Chapter 318: Chapter 41: Death
"Nine Insect Technique, Six Senses Reversed."
"Qi turbidity and blood stagnation."
"Soul Leaving and Spirit Scattering."
Three eerie figures, each with a different form—one like a bird, another like a snake, and the last resembling a human—executed their distinct moves. Slender, tiny, and round, three types of rune bugs intricately interweaved to form a large net, which, together with the three figures, pounced on the Red Dragon at the same time.
At that moment, evil Qi boiled over the Red Dragon’s body, its scales tinted with gloom, and countless bugs crawled over them.
Meanwhile, in the forefront, a big yellow seal collided with the Sun Wheel, transforming countless yellow granules into a Yellow Cloud that enveloped the Sun Wheel. It rolled and swirled, corrupting the Essence Qi.
The Sun Wheel exuded high temperatures, steaming the Yellow Cloud and sending up more red flames. The intense fire covered the Fourth Prince’s body, charring his clothes and hair—his mustache, resembling eyebrows, was also burned off, leaving burn marks on his face.
Taking action meant less Protective True Qi available to shield his body, letting further injuries take hold.
But the Fourth Prince couldn’t care about that at this point; all he wanted to do now was to survive.
Jiang Li had previously said that being trapped could push oneself to charge forward. The Fourth Prince had initially scoffed at the idea but now desperately hoped that such a Mental State would prove useful and allow him to escape the dilemma.
As long as he could leave, as long as he had breath in his body—even without obtaining the ginseng fruit tree—the Fourth Prince had other paths he could take.
Having already secured the Ginsengfruit, offering it to his father, the Emperor, would surely earn him favor. Afterward, he could plan his next steps.
As long as he could stay alive...
"Open!"
The Red Dragon roared, exhaling Flame Qi. The heavens and earth turned crimson; the Flame Flow raged angrily, shredding the Yellow Cloud and even melting the yellow particles.
In Jiang Li’s mind, Sword Intent was rampant while distracting and malevolent thoughts were like weeds, being constantly slashed away.
The ability of the Three Corpses God Dao Fruit was indeed baffling and mysterious, piercing straight through the heart. Anyone with sentiments would be targeted; if one’s Mental State wasn’t steadfast, they could become playthings of the Three Corpses God. However, Jiang Li’s Dao Fruit bolstered his Mental State significantly. Even if there was a Grade gap, it was not large, allowing Jiang Li to maintain his basic lucidity.
Enshrouded in gloom, he was still domineering; the Sun Wheel intense, the fiery light blazed fiercely, and suddenly—
"Boom!"
The Great Sun finally burst, the fiery light overwhelming like a tide, forcing the Fourth Prince to plow a long furrow across the ground, turning him into a figure of flames.
As Jiang Li had said, the right timing, environment, and fate were all in his hands at this moment. Merged with this world of flames, he was unbeatable. The deeply wounded Fourth Prince stood no chance against him in a head-on confrontation.
The Red Dragon was thrust into the air by the shock, with bugs and shadows incessantly infiltrating its body, corrupting the Primordial Qi.
But Jiang Li merely turned slightly, and streaks of firelight slid off his True Body as if he were shedding a garment, removing the Innate Fire Qi along with the rune bugs. The Yinglong Dragon form dissipated, and his True Body was now holding Thunder and Lightning, with strands of Thunder Light entwining a long sword.
Super Electromagnetic Cannon!
"Boom!"
There was no mystery, only raw force.
The intense Thunder Light tore through space, the flames were ripped apart, and the fiery figure, upon touching the Thunder Light—
"Bang!"
The Protective True Qi was penetrated, the burning husk was pierced through, and a fierce wind erupted, causing the Fourth Prince to explode violently.
Yet in the next moment, his figure reappeared three feet away, the flames on his body all extinguished, revealing a body covered in burns.
The explosion had ended, and the Flame Flow had weakened due to the clash between the two parties. Using the Big Seal for protection, the Fourth Prince staggered through the flames, his figure flashing away and disappearing from the spot.
"Nine Spirits Tribulation Talisman, like the Jade hairpin I refined for you, both possess the power to substitute for death," Tianxuan’s voice sounded indifferently. "To endure until now before using it shows he is much stronger than the one from King Lu’s family."
"After all, he is a Prince; he can’t die by Jiang Li’s hands. Time to change his identity. I’ll cover for you so others will find it difficult to locate you with Echange Skill."
Although she was related to the Fourth Prince by blood, even a close kin, Tianxuan had no intention of sparing his life. Not only because he was Jiang Li’s mortal enemy, but also the things the Fourth Prince had done were enough for Tianxuan to be resolute.
However, the Fourth Prince was still of the Royal Family, and his death at Jiang Li’s hands would surely bring trouble.
She was already linked to the death of the Lu King, only kept at bay by Tianxuan’s influence. If she were to kill the Fourth Prince directly, it was feared it would provoke hostility from the Ji Family.
So...
Jiang Li activated the Demon Cleansing True Qi in his Lower Dantian, and his figure gradually became vague.
...
"Boom!"
At the edge of the area where the ginseng fruit tree stood, a burst of firelight suddenly exploded, bathing the surroundings in a reddish glow. Shortly after, a charred figure emerged in a pitiful state, his body swaying, nearly collapsing to the ground.
But he did not stop; instead, he propped himself up with his scorched palms, and like a wounded lone wolf, he bolted forward.
While running, he retrieved an object wrapped in silk.
"The Fourth Prince!"
Outside the ginseng fruit tree, Bu Yusheng also spotted this pitiful figure, his pupils trembled violently. "He’s the Fourth Prince!"
Two fifth-ranks had pursued; one fifth-rank had escaped, and in extreme disgrace at that. The severe burns left identification to be made only by the remnants of his clothing and shape of his body.
