Chapter Fifteen: The Azure Emperor Blade Technique

East of Mengzhu Marsh lies a dense willow forest, its canopy so thick it blots out the sun. In this early summer season, willow catkins drift through the air like falling snow.

Deep within the forest, along the riverbank, a large force of laborers is working feverishly, digging a deep diversion channel. They have already quietly carved out a path; once the levee is breached, the waters of the North Bian River will surge forth, turning the area around the City of King Yan into a muddy swamp.

"Qi Ke-rang is hailed as a benevolent general, yet I never expected him to resort to such a venomous scheme. What a hollow reputation. Once the levee is breached, how many homes and fields will be destroyed? How many common folk will suffer?" A burly, purple-faced man sneered, then roared, "You who assist in this tyranny, have you not considered that among the people to be drowned, there might be your own kin and neighbors? Those with sense, surrender now, or you shall be pierced through by this tiger-headed, gold-chased spear in my hand!"

The speaker is Dai Xiaolou, a vanguard officer of the Grass Army and a fierce general under Huang Chao. Roughly forty years of age, he has followed Huang Chao for many years, serving him even back when Huang was a salt merchant; he is one of the most capable figures in the Grass Army. When Meng Kai led reinforcements to rescue Zhu Wen from the blade of "Heavenly Blade" Song Jue, Dai Xiaolou was among them.

Yet, no one paid him any heed. Instead, several crossbow bolts suddenly whistled from out of nowhere, converging upon Dai Xiaolou. Given their force, they would surely pierce through armor; to be struck would mean death or grievous injury.

But Dai Xiaolou spun his tiger-headed, gold-chased spear, creating a flurry of motion like the scorching sun melting gold, a torrential rain of flowers. The golden light dazzled the surroundings, and the crossbow bolts were struck down by the shaft, falling to the earth. Without another word, Dai Xiaolou strode forth, bursting out of the forest and charging toward the dense crowd with his spear leveled.

In an instant, a row of armored soldiers emerged with heads held high, forming a line and thrusting their swords toward him. Dai Xiaolou deflected them with his great spear, sweeping one man away with a single strike while the others were scattered by the reach of his weapon.

The willow forest was ill-suited for cavalry, but fighting on foot with a spear, unencumbered by the need to protect a horse, proved even more advantageous for breaking through the dense sword formations of the armored infantry.

"Hahahaha! Three thousand Yue troops are nothing compared to this!"

Dai Xiaolou shouted, signaling the Grass Army soldiers behind him to charge toward the Taining Army’s work site.

At that very moment, a long, lingering sigh drifted over, as if carried from the furthest reaches of space.

Dai Xiaolou froze, his body coming to a complete standstill.

He saw only a sword strike coming from the west, a flash of frost-white light, though he knew not where it originated. When the armored figure stood still, a crimson hole had appeared at Dai Xiaolou's unprotected throat. Blood welled up, and he gurgled, unable to utter a single word.

A yard away, the armored man stood with his sword, looking down at the blood-stained blade. With a flick, the droplets fell, and the sword returned to its original state—clear as autumn water, without a trace of blood.

High above, a plain paper umbrella drifted down through the falling willow catkins, landing in the forest. No one had seen when it was tossed into the sky.

"When a man is speaking, he must also keep a side-glance on his surroundings; otherwise, he might die."

Qi Ke-rang sheathed his sword and spoke calmly.

It was clear he had been hiding in the willow forest all along, yet no one had noticed his presence.

When the Snow Marshal struck, the Grass Army vanguard Dai Xiaolou was caught completely off guard and slain by a single sword stroke! Even in death, Dai Xiaolou’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

Among the ranks of the Grass Army, Zhu Wen watched the power of Qi Ke-rang’s move and could not help but sigh inwardly. He had once dismissed the Snow Marshal’s praise, believing the man unworthy of judging him. However, the decades of training—"practicing in the bitter cold of winter and the sweltering heat of summer"—combined with the combat techniques honed on countless battlefields of blood and fire, were far beyond what the current Zhu Wen could match.

As one of the Four Marshals of the Great Tang, "Qilian Snow-Clear" Qi Ke-rang—at the very least, the "Zhi Shang" (Cease-Sorrow) sword in his hand was no hollow reputation!

Zhu Wen had to admit, the Snow Marshal’s entrance was truly spectacular. It made him feel a tinge of envy.

By slaying the fierce Dai Xiaolou immediately, Qi Ke-rang struck terror into the hearts of the Grass Army. Dai Xiaolou was shrewd, capable, and extraordinarily brave—a leader of note within the Grass Army, holding a status even higher than Ye Luoliang of the Pinglu Army, whom Zhu Wen had previously killed. In the years since the Huang Chao army began its campaign, they had yet to lose a figure of such caliber!

