Zhou Fangzun's next killer move was to use Zhong Zhuiwu, who harbored a mortal hatred for Chen Jiuyang, as reinforcements for the Southern Zhen Army.
It was truly a move to attack the heart while appearing faultless.
No matter who between the two died, Zhou Fangzun would not be blamed, nor would anyone question his imperial decree.
Zhong Zhuiwu had already arrived and was lurking nearby, only revealing himself when Chen Jiuyang was truly at his last breath.
Chen Jiuyang looked at Zhong Zhuiwu, his gaze calm, a mocking smile curling his lips. "Marquis Fengzhui, why are you not holed up in your mansion at this hour, but instead appearing here?"
Zhong Zhuiwu's expression was icy. "Xi Butui found me and told me there was a perfect opportunity to kill you, so I came to take the life of this bastard. It's that simple."
Chen Jiuyang's eyes grew dimmer, the mocking smile on his lips widening. "As expected of you."
"The day Master took me as a disciple, you took Wang Tian and others into your mansion, and submitted a royal decree, leaving my Master no choice but to tolerate you."
"It's the same today. Earlier, you saw I still had trump cards, so you dared not show yourself. Now that I'm at my last breath, you appear to kill me."
"Zhong Zhuiwu, you old scoundrel are indeed skilled at scheming, but are you qualified to kill me?"
Zhong Zhuiwu's face turned even colder, tinged with a shade of ashen anger. His voice was sharp and stern, "Words are useless. The victor becomes king, the loser perishes. Only the living have the right to judge!"
As his voice fell, Zhong Zhuiwu's true qi surged, causing his robes to rustle. He swung his long sword, unleashing a fierce and terrifying sword energy towards Chen Jiuyang.
By now, half of Chen Jiuyang's hair had turned white, and he was at the brink of exhaustion.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The Yan Sheng Saber in his hand actively unleashed its remaining strength, resisting the sword energy for Chen Jiuyang.
However, Zhong Zhuiwu was already at the fifth level of the Earth Realm. After a brief resistance from the Yan Sheng Saber,
"Bang—"
Chen Jiuyang was sent flying backward, crashing onto the ground. A horrific wound appeared on his body.
"Cough, cough..."
Chen Jiuyang's mouth filled with blood. He retreated from the Jade Shatter state, and the backlash of Jade Shatter surged, rendering Chen Jiuyang completely blind.
As the Jade Shatter state vanished, Chen Jiuyang felt a wave of emotion. He had risen too quickly, like a shooting star, but in the end, he was just an ordinary person among the masses. He had been lucky to possess the Pure Yang body and to have activated his ancestral inheritance.
Along the way, he had neglected the feelings of too many people, only realizing their preciousness after losing them.
The women connected to him: Yao Zixuan, Lin Yuexian, Ji Lengyue, Qiu Yihan. He seemed to have never spent enough time with them, nor experienced the joy of intimate companionship.
Those who worked with him: Deng Zun, Fang Bahua.
His parents, sister, master, and so on.
As if in a deathbed hallucination, he felt a surge of strength in his body. Past events flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
"Pfft—"
A sword pierced Chen Jiuyang's abdomen and was twisted violently. The pain made Chen Jiuyang's body convulse, but he made no sound. Zhong Zhuiwu's venomous voice echoed in his ears:
"Bastard, you caused my daughter and grandson to die painfully, leaving me without descendants, and you even used your apprenticeship to threaten me, forcing me to submit the royal decree, thereby cutting off my chance to advance to the Heaven Realm!"
"Today, if I don't cripple your internal organs and make you die in agony, I cannot quell the hatred in my heart!"
Chen Jiuyang found it amusing. With his mouth full of blood, he sneered, "Marquis Fengzhui, a year ago, I was just an ordinary college student. My parents were just migrant workers. Your grandson, relying on your power, hit and killed someone in Fengcheng, framing my father to take the blame. He even bribed the victim's family to imprison my father. Your grandson even sent people to push me off a cliff."
