Chapter Forty-Five: The Beginning of the Myth

Eliminating witnesses was out of the question.
Still, it frightened Bai Yunfei and the others out of their wits.
Jiang Ming gave orders for the servants to assist the men left behind by Chief Jin in removing the bodies and cleaning up the courtyard. Then he led Bai Yunfei and the others into the main hall.
Their gazes toward Jiang Ming brimmed with unease, for he was a true god of slaughter—a genuine god of slaughter. In merely a few months since his emergence, how many grandmasters had he slain?
As for supreme grandmasters, four had fallen to his hand.
Those were exalted figures, supreme grandmasters; the last time one had been killed was decades ago.
“Brother Jiang, are you truly set on heading to Dalin Temple first? You must know what you’ll face if you make a move,” Lu Yuan said gravely. “Not to mention what lies within Dalin Temple itself, there’s the Demon Sect, the Northern Barbarians, and that one—”
He pointed upward.
“And how many family factions are allied with Dalin Temple? Gathering thousands of martial experts would be effortless for them.”
“What about other forces? In the wake of a common enemy, might they join the fray?”
“In the worst scenario, if the army is mobilized…”
“Brother Jiang, how will you cope? Human strength has its limits—even though your martial prowess defies the heavens, with true energy so deep it inspires despair, you could still be worn down!”
“Besieged by armies, if further entanglements arise, how will you escape? Even attrition would be fatal!”
“You’ve already slain four supreme grandmasters. Though you acted in self-defense, to outsiders it appears you’re bloodletting the world. Should someone raise a rallying cry, the masses would respond.”
“Then, you would become the enemy of all under heaven.”
Lu Yuan’s expression was deeply solemn.
He had more to say.
If matters reached that point, even Bai Yunfei and the others present would be implicated. The sects could not stand apart—they were part of the martial world, after all.
When the tides shift, if you do not act, you will be isolated.
Bai Yunfei and the rest watched nervously.
“To walk this mortal path with ability—one cannot afford to wrong oneself too much,” Jiang Ming laughed. “They keep coming at me, but if I do not strike back, this title of supreme grandmaster rings hollow. I’d be looked down upon. People would say, ‘Look, he’s supposed to be a supreme grandmaster. He’s been besieged several times and never so much as dared to fart—what a coward!’”
Jiang Ming waved his hand, stopping Lu Yuan from continuing his persuasion, and asked, “Will you go or not?”
“I’ll go, of course!” Lu Yuan knew he couldn’t talk Jiang Ming out of it, so he replied without hesitation, “To storm Dalin Temple—how could I miss such a spectacle!”
“Good!” Jiang Ming nodded, then looked to Bai Yunfei and the rest. “After I leave, you may freely peruse the books here. I’ll have the Ninth Princess take care of things.”
“Thank you, Brother Jiang!” Bai Yunfei was instantly elated.
He knew well that the collection here included no less than ten peerless martial scriptures—a veritable treasure trove. Even absorbing one or two would be of endless benefit.
“When I return and find some leisure, I’ll recompile everything, and write down the Nine Yang Manual and Nine Yin Divine Arts I’ve deduced, as well as several other techniques not inferior to those two. All will be made open to the world,” Jiang Ming added.
A collective gasp escaped Bai Yunfei and the others.
If anyone else had said such things, it would surely be dismissed as boasting.
To deduce both Nine Yin and Nine Yang? Nonsense!
To create peerless arts not inferior to them? Pure fantasy!
But the speaker was Jiang Ming, slayer of four supreme grandmasters—this was no joke.
Another gasp.
Just what heights was he aiming for?
“Perhaps even our master is not his equal!” Bai Yunfei found himself thinking.
It wasn’t just them—even Lu Yuan, long accustomed to Jiang Ming’s dazzling talent, was shocked.
“You mean to spread martial arts throughout the world?” Lu Yuan clicked his tongue.
“I belong to no sect, no clan. Having traversed this world and absorbed its wisdom, I cannot simply take without giving back—I must leave something behind,” Jiang Ming said. “This time, if I return safely, Brother Bai, I’ll ask your help to establish a World Martial Pavilion, collecting all martial arts and sharing them. With the wisdom of all under heaven, perhaps we can break the shackles of martial cultivation, shatter the limits of heaven and earth, and glimpse what lies beyond the supreme grandmaster!”
