Central City.
A city with tall walls, a large population, and a thriving trade, it was the center of human politics, economy, and culture.
Thousands of merchants, adventurers, and travelers passed through its gates daily.
Just as the intelligent broadcast at the city gate finished, many passersby froze, then looked up. Upon recognizing Li Qinglian, they exclaimed in unison.
"It's really Senior Sword God. I haven't seen him in many years, and yet he still looks so young while I've grown old."
"Has Senior Sword God come to save someone this time?"
"Look, Senior Sword God has entered the city. Let's follow him quickly."
The city gate obligingly opened a path for him, and Li Qinglian walked in calmly.
Before long, news of the Sword God's appearance in Central City spread like wildfire across the internet.
Editors swiftly penned numerous articles and published them online, leading to a frenzy of shares from netizens.
These articles speculated on the Sword God's purpose, recounted his legendary deeds, and some were written by younger individuals with only a superficial understanding of his history.
The internet buzzed with activity. Not only netizens from Central City but also those from the three overseas Immortal Cities eagerly voiced their opinions.
"I stand by my conviction that Zhou Yang is not a bloodthirsty individual. There must be a conspiracy behind this."
"Those who believe in conspiracy theories must have dark hearts."
"Nonsense! What benefit would Zhou Yang, a seventh-tier expert, gain from killing the Li family? I've long suspected the authenticity of this case."
"Exactly. While Zhou Yang's cultivation may not be high, his six skills are proficient, especially his artifact refining ability, which is close to master level."
"He's only twenty-nine this year, with a bright future. There's no reason for him to wipe out a family. If the Li family hadn't crossed his bottom line, none of this would have happened."
"You're all speculating. I firmly believe the Enforcement Bureau wouldn't make a mistake."
Discussions online, concerning Zhou Yang and even the Sword God, grew increasingly heated.
However, soon after, the online fervor quieted down.
This was because someone started a livestream, which instantly drew in a massive crowd.
Others in Central City, seeing this, also began their own livestreams.
On screen, Li Qinglian was clad in green, his long hair flowing, with a blood-red longsword at his waist.
"That's the Divine Sword Slaughter!"
Someone identified Li Qinglian's sword in the footage.
"The Divine Sword Slaughter? Shouldn't it be the Divine Sword Green Lotus?"
"That was its name before. The original Divine Sword was green, named the Green Lotus Sword. But after Senior Sword God guarded the Ruin, the sword changed its appearance. Perhaps due to too much killing, its blade turned red from green, hence its renaming to the Slaughter Sword."
"Anyone who doesn't even know this history must be a young whippersnapper."
"Back then, human ancestors fought fiercely with various alien races, their blood staining the battlefield. How many died to secure the peaceful lives we have today? They don't even know this, only obsessed with chasing celebrities. It's infuriating."
Li Qinglian earned his title as Sword God through countless battles. Unfortunately, humanity had enjoyed peace for so long that many had forgotten his heroic deeds.
It was the elders who had participated in the war who remembered. Seeing the Sword God, their eyes welled up with tears.
It was this figure who had once held back countless invaders and protected so many humans.
Back then, figures like the Sword God, Yan Jun, Yu Zhe, Shen Seng, and Fu Yaozi had shed blood and sacrificed their lives to protect humanity, fighting alien races for over two hundred years before finally stabilizing the situation decades ago.
Many had participated in that war. It was a brutal battle, etched in their memories forever. Recalling it now, they were furious at anyone showing disrespect to the Sword God.
When they learned their grandsons were involved, these grandsons suffered greatly, caught by their grandfathers and subjected to severe thrashings.
Instantly, millions of grandsons across three hundred cities began to wail, their cries so piercing they sent shivers down one's spine.
The war back then was too brutal, rivers of blood flowed, and bodies piled up like mountains. Now that they had finally secured a foothold, they could not forget the deeds of their ancestors.
Thus, after beating their grandsons, the grandfathers began to tell them stories of those times, which ignited a fire in the youths. Many young men went out to hunt or enlisted in the army.
At this very moment.
Li Qinglian furrowed his brow slightly at the surrounding livestreamers, showing a hint of impatience, but he did not drive them away.
To him, this was not a major issue.
Entering Central City, the first sight was a straight, wide avenue lined with towering buildings. In the sky above the city, expensive flying cars weaved between the skyscrapers, and orange-uniformed traffic controllers maintained order.
It was incredibly prosperous, far beyond anything Ji City could compare to.
At this time, a beautiful young girl, led by an old man, finally arrived in Central City.
She looked at everything, marveling, "What a magnificent sight!"
Professor Wang said proudly, "The academy is even more beautiful and luxurious than this. Don't be too shocked."
Seeing Zhao Ke's amazed expression was a rare treat.
Suddenly, a commotion arose in the distance. He frowned, "What's happening?"
"Senior Sword God is here!" Zhao Ke regained her cool demeanor and said indifferently.
Professor Wang was surprised, "How do you know?"
"The news!" She pointed to her wristband.
Professor Wang awkwardly opened his wristband and indeed saw the news of the Sword God's arrival, along with livestreams.
At this moment, every livestream channel was packed. On screen, the Sword God appeared calm, but his furrowed brow indicated inner turmoil.
Professor Wang marveled at the Sword God's presence and felt deep reverence for him.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
Professor Wang's hand trembled with fright. He looked up and saw, suspended in the sky, a colossal red sword.
The sword was immense, hundreds of meters wide, its length unknown, blocking out the sun.
"Let's go and see!" Professor Wang said, curiosity piqued.
Zhao Ke nodded and followed.
By now, Li Qinglian, the Sword God, was surrounded by people. They gazed at the colossal red sword hovering above him, exclaiming and expressing concern.
"What is Senior Sword God intending to do?"
"Is he really going to start a fight?"
"Oh no, please, no. We've finally achieved peace. We can't have internal conflict."
"Senior Sword God, please calm down, think twice!"
At this moment, Li Qinglian took a small step forward.
Boom!
As his foot landed, the giant sword above widened by ten meters.
He walked slowly towards the Enforcement Bureau. With each step, the giant sword grew, blocking more sunlight, and the sky grew dimmer. By the time he reached the entrance of the Enforcement Bureau, the giant sword had completely obscured the sun, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
The crowd gasped, their hearts trembling, unable to recover for a long time. They looked up at the colossal sword, no longer able to discern its true width or length, as its immensity stretched beyond sight.
The Sword God, clad in green, stopped at the entrance of the Enforcement Bureau and called out, "Sun Ze, come out!"
As his voice fell, the sound waves solidified and flew towards the Enforcement Bureau.
Inside the Enforcement Bureau's conference room, Sun Ze was presiding over a meeting when a voice reached his ears, startling him.
He has arrived!
"What does he want? To attack by force?" Elder Sun was delighted rather than alarmed. If he attacked, then they would be in the right. He thought to himself, followed by elation.
He coughed and said, "Come, let's go meet Li Qinglian."
With that said.
He strode towards the door, and the others followed.
However, upon reaching the entrance of the Enforcement Bureau, they all felt puzzled.
Sun Ze wondered, "When did it get dark?"
The others exchanged confused glances, not knowing the reason.
Until someone looked up at the sky, at which point their hands and feet trembled, and their hearts were filled with dread.
Pointing at the sky, they stammered:
"You... you all... look, the sky... the sky..."