The City Lord's mansion had already turned into a sea of fire.
At the gate of the City Lord's mansion, the lord of Mountain Town City was kneeling on the ground, already devoid of life.
Beside him, lay a massive stele, inscribed with the words — The killer, Great Qian Xiao Yi!
The City Lord's mansion was also reduced to ashes.
The death of the City Lord was no different from that of Mountain Town City's.
Green Phoenix City...
The solitary Xiao Yi moved even more agilely, his choices became more plentiful.
Each time, he would head straight for the City Lord's mansion upon entering a city, ransacking everything before setting the mansion ablaze and then swiftly leaving.
In many cities, the guards did not even have time to react before Xiao Yi had already vanished into the sky.
Not to mention the Flying Wolf Army and Flying Tiger Army.
Moreover, Xiao Yi's whereabouts were unpredictable, and his choice of cities seemed entirely random, repeatedly causing the Sword Dynasty's ambushes to fail.
In the coming and going.
…Five days had passed.
Since Beifeng City, Xiao Yi had plundered a total of ten cities in the past five days.
In contrast, Wang Yanzhao and Hong Ye, despite being battle-hardened generals, had failed time and again. They couldn't even manage to capture Xiao Yi, let alone see a hair on his head.
In the imperial capital of the Sword Dynasty.
Inside the Golden Throne Hall.
The irate Sword Emperor overturned the table in front of him, kicked over the throne behind him, and erupted with an incomparable terrifying aura, continuously roaring, "Useless, all useless… My vast Sword Dynasty with millions of troops and hundreds of generals, and yet not one of you can find a mere Dharma Manifestation Realm brat? What use are you?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive us!"
"Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!"
"We deserve death a thousand times over..."
The court officials knelt tremblingly.
The Sword Emperor's chilling gaze swept over everyone as he scoffed repeatedly, "Deserve death, so what if I let you die a hundred thousand or a million times? What good would that do? Now my Sword Dynasty has become the laughing stock of all. Such a vast nation, and yet it cannot deal with a mere boy. Where shall I put this old face of mine in the future? How can I face my ancestors with any dignity?"
The court officials were speechless, heads bowed low.
Who would dare to speak up at such a time?
One false move could anger the Sword Emperor, and it wouldn't just be a simple death sentence.
The Sword Emperor glowered, looking at the silent court officials, his anger was all the more inflamed.
Initially, when they proposed attacking the Great Qian Dynasty and discussed how to divide the spoils of victory once they conquered it, these officers were eloquent, and each seemed to have days and nights worth of strategies.
Facing the continuous news from the frontlines, city after city falling, they were completely at a loss.
The Sword Emperor wished he could execute them all.
"Your Majesty, General Wang requests an audience!" a voice from outside the hall announced.
The Sword Emperor was startled, frowning he said, "Wang Yanzhao? Isn't he out capturing Xiao Yi on the front lines? What's he doing back here?" After a pause, the Sword Emperor said coldly, "Let him in!"
Amidst the sound of armor plates clashing, the fully armored Wang Yanzhao marched in and knelt with a clang, bowing and saying, "Your humble servant Wang Yanzhao greets Your Majesty!"
The Sword Emperor's gaze was icy, his face expressionless as he said, "General Wang, you return at this hour; could it be that you've captured Xiao Yi?"
Wang Yanzhao's face stiffened.
He had fought in countless battles, undefeated.
Upon encountering Xiao Yi, he faced defeat after defeat, every encounter a setback.
This was also a lifelong humiliation.
Wang Yanzhao took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, regaining his composure, before saying, "Your Majesty, I have not captured Xiao Yi... This time I return because I have devised an excellent plan to put Xiao Yi to death!"
The Sword Emperor narrowed his eyes, staring at Wang Yanzhao intently, "What good strategy does my minister have?"
Xiao Yi had become a lingering shadow in the Sword Emperor's heart.
A thorn in his eye, a sting in his flesh.
He longed to rid himself of this annoyance once and for all!
