The snowfall got heavier.
The cries of pain resounded through the wind and snow. Hua Shan's disciples, or rather, the elite assassin's disguised as Hua Shan's disciples slaughtered the imperial guards.
Putting aside the fact that their combat skills were inferior to these assassins, they couldn't resist even if they wanted to with the emperor's life in the enemy's grasp. They were basically sheep waiting to be slaughtered, stuck like a stick in the mud just waiting to be brutally slaughtered.
Their blood dyed the snow red. Their cries echoed throughout the plaza. Not even the tough imperial guards could withstand the brutal treatment.
The emperor and the warriors could only helplessly watch as soul after soul vanished outside the imperial study.
The emperor was in a helpless situation. With his meridians sealed, he couldn't make a sound despite opening his mouth with fury in his eyes.
"You want to save them?"
Jia Yunfeng watched everything that happened. Despite having his back to the emperor it was as though he had eyes on the back of his head. He snickered: "If you want to save them, you just have to tell me where the imperial jade seal is."
The emperor cursed to himself: You're delusional!
Jia Yunfeng responded: "As that is the case, you need not say any more. You just need to watch in silence."
He succeeded the leader as the new sect leader of Hua Shan at thirty years of age and surpassed his predecessor in terms of skills. With his inner and outer elements having achieved a new level, his sword skills have reached new heights. If he didn't, he wouldn't have been able to boss around someone as skilled as Fu Xiang.
But his skills now surpassed one's imagination, being able to respond to the emperor's inner thoughts without even looking.
The emperor himself was also shocked by that.
A strong gust of wind blew from the ground, creating a whirlwind of snowflakes which came from down low and then came up and toward Jia Yunfeng. The emperor was elated to see that. The one who attacked was Hu Po who had lost an arm and was lying in his own pool of blood. He lost his arm to Jia Yunfeng and suffered many sword wounds. However, Jia Yunfeng didn't seal his meridians. Hu Po realised that so played possum to wait for the right time to strike.
Jia Yunfeng however, wasn't surprised. He just turned his body a little and Hu Po's attack hit thin air. Their inner strength prowess was equal. However, Jia Yunfeng could anticipate Hu Po's moves and therefore evade them. It's like a powerful tiger that only hits the air. As strong as you may be, if you can't hit your target, all the power in the world won't do you any good.
Their gap wasn't in skill, but the fact that they were on different levels.
During his fight with the white-haired boy back then, Jia Yunfeng didn't just awaken sword-qi, but also realised an even more important possibility in martial arts. His fight with the boy would always resurface in his mind. He still remembered clearly how the boy defeated him.
The boy erased sword-qi with just his gaze and evaded his sword strikes without even looking.
Many years after their fight, Jia Yunfeng began to realise that it wasn't technical skills but levels, a special level in martial arts that separated the talented from the ordinary.
Once Jia Yunfeng realised that possibility, he could no longer focus all of his future on Hua Shan's sword styles. He searched hard for a sword style that was close to that level, and eventually found it seven years ago with the League of Assassins.
That sword style was called Demon Shadow Light Splitter.
Demon Shadow Light Splitter wasn't a popular style in the League of Assassins, but it had its unique points. Using the light at night to hide shadows, and shadows to conceal the light was a type of assassination technique with the sword, executed by manipulating lights and shadows. Putting it nicely, you'd call it illusionary techniques. Describing it lamely, you'd call it trickery.
But Jia Yunfeng sold his soul to the underground world for it.
He thought highly of Demon Shadow Light Splitter because of its unique training method, which was to train in the dark blindfolded.
When Jia Yunfeng first blindfolded himself, his hearing took over so he had to block his ears too, thereby forcing him to use his inner energy to sense things. This sensing method was employed by internal style experts when they fought. He however, used it all the time, causing not even the creator of Demon Shadow Light Splitter to understand what Jia Yunfeng was up to.
But the talented man with his sword in his hand knew. He knew what he was after. As such, he combined the memory and fight from back then with his incredible hard work for three years.
When Jia Yunfeng opened his eyes again, he no longer needed to look with his eyes or listen with his ears. His sight and hearing could now be replaced just by sensing one's breathing and qi. He didn't even need to think. He could tell if his opponent's qi was powerful or not just using his sensing qi, and from there judge the level of their skill.
After evading Hu Po's lethal strike, he snickered: "A sneak-attack from behind? Sir Hu Po, you're regarded as a hero, yet you've resorted to under-handed methods today."
Hu Po didn't have any energy to spare for his ridiculing. He only had one arm left. As soon as he missed his first palm strike, he threw another just as powerful palm strike. That's when Jia Yunfeng realised Hu Po's internal strength was profound. His internal strength was not inferior to Fu Xiang's. It's not easy for him to throw such a powerful palm strike when he's suffering from severe wounds, lost an arm and is bleeding excessively.
His palm strike missed again. It was as though he had eyes on every part of his body. As soon as Hu Po moved, he had already begun to take the next step.
In terms of martial prowess, it would take over a thousand exchanges before a victor could be determined between the two. However, Jia Yunfeng's ability to sense qi put them worlds apart.
After dodging the next palm strike, Jia Yunfeng exclaimed: "What can someone achieve on their last pins?!" He drew out a cold and sharp ray of light that was swift, striking Hu Po's weak-point before he could defend it.
The emperor wanted to call "Stop" but he couldn't make it. Hu Po couldn't dodge in time. A cutting sound like the crisp sound of a blade cutting an apple came from his neck.
Emperor Yuan Sheng exclaimed to himself: Noooo!!!!!
Blood spurt forth wildly. Hu Po's frozen body dropped to the ground.
Emperor Yuan Sheng's eyes were red and his vocal chords trembled, but there was still nothing he could do.
Jia Yunfeng sheathed his sword and then coldly said: "He died for you. They too, will die for you."
When he looked to the other side, over half of the imperial guards had been killed. Of the one-hundred present, there were only about ten of them left. The situation resembled hell on Earth.
"Your majesty, have you thought it through properly?"
The emperor silently watched the imperial guards die brutally. His heart was breaking, but he couldn't answer Jia Yunfeng's question. All he could do was apologise to the imperial guards over and over.
Jia Yunfeng indifferently remarked: "You really do have a heart of steel, your majesty."
An assassin then made a hand and palm salute and asked: "Reporting, leader. There are only ten remaining. Do we kill them as well?"
"I already told you. Spare none."
"Roger!"
No!!
The emperor's cry in his heart still didn't sound out.
As soon as the assassin who just responded "roger" turned around, he killed another guard with a palm strike by slamming his palm hard into the back of his head. It sounded like a watermelon getting crushed. The captain's body turned limp as it slowly fell to the ground.
Jia Yunfeng was indifferent as always. His orders aren't as complex as Fu Xiang's. He didn't preface this, and making reminders of that. They weren't like Yu Ye's either that contained excessive emotion. His orders were always clear and simple. Spare means spare. Kill means kill. There were never any emotions involved.