Chapter 624: Great Liang

His long halberd danced wildly as he held nothing back, unleashing his full power.

Halberd afterimages piled up like mountains, and waves of Qi Force crashed down like the sea, completely submerging Xu Wuyi.

But Xu Wuyi remained unhurried.

Pushing his Quicksand Step to its limit, he weaved through the afterimages, each movement perfectly timed to evade a fatal blow.

His spear would occasionally parry, but he never met the attacks head-on, merely deflecting and redirecting the force.

He was certain that if he’d gone all out from the start, he could have killed Zhao Yuanwu in an instant, especially while his opponent was unprepared.

However, Xu Wuyi didn’t do so. ’Killing a Quasi-Grandmaster Level opponent is nothing special. It’s more valuable to use this opportunity to learn about the unique aspects of Great Liang’s Martial Arts.’

Besides, he was also waiting—waiting for the charging to complete.

The countdown ticked away in his mind: ten, nine, eight...

Unable to land a decisive blow after so long, Zhao Yuanwu grew increasingly agitated.

He could feel that Energy Fluctuation growing stronger and stronger, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Get out of my way!"

He roared, raising his long halberd high overhead. The shaft of the halberd flared with a brilliant cyan light, transforming into a massive, phantom halberd over a hundred feet long that chopped down toward Xu Wuyi.

This strike contained his entire life’s Cultivation, a blow that touched the threshold of a Martial Saint.

Before the halberd even arrived, the immense pressure it exuded caused the surrounding ground to collapse and the rocks to shatter into dust.

Xu Wuyi finally got serious.

He stopped dodging. Instead, he planted his feet, gripped his spear with both hands, and angled the tip upward.

The phantom image of a great, dark-gold marsh appeared behind him. Deep in the marsh’s heart, a golden-red light flashed and vanished.

The Gravity Field compressed to its absolute limit, concentrating on the very tip of his spear.

Then, meeting the phantom halberd, he thrust his spear forward.

There was no sound.

For the instant the spear tip and the halberd’s phantom image collided, time itself seemed to stand still.

The next moment, a violent Energy Shock wave erupted outward, leveling the Gobi desert in a hundred-meter radius.

Zhao Yuanwu let out a muffled grunt and stumbled back seven steps, each one leaving a deep footprint in the ground. The arm holding his halberd trembled slightly, the skin between his thumb and forefinger had split open, and blood trickled down the shaft.

But Xu Wuyi stood his ground, not having moved even half a step.

His expression hadn’t even changed. The last strike had consumed ten percent of his Power of Heart Image, which wasn’t a significant expenditure.

But it was enough.

Because at that very moment, from the bottom of the crater, an azure pillar of light shot into the heavens, tearing through the night sky.

The shuttle device had finished charging.

Xu Wuyi retracted his spear and looked at Zhao Yuanwu.

"Goodbye."

In a flash, he vanished from his spot and sped toward the cave.

Zhao Yuanwu tried to give chase, but after just one step, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The recoil from that last exchange had injured his internal organs.

He could only watch helplessly as the dark-gold figure disappeared into the base of the crater.

「Inside the cave.」

The ring of the shuttle device was fully activated, forming a stable spatial tunnel within. The other end connected to the preset coordinates in the Federation Control Zone.

"Martial Artist Xu!" Captain Chen shouted excitedly upon seeing Xu Wuyi return.

"The wounded go first, the rest of you follow," Xu Wuyi said rapidly. "I’ll cover our retreat."

The team members didn’t hesitate, immediately carrying the seriously injured into the ring. With a flash of light, they were gone.

Captain Chen was the last one.

"Martial Artist Xu, you..."

"Go," Xu Wuyi cut him off.

Captain Chen gritted his teeth and stepped into the ring.

Only Xu Wuyi and the damaged Starship remained in the cave.

He walked to the side of the ring and glanced back at the cave entrance.

Zhao Yuanwu’s aura was rapidly approaching. Two other powerful auras also appeared at the edge of his perception—the other two Sub-Saints had arrived.

But it was too late.

Xu Wuyi stepped into the ring.

