Chapter 375: Chapter 95: If the Heaven Has Sentiments, Even the Heaven Would Age_2
Using guile to deceive the heavens and cross the sea, Jiang Li had clearly exposed many secrets yet still managed to refine the Immortality Elixir.
The trump card of Tianxuan was rendered useless due to a misjudgment; the insidious Zhang Zhixuan did not make a move, and Gongsun Qi’s departure did not affect the medicine-refining process... He hadn’t failed, yet he had still failed.
The Emperor, standing tall in the Imperial City, was defeated by none other than himself, beaten by the Emperor Dao Fruit.
This outcome could be described as nothing if not deeply ironic.
And for the Emperor, this result was utterly unacceptable.
He had exhausted all his strategies to reach this point, even using the Immortality Elixir to recover, only to have it taken away. That was the cruelest part of all.
To gain only to lose again, the Emperor’s Mental State would inevitably veer towards the extreme.
"Is this your goal, Zhang Zhixuan?" Jiang Li whispered to himself.
Subsequently, a thought emerged in his mind—kill him!
A dead Emperor was a good Emperor; this would prevent any further mad acts and foil Zhang Zhixuan’s schemes.
It was not only to avoid a worse outcome but also to protect one’s own life.
So, kill him!
The same thought also surfaced in Tianxuan’s mind.
From the beginning, she knew that if the Emperor succeeded, he would invite Heaven’s Punishment. His presence or absence made no difference, yet she came all the same. It was because she had considered Zhang Zhixuan’s involvement.
If the Taiping Sect were to successfully rebel, the entirety of Great Zhou would be turned upside down.
Once thought to be unshakably stable, Great Zhou now revealed its flaws, and Tianxuan’s role was to eliminate this vulnerability.
"Seven Killings, corpses buried en route."
Tianxuan’s voice echoed softly as she pointed, and out of nowhere, a dark light appeared in front of the Emperor. A sudden surge of malevolent energy emerged around him, enveloping him tightly.
"Gongsun Family Master, what are you doing?" Mo Yiling cried out in alarm.
His intention was for the Emperor to await his end in the West Garden, not to die here.
Class hierarchy might restrain the Emperor, but it would also bind his subjects. Placing the Emperor under house arrest could be seen as justifiable, but killing the Emperor was an act of regicide.
At this moment, the Emperor had reverted to his frail and aged self, his decrepit body unable to bear the power of the Emperor Dao Fruit. The aura that had once shaken the Imperial City had plummeted to its nadir, even worse than when his attention was divided.
Tianxuan’s pointed gesture was abrupt and full of malevolence. The evil energy struck the Emperor, and his already-depleted lifespan was further compressed.
It seemed that even the Divine Skills of "Heavenly Mandate" were beginning to fail.
However, at that precise moment, a bolt of Heavenly Thunder split the sky above, its electric splendor flashing as it obliterated the malevolent energy.
"Your Majesty, Zhang Zhixuan has arrived late."
A majestic Divine Image materialized in the far sky, a flicker of lightning across the distance, reaching forward to grasp towards the Underground Palace.
That Divine Image, surrounded by Thunder Light, formed a circle of Thunder and Fire behind its head, revealing a three-eyed visage—the very form of the Sect Hierarch of the Taiping Sect, Zhang Zhixuan’s manifested Dao Fruit: the Divine Power of the Nine Heavens Thunder Sound General—Heavenly Venerate.
Zhang Zhixuan, wielding Heavenly Thunder to scatter the malign forces, spared the Emperor’s body no harm. Lightning flashed rapidly, encapsulating the Emperor.
And the Emperor, hunched over, revealed a glimpse of madness in his eyes.
He still had one final step he could take; he had not yet reached a dead end.
Even if the Immortality Elixir could not extend his life, he could still follow the path of the Taiping Sect. But that path was so deranged that the Emperor had hesitated to agree to Zhang Zhixuan’s proposal, even contemplating to turn the tables against him.
But now, he didn’t care about that anymore.
"Zhang Zhixuan!"
On the other side, the Mo Sect Master, Juzi, sprang into action, his Heavenly Will Sword transforming into the Heavy Sword. With a horizontal strike that seemed to carry the weight of the heavens, he attacked the Divine Image.
His primary target in Divine Capital was Zhang Zhixuan; dealing with the Emperor was merely an impromptu decision. Seeing Zhang Zhixuan finally reveal himself, the Mo Sect Master naturally wouldn’t stand by and watch.
"Boom!"
