Chapter 474
That object, sharing the same root and origin as the Imperial Sword Bone, represented two extremes.
The most fragile and delicate thing now exuded a sharp, terrifying aura, as if it could sever anything in its path. The stronger one was, the more acutely they felt the sword's edge; conversely, the weaker ones found it utterly unremarkable.
Swish—
A strand of hair snapped in two.
Jiang Yu seized Jiang Chulong's neck, which she had offered up herself.
But a thin red line appeared on his cheek, oozing faint golden blood.
At the same time, a notification chimed in Li Mo's ear.
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong, aiding her Sword Bone's rebirth.]
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong; her Dragon-Slaying Sword Technique has reached a transformative state.]
---
**Chapter 530: Jiang Yu's Madness**
The overcast sky seemed poised to unleash rain at any moment.
Tick-tock—
Yet what fell to the ground, shattering into glistening droplets, was not rain, but faint golden blood, along with fluttering strips of cloth.
Jiang Yu, disfigured, clutched Jiang Chulong's neck, his dual-colored eyes reflecting her grayish-white gaze as her cloth strips fell away, revealing her true self.
Gone were the tears of grievance and disbelief.
In his memories, Jiang Chulong had always been a timid and fragile little girl.
Even when bullied by palace maids, who exchanged the royal winter beast coal for inferior charcoal, she would quietly thank them.
For years, he had sheltered Jiang Chulong, for he despised those siblings who surrounded him out of greed and self-interest.
But Jiang Chulong was different; she could cherish a discarded doll thrown away by Yu Yang, finding joy in it for a long time.
He had always been curious about why Jiang Chulong lived in the Cold Palace.
Later, a close maid of the Empress revealed that it was all the Empress's doing.
Jiang Chulong's circumstances were orchestrated by the Empress, who, in her pride, played the savior while being self-deceived.
Of course, if it had ended there, their relationship would have merely grown distant and cold.
But one day, he learned the reason behind his once-mighty father's gradual decline.
Those who ascend to the throne cannot live forever.
His father was not originally the crown prince; he loved wandering the world, brimming with vigor, befriending heroes from all corners, and earning a grand reputation, hailed as the reincarnation of the Martial Emperor. But when the crown prince died suddenly, his father inherited the throne, and over the long years, he grew weaker and weaker.
At first, he was filled with boundless confidence, believing that if his father could falter, he would surely surpass him.
Until the ancestral rites, when he discovered the divine intent his father had left behind in his youth.
Ten battles, ten defeats.
His young father was also just over twenty.
With his dual-colored eyes, he faced crushing defeats, time and again, unable to lift his head. Eventually, he lost all sense of pain, only feeling a profound confusion from all directions.
All these years, had his father been hiding his true abilities?
With a belly full of questions, he went to the Longyang Temple.
What he saw was not the revered, wise, and martial Emperor of Dayu, but...
A tortured failure, a beast trapped in a cage by fate.
That night, he wandered through the long, complex, and deep palace walls in a daze.
Yet at the end of that darkness, a door opened to him.
“Brother Crown Prince, you’ve come to see me again…”
He looked at the little girl leaning against the door, her hopeful yet cautious smile.
In his heart, a desperate, mad thought sprouted, like a vine covered in thorns.
He instinctively grasped it.
Climb higher!
Leave everything behind...
Even if the end he was heading toward was a deeper abyss...
“The dual-colored eyes are meant to be invincible, ha ha…”
Jiang Yu snapped back to reality, his dual-colored eyes growing colder.
He raised his long sword, intending to pierce Jiang Chulong's chest, to see what divine object resonated with the Sword Bone.
But just then, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Within the manifested divine intent, the divine sword held by the golden dragon suddenly thrashed violently, causing blood to pour from its mouth.
Pfft—
His chest burst open first.
The bloodied little sword-shaped bone radiated a noble silver light, carrying a divine resonance that pierced through all, striking the Imperial Dragon Sword and breaking it in mid-air.
“Sword Bone, mine…”
Jiang Yu could no longer care for Jiang Chulong; he reached out and firmly grasped the Imperial Sword Bone.
His divine intent surged like a storm, the golden dragon roaring, the Imperial Huan rumbling, suddenly causing the heavens and earth to change color. He was but a step away from the inner realm.
