Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
As he got closer to the Royal Capital, memories started flowing back to him. Eight hundred years had gone by, the historical buildings were well preserved and remained standing where they had always been.
The Royal Capital, I am back!
Zhang Ruochen stood on the side of the boat, watching as the familiar scenery went by.
At the peak of Kong Le Mountain, there was a 74-story tower built by an ancient saint. The young Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao used to climb up to the top of the tower, overlooking the prosperous Royal Capital.
There were two majestic bronze lion statues guarding at the gate, representing the sigil of the Sacred Central Empire. To his surprise, these were not destroyed during the war.
The walls guarding the city were excessively tall and the gate was magnificent, similar to the entrance of the Heavenly Palace.
The moment he arrived at the dock, Zhang Ruochen was overwhelmed with emotion as he recalled his past memories.
There was a group of officials, at least a hundred of them, in their imperial uniforms standing in line at the dock, as though they were waiting for the arrival of some important guests.
Zhang Ruochen threw a quick glance at Chu Siyuan and exclaimed, "Senior Chu, such big influence you have! A parade to welcome your arrival!"
"Really?"
Chu Siyuan looked more surprised than happy. He thought: I have been keeping a low profile about my trip. No one knows about it, not even the scholars of Confucianism. Why would there be a welcoming team?
Anyhow, he had his robe adjusted, getting ready for the welcoming parade before stepping out of the cabin. But he soon discovered the troops were looking in the other direction, next to him. It was not his welcoming parade.
There was a large metal s.h.i.+p moving slowly to the dock. The troops stepped forward to a group of men that had just landed and escorted them to the Royal Capital.
"Oh, they are not here for you. It seems you do not have much influence in the Royal Capital," said Zhang Ruochen at a higher pitch.
That was on purpose. He wanted to tease Chu Siyuan.
Irritated by his tone, Chu Siyuan hissed, "If I had informed them about my trip, the welcoming troops would be ten or even a hundred times larger than theirs. But I prefer to keep a low profile."
"Maybe so, maybe not."
Zhang Ruochen laughed, "We have arrived at the Royal Capital, and I say it is time for us to part ways."
As soon as he finished the sentence, he disappeared from Chu Siyuan's sight and entered the city by himself.
Chu Siyuan stroked his beard, his eyes a little squinted: Why is he in a hurry to part ways? He must be hiding something from me.
Had it been someone else, Chu Siyuan would not have been interested to find out. But Zhang Ruochen was not someone else. He had accomplished many shocking things.
Chu Siyuan brushed his robe lightly and followed closely behind Zhang Ruochen.
"Is he really following me? Does the head of the Paint Sect have nothing better to do?" Chu Siyuan's actions rendered him speechless.
Rather than heading over to the Imperial Mausoleum directly as planned, he detoured around the Royal Capital.
Little did he know he had also been watched by someone else the moment he entered the city gate.
The Royal Capital had a long standing history which could be traced back to the ancient times. It served as the capital for the Sacred Central Empire and many ancient dynasties.
The city grew alongside the kingdoms it had spread across. Today, its territory was a few thousand miles squared, with a population of a billion citizens.
One could call the city a small country considering its large territory and the dense population.
After spending half a day in the outlying areas of the Royal Capital, Zhang Ruochen went to explore the city center. The streets got busier along the way, and there were also more skilled swordsmen.
Suddenly, a strong blood stench wafted through the wall of a mansion on his left.
Outside the mansion was a troop of soldiers mounted on beasts and clad in black armor.
The riders surrounded the mansion, looking cold and merciless on the back of the beasts.
Among the riders, there were four sorcerers whose purpose was to cast a spell over the mansion, establis.h.i.+ng boundaries so that no one inside could leave.
Zhang Ruochen stopped a pa.s.sing monk of the Heavenly Realm and asked, "What's happening?"
"They are the Canglong Army. Under the command of Lingxiao Heavenly King, they are here to arrest the rebels supporting the previous ruling dynasty," the monk whispered.
He left after a while, leaving Zhang Ruochen gaping at the news.
Zhang Ruochen circled around the mansion and found a corner that was unguarded. Directing the power of s.p.a.ce at the wall, he cut a hole through it and entered.
He never knew what happened to the rest of the Zhang royal family members. Now that he had a lead, he had to find out.
The smell of blood was sickeningly stronger inside the mansion.
