Wang Zhong had never met Lin Fan of the Lin Manor, but he had met the previous manor lord. He seemed like a shrewd and calculating man, someone who kept his thoughts hidden deep.
"Who are you?"
Lin Fan, seeing these people, was quite curious. He always welcomed strangers, as long as they were equally friendly. He truly welcomed them.
However, the surrounding atmosphere didn't seem very friendly.
"Hello, could you please not stand on the roof? Repairs are very troublesome."
He had seen others repair roofs before. It required setting up ladders and slowly climbing up, a very dangerous task. One slight misstep could lead to a fall.
Therefore, seeing people stepping on his roof, he wasn't pleased. He felt a sense of unease.
But his words fell on deaf ears. No one seemed to care what Lin Fan said.
"Didn't you hear the Manor Lord?" Di Sheng's face turned cold as he saw the Surveillance Division members still standing on the roof. "Did you really not hear, or are you waiting for this old man to break your legs?"
"Tian Sheng, Di Sheng, you know His Majesty has been looking for you for a long time," Wang Zhong said.
As he spoke, Wang Zhong's tone was righteous. He stood at the highest point; the Emperor was the sky, was everything. Even though Tian Sheng and Di Sheng were martial arts legends, before the Emperor, they were still servants of the imperial household.
Di Sheng ignored Wang Zhong and looked intently at those standing on the roof. "It seems you want your legs broken."
Who was Lin Fan? Although he addressed Lin Fan as Manor Lord, in his heart, Lin Fan was no different from his master. His master had spoken, and these small fries not only didn't listen, but they dared to pretend they hadn't heard. Others might tolerate it, but Di Sheng couldn't.
A wisp of fist intent emanated from him. Di Sheng was prepared. If they dared to continue ignoring them, he would break their legs in an instant.
The Surveillance Division members standing on the roof were all ruthless characters, the Emperor's butcher knives. They killed without blinking, from the elderly to infants in arms. Faced with Di Sheng's threat, they weren't panicked. But when they felt the fist intent, their hearts trembled, a chill running down their spines.
"Xiao Wang, you'd better control your subordinates. Your Grandpa Di Sheng isn't joking," Tian Sheng reminded him with a smile.
Hearing this, and feeling Di Sheng's fist intent, Wang Zhong's heart skipped a beat. He believed that if these subordinates remained on the roof, their fate would be exactly as Di Sheng had said. He waved his hand, and the members, seeing the gesture, jumped down from the roof. They then crouched, aiming their crossbows at Lin Fan and the others.
"His Majesty is looking for you," Wang Zhong said.
It was best to avoid a fight. After all, with the strength of these two, he wasn't confident he could capture them.
Di Sheng said, "This old man knows His Majesty is looking for us, but the connection between us and His Majesty has long since ended. Now, this old man just wants to live in seclusion here. Go back and tell His Majesty that this old man thanks him for his concern, but I'm old, my body can't travel, and my energy is low. I will spend the rest of my life here."
Wang Zhong's smile was stiff and forced. "Elder Di Sheng, I'm afraid I can't fulfill your request. His Majesty wants to see you, and as for this Purple Mountain Lin Manor… His Majesty doesn't want to see it anymore."
"Receive the decree."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tossed the imperial decree towards Di Sheng.
Di Sheng narrowed his eyes, caught the decree, and glanced at it. The contents were as he expected. The Emperor wanted him to help the Surveillance Division destroy the Purple Mountain Lin Manor.
Preposterous.
The Emperor in the imperial court always thought he was high and mighty, able to control everyone's life and death, believing that no one could refuse his commands.
"Elder Di Sheng, you understand His Majesty's decree, right?" Wang Zhong said.
Di Sheng smiled and tossed the decree back to Wang Zhong. "A piece of advice for you, take the decree and go back."
Wang Zhong's expression changed drastically. He didn't expect Elder Di Sheng to ignore the Emperor's decree. "Elder Di Sheng, are you defying the imperial decree?"
"It's not defiance, but this old man doesn't want to participate in His Majesty's plans. Although you brought many experts from the Surveillance Division, this old man and Tian Sheng don't necessarily take you seriously."
Di Sheng was now very arrogant. His own strength had soared, reaching the legendary realm of terrestrial immortals. What did it matter if the other side had a large number of people? In his eyes, they were just ordinary mortals, not worth mentioning.
Wang Zhong didn't dare to act rashly. The reason was his apprehension towards Tian Sheng and Di Sheng. The two elders were very powerful. Once a fight broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable. He might not be able to suppress them, and it was even very likely they would all die here.
"Do you really want His Majesty's thousands of troops to flatten this place?" Wang Zhong's expression turned cold. Being intimidated by Tian Sheng and Di Sheng while leading thousands of Surveillance Division experts was already humiliating. If he returned like this, the Emperor would definitely be furious and extremely disappointed in him.
Han Yan held her sister's hand, her expression serious. The situation was unclear.
She secretly looked at Lin Fan and found him standing there calmly, indifferent to the current situation. He gave off the impression that everything was under control.
