Book 08 Chapter 057: Dragon Vein Strengthening, Dragon Vein Destroyed
Xuanyuan City:
Ji Dihong and Ao Ying stepped forward and instantly appeared in Xuanyuan Palace Hall.
With a simple wave of his hand, Ji Dihong shattered the entrance to the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm.
Buzz!
Their bodies trembled for a moment. They still had their three spiritual souls and seven physical souls, so they regained their composure. However, rage filled their eyes.
“Your Holy Eminence, Mister Cangjie fell into Gu Hai’s hands. Our schemes only ended up benefitting Gu Hai. We even lost the ancestor dragon’s corpse. The humiliation!” Ao Ying lamented bitterly.
Ji Dihong felt the weight of a colossal disgrace. He could not shake off Gu Hai’s taunting words: “Ji Dihong, you’ve lost.” He rued the miscalculations of sending Bing Ji to trick Gu Hai into entering the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm; that not only cost him Bing Ji and Cangjie but also empowered Gu Hai. He had never experienced such a loss in his life.
Ji Dihong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger. Then he said, “Gu Hai did not kill Mister Cangjie, which means he won’t do so. There’s also your ancestor dragon’s corpse. We will s.n.a.t.c.h it back soon. This is not the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm. The physical body? So what if Gu Hai attains a strong physical body? Just as we s.n.a.t.c.hed from Chiyou, we can s.n.a.t.c.h from him, too!”
“Yes!” Ao Ying answered.
His Holy Eminence’s means are not limited to these. I believe His Holy Eminence can turn things around and kill Gu Hai.
“Leave us for a moment. We need to ponder our next steps to pin Gu Hai down for our shame,” Ji Dihong said.
“Yes!” Ao Ying stepped out of Xuanyuan Palace Hall.
Creak!
After Ao Ying left the palace hall, the doors closed.
Ji Dihong’s forehead twitched, and he heard the voice of Chiyou’s remnant will.
“Ji Dihong, you’ve lost! You’ve started to lose!” Chiyou’s remnant will burst into laughter.
“Hah! That’s just the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm, Chiyou. I haven’t lost; you’ve lost. Your physical body is no match for Gu Hai’s. Your world devouring abilities are no match for Gu Hai’s. Plus, you’ve lost your life!” Ji Dihong sneered.
“Hahaha! A loss is a loss! You’ve started losing! The first loss will lead to a second and a third until you’re utterly defeated, until you lose everything you have! This remnant will of mine will be waiting to see you lose everything! Hahahaha!” Chiyou’s remnant will roared with laughter.
“Humph!” Ji Dihong snorted coldly.
A surge of energy struck Chiyou’s remnant will in Ji Dihong’s forehead, and Chiyou immediately fell silent.
“Temporary wins or losses mean nothing. He who laughs last laughs best. Where I fall, I will rise again. Gu Hai? He will soon regret opposing me!” Ji Dihong scowled ferociously.
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Borderless Heavenly Capital:
Gu Hai stepped out of the hungry ghost path of reincarnation.
Upon exiting, his body trembled as the suppression of the hungry ghost Dao’s laws vanished, and his three spiritual souls regained control.
“Your Reverence!” The officials’ eyes immediately lit up in joy.
“Husband!” Chen Xianer and Long Wanqing appeared excited.
“Brother-in-Law, you are finally out!” Long Wanyu said happily.
Four people came out: Gu Hai’s true body, Bing Ji, Cangjie, and Shangguan Hen, who carried a dragon egg.
Gu Hai’s two bodies synchronized their consciousness. The skeleton clone flashed, disappearing from everyone’s sight. They were both him, so there was no need for it to appear. Now that the officials saw the true body, the clone naturally left.
However, Mo Yike, Sima Changkong, and the others frowned slightly, as Ao Sheng was not with Gu Hai, and there was one extra. Although this person wore a hat that covered most of his face, everyone could guess who he was.
Cangjie?
Some of the civil officials goggled. This was Ji Dihong’s top strategist. Losing Cangjie would be like losing both arms for Ji Dihong.
“Everyone, we have worried you,” Gu Hai said solemnly.
“It is expected of your officials!” the officials replied.
“Gu Qin!” Gu Hai called out.
“Your son and official is present!” Gu Qin stepped forward, eyeing Cangjie with surprise.
“This is Mister Cangjie. Mister Cangjie is here in Borderless Heavenly Capital as a guest. You will be responsible for Mister Cangjie’s residence. Also, send guards to ensure Mister Cangjie’s safety,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!” Gu Qin answered.
“Gu Qin greets Mister Cangjie!” Gu Qin bowed slightly to Cangjie.
Cangjie smiled bitterly. “Crown Prince Gu Qin is too polite.”
From Cangjie’s posture and weak footsteps, everyone could tell his cultivation was sealed. While he was called a guest, he was a prisoner. However, the emperor sent the crown prince to accompany Cangjie, which showed how much the emperor valued him.
“Greetings, Mister Cangjie!” Mo Yike was the first to speak.
“Greetings, Mister Cangjie!” The officials also gave Cangjie a slight bow.
Cangjie smiled bitterly as he nodded in response. “I am just a prisoner, not worthy of your respect.”
The officials did not say anything more.
Chen Xianer and Long Wanqing looked at Bing Ji.
“Bing Ji? You are finally awake?” Chen Xianer smiled.
However, Bing Ji showed a solemn expression as she faced Chen Xianer and Long Wanqing. Then she bowed. “This guilty official, Bing Ji, salutes Empress Chen and Empress Long.”
“Guity? Younger Sister, you did not have a choice!” Chen Xianer stepped forward with a smile.
