that this sword shadow is a death warrant.

A sword hilt, covered in blood and flesh, had been thrust out from behind him, with strands of flesh still visible. His spine was faintly discernible, and his entire back had been ripped open by the sword.

The excruciating pain had numbed him, because Xiao Xingchen saw that the Martial Emperor had moved for the first time.

The Martial Emperor, who had been sitting quietly on the city tower overlooking everything, rose for the first time as his sword was drawn, descending from the sky to stand before Xiao Xingchen.

In Emperor Wu's eyes, Xiao Jianren seemed to be nothing more than a scabbard. He didn't even glance at the scabbard, but instead strode over to the hilt and reached out to grasp it.

"Forged with the bloodline of a sword immortal, this sword is truly extraordinary. Xiao Jianren, you can rest in peace now."

Xiao Xingchen revealed an "I knew it" look, but he was very unhappy. Xiao Jianren was a fool who had good fortune. He had enjoyed more than ten years of worldly wealth and luxury, but in the end, he was the one who suffered. Why?

Thinking of this, he spoke directly.

"Emperor Wu, how about we make a deal?"

"Oh? How so?"

Emperor Wu was taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear such calm words at this moment.

"I'll help you unify the world, and you spare my life, how about it?"

Although Xiao Xingchen felt a little guilty when she said those words, isn't that how transmigration novels always go? The protagonist uses modern knowledge to help an unlucky guy rise to the top of the world. If others can do it, why can't she?

"Cough, cough, cough..." Emperor Wu couldn't help but cough, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Don't laugh, I really can,"

"I think you'd be better off dead."

"Stop, stop, stop, Emperor Wu, you've tolerated me for so many years, just because of the sword behind my back?"

Xiao Xingchen wanted to die with a clear understanding; he couldn't comprehend why there was a sword inside his body—it was too absurd.

"Otherwise what? You don't actually think you're my son, do you?" Emperor Wu said disdainfully.

"Then why did you choose to attack me today? I could sense that you didn't want me to die yesterday,"

"Due to an accident, the Man-Sword technique is not yet fully mastered, but to prevent any further accidents, I have decided to act ahead of schedule."

"An accident?" Xiao Xingchen was taken aback.

Emperor Wu did not continue to explain what the accident was. Instead, he spoke with a hint of lingering satisfaction and a touch of pride.

"Xiao Jianren, since you've asked, I might as well let you die knowing the truth. Otherwise, who in this world would know what I've done? If it weren't for the accident, you would have lived a few more years."

"Although I don't know exactly what you're seeking, I'm certain that what you ultimately want isn't just this sword, is it?" Xiao Xingchen replied coldly.

"Oh? Then tell me, what do I want?" Emperor Wu became interested and approached Xiao Xingchen like an old friend, staring at him with unprecedented interest.