The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 554 - 50 The End

Chapter 554: Chapter 50 The End

While Qingyu was displaying his incredible power, annihilating Yi Qianshan and Bai Kong, outside the Royal Tributor Hall, two groups were in a standoff.

One side was naturally led by the Royal Tributors of Northern Zhou, with Hall Master Zhu Zhengyang heading up six other Royal Tributors.

The other side was a sea of shaven heads punctuated by a single swathe of long hair, with Xinyi Temple leading and Guangwen Temple and Yunkai Temple as allies.

Relying solely on Xinyi Temple would be insufficient to withstand the Royal Tributors supported by the Imperial Family’s resources. Therefore, this time Xinyi Temple had formed an alliance with the other two Zen temples to jointly block the Royal Tributors.

Of course, the confidence in their sure victory was not without the help of a traitor.

Lin Zhenning, the second in command at the Tribute Hall, had struck a sneak attack, severely injuring Hall Master Zhu Zhengyang, and thus caused the Royal Tributors to be blocked right after they left the Tribute Hall.

With their leader severely injured, the Royal Tributors had fought a hard battle and now each of them was seriously wounded. If the battle went on, they either had to surrender or fight to death.

However, after the Heavenly Giant Statue unleashed its power, the situation took a turn for the better.

"Cough cough, Lin Zhenning, and you bald traitors..." even though Zhu Zhengyang was severely wounded and struggled to stand, he was smiling broadly at this moment, a satisfied smile.

"The situation has been resolved, you treacherous monks have lost, yield now."

The power of the giant statue was truly terrifying; even at this great distance, one could feel the tremendous force of the Three-Point Returning Essence Energy.

But after their initial shock, the Tributors of the Royal Tributor Hall were overjoyed because this meant Emperor had won. As such, after their deadly battle, not only could they survive, but they would also be greatly rewarded and gain more resources.

On the contrary, the monks from the Three Temples Alliance and Lin Zhenning looked devastated, as if they had lost their fathers. Lin Zhenning’s face looked especially ugly, a mix of regret, resentment, and despair flashing across his face like a Sichuan Opera mask with its peculiarly vibrant colors.

"Amitabha," Zen Master Dafang from Guangwen Temple sighed helplessly, "Is this truly the will of heaven? With the Demon Path rampant and an unworthy Emperor, Northern Zhou will surely face many adversities!"

"Hmph, shameless, deceitful monks, spouting nonsense to the masses," Zhu Zhengyang sneered contemptuously, "Even at death’s door, you show no remorse. You are nothing but opportunists, seeking to profit from this political upheaval. What difference is there between you so-called ascetics and those profit-chasing merchants? Go on, keep talking tough, in the end, you’re just a dead traitor."

"Even in death, it will be you who die first." Lin Zhenning spoke through clenched teeth as he sternly surveyed the Tributors, "Master, once that dog Emperor is free, he will surely order a hunt for us. These Tributors will be the fresh troops hunting us down, why not take advantage of their injuries now and remove the Emperor’s claws?"

With those words, the monks who had been planning to retreat stopped in their tracks.

"Amitabha, Master Zhu has aided tyranny and I must reluctantly play the role of a wrathful Vajra."

Zen Master Dafang didn’t hesitate to act once he decided to, swinging his Zen staff with lethal intent.

Having failed in their endeavor, these monks no longer hid their intentions. Killing one person today might give them a chance of survival tomorrow, and eliminating a Royal henchman who abetted tyranny would be a meritorious deed.

The other monks were also exuding a murderous aura, attacking with all their might.

"Humph, quite bold." Far away, Qingyu, with eyes closed, sensed the fight in front of the Tribute Hall and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

It had to be said, these monks were decisive in killing, acting with full force for a quick resolution, eliminating future threats.

"However, regardless of how Zhu Zhengyang and his men fare, none of you will be able to leave the Imperial Palace alive today."

With light footsteps, a gust of wind swept around him as Qingyu leaped straight to the top of the sixty-six zhang tall Heavenly Giant Statue, his True Qi fully connecting with the statue.

The Earth Dominating Technique channeled the Earth’s energy, connecting with the Dragon Vein beneath, and Qingyu felt all of the statue’s True Qi come under his control.

"Die. Heaven and Earth Losing Color."

The sky and earth instantaneously lost their luster, with the blazing sun directly overhead, unable to penetrate this rapidly expanding area.

Centered around the Heavenly Giant Statue, the endless ashen hue spread continuously, engulfing more than half of the Imperial City into a grey world in the blink of an eye.

"What... what is happening?" Zen Master Dafang watched in shock as the ashen tone crept over him. He felt as though he was about to be petrified, his joints slowly stiffening, to the point where even turning his neck became difficult.

Just like him, the monks from Guangwen Temple, Xinyi Temple, and Yunkai Temple, along with the traitor Lin Zhenning, were all deprived of color.

Conversely, their enemies — the Tributor from the Tribute Hall — moved freely within this realm of grey.

"Die."

The merciless, indifferent voice of doom resounded from afar, as the monks and Lin Zhenning felt the vitality being drained from their bodies, letting out reluctant "heh heh" noises.

But within a few breaths, they all fell to the ground dead, faces contorted. Until death, they couldn’t even struggle.

"Hiss—" All the Tributors simultaneously gasped in shock.

Although aware of the extraordinary power of the Heavenly Giant Statue, after all, the commotion just moments ago was felt even from this distance, the eerie scene before them, instantly killing several True Pill warriors with elusive techniques, still sent chills down their spines.

With such power, who could argue that building the Heavenly Giant Statue was a wasteful use of resources?

"Well done, all of you. His Majesty will surely reward you handsomely afterward."

The indifferent voice jolted the dazed Tributors back to reality. Zhu Zhengyang, pushing through his serious injuries, bowed and said, "I have seen Daoist Qingyu."

This voice, if not the rumored "Demon Path" Qingyu, then who else could it be?

"We have seen Daoist Qingyu." The crowd bowed in unison.

A powerful warrior is respected everywhere, and now Daoist Qingyu was one of them. Although his current strength was bolstered by the Heavenly Giant Statue, without adequate power, he would have been killed by Yi Qianshan and Zen Master Bai Kong before even activating the statue.

None of the present Tributors felt confident they could have withstood such an assault for as long.

"Hmm," responded Qingyu indifferently, "go and heal your wounds first. Later, when we exterminate the remnants of the Three Temples, I will need you all to exert effort."

"Yes."

As Zhu Zhengyang watched the tide of ashen color receding, he turned to the others and said, "This upheaval has ended, and we have won."

They had won. Everyone felt a tremendous sense of relief.

After all, they had been circling Ghost Gate just before, and even though they were all True Pill Realm masters, they felt a sense of relaxation upon being suddenly saved.

"It’s over." By the gates of the Imperial City, head of the Imperial Guards Guan Chang said the same.

"Pass the order down, leave three thousand elite soldiers to guard the gates strictly, the rest will accompany me to Taihe Palace to capture the traitors."

Guan Chang was never Yi Qianshan’s man, nor would Feng Jiwu put someone disloyal as head of the Imperial Guards.

This supposed coup was nothing but a delusion of Yi Qianshan’s; from the beginning, it was just a minor disturbance.