The Chronicles of New Havens

Minister Keigon and Lord Fuwu charged down the roads to the capital. As they approached, the forests gradually widened, and the roads changed from dirt to stone, causing their speed to pick up. Now, when they looked up, they could see the massive disturbance in the sky, caused by the Featherwind Pearl. The two men could tell things were not favorable to the council. Whipping their reins harder, an army of a hundred and forty thousand trailed behind them. No matter what, as long as they arrived on time, they would handle it. That was their confidence! Their spirits seemed to combine and manifest, as the vague aura of a hundred thousand people erupted. Anyone facing it would collapse in a puddle of fear. It was that oppressive! The ground trembled under their unstoppable momentum. It looked like nothing could stand in their way!

Galloping down the roads, the patriarchs soon spotted someone standing in the middle of the street. He seemed to have no awareness for his surroundings otherwise, he would have moved out of the way already. Regardless, the patriarchs were in no mood to entertain this person. Lord Fuwu shouted to his elite guards. They answered his call, rushed forward, and drew their swords. In a brilliant show of coordination, the Perception Realms unleashed five simultaneous flying strikes! Unbelievably, they were all using Martial Energy! Minister Keigon looked at Lord Fuwu in shock. The Jian Family had Martial Energy experts too? Just how much strength did they have hidden away? The flying strikes sliced through the air and threatened to split the man into five. Everyone expected a gruesome end, but the man casually raised a finger. Martial Energy swirled around it, forming a small sword; however, it was noticeably more tangible than the illusionary flying strikes. Furthermore, it released a menacing pressure that gave the Perception Realms a chill. The man used his finger sword to unleash five exact flying strikes. Bang! The ten flying strikes collided and perfectly neutralized each other in a large shockwave. The man was perfectly unharmed!

"Stop!" Minister Keigon shouted, sending the entire army skidding to a halt. Although he led an army of a hundred thousand people behind him, he still felt uneasy. This person was none other than…

"Sword King Sin Quelldown, this is the first time we've met. Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Lord Fuwu Jian, the current patriarch of the Jian Family."

He extended his hand in greeting, which was a sign of great respect coming from him. That was how highly he treated the Sword King. Despite that, the man in question did not bother to reply, much less return the courtesy. It was like Jian Family was nothing more than trash in his eyes. His dismissive attitude made Lord Fuwu's smile dim, as a hint of killing intent surfaced. Sure enough, like father, like son. Minister Keigon could see where the prime minister got his bad personality from.

"Sword King Sin, we don't have any business with you. We ask that you move aside, or we'll be forced to make you move," Minister Keigon said forcefully.

"Oh?" The Sword King smirked. He liked people who had the guts to stand up to him. More than the sneaky rats who schemed behind his back. "Unfortunately, I have an agreement with the Alzar Kingdom. I can't be letting you pass."

"And you won't budge?"

"I'm afraid not."

"What did the kingdom offer you?" Lord Fuwu asked. "Was it money, land, or power? We're willing to offer twice what the kingdom did for your services."

"You don't have what I want. It's as simple as that."

"I see… What a shame." Lord Fuwu shook his head.

"All troops, advance!" Minister Keigon roared. The situation at Yongtein had already turned critical. He refused to believe one man could stop an army of a hundred thousand. With thunderous momentum, the army charged towards the Sword King. They would trample him under their horses!

In the face of that daunting display though, the Sword King gave a slow, but confident gaze. This gaze terrified the Jian and Jun Family guards, making them instinctively rush to protect the two patriarchs. That split-second decision was correct, for the man reached for his sword and drew it. The motion was extremely ordinary, but once his sword left its sheath, a titanic, monstrous aura, far stronger than the army's, blasted into the heavens! It was so strong that everyone felt their hearts stop and their bodies freeze. They felt petrified! Even towards Yongtein, the five elder birds sensed his aura. There was no mistaking it. The Sword King was making a move!

He swung down. It was the simplest swing a swordsman could make, but it carried an unbelievable pressure. It felt like he was cleaving the world in two! Cloud Sea Style: Heaven's Divide! A gigantic blue flying strike blasted from his blade and shot straight towards the army. It was so sharp that the air screeched wherever it passed, and it was so fast that the soldiers saw a mere blue flash before it was over. Boom! A series of explosions slammed into the forest and mountains, as the flying strike sliced right through the entire convoy, extending far off into the distance before fading away. The resulting shockwaves and dust clouds made it hard to see, but as trees, rocks, horses, entire carriages, and even people started to rain down… It was obvious the extent of the destruction. When the dust finally settled, a deep gorge had appeared right in the middle of the road, stretching all the way into the mountains. Everything caught in its path was turned to dust. Nothing remained!

Sheathing his sword, that single technique had caused an incredible amount of damage to the enemy army. It was clear how strong he was. He was on another level! Despite that, this was an attack against an army of a hundred and forty thousand people. It was hard to imagine how many people that really was, but it was on an absurd scale. Consequently, at the Sword King's level, his attack was not enough to defeat everyone, nor even a small fraction of the enemy army. That would be a challenge, even for a Mid Rank 3 King equipped with Monarch Grade armaments, much less an Early Rank 3 King like himself. The soldiers coughed and groaned from the pain, while the two patriarchs stood up. Thanks to the guards' quick thinking, they were only covered in a layer of dirt and dust. They were unharmed otherwise. Of course, if the Sword King wanted to, he could have killed them as well; however, there was no need to. He had made his point clear.

"Give up already," the Sword King said. "While I can't kill you all, I can still stall you long enough for the kingdom to win. It's pointless to continue."

"You think that just because you've stopped us, that the kingdom will win?" Lord Fuwu sneered.

"You underestimate us. The empire is stronger than you think," Minister Keigon declared.

"Then let's test that theory out. Your army versus my sword," the Sword King replied fearlessly.

"Wait!" a woman shouted.

Everyone looked up to see a large bird, carrying several people on her back. Elder Crus landed with a powerful flap of her wings, clearly upset being used as transport. The person who shouted, Minister Chan, dismounted along with the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang. When the patriarchs saw them together, their expressions darkened. They realized that the Shui Family had likely betrayed the Imperial Council… This changed everything. If the Shui Family had control over Yongtein, then the battle became that much harder to win, doubly-so if the Sword King or the Featherwind Sect were to lend a hand. Minister Keigon and Lord Fuwu considered their next moves carefully.

"Thank you for stopping them, Sword King." Princess Ming bowed.

"Hmph."

Meanwhile, Imperian Qiang and Minister Chan faced the two patriarchs. In a way, this was a meeting between the leaders of the Four Great Nobility Families. Their combined status and authority could eclipse the Imperial Council, placing it one step below the Imperial Family. That was how powerful they were! The fate of the empire, and possibly the entire world, depended on what they would say next.

"So, you've betrayed us, Minister Chan," Lord Fuwu said. "I don't see Minister Daiyuu, but I assume the Shui Family has followed suit?"

"Yes, we have."

"How lamentable."

"Minister Keigon, Lord Fuwu, I ask that your families stand down," Imperian Qiang addressed.

"And why should we do that?" Minister Keigon mocked. "We have an army of a hundred and forty thousand people here. You're naïve to think we would stop because of a few words."