"Bang!" Zhou Ming gripped the heavenly demon stone tightly in his palm.
His consciousness was clear, but the feeling of trepidation lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate.
"Primal Sky Devil… What level of existence is that?"
In his mind, galaxies swirled, and the image of the majestic Devil God roaring to the sky was incredibly clear, as if etched into his brain, never to be forgotten.
He opened his palm, which had been pierced by his fingernails from gripping too hard. Although the wound quickly stopped bleeding, the overflowing blood was completely absorbed by the heavenly demon stone.
The deep, dark heavenly demon stone was like a black hole, constantly emitting strange fluctuations that drew one's mind into a spiral.
This was a stone emanating infinite demonic power.
"I'll deal with it when I return to the Main God Space!" Zhou Ming tossed the heavenly demon stone into the Flower Bud Gu, forcefully suppressing the turbulent emotions stirred up by the heavenly demon stone.
"There are more important things to do."
Zhou Ming's gaze shifted from the pile of ashes on the ground, looking out into the distance once more.
Tonight's battle was not over yet… At the palace gates, carriages surrounded the area, blocking it completely.
The Daimyos attending the banquet arrived on time, but the palace gates had not opened yet, causing a noisy uproar as the Daimyos discussed among themselves.
Not long ago, the roaring explosions, shouts of battle, and screams from within the palace had been clearly heard by the early-arriving Daimyos.
Several of them exchanged glances, a wave of panic rising in their hearts, yet they dared not trespass into the palace to investigate due to the prohibition.
This was a very correct decision, one that saved their lives, for now.
By now, all the Daimyos who had come to the capital had arrived. Including the Martial Artists they brought with them to participate in The World's Greatest Warrior Tournament, and the coachmen, etc., there were well over a hundred people in total.
So many people gathered at the palace gates, facing the closed doors, unable to go in or leave.
There were varying degrees of intimacy, grudges, and conflicts of interest among the Daimyos. The waiting here gradually wore down their patience, making them increasingly irritable.
When normal conversation turned into sarcasm, and the air was thick with hostility, the outbreak of conflict became inevitable.
Watching the Daimyos around him bickering like fishwives, and the Martial Artists with their murderous aura, scanning others with cold eyes as if ready to draw their swords and attack at any moment, Oda Heizo tried to shrink further into his carriage.
"My lord, we can't wait any longer, they'll start fighting if we do!"
Matsui Kyoshin said anxiously in a low voice.
"Nonsense, don't I know that!" Oda Heizo glared at him irritably, then tried to shrink further, instructing, "Let's move to the side, lest their blood splatters on us when they start fighting."
"Yes, My lord." Matsui Kyoshin obediently followed the order, slowly backing the horse away, then couldn't help but ask, "My lord, do you think this anomaly in the palace could be Lord Zhou Ming…?"
"Shut your mouth!" Oda Heizo, his face pale, cut off Matsui Kyoshin, then looked around somewhat guiltily.
Finding that no one was particularly paying attention to them, Oda Heizo then lowered his voice and said, "Talking nonsense here, do you not value your life! I'm telling you, no matter what happens tonight, we know nothing, understand?!"
"Understood, understood." Matsui Kyoshin nodded vigorously, also realizing that if the surrounding Daimyos thought tonight's events were related to them, their fate would be unimaginable… "Alas, if Zhou-kun were here now, it would be great. I always feel unsafe without him…"
Creak!
Just as Oda Heizo uttered this sigh, the tightly closed palace gates slowly opened.
All the bickering Daimyos ceased their disputes at this moment, turning their gaze towards the entrance.
For a moment, all was silent, save for the clear "thump, thump" of footsteps, each step seemingly echoing in everyone's heart.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhou Ming emerged from the palace, long saber in hand, its tip pointing to the ground. He had a faint smile on his face as he surveyed the scene.
"Who are you?!" A Daimyo, unable to hold back, demanded.
"Zhou Ming! He's Zhou Ming!" Another sharp-eyed Daimyo recognized Zhou Ming's identity.
"Is he responsible for tonight's events?"
"We must seize him and interrogate him thoroughly!"
"He actually came out of the palace with a saber, did something happen to the Ruler?"
The Daimyos' clamor struck Zhou Ming as somewhat comical, and Killing Intent surged within him.
He let out a long laugh and declared loudly, "Nohara Momonosuke has already departed, and before he left, he entrusted me to send you all on your way too. Won't it be beautiful for you, ruler and subjects, to reunite?"
"How dare you!"
"What did you say?!"
"Guards, quickly apprehend this villain!"
"Outrageous! Outrageous!"
The Daimyos were agitated, filled with anger, fear, and panic. Some roared furiously, ordering their subordinates to surround and kill him; others, sensing trouble, quietly prepared to slip away; some feigned composure, coldly watching the situation unfold… Zhou Ming calmly took in everyone's reactions, then suddenly smiled, raised his long saber, and flicked it with his finger.
Buzz… The saber's hum was clear and resonant. Though not particularly loud, it distinctly reached everyone's ears.
Everyone seemed to see a flash of saber light before their eyes, their thoughts momentarily paused, all sounds vanished in that instant, as if time and space had stood still.
The next moment, everything returned to normal.
However, the stunning brilliance of that saber light still lingered in everyone's hearts, gradually quieting everyone present.