“No. This guilty official deserves a thousand deaths. I’m not worthy of the empress addressing me as younger sister,” Bing Ji said respectfully, immediately backing away.
Chen Xianer looked at Gu Hai with some doubt. Gu Hai merely showed a faint, wry smile.
After being married for so many years, Chen Xianer naturally understood Gu Hai’s expressions. Chen Xianer realized Bing Ji blamed herself and did not dare to cross the line. Bing Ji only wanted to make up for her sins with contributions to ease the guilt she felt.
Understanding Bing Ji’s thoughts and stance, Chen Xianer looked at her with even more pity.
Bing Ji had spent her life in suppression, blame, and grief, beaten into always toeing the line. She had a resilient character but was unfortunate in life. She probably only thought of resisting after meeting Gu Hai. It was only because of Gu Hai that she challenged the status quo and changed her situation.
This was the same today. Perhaps she was already satisfied with being by Gu Hai’s side, not daring to ask for more.
The more this was so, the less jealous Chen Xianer was of Bing Ji. Instead, she felt pity and concern for her.
Chen Xianer did not push Bing Ji, only nodding.
At least for now, Chen Xianer did not want to put Bing Ji in a spot.
As for the other officials, they roughly knew about Gu Hai and Bing Ji. No one would, or even dare to, tell Bing Ji what to do. After all, based on Empress Chen’s stance, it was clear Empress Chen had already accepted her. It was just Bing Ji who did not accept it. If that changed, she might be Empress Bing someday. Naturally, the officials would not pursue the past.
Buzz! Buzz!
Suddenly, Gu Hai’s body trembled and gave off some black energy.
“Husband, what’s wrong with you?” Chen Xianer asked worriedly.
Long Wanqing, Bing Ji, and Long Wanyu immediately became anxious.
“It’s fine. My physical soul body is too strong; it is strengthening my physical body.” Gu Hai stopped everyone, evincing only a faint trace of pain on his face.
Strengthening the physical body?
Everyone felt startled but stopped worrying.
“We will go to the Gu’s Immortal Firmament for closed-door cultivation for a while. We will return very soon,” Gu Hai said.
Everyone nodded. Entering closed-door cultivation was good. As long as the emperor was safe, everything was fine.
“Husband, go quickly, then,” Long Wanqing urged worriedly.
“Wait. Before we go, there’s one more thing.” Gu Hai stepped forward and looked at the distant mountains and rivers.
Suddenly, many mountain peaks rose in the land outside Borderless Heavenly Capital. The terrain changed as the ground shook.
It was the Han Imperial Dynasty’s dragon vein sensing Gu Hai’s call and swimming over from a distance.
“Roar!”
A dragon roar rang out.
After that, everyone saw a four-thousand-kilometer-long, golden dragon head come out of the ground.
“The dragon vein?” the officials said in confusion.
Gu Hai opened his mouth and spat out a beam of golden light. The bright, golden light turned into a colossal golden dragon tens of kilometers long. This golden dragon could not fly, but it was of a similar size to the Han Imperial Dynasty’s dragon vein.
“Roar!”
The dragon vein pounced on the golden dragon and ferociously bit it.
The golden dragon was already considerably weakened. It struggled but could not shake free from the dragon vein. The ground provided the dragon vein with endless energy as the dragon vein dragged the golden dragon into the ground with its fangs.
The ground shuddered, giving off loud sounds.
“Roar!”
The miserable cry of the golden dragon came from underground. Then the sound stopped. The Han Imperial Dynasty’s dragon vein had probably consumed it.
Rumble…!
Starting from Borderless Heavenly Capital, Spiritual Energy gathered endlessly in the various cities of the Han Imperial Dynasty as if it had doubled.
The sudden doubling of Spiritual Energy helped countless cultivators in the Han Imperial Dynasty break through their bottlenecks. All of them looked at the sky in shock.
“What’s going on? The Spiritual Energy increased?”
“What intense Spiritual Energy! I broke through in my cultivation!”
“It has become easier for me to concoct medicinal pills!”
“My herb fields! The spirit herbs are flouris.h.i.+ng!”
…
Startled voices arose everywhere. The Han Imperial Dynasty citizens cried out in pleasant surprise at the boundless benefits.
In Borderless Heavenly Capital, many officials understood what had happened.
“That was the Huang Heavenly Dynasty’s dragon vein earlier? My nation’s dragon vein consumed the Huang Heavenly Dynasty’s dragon vein?” an official exclaimed in shock.
“Roar!”
The joyful cry of the dragon vein rang out. As it turned its body, various plants on the land received Spiritual Energy, growing at a visible pace.
Ordinary vegetation quickly spouted for thousands of kilometers around. The growth of some natural treasures suddenly accelerated.
Gu Hai had not digested the Xuanyuan Sword, leaving it for the dragon vein. The dragon vein turned it into boundless Spiritual Energy to nourish the Han Imperial Dynasty and the dragon vein.
Within the Han Nation’s territory, the Han Nation’s dragon vein could tap the power of the land. The Huang Nation’s dragon vein had nothing to borrow from. Naturally, it was no match for the Han Nation’s dragon vein.
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At the same time, in Xuanyuan City:
Ji Dihong, who sat cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, grimacing ferociously. “Gu Hai, how ruthless of you!”
In the many cities of the Huang Heavenly Dynasty:
“What’s happening? Why is the Spiritual Energy in our city weakening?”
“Oh no! The Spiritual Energy’s sudden thinning caused Master to lose control of his energy!”
“My spiritual herb garden! All the spirit herbs died!”
“It withered! It withered! The one hundred thousand trees on the mountain are all withering!”
“What happened? Shouldn’t the dragon vein be protecting them?”
…
Chaos broke out among the Huang Heavenly Dynasty’s civilians.