Such ambition left Bai Yunfei and the others in awe.
They began to contact others to prepare in advance.
A few days later, the Ninth Princess arrived.
Moonlight poured down, the night deep and vast.
In the courtyard, they sat facing the moon, the fragrance of tea curling in the air.
“Brother Jiang, your legend now covers the land—you slew hundreds of martial experts, comprehended the Sword Intent of Slaughter in battle, struck down four masters with one sword, and felled three supreme grandmasters with another. Such feats are earth-shattering, unprecedented, and surely unmatched in the future,” the Ninth Princess said, her emotions turbulent as she looked at Jiang Ming, her beautiful eyes flickering.
She became more serious and added, “Are you truly going to Dalin Temple?”
“Yes!” Jiang Ming nodded. “Afterward, I’ll head for the Imperial Capital. Will you try to stop me?”
“No!” The Ninth Princess shook her head, her expression turning oddly complex. “Were it not for my exceptional martial talent, and the protection of King Invincible, along with early planning in the Six Gates and gaining some power, my sixth brother and I would have been ruined by him long ago.”
She didn’t elaborate, but the corruption within the royal family was clear.
Jiang Ming knew that the Ninth Princess and the Sixth Prince were siblings born to the same mother.
“But, Brother Jiang…” She hesitated. “If you really go to Dalin Temple, I fear Divine Fist Sect, Cold Moon Palace, and others will not sit idly by. The martial world is vast, but the major sects have long formed a tacit understanding, suppressing other forces in secret—even True Martial Sect is no exception.”
“One thing is certain—the Demon Sect will act, since their leader died by your hand.”
“The Northern Barbarians may send a force to seize the chance.”
“The evil factions will fish in troubled waters.”
“If the Crown Prince feels threatened, he will most likely dispatch a squad to hunt you down. Even a supreme grandmaster caught in such a trap might not escape.”
“Brother Jiang, think thrice before acting!”
The Ninth Princess spoke more comprehensively than Lu Yuan.
Jiang Ming smiled, raised his cup, gazed at the moon, and said softly, “The court is dark, the world chaotic. My journey will surely make me the eye of the storm. Ninth Princess, perhaps this is a good opportunity for you as well.”
Her eyes shone brightly. She lowered her voice, “Brother Jiang, how confident are you?”
“When I killed the Vajra Saint Monk and his ilk, I used less than half my strength,” Jiang Ming replied.
A gasp.
The Ninth Princess’s eyes widened. Even with her composure, she nearly jumped up, gazing at Jiang Ming in disbelief.
Only after a long while did she calm herself.
Her eyes glimmered, and unconsciously she licked her lips, her tongue crimson and enticing. Noticing Jiang Ming’s sidelong glance, her cheeks flushed.
“Brother Jiang, what is it you seek?” she pressed, suppressing her inner turmoil.
“The world’s books, the pinnacle of martial arts, breaking through to the void!”
“Perhaps not all can be achieved, but the world’s books? Brother Jiang, I’ll help you!”
“And if I am at odds with the world?”
“Aren’t you already at odds with the world?” The Ninth Princess laughed. “Go forth without worry. Along the way, I’ll provide you with all the intelligence you need.”
She paused, took a sip of tea, and said quietly, “Brother Jiang, when peace returns to the world, may I remain by your side and pursue the utmost in martial arts? My martial talent is among the finest in the land, and I am not far from the peak of master level.”
She was only twenty-two.
Under the night, a blush colored her cheeks.
The moon was silent.
The next day, Jiang Ming boarded a carriage, with hundreds of Taoist books yet to be finished inside. Jin Yinhua, Chief Jin, replaced Xiao Lan as his attendant. As she put it: “I, a dignified Chief Jin, have become a maid. What a disgrace!”
“I’ve ended up as the coachman!” Lu Yuan grumbled incessantly up front. “Brother Jiang, tell me, am I not asking for trouble?”
“There’ll be plenty of spectacles ahead to cover your coachman’s wages,” Jiang Ming replied with a smile.
Behind them,
“This journey, the road of the martial world is long, and chaos sweeps the land,” Bai Yunfei murmured.
“This journey marks the opening of a myth in the martial world,” the Ninth Princess said, her gaze profound.