203: With a sharp blade in hand, punish all parties!

“And there’s more…”

“More!?” The City Lord was almost going mad.

“They also said… if Thunderstorm City couldn’t win, it might as well kneel and surrender. Thunderstorm City might even make a name for itself… They also said… this was quite glorious…”

“Bastards!!!”

The City Lord was so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, staining his robes.

“Useless! A bunch of cowardly good-for-nothings! Once my Thunderstorm City overcomes this calamity, I will make them pay the price!”

“And there’s more…”

“More!?” The City Lord was on the verge of collapsing.

The Minister said with a mournful face, “In this short time… hundreds of Martial Artists in the city have secretly fled, including the Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau and several Great Martial Saint experts… And… they also absconded with many of the city’s treasures…”

Pfft!

Another mouthful of fresh blood spurted out!

The City Lord’s vision went black, and he almost couldn’t stand steady.

The war hadn’t even begun, but morale was already shattered!

Finally, that Hei Yun arrived above Thunderstorm City!

The sky-darkening pressure made the entire city tremble!

The Hei Yun dispersed, revealing the lineup of City 39.

Liu Qing, Zong Mao, and Fang Yuan, the three Great Martial Gods, stood at the very front, followed by dozens of elite Martial Artists, their Aura like a rainbow, their Killing Intent awe-inspiring!

Even more shocking was the glazed carriage behind them, pulled by nine Heavenly Horses, with its curtains drawn low, preventing anyone from peering inside.

“Where is the City Lord of Thunderstorm City!? Step forward and speak!”

Liu Qing took a step forward, his voice like thunder, and the pressure of a Great Martial God’s Great Perfection erupted, shaking the hearts of everyone in Thunderstorm City!

“This… how is this possible!?”

“A Great Martial God’s Great Perfection… Looking at his attire, he’s just one of their ordinary Martial Artists!?”

“It’s not just him! The few people beside him are also Great Martial God Perfection! The Martial Artists behind… are all Great Martial Saints!?”

“Heavens! How strong are these people!?”

Everyone in Thunderstorm City completely panicked, some even feeling their legs go weak, almost kneeling down.

However, there were still those who refused to submit.

A Thunderstorm City Martial Artist roared angrily, “Presumptuous! You, a mere small Martial Artist, dare to demand our City Lord to step forward and speak? Let your master come out!”

“Noisy.”

Liu Qing’s eyes turned cold, and a Sword Qi shot out, instantly piercing through the city’s protective array and accurately penetrating the Martial Artist’s glabella!

Pfft!

On the city’s protective array, only a hole the size of a pinky finger remained.

And on the Martial Artist’s forehead, there was also a blood hole.

He widened his eyes, unable to believe it until his death.

He was actually instantly killed by an ordinary Martial Artist!

Dead silence!

The entire place was dead silent!

This one sword strike completely intimidated everyone!

“Where is the City Lord of Thunderstorm City? Step forward and speak!”

Liu Qing coldly shouted again, his voice as chilling as ice.

Finally.

The City Lord of Thunderstorm City bit the bullet and stepped out, feigning dignity, and angrily said, “Lower City people! What exactly do you want to do? My Thunderstorm City has never offended you, why are you so aggressive!?”

Although his tone was firm, everyone knew.

He had already lost.

Because, a dignified City Lord, a Great Martial God fifth-layer expert, was forced to speak with an ordinary Martial Artist!?

The difference in strength was immediately apparent!

The Martial Artists of Thunderstorm City completely lost their spirit, their faces ashen, even their hands holding their swords were trembling.

How could the City Lord not know that he had lost all face?

But he had no choice!

Liu Qing could easily pierce through the mountain protection array and kill people. If he continued to cower, it would only lead to more Martial Artists dying in vain!

Liu Qing’s expression was indifferent, looking down at the City Lord from above, like a deity looking down on an ant.

“You are the City Lord of Thunderstorm City?”

The City Lord’s face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth.

