Chapter 124 : You Forced Me
Chapter 124: You Forced Me
“Amitabha!”
Outside the imperial palace, a Buddhist chant echoed.
Following it came a deep voice: “This humble monk Wuxin, temporarily serving as the Buddhist Son of the Western Mountain Buddhist Sect, acknowledges that I am no match for the benefactor.”
“In this battle, the Western Mountain Buddhist Sect forfeits!”
“Senior Brother actually gave up!” Wunian below the arena suddenly raised his head. “Giving up is good—making things difficult for Miss Yunqing would be wrong!”
“That’s my good senior brother!”
Hearing this, the rest of the crowd wore complicated expressions.
A Buddhist expert had conceded without fighting.
No one thought it was an act of yielding. Instead, they all believed that Li Yunqing was truly strong enough.
She had fought Jianghu experts for two full days, and now had consecutively defeated four of the Eight Hidden Sects, without the slightest rest in between.
It could be said she had won battle after battle, every sword subduing her opponent.
What people could not comprehend was that Li Yunqing showed no sign of fatigue—instead, she remained spirited and full of vitality.
Even her True Qi did not seem to have been consumed much.
It was precisely because of this that many abandoned the idea of taking advantage of her.
With one sword to defeat enemies—no matter who it was, almost no one could force her to use a second strike.
With such strength, even if she had expended most of her energy, a single sword would still be enough to defeat numerous experts.
“The number one of the younger generation!”
“The greatest genius of the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty!”
For a moment, such thoughts arose in countless hearts, filled with admiration.
Three days of continuous battle, all against experts at Perfection of the Qi Realm—this prestige had been forged through sheer combat.
A prestige that made no one dare to underestimate her in the slightest.
Many who looked at Li Yunqing now carried respect and reverence in their eyes.
Li Yunqing naturally sensed this change.
When she had first stepped onto the arena, countless gazes had been brazen and explicit, roaming freely over her body.
But now, after battle after battle, no one dared to stare so directly anymore.
Even those who had spoken frivolously had all fallen silent, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
This was the dignity of the strong.
It was also the authority she had carved out, battle by battle, before the eyes of the world.
She believed that after today, anyone below the Grandmaster level would not dare show her any disrespect.
“Frost Sword Intent: Major Completion (13% → 25%)”
“Five Elements True Intent: Minor Completion (55% → 85%)”
“Pure Yin True Intent: Initiated (2% → 5%)”
“Yin Spirit: Major Completion (28% → 33%)”
After nearly three days of battle, her Frost Sword Intent had increased by ten percent.
The Five Elements True Intent, Pure Yin True Intent, and even her Yin Spirit had all improved significantly.
This was while she restrained herself from exposing too many anomalies, cultivating as she fought.
Otherwise, her Five Elements True Intent might have reached the level of Mastery.
“Still not enough!”
“If only I could kill a Grandmaster…”
Thoughts surged within Li Yunqing’s mind.
Killing a Grandmaster in front of the world to establish her authority—that would truly elevate her prestige to its peak.
Even though her temperament had grown gentler due to her Pure Yin Body, no one would dare offend her.
It would also greatly benefit her strength.
Strength is truth.
The words of the Sword Saint of Cangshan echoed once more in her mind.
The world was not a fairy tale, nor the fantasy of youths—it was this brutally realistic.
Only the strong would be respected and feared.
Only then could one be free from all constraints, living freely.
And the birth of the strong had always come from great battles and slaughter, spreading their name through achievements!
“This Daoist, Xuqing of the Profound Dao Sect, acknowledges he is no match for the young lady. This time, we forfeit!”
Another voice rang out, drawing sighs from countless people.
Among the Eight Hidden Sects, the Sword God Sect, Profound Dao Sect, and Western Mountain Buddhist Sect were unquestionably the top three.
Now, not only had the Buddhist Sect conceded—even the Profound Dao Sect had admitted defeat.
Clearly, Li Yunqing’s strength had surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Or perhaps these three sects, holding their prestigious status, were unwilling to act lightly, nor did they need to curry favor with the imperial family.
Thus, they chose to avoid battle.
“The Heavenly Secrets Sect forfeits!”
Not long after the Profound Dao Sect’s declaration, another voice echoed.
For a moment, everyone was left speechless.
