Chapter Fifty-Three: The Legacy of the Western Xia Imperial Family

Not long after leaving the place where Kokolaru was hiding, the crystal ball in Sun Meng’s hand once again projected an image into the sky.

Inside the imperial palace of Western Xia, a woman sat upright on the throne. “Is this the one? Send out all the members of the First Chamber. I want to see him before sunset today!”

There was not a whisper of news from the outside world, and now the ruler of Western Xia was a woman! Judging by her voice, she was quite young as well.

At her command, all martial forces under the royal family of Western Xia sprang into action. Some people in the capital, seeing the members of the First Chamber, couldn’t help but set aside their curiosity about the item in Sun Meng’s possession. Here, the deterrent power of the First Chamber was far greater than outside. If they were elsewhere, perhaps they’d dare to make a mocking remark or two, but here, they only dared to observe from the shadows.

Sun Meng watched as several figures approached him swiftly; all of them possessed innate-level strength, but at most were early second-tier. Drawing his bow, he fired a shaft of light that instantly pierced the heart of the foremost attacker.

The others, witnessing this, stopped in their tracks. They had sensed the arrow, but it was too fast. The one struck had tried to dodge, yet was still hit.

“This kind of arrow is more powerful than anything we’ve been equipped with,” one remarked.

“So what do we do? Do we keep pursuing?” another asked. If they continued, who knew who would die next; if they retreated, they’d face blame from above. The First Chamber used to follow orders only when it suited them, but since the new empress had taken power, she had reformed the organization. Not only were rewards and punishments stricter, but she herself had demonstrated overwhelming strength, leaving them no room for resistance.

They continued tracking Sun Meng’s location, but did not dare get too close, keeping their distance. After all, they knew the city well; as long as they didn’t lose him, all would be fine.

Sun Meng jogged leisurely, glancing at those keeping their distance and chuckling to himself: ‘Do you really think this is working? If I weren’t deliberately luring you, I’d have slaughtered you already.’

At that moment, Sun Meng leapt high into the air, heading directly toward the palace.

Several figures swiftly blocked his path; these men possessed strength approaching mid-second-tier.

“Halt! Intruders in the palace are executed!” shouted the leader, while the other three prepared for battle.

“Let’s see if you’re up to it!” Sun Meng replied, golden light radiating from his body.

Indestructible Vajra Technique!

Four men attacked from different directions, coordinating with remarkable skill despite their varied weapons. Whenever Sun Meng’s attack threatened one of them, another would block it in time, while the remaining two seized the opportunity to strike at his vital points, forcing him to defend, all the while probing for weaknesses.

To them, Sun Meng’s technique was merely a powerful external training method; such methods always had a weak point. If they could find it, he would be easily defeated.

“You’re not much, really,” Sun Meng said, casting a glance at the wary soldiers below and the martial artists lured over by his commotion. He knew his goal was achieved.

Reaching out, he grabbed one man’s weapon and crushed it with a single squeeze. Then, enduring the attacks of the other two, he seized them and slammed them together. Under the force, blood spurted from their mouths as they fell. Sun Meng turned and kicked the last two down as well. Though they survived, their injuries were severe, and even once healed, they would never advance further.

“To think the palace’s experts are so mediocre—how disappointing!” Sun Meng taunted those below, just short of calling them all worthless.

“Your strength is impressive, but this is not the place for your arrogance!” a woman’s voice rang out, and in the next instant, shards of ice flew at Sun Meng.

He raised his hand and shattered them all with a single sweep.

“Hm!” the voice exclaimed in surprise, and then Sun Meng saw a woman in a violet gown fly out. “Remarkable skill, you actually resisted the invasion of the Life and Death Talisman!”

“So it’s true—Li Qiushui left her legacy here in Western Xia,” Sun Meng said, eyeing her. Her strength was already mid-second-tier; though she looked youthful, her real age surely exceeded fifty.

“Is this what you came for?” the woman asked. “Your martial arts are formidable; why covet ours?”

Sun Meng laughed heartily. “Who wouldn’t want good things? Can anyone have too much of them? Why Western Xia? Because it’s the softest target!” With that, he raised his hands.

Grand Absorption Technique!

A fierce force drew the woman closer, startling her. She released her inner energy to stabilize herself, but it was clear she could not last long.

“What a bizarre martial art. Take my White Rainbow Palm!” Realizing she could not resist Sun Meng’s technique, the woman abandoned her defense and attacked.

The White Rainbow Palm—it curved and twisted as she willed.

Her inner energy could even change direction mid-strike!

But, her skillful attack was useless if it couldn’t breach his defenses.

Sun Meng bore the attack head-on and seized her arm. The woman felt his strength at once; escaping would require breaking her own limb.

Her other hand struck out, but Sun Meng caught it as well. “You can’t beat me. Why not sit down and discuss matters?” he said, flashing a mischievous grin.

“You villain, what are you planning?” she demanded, glaring at Sun Meng, her inner energy surging as she tried to break free. But his hands clamped her arms like iron pincers, no matter what method she tried, it was powerless against pure strength.

“Since you’ve preserved part of Tianshan’s legacy, I have plenty of martial arts myself. Why not exchange them?” Sun Meng said, suddenly releasing his right hand and swiftly pressing several acupoints on her body. Her inner energy faltered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

With his left hand, he seized her collar and lifted her up. Facing the nervous soldiers below, Sun Meng raised his hand, conjuring a bow from his inner energy. The arrow exploded on impact, scattering into a rain of arrows. The power was low, but its purpose was intimidation.

“Relax, I won’t harm her, but if you approach, I won’t show mercy.” With that, he flew into the palace, the woman in tow.

He landed in the grand hall, where people normally dared not approach, let alone now. They all kept their distance, fearing any involvement.

He tossed the woman onto the dragon throne and said with a grin, “Come now, don’t act as if you’ve suffered some great loss. Li Qiushui was eighty and looked no different from a young lady; I imagine you’re much the same, perhaps a bit younger. But I’m truly young—only twenty-two!”

“Where did you learn your martial arts? Whether it’s your external training, your strange absorption technique, this acupoint method, or your inner energy shaping, I’ve never seen any of it.” Though she seemed less tense, her gaze toward Sun Meng was still filled with fury.

“That’s none of your concern. I want your martial arts heritage—one for one, let’s trade,” Sun Meng said, raising his hand to draw a vase to him. “Otherwise, I’ll have to use a technique that will drain all your skill.”

“Beiming Divine Skill!?” the woman exclaimed. “No, Beiming isn’t like this!”

“Of course not. This is the Grand Absorption Technique. Not only can it absorb inner energy, it lets me see the martial arts themselves clearly. Though there are side effects, if the reward is great enough, I don’t mind.” Sun Meng advanced step by step.

“Sun Meng, I’ve already made it inside. Just hold them off for another hour!”