In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

The "Leap-Stretching Pill," also known as the "Leg-Stretching and Eye-Staring Pill," was brought out of the temple at the risk of Tao Jingyang's life, making it a true "treasure" in the world.

There's a saying: Eating one is just right, won't hurt your brain; eating two, and you'll soar into the clouds!

The elderly, the weak, women, and children, if they eat one, will be able to uproot a willow tree; a new recruit, if he chews one, will be able to break through the army and become a king.

The village elder accidentally swallowed one pill, and he didn't even need to sleep anymore, plowing the fields for three days and three nights straight with his eyes wide open.

Okay, all of the above was just a joke. In reality, the Transcending Rank Pill is just an ordinary compressed energy pill.

However, the effects vary from person to person. The amount of energy that can be exerted depends on the individual's potential and physical condition.

For example, if an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts takes it, they will probably only become stronger.

If two sixth-rank martial artists take the medicine at the same time, it is possible that one's combat power will become seventh-rank, while the other can directly jump to eighth-rank, or even ninth-rank.

Without hesitation, Tao Jingyang swallowed the two pills. The enormous energy exploded within her body, several times stronger than when she used only one pill last time.

Even though she had prepared beforehand, she was still somewhat overwhelmed by this true energy wave that was greater than the sum of its parts.

As the immense energy surged through her, Tao Jingyang felt as if all the meridians in her body were about to explode. She immediately circulated her entire body, attempting to absorb this explosive energy.

Silently, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her palms separated, as if she were holding up a sphere at her dantian.

She was releasing energy that her body could no longer withstand; however, the energy generated by the Transcending Rank Pill circulating within her body, even after being released, was not to be underestimated.

Gradually, Tao Jingyang's blood flowed faster and faster, and a faint golden light seemed to emanate from the inside of the sphere in his palm.

But at this moment, her eyes were bleeding, and she couldn't tell whether she had seen it wrong or whether it was really true.

The space around the sphere fluctuated abnormally strongly, showing signs of breaking apart. Tao Jingyang's hands, which were circulating his true energy, began to tremble until...

【boom----】

Tao Jingyang hurled it towards Emperor Qing, and with a deafening roar, the entire East Mountain trembled.

Although Emperor Qing had not fought for many years, he still possessed the instinctive intuition of a Grandmaster.

As this enormous energy slammed into him, Emperor Qing felt an extremely strong killing intent, making the hairs on his entire body seem to stand on end.

He instinctively shifted his body to the side and used all his strength to block.

But he was still a step too late; the enormous energy had already slammed into half of his body with a loud boom.

【puff--】

Emperor Qing spat out a mouthful of blood. His entire left arm and left calf were blasted apart, turning into a small cloud of blood mist in an instant.

Emperor Qing was shocked; the intelligence was wrong!

The investigation showed that Tao Jingyang was at most a ninth-rank, and his current strength was at least that of a Grandmaster!

In fact, judging from that one strike alone... perhaps even the deceased former number one in the world—

Even Si Gu Jian is no match for her!

These thoughts of Emperor Qing only lasted for a moment. In reality, almost immediately after dodging, he turned around and shouted as he dodged, "Save me!"

Suddenly, the woods swayed, and a figure emerged from the shadows, intercepting Tao Jingyang's second attack.

However, the messenger was also shaken and took two steps back. Some parts of his body were deformed by the impact, and some parts even became slightly movable.

On the other side, Wu Zhu was also fighting, and the two battlefields were not too close to each other.

The messenger in front of Tao Jingyang was stunned for a millisecond after being attacked, but in that short millisecond, he was subjected to the third close-range attack sent by Tao Jingyang.

[Bang!]

The most basic fighting move is the most practical move. She kicked the messenger in the right chest, where the robot's central control unit is installed.

The messenger flew back, but Emperor Qing did not leave the battlefield. He launched a sneak attack on Tao Jingyang from behind, attempting to use a tiger claw attack from a distance.

Tao Jingyang was not going to tolerate him. Her motto at this moment was to slap the envoy once and Emperor Qing twice.

While beating the envoy, she also took the opportunity to punch the half-crippled Emperor Qing, sending him flying to the side.

Although Tao Jingyang's true energy was greatly enhanced, her meridians were also under extraordinary pressure.

Every time I used a move, my whole body felt like it was being stabbed with knives, then salt was rubbed into the wounds, and finally, it was being scrubbed with a steel wool pad.

The capillaries in her eyes began to rupture, and two lines of bloody tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Oh no," she thought to herself.

Tao Jingyang could not afford to linger in the battle; she had to finish it quickly. She used all her strength to catch up with the messenger who was trying to escape urgently, delivering the final blow to his chance of survival.

[Bang—] His body was blasted to pieces, and the LED light in his eyes went out.

Meanwhile, the battle on Wu Zhu's side was also nearing its end.

Tao Jingyang then turned his attention away from that area and walked toward the seemingly "deposed" Emperor Qing.

Tao Jingyang knew the extent of Emperor Qing's injuries; they were far from enough to render him unable to move.

