Free Web NovelChapter 179: Chapter 179: Surround and Kill
In the Imperial City of the Fire Cave Dynasty, a hint of coolness still permeated the sweltering heat.
It possessed the dynasty’s only massive, self-contained water source; a Spiritual Spring flowed around the royal palace.
The Imperial City’s terrain was high in the center and low at the edges. The surrounding buildings clustered like stars around the moon, protecting the royal palace at its heart.
As Bai Mo walked along the main road, he saw Tan Long, the man who had hosted him before.
The local strongman and his sworn brothers were now clad in armor, patrolling the city.
Upon seeing Bai Mo, they immediately came forward to greet him.
"Haha, the immortal masters have finally arrived! The Son of Heaven is in the palace!"
He laughed heartily, but then his tone suddenly shifted.
"Immortal Master, have you seen the Old Duke?"
"We couldn’t find him, which is quite frustrating. We were hoping to get better acquainted."
Bai Mo felt a little embarrassed.
"The Old Duke is just outside the city. The situation is urgent, so I didn’t have a chance to mention you..."
Having accepted Tan Long’s hospitality and even left with a large supply of meat, he felt obligated and a bit awkward.
Fortunately, Tan Long didn’t mind and waved his hand dismissively.
"This really isn’t the time to be talking about us. Mentioning us to the Old Duke now would just make us seem tactless."
"Just put in a good word for us later, Immortal Master, when you have a moment..."
After bidding farewell to Tan Long, they arrived at the royal palace to find it empty of others.
Half of the palace lamps were extinguished, leaving the interior somewhat dim and gloomy.
"Did we arrive too early?"
Zhao Jingyu looked around but didn’t sense anyone else’s presence.
"This is the result of our sect’s many years of operations."
Mo Tianshu clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace slowly.
"There are those in the court who are partial to us. As for cultivators from other places, they’ll have to expend some effort to get in."
Upon entering the grand audience hall, Bai Mo finally saw the Son of Heaven of the Fire Cave Dynasty.
Clad in yellow robes, a deathly-pale face beneath a formal crown stared calmly at the newcomers.
Zhao Jingyu was alarmed and asked in a low voice:
"Junior Brother, you said the Corpse God Pill would do this? The person who takes it turns into... this monstrosity?"
The Son of Heaven’s skin was now thick as a cocoon, growing in uneven bumps, as if scales were embedded in his face.
He no longer looked human.
Bai Mo nodded lightly.
"For a cultivator whose physique is necrotizing, there’s no telling what they’ll turn into. It’s all a matter of luck."
The Son of Heaven’s yang energy was flickering, and while his aura was exceedingly powerful, it was like a beautiful brocade thrown over a raging fire—a fleeting brilliance before destruction.
He slowly rose to his feet, removed his crown with both hands, and placed it on the dragon throne.
"A journey to seek the Dao has unexpectedly brought about today’s disaster."
He shook his head.
"We merely wished to obtain the Golden Core Dao, to suppress the great clans and powerful families within the court."
Mo Tianshu stepped forward.
"The Golden Core Dao can be found within the Xuandao Sect. Why did Your Majesty seek afar for what was close at hand?"
The Son of Heaven shook his head, turned to face him, and his aura began to swell.
"It’s too slow."
With a grasping motion of his hand, a black shadow that had been silently slinking along a palace pillar was caught by an invisible force.
THUD!
A cultivator fell to the floor. He had to circulate his Spiritual Qi to break free from the force binding him.
It was a cultivator in a blue robe, covered in numerous Talismans.
"And who are you?" the Son of Heaven asked.
Despite losing face the moment he appeared, the blue-robed cultivator’s expression remained unchanged.
"Who I am is not important."
"I heard that in Your Majesty’s pursuit of the Golden Core Dao, you obtained a foreign object that offers a shortcut to congealing a core and Breaking Realm?"
"Hand it over to me, and I will leave immediately. You might still have a chance to survive."
The Son of Heaven didn’t answer, only saying:
"My two sons were harmed, and they remain bedridden to this day. Judging by your aura, it must have been your people who did it."
A fierce gale suddenly swept through the great hall, accompanied by a mournful, wailing sound.
A glint appeared in Bai Mo’s eyes as he carefully sized up the blue-robed cultivator.
