Beneath the blue sky, a pair of emotionless eyes appeared high above, gazing down upon the land.
It was as if the will of Heaven itself had taken form.
It was also like an ancient giant awakening, opening its eyes.
These eyes were at first as indistinct as light ink on rice paper, but gradually became clear and solid.
Once the eyes were fully formed, facial features began to take shape, as though an invisible brush was painting them. As the lines flowed, a firm and handsome appearance was outlined.
With a turn of the “brush”, the body then appeared.
This figure stood a thousand feet tall, wore a flat-topped Imperial crown, a dragon robe, golden boots, and held the shadow of a great brass sword in its hand.
Between Heaven and Earth, the five elemental forces suddenly spiralled into chaos. The heavenly wind became his cloak, earth spirits forged his body, black water became his blood, wood spirits awoke his vitality, and metal spirits forged his sword.
Two flashes of lightning streaked past and struck his eyes.
The founding emperor of the Great Feng!
Xu Qi’an had called forth the heroic soul of Emperor Gaozu.
On the Wind-riding Boat, Xu Pingfeng’s expression instantly froze.
Ji Xuan muttered to himself,
“Emperor Gaozu…”
His face then twisted, whether from anger or jealousy it was hard to say, as he ground his teeth and said,
“Why is he able to summon Emperor Gaozu, why, why! That’s the ancestor of our Ji clan.”
Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai were dumbfounded, not daring to speak, for they noticed their father’s clenched fist behind his back.
In that moment, a strange feeling suddenly surged up in their hearts, their father was having regrets.
Perhaps not regretting being at odds with his eldest son, but he was indeed regretting something.
…
Yongzhen Shanhe Temple.
All of Sangpo Lake was thrown into violent trembling, the water’s surface rippling.
Clatter, bang!
On the altar honouring the ancestors of the royal family, the spirit tablets toppled one by one, falling to the ground.
The statue of Emperor Gaozu of the Great Feng cracked with a sharp noise, a fissure spreading from the centre of its brow to its chest.
…
Sitianjian, Bagua Platform.
In his soul-travelling state, the Jianzheng’s eyes were closed, yet he picked up his wine cup and, facing southeast, raised it in a distant toast.
Bang!
The wine cup suddenly exploded in his hand, and his chest split open in tandem, blood dyeing his white robes red.
“It’s easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away…”
The Jianzheng murmured softly.
The blood at his chest ceased, the wound slowly healing.
But his complexion was so pale that it seemed almost bloodless.
…
The Imperial Study.
Emperor Yongxing, buried in state affairs, heard hurried footsteps.
A eunuch broke protocol, rushing unannounced into the study, kneeling in terror and shouting,
“Your Majesty, the ancestor spirit tablets have fallen!”
Emperor Yongxing pushed away the desk, rising abruptly, his face changing dramatically.
…
Qingyun Mountain.
Zhao Shou stood atop the cliff, silently gazing southeast.
“To summon the Human Emperor is to suffer the backlash of Heaven. The price is no less than what Wei Yuan paid to summon the Sage of Confucianism.”
As he spoke, Zhao Shou glanced toward the capital and murmured,
“So Jianzheng, you are willing to bear Heaven’s backlash for him. As expected, he is the one you have chosen.”
…
Emperor Gaozu?!
All eyes stared dazed at that Emperor Dharma Aspect; after a moment’s shock, everyone’s mind rang with Xu Qi’an’s invocation just now.
Wearing a flat-topped imperial crown, clad in a dragon robe, golden boots on his feet, surrounded by the five elements, such an Aspect, even without Xu Qi’an’s words, would intuitively leave one with an impression of “Emperor”.
On the cliff to the south, Cao Qingyang and the others stood stunned, unable to process such monumental information.
“This— this is Emperor Gaozu?”
“Silver Gong Xu, he summoned Emperor Gaozu?”
“Is Silver Gong Xu the reincarnation of Emperor Gaozu?”
These three doubts filled their minds, each harder to believe and digest than the last.
Likewise, Qihuan Danxiang and the others struggled to accept and process what they saw. It was hard to accept because, just moments before, the situation had been firmly in their favour, they were finally about to capture or kill Xu Qi’an.
Who could have imagined that in an instant, everything would change, and Xu Qi’an would summon the Aspect of the Great Feng’s founding emperor Gaozu.
“Emperor Gaozu? The very one who founded an empire with our ancestors?” Liu Hongmian’s delicate body trembled, and her words broke off, voice faltering.
Qihuan Danxiang, the Heart Gu Master, shrieked, “Isn’t the founding emperor of the Great Feng dead? Why can he summon Emperor Gaozu? He’s just a coarse martial artist!”
No one answered him.
