The Cloud Guard, an intelligence agency that predates the predecessor of the Southern Cloud Empire, the Shu Yun Kingdom, was divided into seven principal decrees...

The First Decree was primarily responsible for oversight. In essence, this was the most powerful decree within the Cloud Guard; the other six decrees were all subject to its deployment. In effect, it was the brain of the entire Cloud Guard...

The Commander (this title did not refer to a military commander but was simply the address for the leaders of the Seven Decrees) was named Li Zhongyuan, a man in his sixties, with a face deeply etched with wrinkles and a head of white hair. He was stooped, dressed in a simple undershirt, looking every bit like an old farmer. At first glance, no one would have believed he was the right-hand man of Lin Xiao, the Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard, whom all officials feared...

However, compared to the unremarkable Chief Commander, the Second Commander was far stranger...

The Second Decree was mainly in charge of intelligence. It could be said that the Second Decree’s informants blanketed the entire former territory of the Shu Yun Kingdom; even in the most remote villages, they had personnel. Now that the Southern Cloud Empire had expanded several times over, the Second Decree’s network had expanded accordingly, continuously infiltrating the Tian Yuan Empire and the Western Chu Empire, and even beginning to probe westward...

In Ye Jingyu’s estimation, the Second Decree gathered intelligence, which required tracking skills, meaning the Commander of the Second Decree should be a master of pursuit. Yet, before him stood a fat man, a man too fat to be described merely as fat; perhaps “meatball” was a more accurate description. His entire body was like a ball of flesh, jiggling with every slight movement, with only his head emerging from the mass of fat...

A fleshy arm held a handkerchief, laboriously wiping sweat from his face, moving as sluggishly as a tentacle...

And he possessed a name that sounded remarkably pleasant: Xin’er. The moment Ye Jingyu heard it, he nearly gagged...

The Third Decree managed mechanisms, encompassing all matters of mechanical arts, gunpowder, and weapon development. Its Commander was Lu Yan, a withered old man who appeared much more normal than the first two. However, he possessed a pair of cross-eyed pupils that stared intensely at Ye Jingyu, making Ye Jingyu’s scalp prickle uncomfortably...

The Fourth Decree was in charge of poisons. Its leader was Hua Yi, an elderly woman so old that she had lost all her teeth—literally lost them; one could not see a single tooth in her slightly parted mouth... Her hair was also almost entirely gone. Her face lacked any color, merely skin stretched over bone, her eyes sunken, revealing glimpses of white bone, making her look more terrifying than a zombie...

The thought of zombies involuntarily made Ye Jingyu think of Liang Xiaoke, and his heart clenched fiercely...

The Fifth Decree was responsible for interrogations, mainly handling the prisoners captured by the Cloud Guard. The Commander, Han Muxi, was a man in his early thirties, the youngest of the seven commanders and also the most normal. However, his perpetually gloomy expression irritated Ye Jingyu immensely...

The Sixth Decree managed assassinations; it was one of the martial arms of the Cloud Guard. Its Commander, Zhu Ruo, was entirely shrouded in a black robe, concealing his features. He was the only one among the seven commanders to have reached the Grand Master realm...

Sensing his faint, almost imperceptible aura, Ye Jingyu offered a slight smile. Although Zhu Ruo was skilled at concealing his presence, he was still no match for Ye Jingyu, let alone Bing Ming...

As for the Seventh Decree, it was responsible for martial power; they were the true operational body of the Cloud Guard, primarily tasked with ensuring the Emperor’s safety during travel. However, it was rumored that this position had remained vacant for five years since the previous Commander passed away. Furthermore, after Luo Xiaofeng reached the Martial Saint realm, the Cloud Guard was seldom needed, and the Seventh Decree had effectively become dormant...

Looking at the six figures before him, Ye Jingyu glanced at Eunuch Yun, then turned back to them, forcing a smile onto his face: "Senior Sires, this junior, Ye Jingyu, requests your future guidance and care..."

"Hmph..." The Commander of the Sixth Decree, Zhu Ruo, snorted coldly. A long, black sword suddenly shot out from beneath his black robe, slashing toward Ye Jingyu with lightning speed...

The velocity was so extreme that the moment the blade left its sheath, it was already before Ye Jingyu. Such speed would be difficult for even an ordinary Grand Master to resist...

But who was Ye Jingyu? He was already a peak Grand Master, a supreme existence, and his Thunderous Blade Art was mastered. Faced with the lightning-fast sword strike, he didn't even bother drawing his weapon, merely extending two fingers gently...

A golden radiance erupted instantaneously—it was the Spiritual Rhyme Sword Finger...

A sword energy sharper than any blade burst forth, colliding violently with Zhu Ruo’s slender sword. The terrifying energy was instantly shattered, and the fine sword itself vibrated until it cracked apart. Only then did Ye Jingyu realize the sword was merely condensed True Essence power...

"Not bad..." Having his opening move nullified, Zhu Ruo offered a word of praise, but his body moved instantly, closing the distance to Ye Jingyu. A seemingly battered scimitar flashed from beneath his armpit, unleashing a dark blade aura that cleaved toward Ye Jingyu's chest...

Ye Jingyu sneered. In this world, anyone who dueled with blades against him, save for Dugu Ba Chen, was courting death. He still did not draw his blade, instead launching a full-speed palm strike...

Though it was a palm strike, the sharp blade energy it emitted was denser than Zhu Ruo’s strike, and the blade aura was mightier. It slammed into Zhu Ruo’s dark blade aura, carrying what felt like boundless pressure, instantly pulverizing it—as if the darkness had been replaced by dawn in a single moment...

But Zhu Ruo showed no intention of stopping. Instead, he flicked one hand, and a leaf flew through the air...

It was a leaf made of metal, beautiful, gleaming, and etched with intricate patterns, indistinguishable from a real leaf. Yet, this single leaf radiated a piercing blade aura, one that evoked a sense of desolation, like the falling foliage of autumn...

This was Zhu Ruo’s ultimate technique: the Autumn Leaf Blade...

This was the signature move Zhu Ruo had used to make his name years ago; one strike from it meant certain death for even a common Grand Master...

Yet, Ye Jingyu remained unfazed. He swiftly extended his two fingers again. The onlookers saw only a blur of movement, and that incredibly fast leaf vanished, now trapped between Ye Jingyu’s two fingers...

"Here, take it back..." Ye Jingyu scoffed, flicking a single finger. The metal leaf transformed into a streak of light, shooting back fiercely toward Zhu Ruo...

At this moment, Zhu Ruo’s expression finally changed; it shifted to one of utter shock and dismay. His most proficient technique had not only failed to harm his opponent but had been turned back against him—what manner of skill was this?