Chapter 135: The Decree of Life and Death

Seeing that Jiang Pingchuan paid no attention to him, the Pharaoh stepped in front of him and looked up at the sky along Jiang Pingchuan's line of sight. The dark clouds in the sky had already dispersed.

They revealed their original colors. This was the Pharaoh's own domain after all. Had Jiang Pingchuan not provoked such an unusual heavenly tribulation, it would have been utterly impossible for a standard tribulation to breach this realm of the Pharaoh. Looking at the melancholic Jiang Pingchuan, the Pharaoh chuckled softly.

"Those were mere illusions, why take them so seriously?"

The Pharaoh knew why Jiang Pingchuan kept staring at the sky above. That was where the final phantom of Zhou Ning'er had vanished.

He also understood why Jiang Pingchuan had become like this, though the thought seemed quite absurd to him. In the Pharaoh's memory, the previous two predecessors had never walked a path as complicated as the one Jiang Pingchuan was currently treading.

"Those were not illusions."

Jiang Pingchuan lowered his head and murmured. The Pharaoh shrugged, completely dismissing Jiang Pingchuan's words. In the Pharaoh's eyes, everything had been an illusion; in truth, the appearance of Zhou Ning'er was merely conjured by the final bolt of lightning of the heavenly tribulation.

To his surprise, although Jiang Pingchuan had ultimately destroyed the phantom of Zhou Ning'er, a hurdle remained in his heart that he could not cross.

Jiang Pingchuan shook his head. Standing before him just moments ago had been Zhou Ning'er, manifested from the final tribulation lightning, yet in his eyes, that was Zhou Ning'er herself, not some phantom.

Because when Jiang Pingchuan had held Zhou Ning'er tightly, she had taken his hand and pierced it through her own body. And when she finally vanished, though her eyes were filled with lingering resentment, a smile had graced the corners of her lips.

Could any illusion possibly display such complex emotions in that final moment? When Jiang Pingchuan saw the phantom of Zhou Ning'er, he always felt that certain events had occurred with too much coincidence, as if they had been meticulously arranged beforehand.

"Those involved are always blinded. Go on out."

The Pharaoh cast a glance at Jiang Pingchuan with a faint smile. With that, he turned and strode into the depths of the domain. Jiang Pingchuan cupped his fists toward the Pharaoh's retreating back and opened his eyes.

As Jiang Pingchuan opened his eyes while sitting on the bed, deep within that realm, the Pharaoh watched Jiang Pingchuan's slowly fading silhouette with a mysterious smile, once again transforming into the essence of the Myriad Laws branded deep within Jiang Pingchuan's mind.

Jiang Pingchuan stood up, stretched his limbs, and walked over to the door. Just as he pulled it open, he felt something beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw Old Man Gong sprawled out, sound asleep with his mouth wide open and drool pooling on the floor.

Jiang Pingchuan reached out and patted Old Man Gong's face. The old fellow muttered a few angry words in his sleep, jerked awake, and scrambled to his feet. He rubbed his eyes frantically, terrified he was seeing things, but upon confirming it truly was Jiang Pingchuan, he let out a long breath of relief.

"You beggar, you scared the old man to death! I thought you had kicked the bucket in that room!"

Old Man Gong chuckled heartily. Then, his expression suddenly shifted to one of shock as he stared at Jiang Pingchuan. He reached out to feel Jiang Pingchuan's arms, then checked his pulse, clicking his tongue in endless wonder.

"What is it?"

Seeing Old Man Gong's enigmatic expression, Jiang Pingchuan could not help feeling curious. He had not expected Old Man Gong to stand guard outside his door the entire time he remained locked in his room, and at that thought, a deep wave of gratitude welled up in his heart.

"Tell me, what is your current realm? I can no longer sense the aura of the Thousand-Seal Saber on you."

Old Man Gong released Jiang Pingchuan's wrist and looked at him with utmost seriousness. When he had touched Jiang Pingchuan's arm, he could feel a formidable and unyielding aura emanating from his flesh and bones.

Yet as he checked Jiang Pingchuan's pulse, Old Man Gong made a startling discovery. He had previously assumed that Jiang Pingchuan's loss of true qi was due to the little fox waking up and transferring the aura of the Thousand-Seal Saber into him. But now, that very aura had vanished entirely from Jiang Pingchuan's body.

