Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The moment the meteor descended from the sky, Ye Zhibei knew Zhouyou Shijie had kept his word.
Only a day had passed since their conversation, yet two god-tier powerhouses had already risked their lives to carry out the rescue. Such swift action was proof enough of Zhou Ming’s sincerity.
Ye Zhibei was not made of stone. How could he remain unmoved?
“What did he mean by that?”
“Even the current Sword Saint intends to rebel?!”
The experts watched him leave, but not one stepped forward to stop him.
The Eastern Region’s territory was enormous. Its strongest figures could hardly remain gathered in the imperial capital at all times, and the few present here were not enough to stop the Sword Saint.
Meanwhile, in Jingshui City, white light flashed as the Sword Saint’s wife and daughter appeared before Zhou Ming.
[Yang Caimeng] (Ordinary NPC): Wife of Sword Saint · Ye Zhibei
[Ye Feifei] (Silver NPC): Daughter of Sword Saint · Ye Zhibei
“Please don’t be alarmed. The Sword Saint asked me to rescue you,” Zhou Ming immediately explained, soothing them. “As long as you remained in the imperial palace, Brother Ye’s every action would be constrained. We truly had no other choice.”
“I see!”
Relief washed over the Sword Saint’s wife, Yang Caimeng. The lovely little girl sheltered behind her also lowered her guard.
Roughly two hours later, Qianying, Renee, and the Sword Saint arrived together.
With his family safe, the Sword Saint naturally had no reason to care what the emperor thought of his actions, especially when he had already intended to rebel.
“Brother Zhou, words cannot express my gratitude!” The Sword Saint cupped his hands, deeply thankful.
“No need for formality!”
Zhou Ming laughed. “Now all that’s left is for me to capture Juyan City. When I do, Brother Ye, you’d better keep your word!”
“Of course!” Ye Zhibei answered solemnly. “But this incident has thoroughly enraged the emperor, so the difficulty of the siege may rise sharply. If an unexpected development disrupts the original plan, I will intervene and assist you!”
“Ding!”
[You have fulfilled the relevant conditions. During the assault on Juyan City, the Hidden God-Tier Boss Sword Saint · Ye Zhibei will assist you!]
“Thank you!”
Zhou Ming no longer had anything to worry about.
The Sword Saint’s meaning was clear. If a city Zhou Ming could originally have captured became harder because of some unforeseen factor, only then would Ye Zhibei step in.
The hidden Boss would appear only after Zhou Ming overcame every obstacle that had already been expected.
Of course, with Qianying and Renee taking part while Cangxuan watched from the sidelines on the Dark Faction’s side, losing might be harder than winning.
After chatting for a while, the Sword Saint took his wife and daughter away to settle them somewhere safe and prevent history from repeating itself.
“Now I can finally level normally!” Zhou Ming bought a map of Jingshui City’s surroundings, then set out for a suitable grinding spot.
Two days remained before the siege. Naturally, he intended to put them to good use.
“I’ll sleep for a while too. Wake me when it’s time to fight.”
After the intense battle, drowsiness had caught up with Renee. A faint stone-colored radiance spread over her body as she transformed into a gleaming golden stone, then rapidly shrank to the size of a fingernail and fastened itself at Zhou Ming’s waist.
At the same time, deep within the imperial palace, a vase smashed against the floor and shattered into pieces.
Inside the emperor’s chambers, a dignified man in dragon robes glared in shock and fury. “Yesterday, I ordered you to guard Ye Zhibei’s wife and daughter. Today, you tell me they were abducted?!”
[Emperor of the East · Long Kun] (God-Tier NPC)
Lei Qianjue’s efficiency at ruining a mission was simply beyond belief.
Even Long Kun could no longer remain calm.
“Please calm your anger, Your Majesty!”
Lei Qianjue’s expression was grim. “Zhouyou Shijie’s allies attempted to inflict massive damage on the imperial palace. How could we stand by and let them destroy it? They should not have been able to escape so easily, either. The Sword Saint intervened and stopped us.”