Wang Yanzhao said, "I ask Your Majesty's permission for the envoy to enter the hall!"
The Sword Emperor was stunned, frowned, and said, "Let him come in!"
"Announcing the envoy to enter the hall!"
The doorkeeper shouted loudly.
A figure shrouded by a black cloak and completely wrapped up entered from outside the door. This person, with only one arm, did not kneel upon seeing Emperor Qian, but simply bowed slightly and said, "I have seen Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor!"
"You see the Emperor and don't remove your cloak to kneel and bow in salute?"
The ministers shouted.
Sword Qi raised his hand to stop everyone—this figure in the black robe was a formidable expert who had undergone Nirvana eight times and was not at all weaker than the Sword Emperor. He squinted his eyes and said, "Who exactly are you?"
The figure in the black robe pulled down the hood over their head.
The Sword Emperor took a sharp breath, unconsciously squinting his eyes, "Huihai Sword Master of the Tianjian Sect?"
"What? Huihai Sword Master of the Tianjian Sect?"
"The Deputy Sect Master of the first sect of the Great Qian Dynasty? What is he doing here?"
"Didn't you hear what General Wang said? This person has come to help us deal with Xiao Yi..."
"Deal with Xiao Yi? Aren't they all from the Great Qian Dynasty?"
"That's what you don't know, the Tianjian Sect supports Crown Prince Yang Kun; they are at odds with Xiao Yi like fire and water..."
Sword Qi raised his hand to stop the discussion of the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Huihai Sword Master, General Wang said you have a way to deal with Xiao Yi?"
The Huihai Sword Master nodded, his injuries had healed, and moreover, he had broken through to the Nirvana Realm.
But even after breaking through his restraints, the Huihai Sword Master still could not forget the grudge of his severed arm. Every time he thought of Xiao Yi, his eyes flared with resentment and bloodlust.
The Sword Emperor asked, "What exactly is the good plan you mentioned?"
The Huihai Sword Master sneered coldly and said, "Xiao Yi is extremely cunning, and sending large armies to surround and intercept him is ineffective. The only way is to make him walk into a trap of his own accord, setting up an ambush for us to catch him unaware!"
"I thought it was some great plan; haven't we set up ambushes before?"
"Xiao Yi never fell for it anyway!"
The Huihai Sword Master smirked sinisterly, "I have my own methods—let him know it's a trap, yet he will have no choice but to show himself!"
The Sword Emperor arched an eyebrow, gazing intently at the Huihai Sword Master.
Wang Yanzhao spoke up solemnly, "Your Majesty, the Huihai Sword Master has brought along Xiao Yi's companions as well. As long as we spread the message that Xiao Yi's companions will be executed in three days, even if Xiao Yi knows it's a trap, he will surely appear to rescue his brothers!"
A gleam sparked in the Sword Emperor's eyes, locking his gaze on the Huihai Sword Master as he said word by word, "Indeed a cunning plan, but I want to know, why would you help me?"
The Sword Dynasty and the Great Qian Dynasty are currently waging a great war.
Is the Huihai Sword Master really helping them because of personal vendettas? If Emperor Qian finds out, could his Tianjian Sect escape Emperor Qian's wrath?
The Huihai Sword Master smiled coldly and spoke indifferently, "The Crown Prince asked me to tell the Sword Emperor that this is a win-win situation!"
The Sword Emperor was taken aback, then understood everything.
Yang Ling, without the support of Xiao Yi, would be like losing an arm and a leg.
The Sword Dynasty could also preserve its dignity.
And at the same time...
The Sword Dynasty would owe Yang Kun a favor!
The Sword Emperor took a deep breath, nodded, and said, "Indeed, like father like son... we will follow your plan. Proclaim it to the world that in three days we will execute Xiao Yi's accomplices. At the same time, gather the strongest from the Black Water Platform, Chongshan Shaoyuan Temple, Heaven Southern Big Dipper Sect, Five Pecks of Rice Sect, and Guiyuan Sect to the capital. I want Xiao Yi to be buried here!"