Chapter 404: Invincible
“My in-law has come to kill his son-in-law!”
Si Yunxiang’s face was flushed with excitement. “The Emperor wants to behead him, so the Sect Leader is forced to resist. He gathers the full strength of our Heavenly Saint Sect, kills the Emperor, and becomes Emperor himself. However, Princess Xiu marries the Sect Leader and becomes one of his harem beauties. Though she still longs for her lover, she must also avenge her father’s death. She struggles and agonizes, all while having to guard against palace intrigues. Then there’s the Holy Maiden Xiang—that’s me—who intends to kill the Sect Leader and become Emperor herself. Princess Xiu must both oppose my schemes in the harem to protect the Sect Leader, and also kill him. Truly, what a splendidly tragic romance!”
Ling Yuxiu shot her two white-eyed glares. “Xiang girl, you’re overthinking this. My father came this time for the sake of Yu Zhaoqing, the Feather Clan chieftain. Settling so many Sky Feather clansmen requires his personal presence, and since Chieftain Yu is the master of the Sky Feather Realm, he must be personally hosted no matter what. It’s not about killing the cowherd at all.”
Qin Mu’s flute melody was melodious and winding, and streaks of flood dragons swam forth, appearing before them.
Almost at the same time, bursts of dragon roars rang out. Dragon qi galloped across the sky, and Emperor Yanfeng descended from the heavens.
The Emperor’s purpose in coming was not entirely as Ling Yuxiu had described. He came not only for Yu Zhaoqing and the Sky Feather Clan, but also for Ling Yuxiu. The Blind Man had abducted Ling Yuxiu and lured him to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, forcing him to discuss Buddhist teachings with Tathagata for several days before he could escape.
Not long ago, Qin Mu had sent someone with a memorial. After receiving it, the Emperor had immediately rushed here, leaving all his palace guards and Imperial Forest troops behind, intending to demand an explanation.
This brat was audacious beyond belief, even forcibly taking his own daughter. Even if he hadn’t taken her by force, a single word from him would have made Ling Yuxiu follow him anyway—but taking her by force was absolutely unacceptable!
What’s more, that old blind man had shoved a chicken at him that night, saying he wanted to treat his in-law to chicken and wedding wine. It gave him a very uneasy feeling, as if his own cabbage had been rooted up by a pig, and he felt deeply wounded.
However, when Emperor Yanfeng landed in the manor, he began to sense something amiss.
The atmosphere of this manor was somewhat off. The old blind man who had abducted his daughter stood there, short in stature but with an extraordinarily imposing presence. Black dragon bones coiled and danced around him, exuding a chilling murderous aura.
And before the great halls, a group of formidable women stood with murderous intent. Emperor Yanfeng’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably—among these women was even his own birth mother, the Dowager Empress!
“The Dowager Empress left the palace half a year ago. I sent people to investigate, and it turned out she had received news of the Jade-Faced Poison King and went to pursue him.”
Emperor Yanfeng’s face turned ashen. He thought to himself, “How could I allow such a disgrace to the royal family to happen? So I secretly had news of the Jade-Faced Poison King leaked, luring out his paramours to chase after him together, hoping they would force the Dowager Empress back. But now, it seems the Dowager Empress has reconciled with these old rivals and intends to settle down here with them?”
He felt like crying but had no tears. The women of the Ling family had always been bold in their actions, unlike other demure maidens—they dared to pursue their own happiness. But family scandals should not be aired, and the Emperor’s face still had to be preserved.
Emperor Yanfeng then looked at Granny Si. His mind went blank, his lips and tongue dry. The three thousand beauties of his harem instantly lost all their luster.
When Qin Mu had rescued him from the Old Dao Master and the Old Tathagata, he had arranged for him to stay here. Emperor Yanfeng remembered this place, but he had never seen Granny Si’s true face—she had always used a bamboo pole to carry his meals to him.
Now, seeing Granny Si’s true appearance for the first time, he was stunned as if beholding a celestial being, somewhat dazed and distracted.
Qin Mu called out loudly, “Your Majesty, do you still want the realm? That one is the Li Sect Leader!”
Emperor Yanfeng suppressed the shock in his heart and quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look again. Granny Si giggled, “You little brat, you ruined my plans! Otherwise, this realm would already belong to our Heavenly Saint Sect! Emperor, has your injury healed? Has your cultivation returned to its peak? If not, you might be in for it!”
