Crack!

A clear sound rang through the sky, overwhelming the sound of the storm. Even the thunder booming among the dark clouds was drowned out by the crack.

It was complete silence among the sea of dark storm clouds.

Fang Lang's heavy panting reverberated in his body. He was covered in blood and his eyes were red-tinged and a little crazed.

The suffocating presence of the Tang Code was so strong it made Fang Lang tremble.

The aura struck the deep parts of his soul. If Fang Lang could not endure this, he would likely end up like Wen Ting ten years ago. His will would be crushed and his sword drive destroyed!

However, Fang Lang was different from Wen Ting. Wen Ting was a genius who had never encountered struggles since he was young.

As for Fang Lang, he was not born a geniushe was only a white core. Even though with the help of the System, his core appeared purple to others, in reality, Fang Lang was still a white core.

He was never a genius. Before he obtained the System, he had failed more times than he could count. No matter if it was flunking his exams or stagnating in his cultivation, Fang Lang had experienced it all.

Hence, Fang Lang had a tenacity unique to him. In fact, in the boundless universe, many talents were common. However, everyone who strived toward a goal would have tenacity. It did not matter if it were the world of cultivators or the ordinary world. There would be people of this sort in any world.

With the existence of the System, Fang Lang had embraced his opportunity.

Hence, Fang Lang carried within his heart a need to give it all as he faced the oppression of the Tang Code. As it tried to destroy his sword drive, Fang Lang resisted against it!

He waved the Blooming Lotus Sword in his hand and sliced the figure formed of Li Tianlin's royal blood.

Xuanyuan Taihua expected Fang Lang to fear raising his sword against the golden figure as the figure was ten times stronger than the living Li Tianlin due to the support from the Tang Code.

Li Tianlin was dead but the golden figure came back stronger.

Due to this, Xuanyuan Taihua was worried and had only asked Fang Lang to defend for five breaths.

However, Fang Lang managed to raise his sword.

When Li Tianlin was alive, Fang Lang had dared to chop his head off. He had nothing to fear from a golden figure who was not even alive!?

Fang Lang's sword attack surprised the peerless First Sword Xuanyuan Taihua!

In the barrier between the two realms, Xuanyuan Taihua wore a complicated expression as she looked at Fang Lang.

He was the disciple she accepted out of convenience. However, he turned out to be more outstanding than she expected!

His excellence did not merely present itself in his cultivation but also in his inner self!

"Perhaps with this disciple, I'll have the opportunity to retrieve the remaining three swords, the Withering Lotus, the Circling Lotus and the Reincarnating Lotus. I might be able to turn this hopeless situation around."

Xuanyuan Taihua's expression was full of complex emotions.

Ten years ago, she had taught Wen TIng the Sword Nurturing Spell in order to help Wen Ting rebuild his sword drive.

Ten years later, an unexpected youth appeared in the world! Just like a wild card, he unexpectedly entered the chessboard and carved out a spot for himself.

Hence, Xuanyuan Taihua made changes to her plan. Her body glowed with a brilliant light that spread as far as 10,000 feet. The blade energy world behind her became even more powerful and strong.

Fang Lang's sword attack had caused a small chip in the Tang Code. It was like he carved out a tiny opening in a vast territory.

He gave Xuanyuan Taihua an opportunity to strike in the battle of wills!

Bang!

Fang Lang floated upon the sea of black storm clouds like a leaf. The blood figure of Li Tianlin exploded into two masses of vibrating liquid.

Fang Lang could faintly hear an angry howl that made him hold his breath! He stared at the small opening in the Tang Code. His breath being forced back into his organs!

There was a dazed look in his eyes as he stood in his blood-soaked garment.

So this was the Tang Code?

This was the Tang Code of the Tang Dynasty?

Why was it so mysterious!?

Fang Lang felt as though his brain was full of glue. When he looked at the chip in the Tang Code, an angered wild beast seemed to vibrate violently. Fang Lang could vaguely see a vast, bloody territory appear behind the Tang Code. Inside the boundless territory, there was a great figure standing there overlooking the area.