Han Yan knew Lin Fan was very scheming; everything was certainly within his grasp. Otherwise, he wouldn't do these seemingly foolish things. She had once had an epiphany and understood Lin Fan's actions.
But gradually, as Lin Fan continued to reveal his hidden strengths, she felt she could no longer understand his actions.
With Tian Sheng and Di Sheng here, the Surveillance Division would likely find it difficult to do anything to them.
Even though the current situation was precarious, Lin Fan hadn't summoned his own army. He must be planning to enrage the Emperor, prompting him to send troops to flatten Purple Mountain. Then, he would dispatch his army to occupy the imperial court. With the imperial troops away, it would be difficult for them to return and defend, allowing him to seize the imperial capital and take power in one fell swoop.
That was all Han Yan could think of. Moreover, it was already quite difficult for her to think of this much; it was considered an exceptional performance for her.
Wang Zhong noticed that Tian Sheng and Di Sheng were ignoring him. To him, it was a humiliation.
"Manor Lord Lin, as a remnant of the previous dynasty's aristocratic families, His Majesty has allowed you to live in peace here. Is this how you repay his grace?" Wang Zhong launched a verbal attack.
He had no other ideas. Since Tian Sheng and Di Sheng were ignoring him, he could only target Lin Fan, making him understand that this matter was caused by him. Did he think he could just stay silent and everything would end?
Wishful thinking, a pipe dream.
Lin Fan said, "I live here and have never troubled anyone. Why should I thank him for his grace? And who is this 'His Grace'? I haven't met him. If possible, could you bring him here? As long as what he says makes sense, I can thank him."
"Insolent! You dare insult His Majesty! You deserve to die!" Wang Zhong was furious, glaring at Lin Fan. He obviously hadn't expected him to be so audacious.
Lin Fan frowned. "What do you mean? I didn't say anything. I don't understand what you're saying."
He felt there was something wrong with this person. There was a strange feeling in their communication.
"Di Sheng, are you very familiar with him?" Lin Fan asked.
Di Sheng replied, "We know each other, but not particularly well."
Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "I don't have a good impression of them. Send them away. They're not welcome here."
Originally, his idea was simple. Guests were guests. Since they came here, he would treat them as newly acquainted friends, invite them for a cup of tea, and chat about life. But these people's attitudes were terrible.
They were mean to everyone.
It really made people feel uncomfortable.
"Understood," Di Sheng responded, then looked directly at Wang Zhong. "Now, take your people and leave this place. Otherwise, you'll suffer the consequences."
"Di Sheng, are you really betraying the imperial court? Just as His Majesty said, you covet the previous dynasty's treasure and betray His Majesty." Wang Zhong angrily rebuked. For him, even though he knew he wasn't a match for Tian Sheng and Di Sheng, he couldn't back down. Otherwise, it would be his fault.
He abruptly raised his hand.
The Surveillance Division members aimed their crossbows at them.
Di Sheng said, "This old man helped the imperial court of my own volition. When did I become the imperial court's dog? What this old man wants to do is entirely up to me. Since you don't want to leave, this old man will send you away."
Wang Zhong knew there was nothing left to discuss.
He waved his hand.
"Fire."
The whistling sound of the arrows was heavy, and just from the sound, one could sense the terrifying power of the crossbows. Often, some experts relied on their profound inner strength to form a protectiveGangqi, but when faced with these crossbows, the protective Gangqi would be torn apart.
Therefore, when the Surveillance Division carried out missions, they would use crossbows, especially now with such a large number of people. Firing together, it wasn't quite a rain of arrows, but it still blocked all directions.
Escape was basically impossible.
"Insolent!"
Di Sheng shouted angrily, pressing both fists to his dantian. A surge of true essence protective Gangqi burst forth from his body, forming a shield that protected everyone around him.
The arrows that could tear apart protective Gangqi made a ding ding sound when they hit this protective barrier.
It was as if the arrows had collided with metal.
"Hmm?"
Wang Zhong's face revealed shock. These crossbows were specially manufactured, possessing extremely strong penetrating power. When fired, the arrows rotated, increasing their destructive power by dozens of times.
Even if someone could withstand one arrow with their profound inner strength, it was impossible to withstand so many arrows now.
"Is this the power of the imperial court's Armor-Piercing Crossbow?"
Di Sheng scoffed at these things. The imperial court once wanted to use these things to suppress martial arts, which was simply a dream. A true expert could render these things useless with a single move.
"You…" Wang Zhong knew Di Sheng was strong, but he didn't expect him to be this powerful. He knew the power of the Armor-Piercing Crossbow; it was terrifying to the extreme. Yet, in front of Di Sheng, these things had no effect whatsoever.
"Senseless."
Tian Sheng had no sword in his hand. His former giant sword had been shattered, and he had mourned it for a long time. But now, he no longer needed any weapon in his hand. His hands became swords, his robes rustled, and his long hair fluttered without a breeze.
"Sever!"
Sword intent condensed from true essence slashed towards the surroundings.
Crack!
A silent sword.
The Surveillance Division members looked at their Armor-Piercing Crossbows as if they had seen a ghost. In the blink of an eye, they were sliced in half.