His identity, cultivation, and attire were all clear, wasn’t the other party asking the obvious?

But even so, he still suppressed his anger and said with a stiff upper lip, “Whether this Venerable is or not, what does it have to do with you!?”

Liu Qing nodded slightly, then took out a gilded jade scroll from behind him, his voice cold and unquestionable:

“Thunderstorm City, listen to the order!”

“Effective immediately, all Martial Artists and their associated properties in Thunderstorm City shall be merged into City 39!”

“Martial Artists above the Great Grandmaster Realm are to voluntarily offer their Vital Essence, without error!”

Boom!

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone in Thunderstorm City felt as if struck by lightning, their faces instantly turning pale!

It wasn’t a massacre!

But this was an invasion!

Not only were they to be subdued, but their lives and deaths were to be completely controlled!

Once the Vital Essence was offered, everyone in Thunderstorm City would completely become Puppets of City 39, their lives and deaths dependent on the other party’s whim!

“Too much bullying!”

The City Lord could no longer hold back, his hair bristling with rage, pointing at Liu Qing’s nose and cursing:

“You, a mere Martial God, dare to be presumptuous in front of this Venerable?!”

“Let your master come out! This Venerable will only speak with your master!”

Liu Qing raised an eyebrow, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

“Mere Martial God?”

He slowly spoke, his voice soft, yet like Heavenly Might descending, shaking the entire mountain gate!

“If it were in the Spirit Mountain, if you called me a mere Martial God, I wouldn’t bother with you.”

“But here, what should you call me?”

“Hmm!?”

Rumble!

A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted. Although he was only a Martial God, Liu Qing’s Aura was like an Immortal descending to the world, pressing down on the City Lord, making him almost unable to breathe!

At this moment, the City Lord had no doubt.

As long as he dared to say “no,” Liu Qing’s sword would instantly cut off his head!

This!

How is this possible!?

He was only a Martial God!

He himself was a Great Martial God!

How could a crushing difference of an entire Great Realm give him such a terrifying feeling?

If the City Lord was like this, the other Martial Artists of Thunderstorm City were even more scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, their legs going weak, some even directly kneeling on the ground!

The current Spirit Mountain, and even City 39, were no longer what they used to be!

There, Spiritual Qi was like a sea, and Dao Rhymes were like a tide. Any random blade of grass could become a spirit, and any random gust of wind contained the true meaning of the Great Dao!

The Martial Artists of City 39 bathed in Heavenly Might, their cultivation soaring, their strength far exceeding that of Martial Artists of the same rank!

They represented the will of the Heavenly Dao!

When they spoke, it was Heavenly Might!

Appointed by Heaven, with eternal longevity!

The City Lord completely caved in.

His lips trembled, and he almost burst into tears.

He had originally thought that if these Lower City people really wanted to fight, they could at least fight to the death, and Thunderstorm City was not without its trump cards!

But now it seemed…

City 39 only sent out one Martial Artist, and they had already lost all Battle Intent!

How could they fight now?

Fight with their heads?

He stammered:

“This… expert, what exactly do you Lower City people want?”

Liu Qing coldly said, “I’ll ask again, are you the City Lord of Thunderstorm City?”

The City Lord said with a mournful face, “Yes… I certainly am!”

Liu Qing nodded, then his long sword was unsheathed, its cold light reflecting the Nine Heavens!

“Disobedient ones, behead!”

Behead!

As the word fell, Sword Qi surged for thirty thousand miles!

The unrestrained Sword Intent rose like a sudden storm, as powerful as thunder, as if it would cleave Thunderstorm City in half the next moment!

The City Lord retreated repeatedly in fear, his voice trembling:

“You… you dare!”

“My Thunderstorm City is a major city in the Eastern Continent after all, and we have never offended you!”

“If you dare to act forcibly, aren’t you afraid that other cities will rise up and attack you!?”

Liu Qing sneered, and only replied with eight words.

“With a sharp blade in hand, we shall punish all directions!”