It was a startling scene. It made him feel as though an evil beast was about to leap out at him!

Thankfully, Xuanyuan Taihua's blade energy world fought back against that vision, helping Fang Lang resist the impact.

Fang Lang's will recovered. However, he noticed the first prince's golden figure was twisting and writhing

In the end, it was engulfed by the Tang Code.

The small opening that was formed in the Tang Code was beginning to mend under the shower of golden blood.

Xuanyuan Taihua who was caught between the realms of the demon world and the Tang Dynasty widened her eyes. Her eyes were filled with neither joy nor sadness.

She raised her hand and pointed the sword slightly before her and gently tapped it.

At that moment, multiple lotus flowers bloomed within the blade energy world. It was an illusion of a thousand lives and deaths!

It was like a cleansing rain falling upon the peaceful surface of a pond, causing countless ripples. Before the old ones disappeared, new ripples were formed!

Bang!

The Blooming Lotus Sword in Fang Lang's hands was stained by the blood flowing from every pore on his body. It shuddered, emitting an exhausted screech then a mighty roar as it exploded into multiple shards that turned into countless blooming lotus flowers among the dark sea of storm clouds. The shards rushed toward the small crack on the Tang Code.

Like a needle stabbing into an open wound, the Blooming Lotus shards melded together with the Tang Code!

It was like a nail hammering into the coffin, pinning down the roaring will within!

The First Sword stood up and waved.

Countless shards of the Blooming Lotus Sword began to reform. In the end, a newly reformed Blooming Lotus Sword appeared without the sword tip.

Fang Lang was pushed by a force and fell off the sea of dark clouds!

With a shudder of the Tang Code, numerous thunder dragons flew around the storm clouds and curled around the Tang Code. The dragons transformed into a burly figure like the Thunder God and faced Xuanyuan Taihua.

This was the last scene that Fang Lang saw.

Thud!

Fang Lang dropped out of the sea of clouds and blended with the raindrops, falling rapidly down to the earth!

Youzhou Demon Portal.

The fourth Resource Station.

Pei Liao, Jiang Linglong, Wen Ting and everyone else looked up into the sky overcast with black storm clouds. The heavy rain continued to pour down, beating on the earth.

They did not know what went on above the sea of clouds. They only saw the golden blood figure of Li Tianlin created by the Tang Code advance on Fang Lang, As though a curtain had been drawn, their eyes were shielded.

They could only sense a terrifying clash of forces in the skies.

Xuanyuan Taihua and the Tang Code's battle of wills was not over yet!

All of a sudden, everyone's pupils constricted. They could see a blood-covered figure falling through the dark sea of clouds.

An exhausted Fang Lang was falling from the skies.

Pei Liao took a step forward and shot out into the sky. With a sweep of his sleeve, he wrapped Fang Lang's body and brought him down to earth.

Pei Liao did not say a thing. Jiang Linglong, Wen Ting and the others quickly rushed over. When they saw Fang Lang's crazy but happy smile and the fact that he was still panting, they let out a sigh of relief.

Fang Lang was not dead.

Jiang Linglong quickly took out a bottle of medicinal pill from within her space ring. She poured out a couple of pills and stuffed them into Fang Lang's mouth to heal his injuries.

Only then did everyone shift their gaze to the side. Their gaze landed on the Blooming Lotus Sword which was covered in cracks and missing a sword tip. Their faces were full of disbelief!

The Blooming Lotus Sword was shattered!?

This was First Sword Taihua's legendary sword. How could it be broken!?

They did not witness Fang Lang swinging his sword against the Tang Code. However, the sight of the shattered Blooming Lotus Sword made their hairs stand on end.

They were extremely curious to see the battle going on in the sky!

Pei Liao's handsome and cool face was full of emotion. He stared at the missing edge of the Blooming Lotus Sword. There seemed to be cold sweat mixed in with the rain on his forehead.

"Where was the piece of the Blooming Lotus Sword?"

Compared to the violence in the Youzhou Demon Portal, it was still extremely lively in Changan City. After all, it was soon to be the birthday celebration of the Tang Dynasty Emperor. This was a joyous day of celebration throughout the Tang Dynasty.