The Divine Image blocked the sword with a bend of its arm, thunder exploding, with the cycle of Life and Death evolving within the chaotic thunderstorm that ensued instantly.
Meanwhile, the other hand of the Divine Image continued reaching for the Emperor.
Yet in front of the Emperor, space trembled, and Tianxuan’s silhouette flickered within, as strands of starlight wove into a profound pattern.
"Luck encounters a breakthrough, but fortune hides calamity."
Hua Lu was most wary of breakthroughs, for they foretold that fortune concealed calamity, a most dangerous and ominous method.
The Emperor was facing backlash, marking a turning point from fortune to calamity. Tianxuan’s move was in line with his destiny, triggering the backlash and further accelerating the Emperor’s aging process.
However, before she could continue casting spells, a vast expanse of clouds approached from the side.
"Nine Heavens Gathering Immortals."
The boundless clouds suddenly arrived in front of her, the white clouds transforming into an Immortal Realm, a hidden threat, with sharp Qi striking across.
"All Stars Surrounding the Moon."
Behind Tianxuan, shadows evolved into a Star River, the vast starlight clustering around Taiyin, clashing with the white cloud Immortal Realm.
"Boom!"
The Underground Palace suddenly sank, the collision between starlight and clouds splitting the earth, creating a powerful glow that swept across all directions.
"Bang!"
At that moment, the Emperor summoned the Emperor Sword again, its sword momentum sweeping across the eight deserts, cleaving through the aftermath of the starlight and clouds. He declared, "Where I am, should be before the palace gates."
Although the Imperial City was sealed off, moving inside it was still unimpeded.
The Emperor forcibly drove his decrepit body, his figure becoming increasingly blurry, about to disappear within the Underground Palace.
"Kill him!"
But Tianxuan’s resolve to kill was exceptionally firm, her consciousness rippling within the Void Illusion Realm, manifesting a figure that moved towards Jiang Li, overlapping with him, their consciousness resonating for an instant.
"Clang!"
The two figures suddenly twisted, spinning like a spiral, consciousness merging, forging a distorted Sword Light, sweeping across the Void Illusion Realm with a thunderous momentum, rushing into the Emperor’s figure.
The next moment, the Emperor disappeared.
Then, at the Imperial City North Gate, an old man dressed in a dragon robe suddenly appeared, leaning on a Heavy Sword, with one hand pressing against his face.
A trail of black Qi emerged on his face, splitting into three streams, roaming across his brow, falling to his chest, and his abdomen.
The frustration of losing what was once there, malice, unwillingness, and an unyielding killing intent, vile thoughts arose from his heart, aggravating his already unstable Mental State.
The consciousness of Tianxuan and Jiang Li melded, causing the Heart Demon Secret Sword to appear on her, the Heart Demon Sword Intent aggravating the Emperor’s thoughts, further intensifying his extreme Mental State.
"I refuse to accept this, I yearn for immortality... I will not die!"
The supreme ruler of Great Zhou now recalled his past, filled only with profound unwillingness.
After defeating many brothers and ascending the throne, little did he expect that the Emperor Dao Fruit harbored such an unknown secret, even to the one poised to succeed the throne. Embracing the Emperor Dao Fruit meant blending with Heaven, losing human emotions.
For eight hundred years, successive Emperors appeared normal and were even able to entertain consorts from the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards, but in reality, they were all devoid of humanity, possessed the Heavenly Heart, and were completely impartial, enabling the creation of more than fourteen generations of legacy and the miracle of nearly eight hundred years of stability.
Decades went by in a hurry, and just as his time was running out, he regained his human emotions and desires, yet his body also aged simultaneously. How could this be acceptable?
His intense unwillingness and thoughts aggravated the backlash of the Emperor Dao Fruit.
"If Heaven has emotions, even Heaven ages," was the strategy Jiang Li and Tianxuan deployed.
The Heart Demon Secret Sword could not kill the Emperor, but the Emperor Dao Fruit could.
Before the palace gates, the Emperor’s aging intensified. He felt a dazzling confusion, and the once most powerful being of the era nearly stumbled and fell.
"I... will not die!"
"Not willing to die?"
A deep voice suddenly emerged; above the palace gate, a sinuous shadow stretched out its body, "I will grant your wish."
A white, dense fog rose all around, the Dragon and Snake-like figure coiling, lifting its upper body.
"You... Great Venerable!"
"No, that’s not right!"
The Emperor’s murky eyes suddenly contracted, "You are Feng—"
Before he could finish speaking, the Emperor’s body petrified like a Stone Statue, remaining in a forward-looking stance, quietly standing before the palace gate.