Chapter 1723: Weaken
Zhuxie Chixin’s opponent was Guan Chouhai, a grandmaster who had already been famous for many years. Meanwhile, he had just advanced to the grandmaster rank himself. Even though he was able to go toe to toe with Guan Chouhai because of the death energy around him, as time dragged on, he would still end up at a disadvantage.
Just now, he had dealt with Li Changsheng for the time being, and thought he would have enough time to deal with Guan Chouhai after. However, he had actually underestimated the power of a daoist sect master.
Guan Chouhai didn’t let go of the fleeting opportunity that appeared and used the Twin Vajra Armbands to deliver a lethal strike.
A wave of terrifying death energy suddenly erupted. Even cultivators as powerful as Li Changsheng and Guan Chouhai had to quickly dodge backward to evade. All of the plants and trees within a range of over a hundred meters instantly withered away. Meanwhile, Zhuxie Chixin was at the center of the destruction, on his knees. He inhaled more than he exhaled; it was obvious that he was going to die.
The others’ expressions changed. Li Changsheng’s expression was grave as he remarked, “For this much death energy to have gathered around you… Just how many people have died at your hands?”
Even though Zhuxie Chixin was the Chief Commander of the Embroidered Envoy and had killed many officials, there was still no way he could have produced so much death energy that way. It wouldn’t be enough even if he slaughtered every official in the court.
Zhuxie Chixin naturally knew what was happening, but he didn’t have the strength to reply. Instead, he turned to the distant emperor with a look of confusion.
“Amitabha buddha. Those whose entire existence is enveloped in murder will receive their due punishment,” Master Jian Huang said, bringing his hands together. As a Buddhist sect member, he usually preached benevolence and even spoke some words of pity for great evildoers. But when he sensed the death energy around Zhuxie Chixin, surprisingly, he expressed that the man deserved death.
King Qi stared at Zhao Han, his gaze also carrying confusion. He said, “You clearly had the chance to save them. Why did you just watch them fall with folded arms?”
Zhao Han said indifferently, “With w.a.n.g Wuxie’s cultivation, he still ended up in that state. That means he was betrayed by his own people, and it had to be those he trusted the most, no less. With that prior mistake to learn from, how could I make the same error? This is the only way I can tell who is actually loyal and who is a traitor.”
The others now understood that Zhao Han had been worried that Zhuxie Chixin or Eunuch Wen would betray him, which was why he hadn’t moved.
When he heard that reply, Zhuxie Chixin’s expression was full of shock and anger; he seemed to be thinking ‘I should have known’. Then, he could no longer hold on, and his head lolled to one side.
Wu Wuyan couldn"t help but say with a sigh, “You are cold and ruthless after all. You had no reaction even after seeing those most devoted and loyal to you die. I have always heard that there are three types of people: Men, women, and the emperor. Today, I finally understand what that means.”
King Qi said, “Great Elder is mistaken. It is only Zhao Han who is especially merciless. If I were the emperor, I definitely would not be so callous.” He still needed all of their cooperation, so he didn’t want anyone to carry ill feelings.
Meanwhile, the Embroidered Envoys and Imperial Guards were facing off intensely against the daoists led by Elder Xuan Dou and the little monk Jie Se far away. They clearly understood that this place was a battlefield far above their level, and that just the traces of a blast wave would erase them from existence. As such, they didn’t pay too much attention to what was happening. Otherwise, morale would only plummet.
Zhao Han said with a sneer, “You really know how to talk. If you were in my position, you would naturally do the same thing. The position of emperor is a lonely existence.”
“I will prove that I am different from you,” King Qi replied coldly. Then, he looked at Wu Wuyan and said, “Great Elder, if you would.”
Wu Wuyan nodded. She formed a hand seal, then chanted some cryptic words. A translucent straw doll appeared in front of her.
Zhao Han sneered. “You’re actually going to use curse arts against this emperor? Wu Wuyan, have you gone mad?”
Wu Wuyan didn’t reply. Her hand produced seven needles of light, and she stabbed them straight into that straw doll. A visible ripple spread out.
Zhao Han had just been expecting to watch her make a fool of herself, but his expression suddenly changed. At the same time, his body trembled. Several rings of black light appeared around him, and black runes visibly stabbed into his body. His calm demeanor finally broke as he exclaimed, “Why is this effective against me?”
Wu Wuyan had a proud expression as she said, “As long as I know your astrological information and have things such as your skin and hair, my curse arts will be effective. This is how our skills work.”
Zhao Han asked gravely, “How did you obtain these things from me?”
With Zhao Jing present, his astrological information was easy enough to share. However, as for things like skin and hair, he was always careful about them. There was no chance King Qi could get his hands on one of those.
“Doesn’t your majesty always have precautions around such things? Then why are you asking me?” Wu Wuyan replied with a smile.
Zhao Han scowled as he looked at the dying Eunuch Wen. That dog of a servant betrayed this emperor after all!
It was always Eunuch Wen who took care of his basic needs. If anyone could have a chance of obtaining such things, no one else was more suspicious. He was even starting to regret feeling somewhat bad over his choice to not save Eunuch Wen. Otherwise, perhaps he would have been tricked right there and then.
King Qi, Master Jian Huang, Li Changsheng, and the others all looked at Wu Wuyan with shock. They hadn’t held much faith that such a plan would succeed, and yet the effects were far greater than they expected.
Were the shamans’ curse arts really formidable to such a degree? Previously, they had been able to take down w.a.n.g Wuxie by working together, so even though they had been a bit surprised, it wasn’t to this extent. But now, the unmatched emperor was actually suffering from these curse arts? They couldn"t help but feel nervous themselves. After all, how would they defend themselves if Wu Wuyan used such skills against them?
w.a.n.g Wuxie had instantly been enslaved because of a similar skill. The skill Wu Wuyan had just used was clearly at an even higher level. Then, what would happen to the emperor? Would he be killed right there and then, or would he be turned into a slave just like w.a.n.g Wuxie?
When he saw the others looking at him, Zhao Han sneered and said, “Do you really think such sorcery can work against this emperor?” His entire body erupted with golden light, and the black rings around him were immediately shattered.
Wu Wuyan’s previously proud expression changed tremendously. She immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, and she looked a bit dispirited and listless. She was as pale as a corpse, and she couldn"t even stand up straight anymore. Her body fell weakly to the ground.
King Qi and the others were horrified. They hadn’t even seen Zhao Han do anything, and yet the powerful Shaman Great Elder had lost her fighting strength just like that?
Wu Wuyan quickly said, “My secret technique didn’t work as intended, but he didn’t get through this completely unscathed either. He’s had his cultivation weakened by at least twenty percent and might not be able to recover for a short time. The rest will be up to you.”
Zhao Jing was overjoyed to hear the news. He had actually been a bit doubtful when he saw Zhao Han being affected by the curse arts. His invincible brother emperor couldn"t possibly be done in so easily! On the contrary, he had even wondered whether Zhao Han was playing tricks on them.
However, this situation was much more reasonable. Even though Wu Wuyan had lost her fighting strength, Zhao Han had also lost twenty percent of his fighting prowess. That was already an incredible achievement. Previously, he hadn’t had much confidence in facing the unrivaled Zhao Han. But now, he had much more confidence than ever before.