What happened in the end?
Jiang Li had already lost all his trump cards, so how was he able to corner the Fourth Prince to such an extent? What about Zuo Zhao?
Li Qinglian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"A sixth-rank defeating a fifth-rank... What method did he use? Did he take control of Dunjia Heaven and Earth?"
Even with Li Qinglian’s extensive knowledge, for the moment, he couldn’t determine what method Jiang Li used. He could only tell that it was related to fire from the burns.
He was inclined to go and see for himself, but with Dunjia Heaven and Earth lying in front of him, spending time to go around it would be less valuable than watching from here to see how the situation would unfold.
On the other side of Dunjia Heaven and Earth, the Fourth Prince staggered as he attempted to escape into the nearest great hall.
At the same time, he tore open the silk to reveal the ginseng fruit within, intending to swallow it in one gulp.
Even if this meant consuming it haphazardly like someone else, in the current situation, he couldn’t afford to be choosy.
Had it been for the Flame Flow surrounding him earlier, the Fourth Prince would have already consumed the fruit.
Nothing is more important than one’s own life.
However, just as he raised his hand to swallow, a streak of sword light suddenly flashed by.
His palm halted, then smoothly slid off from the wrist, and the ginseng fruit, in the widening of his eyes, was caught by a fair-skinned hand.
"Dressed as a fisherman or a woodcutter, enduring the elements for a hundred years, historical events are clear at the bottom of the case; Through a song of spun silk, picking up the faded and withered, those who come and go enjoy Lawless Freedom."
Right in front of the Fourth Prince, just a foot away, a figure shrouded in white mist appeared as if from thin air, blocking his path.
He caught the ginseng fruit in one hand, moved a bit to prevent the fruit from being stained with blood, and also caused the Fourth Prince’s Big Seal to miss its mark.
"Lawless Freedom, at your service, Fourth Prince."
The man spoke in a voice that was clear yet peculiarly dual-toned, nodding slightly as if in greeting.
"Nine Insect Technique!"
The Fourth Prince’s fingers curled into claws tightly gripping the Big Seal and swung it forward in a counterstrike. A dark yellow light gathered at the base of the Big Seal, forming a seal and striking Lawless Freedom, calling out, "Bone-standing, flesh-wasting!"
The dark yellow seal ate away at the mist like acid, trying to penetrate the flesh, devouring blood and flesh, but with the shaking of the Qi Mechanism, the yellow light was kept completely outside, unable to enter.
Demon Cleansing True Qi!
Demon Cleansing True Qi is highly repellent and overpowers Evil Spirits. The Fourth Prince’s "Nine Insect Technique," which is the epitome of Evil Spirits, can transform human bodies into nine insects that devour flesh. The reason why Jiang Li was unfazed by the "Nine Insect Technique" during his previous battle with the Fourth Prince was that he had been secretly protecting himself with Demon Cleansing True Qi.
Now revealing this Qi in its true form, the nearly exhausted Fourth Prince was completely unable to break through the defense and corrode his physical body.
At the same time, the sword light turned in mid-air, tracing a perfect arc, grazing the Fourth Prince’s other arm. In an instant, blood splattered, and that arm, still holding the Big Seal, detached from the body.
"It’s not wise to act recklessly when you clearly know you’re outmatched."
Jiang Li gripped the ginseng fruit in one hand, took a step back, and with the other, caught the sword light, wielding a clear, transparent sword with its tip pointed at the Fourth Prince’s forehead.
The icy sharpness tensed the Fourth Prince’s body and sent tumultuous waves through his heart.
Without doubt, he had reached a dead end.
But he did not intend to beg for mercy.
"Utterly disrespectful!" With his mouth leaking air, the Fourth Prince scoffed, "I knew at first glance that you are nothing but a treacherous official and a rebel. You would never spare my life."
Appearing polite and courteous, but in fact not even willing to call him "Your Highness," such a person lacks any sense of reverence. Since Jiang Li had already cut off his hand, he had no intention of sparing his life.
Thus, the Fourth Prince made a counter offensive.
He cherished his life, but when faced with certain death, he revealed a proud bone that belonged to royal offspring.
Wait a minute...
The memory of a certain day suddenly flashed back in the Fourth Prince’s mind.
That day, he and Jiang Li had locked eyes from a distance, and with the help of the Three Corpses God Dao Fruit, he saw Jiang Li’s fearlessness. Now, once again facing a fearless madman, the feeling that the Three Corpses God Dao Fruit brought was almost no different from before.
"You—"
The Fourth Prince was about to speak out.
Although this Lawless Freedom didn’t appear to have come from Dunjia Heaven and Earth but from another direction, and even though he displayed a Qi Mechanism and Sword Dao cultivation different from Jiang Li’s, the Fourth Prince still recognized the man before him as—
"Tsch!"
The Great Circle Sword pierced through the brow, penetrating the hard skull and protruding from the back of his head, which had already been scorched bald.
The Fourth Prince’s final words were choked off in his throat.
"Since you said as much, wouldn’t I be disrespecting you if I spared you?"
Jiang Li nonchalantly withdrew the sword tip, the clean blade unstained.
The Fourth Prince’s body lost support and knelt to the ground, his head hanging low, completely devoid of life.
And Jiang Li, he took off the mustard ring storage magic tool from the Fourth Prince’s fingers, carefully wrapped the ginseng fruit, secured it, and then also collected the yellow Big Seal.
His movements were graceful and unhurried, creating an unexpectedly pleasing sight.
After he had collected all the spoils of war, a sense of unseen scrutiny also descended upon him.
He lifted his head and looked up at the sky, as if seeing an invisible pair of eyes, looking down upon this world.
"Heaven."