Chapter 45: Sword God Comes Out of Seclusion, Jade Token Message

The black-robed man appeared out of thin air. Although his face could not be seen clearly, the majestic sword intent lingering around him made his identity obvious.

The civil and military officials immediately bowed. “Welcome, Sword God!”

When the empress heard this, an imperceptible smile flashed across her eyes. Then, she ordered with a dignified expression, “I have something to discuss with Sword God. Everyone, leave first!”

“Yes, your Majesty!”

The civil and military officials left the hall. The empress waved her hand and dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs around her. In the huge palace, only the empress and the “Ten Mile Sword God” were left.

“Phew! I’m really suffocating!”

Lin Ran took off his mask and took a long breath. Then, he smiled and cupped his hands at the empress. “I’m the commander of the imperial guards. My greetings, Your Majesty!”

“No need for formalities!”

The empress raised her hand gently and stared at Lin Ran with a frown for a long time. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, the worry in her eyes dissipated. She chuckled and said, “It’s been a few days since we last met. Lord Lin, your cultivation has really improved.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t tease me.”

Lin Ran smiled and replied, “I just consolidated my Half-Saint cultivation. What’s there to shout about?”

“Isn’t that something worth shouting about?”

The smile on the empress’s beautiful face deepened. “If I remember correctly, when Lord Lin came to the palace to meet me back then, you hadn’t even touched the threshold of a Martial Master. In just a few years, you stepped into the Half-Saint Realm. This speed of advancement is unprecedented!”

“Well…”

Lin Ran stopped in mid-sentence. If they continued to chat, they would probably touch on his biggest secret. He changed the topic and said, “Your Majesty, I’m here today to bid you farewell.”

“Farewell?”

The empress was stunned for a moment before realization dawned on her. “You’re leaving?”

Lin Ran nodded. The empress asked again, “When King Zhao rebelled, most of the martial artists who participated in the rebellion were just hooligans. When they saw that the situation was bad, they fled immediately… Do you have any clues?”

“Back then, the Dao Seeking Sect was in charge of gathering and leading the martial artists. As for the scattered bandits, I’ll find out after I capture the Dao Seeking Sect’s sect master.”

Lin Ran replied without thinking. His tone was so relaxed that it was as if he was saying, “I’m going home to get something.”

The empress could not help but feel a little surprised when she heard this. Although the Dao Seeking Sect was not the number one sect in the world, its strength was not to be underestimated since it was chosen by King Zhao to help.

However, seeing Lin Ran’s indifferent expression, the empress was relieved. With Lin Ran’s current strength, the Dao Seeking Sect was indeed nothing to him.

After thinking for a moment, the empress said, “Since you already have a plan, I won’t stop you. However… Can you stay in the palace for a few more days?”

“Stay a few more days?”

Lin Ran was puzzled. Seeing that the empress was about to say something, he suddenly had an ominous feeling. “Did you take in another concubine?”

“What are you thinking!”

The empress slapped the dragon throne, and her pretty face turned red from embarrassment. She pretended to be calm and said, “Just now, you caused a commotion in Mount Sword. Rumor has it that the Sword God is about to come out of seclusion. If you leave in such a hurry, people will think that I sent you to defeat the enemy because the dynasty is under threat.”

Only then did Lin Ran understand what the empress meant. He couldn’t help but blush and cough awkwardly. “In that case, I’ll stay in the palace for a few more days. However, the rumors about the Sword God coming out of his seclusion have already spread. I’m afraid the Dao Seeking Sect won’t sit back and do nothing.”

As he spoke, Lin Ran took out the jade token that Daoist Li had given him. He left a wisp of sword intent in it. Then, he threw it gently, and the jade token turned into a stream of light and disappeared into the sky.

When the empress saw how powerful Lin Ran was, her eyes lit up. She paused for a moment and continued, “Later, I’ll arrange a quiet place for you to cultivate in peace. However, I hope that you can come out occasionally as the Ten Miles Sword God.”

“Now that the rebels have not been eliminated, you want the presence of the Sword God to intimidate them, right?”

Lin Ran guessed what the empress was thinking and cupped his hands with a smile. “Don’t worry, Boss! I will do what you said.”

The empress frowned slightly, not understanding what “Boss” meant.

However, she had known Lin Ran for a long time and knew that he often said strange things, so she didn’t mind.

After gesturing for Lin Ran to cover his face with a mask, the empress called over the chief eunuch, Li Tianyi, and instructed, “Sword God will stay in Mingzhao Hall for a few more days. Pass down my order that Sword God can come and go as he pleases. No one is to stop him!”

Li Tianyi bowed and accepted the decree. Facing the “Ten Mile Sword God”, his attitude became much more respectful. He bowed and invited Lin Ran out of the hall.

The empress looked at the empty imperial court, but she was no longer as confused as before. Now that Lin Ran was already a Half-Saint, he was undoubtedly her greatest aid. What she had always wanted to do could finally begin.

“Father, Grandpa Sword God, just watch. I will definitely bring our Heavenly Saint Dynasty to its former glory!”

The empress looked somewhere and muttered to herself. Her beautiful eyes were filled with determination.

…

Seventy miles north of the capital, at the top of Tianjue Peak, the Dao Seeking Sect.

Sect Master Zhou sat cross-legged in the stone room and looked at the word “Calmness” carved on the wall. However, he could not calm down no matter what.

It had been a few days since the battle in the imperial city, but the heavily injured Elder Xie showed no signs of waking up. Not to mention the countless disciples of the Dao-Seeking Sect who had died, it could be said that the Dao-Seeking Sect’s hundred-year-old foundation had been destroyed!

Boom!

Sect Master Zhou shattered the stone wall in front of him with a punch, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. “Damn King Zhao! He said that he would definitely be able to overthrow the new emperor, but in the end, a mountain guard caused my sect to suffer heavy casualties! As for seeing the Sword God’s broken sword, I’m afraid he was just spouting nonsense!”

The True Qi in his body surged. Sect Master Zhou could no longer hold it in and simply stood up to leave the stone room. As soon as he left, a sect disciple ran over anxiously.

“Sect Master! Something bad has happened!”

The disciple came close and knelt down. He pointed at Mount Sword and said with a trembling voice, “When you were cultivating just now, divine beasts appeared above Mount Sword. Rumor has it that the Ten Miles Sword God has come out of seclusion!”

“What?!”

Sect Master Zhou was shocked when he heard this. A mere mountain guardian was able to beat up an elder of his sect to the point of being unable to fight back. If the Sword God personally took action, his Dao Seeking Sect would probably disappear from the world!

Without wasting any time to think, Sect Master Zhou hurriedly ordered, “Pass down my orders! Everyone, pack your things immediately. Before noon today, everyone will retreat from Tianjue Peak! Meet at the border in ten days!”

“Yes!”

historical

Just as the disciple opened his mouth to say, “Yes.” Another disciple ran over in a panic with a jade token in his hand. Before he got close, he shouted anxiously, “Sect Master! Just now, a sword energy broke through the mountain gate and turned into a jade token when it landed. Please take a look!”