Emperor Yanfeng’s gaze shifted and landed on Yu Zhaoqing. He saw that this woman was somewhat different from humans, like someone from another realm. He thought to himself, “She must be the Sky Feather Clan chieftain mentioned in Qin Aiqing’s memorial. Her cultivation is also quite formidable… Who are they on guard against?”
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw the Cripple sitting in a wheelchair and the Deaf Man swiftly wielding his brush in the hall. Then, his gaze involuntarily turned toward the young man coming down from the mountain.
Emperor Yanfeng’s mind shook violently as he looked at the youth carrying a box. This young man seemed not very old, but the aura he gave off was immensely powerful—even stronger than the deities from the heavens above!
“I should have brought the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon!”
Emperor Yanfeng gritted his teeth. His divine treasury had been too severely damaged, and his cultivation had not yet fully recovered. However, Qin Mu had gathered the realm’s top mathematical masters to establish a divine bridge spatial mathematical model, from which he had gleaned many techniques for repairing divine treasuries. Now, his cultivation had recovered to ninety percent, making him a top-tier expert of the age.
But facing this youth, he felt as if a dragon had its vital spot seized and was about to be skinned and tendons pulled—an extremely dangerous sensation, even more perilous than facing the Old Dao Master or the Old Tathagata!
“The Emperor’s cultivation is not bad either.”
Xing Han looked at him and greeted him with a bow. “I am Xing Han, a mountain wild hermit. Greetings, Your Majesty. Your magical power has reached a near-divine level. Your divine treasury, having been destroyed and then reforged, is stronger than others’. It is worth collecting!”
His eyes were the Blind Man’s divine eyes, and they seemed to possess a strange, eerie power that could see through everything about everyone. With a single glance, he saw that Emperor Yanfeng had broken down and rebuilt, making his divine treasury’s stability nearly unmatched in the world. This stirred his hunter’s instinct.
Emperor Yanfeng felt as if he had become prey, targeted by a hunter. His heart tightened.
Xing Han then looked at the Blind Man, revealing a look of surprise, and praised, “Daoist friend, your mind is so powerful. Though I have dug out your eyes, you have taken a different path and reached the pinnacle of another kind of divine eye. Is this a mind’s eye? Using your primordial spirit to replace your divine eyes—the mind’s eye is unmatched in the world. I greatly admire your primordial spirit.”
The Blind Man snorted coldly.
Xing Han then looked at Yu Zhaoqing, his eyes lighting up, and praised, “This skin is very good. I will need to clear a shelf in my box to store your skin.”
His gaze fell on the Cripple in the wheelchair, then moved away from him. The Cripple was furious, gritting his teeth, “You old bastard, give me back my leg!”
Xing Han ignored him, his gaze directly falling on the Deaf Man in the hall, who was painting furiously. He praised, “Your mind contains a thousand mountains, rivers, immortals, ghosts, and gods, with countless ravines and valleys, which is why you can paint the myriad worlds with your brush. I like your brain.”
The Deaf Man stopped his brush and looked at him.
Xing Han’s gaze then moved away from the women, paying them no heed. Although many of the women pursuing the pharmacist were powerful figures, long-renowned veterans of the martial world, and some were Sect Leader-level extraordinary women, most had not reached a level worthy of his attention.
Finally, his gaze landed on Granny Si, revealing a hint of surprise, but he was not captivated by her beauty. He murmured, “How can a mortal possess such beauty? This body… I want it too!”
“You’re too late!”
Li Tianxing sneered coldly. “Xing Han, this body is mine!”
“The Li Sect Leader, is it?”
Xing Han smiled faintly, leisurely saying, “I have seen you before. Back then, you were a man of great talent and ambition, with the world in your heart. What has turned you into what you are now? Ah, yes—it is this divine beauty that has made you lose yourself. You have planted your primordial spirit in the Dao heart of this body, intending to usurp the nest and become its master. But this work of art has caught my eye. You will have to move aside.”
Li Tianxing smiled charmingly. Even women were bewitched and captivated by her smile, but Xing Han remained unmoved. He looked around, delighted, and said, “I came this time to seek the Qin Sect Leader’s medical treatment, but I didn’t expect to encounter so many works of art worth collecting. What a fortunate event! Ladies and gentlemen!”
He bowed to all around, overjoyed. “Thank you!”