The instant his figure vanished, Zhao Yuanwu charged into the cave, his halberd sweeping wide, but it only struck an afterimage.

The light of the ring began to dim as its Energy dissipated rapidly.

Zhao Yuanwu’s face was ashen. He slammed a fist into the rock wall, making the entire cave tremble.

"Send out the order!" he roared. "Lock down all passages in the secret realm and investigate all suspicious individuals! And—"

He looked toward the spot where the ring had vanished, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Notify the Court! New otherworldly strangers have appeared. Their strength is suspected to be at the peak of the Sub-Saint realm, infinitely close to a Martial Saint!"

As his voice fell, Xu Wuyi had already appeared on the receiving platform in the Federation Control Zone.

Captain Chen and his team were all there. Medical personnel were administering emergency treatment to the seriously wounded.

Wu Dingbo and Feng Zhuohua stood beside the platform. Seeing Xu Wuyi return safely, they visibly relaxed.

"Mission complete," Xu Wuyi reported simply. "All seven have been brought back. No fatalities."

Feng Zhuohua nodded. "Good work. What was the reaction from the Great Liang side?"

"All three Sub-Saints were alerted, but they couldn’t catch up," Xu Wuyi said. "However, they’re definitely on guard now. They’ll be much more wary of the Federation from now on."

"That’s to be expected." Wu Dingbo clapped him on the shoulder. "Go get some rest first. We can talk about the detailed mission report tomorrow."

Xu Wuyi nodded and stepped off the platform.

...

「Great Liang, the Capital.」

「Deep within the Imperial City, Ziji Hall.」

The hall was brightly lit by candlelight, reflecting the solemn atmosphere within.

The Emperor, Zhou Shaoting, a man in his sixties, sat upon the Dragon Throne. He wore a bright yellow Dragon Robe, his expression calm, but a hint of worry lingered in his eyes.

Below him, on both sides, sat six individuals.

At the head of the left side sat an old man with a white beard and hair. He was dressed in a deep purple robe embroidered with cloud patterns. His face was gaunt, and his eyes were half-closed as if he were resting his spirit.

He was the State Preceptor of Great Liang, a Martial Saint level expert, Li Xuangang.

At the head of the right side was a middle-aged man in the black court attire of a military general. He had a powerful build and a resolute face.

This was none other than the Grand Marshal of the Army of Great Liang, Xiao Pojun, who was also a Martial Saint.

The other four were the Prime Minister, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Rites—all high-ranking ministers of the Great Liang Court.

The hall was silent, save for the faint crackle of a candle wick flaring up now and then.

"Speak your minds." Zhou Shaoting’s voice was not loud, but it carried the authority of one long accustomed to power. "This matter of the otherworldly strangers... how should we respond?"

The Prime Minister, Song Wenyuan, was the first to rise. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this servant believes caution should be our priority."

"According to the message from Sub-Saint Zhao, the stranger who abducted the prisoners is unfathomably powerful. He repelled Sub-Saint Zhao in a single move, which means he must be at least at the peak of the Sub-Saint realm."

"An expert of this caliber is no trivial matter. And the civilization behind him, calling itself the ’Star Yuan Federation,’ dares to claim it possesses a hundred Martial Saints. Whether this is true or not, it indicates they have a profound foundation."

The Grand Commandant, Zhang Wu, snorted coldly. "Prime Minister Song, you are being far too cautious. That stranger may be strong, but he is not yet a Martial Saint."

"As for the claim of a hundred Martial Saints, it’s most likely a bluff. If they truly had a hundred Martial Saints, why would they send a mere few Sub-Saints to negotiate? They would have just invaded with a full army."

"Grand Commandant Zhang, your words are mistaken," the Minister of Rites, Chen Qinghe, said slowly.

"Warfare is a grave matter of state. Since they can cross the Star Realm to reach us, their strength cannot be weak. It might be a bluff, but to ignore them completely would be to invite disaster."

The Minister of Revenue, Liu Yuanpei, frowned. "But they abducted people captured by our Great Liang. That in itself is a provocation. If our Court does nothing in response, won’t we become a laughingstock to the world?"