At the Martial Arts King Manor.

A heavy flurry of snow landed on the dark black tiles, coating the entire roof with a thick layer of white.

Compared to the merriment outside the manor, the area within the manor was extremely quiet.

Princess Pei Shi wore a red overcoat and sat by the window. She held a brush and copied the poems composed by Fang Lang with elegant brushstrokes. Once she was done writing, she picked up the paper and tapped it with her finger. A smile appeared on her face.

"I'll get Little Lang to write a couple more poems so that it can be compiled into a book of poetry. The style of these poems is slightly different but they're meaningful. I still can't fathom how that kid managed to compose all these poems!" exclaimed Princess Pei Shi admiringly.

As she was admiring the poems, the door in the small courtyard next door was shut tightly.

A mysterious figure quietly sat in the pagoda of the adjacent courtyard, looking at the sky full of drifting snowflakes. When the man looked in the direction of the Youzhou Demon Portal, his eyes darkened.

He seemed to see the torn barrier between the two realms and the appearance of the First Sword.

"Taihua finally appeared!'

After a long time had passed, Martial Arts King Jiang finally spoke out. He stood up and walked toward his own house and shut the door.

It was devoid of sound and shut off from the rest of the world.

The White Jade Square, before the Taiji Palace.

The heavy snowfall came to an abrupt halt.

All eyes were fixated on the images on the Thousand-Mile Mirror.

The image on the Thousand-Mile Mirror changed and very quickly showed the scene in the Youzhou Demon Portal.

A deathly silence engulfed the White Jade Square.

The civil and military officials and the sect leaders were all in a trance as they watched the display on the Thousand-Mile Mirror.

A couple of imperial censors, who were kneeling on the ground, calling out for the third prince's impeachment, began to shake like leaves!

Grand Chancellor Lu Taixuan's eyes were wide open as he fixed his gaze upon the image. He took a deep breath.

Li Puyi was even more restless. His palms were clenched tightly under the sleeves of his official robes!

W-what was this!?

In the images, the Minister of Rite, Zhou Yiyuan's dead body was on the ground. The blood spilling out of his body had formed a little pool.

The powerful martial artist who had achieved the eighth-class void-shattering realm was dead. He died a tragic death in the Youzhou Demon Portal!

Zhou Yiyuan was a high-ranking official of the Tang Dynasty!

What on earth happened in the Youzhou Demon Portal!?

The audience's vision followed the Thousand-Mile Mirror.

The scene in the Thousand-Mile Mirror continued to climb higher and higher

Finally, it presented the crack in the skies. It was the torn barrier between the two realms!

Between the realms stood a graceful, gorgeous figurea peerless beauty.

That spectacular figure was facing the Tang Code that glowed with a golden brilliance as bright as the sun!

Xuanyuan Taihua was battling the Tang Code!

Before the Taiji Palace, shallow breathing could be heard!

"Xuanyuan Taihua!?"

"First Sword Taihua!"

"That's her! The First Sword who's been missing for ten years! S-she's not dead!"

The civil and military officials and the warriors from the various sects were shocked! At that moment, the entire area broke out in an uproar!

The legendary cultivator of the Tang Dynasty who had gone missing ten years ago suddenly appeared and was engaged in battle with the most powerful magical artifact of the Tang Dynasty!

Their shock was justifiable!

Xuanyuan Taihua was not dead! She appeared out of the blue. However, why was she gone for the past ten years?

Where did she go? What were her reasons for disappearing?

All these questions appeared in the minds of every single person present.

A gigantic net seemed to have appeared in the skies above Changan City and all were trapped within.

All of a sudden, from deep within the Royal City, a shattering sound rang out. The sound was quickly followed by a golden pillar of light shooting into the sky.

Under everyone's gaze, the first prince, Li Tianlin's illusion appeared within the light pillar. The illusion smiled wanly then

It began to fall and ignite!

The light crumbled!

The third prince who was kneeling on the ground watched the scene in a daze. Goosebumps appeared as he shook like a leaf!