The Cripple could no longer hold back. He pushed his wheelchair forward with both hands and roared, “I may be the Divine Leg, but I am also the Divine Hand! The Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Mystic Art is not just leg techniques…”
Whoosh—
The wheelchair flew up, and the Cripple’s hands changed a thousand times, dazzling the eyes. The Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Mystic Art was divided into the Heaven-Stealing Divine Leg and the Sun-Swapping Divine Hand. The Cripple, known as the Divine Thief, had terrifying hand techniques that ignored all seals and prohibitions, stealing heaven and swapping the sun!
Bang.
The wheelchair shattered, and the Cripple flew backward, crashing into the hall and lying on the ground, unable to rise.
“Divine Hand, you still fall short.”
Xing Han laughed heartily, turned around, and grabbed backward. A dragon roar sounded as his palm clamped down, catching the tip of the Blind Man’s spear. The Blind Man’s large black spear was the Dragon Expansion Divine Spear, formed from the black dragon bone. The spear moved like a dragon, with dragon roars and cries. His steps shifted, and the spear became a phantom, like countless black dragons madly thrusting at Xing Han!
In terms of spear technique alone, the Blind Man’s skill was at the absolute peak. When the Dragon Tamer Lord was caught off guard and approached, the battle was resolved in an instant.
Though he had no eyes, his mind’s eye was stronger than divine eyes, able to see through all flaws in techniques. The Dragon Expansion moved as he willed, his attacks fierce and unmatched.
However, he had encountered an even more terrifying existence. Xing Han’s eyes were his divine eyes, only slightly inferior to the mind’s eye, but his magical power was divine-level. Each time he blocked a strike, the Dragon Expansion trembled violently. The Blind Man’s short body also shook, retreating to dissipate the force, his hands numb.
“Ha!”
The Blind Man’s brows and beard bristled with anger. Behind him, the Black Tortoise primordial spirit manifested, and he poured in all his strength. At the same time, the Dowager Empress and the other women rushed forward. In an instant, the entire manor erupted with various lights, and divine abilities surged and roared.
Boom!
Cries of surprise came as the Dowager Empress and the women spat blood and flew backward. Xing Han laughed, “You don’t even interest me enough to collect. There’s no need to embarrass yourselves!”
“Striking my mother? I’ll have your head! Moo—”
Emperor Yanfeng’s body shook violently. His primal qi erupted, and his divine treasury rumbled open. From within the layers of his divine treasury came dragon roars and tiger howls. He reached out, and nine dragons of divine fire descended from the sky, hurtling toward Xing Han.
Xing Han smiled faintly. Suddenly, the top of his head opened, and his skull flew off, turning into a large golden bowl. With a swoosh, it absorbed the nine dragons of divine fire. The golden bowl then turned back into his skull and settled back onto his head.
Emperor Yanfeng was startled. Heavenly dragons coiled around him as he engaged in close combat, joining the Blind Man in besieging Xing Han.
At the same time, the Deaf Man’s large brush was like a beam. He gave a forceful flick, and the freshly painted painting flew out of the hall with a rustling sound. The Deaf Man held the brush, leaping swiftly. Suddenly, his body sank and disappeared into one of the paintings. The brush stabbed out from within the painting, swiping across Xing Han’s body. Xing Han involuntarily fell into the painting.
One painting after another stood upright in the air, fluttering noisily. Within the paintings, countless gods and demons besieged Xing Han. Xing Han moved within the painting, killing one god or demon after another, turning them into pools of ink.
Suddenly, the Deaf Man leaped out of the painting and swiped his large brush across all the paintings.
Deafening explosions rang out. The paintings collapsed inward, then exploded violently with terrifying power!
The Deaf Man breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the center of the explosion and tapped the Deaf Man’s heart. The Blind Man quickly hurled the Dragon Expansion, which turned into a black dragon coiling around that arm. Both of them erupted with power, and the Deaf Man flew backward, spitting blood, and collapsed to the ground!
The Deaf Man climbed up, spat another mouthful of blood, and then went limp, lying on the ground. He gasped, “His magical power and physical body are too strong. I can’t hurt him, but he’s also trapped in my painting. Hurry, I can’t trap him for long…”
Emperor Yanfeng charged into the center of the explosion. A host of dragons danced as he fought a great battle with Xing Han. At the same time, the Blind Man’s Dragon Expansion black spear continuously thrust toward the explosion’s center, lightning-fast, but never harming Emperor Yanfeng. Each thrust precisely targeted Xing Han.
“My turn!”
Li Tianxing let out a long cry and flew in!
—This chapter has an extra five hundred-plus words.