Chapter 40: Summoned to the Royal Court for Judgment

"Dislike that place? Is that truly the only reason?" Elder Jiang could not help but chuckle.

"Elder Jiang, the Human King requests your presence!"

At one o'clock in the afternoon, two mysterious warriors clad in black armor appeared at the door. Lin Yin, who had opened the door, turned back with curiosity upon hearing this. Elder Jiang remained calm; he was well aware of the Royal Court’s reach.

"Teacher, what is going on?" Lin Yin frowned, blocking Elder Jiang’s path.

"It’s nothing. You focus on your training; I’ll be back soon," Elder Jiang said with a gentle smile. "If you can’t go to the Great Yan Kingdom, staying in the Great Xia is fine too."

"What do you mean 'back soon'? The Royal Court has come knocking!" Lin Yin realized something was wrong. "Why are you taking Elder Jiang?" he asked, turning his gaze toward the two black-armored warriors.

The warriors remained as cold as machines. They did not answer, simply waiting in silence. However, an immensely powerful aura began to permeate the air.

"Are you trying to intimidate me?" Lin Yin laughed. "The Imperial Guard of the Royal Court is so volatile? Resorting to intimidation at the slightest provocation?"

*The Imperial Guard!? How did he know?* The expressions of the two warriors flickered. Their identities were classified—even the scions of noble families were unaware of them. How could this young man see through them at a glance? Elder Jiang also looked on in surprise, not expecting Lin Yin’s perception to be so sharp.

"Whenever the Royal Court dispatches the Imperial Guard, it is either to slay demons or to apprehend someone. Teacher, tell me, are they taking you to the Royal Court?"

Faced with Lin Yin's inquiry, Elder Jiang remained silent for a moment before offering a helpless smile. It was embarrassing that he couldn't hide the truth from his own disciple. Seeing the elder’s tacit admission, Lin Yin’s expression turned somber. He did not stop them again but instead turned back into the house, returning a moment later to shove a book into Elder Jiang’s hands.

"If you encounter something difficult, take a look at this!"

"Haha, Yin’er, this is..." Seeing the somber yet earnest look in Lin Yin’s eyes, Elder Jiang fell silent. He accepted the book and nodded slowly. "Very well!"

Watching the elder’s retreating figure, Lin Yin narrowed his eyes, hoping his teacher would emerge unscathed. It was a pity that, with the Imperial Guard present, he could not tell the elder that the book was the complete, authentic version of the "Three Thousand Mo Blade Slashes," a technique the elder had studied his entire life without success.

***

Royal Court.

A somber and heavy atmosphere filled the air. As soon as Elder Jiang stepped inside, he sensed a suffocating pressure. He smiled nonchalantly and looked up toward the figure at the highest seat.

"Elder Jiang, I once addressed you as a pillar of the human race," the Human King said slowly. "But now, you have killed my teacher. Do you know your crime?"

Elder Jiang laughed. "What crime have I committed? Kong Moshang had been poisoning me with demon toxins for years. What is the crime in killing him? Or does the law dictate that only Kong Moshang may kill me, while I am forbidden from fighting back?"

The high-ranking officials of the Royal Court were awestruck by the elder’s audacity; he was truly deserving of the title "Great Demon King."

"Jiang Shang!" The Human King stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the elder. "By killing Kong Moshang, are you declaring war on me?"

Elder Jiang smiled again. It sounded so noble to frame it as a trial for murder, but in the end, it was all about power and status. Naturally, with his teacher dead, the Human King was the only one truly enraged.

"Lin Yin will not join the Jixia Academy, nor will he join the Royal Court. But he possesses a pure heart and will seek a path forward for the human race, just as the former King did." Elder Jiang stopped pretending, speaking calmly to tear away the true purpose of this meeting.

"Elder Jiang, do you think you alone can stand against the entire Jixia Academy and the Royal Court?"

"Then feel free to try!" Elder Jiang stood his ground, his gaze fierce as a tiger.

Several figures rose within the court.

"Since Elder Jiang wishes to test the blades of the Royal Court, then let us proceed." The Commander of the Royal Court’s highest Imperial Guard, a King-tier expert!

"It has been decades since I last crossed blades with Elder Jiang. I wonder if you are still the same Great Demon King who once fought his way into the Demon Lands single-handedly." The Commander of the Royal Court’s Garrison, another King-tier expert!

...

Eight King-tier experts stood before him. Elder Jiang spat blood, his hands trembling as he braced himself against his knees. He was old; he was no longer the Jixia Great Demon King of the past. Having endured years of demon toxins, how could he possibly best eight King-tier experts?

"Jiang Shang, your era has passed."

"Jiang Shang, do you still think you can shake the resolve of the Royal Court?"

The eight experts looked at him coldly. Elder Jiang had never taken an apprentice; he was a lone wolf. They felt no need for restraint.

"Jiang Shang, step off the stage of history and return to being that nameless old man." The Human King rose, his gaze calm, his lips curled in the smug smile of one who holds total control. "The Royal Court needs Lin Yin, but it does not need your advice. Only the Royal Court can provide the best stage for Lin Yin to display his talent. You have been wise your whole life, yet you are foolish this once."

Hearing the Human King’s words, a bitter smile touched Elder Jiang’s lips. At that moment, the book Lin Yin had given him fell from his robes. The wind flipped the pages, settling on the final section.

Elder Jiang took a glance, and his entire body stiffened.

"Guards, send Jiang Shang to any of the marquis estates in the Royal Court." The Human King sat back down, waving his hand dismissively. "Since the elder cannot sit still at the border, let him spend his twilight years in the Royal Court."

"As you command!"

Two guards stepped forward. But Elder Jiang had emerged from his long trance. He stood up slowly, his hand once again gripping the old blade that had accompanied him for decades.

"Hm?" The Human King frowned. For some reason, he felt a change in the elder’s aura—like an old, dull blade suddenly shedding its rust to reveal a razor-sharp edge.

*Hum!*

A vast wave of blade energy swept across the hall. The entire palace cracked, tilting to the sides!

"What!" The Human King’s pupils contracted, and he lunged to his feet, barely dodging the strike. When he looked back, he saw his steel-forged throne split into two, the cut perfectly smooth!

"Blade energy! No, it’s a blade energy wave!"

"This is Jiang Shang’s 'Three Thousand Mo Blade Slashes'!!"

"What level is this?! What level!"

"At least the eighth level! He broke through! The bottleneck of over a decade has been broken!!"

Watching the elder with his wild, gray hair and his old blade in hand, the eight King-tier experts fell silent. In their eyes, they seemed to see the Jixia Great Demon King from decades ago.

But deep within Elder Jiang’s eyes, there was only bewilderment. He looked at the book on the ground—it was less a book and more of a hand-drawn doodle by Lin Yin.

"The eighth level... combat technique... blade wave..."

"The ninth level... supreme blade technique... mountain winds howling... Three Thousand Mo Blade Slashes... How is this possible... How could it be real... Did he truly decipher the blade technique I spent my entire life trying to master?"