Chapter 7: The Heaven Sword Rings

  The so-called Son of Heaven is the true dragon bloodline, with a destiny of nine and five. He unites heaven's heart above and responds to human harmony below, born after 500 years of smooth energy operation. Pacifying chaos and establishing a nation. The heavenly sword, however, is the Son of Heaven's matching military power. If not for the true dragon bloodline, this sword's might would not be born, no different from ordinary iron. Only with the nine-five destiny can one unite with the army as one, unify the rivers and mountains, and achieve a magnificent great undertaking that will last for thousands of generations.

  At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos. First, there were three kingdoms: Wei, Shu, and Wu. Then, there were the Five Barbarians' invasion, and the north and south were divided. The land of China was filled with smoke and fire, and the war did not cease. For centuries, there was no true dragon emperor, and the heavenly sword also disappeared without a trace. Until thirty years ago, the heavenly sword suddenly appeared out of thin air and was obtained by Yang Jian, the great general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty at that time. From then on, the fate was decided, and everything went smoothly. He replaced the Zhou Dynasty with the Sui Dynasty, pacified Chen in the south, defeated the Turks, and ended the four-hundred-year chaos, creating a prosperous era. The process was indeed fraught with danger, but thanks to the power of the heavenly sword protecting its master, there were no accidents, and finally, the danger was turned into safety.

  In recent years, the world has been at peace, and the power of the Sui Dynasty has been rising day by day. Everything is on track. Yang Jian is also getting older and rarely shows off his martial arts skills in front of his subordinates. However, Li Yuan and Yuwen Shu, two of the court's top generals who were expected to work together, surprisingly still couldn't defeat the monk Fa Rong from Tianzhu. It was really shocking - of course, there were no glasses in this era.

  As the Son of Heaven, he naturally had a proud air. Yang Su's timely shout of "assassin, protect the emperor" could indeed gather the strength of many skilled fighters to kill Tianzhu monk and Yizhi Wende in one fell swoop. However, since all the foreign envoys were present, it would be too brazen to point at a deer and call it a horse under everyone's watchful eyes - something Yang Su could do, but Yang Jian couldn't. It seemed that no one else on the imperial court could surpass Li Yuan and Yuwen Shu in single combat. In order to save face, even if it meant taking personal command of the army, there was nothing that could be said about it.

  As Yang Guang's hand grasped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword, he gestured for the crowd to make way, his face stern, about to step down from the Golden Staircase. However, although he intended to go into battle, how could the officials on the platform dare, and even more so, be willing to let the Emperor take this risk? For a moment, no one was willing to move back. Yang Guang stepped forward first, kneeling on one knee: "Father, you are the treasure of the nation, connected to the great Sui dynasty, shouldering the fortunes and misfortunes of the people. It's just the remote and barbaric Goguryeo, why must you trouble yourself to go into battle personally? Although I am not talented, I am willing to take your place. Teach this kind of clown a lesson."

  Yang Guang took the lead, and the rest of the Shu kings, Yang Xiu and Han king Yang Yan, naturally did not want to be left behind. They all stood up and asked to go to war. It wasn't that they were confident in their ability to defeat the Tianzhu monk, but rather because their father, the emperor, was already advanced in age, and when faced with such a major event, as his sons, if they didn't rush to take on the burden for him, wouldn't that be extremely unfilial?

  However, Yang Xiu and Yang Guang had different ideas. Among the five sons of Emperor Wen, Prince of Shu had a particularly good relationship with the former Crown Prince. When Emperor Wen deposed Yang Yong and replaced him with Yang Guang, Yang Xiu felt somewhat resentful. This time, when he requested to go to battle, he also harbored the intention of not allowing Yang Guang to gain merit.

  In comparison, Han Wang was young and vigorous, in the prime of his life. In recent years, he had frequently led troops on expeditions, and due to being pampered, gradually nurtured ambitions for greater power. Regardless of success or failure, everything could earn him a great impression in front of his old man. Even if there were great dangers, in his eyes it was absolutely worth taking the risk.

