Lady Li followed the chief official's finger, which led to the nearby scholars and the ordinary villagers. She let out a soft sigh. "Since the Sword Poetry Immortal Wang Yi is here, can I assume he has defected to the Hejian King?"

The official merely smiled.

Many people in the crowd sucked in a cold breath. Even the legendary Wang Yi had joined the rebellion? The Hejian King's influence had grown terrifyingly large over the years. It was no wonder he could silently turn a local official against them and set such a perfect trap.

"Let him out," ordered Lady Li. "I want to ask him why the Hejian King is worth his loyalty. How can a man as free-spirited as himself suddenly want to meddle in the affairs of the Imperial Court?"

"Hahaha!"

A roar of laughter erupted from the distance and vibrated through the hills. Everyone turned towards the river, and several people gasped in shock.

The river was churning with violent waves. A figure arrived treading atop the water and kicking up a massive spray behind him. It was a terrifying sight.

The man looked to be in his forties with a neat mustache. He was dressed in a green robe that fluttered in the wind.

Quickly, someone noticed that the man was actually standing on a longsword three feet long.

"A Sword Immortal! That's a Sword Immortal!" they shrieked in disbelief.

In the eyes of these mortals, anyone who could fly on a sword was nothing short of a god. The crowd quickly realized that this was the famous Sword Poetry Immortal, Wang Yi!

The young boy beside Lady Li smiled and whispered, "My master is here."

This scene left the scholars speechless and filled the nearby Yama Army with reverence. As for villagers like Li Dazui, they were too stunned to even utter a sound. They had never imagined a human could perform such mystical feats.

A few breaths later, Wang Yi left the river. He didn't touch the ground immediately but continued to glide on his sword for a distance before landing steadily in front of Lady Li. The sword beneath his feet seemed sentient as it automatically flew back into the scabbard on his back.

"I have long heard the name of the Sword Poetry Immortal. Meeting you today, I can see you're indeed extraordinary," marveled Lady Li.

"The Heavenly Maiden is very calm, which means you've brought experts with you," Wang Yi chuckled. "However... regardless of what kind of experts you have, they mean nothing to me."

"Grandmaster Wang!"

The county official and the nobles rushed forward to bow, showing far more respect towards him than they did to the Heavenly Maiden.

Wang Yi ignored them. He scanned the area until his eyes lit up at the sight of Little Yu. He stepped towards her and offered gently, "Little girl, do you remember what I told you before? Do you want to practice martial arts? If you do, come with me today."

Every eye in the crowd was fixed on Little Yu. Even Xu Tianhuan was stunned. Thinking he had misheard, he turned to his brother and mumbled, "Tianmu, did he just...?"

"Brother, you didn't hear wrong, Little Yu has the kind of talent that even the Sword Poetry Immortal covets," replied Xu Tianmu with a complex expression.

The villagers were thunderstruck. Who would have thought the wild brat from the tofu shop would be chosen by such a god-like figure?

"Mr. Fang, that move he just did was pretty cool," admitted Little Yu, who was in awe.

Wang Yi smiled satisfactorily. He glanced at Fang Chen and taunted dismissively, "Your teacher here might know a few parlor tricks, but that isn't true Martial Dao. Following me is your best choice."

"Are you sick in the head?" snapped Little Yu. "Don't think you can fool me with some tricks. Mr. Fang said that people like you are the most useless. Now get lost! You're an eyesore."

Wang Yi froze. He hadn't expected her to maintain such a resistant attitude after seeing his powers. His smile slowly faded. He threatened, "If you don't come with me and choose to stay here, there is only a dead end waiting for you."

A dead end?

The crowd didn't quite understand.

Just then, Lady Li spoke up. "You never intended to leave any survivors, did you?"

"Your news cannot be allowed to reach the capital so quickly. So today... we spare no one alive," said Wang Yi coldly.

The scene immediately descended into chaos. Seeing this, the Yama Army stepped forward, and the crushing pressure of ten thousand soldiers forced the panic back down.

Xu Tianhuan's expression was a storm of shifting emotions. He rushed out of the crowd and bowed to Wang Yi respectfully. "Master!"

Brother Han and the other scholars who had been standing with Xu Tianhuan looked at each other, their faces turning deathly pale.

Master!?

Wang Yi had clearly defected to the rebels. Since Xu Tianhuan had called him "Master", then Xu Tianhuan was a traitor too!

"Tianhuan, it seems you have been training diligently. Of all my disciples, your talent is the strongest," acknowledged Wang Yi.

Xu Tianhuan pleaded, "Master, some of the people in Peach Blossom Village are my wife's kin. They—"

"They must die too," interrupted Wang Yi. "The Hejian King's plan is too big. Do not worry about these insignificant people, lest you jeopardize the mission."

Xu Tianhuan's face went white. He had been so confident he could protect them, only to have his master casually hand down their death sentences. He glanced at Little Yu and Li Meiyan, but eventually bit his tongue and stood back in silence.

Li Meiyan looked dazed. She was just an ordinary housewife. This entire situation just left her mind in a jumbled mess. "Your brother-in-law, he..."

Little Yu quickly comforted her, "Mother, it'll be fine. We have Mr. Fang."

Li Meiyan remained in a trance.

"It'll be fine?"

Wang Yi overheard Little Yu's words, and a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes. To him, Little Yu's were nothing short of an insult, but he ignored her for now and glanced at Lady Li. He ordered, "Heavenly Maiden, come with me. I suspect you won't want to witness the carnage that is about to follow."

"Grandmaster Wang, why did you lose your heart and join a rebellion?" asked Lady Li suddenly.

"Rebellion? Who defines who the rebel is?" Wang Yi chuckled. "I only know that above the Grandmaster level, there is a Ceasefire Realm. I want to reach that realm. I want to end the chaos of the world so that I may step into that realm and see the scenery there."

"So, you want to be like Eunuch Zhang." Lady Li sighed. "If Eunuch Zhang were here today, what would you do?"

The county official flinched at the name, but then sneered. Rumor had it that the Earth Immortal had long since passed away from old age. He wasn't going to crawl out of a coffin now.

"If he were here... we would have no choice but to surrender. However..." Wang Yi shook his head. "He has been dead for years. He isn't coming."

"But Dongsheng... has more than one Ceasefire Realm master," Lady Li explained.

Wang Yi's smile vanished for a second before he burst into laughter. "Are you bluffing?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Since you refuse to leave and want to see this place turn into a slaughterhouse... I will grant your wish. Kill them!"

"Yes, Sir!"

The massive Yama Army began its march, closing in on the village. The terrifying aura made it difficult for the villagers to even breathe.