As Shi Ming's corpse fell to the ground, everyone's hearts felt as if a heavy stone had been dropped, causing them to pound once.
"Shi, Shi Ming... is dead?"
Seeing the body lying in a pool of blood, they finally reacted. The once invincible Lord of Cangyue City was now a corpse!
Even though Shi Ming had been brutally beaten by Ye Ling and had no power to fight back, the people of Cangyue City had never imagined that Shi Ming would die!
In their eyes, Shi Ming was the sky of Cangyue City.
How could the sky fall?
And now, the sky had fallen, and they couldn't imagine what would happen next.
But what they could be sure of was that the death of Shi Ming would surely trigger a great earthquake that would shake the entire Wu Dynasty!
"Lord of the City!!!"
At this moment, the generals stationed outside the city arrived with their soldiers.
When they saw Shi Ming lying before Ye Ling, their eyes welled up with tears, and an endless killing intent surged into their eyes.
The leading general raised his spear and shouted sternly, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Avenge the Lord of the City!"
"Yes!!!"
As the general shouted, he took the lead, leading a large number of elite cavalry to charge down the streets of Cangyue City, launching a charge towards Ye Ling at the fastest speed, as if to crush Ye Ling into a meat patty!
Due to the Wu Dynasty's empty treasury, the border troops' salaries were paid by Shi Ming. Moreover, the high-ranking officials in the army were basically Shi Ming's confidantes. In a sense, the Wu Dynasty's border troops were Shi Ming's private army.
Now that the person who paid the soldiers had been killed, the blow to the soldiers was unimaginable.
To cut off someone's financial path is like killing their parents.
What's more, Ye Ling had killed a major benefactor!
Ye Ling had now become a thorn in the side of the border army!
"Alas, I knew there would be endless trouble after killing Shi Ming..." Ye Ling sighed slightly as he saw a large group of iron cavalry shattering the streets and charging towards him. He casually grabbed a iron sword from the martial artists watching from the sides.
"Fine, let's continue to elevate the reputation of the Cang Mo Swordsman. After dealing with these troublesome troops, my reputation should spread to the surrounding countries."
Ye Ling muttered to himself, a killing intent flashing in his eyes, and a powerful aura emanated from his body.
The warhorses, who had been through countless battles and were galloping towards Ye Ling, instantly became cowardly when they felt Ye Ling's aura. They stopped in their tracks and threw the cavalry off their backs.
The leading general flew the farthest, rolling more than ten meters on the ground before landing in front of Ye Ling in a sorry state.
As the warhorses in front suddenly stopped charging, and the cavalry behind them collided with the warhorses in front, the troops on the street had not even reached Ye Ling before they fell into chaos, causing a large number of stampedes.
"What... what is going on?"
"Is this the Wu Dynasty's army? It seems I have to report back to the Ling Dynasty and have His Majesty take over the Wu Dynasty's empire!"
"Wang Li Ren's killing intent is almost tangible, to the point that it can scare battle-hardened warhorses!"
The people hiding behind the buildings on both sides of the street were stunned for a moment when they saw the border troops fall into chaos. Then, their minds began to stir.
The merchants of the Wu Dynasty were bewildered, the merchants of the Ling Dynasty became active, and the martial artists marveled at Ye Ling's terror.
Regardless of what everyone was thinking, Ye Ling's invincibility was the consensus of everyone present.
Ye Ling looked at the general who had rolled in front of him and felt speechless.
He hadn't even made a move, and the other side had already fallen into disarray. How could he help Wang Li Ren increase his martial arts fame?
However, although Ye Ling was speechless, he did not intend to stop just because the border troops had lost their combat effectiveness.
He raised his sword slightly, about to kill the general lying in front of him as a warning. However, Wu Mei stepped forward to stop him, pleading, "My lord, please show mercy! The border troops of Cangyue City are an important force in resisting the Ling Dynasty's invasion. Once you slaughter them, the Ling Dynasty will surely take advantage of the situation and march south in large numbers, which will lead to widespread suffering!"
