Chapter 1406: Impossible Power

What are these things? His muscles twitched uncontrollably from the pain, requiring double the effort to suppress these anomalies. Xue Zongwu unleashed several divine martial arts techniques consecutively, hoping to buy himself a moment to take a pill and replenish his true energy and vital essence. However, He Lingchuan had the upper hand, maintaining relentless pressure and leaving him no opportunity even to retrieve a pill. The black-armored figure seemed to read his mind and suddenly said, "It's no use! This is karma fire; you can't dispel it! Your sins are profound; you will suffer ten or even a hundred times more burning torment than an ordinary person!"

Karma fire? What in the world is karma fire? Xue Zongwu had fought many battles and killed many people; he certainly knew how to write the words "sin" and "karma," but he had never heard of karma actually having an effect. Xue Zongwu was drenched in sweat. Although he knew it was best to keep quiet at this moment, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and retort, "Nonsense! You're just a living person; how can you perform underworld feats?"

Where are the reinforcements? All the enemies were held here by him, so why hadn't his master and father-in-law, Qi Yuncheng, come to help yet? Could he have been outmaneuvered by this person as well? Despite his mental and physical distress, Xue Zongwu strove to maintain his offense and defense, ensuring they remained as fluid and flawless as before. Even the wound on his neck was sealed by true energy to stop the bleeding, no longer spurting blood.

In his current disadvantaged position, he felt he was doing his absolute best, even frequently employing divine abilities and magical artifacts in an attempt to regain the initiative from He Lingchuan. To get out of this "crematorium" alive, he knew he had to fight to the death; Xue Zongwu dared not entertain any hope of luck.

After fighting to this point, He Lingchuan secretly admired him. Xue Zongwu possessed deep true energy and exceptionally refined combat skills. Among all the opponents He Lingchuan had encountered so far, only Fu Shanlie could surpass him. Moreover, Xue Zongwu could also utilize elemental energy, which was a significant advantage compared to Fu Shanlie, who had ambushed Yuheng City at the time.

However, the most challenging aspect of this man was his remarkably stable mindset. Even with the burning pain of karma fire and being at a disadvantage, he remained completely composed, and his defense remained perfectly ordered. He knew he couldn't win and guessed that his reinforcements were being held back and couldn't arrive immediately, yet he continued to meticulously and methodically counter He Lingchuan. This truly was an iron-willed fighting spirit; no wonder he was a trusted minister of King Yao! An ordinary general would have collapsed long ago; Zhao Guangzhi hadn't even lasted two rounds against the karma fire.

In terms of combat mindset alone, Xue Zongwu actually surpassed Fu Shanlie. Both father and son had somewhat erratic and impetuous personalities, making it difficult for them to be so steady. His defense was impenetrable; it seemed he was determined to prolong the fight indefinitely. Despite the excruciating pain, Xue Zongwu clearly understood that his only advantage was time! If he persevered, this so-called "Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds" would eventually have to retreat. His assessment was that as long as he fought steadily, without any unforeseen circumstances, his opponent wouldn't be able to defeat him within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Just then, Dong Rui's warning reached He Lingchuan's ear: "I've used a demonic puppet to hold back Qi Yuncheng, but he's sent two skilled individuals your way, seemingly his disciples. The Armadillo Hog might not last much longer, and Qi Yuncheng is currently dealing with the Pincer-tailed Tiger. That old man still has some real capabilities. I fear these two demonic puppets won't survive more than fifteen minutes against him. After that, he'll come for you."

Dealing with both Qi Yuncheng and Xue Zongwu simultaneously, even for the "Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds," might not be manageable, right? As if knowing He Lingchuan had no time to respond, he continued:

"Time is precious. If you can't defeat Xue Zongwu, quickly head north; I'll find a way to meet you. Little Peach Mountain Villa has activated a spell-nullifying formation, so I can't go anywhere else!"

The Pincer-tailed Tiger, crafted by the mysterious demonic puppet master, was indeed fierce, but Qi Yuncheng was no pushover. In a short while, he crippled one of its legs, making its movements less agile than before. The Pincer-tailed Tiger didn't have the hard shell of the Armadillo Hog and wasn't as resilient. Its defeat by Qi Yuncheng was only a matter of time. Dong Rui was about to withdraw. These two demonic puppets were acquired by He Lingchuan for him, not his own property, so he wouldn't feel bad if they were destroyed. However, once Qi Yuncheng dealt with these two puppets, he would then search for the mastermind controlling them—if he realized they were puppets, that is—and Dong Rui couldn't risk remaining.

Time was running out for He Lingchuan. For this muddled assassination attempt to have come so far and then yield no results would be a great pity. If Xue Zongwu survived this ordeal, he would undoubtedly heighten his vigilance later. The possibility of He Lingchuan killing him again would become exceedingly slim. Not to mention, Xue Zongwu had already seen the true face of the black-armored figure; if he survived tonight, he would surely spread the word everywhere! At that point, the personnel of Yangshan Merchant Guild in the Glimmering Gold Plain would be in mortal danger, and He Lingchuan's Glimmering Gold plan would inevitably be disrupted. He could not afford these cascading losses!

He had to finish the fight quickly before Xue Zongwu's reinforcements arrived. He needed to break his mental defenses first, then he could kill him.

He Lingchuan suddenly allowed a faint smile to cross his face, though it was hidden by his mask. He then asked, "How much longer until Xue's reinforcements arrive?"

This question was directed at Dong Rui, but Xue Zongwu overheard it clearly. The Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds was communicating with his subordinate? Dong Rui replied, "Fifty breaths! They're almost at the foot of North Mountain; they'll reach you in no more than fifty breaths!"

