Nightfall

It was sizzling in Linkang in the heat of summer. A sedan came from outside the city and move slowly on the street. Liu Yiqing sat in the sedan with his eyes closed and his expression of indifference.

There were sparkles everywhere in the city. It lightened up the night and made it charming.

Liu Yiqing was blind. He could not see the sparkles but he did feel the heat, and could hear the constant cursing and screaming.

It was different from the golden flowers and rain that fell onto the ground in the spring breeze when Haotian left the human world. Neither was it like the tens of thousands of lanterns during the Spring Offering. It was flaming and killing.

The city in the darkness was like a black ocean. Dazzling flames were floating on the ocean. Linkang was not captured yet. But it had already fallen.

Pious followers of Haotian broke into the houses of followers of the New Stream and resorted to violence. Many families of the New Stream had left Linkang City in the last few months. The fanatical followers of Haotian could find no other outlets for their anger. Therefore they chose to set fire to the houses of the sinners who stayed.

People were dying and screaming. The killers and victims were both people of the South Jin. But who would care when they were executing under the name of their faith?

Liu Yiqing remained emotionless in his sedan. His eyes were closed as if he was falling asleep because of the swinging sedan.

Four ordinary servants were carrying his sedan. They were not the disciples of the Sword Garret. No one from the Sword Garret was by his side. They were neither in Linkang nor in the Sword Garret, but on their way.

Chen Pipi and all the disciples of the Sword Garret had escorted thousands of followers of the New Stream to the north. According to their plan, they should be near to the border of Song by now and getting closer to the Tang.

Liu Yiqing was all by himself tonight. He was a powerful cultivator at the stage of Knowing Destiny. Although he could not change the fate of Linkang, he was ready to face his destiny.

The screaming and killing gradually faded behind his sedan. The closer they got to the imperial city, the quieter it became. None of Haotian’s followers were making troubles in this area and no houses were set on fire. The streets were in the darkness.

Along the dark streets, he heard countless rapid breaths and clashing of weapons and armors. Those sounds meant danger.

Liu Yiqing heard them clearly. Yet he did not do anything or become alert because he knew those who could not hide themselves from him would never dare to attack.

Although the South Jin was the second most powerful kingdom in the world in terms of military force, no one dared to attack him. Ever since his sedan entered the city from the west until they almost arrived at the imperial city, not a single soldier dared to stop him.

It was because he was the brother of Liu Bai, the Sage of Sword. And he was the current leader of the Sword Garret and had killed the previous emperor of South Jin by himself. He had been the symbol of spirit and courage of the South Jin for years.

The imperial city was enveloped in darkness. Not even a single ray of light could be seen. It was extremely dark and deadly quiet.

The sedan stopped. Liu Yiqing slightly lifted his head and looked at the closed gate. Although he could see nothing, it seemed like his gaze was going beyond the white cloth on his eyes and about to cut the gate open.

He lifted his right hand from his knee and placed it on the hilt of his sword.

The four servants carrying the sedan were terrified and ran into the darkness.

Liu Yiqing knew clearly that the real danger, or his final destiny lied inside this quiet imperial city.

It has been months since the giant Ark was headed for the Divine Kingdom and the spring breeze and rain that had completely changed the human world. The Divine Halls of West-Hill had ordered to exterminate the New Stream throughout the world. Everyone from the imperial family to the military and ordinary people had swung to the West-Hill. The hidden waves were roaring.

No one was able to turn the tide. If Liu Bai was still alive, he might have turned it with his unparalleled reputation in South Jin and his unimaginable level of cultivation. But he was dead.

And Liu Yiqing was just Liu Bai’s brother.

Facing the roaring waves he had only two choices: to leave or to die.

He chose to stay, which meant death.

The heavy gate was opened silently. Thundering clattering sounds were heard while hundreds of heavily armed cavalrymen of South Jin darted from inside the imperial city. Their iron spears formed a chilling and glittering forest of blades.

Hundreds of torches were suddenly lighted on top of the imperial city. It was like hundreds of flaming arrows setting fire to a sail in the darkness. The darkness was immediately lightened up, dazzling like a sunny day.

The emperor of South Jin mounted the city wall under the protection of tens of superior cultivators. He shouted to Liu Yiqing, “You damn blind man, you will die tonight!”

The current emperor of South Jin was very young. When Liu Yiqing killed the previous emperor, he chose the youngest son to succeed the throne. It was because a young emperor could not cause much trouble.

Many years went by. The young emperor was still a young emperor. But he was already able to cause trouble. The whole imperial family of South Jin was scared and resentful, which was clearly expressed in his words.

The young emperor looked extremely pale because he was scared by this blind man standing in front of the imperial city. But his cheeks were weirdly rosy because he was excited to see that this blind man was about to be killed.

His voice trembled due to fear and excitement. Hundreds of torches lightened up the night and made him squint. He seemed to be enchanted.

Liu Yiqing did not squint to show his contempt because he was blind. No emotion was shown on his face. True contempt was invisible.

“You can’t kill me,” Liu Yiqing said calmly because he was stating the truth. No one from the hundreds of cavalrymen coming from the palace or the tens of cultivators guarding the emperor could kill him.

If he could be killed so easily, how could he have killed the previous South Jin emperor?

The young emperor turned even more pale. He knew that no one could save Liu Yiqing tonight. Yet he could not contradict him either because he was not the one who could kill Liu Yiqing.

The ground started shivering in front of the imperial city because of the quake coming from afar. It was followed by cracking sounds in the air and pounding clatters.

Liu Yiqing knew that was the two thousand cavalrymen sent by the Divine Halls.

Previously it was shining like the day in front of the imperial city. But it suddenly darkened and tens of divine priests from the Divine Halls appeared from the darkness. The leading one was a very skinny middle-aged priest.

The middle-aged priest was Zhao Sishou, the current Great Divine Priest of Revelation. More importantly, he was the second son of Zhao Nanhai, the Great Divine Priest of South Sea.

Liu Yiqing did not spare a single glance at Zhao Sishou. Instead, he looked into the profound darkness. Zhao Sishou was one of the powerful Knowing Destiny cultivators from the South Sea. But Liu Yiqing paid no attention to him. He only cared about the darkness.

No one knew who else was in the darkness. Liu Yiqing asked to the darkness, “Does it mean that the Divine Halls will interfere?”

A voice came from the darkness, “You are the one who started this.”

Liu Yiqing gave it some thought and agreed. He was the one who lifted the curtain of the new era at the beginning. Therefore, he should unveil it completely tonight.

…