"The fleeting world is but an instant; when catastrophe arrives, we scatter to the ends of the earth." A resonant voice followed by heavy, steady footsteps arrived suddenly. "What a fine 'Cease-Sorrow' divine sword, what an astonishing 'Frost-Startling' sword technique!"

Huang Chao, the commander of the Grass Army, dressed in golden armor, stepped forth with a calm expression, clapping his hands. Though Qi Ke-rang had just slain his beloved general Dai Xiaolou, no trace of grief could be found on Huang Chao’s handsome, broad face.

"Salt Marshal Huang is too kind," Qi Ke-rang replied with a slight smile, bowing in greeting.

The Snow Marshal Qi Ke-rang truly possessed a temperament different from other imperial generals. Facing the rebel leader, he maintained proper etiquette, treating Huang Chao as a grandmaster rather than cursing him as a "grass bandit."

Huang Chao returned the gesture. "Just now, the Snow Marshal's technique, 'Instant Eternity,' was swift and fierce, taking a life invisibly, yet its artistic conception was profound and long-lasting—it also stems from the Buddhist term 'instant.'"

"It is evident that the Snow Marshal has profound attainments in Buddhism; every move of the 'Frost-Startling' technique stems from the palm-leaf Buddhist scriptures. Since the Buddha loves all living things and pities the suffering of the masses, yet the Snow Marshal uses this method of breaching levees to bring disaster upon innocent people, does this not violate the heavens? How does it align with the benevolence of Shakyamuni?"

Huang Chao immediately pointed out the technique used to kill Dai Xiaolou, then pressed forward with a bold question, using Buddhist benevolence as a moral high ground to suppress the momentum Qi Ke-rang had gained.

"In war, courage is key." The Grass Army, whose morale had been dampened by the sword stroke, felt their spirits rise again upon hearing Huang Chao’s words, each man clenching his fists, ready to follow their commander into a bloody battle.

Qi Ke-rang did not answer directly, but instead asked in return, "Since the Salt Marshal raised his army, war has flared wherever you go, and people have been displaced. Is this also for the sake of benevolence? You style yourself as a man of the Confucian school; you should know that the Confucian heart of benevolence is no different from Buddhist teachings."

Hearing this, Huang Chao burst into laughter, the sound like a great bell, shaking the mountains and forests.

"A good question! I rise to eliminate the evils of the world and promote the greater good; what is unbenevolent about that?"

Qi Ke-rang asked, "Does the Salt Marshal believe the Imperial Court is the great evil of the world?"

"The current court is rife with corruption; the treacherous hold power, and the world is filled with injustice. The common people are like victims of snake venom. How can such a turbid court be anything but an evil?"

Qi Ke-rang smiled. "Though the current government has its failings, it is far from a point where most people cannot survive, and the current Emperor is by no means a tyrant like Jie or Zhou. You wish to shatter this world, but it is easy to destroy order and difficult to rebuild it. If the Great Han falls, it will lead to another four hundred years of chaos like the Three Kingdoms, the Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

"If so, you claim to be eradicating evil for the world, yet what you are doing is becoming the greatest evil of all. If you are willing to listen to me and disband your army, I am willing to petition the court to appease your tens of thousands of soldiers and quell the flames of war. In that case, I would not need to breach the North Bian River levee."

"If not, then to quell this slaughter and end the war, innocent blood will inevitably flow beneath these heavens."

Qi Ke-rang drew his precious sword with a crisp sound. The cold light shimmered, as sharp as freezing frost. "This is the meaning of my sword—'Cease-Sorrow.'"

"Good, very good," Huang Chao clapped. "Does the Marshal mean to say that the current Emperor, Li Xuan, is not a tyrant like Jie or Zhou?"

At these words, both armies turned their gaze.

To utter the name of the Son of Heaven meant death for a commoner. Yet Huang Chao had called the Emperor by name in public, showing an extraordinary arrogance that proved he had no intention of leaving himself a way out.

"This grass bandit is so disrespectful, he deserves to have his nine generations executed!" shouted Xiao Ling, a young officer behind Qi Ke-rang and a direct descendant of the Lanling Xiao clan.

But the Snow Marshal’s expression remained as calm as an ancient well. He waved a hand to silence Xiao Ling. "Then I ask, Marshal Huang, what faults does the current Emperor possess that qualify him as a tyrant like Jie or Zhou?"

Huang Chao replied sternly, "Zi Gong said: 'The wickedness of Zhou was not as great as people say. Therefore, the superior man hates to dwell in a low-lying position, where all the wickedness of the world flows into him.'"

This quote from the *Analects* suggests that the true evil of King Zhou of Shang was not as great as later generations claimed; it was only because he was a failed ruler that all the evils of the world were attributed to him.