Although there were a million border troops outside Cangyue City, Wu Mei, having witnessed Ye Ling's strength, had no doubt that Ye Ling alone could kill all million border troops!
Up to this point, Ye Ling had not even used his true strength!
In Wu Mei's eyes, Ye Ling's martial arts had reached the realm of perfection, no longer belonging to the mortal realm, and could not be compensated by mere human strength.
Ye Ling did not immediately agree to Wu Mei's request, but he did not refuse either. He simply smiled and said, "My goal is only to become the number one under heaven. Killing is just an auxiliary method, not a necessary one."
"I can choose not to kill those border troops, but now they are actively seeking trouble with me. I can't just surrender, can I?"
Wu Mei glanced at the general who was lying on the ground, somewhat stunned, and then said to Ye Ling, "My lord, leave this matter to me... I can persuade them, and I will take over the border troops. After I take over Cangyue City, I will absolutely leave no hidden dangers for you!"
"You want to take over Cangyue City?" Ye Ling's eyes flashed with surprise. He did not expect Wu Mei to say such a thing.
Wasn't Wu Mei trying to become an empress?
Wu Mei nodded and said firmly, "Through Shi Ming, I have understood... my brother is merely Shi Ming's puppet. He is completely incapable of governing a country well."
"And Shi Ming is also blinded by greed, only thinking of usurping the throne. He has no regard for the world or the common people. I cannot bear to see my father's empire destroyed by them."
"You've said so much, so what are you going to do?"
Ye Ling inserted the iron sword beside the general's head and became interested in Wu Mei's transformation. "Although Shi Ming is dead, his influence remains. Not to mention how to pacify the million border troops guarding the frontier, the Shi family's power is deeply entrenched in the Wu Dynasty. If you eliminate them, the entire Wu Dynasty will be ruined."
Having challenged Fayun and Shi Ming consecutively, Ye Ling had been in the Wu Dynasty for some time. He could see that... the dynasty's fate was sealed, and its demise was only a matter of time.
Even if Wu Mei was a wise ruler rarely seen in a thousand years, her ascension to the throne of the Wu Dynasty would only be a temporary reprieve for the Wu Dynasty, delaying its demise.
Of course, if Ye Ling intervened, he could bring new life to the Wu Dynasty with ease. However, if Ye Ling intervened to help the Wu Dynasty change its fate, it might attract the attention of the Primordial Martial King, causing the Primordial Martial King to become reclusive, which would be a loss.
Therefore, he would not intervene.
"I don't know..." Wu Mei shook her head. "I am very aware that my abilities are average, and the Wu Dynasty is currently facing internal and external troubles. With my abilities, I am powerless to turn the tide!"
"Then you still want to fight for it?" Ye Ling asked again.
Wu Mei said, "Because I know that even if I try, I may not be able to change anything, but if I do nothing, the Wu Dynasty will rot completely."
"Therefore, I plan to give it a try, and I hope you can help me."
"Why should I help you?" Ye Ling asked seriously. "What are the benefits?"
Although Ye Ling's words were heartless, they were also the truth.
His relationship with Wu Mei was limited to a misunderstanding during a martial arts competition for marriage.
Although he could save Wu Mei's life and help her resolve the crisis, he had no responsibility or obligation to help Wu Mei change the Wu Dynasty.
Wu Mei was not surprised by Ye Ling's answer. She took a deep breath and then said to Ye Ling, "My lord, you want to be the number one under heaven, are you looking for the King of Extreme Martial Arts?"
"Do you know where he is?"
As soon as Wu Mei said this, Ye Ling and Bai Lan's expressions changed drastically, and they looked at Wu Mei in shock.
After all, in the Realm of Extreme Martial Arts, the Primordial Martial King also had a legendary title...
It was the King of Extreme Martial Arts!