The next second, Xue Zongwu, grimly holding on, noticed a red glow emanating from his opponent. Elemental energy! Xue Zongwu had led troops for over ten years and was intimately familiar with elemental energy; he wouldn't mistake it even with his eyes closed. He finally cried out in alarm, "How can you use elemental energy?!"

The Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds could wield elemental energy! No, that's not right. The leader of the Yangshan Merchant Guild, a complete outsider, could actually use elemental energy, and such potent energy at that! A myriad of questions flashed through Xue Zongwu's mind in an instant. Where did such a figure come from, one who could wield abundant elemental energy on the lands of the Yao Kingdom? This special power in the Yao Kingdom was only possessed by high officials, high-ranking generals, and the military! So, this He fellow was actually an official of the Yao Kingdom, and a high-ranking one at that? When did this happen? Who appointed him? Why was Xue Zongwu completely unaware of it? Despite his vast experience and decisive nature, he was utterly shaken at this moment, his mind filled with the words, "How is this possible?"

People could lie, but elemental energy could not be faked! If this "Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds" was truly an insider from within the Yao Kingdom, then his coming to deal with Xue Zongwu, could it be... could it be that...?

The black-armored figure chose this moment to chuckle lowly, "I told you, your sins are immense—slaughtering cities, killing those who surrendered, disrupting the natural order. Today, your endless transgressions will be settled!"

Xue Zongwu's mind was in turmoil, and he didn't even notice where the black-armored figure had mentioned "disrupting the natural order" before; he simply roared, "Who sent you?!"

In that instant, he forgot about the wound on his neck, and his furious shout caused blood to spurt from it. The elemental energy emanating from his opponent was so dense it felt substantial. Aside from commanding generals and a handful of high officials, such energy could only be specially allocated by the sovereign or a national preceptor. However, the Yao Kingdom had no national preceptor; the "allocation of elemental energy" had always been solely handled by King Yao and a specific organization under his command. Could it be, could it be that King Yao was targeting Xue Zongwu...?

Xue Zongwu's first thought was: impossible, absolutely impossible! He had been King Yao's blade his entire life, striking wherever he was directed. Even if he was sometimes arrogant and willful, he always completed the tasks King Yao assigned. What reason could King Yao have to secretly execute him?

Capitalizing on Xue Zongwu's distracted state, He Lingchuan, for the first time as the Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds, unleashed his elemental energy, and his attacks finally erupted like a storm. Each move was wide and forceful, and the karma fire on his Roaring Dragon Armor burned fiercely, almost engulfing both men. The profound elemental energy of the Tigerwing General of Dragoncoil City was, for the first time, displayed unreservedly to the world.

The Soul-Devouring Mirror cackled, "Now that's more like it! Cut off his limbs, cut off his ears and nose!" Earlier, He Lingchuan and Xue Zongwu seemed to be fighting to a stalemate, but the mirror had been with He Lingchuan for a long time and knew its master had been holding back. The situation was urgent, but He Lingchuan wasn't actually anxious. His current goal was not to kill him, but to cripple him.

Xue Zongwu's pressure immediately surged. He felt his opponent's power had increased by over forty percent, and each heavy blow numbed the web of his hand, making it almost impossible to hold onto his purple-gold melon hammer. He had initially felt that the Great Emperor of the Nine Underworlds was slightly superior in skill and strength, and he could barely hold on with careful defense. But the moment his opponent used elemental energy, the tide of the battle instantly turned completely against him!

He was a high-ranking general of the Yao Kingdom, and he too enjoyed the kingdom's elemental energy; how could he not know that elemental energy could be so ferociously powerful? In merely ten breaths, three or four new, bloody wounds appeared on his body. The most severe blow was to his left leg; even with his armor's protection, the strike nearly severed his tendons. Even parrying became difficult, and defeat was imminent. In the past, he was the one who fought opponents this way; no enemy had ever fought him like this!

He finally panicked, feeling the approach of death for the first time! Xue Zongwu then recalled the ominous premonition he had before returning to the country. Could it be that it was destined to come true today?

His clone technique had been depleted, and he couldn't summon new clones for now. Just as the black-armored figure's next attack, a soul-stirring blow, was about to disembowel Xue Zongwu, his "Smooth Sailing" magical artifact finally activated again. An invisible, elastic shield appeared around Xue Zongwu, and he was then struck by the Floating Life Blade, sending him over two *zhang* away into a pile of ruins.

Previously, he had been tightly entangled by the black-armored figure, with no chance to turn and escape. Now that a distance of two *zhang* had been opened, Xue Zongwu didn't hesitate for a moment; he turned and ran! His movement technique was equally agile and swift, and the scattered debris on the ground could not impede his speed. At the same time, Xue Zongwu slapped his chest and tore apart a silk-embroidered "Diligence Talisman."

This was a life-saving talisman his master, Qi Yuncheng, had given him long ago. Upon activation, it dispelled all fatigue, instantly generating new strength, making his movements lighter and even unaffected by his injuries. However, its effect lasted only a brief twenty breaths, after which he would feel as if his limbs were filled with lead, making even breathing difficult. This was his last trump card, hidden on his person for fifteen years without ever being used, but it was spent today. However, the Diligence Talisman's effect wasn't as good as Qi Yuncheng had claimed. Although Xue Zongwu felt his physical strength fully restored and his movements agile, the pain from his wounds did not diminish in the slightest!

Although he was no longer within the range of the black-armored figure's surrounding ghostly shadows, the pain of his flesh and nerves being gnawed away did not subside. What kind of divine ability was that, that it could bypass both elemental energy and such a powerful talisman!