Chapter 470: The Emperor

The bamboo forest was in ruins. Within a fifty-meter radius, not a single intact bamboo stalk could be seen. The ground was covered in blood, resembling a hellish realm.
Xiao Kai, clad in golden armor, stood calmly amidst the chaos, ignoring his surroundings as he slowly stroked the icy Yi Tian Sword, a faint warmth emanating from his lips: “What an extraordinary Yi Tian Sword!”
In his past life, he had never fought against the wielder of the Yi Tian Sword. It seemed its fame had been suppressed with large sums of money, keeping it hidden, so he had never truly understood its true power.
……
Yi Tian Sword:
Top-tier divine weapon;
Increases attack by 2,000 points and all attributes by 20 points. Its edge is impenetrable, capable of easily destroying ordinary weapons and reducing the durability of renowned weapons. When combined with sword intent, it unlocks the “Piercing Wind” attribute, instantly destroying the enemy’s protective barriers. Hidden attribute—when given to Zhou Zhiruo along with the Dragon Slaying Sword, it can be exchanged for The Wumu Secret Book and The Nine Yin Manual.
(Lacks a scabbard; cannot be stored!)
(Mission item; cannot be entrusted. Drops upon death.)
……
It’s indeed The Wumu Secret Book and The Nine Yin Manual…
Turning around, Xiao Kai withdrew his gaze from the Yi Tian Sword and looked up at Xie Xun. Since he had taken the sword, Xie Xun had stopped pursuing him. Holding the Dragon Slaying Sword, he continued to watch Zhang Wuji fight against the emissaries of the Persian Mingjiao sect.
“Young Master Xiao Kai.”
Zhou Zhiruo, unnoticed by anyone else, rushed over happily upon seeing that Xiao Kai had safely obtained the Yi Tian Sword.
Ding!
System prompt:
“Do you wish to return the Yi Tian Sword to Zhou Zhiruo?”
“If you return it, you will continue to receive the hidden tasks related to The Wumu Secret Book and The Nine Yin Manual. If you refuse, you must immediately flee Lingshe Island with the Yi Tian Sword. Once you leave the island, it will become your property.”
As soon as the system prompt faded, Zhou Zhiruo arrived in a flash of joy, stopping in front of Xiao Kai…
Although Xiao Kai felt a slight stir in his heart, upon seeing Zhou Zhiruo’s beautiful face and her unwavering trust, he handed her the Yi Tian Sword without hesitation: “It truly is an unparalleled divine sword!” He sighed deeply, drawing the attention of Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji.
“For your great kindness, Young Master Xiao Kai, on behalf of the Emei Sect, I am deeply grateful!” With her master’s weapon restored, Zhou Zhiruo sheathed it and then hugged the sword, tears of excitement streaming down her face.
“Miss Zhou, you’re too kind…”

Looking at Zhou Zhiruo with mixed emotions of joy and awe, he said, “The Heaven-Piercing Sword has been recovered after being lost—let’s not lose it so easily again. My skills are limited; I can protect it for a while, but not for forever.” As soon as he finished speaking, sudden wild laughter rang out from above the bamboo forest: “Hahaha…” “What a clever remark—protecting it for a while but not for forever. You’re quite smart, kid.” Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji took advantage of the three Persian Holy Fire Order messengers’ weapons being knocked away and rushed to their side. Xie Xun spoke in a loud voice, “Smart, knowing when to back down. Not like those people in the martial world who, despite their weak skills, still dream of dominating the martial arts world, living in daydreams and causing me, Xie, countless troubles… Hmph! Just for this, you’ll surely achieve great things in the future!” “Elder Xie, please don’t mock me. I’m not someone without courage. If it weren’t for you being the godfather of Zhang Wuji and the sworn brother of Zhang Cuishan from Wudang, and having spent many years on Ice and Fire Island repenting, even if my skills are limited, I might have to learn some of your advanced techniques.” His words were neither arrogant nor humble. Xie Xun nodded slowly. Zhang Wuji’s eyes also lit up slightly as he turned to Zhou Zhiruo: “Miss Zhiruo, it’s a great fortune for your sect to have a friend like Happy Young Master.” After a pause, he added, “I obtained the Heaven-Piercing Sword from Zhao Min, and now that it’s back in Miss Zhou’s hands, it’s truly returned to its rightful owner. However, with so many people on Snake Island and the Holy Fire Order messengers from the Persian Mingjiao, I think it’s best for us to leave quickly…” “Exactly!” Xie Xun nodded. “The Holy Fire Order messengers have strange and powerful martial arts skills—I’m no match for them. Let’s leave without delay.” “Miss Zhou, with the Heaven-Piercing Sword in your hands, you’re not safe. Why not come with us?” “I’ll go with Happy Young Master.” Zhou Zhiruo’s words delighted Happy, though he didn’t show it on his face. It was worth giving away this Heaven-Piercing Sword! Being able to be with Zhou Zhiruo meant he had entered her mission. But from now on, he would not only have to deal with Zhang Wuji and Xie Xun but also the cunning and ruthless Zhao Min. One wrong move could lead to disaster. Sure enough, upon hearing Zhou Zhiruo’s words, Zhang Wuji immediately invited Happy to leave together. “If that’s the case, I’ll obey respectfully.” Happy, neither arrogant nor humble, followed behind Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji, side by side with Zhou Zhiruo, heading deeper into Snake Island. After the group left, it took some time before a group of people gradually emerged from the depths of the bamboo forest.

With expressions of doubt on their faces, they looked at each other:
“Who is this person?”
“An NPC?”
“No, it’s Happy…”
“…”
“No wonder.”
“I didn’t expect him to be here too.”
Hearing that it was Happy who had seized the Heaven-Sword and shown its power, everyone present immediately fell silent.
“Let’s go.”
“It’s over.”
Many players became disheartened.
Even the stupidest could tell that Happy had already won the recognition of Zhou Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji, and Xie Xun, and had entered the main storyline mission of Heaven-Sword and Dragon-Slaying; they, on the other hand, were just a group of outsiders…
Staying on Snake Island any longer might provoke not only Happy’s hostility but also that of the Southern Tyrant, the “Chivalrous Gate.”
The players gradually left Snake Island by boat.
…
“We found it!”
Suddenly, several strange cries rang out from the depths of the forest on Snake Island, filled with excitement as they gathered together.
Three messengers of the Holy Flame Token, dressed oddly, had gathered all six tokens.
Their gazes fell on the Central Plains martial artist with a calm smile on his face!
It was him.
He had fought his way through the crowd earlier, seizing two Holy Flame Tokens and handing them over so that the tokens wouldn’t leave Snake Island.
The two men and one woman bent slightly and bowed politely:
“The Holy Flame Tokens are extremely important to us. For helping us retrieve them… we are deeply grateful for your assistance to the Ming Sect.”
“You’re welcome. Returning lost property is part of our tradition,” replied the young swordsman indifferently, as if the Holy Flame Tokens were just ordinary metal, though his answer sounded somewhat strange.
Fortunately, the messengers were no less cunning. Their beards twitched as they asked, “May I know your name, sir?” During the earlier battle, they had noticed that although this man’s cultivation level was low, his swordsmanship was quite impressive, so they didn’t dare underestimate him.
The young swordsman placed his hands behind his back, smiled slightly, and calmly uttered two words:
“One Emperor.”