Li Yao led Tie Kuangtu and the others back to Wushuang City, while Wu Wudi went alone to find his elder brother Wu Tianxia to retrieve the Heavenly Destiny Blade.
×××
Outside Wushuang City, Li Yao rode a fire-breathing Qilin, followed by several carriages, and the group was heading towards Wushuang City.
At this moment, a thick fog blanketed the area, reducing visibility to less than ten feet.
However, this did not affect Li Yao and his group's itinerary.
We were about to reach Wushuang City.
Suddenly, Li Yao slowed down.
Iron Madman, who was in the carriage behind, asked, "City Lord, what's wrong?"
"Someone is waiting for me ahead!"
Li Yao said calmly.
Sure enough, after walking a short distance, they saw three people blocking the road.
"So it was them!"
Li Yao smiled slightly.
The three people in front of them were none other than Dugu Meng, Dugu Ming, and Shi Wuzun.
Li Yao said casually, "Gentlemen, it's been a long time."
When Dugu Meng and the others saw the fire unicorn beneath Li Yao, a strange look flashed across their faces.
So, the legend was true.
Li Yao truly subdued the legendary fire unicorn.
It is said that the Fire Qilin has been a menace to the region for many years, and many martial arts masters have tried to subdue it, but all have failed.
Many others perished in the flames of the Fire Qilin.
Unexpectedly, Li Yao not only subdued the Fire Qilin, but also used it as his mount.
This Li Yao is indeed no ordinary person.
However, the hatred of killing one's father is irreconcilable, and the resentment of losing a city is infuriating.
Moreover, Dugu Ming and his sister later learned that their uncle, Dugu Jian, had already fought with Li Yao.
In other words, on their way to Wushuang City, Dugu Jian was merely a physical body; his primordial spirit had already left his body to fight Li Yao. Li Yao even shattered his primordial spirit, ultimately leading to Dugu Jian's death.
Thus, the Dugu family and Li Yao became enemies once again.
Therefore, no matter how powerful Li Yao is, these grudges must be avenged.
"Li Yao, the hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable. Today, we have come to seek revenge on you."
Dugu Meng shouted fearlessly.
"He certainly has some guts!"
Li Yao gave a compliment.
Dugu Meng and his companions did not resort to despicable means to seek revenge, but instead took their revenge openly and honestly.
For this reason alone, he deserves Li Yao's praise.
Li Yao smiled and said, "If that's the case, then let's go. What are we waiting for?"
"Take this!"
Dugu Meng drew her sword and rose up, unleashing countless sword flowers and beams of light, aiming for all the vital points on Li Yao's body.
"He truly is a genius in swordsmanship!"
Li Yao secretly praised him.
Previously, after defeating Dugu Jian, he also found Dugu Meng and two others, and took the Peerless Divine Sword from them.
At that time, he also fought a battle with Dugu Meng.
In the end, Dugu Meng was defeated.
Before leaving, he told Dugu Meng to practice her swordsmanship diligently so that he could come back to take revenge on her later.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Dugu Meng's swordsmanship improved significantly compared to the last time, even surpassing the fake Dugu Yifang and catching up with Dugu Jian.
However, if one were to think that one could defeat Li Yao with only such swordsmanship skills, it would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
Li Yao sat steadily on the back of the fire unicorn, and with a flick of his finger, he shot out several sword energies, easily neutralizing Dugu Meng's sword attack.
Finally, Li Yao unleashed another sword strike, hitting Dugu Meng and sending her flying.
"younger sister!"
"Second Miss!"
Dugu Ming and Shi Wuzun exclaimed in surprise and rushed towards the injured Dugu Meng.
"He's too strong. Even if I train for decades more, I still won't be his match!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Dugu Meng's mouth, and she felt utterly disheartened.
She hadn't expected that Li Yao would defeat her so easily with just a few flicks of his fingers.
Moreover, she could clearly sense that Li Yao's internal strength had deepened considerably compared to last time.
She felt that even if she cultivated day and night, she could not catch up with Li Yao's speed of progress, let alone defeat him.
So, does that mean the hatred for killing one's father can never be avenged in this lifetime?
Just then, Li Yao spoke up, "Actually, I didn't kill your real father. The Dugu Yifang I killed that day was an imposter."
"Fake?"
Dugu Meng and the other two were greatly surprised.
This news is truly shocking.
Dugu Meng frowned and asked, "What exactly happened? Is my father still alive?"
Li Yao shook his head slightly and said, "Go to the Sword Sect or the China Pavilion and ask Wuming for details. You will then know the whole story."
...
Meanwhile, at the gate of Wushuang City, a group of people were standing at the gate, craning their necks and looking into the distance.
These people were none other than Bai Suzhen, Duan Lang, Wudao Kuangtian, and others.
They had already received word that Li Yao was returning to Wushuang City today.
However, today the fog is so thick that we can't see clearly what's ahead.
The crowd waited for a long time, but the city lord did not appear.
Could it be that the city lord postponed his trip because of the heavy fog?
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
Suddenly, Duan Lang exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone, look! It looks like the city lord up ahead!"
Everyone looked in the direction Duan Lang was pointing.
Sure enough, in the distance, a bright red dot was moving up and down in the thick fog.
Soon, the red dot grew larger and larger, and the silhouette of the Fire Qilin could be vaguely seen.
Li Yao was riding high on the back of the fire unicorn, speeding towards them.
Several carriages followed behind the fire unicorn.
"As expected of the city lord!"
"The city lord has finally returned."
"..."
Bai Suzhen and the others were overjoyed and hurriedly went to greet them.
Upon seeing Bai Suzhen and the others, Li Yao jumped off the back of the fire unicorn.
Bai Suzhen said, "You're finally back, but judging from the schedule, you should have returned long ago."
Li Yao smiled and said, "I ran into a few acquaintances on the way, which delayed me for a while."
Bai Suzhen simply said "Oh," without asking any further questions, and instead smiled and said:
"You've had quite a haul on this trip. You've recruited Wudao Kuangtian and subdued Wu Wudi, one of the top ten martial artists."
"Furthermore, you have also subdued the Blue Moon Sect and the Defeatless Sect, and gained control of the Western Desert."
"Most importantly, you even managed to subdue both the Sword Worship Manor and Iron Heart Island."
"This will be of great help to us in overthrowing the dynasty and establishing a new dynasty in the future."
Bai Suzhen became more and more excited as she spoke.
Now, Wushuang City has basically taken control of all the martial arts forces in Shenzhou and cleared away all obstacles. The only thing left is to take the final step of overthrowing the dynasty.
How could she not be excited to see the 'fairness and democracy' she was pursuing about to be realized?
However, Li Yao's expression remained calm.
He glanced at Bai Suzhen and asked, "Have you finalized the rules for 'fairness and democracy'?"
"It's almost done!"
Bai Suzhen nodded excitedly and said, "Next, shall we begin preparations to overthrow the dynasty?"
"No rush, no rush!"
Li Yao smiled faintly and said, "There is still a hidden force that has not been eliminated."
Chapter 281 A Guest Arrives, the Divine General
Li Yao, Bai Suzhen, and the others walked towards Wushuang Mansion while talking.