Chapter 373: Chapter 94: Accelerating Time
The earth cracked open, with Ziwei Hall at the center, the ground of the Imperial City, harder than iron and gold, split into countless fissures, collapsing in large chunks.
Above the cracked surface, a thick medicinal fragrance emanated, outlining a jade-like radiance as if it were the color of the dome of the sky.
The Immortal Queen was refining the Immortality Elixir beneath Ziwei Hall!
Tianxuan had a feeling that things were indeed as he had expected.
Lately, the Emperor had been staying mostly inside Ziwei Hall, reviewing memorials. Given his suspicious nature, and considering the Emperor’s current difficulty in finding trustworthy aides, it was best to have the refinement of the Immortality Elixir happen right under the Emperor’s nose.
Only then could the Emperor be at ease.
Malevolent stars and Xing Yao shattered the split ground, and large pieces of the ruins fell, allowing daylight to penetrate the underground.
Below, an underground palace was revealed with rows of stone pillars. In the center stood a large cauldron enveloped in a glow like the Great Sun.
In front of the cauldron, the Immortal Queen’s Seal Technique shifted, condensing the West Splendor Miao Qi into countless seals, infusing them into the cauldron.
A beam of jade light erupted from the cauldron, revealing layers upon layers of petals of a lotus flower. The lotus was blooming, with a jade light coalescing in its center, and within the bud was a barely visible Dan Pill.
The Immortality Elixir!
And it was an Immortality Elixir on the verge of completion!
It wasn’t supposed to be refined at this time; it should have gone through seventy-seven days to assimilate the essence of the Ginsengfruit and yield the Immortal Medicine.
This was what Tianxuan had deduced, and what Jiang Li had sensed as well.
The Divine Farmer’s Cauldron had been in stable condition until now, but at this moment, even through the sealed barriers and from a great distance, Jiang Li could sense that the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron had been pushed to its limits.
The Immortality Elixir was indeed about to be refined.
"I am the Emperor, impervious to all laws."
Star Evil and Sword Light expanded outward from within at the very moment the Immortality Elixir appeared. An image of the Emperor, bearing the Mountains and Rivers, emerged.
With the sun and moon in his eyes, the Mountains and Rivers as his body, and the Sacrificial Altar as his essence, the Emperor’s strength ascended rapidly in an instant...
No, it should be said that only at this moment did he unleash his full power.
"Boom!"
Star Evil Xing Yao was destroyed by great strength, and the Emperor’s towering dharma body stepped out, shattering the Sword Light and grasping the Star Battle in his right palm. The fierce palm force pressured and the mighty power crushed down, causing the Malevolent Star to fissure and crumble.
The Mo Sword attempted a lethal strike from behind, tearing through space, but it was blocked by a streak of Sword Light descending from the sky.
"Clang!"
The Mo’s sword energy collided with the Sword Light, with the illusion of Mountains and Rivers emerging within it, creating a supreme and noble sword form.
Comprised of the Mountains and Rivers, encompassed by the Four Yi, wrapped with the Four Seasons, circled by the Four Seas, carried by the Five Mountains, governed by the Five Elements, and judged by Moral Decree; initiated with Yin Yang, wielded with Spring and Summer, acted with Autumn and Winter. When all these aspects combined, they formed the Emperor’s Sword.
Within the encompassing aspects, the golden Emperor Sword rebounded with sword waves, resonating with a clear sword sound, as a light-like golden Sharp Sword materialized, revealing the figure attired in hemp clothes and wearing a hat.
This sword was none other than the Heavenly Will Sword, crafted by the Great Master of the Mo Sect during the Sword Discussion Conference.
And the Swordsman, naturally, was the Mo Sect Master.
The Mo Sect Master’s meteoric strike was blocked by the Emperor Sword, sword waves sweeping across as the hemp clothes on the Mo Sect Master instantaneously turned to dust. However, beneath the hemp garments lay a dark battle armor, emitting shockwaves to counter the sword waves.
"Bang!"
Like a cannonball, the Mo Sect Master was blasted back, his flying form breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous roar.
Previously, the Mo Sect Master had wounded the Emperor, but at this moment, in their clash, the Mo Sect Master was completely at a disadvantage.
Having repelled the Mo Sect Master, the Emperor showed no intent to pursue. His dharma body plummeted, aiming for the Underground Palace.
"Upside down."
The Imperial College Sacrificial Officer, Mo Yiling, invoked the Word Follows Law technique to intervene, as the characters for "up" and "down" flew out from behind him; "up, down" aligned first, then changed to "down, up," the order shifted, and the Emperor’s descending dharma body immediately began ascending.
Meanwhile, Tianxuan conjured and hurled four grand stars, weaving dense Gravity, imprisoning the space.
"The prisoner is clamped by a seal, the punishment rod holds authority."
The Four Stars took their positions, space collapsed around them, and intense Gravity bound the Emperor’s body.
"Futile."
But the Emperor displayed disdain, reaching back for the Emperor Sword, his body violently expanding in contrast to the collapsing space.
The map of Mountains and Rivers merged with his dharma body, and at the movement of the sword, a power Unresistable erupted.
"I am the country, my body is the nation’s body."
It was as if there was a world within him, his every gesture and movement commanding the vast and powerful force of Jiangshan Sheji. The Emperor Sword slashed horizontally, without much fanciness, only the strongest and most terrifying power.