The life token shattered.

This meant the first prince, Li Tianlin, was dead!

An inexplicable sense of sorrow filled Li Liancheng's heart despite the neverending conflict between the brothers.

Although it was said that the royal family was heartless, they were still related by blood. Grief struck Li Liancheng.

Of course, this sorrow soon turned into joy.

With Li Tianlin dead, the fight for the title of crown prince was over. The position of crown prince would likely belong to Li Liancheng.

Li Liancheng stared intently at the Youzhou Demon Portal in the Thousand-Mile Mirror.

'Who killed the first prince?

'Was it Xuanyuan Taihua?

'No'

The face of the stubborn and crazy youth appeared in Li Liancheng's mind.

'Fang Lang?'

Li Liancheng pondered, 'Was it really Fang Lang who killed Li Tianlin? It could be possible...'

In front of Taiji Palace.

The idiotic second prince also showed had a look of sorrow.

"Big brother seems to be dead. I think I saw my eldest brother dead! It's horrible! So horrible!"

The second prince held his face in his hands. He was shivering from fright.

The fifth princess was deathly pale. Her entire body was trembling as well.

She suddenly gasped then coughed violently. She clasped her mouth. After her coughing episode, her silk handkerchief was covered in fresh blood. It was a heart-wrenching sight.

"Big brother" The fifth princess sobbed, filled with unbearable grief.

A commotion broke out among the officials. Numerous officials knelt on the ground in sorrow.

The news shook many.

Li Tianlin was dead. Xuanyuan Taihua and the Tang Code were engaged in battle!

What did this mean!?

It meant the person who killed the first prince was likely Xuanyuan Taihua!

At the area that held the ten great sects, the expressions on the cultivators' faces changed drastically. After all, this was unbelievable news!

However, after the commotion in the White Jade Square settled, silence reigned.

If this was a normal day, the imperial censors would have knelt to call out for judgment.

However, to impeach Xuanyuan Taihua

The imperial censors were unsure and hesitant.

All of a sudden, everyone raised their heads to find the sky above Changan City was a fiery red!

It was like there was a sea of fire spreading across the sky!

Those who were deeply shocked by the news of the first prince's death raised their heads.

They saw a human figure tear through the fiery red clouds. With each step the figure took, their aura seemed to grow drastically!

The terrifying aura lingered in the air. It was like a fiery Sky God was descending from the heavens!

A flaming red sword circled around the figure. Like a roaring flame dragon that set fire to the clouds, the figure charged at Changan.

The figure descended at a shocking speed and shot out directly toward the Taiji Palace!

"Nan Yehuo of the Donglu's Sword League?!"

"How dare he! How dare he!"

"There's a rogue swords master! Guard the Emperor! Hurry and protect the Emperor!"

On the White Jade Square, the officials and the cultivators felt as though they were experiencing shock after shock like never before.

Too many things have happened in a single day.

The strange incident in the Youzhou Demon Portal, the death of the first prince and the reappearance of Xuanyuan Taihua!

Each piece of news was enough to shake the foundations of the Tang Dynasty.

On top of that, the sect leader of the Donglu's Sword League, Nan Yehuoa sword master with power great enough to dominate the worldwas charging toward the Taiji Palace!

The intelligent officials finally connected the dots and were shocked!

The first prince, the Minister of Rites and Nan Yehuo!

The series of events suggested the Emperor was their target right from the start!

The flame swiftly descended as the fiery snake slithered out. The sea of fire filled the entire sky!

It was fast! It was too fast!

At that moment, Nan Yehuo's cultivation seemed to sublimate. That powerful aura was about to break through into the ninth class! It seemed like it was about to break through the shackles of this world!

Before Lu Taixuan and the others could react, it was too late! In fact, even if they acted immediately, they might not be able to block the attack!

Instead of descending into chaos like the officials, the warriors of the various sects had a glint of curiosity in their shocked expressions.

Nan Yehuo's attack would pry into the condition of the mighty one in the palace!

It was a great opportunity while the Tang Code that hung above everyone's heads was gone!