"Brother Mo, he’s a cultivator from the Talisman Faction of the Miaofa Sect."
Mo Tianshu nodded slightly, then turned away, rubbing the pad of his finger across his sword pellet.
CLANG!
Several rays of cold light shot out, only to be broken in a flash.
"Hmph!"
"Junior, don’t think you can bully us just because you’re from an Upper Sect!"
Several grim-faced elders strode in, their robes fluttering.
Mo Tianshu didn’t even look at them, only saying coolly:
"I didn’t ask for any help from my sect."
The elders didn’t wish to say more and turned to the Son of Heaven.
"Your Majesty, today we also wish to contend for the great fortune you possess!"
"Granted!"
The Son of Heaven said in a deep voice.
"It is no great fortune, but if you wish to fight for it, then come!"
Several more cultivators entered from outside, followed by numerous gaunt figures.
They were cultivators from the Douchen Sect.
The men shed their outer robes, revealing Soft Armor underneath.
"It’s just some heretical method for reaching Golden Core. What’s there to fight over?"
"The Son of Heaven’s head is a much more practical prize!"
The men laughed as they spoke.
The rebel army had not yet been defeated. As long as they took the Son of Heaven’s head, there were still ways to seize legitimate rule over the Fire Cave Dynasty.
As his voice fell, many more masked cultivators appeared outside the hall. Their auras were all in flux, but every one of them was at least at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
The Son of Heaven glanced around.
"At least there are no familiar faces. It seems my consideration for old times in clearing this hall was not in vain."
"The Fire Cave Dynasty’s lineage can still be saved..."
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly sharpened. His grayish-white pupils fixed forward, and he let out a great shout.
"Halt!"
Everyone in the hall felt their minds tighten. By the time their eyes refocused, the Son of Heaven was already in front of the blue-robed cultivator.
His wide palm descended as the fiery light of a Talisman flared.
After several flashes of light and shadow, the blue-robed cultivator was sent flying sideways.
BANG!
Splinters flew as he crashed into a hall pillar.
The blue-robed cultivator scrambled to his feet, looking in horror at the five shallow pits on his chest, from which blood was now gushing.
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment... No, even late-stage strength!"
"Weren’t you unwell and your strength declining!?"
He cried out in shock.
The others’ expressions shifted slightly, but they said nothing.
The sword pellet in Mo Tianshu’s hand trembled, and an endless silver light poured out, spreading across the floor like quicksilver.
Seeing this, a cultivator from the Douchen Sect shouted out.
"Attack!"
The cultivators present who were capable of reaching Foundation Establishment immediately followed, rushing forward in a blur.
Bai Mo and the others saw only a flash, followed by a deafening ROAR.
The hall’s pillars and beams came crashing down, sending splinters flying everywhere.
The Son of Heaven’s dragon robes instantly exploded outward, revealing the lean physique beneath.
His body was also covered in the growth of pale cocoons, like an armor of dragon scales.
A few cultivators who had been too eager were caught by the Son of Heaven and slammed into the ground.
Mo Tianshu’s sword light pierced through them, nearly taking their lives.
With the Son of Heaven’s roar, one cultivator was audibly torn apart.
Under the cover of Mo Tianshu’s sword light, no one else could see the chaotic melee.
Zhao Jingyu wasn’t looking toward the Son of Heaven, but at the numerous Combat Puppets that were slowly advancing.
Behind the Combat Puppets were many more cultivators, who were too intimidated to step forward and join the fray.
Zhao Jingyu was terrified.
"Junior Brother Bai, look! Not a single one of these cultivators and puppets is below the Qi Refining Fifth Layer."
"When they swarm us in a minute, I’ll be fine. I’m pretty tough, so I reckon they’ll at least leave a whole corpse."
He looked at his fellow sect members.
"As for you guys... I estimate you’ll need to find a top-notch coroner, and maybe a folk artisan who specializes in reassembling bodies, just to piece together what’s left of you."
The others just rolled their eyes at him.
Without a second thought, Bai Mo produced several Five Obstacles Pills in his hand.
"Everyone, be careful!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
A black and red smoke surged into the air, instantly filling the hall with a whistling sound.
One cultivator failed to dodge in time. The smoke rushed into his orifices, and he immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream.
A few breaths later, Zhao Jingyu charged out, covering his nose and face.
"Kill!"
