"Oh? Do tell," Wu Yuan responded with a casual air.
"Join the Great Jin Empire!" the elderly man in white said.
"Join Great Jin?" Wu Yuan revealed a mischievous grin, his gaze flickering toward the black-robed youth, "Ninth Prince, can you accept me? Can the Great Jin Empire truly embrace my existence?"
"Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible," A cold gaze emanated from Jin Rensu's eyes as he stared at Wu Yuan, "But if you're willing to hand over the Chu-Jiang Token, it would be considered a great meritorious deed. In that case, it could be feasible."
"Not only will the charges on your head be removed, but you may also be granted anything you wish for. Whether it's a secret technique, a secret art, a natural treasure, power, or beauties, the choice is yours. If you desire power, I can recommend you to the emperor. You could be granted the title of First Class Marquis," Jin Rensu said.
Everyone around him listened in silence without any visible reactions. They had already discussed these matters during their journey.
"Is that so?" Wu Yuan smirked, "Turns out this Chu-Jiang Token is rather precious. What a tantalizing offer.
Unfortunately, you've miscalculated. I have no interest in power and I'm not after beauties. As for secret arts? Secret techniques? Hehe! I don't care."
"My goal is to become a Great Grandmaster, and have my name listed on the Heavenly Rankings. I suppose the old fogey emperor can't provide me with what I want," Wu Yuan spoke lightly, "After all, the only Heavenly Ranker within Great Jin is Imperator Jin."
In the Great Jin Empire, only the founding emperor was known as Imperator Jin. The next emperors in line were simply referred to as Emperor Jin.
Wu Yuan's words caused a shift in the expressions of everyone present. His language held not a shred of respect for Emperor Jin.
"Shadow Blade, I've been merciful enough." Coldness seeped into Jin Rensu's voice, "But I will give you one last opportunity. Surrender the Chu-Jiang Token, and I will spare your life."
"Do you really think I would carry such a precious treasure on my person?" Wu Yuan scoffed.
Both Jin Rensu and the white-robed elderly man's pupils constricted slightly. This was their biggest fear.
"Enough! I have no time to waste with you. I've obtained the information I needed." Wu Yuan's voice suddenly turned cold, "Ninth Prince, I have no intention of joining Great Jin, nor do I wish to be your enemy."
"I hope you won't force my hand," Wu Yuan raised his saber slightly.
Killing Wang Xiaohe would have little impact on the situation in Great Jin or the Cloudstride Sect, except for causing some minor disturbances. But to kill the Ninth Prince? He was a legitimate prince of Great Jin, and though not the crown prince, he was the most likely contender for that position. His death would undoubtedly create chaos within Great Jin!
Though he was operating under the alias Shadow Blade and there was no proof of his connection to the Cloudstride Sect, who knew what Emperor Jin would think? Would he use this as an excuse to reignite the war with the Cloudstride Sect? Everything was uncertain. Therefore, Wu Yuan wasn't too keen to resort to violence. Besides, he sensed an unknown threat looming nearby.
"I'm forcing your hand?" The ninth prince's teeth ground together, his eyes burning with fury. "You've murdered my Senior Brother and slaughtered my entire army. Yet, you have the audacity to blame me for retaliating against you?"
He spun around, fixing his gaze on the old man in white. "Uncle Jin, will you persist in trying to reason with him?"
With the slightest shake of his head, the old man in white robes closed his eyes. Then, they flew open and he spat out one word: "Kill!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! At once, the elderly man in white, the woman in black, and the impassive man in red who had been silently observing the scene, sprang into action!
The remarkable swiftness of these three experts was nothing short of terrifying, particularly the man in red. He effortlessly surpassed a speed of 200 meters per second! Like a phantom, he triggered a series of sonic booms. The distance between Wu Yuan and them was roughly 100 meters, which meant that the man in red reached Wu Yuan in less than half a second.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two black, short spears tore through the air towards Wu Yuan.
"Shadow Blade, you asked for it." A sword materialized in the white-robed man's hand, dancing unpredictably.
Only the woman in black was marginally slower, but her two sabers howled in sync.
Half a second was a very brief span of time. But for experts of Wu Yuan's caliber, who possessed immensely strong souls, their mental and physical reaction speeds exceeded those of ordinary individuals by at least tenfold.
Whoosh! Wu Yuan sidestepped, evading the full-force thrust of the man in red. He then slashed out with his saber, aiming for the other spear.
Boom! As sword clashed with spear, the impact reverberated through the air, scattering stones and dust in all directions.
In the fleeting moment that their blades met, Wu Yuan realized he couldn't kill the man in the red robe in a short time, and darted past him. He then faced the second attacker, the old man in white robes.
The man in red robes felt his arm growing numb as he staggered back, and a hint of fear surfaced on his face. "Not good! Retreat quickly!"
But alas, it was too late. Wu Yuan had already collided with the white-robed elderly man. Rays of sword light unfurled from the elder's hand like a peacock flaunting its feathers. It was resplendent and beautiful, yet filled with overwhelming killing intent.