"Dual cultivation of body and qi, the foundation established through the physical flesh."

Before Jiang Pingchuan could reply, Maoqiu's voice echoed in their minds. Both Jiang Pingchuan and Old Man Gong looked toward the entrance, where Blue Linger and Maoqiu were already standing, having evidently arrived some time ago.

Upon hearing Maoqiu's words, Old Man Gong stared at Jiang Pingchuan with even greater astonishment, a look of skepticism in his eyes. When Jiang Pingchuan nodded in confirmation, Old Man Gong's expression twisted into one of a collapsed sky, as if he were facing an insurmountable hurdle, before he suddenly burst into loud, excited laughter and bolted toward his own room.

"Where are you going?"

Jiang Pingchuan called out, watching Old Man Gong's hasty retreat. The old man waved a hand, laughing heartily.

"It's already the sixth day, tomorrow is the deadline, and I haven't had a proper sleep yet. I'm going to sleep first! Hahahaha, physical foundation establishment..."

Old Man Gong muttered excitedly as he hurried away, pondering Jiang Pingchuan's physical foundation establishment. This was perhaps the most astonishing news he had ever heard; Jiang Pingchuan's current strength likely left him with few rivals left in the entire Changfeng Continent.

This was precisely the state Jiang Pingchuan had hoped to achieve. If he had only established a foundation in his physical body or solely in his true qi, he would still have plenty of adversaries in the Changfeng Continent, but with dual foundation establishment in both body and qi, his enemies would dwindle significantly.

"When are we leaving?"

Maoqiu asked, looking at Jiang Pingchuan. The little cat no longer held the casual demeanor toward him it once did; in Maoqiu's eyes, Jiang Pingchuan's strength now surpassed its own.

Sensing Maoqiu's gaze, Jiang Pingchuan smiled faintly and gave the creature's head a light slap. The moment he did, however, he felt a pair of piercing eyes glaring fixedly at him.

Beside him, Blue Linger was hugging Maoqiu while shooting an indignant look in his direction. Seeing the smug expression on Maoqiu's face as it burrowed into Blue Linger's arms, Jiang Pingchuan finally realized there was something deeply suspicious going on between this human girl and the cat.

Jiang Pingchuan glared at Maoqiu. How could a creature like Maoqiu ever feel genuine fear toward him just because his strength exceeded its own? After all, Maoqiu had powerhouses like Elder Ming at its command and sat atop the entire Underworld Spirit Pavilion.

Though the Underworld Spirit Pavilion was restricted to the Yuanwu Continent, Jiang Pingchuan firmly believed that Maoqiu would never truly fear him under any circumstances. It was a bizarre, inexplicable feeling.

In Jiang Pingchuan's heart, Maoqiu felt like someone he had known for a very long time, sharing a delicate and intimate bond, yet he simply could not recall it. He always felt that vast swathes of his memory had been deliberately concealed, leaving even him unworthy of reclaiming those bygone days.

"We set off at dawn tomorrow."

Just as Jiang Pingchuan finished speaking with Maoqiu, Duo Ze came running over in a panic and stopped right in front of him. Jiang Pingchuan steadied him as Duo Ze panted heavily, his lips trembling as he pointed toward the entrance.

"General Pingchuan, His Majesty—His Majesty urgently summons you to the imperial bedchamber!"

Duo Ze pointed in the direction of Lan Xiu's quarters. Noticing Duo Ze's tense expression, Jiang Pingchuan instantly sensed that something momentous had happened and broke into a run toward the imperial bedchamber.

Maoqiu stretched out a paw and patted Blue Linger's chest, signaling her to follow Jiang Pingchuan. Blue Linger cast a bashful yet reproachful glance at Maoqiu before hurriedly chasing after Jiang Pingchuan.

"What has General Pingchuan so flustered? Is there an urgent matter at hand?"

Just as Jiang Pingchuan stepped out of his courtyard, a low voice rang out from behind. Without turning back, Jiang Pingchuan knew it was Baxia. For a long time, he had harbored a lingering question.

