Chapter 301: Absolute Skill

Rolling leaden clouds filled the sky, as heavy waves of air rippled outwards.

Two terrifying Heavenly Emperor-level beings clashed fiercely, blurring the surrounding buildings – the multi-storied boats, lanterns, ornaments, and teahouses. The entire world was enveloped in a heavy, hazy blackness. Mengmei, along with the little fox, had already retreated from the center.

At the heart of the storm, the only thing that remained unscathed was the central tea table, and the dull Bai Xiaosheng, who sat on a chair, eating and holding a book. Their control over their power was so exquisite that they could inflict severe blows upon each other without causing lasting harm.

"My heavens! Are two worlds really going to start a war prematurely, all for the sake of snatching a bookworm?!" The little fox, Hu Haihan, was utterly shocked, her face a mask of disbelief and fright.

Once these two transcendent worlds went to war, she would undoubtedly have to align with the Ancient Desolate World faction. The clashes between these supreme Heavenly Emperors would surely result in mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Was all this immense cost from both sides truly just to snatch this bookworm?

Mengmei, however, gazed at her disciple, thinking, "This one doesn't seem like a fox spirit at all. Aren't fox spirits supposed to be cunning and sly? Had I protected her too well? Perhaps it was time to let her explore on her own, allowing her to gain experience outside."

However, Mengmei couldn't bring herself to do it. She was afraid that the girl she had painstakingly raised might be secretly 'stolen' by some 'pig,' and wouldn't that utterly break her heart? So she had always cherished her, treating her like a hothouse flower. Indeed, raising male disciples was like raising wild animals—you could simply toss them out to be beggars. But raising female disciples was akin to raising a daughter, and she found it incredibly challenging!!

"Flower of Death!" Medusa smiled, raising a hand that held an exquisite black staff. The witch, incredibly elegant, conjured a magnificent, intricate dark red flower that spun outwards, infinitely more refined than it had been a thousand years ago.

Daoist arts and witchcraft, both forms of magic, shared commonalities when mastered to their profoundest levels. Medusa's witchcraft had already reached an extremely profound height, even comparable to Emperor Qi's comprehensive, perfected system. Although she was merely a clone, her combat prowess was terrifyingly defying of logic.

"The Great Zhou Judicial System: A World Within a Book." Hu Rennong extended a hand, and the surrounding scenery abruptly shifted, revealing a magnificent imperial court palace.

"Who stands below? State your name at once!?" Hu Rennong, already clad in the black official robes of a prime minister, strode forward with an astonishingly imposing presence.

In the blink of an eye, he was seated upon his elevated official position, interrogating a prisoner. He was surrounded by civil and military officials, all formidable experts. This was the Supreme Penal Hall of Great Zhou, responsible for overseeing judicial cases, with all major court officials present to observe the proceedings. Medusa now stood in the imperial court, like a prisoner on trial.

"The Grand Chancellor of the current dynasty is present! Kneel at once!?" One by one, the major court officials roared, abruptly standing up. Their astounding Confucian aura transformed into immense, crushing pressure that bore down. This was the domain of Great Confucians. The penal hall from the world within the book was actualized into reality for the purpose of attack.

Worlds within books, mourned and remembered by people, were formed by gathering the collective aspirations of living beings. "The Great Zhou Judicial System" was personally compiled by Prime Minister Hu Rennong. Scholars throughout the land and all citizens of Great Zhou, from a young age in private schools, were required to memorize it. If any literary work was most widely transmitted throughout the world, it was this very penal code.

"Well, Hu Rennong! If one's mind weren't stable, one would surely be intimidated by you!" Medusa laughed heartily, unable to help but exclaim in admiration, "Is this Confucianism? The destiny of a nation, gathering the power of all living beings—it is indeed formidable, already surpassing the crude incense applications of the Western Era. Instead of cultivating oneself, cultivating all beings in the world indeed holds infinite possibilities. It is a truly terrifying system of cultivation. Currently, the Great Zhou imperial court governs only tens of millions of people. What if that number reached hundreds of millions? Billions? Tens of billions? The endless 'incense' from countless living beings might solidify the illusory into reality, evolving a true world within a book."

In the imperial court, Hu Rennong remained silent on his elevated seat. Beside him, a minister, with an angry expression, declared a decree: "Great Zhou Dynasty Law, Article Seventy-Two! Daring to defy a minister in court and refusing to kneel shall be punishable by a sentence of no less than three years and no more than ten years!"

Boom! Throughout the imperial court, shackles, fetters, wooden staffs, and iron brands swiftly flew towards her.

"A mere Great Zhou Dynasty! Do you even know who I am? Do you dare to put an otherworldly demon god on trial?!" She strode forward, gazing at the surrounding ministers, her face flushed with excitement. With a red face, she clapped her hands and chuckled, "You are truly audacious... so fascinating... And these instruments of torture you possess... they look so cruel, so ferocious..." A violently crimson and intense aura suddenly spread from her, surging skyward, embodying extreme arrogance. Her small face slightly flushed, she declared, "I find them utterly delightful; I truly wish to try them out!!!"

"A witch engaging in close-quarters combat." Hu Rennong's scalp tingled. She truly was a demon god. One by one, the major court officials instantly obeyed her command.

"Close quarters?" She smiled broadly, though she was clearly an old woman who had lived for over two millennia, yet she still preferred to dress like a young girl, ever fond of beauty. At this moment, she suddenly cast aside her witch's staff, and eight arms abruptly sprouted from her ribs, waving delicate, fair, pink fists.

"Since arriving in this world, I have also cultivated martial arts. My Cthulhu body has assimilated the true form of an Ancestral Witch, allowing me to cultivate both major systems simultaneously..." With her eight arms, she slowly adopted a combat stance, beckoning with a finger.

"See how glory flashes by in a blink, swifter still than life's dream... You truly are a well-read and talented scholar; I like it! I like it immensely! What I like even more is beating you to death, smashing you into a pulp, punch by punch!" Her eight arms swung, and in an instant, her combat techniques proved incomparably exquisite. The eight arms transformed into fists, palms, and pinching fingers. The ministers from the world within the book were brutally battered into a bloody mess.

To be continued.