Chapter 380: Xu Que Reforms The Imperial City!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
If you don't believe me, you can try!
Try? If I really did that, they would be gone forever!
The Metal Emperor was dumbfounded and did not respond to Xu Que's words.
Nevertheless, throughout the journey, his mind was constantly on Xu Que's statement, 'give me the Empress Dowager or the Princess'!
Although Xu Que had affirmed righteously that he would not accept such a gift, the Metal Emperor was still apprehensive and felt that he must stay vigilant on this matter!
Otherwise, if he was not careful, the young man before him could become his son-in-law as well as his stepfather any moment now!
Finally, Xu Que and the Metal Emperor entered the Palace.
Without any delay, the Metal Emperor immediately sent his men to prepare all the necessary and valuable rare materials, as well as large amounts of spirit stones to build the teleportation device that could cross over to another nation.
At the same time, the Emperor did not dare to let Xu Que loiter in the Palace. He also wasted no time and issued an imperial decree that granted Xu Que the highest authority for two days in order to allow him to reform the Imperial City!
The thought of searching for the Empress Dowager had not crossed Xu Que's mind either. He just grabbed the imperial decree and left the Palace. He was thinking of looking for Buttface and was wanting to do something great together!
However, after they had entered the Imperial City, Buttface had run away and disappeared without a trace.
Xu Que chanted the strangling spell several times but Buttface never once came back to him.
Clearly, Buttface had resolved not to come back again and get tortured by him.
Xu Que could not help but shake his head in disappointment. He made up his mind that whenever he had nothing better to do, he would chant the strangling spell before the durability of the collar ended, so that Buttface could get strangled to death and would not harm anyone again!
Other than waiting for the Metal Emperor to finish building the teleportation device within the next two days, there really was nothing for him to do.
He thought that he might as well follow what the imperial decree had said and help the Metal Emperor do something great!
With the imperial decree in hand, his authority was tantamount to the Metal Emperor's, which was very convenient for him.
On the first day, he led all of the city guards within the Imperial City out on a patrol to understand the hardships of the commoners. He earned a lot of Acting Tough Points in return!
After that, he booked the most notorious Yi Hong brothel in the Imperial City and made the entire group of city guards and captains wait outside the brothel.
Many of them were angry about the arrangement but they dared not voice their unhappiness.
In the end, Xu Que came out after just a short while and kept shaking his head. "This industry isn't doing well enough. The girls are just average-looking. You there, hurry up and note it down that we must get His Majesty to build an Entertainment City, understand? It's a big building where the casino and bars are downstairs and a hotel is upstairs!"
With that, Xu Que walked away, leaving the group of city guards and the guard captains in a daze.
Entertainment City? What is that?
"Eh, young master, why are you doing this?"
Suddenly, a middle-aged lady rushed out from the brothel chasing after Xu Que and shouted, "Young master, you haven't paid up!"
Xu Que stopped in his tracks and turned around with a shocked expression. "Is this for real? I didn't do anything and you're asking for money?"
"You didn't do anything? You chased away all the customers and called all the girls into your room. Surely you need to pay for that? Our rules are like that, once you call for the girls, you have to pay!" yelled the woman in her sharp tone. She placed her hands on her waist, completely ignoring all the city guards who were there.
Xu Que gave a vexed laugh. "Why should I pay when I did nothing to them?"
Then with a wave of his hand, he commanded, "men! Seal up this Yi Hong Brothel! The Imperial City is such a civilised place, how can such an unhealthy industry exist here? Seal it up and shut it down!"
The captains and all of the city guards were instantly bewildered!
Darn, why did His Majesty send such a shameless fellow to put the Imperial City in order?
Just a moment ago he was saying to build an Entertainment City but now, he wants to seal up Yi Hong Brothel. Not only that, but he even refused to pay up when he called for girls in the brothel! This is too brazen of him!