“Zhouyou Shijie has another god-tier powerhouse at his side besides the Divine Ember Queen, and now he’s recruited the Sword Saint as well…” Long Kun’s fury was impossible to hide. “Does he intend to strip me of all authority?!”
“Your Majesty, that intruder caused a disturbance visible to every citizen in Zijin City. Why didn’t you personally intervene?” Lei Qianjue asked despite the risk.
To be fair, Lei Qianjue did not believe the blame for this failure should fall entirely on one person.
Had the emperor acted, the intruders could never have escaped so easily, even with the Sword Saint blocking pursuit.
“Hm?”
Long Kun gave Lei Qianjue an icy look.
Lei Qianjue immediately fell silent, terrified.
“Zhouyou Shijie is growing harder to eliminate by the day. How could I simply let him be when the coming assault on Juyan City offers the perfect opportunity?” Long Kun rebuked. “I simply didn’t expect him to act at the critical moment while I was refining an item… Enough. What’s done is done, and I have no interest in wasting more words on you!”
“You are dismissed as lord of Zhuque City. Remain in the imperial palace and reflect on your failures.”
“Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!”
Lei Qianjue accepted the decree and withdrew.
“Zhouyou Shijie…”
Powerful killing intent lurked in the depths of Long Kun’s eyes. “If you dare oppose me, even ten lives won’t be enough to save you!”
“Ding!”
[You have entered the Blighted Swamp map!]
With Qianying carrying him through the air, Zhou Ming reached a suitable grinding spot in only a few minutes.
Within the muddy swamp, undead creatures wandered aimlessly with all kinds of weapons in hand and soul fire burning inside their skulls.
[Undead Swordsman] (Elite Monster)
Level: 80
HP: 150,000
Attack: 6,350-6,690
Defense: 2,500-2,780
Skills: [Cruel Execution] [Dark Aura] [Combo]
Description: Soldiers who died long ago. Nourished over time by resentment and demonic energy, they were eventually awakened by necromancers and became Undead Swordsmen who know only slaughter.
Undead were the classic high-Attack, low-Defense monsters. On top of that, these creatures were a full thirty levels above Zhou Ming. Facing them alone was hardly without risk.
Dawnbringer!
Without charging the skill, Zhou Ming sent the giant sword crashing straight down onto an Undead Swordsman’s head.
-96,254!
An SSS-Rank Talent truly lived up to its name.
Ignoring 50% Defense and 20% Damage Reduction pushed Zhou Ming’s damage even higher. A casual attack now dealt almost one hundred thousand damage.
“Kekekeke…”
The other Undead Swordsmen sensed the disturbance and rushed toward him, attacking as a mob.
-1,155!
-1,253!
Zhou Ming showed no fear. His full set of War Soul equipment had made him extraordinarily durable, enough to rampage unhindered through a mob of Level 80 monsters.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Xuanniao cast Holy Light’s Blessing and kept him healed, ensuring nothing could go wrong.
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have killed an Undead Swordsman (Elite Monster). Current Level EXP +12.81%!]
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have killed an Undead Swordsman (Elite Monster). Current Level EXP +12.78%!]
With only two monsters killed, the accumulated EXP combined with his previous quest reward pushed Zhou Ming to Level 51.
“Keep going!”
Zhou Ming was full of enthusiasm.
For the next several hours, he followed the same steady rhythm, grinding his way through the Undead Swordsmen and gradually clearing the Blighted Swamp.
It was almost midnight when he finally stopped.
“Whew!”
His warm breath dispersed into the night air. He patiently waited for a trial that, to him, might prove even more troublesome than the siege.
A moment later, the system chime rang in his ears.
“Ding!”
[Your Trial of the Seven Sins, Sin of Wrath, has activated automatically!]
It was here!
An indescribable tension gripped Zhou Ming as he opened the panel to inspect its details.
[Sin of Wrath]
Trial Requirement: …
…