  Yang Jian's old eyes had not yet dimmed, and he could see through the thoughts of his three sons even more clearly. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh in his heart. He wanted to take personal action, but it was originally an act of desperation. The monk from Tianzhu had astonishing martial arts skills, while Yang Jian's own energy had been gradually declining in recent years and was no longer as strong as before. Even with the help of the heavenly sword, it would be difficult to say for sure that they would win. And Yang Guang was the crown prince; if he were to take action and emerge victorious, that would be the best outcome. Unfortunately, his martial arts skills had always been mediocre. In terms of individual combat, at most he could only rival Yuwen Huaji and Yang Xuan Gan, and there was really no chance of winning (Yang Guang had taken on a pseudonym, Kai Xin, and participated in events such as stealing the Tiger's Spirit and battling the Flame Emperor and Jiuchangsheng, but Yang Jian was unaware of this). As a second-best option, if his three sons could unite and work together to fight against their enemies, perhaps they might still have some hope. But looking at them, it seemed that once they actually took to the battlefield, they would be lucky if they didn't trip each other up - where would they find the strength to defeat their enemies?

  For a moment, this generation of heroes felt desolate in his heart and suddenly had the feeling that there was no one to inherit. He calmed down and said coldly: "Withdraw! My mind is made up, no need to...".

  "Your Majesty, Father, wait!" Yang Jian's words had barely fallen when he was suddenly interrupted. After this brief delay, Yang Zhao, who had already composed himself, got up and walked to his father's side, kneeling down and saying: "Your Majesty, Father, why use a cow knife to kill a chicken? A great talent like myself shouldn't be wasted on trivial matters! To deal with those arrogant and ignorant Goguryeo leaders, I alone am more than enough. There is no need for Your Majesty or the two princes to trouble themselves, let alone for you to take action personally. To say something unpleasant, they are not even worthy."

  It was Yang Zhao who spoke, and Yang Jian's expression changed slightly. This grandson, who usually didn't have any outstanding performances, suddenly scolded Wei Zheng severely today, and then rushed to protect the Tang Guogong from the flying attack in a critical moment. Both literary and military talents shone brightly before the eyes of the Sui Emperor, giving him a feeling of finding gold in the sand. Just now, looking at his movements, his internal skills were indeed very solid. Given time, his future achievements would be immeasurable. But for now, saying he could defeat that Tianzhu monk was still an absurd joke.

  Yang Jian sighed inwardly, but also felt a sense of relief. He smiled and said: "Good grandson, Grandpa knows you have a kind heart. However, your skills are not yet sufficient, and acting rashly would lead to... Never mind, let's just drop it for now."

  "Your Majesty, the Art of War says: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.' The Duke of Tang and the Duke of Xu did not understand the true nature of their enemies, which is why they were momentarily careless. Yang Zhao glanced to his left and saw his nominal teacher, Moha Ye, sitting motionless from start to finish, holding a wine cup and observing from the side. Yang Zhao secretly sneered and then looked up at Yang Jian, confidently saying: 'As for understanding the true nature of that monk from Tianzhu, I believe no one among the ministers present can surpass me. Therefore, my request to go to battle is not out of bravado or a desire to show off, but because I am certain of victory. Please, Your Majesty, grant my request."

  Yang Jian asked with a mixture of trust and doubt: "Do you know the origin of this Tianzhu Master's martial arts? How did you find out?"

  Yang Zhao said in a low voice: "It was Master Mohay Ye who told his son through the secret transmission method earlier. As for the details, Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I cannot reveal them for the time being."

  "Oh, was it the State Preceptor who told you?" Yang Jian couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Mohaiye. If anyone in this grand hall could defeat Tianzhu Monk, it would be none other than the master of the Pure Land Sect, Mohaiye. Unfortunately, he was not a native of China, nor was he an official member of the imperial court. And since the previous battle had also involved the prestige of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian found it inconvenient to send Mohaiye into battle. At this moment, hearing Yang Zhao's solemn oath, although his heart still harbored doubts, he thought that since others would definitely lose anyway, why not let this guy try and possibly turn things around?"

  Yang Jian's actions throughout his life were often bold and daring, seeking victory in the face of danger. Even as he grew older, he never became conservative because of it. Moreover, seeing Yang Zhao's eagerness to advance, he couldn't help but feel that this grandson had a lot of his own youthful spirit. He made a decisive decision, shouting: "Good! Jade must be carved to become a vessel. Zhao'er, since you have confidence, then take your father and ancestors' place in battle, and get a good taste of this Tianzhu Great Master's high-level martial arts. Remember, don't lose the face of the Yang family and the Great Sui!" As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his sword from its scabbard, saying: "This is the Emperor's Sword, temporarily lent to you for use."