Everyone had seen Xu Qi’an’s actions, and, being experienced, quickly understood how he had summoned Emperor Gaozu.
Qihuan Danxiang was merely venting his frustration and rage.
Gulp, White Tiger swallowed and said softly,
“Go!
“Let’s retreat first. We can discuss the rest later.”
By now, he was rather experienced. Faced with such a situation, fleeing was always the best option.
If, in the end, their side prevailed, they could regroup later, if not, retreating now meant survival. He was truly terrified of Xu Qi’an.
…
Controlling the Aspect of Emperor Gaozu, Xu Qi’an did not feel comfortable at all. His face was an odd, feverish red, and his whole body looked like a boiled prawn.
No, to be precise, it was the Aspect that was controlling Xu Qi’an.
He suddenly realised that he could not move his limbs of his own will. His martial stance that had favoured the sabre first, now switched to favouring the sword.
“Buddhist rats, how dare you trespass into the territory of the Great Feng?”
With no control over himself, he uttered words filled with majesty, his voice resonant as if he was pronouncing the Will of Heaven.
Dark clouds covered the peak of Quanrong Mountain, as if the heavens and earth themselves were enraged.
The Vajra Dharma Aspect emanated an aura of solemn dignity as it silently gazed at the Emperor Dharma Aspect. Its twelve pairs of arms spread out like a peacock fanning its tail, taking up a stance ready to attack.
The Emperor Dharma Aspect remained leaning on its sword, standing alone and proud.
A clear light rose from under the feet of the Vajra Dharma Aspect. Its thousand-feet golden body vanished suddenly, leaving behind only a bell and a pagoda to suppress its old enemy.
The next moment, the golden Dharma Aspect reappeared noiselessly behind the Emperor Dharma Aspect.
Twelve pairs of arms descended simultaneously, a vajra sceptre crackling with lightning, a ritual sabre suffused with the power of metal, a divine sword flowing with inky black water essence, a demon-subduing cudgel seemingly able to collapse the very void…
Each of these artefacts resonated with the next, their powers interweaving, creating thick fractures of light.
Buzz!
A massive shockwave resonated in the air, as an invisible force blocked the assault of the twelve pairs of arms, just like an unseen shield.
Twenty-four waves collided, shaking against each other.
The Emperor’s majesty was unassailable!
The whole world seemed to reject the Vajra Dharma Aspect, refusing to accept this intruder who had angered the Emperor.
Only then did “Emperor Gaozu” slowly turn, raising the phantom of the bronze sword in his hand.
Xu Qi’an mirrored his actions exactly.
Boom!
From the churning clouds, a pillar of lightning struck down, hitting the tip of the sword.
Within a radius of hundreds of li around Quanrong Mountain, an unprecedented upheaval broke out: rivers reversed, permafrost cracked open, and mountains quaked.
Xu Pingfeng on the Wind-riding Boat suddenly looked up at the sky.
Xu Yuanshuang, just like her father, raised her head to the heavens.
To the Arcanists’ eyes, streams of fate, thick or thin, shot across the sky like flowing light, converging on the bronze sword held high aloft.
The power of all living things!
Since ancient times, Emperors had been appointed by Heaven to rule over the people.
“Die!”
Xu Qi’an’s mouth uttered a voice filled with majesty and depth.
Uncontrollably, he swung the Sovereign Sword in perfect unison with the Emperor Dharma Aspect.
Nowhere else in the world would there ever be such a dazzling sword light.
In the gazes of all onlookers, the rest of the world faded, leaving only this comet-like, blink-and-you-miss-it flash of the sword.
The head of the Vajra Dharma Aspect shattered first, followed by its neck and chest, disintegrating inch by inch, dissolving into the purest motes of light.
Famed for its defence, the Vajra Dharma Aspect had now lost the source of its pride.
Even the tremendous power of earth could not stand against the blade of the Sovereign Sword, one formation after another collapsed and crumbled.
Boom!
The Dharma Aspect was completely destroyed, turning into a raging torrent of energy, sweeping out in all directions.
Rocks tumbled down Quanrong Mountain, countless trees were uprooted, and Cao Qingyang and the others either fled in panic or threw themselves to the ground, seeking shelter from the sweeping aftershocks.
Even the distant military garrison was inevitably affected: rooftops were torn off, rows of buildings crumbled.
It was like a natural disaster.
Along with the annihilation of the Vajra Dharma Aspect, Vajra Du’nan also perished.
In his final moments, he pressed his palms together, embracing his fate.
Early in the reign of Yongxing, the Buddhist Vajra Du’nan perished at Quanrong Mountain, Jianzhou Province.
Whether for the Great Feng or the Buddhist monasteries, this event would be recorded in their own histories and chronicles.
When all became calm again, under the blue sky and white clouds, only the figure of the Emperor Dharma Aspect remained, standing proud.
