Tang Dynasty Territory.
"Come out, Yan Kuangtu. You've been following me for quite some time now. You had ten chances to ambush me, yet you didn't take any of them. Why?"
Yuan Tiangang, the Bad Marshal, stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a look of regret.
"Hmph, you truly live up to the name Bad Marshal."
"Old but still alive, you're nothing more than a schemer. Do you think I haven't seen through your manipulations?"
"I wasn't trying to ambush you. It was you luring me into attacking. Why pretend? It's disgusting!"
A towering and muscular man stepped out from the shadows.
He looked at Yuan Tiangang with disdain.
From his expression alone, one could tell he was a rebellious and arrogant man.
Unexpectedly, this man was Yan Kuangtu.
No one knew why he had suddenly appeared in the Tang Dynasty.
"Are you here for the Hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng?"
Yuan Tiangang asked pointedly.
"I'm here to kill Li Shimin."
"But I know that as long as you're alive, you, Yuan Tiangang, the number one lapdog beside Li Shimin, I'll never get that chance."
Hatred filled Yan Kuangtu's face as he spoke.
"So you're here to kill me?"
"Too bad. With your strength, do you really think you can defeat me?"
"Or do you believe that by joining the Heaven Palace, you now have what it takes to defeat me? Naive."
Yuan Tiangang looked down at him with contempt.
"What? How do you know I joined the Heaven Palace?"
Yan Kuangtu's confident expression stiffened instantly.
He stared at Yuan Tiangang in disbelief.
Then, as if he realized something, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Yuan Tiangang, so you're already part of the Earth Mansion?"
"If Li Shimin finds out, will he discard his loyal dog?"
"So you're a schemer too?"
"And to think you pretend to be so righteous, what a joke!"
"It's perfect then. The Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion are sworn enemies."
"Prepare to die!"
"Giant Spirit, Profound Heaven Golden Crow Palm!"
Without hesitation, Yan Kuangtu unleashed all his power and struck with his strongest palm technique at Yuan Tiangang.
In an instant, the surrounding air boiled from the force of the strike.
"Giant Spirit God of Heaven Palace."
"So it's you."
"But unfortunately, even with your improvement, you're still no match for me."
"Heavenly Star Art."
Yuan Tiangang sneered coldly.
His figure flickered.
In a split second, countless afterimages surrounded Yan Kuangtu from all directions.
Each afterimage seemed both real and illusory.
Boom!
A palm strike.
One of the "afterimages" suddenly closed in.
And landed a heavy strike directly on Yan Kuangtu's chest.
Pfft!
In an instant.
Yan Kuangtu coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His face turned pale, and his aura dropped by seventy percent.
His body flew backward, dragging a deep trench across the ground.
Only through sheer willpower did he manage to stay standing.
"You've grown stronger?"
Yan Kuangtu was once one of the rare geniuses of the world, someone who had brought catastrophe upon the Martial World.
But now, he found himself as weak as an ant before Yuan Tiangang.
"No, I haven't grown stronger. You, Yan Kuangtu, have grown weaker."
"Take a look at the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking. Every person on that ranking is a monster."
"Many of them are beyond even my level."
"And yet you, Yan Kuangtu, are still so arrogant. How laughable."
"You call yourself a genius? Then what about the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao?"
"If you're a true cultivator, why are you so fragile before me?"
"You're weak, Yan Kuangtu."
Yuan Tiangang's scornful words ignited the fury in Yan Kuangtu's heart.
"Yuan Tiangang, even if I die today, I will drag you, Li Shimin's lapdog, down with me!"
"Giant Spirit, Perish Together!"
Yan Kuangtu exploded with everything he had, unleashing his ultimate move.
His body became the sword, like a dragon from beyond the heavens, aiming to kill with one fatal strike.
This was his most lethal hidden technique.
No matter how the enemy dodged or countered, this move would go through no matter the cost.
