Chapter 337: A Sudden Complication

The Great Mansion Lord watched the blade, which seemed capable of cleaving anything, as it bore down on him. His face was already ghastly pale.

Though Yi Xiaoyao’s slash appeared slow, it crossed a vast expanse of empty space in an instant, materializing right above the Great Mansion Lord’s head.

‘Flee?’

That one word was all that remained in the Great Mansion Lord’s mind. But he knew that even if he could escape this attack, he couldn’t escape Yi Xiaoyao’s hunt.

After a split second of deliberation, the Great Mansion Lord desperately gathered the surrounding ice before him, forming a massive Ice Shield. He himself transformed into a sharp streak of light, shooting away in the direction of the Great Xia Emperor’s Palace to escape.

Yi Xiaoyao shattered the Ice Shield with a single slash. A cold smile played on his lips as he watched the Great Mansion Lord’s fleeing figure.

“Quick! Activate the Palace Defense Array!”

The Great Mansion Lord yelled desperately toward the Emperor’s Palace below, but his voice suddenly cut off.

A colossal flash of fiery light blazed as Yi Xiaoyao’s immense form appeared out of thin air above the Emperor’s Palace, blocking the Great Mansion Lord’s path.

At the same time, the massive Blood-colored Giant Sword slashed through the air, instantly obliterating the Great Mansion Lord’s body.

Everyone who witnessed this scene gasped, their mouths agape in shock.

“The Great Mansion Lord was killed!”

“Even the Great Mansion Lord was no match for him! What kind of monster is this Yi Xiaoyao?!”

“It’s over! The Imperial Army Mansion is finished! And Great Xia… it’s doomed!”

It wasn’t just the warring armies; everyone in the Imperial Capital was watching this battle, and all were stunned by what they saw.

Yi Xiaoyao’s killing form had not yet dissipated. His narrowed eyes swept over the forces of the Imperial Army Mansion, who were now completely cornered.

“Great Xia is about to fall! Surrender now!”

His booming voice echoed through the sky, reverberating in the hearts of all the experts from the Imperial Army Mansion.

With all three Lords of the Mansion dead, they were left without a shred of hope.

The next moment, the soldiers of the Imperial Army Mansion threw down their weapons and armor, crying out their surrender.

“How boring. We haven’t had our fill of killing yet!”

The members of the Carefree Alliance listlessly ceased their slaughter and took the surrendering Imperial Army Mansion soldiers into custody.

Yi Xiaoyao smiled in satisfaction, then looked down at the Great Xia Emperor’s Palace.

At that moment, a nearly transparent Energy Barrier had been activated around the Great Xia Emperor’s Palace—it was the Palace Defense Array.

As Yi Xiaoyao slowly descended toward the Great Xia Emperor’s Palace, Emperor Xia paced frantically within the Palace Defense Array.

Finally, Yi Xiaoyao landed before the Emperor’s Palace. The Blood-colored Giant Sword came down in a slash, like a world-shattering rainbow.

BOOM!

The blade struck the Grand Array, and the entire land trembled violently. Though the array withstood the force of the attack, its light dimmed significantly and it began to waver. It would shatter in three slashes at most.

Watching Yi Xiaoyao slay the three Lords of the Mansion and now begin to shatter the Palace Defense Array, countless experts sighed and began to discuss the situation.

“Great Xia… is finished!”

In the crowd, a young man’s lips curved into a faint smile, a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Not necessarily.”

A middle-aged man beside him shook his head, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“Not necessarily?” The young man’s brow furrowed. “All three of Great Xia’s Lords of the Mansion were killed by Yi Xiaoyao. There’s no one left who can stop him. The moment this Palace Defense Array shatters will be the moment Great Xia is utterly destroyed. So why would you say ‘not necessarily,’ Master?”

The middle-aged man said, “The Spiritual Skill I just saw the Great Mansion Lord use was one of Heihuang’s Techniques. I suspect the Great Xia Empire has close ties with Heihuang.”

“Heihuang?” The young man looked confused.

The middle-aged man smiled faintly. “Keep watching. You’ll see.”

The young man nodded and continued to watch.

Meanwhile, Yi Xiaoyao had already delivered his second slash, and the third followed immediately after.

The tottering Palace Defense Array finally let out a deafening crack. The resulting shockwave caused all the buildings in the Emperor’s Palace to tremble violently.

“After today, Great Xia will be no more!”

Under the gazes of the entire crowd, Yi Xiaoyao’s fourth slash came down, aimed at destroying the Great Xia Emperor’s Palace.

Hiding below, Emperor Xia wailed in despair, “Why haven’t the lords from Heihuang arrived yet?!”

Just then, a spatial ripple suddenly emanated from within the Emperor’s Palace, immediately followed by a cold snort.

“Whether Great Xia continues to exist is not for you to decide!”

The moment the voice faded, a gigantic palm of black ice shot out from the Emperor’s Palace and slammed into Yi Xiaoyao’s descending giant sword.

KRAK!

A terrifying shockwave spread out, accompanied by an astonishing shattering sound. Yi Xiaoyao’s expression changed drastically.

His giant sword, upon contact with the black ice palm, hadn’t even scratched it. Instead, it had been shattered to pieces!

Immediately after, the black ice palm appeared before Yi Xiaoyao. It struck his immense killing form, causing it to explode into a cloud of blood mist. Yi Xiaoyao’s own body was sent flying violently from the mist.

This stunning reversal left everyone staring in utter shock.

Then, a young man in magnificent, dark robes appeared arrogantly in the sky above the Emperor’s Palace.

The despair on Emperor Xia’s face instantly transformed into joyous surprise.

“My lord! You’ve finally arrived!”

Emperor Xia let out a huge sigh of relief.

The robed youth snorted coldly. “You people of Great Xia are truly worthless. A hundred years ago, you were nearly destroyed by a single Cang Tianxing, and now this happens again! If it weren’t for us from Heihuang, who knows how many times your empire would have fallen by now!”

“Yes, yes! My lord, it is only thanks to Heihuang’s assistance that Great Xia still exists. After this incident, we will certainly offer another century’s worth of our empire’s taxes as tribute!” Emperor Xia nodded repeatedly.

The exchange between Emperor Xia and the youth in dark, magnificent robes stunned everyone.

After all, Emperor Xia was the ruler of millions, yet here he was, addressing this young man as “my lord”? And with such a subservient attitude.

The robed youth, in turn, spoke to Emperor Xia with the clear air of a superior.

“How is this possible?” one of the experts exclaimed in horror. “Emperor Xia’s power might not match the Great Mansion Lord’s, but his status is higher! In the entire Great Xia Empire, who could possibly be worthy of him calling them ‘my lord’?”

“And they just mentioned Heihuang. What is that, a place or a faction?”

“Regardless, that robed youth just shattered all of Yi Xiaoyao’s Techniques with a single palm strike. That alone shows how powerful he is!”

The crowd murmured in astonishment, their faces a mixture of shock and doubt. To be able to repel Yi Xiaoyao with a single palm strike… the situation had become very clear.

Meanwhile, Yi Xiaoyao forcefully stabilized his retreating form, his heart churning with shock. ‘If my killing form hadn’t taken the brunt of that youth’s palm strike,’ he thought, ‘I’m afraid there would be nothing left of me.’

‘Who is this person?!’

Yi Xiaoyao stared at the robed youth, his pupils constricting.

‘The Great Xia Empire was hiding someone this powerful? Why have I never heard of this?’