Bodies were piling on the floor, including the old people and children.
The walkway was covered in blood.
The lights in some of the rooms flickered, followed by bloodcurdling screams; then they went out, plunging the rooms into total darkness and silence.
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and walked toward the main hall.
The entrance of the hall was manned by the Canglong Army while the general was sitting at the main chair inside the hall.
He was a man in his thirties, with broad shoulders, a big chest and a cold stare.
His name was Xie Kui.
Kneeling in front of him were thirteen monks dressed in fine clothing, a clear sign of their n.o.ble status.
There were ten other beheaded bodies lying motionlessly behind them.
Xie Kui groaned, "Tell me, where are the rest of them? I shall spare the one who speaks up."
He pointed at a teenage boy who was 11 or 12 years old and said, "Let's start with you."
A two-meter tall soldier walked to the side of the boy, placing a broad sword at his neck.
The boy would be executed if nothing valuable came out from him.
Despite his young age, he seemed determined and said with a s.h.i.+vering voice, "You… you filthy people… when the Emperor is back, we will take back what is ours."
Xie Kui shook his head and waved his hand.
The giant soldier gave a cold laugh, swinging his sword at the boy's neck.
All thirteen monks shut their eyes, and one of them was weeping.
Snapped!
The broad sword was broken into two.
And fell onto the ground with a flop.
"Who's there?"
The soldiers drew their swords from their sheaths simultaneously, preparing for any incoming attack.
Xie Kui remained sitting in the chair, his eyes glancing around. He said with a laugh, "Finally, the leader of the Zhang family. I thought you would never appear."
Zhang Ruochen stood next to the teenage boy in his Shooting Star Invisible Cloak and said, "Do you serve the Lingxiao Heavenly King?"
Xie Kui knew the intruder was someone powerful, someone he should not underestimate. He stood up and replied, "Lingxiao Heavenly King has eliminated many rebels with the objective of restoring world peace during his rule in the Royal Capital. It has been 800 years. Why are the Zhang family thinking of restoring their empire still?"
After confirming their ident.i.ties, Zhang Ruochen nodded and replied coldly, "You have killed many innocent people. Shouldn't you be sorry?"
"Make us, if you can!"
Xie Kui commanded, "Take him."
The two-meter tall soldier who was nearest Zhang Ruochen swung the broken sword at him.
He struck his palm at the soldier's chest before the blade could reach him.
The soldier crumbled to the ground right after the hit, for all his bones had been crushed from the palm strike.
Zhang Ruochen stretched his arm into the air, his fingers extending into a sword sign. The air above the mansion began to coalesce into thousands of swords in a spiral of power.
The swords began dancing and flying around the mansion, and the Canglong Army tumbled one after another.
Xie Kui was appalled. Never had he thought the intruder would be this powerful. He took out a Signal Flare and was about to transmit the signal after carving a message on it.
Before he could, Zhang Ruochen's palm strike had already hit his chest.
The palm strike was charged with fire and Xie Kui's body was burning like a glowing charcoal before transforming into ashes.
The mansion was now in pin drop silence.
Within a few minutes, the Canglong Army was killed and none survived.
"Thank you for your help savior."
"How do we address you, savior?"
The thirteen living descendants of the Zhang family stood up from the ground and bowed at Zhang Ruochen to express their grat.i.tude.
"I am also from the Zhang family."
Zhang Ruochen put on the Gold Phantom Mask while staring at the man who had the highest cultivation. He asked the man politely, "Could you take me to see other descendants of the Zhang family?"
The man was the owner of the mansion. His name was Zhang Fengxing, with a cultivation level of the Fourth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
Zhang Fengxing looked troubled.
Clearly, he did not trust Zhang Ruochen. Not yet.
On the other hand, the teenage boy looked up to Zhang Ruochen very much. Zhang Ruochen was like a hero sent by G.o.d who could kill someone as powerful as Xie Kui with a single palm strike.
The teenage boy was motivated. He wished he could possess the power Zhang Ruochen had.
He said, "Father, this brother has killed hundreds of the Canglong Army. He must not be working for the imperial court."
Zhang Fengxing was a seasoned veteran. Unlike his son, he did not trust Zhang Ruochen. "I need to inform the leaders before I make my decision. Hope you understand my situation."
"It's alright. I have someone following me, and I don't mind waiting while I get rid of them," said Zhang Ruochen.