Even against Yuan Tiangang, he had no hesitation.
"This move is decent. Finally showing some promise."
"If we were in the same realm, perhaps you'd have a chance."
"But the gap between us is far too wide."
"How can a firefly compete with the brilliance of the moon?"
Yuan Tiangang shook his head as he sidestepped the fatal strike with ease.
Then, in Yan Kuangtu's shocked eyes, he extended a finger and tapped his heart.
A black hole appeared, piercing straight through Yan Kuangtu's heart.
His life force drained rapidly.
"How... How can this be? I'm not willing to die. I haven't killed Li Shimin yet. I haven't gotten my revenge!"
With his final breath, Yan Kuangtu roared at the sky in despair.
Anger, hatred, and hopelessness filled his eyes.
But under Yuan Tiangang's fatal strike, his life ended in mere seconds.
Even in death, his face remained unwilling.
His body stood still, never collapsing.
Yuan Tiangang retracted his mocking smile as he looked at the corpse.
There was a trace of pity in his expression.
"Yan Kuangtu, even until your final moment, you never realized you were being manipulated."
"Out of respect for your reputation as a once-mighty figure, I won't tell you the truth. Let you rest without knowing."
"Because the truth would only make you suffer more."
"All this time, you had no true hatred for His Majesty."
"It was all part of the Former Crown Prince's scheme from the beginning."
"And you were kept in the dark until the end."
"What a pity."
Yuan Tiangang struck the ground with his palm, creating a pit.
He buried Yan Kuangtu's body inside.
Then, he finally put on the Heaven Palace mask he never wore before.
And slowly walked away.
"Hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng."
"You really are alive."
"I never thought you'd survive the Xuanwu Gate Incident."
"And now, you've learned to weave such cruel plots."
"I will find you."
The battle between Yan Kuangtu and Yuan Tiangang, between Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion.
In the end, Yuan Tiangang emerged victorious.
But it also revealed another shocking truth.
The Hidden Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng, was still alive.
How did he survive back then?
Yuan Tiangang was both surprised and confused, but also seemed to understand.
With Li Jiancheng's current mind, the Tang Dynasty would face great turmoil.
And what was his relationship with Yan Kuangtu?
Why would he send such a powerful ally to die?
Perhaps, only when the dead rise again will the truth finally be revealed.
==========
Sui Dynasty Territory.
Another brutal battle had broken out between members of the Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion.
But this was not a balanced battle.
Rather, it was a one-sided beating.
One side was the Sui Dynasty's Supreme Master, Yuwen Tuo.
The other, surprisingly, was a monk known as the "Living Maitreya", who called himself "Mahayana", Master Zhu Faqing.
Under Yuwen Tuo's Xuanyuan Sword, Zhu Faqing had no strength to fight back.
He was utterly crushed, unable to live or die.
"Even Yan Fei dares not set foot in my Sui Dynasty lands, yet you, a mere monk, dared to ignore my warnings. You deserve death."
Yuwen Tuo spoke coldly, his Xuanyuan Sword pressed against Zhu Faqing's chest.
Ready to kill at any moment.
"Damn it, Yuwen Tuo, you're from the Heaven Palace?"
"Why? Someone as proud as you shouldn't lower yourself to join the Heaven Palace or the Earth Mansion."
"Besides, your strength is far beyond the normal Mythical Realm."
"What level are you really at? Could it be the God Demon Realm?"
"No, that can't be. I know that aura well. You don't have it."
"But why are you so powerful?"
"I was praised by Ksitigarbha of the Earth Mansion himself. Among Mythical Realm cultivators, I'm top tier."
"He wouldn't lie to me."
"Yuwen Tuo, you're hiding a huge secret."
Zhu Faqing was bitter, yet he was desperate to know what secret Yuwen Tuo was hiding.
How could a Mythical Realm fighter be this strong?
"You've met Ksitigarbha? Do you know his true identity?"
