Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Boom!

Everyone in the city could hear it.

The dust accumulated over many years dropped down from the roof beams.

The crowds on the streets were perplexed as to what had happened.

The officials of the court who had just received news from the south wondered in shock, has another mountain collapsed?

The thunderous boom gradually faded into the distance.

The massive dragon claw slowly drew back into the clouds.

The array over the Prince of Xiang's estate had been shattered. Though the estate had not been turned into ruins, it was not far from it.

The wooden bridge had been shattered, and ruined evening pavilions were tilting into the lake. The waters of the lake sloshed against the shores, turning the yellow sands of the horse track into a muddy slurry.

Dust rose all around the estate, as did screams. Dazzling stains of blood could be seen speckling the white walls and their red tiles.

The orderly and muffled steps of the Li Palace priests could be heard from the other side of the broken walls, and the situation soon fell into even greater disorder.

The reception hall deep within the estate was a little quieter, and the building here was also relatively intact, but two holes had appeared at one of its corners.

Suddenly, a dazzling ray of light, just like a sword, shot out of those two holes.

The hard bricks of the wall were torn apart like paper.

The walls making up this corner and the roof above it neatly fell down.

Clinkclinkclinkclink!

In a series of bright shattering sounds, those timeworn tiles and beast sculptures broke into pieces.

Careful examination would reveal that straight line amongst the shards and the flat edges shining like gold.

The corner of the wall had vanished, so that person was naturally revealed.

The old Daoist squinted, wanting to confirm the identity of his assailant.

This person was dressed in blue, but it would not make one think of the blue gown of a youth, only make one feel that he was a servant.

It was absolutely impossible for him to be a servant.

The old Daoist quickly realized who he was.

Other than that person, who else in the world could find such a superb moment to strike?

Whose sword could be so fast and so vicious that it could slay him in a single strike?

The old Daoist sighed, "I didn't expect you to already be half a step from the Divine."

The blue-clothed servant was Liu Qing.

With Su Li and that mysterious individual gone, he was the most frightening assassin in the world.

And only he would still insist on working in the shadows, even when he was half a step from the Divine.

Liu Qing did not respond.

This was out of caution, and it was also a habit from his line of work.

The old Daoist arched his brows in displeasure.

And then, his brow split.

A wound appeared in the center of his left brow.

It was a wound so fine and slender that it seemed rather elegant.

If it had been made by a sword, then this sword had been so finely controlled that it was almost godlike.

Blood began to seep out of this fine wound.

The old Daoist sighed, then sat against the wall.

More and more blood began to rush out of the wound, gurgling out.

Liu Qing did not look. He kept his gaze fixed on the old Daoist's hands.

He had been doing so from the moment he had appeared.

The old Daoist's hands were not holding a sword.

That sword had disappeared into the sky.

But he did not relax his guard.

Because the old Daoist had maintained his illusory grasp on the sword.

Now, the old Daoist finally loosened his grip.

After holding his breath for a very long time, he finally gave one last exhalation.

This breath was as hot as lava, scalding magma that instantly vaporized the falling snow into steam.

There was a sloshing sound.

His gaze moved upward, resting on the old Daoist's face for a few moments.

The old Daoist had already shut his eyes, and he was no longer breathing.

Liu Qing finally relaxed, but there was no joy on his face, only a pale complexion.

To kill the old Daoist, he had suffered heavy internal injuries.

Without any array or a true expert like the old Daoist, the Prince of Xiang's estate only managed to put up a brief resistance before the might of the Li Palace.

The Li Palace quickly seized the entire estate, as well as the two neighboring estates.

Hu Thirty-Two ordered his subordinates, "Don't alarm the women in the rear courtyard."

The Orthodoxy had finally attacked the Imperial clan. No matter what happened afterward, it was now time to reap sufficient rewards. The Li Palace had to acquire several ledgers and a few hidden objects. How to deal with the people within this princely estate was another matter entirely.

Bishops from the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green and bishops from the Li Palace specializing in divine arts were currently treating the wounded.

A flash of Sacred Light would occasionally rise from the ruins, followed by chanting.

Even the wounded from the Prince of Xiang's estate would be treated. Of course, they were put behind the priests of the Li Palace.

Daoist Siyuan slightly frowned as his right hand rubbed his slightly bulging belt.

He deeply disapproved of this way of doing things, but this was the Pope's order.

The bottle of Cinnabar Pills in his belt had been personally given to him by the Pope.

Even if there were people that could not be saved with the Sacred Light technique, this bottle of Cinnabar Pills would probably make it very difficult to die.

Of course, those who were already dead could not be brought back to life.

Daoist Siyuan looked at the old Daoist by the broken wall, a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

The old Daoist was thin and short. His white hair was in a mess and his body was covered in blood.

The most powerful person seemed very weak once they were dead.

He knew of this old Daoist's background and identity.

This old Daoist was the individual that he and Linghai Zhiwang had most feared before the start of this undertaking.

In the last few years, the Hall of Heavenly Judgment had sent many people to Luoyang to keep watch on the Monastery of Eternal Spring, especially on this old Daoist.

The moment the old Daoist left Luoyang, he and Linghai Zhiwang had found out and reported the matter to Chen Changsheng the same night.

Chen Changsheng had been practicing the sword in the stone room at the time and expressed no opinion.

It was only today that Daoist Siyuan learned that the Pope had made arrangements for this a long time ago.

His gaze fell on the old Daoist's severed brow.

There was still some sword intent there.

This sword intent was like a willow catkin about to break. It was extremely fine and clear.

A gust of cold wind caused a biting sensation to appear.

Just how frightening was an assassin that could kill this old Daoist?

His brows perked as he thought of that blue figure he had spied earlier in the snow. Just what is the relationship between His Holiness and Liu Qing?

At this moment, three people abruptly appeared in the ruins.

Daoist Siyuan was not shocked, nor did he appear wary. He had clearly known in advance of that tunnel in the reception hall.

He bowed to the two Daoist nuns and said, "I have seen my two seniors."

Huai Shu sternly said, "Since you've moved, why did you not tell the Holy Maiden beforehand?"

This straightforward nun of irascible temperament was clearly in a foul mood.

If Daoist Siyuan had not been a Prefect of the Orthodoxy leading one of the Sacred Halls, she might have shown even more anger.

Daoist Siyuan bitterly smiled. "I also only knew of His Holiness's arrangements just before coming."

Huai Shu was dumbstruck by these words while Huai Ren also appeared rather surprised.

Daoist Siyuan knew that this matter was very hard to clearly explain. He said no more and looked to another person.

Even with the help of three Daoists from the Monastery of Eternal Spring, Prince Chen Liu had still failed to reach the Luo River, and Hanqiu City was still a thousand li away.

His face was rather pale and a few bloodstains could be seen on his body, but his expression retained its habitual calm.

Daoist Siyuan found this rather admirable, and then he felt that the Pope's arrangements might be inappropriate.