"If it weren't for the soldiers of the Sharp Blade Legion saving me, my entire family would have been utterly destroyed."
"When I returned to Fengcheng, I did not bully others with my power. I also gave your daughter and grandson several opportunities to confess their crimes and release my father. I would have spared their lives."
Li Weiguo had once promised Chen Jiuyang the rank of Major General, wanting him to stay in the legion. This way, Chen Jiuyang could provide a peaceful life for his parents and focus on his martial arts. However, Chen Jiuyang did not want to abuse his power.
"But my concessions were met with even more lawless bullying. Marquis Fengzhui, you and Xi Butui colluded to kill the victim's family in the Six Gates. You still have the audacity to appear before me, utterly shameless!"
"I, Chen Jiuyang, can die at the hands of the Japanese, die at the hands of Xi Butui, die at the hands of Zhou Fangzun, die at the hands of anyone, but I absolutely cannot die at your hands."
As if in a final surge of strength, Chen Jiuyang gained the power to draw out several silver needles and flick them towards Zhong Zhuiwu's acupoints with his bare hands.
The hand twisting the sword immediately stopped. Then, Zhong Zhuiwu's shocked voice rang out, "Bastard, what did you do to me? Why can't I move!"
Chen Jiuyang raised his hand and, following the sword stuck in his abdomen, felt Zhong Zhuiwu's body. "You haven't watched my matches on the Martial Ranking, don't you know I, Chen Jiuyang, have many unorthodox methods? Don't you know my main profession is a doctor?"
Zhong Zhuiwu's blood ran cold. He recalled in his mind how opponents in Chen Jiuyang's Martial Ranking matches had inexplicably collapsed.
"Pfft—"
Chen Jiuyang's Yan Sheng Saber plunged into Zhong Zhuiwu's chest.
"Pfft—"
Chen Jiuyang grabbed the sword stuck in his abdomen and pulled it out. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing weakly. His eyes were blind, and he could see nothing, but he could clearly hear Zhong Zhuiwu's life ebbing away until he perished.
I'll be gone soon too... It's not a bad thing to have a companion on the road to the underworld. I just don't know if I, Chen, can become a star in the sky like Number One, and reunite in another world.
He was at his last breath, his life flickering, with no strength left.
Chen Jiuyang faced his death calmly and honestly.
"Chen Jiuyang, I'm surprised you could still kill Zhong Zhuiwu, but you think this will allow you to return to Dragon Country?" A indifferent, grand, and majestic voice echoed from the sky, accompanied by the sound of a propeller. Chen Jiuyang deduced it was the voice from a drone.
Chen Jiuyang scoffed dismissively, taunting, "Zhou Fangzun, what can you do to me?"
Zhou Fangzun seemed unaware that Chen Jiuyang was dying or that he had lost his sight.
"You'd better answer this call, or you'll regret it."
"Bang—"
The sound of a drone explosion echoed in the air. Zhou Fangzun would not allow any leverage to be gained against him.
Immediately, a phone ringtone sounded from Zhong Zhuiwu's corpse. Chen Jiuyang's phone had been smashed to pieces during his fight with the Japanese ninjas last night.
Chen Jiuyang gasped weakly. He was dying, why should he bother with Zhou Fangzun?
If he died here without any message getting out, it would likely keep Zhou Fangzun from sleeping soundly.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Chen Jiuyang's consciousness sank.
His soul plunged into an abyss.
After an unknown amount of time, which felt like an instant yet as long as an epoch, his soul was suddenly yanked back.
Chen Jiuyang regained consciousness and his sight. The Yan Sheng Saber in his hand was channeling a trickle of power into him, sustaining his life force.
His eyes regained their vision, and Chen Jiuyang remained silent.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The phone's ringtone continued.
Chen Jiuyang weakly pressed the answer button. The familiar voice on the other end made his body tremble, "Jiuyang, why aren't you answering your phone, child?"
"...Mom"
Chen Jiuyang's eyes reddened, and all his emotions turned into hot tears that streamed down his face.