And this violent surge of energy had far exceeded the inner realm.
“What’s happening?”
Those witnessing the scene were baffled; why did Jiang Yu’s divine intent suddenly tremble so violently?
The unknowing martial artists and common folk were left in confusion.
“The Imperial Sword Bone wants to return to Chulong,” Ying Bing said softly.
“Chulong, come back quickly!” Li Mo shouted to the stage.
Chulong had already generated a new Sword Bone within her, her goal accomplished.
If Jiang Yu regained his senses and tried to leave, it might be too late.
Little Princess Jiang was most obedient to Brother Li, quickly running back, hugging her rabbit tightly, rubbing it several times to calm her nerves, before whispering:
“Brother Li, the Qingye Sword is broken…”
“You’ve done very well; it’s just a sword. I can forge ten or eight more later,” Li Mo replied, glancing at the stage.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man with an expressionless face, wearing a tall hat and a simple dark robe, descended beside Jiang Yu.
However, as soon as he arrived, the surrounding Sky Patrol Guards respectfully bowed their heads.
He represented the royal family of Dayu.
The middle-aged man slapped Jiang Yu on the shoulder, forcefully drawing the Sword Bone back to his chest.
Then, his emotionless voice echoed through the map of the nation:
“Jiang Chulong has fallen from the stage; Jiang Yu wins.”
With that, his gaze lingered deeply on Jiang Chulong, as well as on Li Mo and Ying Bing.
With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished from sight.
“The match continues.”
At that moment, the purple-robed eunuch at the judges' table also declared loudly.
The sudden turn of events came swiftly and left just as quickly; before everyone could grasp what had happened, it seemed the matter was already settled.
Yet everyone felt a strange sensation.
How could it sound like the Crown Prince won, yet feel like he lost?
---
On the side of the nobles.
“Crown Prince, are you alright?”
Princess Yu Yang offered a bottle of healing medicine, discreetly observing Jiang Yu's expression.
Strangely, Jiang Yu not only looked healthy, but his aura was also remarkably steady.
“I'm fine.”
Jiang Yu seemed oblivious to the gazes around him.
Though he hadn’t clearly seen what was inside Jiang Chulong, he had received some good news.
The force that had always resisted him within the Imperial Sword Bone seemed to have weakened significantly after the recent explosion.
It would be easier to turn it to his advantage.
He looked up at the map of the nation.
Winning this match meant he would advance to the next round, and his opponent...
Would emerge from either Li Mo or Ning Que?
Why say “or”?
Because the victors of the other stages had already been decided.
And Ning Que had only just defeated Huang Donglai, preparing to face Li Mo.
---
On the stage.
Ning Que took deep breaths of fresh air, setting down the jade flute he had played for half an hour.
“Can’t run anymore, huh? You could have surrendered long ago; why tire ourselves out like this?”
“That just shows you’re a bit weak,” Huang Donglai shook his head.
“You played for half an hour; you’re the one who’s weak!”
Ning Que could no longer hold back, angrily raising the jade flute and striking Huang Donglai, sending him tumbling off the stage.
---
**Chapter 531: A Changed Face, The Echo of Qinghai**
“My first opponent next is Ning Que, the second is Jiang Yu, and the third might be Ice Block…”
Li Mo stood on the stage, silently calculating.
To enter Tianren City, it would be best to win all three matches, at most lose one; losing two would mean no chance at all.
He couldn’t use his hammer treasure now.
So he had to secure the first two matches.
Across from him, Ning Que had finished adjusting his breath and stepped onto the stage, his waist adorned with the jade flute, though he didn’t know where the divine weapon, Qinghai Yiyin (Echo of Qinghai), was placed.
Before the match began, he suddenly raised his hand and said:
“Wait a moment!”
“What’s wrong?”
Li Mo, poised to strike, was taken aback.
Ning Que, wary, said, “Li Mo, I believe you are a gentleman, so can we come to a gentleman’s agreement?”
“Go ahead,” the young gentleman Li Mo replied, his expression serious, feeling Ning Que had a point.
“Since we are both gentlemen, we should naturally duel openly and aboveboard. First, we must not use foul language.”
Ning Que, after observing, had discovered one of the little tyrant's secret techniques.
The ultimate move of the fighting king!
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