Many looked at Li Yunqing with even greater awe.
With her own strength, she had suppressed the entire younger generation of the Great Yu Jianghu, even forcing several Hidden Sect inheritors to avoid direct battle.
Such an achievement was enough to spread across the entire Great Yu, making her the focus of all attention.
Once she broke into the Profound Realm, she would become another Sword Saint or Sword God—perhaps even stronger.
After this battle, no one in the world would dare underestimate Li Yunqing again.
Even those who admired or adored her, wishing to form a union, would no longer dare to coerce or entice her.
“Tap, tap, tap…”
At this moment, footsteps sounded from the palace gates.
Two rows of armored soldiers, holding long spears, marched out in orderly formation.
Between them, the figures of the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince gradually appeared before everyone.
“The imperial family is finally taking action?”
“I thought it would be the highly talented Second Prince—but it’s the Third and Sixth Princes!”
“No matter how strong they are, they should at most be comparable to the inheritors of the Eight Hidden Sects, right?”
“The imperial family has no solution against Li Yunqing either!”
“So the imperial family has declined?”
“It seems so—no dynasty has ever broken the four-hundred-year chaos. Great Yu probably won’t either.”
For a moment, discussions filled the space before the palace, voices rising one after another without restraint.
If the imperial family were truly powerful, even figures like the Sword God and Sword Saint would be suppressed.
Just like the Dragon Emperor of the previous dynasty—standing at the Taimang Grand Pass, sweeping westward for thirty thousand li, crushing the Demon Race until they could not raise their heads.
No one in the world dared to object.
That was a dynasty at its absolute peak—where a single word could decide the fate of the world.
But Great Yu had clearly entered its twilight years.
“Li Yunqing!”
The Sixth Prince’s voice rang out, filled with anger.
“If you marry me now, you still have a way out. Otherwise… you will die!”
“I am of imperial blood, at twenty already at Perfection of the Qi Realm—what part of me is unworthy of you?”
“Must you push things this far? Must you force everyone to die before you are satisfied?!”
His voice grew increasingly furious, his eyes reddening as he roared without regard for others.
Step by step, he approached the arena with heavy footsteps.
He had never expected that his father would abandon him, even granting him the Fragrant Splendor Pill.
Once he consumed it, his life would be ruined—he would have no future.
And the source of all this—
was Li Yunqing.
As a woman, marrying and bearing children had always been the norm since ancient times.
Even women of the Jianghu would eventually marry, supporting their husbands and raising children.
As a prince, one of the most exalted beings in the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, how was he unworthy of a mere girl from a small provincial city and minor family?
He could not understand why Li Yunqing resisted so fiercely.
Even going so far as to push him, his Third Brother, and herself into a desperate situation.
Was it truly worth it?
“If you admit your mistake now, I can forgive everything!”
The Sixth Prince’s hand holding the Fragrant Splendor Pill trembled as he gritted his teeth.
“I can even swear I will never wrong you—how about it?”
“Or if you want the position of primary consort, I can grant it. The women in my residence—I can dismiss or abandon them all at your word. How about it?”
His voice trembled slightly, filled with unwillingness.
He was only twenty, in the prime of youth, his ambitions yet to be fulfilled.
Becoming a Grandmaster was only a matter of time.
He had a brilliant future—one envied by countless others.
He absolutely did not want it all destroyed by the Fragrant Splendor Pill, reduced from a lofty prince to a worthless cripple.
“No need for further words!”
Li Yunqing’s sword hummed as she pointed it at the Sixth Prince.
“From the moment you tried to force this marriage without even asking me—no!”
“From the moment you set your sights on me, there was no turning back!”
“Make your move!”
Hearing this, the Sixth Prince’s body trembled. A vicious smile appeared on his face as he roared:
“Good! Good! Good!”
“You forced me to this!”
“Today, I will destroy everything you have!”
“I will make you understand—beauty in this world only has value when it pleases men!”
“Beyond that… it has no use whatsoever!”
“I hope that when you fall into the mortal world, you can still look down on all men as you do now!”
With that, he swallowed the Fragrant Splendor Pill in one gulp.
His aura instantly boiled, and the Momentum of Heaven and Earth gathered around him.
Lifting his body slowly into the air.
Seeing this, everyone before the palace froze.
“Profound Realm!”
“Grandmaster!”