Why was it that both men held the rank of Marshal under the Lan Clan Dynasty, yet Tieniu was sent off to wage war on the borders, while Baxia enjoyed leisure in the royal capital, completely indifferent to the frontier conflicts?

Jiang Pingchuan ignored Baxia entirely and continued his stride toward Lan Xiu's bedchamber. At this critical juncture, Duo Ze had just informed him of Lan Xiu's urgent summons, yet Baxia had appeared with such uncanny precision along his exact path. No one would believe that Baxia had nothing to do with whatever was unfolding at Lan Xiu's end.

"What is this? General Pingchuan's pride must be truly immense to disdain this old man so thoroughly."

Baxia sneered at Jiang Pingchuan's retreating back. Maoqiu bared its fangs and made to leap forward, but Jiang Pingchuan stopped it with a gesture. He turned around to face the smiling Baxia, and in the blink of an eye, Jiang Pingchuan closed the distance, throwing a punch straight at Baxia's face.

Baxia hastily moved to block the attack, only to find that Jiang Pingchuan's fist stopped midway and withdrew just as quickly. When Baxia scrambled to retract his own defense, he was toyed with once more—Jiang Pingchuan's other hand had already arrived soundlessly at his throat. A bead of cold sweat rolled down Baxia's temple as his eyes darted nervously.

"If you want me to hold you in high regard, you should at least have a pretty face."

Jiang Pingchuan said with an evil smirk. The scar left on his face by the Three Realms Enforcer was no longer a solid patch; instead, it had faded into three faint claw marks across his cheek.

After surviving the heavenly tribulation, Jiang Pingchuan had attempted to clear away the scars on his face, only to discover that the dark energy within him could only erase the surrounding blemishes. The three primary, deepest claw marks where he had suffered the most direct injury could not be removed, leaving him perpetually marked with three slightly pale scars.

Without another glance at Baxia, Jiang Pingchuan turned and walked swiftly toward Lan Xiu's bedchamber, accompanied by Blue Linger and Maoqiu. When they reached the doors, Blue Linger and Maoqiu were blocked by the guards stationed outside.

Jiang Pingchuan pushed the door open and stepped inside alone. Lan Xiu sat behind his desk, head lowered in deep thought. Seeing Jiang Pingchuan enter, Lan Xiu offered a faint smile and gestured for him to sit.

"I wonder what brings His Majesty to summon Pingchuan here?"

Jiang Pingchuan asked, looking at Lan Xiu. Lan Xiu smiled gently, reached into his robe, and retrieved a small shield-shaped jade pendant, placing it directly into Jiang Pingchuan's hand. Jiang Pingchuan inspected the item.

The workmanship of the pendant was exceedingly crude, resembling a newly mined piece of raw jade that had undergone only the simplest polishing. Yet what stood out was that despite its rough finish, the front of the pendant bore a single black character: "Life" (*Sheng*). The strokes were vigorous and powerful, clearly inscribed slowly with true qi by a formidable cultivator.

When Jiang Pingchuan flipped the pendant over, he found a crimson character engraved on the back: "Kill" (*Sha*). Seeing this character instantly reminded him of the painting by Chu Yunge he had seen amidst the ruins of East Continent City, where the upper half of the character "Kill" written in vermilion ink had left a deep impression on him.

"This is the Order of Life and Death. It has existed since the Lan Clan founded this empire. This token holds the power to execute corrupt rulers above and traitorous ministers below. Now, I am entrusting it to you. In the future, should I meet an untimely end, you may use it to exterminate all those with treacherous hearts. As for its other uses, you will understand when the time is ripe."

Lan Xiu said in a deep voice, staring at the token in Jiang Pingchuan's hand. Jiang Pingchuan nodded and tucked the pendant away. His fish-shaped jade pendant had already transformed into a painting branded upon his chest; alongside it, he now possessed the Order of Life and Death, the War King's Order, and a mysterious purple skull whose origins remained a mystery to him.

"You depart for the frontier tomorrow. I shall await news of your successive victories here in the royal capital."

Lan Xiu stood up and looked at Jiang Pingchuan with solemn gravity. Jiang Pingchuan rose, cupped his fists in salute, and turned to walk out of the bedchamber. The moment Jiang Pingchuan closed the heavy doors behind him, Lan Xiu's expression twisted in agony as he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious onto the floor.