Master Yunhe fought valiantly but died.
Qiu Chuji, the leader of the Quanzhen School, died peacefully in his sleep.
Each of them, taken individually, could be described as a figure who shook the martial arts world, a renowned master of the martial arts community, yet they were all wiped out in the final battle.
After news of this battle spread, the name of Blood-Handed Butcher Li Boyang truly reached its peak, almost becoming the number one martial arts master in the Central Plains.
Joining forces with Qiu Chuji to kill the Grand Preceptor of the Yuan Dynasty, Chi Bilie, and killing the Night Demon alone, are both difficult feats, yet Li Boyang accomplished them all by himself.
However, what truly made Li Boyang famous was not killing Shi Le Jizu and the Night Demon. These two were, after all, just figures in the martial arts world, and could only make his name circulate among the martial arts community.
His true fame stemmed from his solo incursion into the inner city and the taking of the Yuan emperor's head.
The fact that the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty died without any warning was truly the most shocking news in the world.
Li Boyang was hailed as an unparalleled assassin, comparable to Jing Ke and Yao Li.
With the death of the Yuan emperor, the central command of the entire Yuan Dynasty was temporarily thrown into chaos, and the morale of the army also plummeted. Anyone who knew that their emperor had been assassinated would feel as if the sky was falling.
The powerful and ambitious forces across the land naturally wouldn't let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by. Sensing the news, they sprang into action, launching a final assault on the surrounding territories controlled by the Great Yuan Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty was on its last legs, frequently losing its remaining territory, until Zhu Yuanzhang delivered the final blow.
When the Battle of Dadu ended, Li Boyang informed Zhu Yuanzhang that the last remaining martial arts masters of the Mongol Yuan dynasty had fled to the grasslands and that he had killed the Yuan emperor.
Given Zhu Yuanzhang's ruthless and ambitious nature, he naturally wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by. The very next day, he led his troops to Dadu (Beijing), and after two weeks of fierce fighting, he captured Dadu, officially marking the end of the Yuan Dynasty's rule.
Zhu Yuanzhang, having captured Dadu, reaped the greatest benefits and became seen as a wise ruler by everyone, considering the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) to be merely a small pond in the vast empire.
Only those who have experienced the chaos of this small pond and those who truly understand its essence will know that the decisive battle in Dadu was the key to determining the fate of the world.
Most ordinary people only see Zhu Yuanzhang raising the banner of rebellion, capturing the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and thus announcing the end of the Yuan Dynasty's rule.
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally became a hero in the eyes of these people and gained their support. It can be said that Zhu Yuanzhang took the biggest benefit from this battle.
However, Li Boyang obviously didn't care about these things. He had no ambition to rule the world, so he had no interest in listening to such trivial matters.
After leaving Zhu Yuanzhang's military camp, he left with Zhang Junbao, taking Qiu Chuji's body and Xue Ying's body to the Quanzhen Sect.
After joining forces with Li Boyang to kill Shi Le's successor, Qiu Chuji died with a smile on his face. After Li Boyang brought Qiu Chuji back to the Quanzhen Sect, the Quanzhen Sect gave Qiu Chuji a grand funeral, with the scale of the funeral comparable to that of the sect's founder, Chongyang Zhenren.
Li Boyang did not attend Qiu Chuji's funeral. At the same time, he watched as Zhang Junbao sank Xueying's body into the Hundred-Foot Ice Pool on Zhongnan Mountain. The day after Xueying was sunk into the ice pool, Zhang Junbao's hair turned white overnight.
Fearing that something might happen to Zhang Junbao, Li Boyang did not rush to leave Zhongnan Mountain, intending to wait until Zhang Junbao's condition had improved somewhat before making any moves.
However, the actual situation was somewhat unexpected. After burying Xueying, Zhang Junbao did not do anything reckless. He went to a willow grove in Zhongnan Mountain every day to practice martial arts, as if Xueying's death was already over.
Although Zhang Junbao's actions seemed normal, Li Boyang knew that he hadn't recovered yet, so he stayed with the Quanzhen Sect.
Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.
This day.
Li Boyang was browsing the Daoist canon in the Quanzhen Scripture Pavilion when Zhang Junbao suddenly found him.
"Master, I want to change my name."
This was the first thing Zhang Junbao said to him after they met.
Li Boyang gently put down the book in his hand, looked intently at Zhang Junbao, and said:
"Have you figured it out?"
"I've figured it out. The deceased is gone, and Xueying in the afterlife might want to see me living a good life."
When Xueying died, he was indeed utterly despondent and could only vent his emotions by practicing martial arts. Now he has come to understand that the dead cannot be brought back to life, and living well is perhaps what Xueying would most like to see.
Changing his name signifies a new beginning. From this day forward, he has decided to stop dwelling on the past, bury Xueying deep in his heart, and pursue the path of martial arts in solitude, just like his master.
Li Boyang said those two words with a strange expression. He never expected Zhang Junbao to ask him to name him, and at the same time, a mischievous feeling arose in his heart.
If he had changed Zhang Junbao's name to something else, would there have been no Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng in later generations? After thinking about it, he decided against it and calmly said:
"Let's call him Sanfeng."
In Taoism, the number three represents Yang. Corresponding to the Qian trigram in the Eight Trigrams, Feng is formed by breaking the three in the middle with a vertical line, turning the Qian trigram into the Kun trigram, which represents Yin. Therefore, 'San Feng' represents the unity of Qian and Kun and the transformation of Yin and Yang.
"Sanfeng, from now on I will be called Zhang Sanfeng."
Zhang Junbao muttered something to himself, then turned and walked out of the Sutra Repository.
"I hope nothing goes wrong."
Li Boyang muttered something to himself and carefully chased after Zhang Junbao. He wanted to see if Zhang Junbao was a real freshman or a fake one.
As usual, Zhang Junbao went to the willow grove to practice martial arts, but he did not find Li Boyang, who could hide his figure.
It was already past midnight.
Real thunder rumbled in the sky, and a thick, dark cloud covered the sky, followed by howling winds that made the willow branches sway incessantly.
Li Boyang frowned as he looked at the sky. A storm was brewing. Seeing that Zhang Junbao remained unmoved in the strong wind and continued to fight as usual, he had no intention of leaving.
Rumble.
Three consecutive thunderous booms rang out.
The dark clouds could no longer hold back the rain, and huge raindrops poured down violently, making the whole world roar.