"Where is Li Yunqian, the other envoy, now?" Tao Jingyang stopped at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from him and asked him.

Emperor Qing could clearly see the bloodstains on her face, and his initial fear turned into less worry.

Since she herself can get injured, it means she's not as strong as she appears to be, which gives him a chance to survive.

Emperor Qing pondered to himself, thinking that it was uncertain who would die today.

He was still searching for her weakness when Tao Jingyang suddenly spoke up, "Never mind, Li Yunqian. Actually, I have something I want to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Have you ever regretted it?" she asked on behalf of someone else.

She herself wanted to know what the person who had lived such a life thought.

Relatives, lovers, and friends are all gone. If he dies, there will be no one left in the world who can truly mourn for him.

Was it worth it? What was the purpose of his life, and what did he gain?

Emperor Qing leaned against a tree, panting heavily. Hearing her words, he laughed. "Regret? Hehehe... Why would I regret anything?"

His chest, dented from the blows, rose and fell laboredly with each breath. "I am the ruler of the world, and all my decisions are correct!"

"Li Yunqian, what do you want with this world?" Tao Jingyang said, taking advantage of the short break to gather his strength, secretly circulating his true energy in his dantian.

But her words left Emperor Qing speechless: why did he become emperor?

What a joke! How could anyone ask such a ridiculous question?

"Tao Jingyang, you have never been the ruler of the world, so naturally you cannot understand what I am doing."

Emperor Qing was also secretly gathering his strength, his face full of mockery, "Do you even believe that everyone in this world should be 'equal'?"

Emperor Qing looked at Tao Jingyang with a hint of contempt. He thought to himself, "Sure enough, all the people who come out of the temple are the same. They are all a group of hypocritical and fake cultivators."

If she weren't after the throne, why would she have dragged his sons into a rebellion?

Emperor Qing stared intently into her eyes. A trapped beast, though fierce, is only at its last gasp.

Tao Jingyang had gathered his strength and was just waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"Only those who know they are 'enjoying a life of luxury' will go to great lengths to prevent fairness from occurring."

Tao Jingyang bent his arm and wiped the knife in his hand. "But I can't blame you. Who can blame you when the resources in this world are too scarce to allow everyone to live like an emperor?"

The hilt of the knife flipped between her fingertips, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

Then, she suddenly disappeared from Emperor Qing's sight.

!

Where are the people! ?

Emperor Qing dragged his broken body around and looked around, but could not find a trace of her.

But the chilling feeling still lingered; he circled around but couldn't see anyone. The person was...

Only on...the top of one's head

His reaction was quick, and the whole process took less than a second, but before he could even gather his strength to attack upwards, he was thrown out again.

This power was terrifyingly fast and even more terrifyingly great, surpassing even his domineering true energy.

A large hole was blasted into his chest and abdomen, and half of his face was also blown apart.

Emperor Qing's entire body was a bloody mess. His last breath, his final words, were:

"I......"

However, his throat was also shattered, and he fell face down on the ground, unable to speak anymore.

It can only make the sound of "ho...ho...".

Tao Jingyang was much the same as him, his body damaged inside. He staggered to Emperor Qing and gasped for breath, "From your perspective, you are naturally without fault."

She felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, taking two steps back as if muttering to herself, "But your mistake was that you only saw things from your own perspective."

Her eyes were fixed on the corpse.

“Li Yunqian, a saint is selfless. But you are a selfish and despicable person.”

"You are a selfish man who would kill a woman who has just given birth simply because of his own fear."

Tao Jingyang choked on blood while speaking due to lung trauma.

She spat out the bloody froth, recalling the scenarios she had previously imagined, "How shameless you are."

A person like you is simply...unfit to be...in power.

After she finished speaking, she stood there motionless.

----------

At the same moment, Wu Zhu also killed the messenger. Remembering Tao Jingyang's words that lasers should not be used unless absolutely necessary, he killed the messenger by force.

Throughout the fight, he kept monitoring Tao Jingyang's physical condition and only felt comfortable letting her deal with the two men on her own after discovering that she was quite strong.

But when Emperor Qing died, he suddenly noticed that another person's bodily functions had suddenly and drastically declined.

He quickly moved to Tao Jingyang's side and saw the bloodstains on her face and clothes.

"What's wrong with you! Why can I detect that your internal organs are damaged and your meridians are completely destroyed!?"

The latter's eyes were lifeless, and his body was already barely breathing.

She probably already knew this would be the outcome; her face remained expressionless, but she strained to deliver her final words.

"The envoy... Kyoto..." After uttering those words, he vomited his last mouthful of blood.

She leaned on her sword, gazing into the distance, stubbornly refusing to fall, even at the cost of her life.

She had only half a breath left, which Wu Zhu swiftly sealed inside her body, preventing her from exhaling with her last words.

Wu Zhu stood there for a while, not long, lost in thought.

He stepped forward, helped Tao Jingyang up, carried her on his back, and descended Dongshan without looking back.

Only snow and wind remain on the ground.

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