Chapter 1922: Why

Chapter 1903: Why!

Qu Ruhai instinctively beckoned, and his spear returned, but his heart sank.

His most formidable combat technique couldn't even penetrate the Nether Emperor's mere cape?

After twenty years of cultivation, he had never felt so utterly powerless.

The cape still filled his vision when, unexpectedly, a long spear thrust through a gap, aiming for his brow.

The Nether Emperor was returning the favor.

Qu Ruhai raised his shield to block, but the spear tip unleashed immense force, directly knocking him off his horse and onto the ground!

With a crisp "crack," his armored shield shattered into pieces, like a crushed biscuit.

This treasured shield had finally given out, unable to withstand the high-intensity impacts and thrusts.

Shards of the shield flew like in slow motion; one even nearly struck Qu Ruhai's eye. Without the armored shield's defense, the Soaring Dragon Spear plunged unimpeded.

Originally, this spear thrust would have pierced his heart, but the Nether Emperor flicked his wrist at the last moment, slightly deflecting the tip to pierce his shoulder instead!

Simultaneously, White Flame also crushed another spirit-host.

The battle between the two was lightning-fast, and onlookers could barely follow it.

"Left Clan Leader!" cries of alarm echoed from all around.

Before the Luodian warriors could provide aid, Qu Ruhai was pinned to the ground by the Nether Emperor!

Under the eyes of everyone, the Nether Emperor drew a knife with his other hand, pressing it against Qu Ruhai's throat: "Step back, all of you, or your Left Clan Leader's head will fall."

That single sentence made the Luodian elites, who were about to charge, hesitate for fear of harming their leader.

Nearby, two elephant trumpets, like steam whistles, rang out. This was Pang Sen, the woolly mammoth leader, communicating with the Nether Emperor:

"They're awake!"

Yes, after more than forty breaths of frenzied confusion, the main force of the Luodian army finally broke free from their madness and gradually regained consciousness.

He Lingchuan knew the time limit was up.

Upon recovering their senses, the Luodian people found their own army in disarray, dust and smoke billowing everywhere, with enemy forces surrounding them.

Furthermore, a grand voice echoed across the entire battlefield:

"Qu Ruhai has been defeated and captured! Luodian people, lay down your arms and kneel! Those who resist will be executed without mercy!"

Strictly speaking, this voice resonated in everyone's heart, making it impossible not to hear.

With Qu Ruhai pinned under the Nether Emperor's foot, he knew the tide had turned and he was powerless to reverse it.

He had been defeated by the Nether Emperor on the battlefield. In this battle, his opponent had fought fair, and he was genuinely convinced.

He had given his all, yet still lost.

So when the Nether Emperor asked him, "Surrender or die?", Qu Ruhai, enduring the pain, said:

"I surrender."

On the Shanjing Plains, victory and defeat were truly common in warfare; any further heroics from him at this point would be meaningless.

With their commander surrendering, the shaken Luodian army had no choice but to throw down their weapons, kneel to the ground, and surrender.

The battle came and went swiftly, yet the Luodian army suffered over 1,700 casualties, most of whom were killed by their own people.

While the Black Armored Legion took control of the battlefield, Qu Ruhai was disarmed and brought before the Nether Emperor.

The evening wind made the cape behind the Nether Emperor flap wildly; from a distance, it looked like a living creature extending its tentacles.

Strangely, Qu Ruhai couldn't recall if the Nether Emperor had been wearing this cape when he first appeared.

He looked up at the Nether Emperor, his mind fixed on one question: "Are you He Xiao, or not?"

The army had withdrawn, and only mountains and ravines remained before the Nether Emperor. He casually removed his mask.

It was indeed that familiar face.

Qu Ruhai gave a bitter laugh.

The last time they met was at King Yao's birthday banquet. The jovial drinking session they shared then now felt like a lifetime ago.

At that time, Qu Ruhai was the Left Clan Leader of Luodian, while He Xiao was merely a prominent merchant from the Yangshan Archipelago.

Only a few months had passed, yet he was now a prisoner, while He Xiao was surrounded by powerful figures and commanded a title that resonated across the Shanjing Plains—

The Nether Emperor!

The He Lingchuan he had previously known was often warm and polite, smiling freely. Now that the other man was no longer smiling, Qu Ruhai realized the stern sharpness of that face, making him seem like a completely different person.

Qu Ruhai also recognized another familiar face slightly in front of He Lingchuan:

Wu Xuyang, the young chieftain of the Longye Tribe.

There were also Kasha and Longye tribesmen on the battlefield today, so the urgent order from the capital was correct; these two tribes had indeed pledged allegiance to He Xiao.

Wu Xuyang watched him expressionlessly.

"Why?" Qu Ruhai's face was pale from blood loss. "He Xiao, I never offended you, and Luodian never offended you. What exactly do you want?"

After seeing the other's true face, he repeated the question.

He actually knew the answer; he just couldn't accept it.

Luodian had long-standing feuds with many neighbors, having previously fought the Kasha and Longye tribes, various other tribes, and even frequently harassed the Yao Kingdom.

But Luodian had no grudge whatsoever with Yangshan, nor had there been time for one, as that force was too young.

This was indeed a good question, for every force subsequently annexed by the Nether Emperor would demand to know the answer with similar fury.

He Lingchuan would not discuss grand ideals with "victims," because they would never understand. He merely stated another profound truth with indifference:

"The unification of Shanjing is the inevitable trend. The victor becomes king, the vanquished a bandit; it has always been so. If you must blame someone, blame yourself and Luodian for being too weak."

If you can't win, you can't win. If you lose, you lose.

To argue despite losing is merely the wail of the weak.

Qu Ruhai sneered, "If you're so capable, go bother Bai Tan! To conquer Shanjing without defeating him is pure delusion!"

"Don't worry, his turn will come soon."

Qu Ruhai opened his mouth, unsure whether to curse or to argue, and was suddenly overcome with grief.

He struggled to swallow his bitterness: "What method did you use to make my army go mad?"

What skill other than divine power could accomplish that?

He seemed to understand now why the Nether Emperor's army could sweep southward through Luodian, unstoppable. With his ability to drive soldiers mad, Luodian was utterly defenseless!

He Lingchuan smirked, looking down at him. "You won't die yet, and you know it."

Why did the Luodian army suddenly go mad for no apparent reason?

Of course, it was the Three Corpses Parasites at work!

Over a hundred years ago, these were the formidable weapons Panlong City used to fend off powerful enemies from all directions. He Lingchuan had seen General Hong release the Three Corpses Parasites onto the battlefield when he first entered the Panlong world.

These creatures were originally condensed from human nature, not divine abilities or spells, and even elemental force could not dispel them.

But they had a natural weakness:

They could only emerge at night or on overcast days. This was because the inherent depravity of the human heart could not withstand the test of the sun's true fire.

The Three Corpses Parasites were formless and intangible, difficult for people to perceive. Panlong City's adversaries suffered for a long time before developing methods to counter them.

He Lingchuan had coveted these things for a long time, but the Three Corpses Parasites only existed within the Great Square Pot—more precisely, they were parasitic on Hundun—and could only be used on the Panlong Wasteland back then.

Unexpectedly, after he left the Upside-Down Sea, the Great Square Pot seemed to undergo many changes, one of which was that the Three Corpses Parasites could now be released remotely, and the medium was no longer the divine power necklace, but the Grand Derivation Sky Pearl!