Yuwen Tuo asked urgently.
Even within the Heaven Palace, he had never encountered a God Demon Realm superior.
This left him deeply disappointed.
"I don't even know if Ksitigarbha is male or female."
"But I'm certain they're powerful. One finger is enough to crush me."
"Even you, Yuwen Tuo, with your golden sword, would be instantly killed."
Speaking of Ksitigarbha, Zhu Faqing's eyes lit up.
Unfortunately, both the Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion were extremely protective of their members.
Not even gender could be discerned, let alone identity.
The organizations were simply that formidable.
"What was your mission in the Sui Dynasty this time?"
Ignoring Zhu Faqing's rant, Yuwen Tuo asked directly.
"Of course, I came to complete an Earth Mansion mission and earn contribution points."
"That's tied to whether I can advance beyond the Mythical Realm."
"Even the Ming Imperial Palace, I'd dare to enter if needed."
Ever since the Golden Ranking revealed Zhu Houzhao's information, his palace became a sacred ground for all cultivators.
If anyone could survive infiltrating it, they'd become a legend.
After all, inside lived a true God Demon Realm Land Immortal.
Even the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng on the roof of the Forbidden City earned endless admiration.
Though Ye Gucheng had died, he was still revered.
As for Ximen Chuixue, his followers were now fanatical.
Their open duel on top of the Ming Emperor's home was seen as a public slap in the face of a god.
Even Zhu Faqing viewed entering the palace as an impossible mission.
"The Ming Emperor is not to be trifled with. Do you think I, Yuwen Tuo, am any easier?"
"What is your mission?"
Zhu Faqing's expression changed instantly.
"Don't get me killed, Yuwen Tuo."
"Whether it's the Heaven Palace or the Earth Mansion, some rules must never be broken."
"I won't say a word."
"If I reveal anything, the punishment is worse than death."
Both organizations are flexible in many ways.
You could even call them loosely connected martial alliances.
But their few forbidden rules were absolute.
Anyone who disobeyed them would die without burial.
Even someone as ruthless as Zhu Faqing dared not disobey.
Not even God Demon Realm members were exempt.
"Yuwen Tuo, I admit defeat this time. Let me go, and I owe you a favor."
"Perhaps we can even work together someday."
Yuwen Tuo's eyes flickered with thought.
"Zhu Faqing, remember your words. Otherwise, I'll kill you."
"You may leave now."
"From this moment on, you're forbidden from setting foot in the Sui Dynasty again."
"If you do, you will die."
Zhu Faqing chuckled.
"Very well. I look forward to working with you, Supreme Master Yuwen."
"Unless it's against a God Demon Realm foe, even if you want me to kill other Mythical Realm Land Immortals, I have no fear."
Yuwen Tuo paused for a moment.
"You have one hour to leave the Sui Dynasty."
"After that, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Zhu Faqing stood up, rubbing his bruises.
He chuckled again.
"Yuwen Tuo, I underestimated you."
"You're not the inflexible fossil people claim."
"You're smarter than anyone and wiser too."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Faqing turned into a black mist and vanished.
Watching him go, Yuwen Tuo's face remained cold.
"Hmph, you still have some value. I'll spare you for now."
"But when the time comes, I will kill you."
The dead Zhu Faqing was worthless.
A living one, though annoying, could bring incredible benefits if used correctly.
Yuwen Tuo didn't linger and soon departed, golden sword in hand.
With the reveal of the number one of Martial Force Ranking, many terrifying battles had erupted across the Nine Provinces in recent days.
Without exception, these were fights between members of the Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion.
Sometimes, the Heaven Palace won.
Other times, the Earth Mansion prevailed.
Overall, the Heaven Palace still held the upper hand in strength.
Of course, there were cases like Yuwen Tuo and Zhu Faqing, where cooperation emerged in secret.
As long as the organizations' forbidden rules were not broken, anything was possible.