However, Xu Que had the imperial decree with him. All of them dared not defy the orders and really sealed up the brothel.
When the woman cried and beseeched Xu Que to let the brothel off, Xu Que had an unyielding attitude. He declared, "in a civilised city, places like this are a hive of filth and are not to be tolerated! I don't have a problem with you wanting to do business in the entertainment industry. But your girls should not have gone into prostitution! I am Xu Que of the Exploding Heavens Faction. My wish is for world peace. Fight me if you're not convinced!"
With that, he left the place in a righteous manner.
The commoners who were on the streets yelled and shouted in joy.
"Good! Go, seal it up!"
"This Yi Hong Brothel should have been sealed long ago."
"Previously, because they had the backing of someone influential, they imposed all kinds of charges. Just a meal alone would cost over a thousand taels of silver. It's totally a rip-off!"
"His Excellency is really wise!"
"This is great news. Now let's see where my godd*mned husband will go tonight!"
The commoners applauded the forced closure of the brothel and Xu Que's Acting Tough Points increased once again.
Subsequently, he really started introducing major changes to the Imperial City.
In just one night, he commanded all of the city guards to hang up a variety of horizontal banners that contained slogans with regards to civilization!
The next day, he even woke up early to teach the commoners in the city to sing the most popular songs about ethics, as well as the Chinese square dance.
Undoubtedly, this act helped the grannies and grampas in the Imperial City tremendously, as this gave them a newfound healthy hobby that could help them relax and enjoy life.
In just one day and one night, Xu Que became well-liked and respected by the commoners. They knew that the Emperor had sent the young man to reform the Imperial City!
This was really doing things to improve the lives of the people. No matter how successful it was or if it was even effective, everyone could at least feel that the royal family valued their people.
And thus, Xu Que became the star of the Imperial City who was loved by the people. He would be greeted by people wherever he went and most importantly, they were respectful of him!
However the city guards and captains following behind him wore gloomier faces as time passed.
One captain could not tolerate it further. He left quietly to inform the Emperor what had happened.
"Your Majesty, please do something about this. Young Hero Xu has been messing around in the city."
"Oh? How did he mess around? I've actually heard that the people are very happy these two days."
"Eh? The people are indeed happy but the way he does it, it's too peculiar!"
"How peculiar is it? I'm busy with the building of the teleportation device and do not know what happened in the city. Tell me, what did Young Hero Xu do?"
"He… he shut down Yi Hong Brothel on the first day. Then he got us to put up banners with civilised slogans everywhere. He said that they could help the people to have civilised thoughts!"
"Oh? Civilized slogans? This seems interesting. What did he write?"
"If thou spit at whim, thou art utterly devoid of conscience!"
"Uh? Spitting is certainly not good. Anymore?"
"Robbery brings temporary joy but thou whole family shall be burnt!"
"Be civilized or die!"
"If thou breaks open another's brain, those in jail will break open thine own!"
When the captain finished saying the slogans, the Metal Emperor's face was stiff.
There was a long pause before he asked with a hint of embarrassment, "these… these are all written by Young Hero Xu, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, don't you think this is messed up? There's even something more dreadful… he taught people to sing and dance! Just this morning, someone came to the Magistrate's office to file an official complaint that many middle-aged women, grannies and gramps are disturbing other residents."
"Sing and dance?"
"Yes, and it's extremely unpleasant to the ear. Your loyal subordinate will sing one part and Your Majesty will know why. One of the songs is like this!"
The captain touched and cleared his throat. "Hey girl, come and grab… come and grab, come and grab… come and grab some melon seeds, eh…"
Chapter 381: The Empress Dowager's Chamber!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On that day, the Metal Emperor almost suffered a nervous breakdown.
He had been very busy overseeing the building of the teleportation device, but he had still had a small hope that Xu Que would be able to create a miracle and give the Imperial City a makeover.
That young man had helped to implement changes, but everything was now a mess.