"Uncle Jin's swordplay," Ninth Prince Jin Rensu observed the spectacle with bated breath. The clash between martial arts experts was truly intense. Standing the farthest away from the battle, he hadn't heard the panicked cry of the man in red.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The blade rays and sword lights intertwined, clashing more than a dozen times in the blink of an eye. The swordplay of the white-robed elder was blindingly bright! In terms of martial skills, he was no worse than Mo Jingchen, perhaps even stronger, and on top of that, his physical constitution was still at its peak.
After witnessing the clash between Wu Yuan and the man in red robes, he realized Wu Yuan's formidable strength and promptly employed his secret art.
Wu Yuan also unleashed his full strength in response. Threefold Power Surge, an eruption of 480,000 catties of force! Thousand Mountains! His musculoskeletal system vibrated at its highest frequency.
The second level of Environmental Mastery, Integration!
At that very moment, Wang Xiaohe's divine weapon exploded with a whole new level of power in Wu Yuan's hands, sweeping across everything in its path, silent yet overwhelming!
Splat! With the ninth stroke of the saber, a head was sent flying. Even in death, the man in white robes had an expression of disbelief. In his last waking moment, the scenes of the life he lived flashed through his mind, and his heart was filled with resentment. He thought himself a future imperial instructor. Who would have known he would die here? The darkness swallowed his last thread of consciousness.
Jin Tanying, ranked 33rd on the Holy Continent Human Rankings, was dead!
The Holy Continent was the number one continent in the world. If Jin Tanying had been born in the Jiang Continent, his strength alone would have easily secured him a spot within the top ten of the Human Rankings.
The elderly, white-robed man was slain with just nine strokes of the saber. Yet, Wu Yuan did not pause his step, appearing beside the black-robed woman in a flash. Her face was full of fear and surprise.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Blade rays intertwined.
Splash! The woman in black staggered violently. Inertia propelled her forward as she fell, stirring up mud and water. Blood flowed down her neck.
Bai Yumeng, ranked 53rd in the Holy Continent Human Rankings, was dead!
In the blink of an eye, two out of the three Savant experts were dead! This scene caused all color to drain from the ninth prince's face. What was happening? From his understanding, Wu Yuan had decent combat strength. But with three top-notch Savant experts, especially the man in the red robes, capturing him should have been child's play!
"Retreat!" The red-robed middle-aged man roared as he hurtled towards Wu Yuan.
After dispatching the woman in black, Wu Yuan swiftly dodged the red-robed man again, this time charging directly for the ninth prince. That was his real target.
The ninth prince was a legitimate prince of Great Jin, and Wu Yuan honestly preferred not to kill him. He had no desire to start a war just yet. But if they dared to strike, he was not afraid to retaliate. So what if he turned their world upside down?
Run! Jin Rensu's heart palpitated wildly as he turned tail and ran for his life. His physical constitution had reached the second grade, but in terms of combat power, he was at the bottom tier of Savant experts. Facing Wu Yuan? He didn't stand the slightest chance!
Swoosh! Without hesitation, Wu Yuan flung a throwing knife. A torrent of force, hundreds of thousands of catties, was imbued into it.
Surpassing the speed of sound, the throwing knife shot whizzed unerringly toward Jin Rensu.
With Wu Yuan's current strength, bolstered by martial skill at the second level of Environmental Mastery, not even the top ten on the Jiang Continent Human Rankings could stop this throwing knife. It was simply too fast. So fast that even the red-robed middle-aged man, despite his best efforts to divert its trajectory, couldnt keep up.
Boom! In Wu Yuan's line of sight, a somewhat blurry human figure burst forth from the forest behind at a speed exceeding 300 meters per second. His sheer speed unleashed a heart-trembling shockwave, causing the surrounding foliage to bow down and countless fragments of earth and rock to be flung into the air. And just like that, he positioned himself directly between Wu Yuan and Ninth Prince Jin Rensu.
A fleeting shadow of a staff swept through the air, obliterating a throwing knife in an instant. The shattered remnants of the blade collided with a colossal boulder in the distance, triggering a reverberating explosion that sent fragments flying in all directions. The figure remained motionless, his afterimage solidifying into a tangible presence.
Caught in a state of shock, Ninth Prince Jin Rensu gazed at Wu Yuan with a terrified expression, but as he recognized the figure before him, his eyes lit up in joy. "Uncle Chen, you're here?"
Wu Yuan came to a halt, his gaze locked onto the newcomer. Standing at just under 1.8 meters tall, this robust man possessed a square face and a cropped mane of hair. Adorned in pitch-black battle armor and boots, only his head and arms were exposed.
His hand tightly gripped a weathered metal staff, tinged with a pale blue hue. Despite its primitive appearance, the weapon bore the marks of countless clashes. The tip of the staff pulsed with light.
Like a towering mountain, the man radiated an indescribably daunting aura!
This... This is definitely a Grandmaster expert. Wu Yuan stared at the man with razor-sharp focus, his grip on his saber tightening.