440 Raging Chaos
Li Yuqin, a former scholar of the Heavenly Revelations Academy once said, "Rumours - it takes one to spread and ten to stop."
The meaning of this sentence was that rumours could be spread quickly by only one person, but to stop a rumour would require the work of at least ten people.
Perhaps the guard who was running around at the moment had never heard the words of the Academy's scholar, but he would have gained a personal understanding of it. He frantically grabbed everyone he saw and barked, "Tell everyone! His Majesty is not dead! His Majesty is not dead!"
However, he still couldn't stop the rumour of "His Majesty is dead" from spreading layer after layer, until it reached the palace gates.
The Nine Songs sword was repelled by Qi Tianchen and fell back into Luo Qingyang's hand. He sighed lightly. "Actually forgot about the State Preceptor." He turned around, shaking his head. "Forget it!"
"Commander-general Li!" An attendant ran out from inside the imperial palace, crying out in alarm, "His Majesty was assassinated. The Emperor is dead!"
"What!" Li Changqing was shocked. He spun around and pointed at Luo Qingyang as he roared, "How dare you, you vile man! I'll kill you!" He tossed aside the broken blade in his hand, flipped onto his horse, and grabbed the spear that was tied onto his horse. Then, he charged towards Luo Qingyang.
Luo Qingyang frowned slightly. He would know if the sword he had attacked with had killed his target, but when he heard the panicked tone of the palace attendant, he was certain that something had gone wrong. Apart from him, perhaps someone was already planning to kill Mingde Emperor. He raised his head suddenly and stared at the upstairs of the teahouse. The Red Prince had already left quietly with his people.
"Yu'er." Luo Qingyang murmured in a low voice, then turned around and struck a palm at the first man charging towards him. The strike knocked Li Changqing off his horse.
Li Changqing rolled on the ground, jumped back to his feet and swung his spear. "I'll kill you!"
Luo Qingyang was already a martial expert in the Spirit Wandering Profound Realm. Even though Li Changqing's martial arts was stronger than average, he was definitely not a match for Luo Qingyang. But, when he struck at Li Changqing again, he felt a stabbing pain in his chest.
Li Changqing swung his spear down and actually ripped through his shirt.
Luo Qingyang retreated fiercely. Only then did he feel his blood and qi surging throughout his body, and there was an involuntary tremor in the hand holding his sword. His face suddenly drained of colour and he realised that entering the Spirit Wandering Profound Realm was not as simple as he thought. The immense power brought with it a powerful backlash. And now that he was seriously injured, he could not cope with this backlash.
If he didn't heal his injuries in time… Luo Qingyang raised his sword and forced his mind to calm down. Then, he rushed into the company of Brave Tiger Guards and attacked.
Xiao Chong smashed the table in front of him into splinters. He snapped in alarm, "What did that person just say!"
"He said His Majesty is dead. He was assassinated," Wushuang replied.
Xiao Chong was furious. "Was it that last sword from Luo Qingyang?"
Wushuang murmured to himself for a while then shook his head. "I felt it earlier. Although the attack from the Nine Songs sword was very vicious and indeed, it was sent to kill, but inside the imperial palace, it met an extremely strong force and was blocked. Then, it was repelled and sent back. Mingde Emperor may not be dead, or perhaps he was killed by someone else."
"Chong'er," A deep and heavy voice sounded. Yan Zhantian had returned upstairs.
"Da-shifu," Xiao Chong responded.
Yan Zhantian was very solemn. "We must leave this place now. Return to the Princely Residence."
Xiao Chong didn't understand. "Why? I have yet to clarify this matter."
"Let our people go to the imperial palace to find out. We must leave this place immediately." Yan Zhantian pressed down on the long sword at his waist. "Look at Luo Qingyang below. Look at his eyes. I've never seen Luo Qingyang in this state. I once heard a senior said that if a person first enters the Spirit Wandering Profound Realm with an unstable mind, they will suffer qi deviation. If Luo Qingyang demonises, he will kill everyone here."
Luo Qingyang slashed his way through the Brave Tiger Guards, cutting them down from their horses one sword at a time, his eyes turning more and more red.
The crowd of spectators also felt the change in the situation and immediately dispersed. Princess Qing said in a trembling voice, "Shifu, I heard that person say that Imperial Father passed away."
"Princess, we must go back," Luo Bu said solemnly, "Whether this is true or not, we can't stay here any longer."
"But Liu-ge…" Princess Qing looked outside worriedly.
Luo Bu pulled down the curtain and snapped at the driver in a low voice, "Go!"
"Xiao Se, just now, that person said that your imperial father passed away! Xiao Se!" Lei Wujie exclaimed as he turned around.
Xiao Se was furious. "I heard. You…" He didn't finish his words before he felt a pain in his chest and tasted blood in his mouth. He vomited a mouthful of blood before he lost consciousness immediately.
It seemed that the injuries both he and Luo Qingyang suffered were far more serious than either of them thought.
Sikong Qianluo touched Xiao Se's forehead and was alarmed. "He's burning up."
Ji Xue measured Xiao Se's pulse and said in a low voice, "His qi is a mess. If we don't treat him in time, he'll die. We must return to the Yong'an Prince Residence now."
Sikong Qianluo immediately lifted Xiao Se onto her back. "Let's go!"
Lei Wujie nodded. "You guys go ahead, I'll stay here."
Tang Ze patted him on the shoulder. "I'll stay with Lei-xiong."
Ji Xue was puzzled. "What's the point of staying here?"
Xie Xuan and Li Fansong jumped down together from the teahouse. Xie Xuan raised his Book of Knowledge and faced Luo Qingyang. "Lei-xiong is afraid that once he leaves, all the Brave Tiger Guards are going to meet their maker here today."
Li Fansong also pulled out his Drunken Song sword. "Lei-xiong, you should leave first. Leave everything here to us."
Xie Xuan said wryly, "My dear disciple, you look very confident, don't you? Do you think with just the two of us, we can defeat the Solitary Sword Immortal in qi deviation?"
Lei Wujie clenched his hand around his Heart sword. "We can't let him go on like this!"
"Shixiong," a gentle voice suddenly sounded.
Everyone was stunned. The voice was very gentle, but everyone present heard it, as if the voice rose from the heart.
"It's the Disconcerted Vocal Skill." Xie Xuan kept his sword. "Lady Consort Xuan is here."
They saw Lady Consort Xuan dressed in white, flying through the gates of the palace. She tipped her toes on the heads of the Brave Tiger Guards and headed towards Luo Qingyang. She landed in the midst of the crowd, spun around slowly, and all the swords nearest to her shattered into pieces on the ground. She came to a stop and some among the Brave Tiger Guards recognised her so they did not dare to take another step closer. Lady Consort Xuan smiled at Luo Qingyang and greeted, "Shixiong, you're here."
The blood in Luo Qingyang's eyes faded little by little, and it was replaced by a clarity that he had never experienced before. He suppressed the tremor in his heart and nodded. "I'm here."
Lady Consort Xuan was still smiling. "I'm glad that you're here, even though it's a little late."
Li Changqing rushed forward. "My Lady! This man is accused of plotting an assassination. You must not stand with him!"
"You talk too much." Lady Consort Xuan struck Li Changqing with a palm and sent him flying.
Luo Qingyang propped his sword on the ground, and suddenly fell to one knee. Then, he vomited three mouthfuls of blood and vented all of his qi. Now, he couldn't even stand.
Lady Consort Xuan stepped forward to help him up. "Let's go."