The people of the city were satisfied but his court officials constantly kept coming to him to complain that Xu Que was destroying the appearance of the beautiful Imperial City!
He had sent men to hang all kinds of horizontal banners with strange slogans on them. Xu Que also ordered the slogans to contain the words 'Exploding Heavens Faction' as well in order to boost its publicity.
The worst thing was, Xu Que had gone all over the city and taught all those funny songs to people. The songs had become so widespread that citizens ranging from 80-year-old ladies to little children who had just learnt how to walk were now all able to sing them.
When one took a walk down the streets, everywhere one went there would be people humming 'you are the most beautiful cloud on the horizon', 'you are my small ah, small apple', 'hey girl, come and grab, come and grab a handful of melon seeds, ah'!"
And some of the commoners had modified the lyrics in such a way that made the songs really strange.
For example, the songs had now become:
You are my small ah, small handful…
In any case, the Imperial City was filled with happy citizens but miserable eunuchs and officials!
On the third day, the Metal Emperor quickly sent men to get Xu Que to come to the Palace.
The reason was that the teleportation device would be ready very soon and Xu Que needed to hurriedly make preparations by going to the Palace.
Of course Xu Que was relaxed. When he received the news after waking up in the inn, he put on the Act Tough King basic suit, with the three shiny words 'Exploding Heavens Faction' on the front. He also donned a pair of sunglasses before going out.
Along the way, the people in the streets were very friendly and warm towards him. He was very popular.
Xu Que's Acting Tough Points were rising again, especially over the last two days. He had already earned several thousand Acting Tough Points and had gotten back what he had spent, as well as a lot of surplus points.
Now, looking at his System's personal interface, the Acting Tough Points had nearly exceeded 30,000!
Xu Que was delighted whilst he continued on his way to the Palace. He even hummed a song with enthusiasm:
"Hey girl, come and grab, come and grab, come and grab some melon seeds ah…"
Instantly, a commoner on the street continued the song:
"Hey boy, show that black fur, that black fur, those black furry pants, ah…"
The scene was bustling with activity and more people started to join in, singing louder and louder.
And so, Xu Que nodded in satisfaction as he heard the loud singing from the people. He happily strode along and entered the Palace!
...
The moment he entered the Palace, a eunuch immediately came to greet him. The eunuch had a subservient and eager-to-please attitude. "Young Hero Xu, Your Majesty has sent me to lead the way for you. Come, this way please!"
Xu Que nodded and followed.
But soon, he felt something amiss. He seemed to be going deeper into the Palace. It did not seem that the teleportation device would be built so deep inside its walls!
"Eh? Isn't this the way to the Empress Dowager's chamber?" exclaimed Xu Que, seeming to recall something.
"Young hero Xu, please forgive me," implored the eunuch, who shuddered in fright. "This old servant has lied earlier. Actually the… the Empress Dowager, Her Majesty, wants to see you!"
Xu Que gasped.
"Her Majesty wants to see me? Why?" said a perplexed Xu Que. "I'm handsome but Her Majesty, being an elderly figure, can't just do this. This is broad daylight, it's embarrassing!"
"Ah?"
The eunuch was confused for a moment. "Young Hero Xu, please don't misunderstand," said the eunuch, waving his hands. "Her Majesty just wants to invite you over for a chat. She doesn't have any other intentions and she won't hold you up for long."
"So it's just some chitchat? Then forget it. Relay my message to Her Majesty that I'm not going to see her!" said Xu Que, who turned and walked away.
The eunuch was flustered and he hurriedly stopped Xu Que in his tracks.
"Young Hero Xu, don't be in such a rush!" said the eunuch, smiling somewhat bitterly. "Her Majesty did tell me that she knows that you're going to the Water Nation. And she has something to discuss with you!"
"Something related to the Water Nation?" Xu Que looked startled.