  Yang Zhao took a deep breath and respectfully accepted the sword with both hands over his head. He bowed his head and said, "I obey!" Before he had even finished speaking, the emperor's sword suddenly began to tremble and hum in his hand. The originally dark sword body burst forth with red light, illuminating the previously dimly lit hall as if it were daytime. For a moment, Mohui Ye, who had been lowering his head and eyes, seemingly indifferent to everything, suddenly shook violently, rapidly opening his tiger-like eyes wide, two sharp gazes shooting towards this disciple he had never taken seriously before, filled with astonishment.

  Because the master of the Pure Land sect suddenly discovered that the person he had been searching for was actually right under his nose.

  At this moment, Yang Zhao was completely too busy to care about the gazes of others. The Heavenly Sword hummed with activity, and the divine soldiers communicated with each other. Wave after wave of scorching hot energy flowed from the sword into his body, causing all the pores on his skin to open wide as he continuously breathed out the old and took in the new, washing his marrow and replacing his tendons. The several bottlenecks that he had been unable to break through during his previous cultivation now easily collapsed under the help of the Heavenly Sword's spiritual energy, allowing his internal strength to rapidly advance by leaps and bounds, progressing to a level that he had previously thought unimaginable in just an instant.

  But even with such benefits, Yang Zhao still looked neither sad nor happy. Because his entire soul had been completely absorbed by this Tianzi divine soldier.

  In a daze, countless images flashed before my eyes, and I heard countless voices in my ears. It was as if all the true dragon emperors since the beginning of time had lived through their entire lives, experiencing everything they had seen, heard, and gone through. Countless joys and sorrows, births and deaths, all passed through my mind one by one. The changing tides of human history over thousands of years were all stored in that instant.

  It was unclear how much time had passed when Yang Zhao suddenly seemed to wake up from a big dream and abruptly reopened his eyes. Looking around, he saw that except for Yang Jian, Yang Guang, Yang Su, and Mohai Ye, almost everyone else in the hall had an inexplicable expression on their faces. The Heavenly Sword also returned to normal, no longer emitting red light. He hesitated and asked slowly: "Your Majesty, earlier..."

  "You're great, even better than me." Yang Jian interrupted him with a smile and said: "Go ahead." He stretched out his hand and pushed Yang Zhao's shoulder, not allowing him to say what he had just experienced. Yang Zhao composed himself, shook his head to dispel the distracting thoughts in his mind, grasped his sword, bowed to Tianzhu monk, and said loudly: "Yang Zhao, the great king of Sui, has been ordered to go into battle, and I would like to learn from Master Fa Ran's brilliant skills."

  The emperor's words, once spoken, were an unbreakable sacred decree. Even though almost no one among the officials looked favorably upon Yang Zhao, they still had to accept the decree and disperse. Moha Ye and Yang Su seemed lost in thought, while Yang Guang furrowed his brow, clenched his fists, and appeared deeply worried. As for Yang Xiu and Yang Yan, the two princes, they were completely gloating over the misfortune.

  Yizhi Wende sneered coldly in his heart, thinking to himself: "People from the Central Plains really like to pretend to be mysterious. They've come up with this broken copper and iron sword that emits light to try to intimidate me, humph, do they think I'll be afraid?" He whispered to Tianzhu monk, "Master Fa Ran, give that little brat a good lesson. If today's matter is successful, the Great Goguryeo King will not disappoint you."

  The monk from Tianzhu didn't say much, just nodded his head. He clasped his palms together and chanted Buddha's name, taking two steps forward. In an instant, the icy cold and fiery hot energies burst forth from his body, transforming it into a half-red, half-blue color, exactly like the strange phenomenon that occurs when the sixth heaven of ice and fire reaches its peak.

  Facing the first formidable enemy after crossing over, Yang Zhao's state of mind was unexpectedly calm. The internal force of Yi Jing Xuan Jian circulated with his heart, and the eight trigrams of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Li, Kan, Gen, Xun, and Dui converged into a shape that revolved around him. He took one step forward, and his foot landed exactly on the position of Zhen Trigram. The Heavenly Sword in his palm suddenly stabbed out, surrounded by lightning and electric light, which rubbed against the sword body and exploded with a deafening roar, like thunder in a drought-stricken land, awe-inspiring and terrifying. This was one of the moves of Yi Jing Xuan Jian: Shocking Thunderbolt!