"The Marshal says that the current world has not reached a point where most people cannot survive. In the time of King Zhou of Shang, the people he abused were primarily nobles and princes; although the common people were heavily exploited and suffered from hunger and cold, they had not reached the point of starvation across the land."

"Then, when King Wu marched against Zhou, did he consider whether, after ending the tyranny of Shang, he would establish a peaceful golden age, or plunge the world into endless chaos and war?"

Huang Chao spoke gravely: "The Tang Emperor Li Xuan, while not entirely a fool, has presided over the decline of the Tang dynasty. The three garrisons of Hebei are割据 (split into separatist regimes), and many regional commanders refuse to obey the court. It is much like the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou—it is a regression of history. If we do not shatter and rebuild this world today, when shall we?"

"I, Chao, may be untalented, but even if I cannot overturn the world myself and recreate the heavens, I will offer my blood to the Xuanyuan sword, turning my flesh and blood into nourishment for a new era. From the underworld, I will watch the vibrant scenes of a golden age reborn."

As he spoke, the Seven-Star Mountain-Cleaving Blade on Huang Chao’s back was drawn, pointing at Qi Ke-rang and the Taining Army generals. "The Great Tang of today is no longer worthy of the name of a great empire. Its final mission is to collapse in the flames, to burn away completely, offering a phoenix rebirth to China, that the sun and moon may shine bright once more!"

The final word echoed, the sound lingering for a long time. For a moment, the two armies were silent, feeling that Huang Chao’s heroic figure had grown taller, standing between heaven and earth like the majestic Mount Tai.

After a long while, Qi Ke-rang said, "What you say, Salt Marshal—who is a tyrant and who is a righteous king—ultimately depends on who has the greater power. It is determined by strength."

Huang Chao smiled. "If that is how you wish to understand it, that is fine. As the saying goes: The Great Way lies in the abyss and the sea, in the sword and the blade, not in empty words."

"Then I shall seek instruction from your 'Green Emperor Blade' technique."

"Just as I intended!"

Before the words had faded, both men leaped into the fray. Qi Ke-rang’s "Cease-Sorrow" sword pointed diagonally, like an eagle striking the sky. His sword intent was soaring, carrying the spirit of a giant roc, and within the frost-white radiance, a faint golden light appeared, reflecting solemn and majestic images.

This move, "Garuda Flapping Wings," was named after the mythical Garuda of Buddhist lore.

Huang Chao rose like an angry falcon, his Seven-Star Mountain-Cleaving Blade suddenly erupting in light, turning a translucent, crystalline emerald green.

Huang Chao let out a long cry, his body glowing with intense green light, blade energy soaring into the sky. The green radiance danced wildly along the edge of his blade, as if set ablaze, exuding the spirit of changing the world and recreating the mountains and rivers.

"The Green Fire Golden Light Blade! The Green Fire Golden Light Blade passed down from the ancient Green Emperor, Ling Weiyang!" exclaimed Ren Yuan, a general in the Taining Army.

Although Huang Chao did not come from a martial arts lineage like Wang Xianzhi, he had been taught by a master, becoming not only proficient in the eighteen weapons but also mastering the long-lost Green Emperor Blade technique.

The Green Emperor Blade was created by the ancient Green Emperor, Ling Weiyang.

The Green Fire Golden Light Blade was the most powerful move within that technique—the blade energy was sharp and fierce, yet possessed the endless vitality of vegetation.

During the Battle of Yunzhou, the Tianping regional commander, "Silver Halberd General" Xue Chongyuan, whose family halberd technique was passed down from the great Xue Rengui, had been defeated by Huang Chao’s Green Emperor Blade, cleaved in two—man and halberd alike—by a single strike of the Green Fire Golden Light Blade.

At this moment, Huang Chao’s blade intent was equally unstoppable, filled with the determination of conquest. As he swung his blade in the air, he was like the Green Emperor reborn, and his blade clashed instantly with Qi Ke-rang’s "Cease-Sorrow" divine sword.

For a moment, everyone held their breath, focusing on the peak duel between the two.

Huang Chao was indeed a grandmaster of his generation, and the Green Emperor Blade was an ancient, peerless art. But Qi Ke-rang, as one of the Four Marshals of the Tang, possessed a "Frost-Startling" sword that was equally world-renowned. Whether it was his brilliant military achievements or his status in the martial world, all were earned through thousands of bloody battles; his strength was definitely not that of someone like Xue Chong, who merely boasted of his family name.

Whether the "Cease-Sorrow" sword would freeze the three thousand worlds, or the Green Emperor Blade would recreate the heavens—this duel of supreme masters would be decided here and now!