"Boom!"
The collapsing space was forcibly solidified, rendered incredibly stable, and although various gravitational forces were added, they only caused the four great stars to rotate with the Emperor, now influenced by the Emperor. Boundless energy exploded forth, and the characters for "Below Above" in front of Mo Yiling simultaneously shattered.
Like the overwhelming force of the vast earth, it spread and surged, converging with the Emperor’s decree, sweeping in all directions, "Step back!"
Tianxuan and Mo Yiling were struck heavily, retreating uncontrollably, while the Mo Sect Master also felt an invisible great strength bearing down, pushing him a hundred yards away.
Power! Power! Power!
Unrivaled power was the true foundation of the Emperor Dao Fruit.
Before this absolute power, where one force outmatched ten, the assassination attempt of the Mo Sect Master was futile, the Divine Skills of the Imperial College Sacrificial Officer were futile, and Tianxuan’s "Taiwei Fu" was also futile.
But after cutting through the techniques of the two, the Emperor did not pursue the victory. Instead, he descended like a comet into the Underground Palace, and a majestic True Qi condensed into a giant palm, reaching for the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron.
"Cough cough cough."
The Emperor’s dharma body let out a hard cough, his breath tumultuous, fluctuating between highs and lows, but beneath that grand palm, he emitted an inscrutable ghostly fluctuation.
"The Immortality Elixir is complete!"
The Emperor called loudly, and the jade light under his palm swiftly converged, with the central bud finally blooming to reveal a crystal clear, flawless Jade Pill within.
The Immortality Elixir was complete!
Under the Emperor’s decree, time seemed to accelerate, directly bringing the impending Immortality Elixir to success.
Tianxuan steadied himself, only to witness this scene and finally understand the Emperor’s actions, "He was always accelerating time with ’Oral Heavenly Constitution’..."
Sitting in Ziwei Hall, it was not just for the close protection, but also for speeding up time with Divine Skills, continuously shortening the time needed to refine the Immortality Elixir.
The reason why the Emperor was completely at a disadvantage under the siege of three people was likely also due to accelerating time, unable to use full strength.
Not until Ziwei Hall was breached and the Underground Palace was exposed did the Emperor forsake using his Divine Skills, instead exerting all his power to drive back everyone and then give the Immortality Elixir’s refinement the final push.
"The Imperial Sister spoke truly."
The Emperor’s dharma body gradually dissipated to reveal an increasingly stooped body.
The Emperor’s face bore so many wrinkles it seemed like he was on the verge of death, but his tone was extremely excited, bearing the satisfaction of a dragon ascending to the heavens.
"Within the Imperial City, my strength can fully recover to its peak in a short period, and even time must hasten its pace for me. The three of you are indeed formidable, but not qualified to see me defeated. This happened only because I needed the shortest time possible to refine the Immortality Elixir."
The Emperor’s True Qi hand clasped the Jade Pill, a faint life force transmitting via the Qi Mechanism, infusing into his body.
After a long period of frailty, he felt a long-lost sense of fulfillment, the life force like a nectar, moistening this old and decaying body.
"Previously, at the expense of revealing secrets, you conversed according to my wishes to seal off the Imperial City, not realizing that I too was seeking time. I didn’t use the Imperial Guards and eunuchs, partly because they could hardly be effective in the third-grade battle, and also because I didn’t want an immediate confrontation with you."
"The Emperor clearly sensed Jiang Li could feel the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron, and it was to make you misjudge. You trusted the Jiang family’s bloodline sensing too much, never considering that this sense might deceive you. Even the departure of the Heavenly Monarch was anticipated, because if he didn’t leave, you would bring the rest of the third grade to attack."
The Emperor spoke with an air of ease, displaying his commanding presence at this moment.
Perhaps everything didn’t always go as he wished. For instance, the Emperor truly wanted to eliminate Tianxuan but failed due to underestimating him; for instance, Tianxuan sharply sensed something amiss and arrived outside the Imperial City with Jiang Li, sensing the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron...
The initial plan was naturally to deceptively refine the Immortality Elixir without anyone knowing, to achieve eternal life, and accelerating time was a last resort due to the heavy toll on his already limited lifespan.
Pushed to this step was out of necessity.
But completing this step made everything worthwhile.
With the Immortality Elixir refined, eternal life lay within reach, and all sacrifices would be rewarded at this moment.
Not far away, the high-spirited and majestic woman slowly rose to her feet, the Plain Cloud Realm Flag planted next to her.
"Tianxuan, it’s been a long time."
The owner of Kunxu Immortal Palace, the personification of the world’s beauty, drew up a cold smile, her Qi locking onto Tianxuan from afar.
Now was the time to settle past debts.
And while speaking, the wrinkles on the Emperor’s face were diminishing, his vitality burgeoning.
Seemingly content and victorious, but still just stalling for time, allowing his nearly depleted body to be nourished, lest the abundant life force be too overwhelming to absorb.
The Emperor planned each step with care, and though he failed at times, he always had a contingency, sparing no effort for immortality.
Nevertheless, what he said was not false, drawing the attention of such figures as Tianxuan, Mo Yiling, and the Mo Sect Master.
After an initial nourishment, the Emperor regained some Essence Qi, then he suddenly turned his palm, and the True Qi hand moved accordingly, pressing the crystal-clear Dan Pill into his aged body.
"I shall have eternal life."