Having gone through two major battles, one at the Tokugawa Dojo and another in the palace, absorbing the Martial Dao experience of several experts, including Tokugawa Yamato, and then enduring the spiritual impact of the heavenly demon stone's anomaly.
Zhou Ming's Saber Dao Realm finally broke through to Lv4 at this moment.
In the Gu World, this was the Realm of a Saber Dao Great Master.
Zhou Ming's gaze swept across the entire scene, his eyes as sharp as blades. Everyone caught in his gaze trembled in their hearts, feeling a sense of dread.
Zhou Ming raised his long saber, pointing it at the crowd.
"I'll send you all on your way."
He quickly ran, the tip of his saber carving a trail of sparks on the ground, charging straight towards the crowd.
In an instant, like ignited gunpowder, a tragic atmosphere permeated the entire scene, and a fierce battle was on the verge of breaking out.
"Kill!"
"Kill them!"
"Everyone, today it's either him or us. What are you hesitating for? Attack!"
Everyone understood that at this moment, any words were meaningless.
Only the saber in hand, and those who survived, had the right to speak.
Tonight's final flower of slaughter bloomed here, brilliantly… [The World's Greatest Warrior Tournament judgment has concluded! You will return to the Main God Space immediately after a three-minute countdown. You may choose to return at any time.]
As Zhou Ming cut down his last target, the Main God's prompt sounded in his ear at an opportune moment.
The ground was littered with Daimyos, Martial Artists, and servants. Their blood mingled, their bodies piled upon each other. They were born unequal, but death granted them their final equality.
Matsui Kyoshin slumped in the carriage, the intense stimulation bringing his consciousness to the brink of collapse. He stared blankly as Zhou Ming, covered in blood, walked towards him step by step.
"Pull back the curtain." Zhou Ming stood before him and said.
Matsui Kyoshin, his mind completely blank, instinctively obeyed Zhou Ming's command and pulled back the carriage curtain.
Inside, Oda Heizo lay in the carriage compartment, having fainted from fright.
"Heh, that's good too."
Zhou Ming smiled faintly, nodding at Matsui Kyoshin, and said, "At the time, I said he would register me, and I would help him win first place. Now that our cooperation is over, I'm leaving."
Matsui Kyoshin stared blankly as Zhou Ming turned to leave. At that moment, his consciousness finally began to clear.
"You, why did you do this?" he asked hoarsely.
Zhou Ming paused, then turned around.
Moonlight cascaded down, illuminating Zhou Ming. He stood on a carpet of corpses, covered in blood. The moonlight, reflecting off the blood, formed a faint, bloody halo around him, imbued with a strange, eerie sanctity.
"When I killed Tokugawa Saron, he said I wasn't a Martial Artist. I said I never claimed to be a Martial Artist."
Zhou Ming spoke calmly, his voice cool and distant.
"You tell me, what exactly is a so-called Martial Artist?"
Matsui Kyoshin didn't understand why Zhou Ming would suddenly ask him this, but after a moment of hesitation, he still answered the question.
"A Martial Artist is courage. A Samurai is a courageous person in the world, possessing courage and strength, using the saber in his hand to achieve the aspirations in his heart!"
"Hahaha." Zhou Ming laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" An unbidden anger rose in Matsui Kyoshin's heart, overriding his fear of Zhou Ming, and he demanded sharply.
"You are wrong." Zhou Ming's smile gradually faded, his tone indifferent.
"A so-called Martial Artist is merely a tool for rulers to maintain their rule. The loyalty and bravery of a Martial Artist are built upon a lord-vassal system where the lord they serve can reward the contributions made by the Martial Artist."
"A Martial Artist is a saber, a pawn, a soldier, a servant, yet they disguise themselves with martial prowess and the so-called Martial Artist's moral spirit, concealing their true nature."
"To answer your previous question, I am not a Martial Artist. I do all of this for only one purpose."
Zhou Ming turned around again, with a light chuckle, stepping under the moonlight, treading on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. His figure merged with the moonlight, disappearing without a trace.
Only his voice still echoed in the air.
"Because I'm bored, I want to see rivers of blood."
Thud!
Matsui Kyoshin slumped back into the carriage, staring blankly at the spot where Zhou Ming had vanished, feeling a dizzying sensation as his consciousness gradually blurred.
Before he fainted, he seemed to see the future: the world in chaos, smoke of war rising everywhere, endless conflicts, and the flames of battle consuming every corner of the world.
Overnight, Ruler Nohara Momonosuke and ninety percent of the Daimyos in the world died simultaneously.
The peace of this world would cease to exist after tonight.
Matsui Kyoshin fainted in the carriage, but Oda Heizo, inside the compartment, suddenly sat up.
He first cautiously looked around, finding no living figures, and certainly no Zhou Ming.
His fleshy face trembled uncontrollably as he forcibly suppressed his intense excitement. Oda Heizo dragged Matsui Kyoshin back into the carriage, then drove the carriage himself, turning it around and speeding towards his own estate.
There, he still had the thirty Martial Artists he had brought.
He had to return immediately, lead the thirty Martial Artists here, clean up the battlefield, and occupy the palace.
"This world is mine!"
The ambitious man, now consumed by madness, laughed heartily.
The wheel of history rolls ever forward, ceaselessly.
Among all beings in the world, who can escape it?
(This world has ended!)