After destroying his powerful foe, the Emperor Dharma Aspect did not stop. Still standing with his sword, he tapped it gently.
Puff!
Over a dozen li away, the Asura Vajra, who had tried to escape, was nailed to the ground, dark golden blood seeping beneath him.
“This monk… is not… willing…”
The light in the Asura Vajra Dufan’s eyes irreversibly darkened.
His soul and life force were severed.
Ash scattered to the wind.
At this moment, Xu Pingfeng extended his hand, grabbing at the air twice as if pulling tufts of wool.
“Go!”
Xu Pingfeng’s voice was as cold as the wind in midwinter. He stepped forward, the teleportation array expanded, and enveloped the Wind-riding Boat.
The Wind-riding Boat vanished.
By now, Nalan Tianlu was nowhere to be seen.
The headless body of the old man stood up, bent down to pick up his head, and pressed it back onto his neck.
His flesh squirmed, and the head reattached. Aside from a slightly weakened aura, there was nothing wrong.
With a gentle breath, his strength returned to its peak.
The old man raised his head to look at the Emperor Dharma Aspect, his eyes distant and unfocused.
The box of memories was opened, and that period long forgotten flooded back.
The first time Kou Yangzhou met that fellow was at a rally of twenty-six rebel armies. Back then, the fellow only had a ragtag group of old, sick, disabled soldiers with broken equipment.
He joined the gathering to borrow money for recruiting troops.
He was thick-skinned, pouring drinks for everyone he met, calling them “Big Brother.”
Kou Yangzhou lent him two hundred taels of silver, mostly because he was so persistent. At the time, he’d just left Jianzhou, styled himself a righteous army, and refused to engage in robbery or pillage.
So his own purse was quite thin, and naturally did not want to lend money. Thus, Kou Yangzhou told him:
“Piss off, you little brat!”
Yet that fellow immediately called out “Dad!” on the spot.
That cry of “Dad” cost Kou Yangzhou two hundred taels. Later he learned that with those two hundred taels, that fellow bought eighteen beautiful slave girls and presented them to a lustful rebel warlord.
From that warlord, he then borrowed even more silver and recruited two hundred elite foot soldiers.
Kou Yangzhou only heard the story from his own mouth years later, when that fellow had risen from an insignificant petty leader to a great rebel commander with two hundred thousand troops.
And at his side, there was always a handsome young man who never left his shadow.
That young man would later become the first Jianzheng.
Six centuries passed in a flash; those once so familiar now dust in their graves, their primordial spirits turned into wandering souls of war.
…
It seems that the heroic soul of Emperor Gaozu doesn’t want to leave… By now, Xu Qi’an looked like a “man of blood,” with ruptured capillaries under his skin making him redder than a boiled prawn.
He was like an overheated machine, on the verge of breaking, but with the “off” switch removed, unable to stop.
How was he to send off Emperor Gaozu?
He frowned. He had never encountered such a situation before.
At that moment, the Emperor Dharma Aspect made a toasting gesture, as if raising a wine cup.
Xu Qi’an unconsciously mimicked the gesture, and drained the invisible wine in one go.
With the cup “drunk,” the Emperor Dharma Aspect slowly faded away.
It’s over… Xu Qi’an exhaled deeply, calmly surveying his surroundings.
Nalan Tianlu was long gone, Xu Qi’an didn’t even know when he had left. He had been too fully occupied resisting the Vajra Dharma Aspect.
Perhaps he slipped away when Xu Qi’an summoned the heroic soul of Emperor Gaozu.
Or perhaps, after Xu Pingfeng appeared, fearing double-cross, he left right away.
What a shame…
He had also seen the Wind-riding Boat disappear, Xu Pingfeng had fled extremely quickly, and since the heroic soul of Emperor Gaozu had a will of its own rather than following his control, Xu Qi’an had not been able to give chase.
At the edge of the southern peak, figures of Wulin Alliance martial artists appeared one after another, nervously gauging the situation.
Xu Qi’an glanced over but could not spot Li Lingsu or Miao Youfang for the time being.
Suppressing exhaustion and weakness, he controlled the Stupa tower and flew towards the Asura Vajra’s corpse.
He needed to seize this opportunity to push his Vajra Divine Art to an even higher level.
Comments for this chapter. You will need a GitHub account. Please follow all terms and conditions of GitHub issues and maintain etiquette in the comments. Cookies are required for this functionality.
If you want to talk with other readers about Nightwatchers (or other cultivation type books) you can join our cultivation groupreading discord server!
I also have a Kofi, which for legal reasons is definitely for supporting my digital art only (promise!): ko-fi.com/yanxin ... plus I guess server space isn't free, and I don't want to put ads/trackers... ever, so thank you if you do!