The eunuch replied with a nod. "Yes, it is something related to the Imperial Tombs of the Water Nation!"
Xu Que frowned slightly when he heard that:
Something related to the Imperial Tombs of the Water Nation? I have to make this trip then.
But this Empress Dowager… there might be something that she wants. This looks like a major deal to me!
Xu Que curled up his lips into a smile. "Fine, let's go, to Her Majesty's chamber. I happen to have a big secret with regards to the Second Prince that I wanted to share with her as well!"
"Alright, Young Hero Xu, this way please!"
The eunuch responded with a face full of joy and continued to lead the way.
Soon, both of them arrived at the main entrance of the Empress Dowager's chamber.
At that time the doors were shut tightly and Xu Que could not sense anyone inside the chamber. Clearly, the Empress Dowager was not inside.
Xu Que was instantly unhappy about this. Is this a f*cking no-show? he cursed inside his head.
The eunuch also realized that the Empress Dowager was not around. He explained, "Young Hero Xu, please wait for a moment. Her Majesty had ordered this old servant to wait for you at the Palace gates since early morning. She does not know that you have arrived!"
"What shall I do then? I'm in a hurry, the plane is going to… bleh, the teleportation device is going to start soon."
"Her Majesty should be inside the library, reciting scriptures," smiled the old eunuch apologetically. "This old servant will go inform her right now. Young Hero Xu, please pardon me while this old servant quickly goes. I will be back soon!"
As the saying went, 'do not slap a smiling face'. Xu Que did not make things difficult for the old eunuch and let him leave to inform the Empress Dowager.
After all, he was so curious as to what she wanted to say!
But after waiting for a while, the eunuch still had not come back. Xu Que started to take a closer look at the courtyard of the Empress Dowager.
Apparently, there was nothing interesting in the courtyard.
But the bedroom of the Empress Dowager would likely be interesting!
Thinking back, he remembered that even the Second Prince had a secret treasure vault that contained many treasures. Maybe the Empress Dowager had some good stuff too!
With that, Xu Que reached for the knob of bedroom door.
Creak!
He opened the door lightly. Before he entered, he detected a faint scent in the air.
"Eh, there's actually some floral fragrance here!"
Xu Que raised an eyebrow, went in and surveyed everything in the room.
The furnishings inside the room were simple, mainly furniture made of sandalwood which exuded a light, refreshing scent.
However, the floral fragrance was not from this furniture.
Xu Que felt an urge to search for the source of the floral fragrance.
Maybe Her Majesty has hidden a secret garden somewhere, like some indoor planting?
He started to wander about the room and time to time, he would touch the furniture or items to see if there were any secret doors or anything of the sort.
Before long, he found himself standing in front of a neatly arranged bed!
This was because the faint floral scent came from this very bed!
To be precise, there were some small, colourful and neatly arranged pieces of cloth on the bed. And they were actually the undergarments that women wore during ancient times!
Xu Que was a well-informed person but undergarments that could emit floral scent were really rare.
"Hmm!"
He pondered for a short while before picking an undergarment up.
Sure enough, the material for making the undergarment was silk threads that he had never seen before. Besides the faint floral scent, they also had a soft gleam!
The fabric felt smooth to the touch, so soft and smooth that it felt like it could seep through the fingers like warm water.
Wait… why is this warm?
Has this just been taken off?
Xu Que raised his eyebrow again in thought.
When facing new things, people tend to look, touch and even smell them, even if it's only instinctive!
Therefore, now that Xu Que had seen and touched the undergarments, and was pondering the reason why they were slightly warm, he instinctively held the undergarment over to his nose and took a sniff.
The faint scent of the flowers was indeed more concentrated in the undergarment.
However, at that moment, Xu Que felt a chill run down his back.
In no time, an icy, cold voice was heard from behind him as well.
"What are you doing?"
"Eh?"
Xu Que was taken aback and hurriedly turned around. He had not even known that a beautiful woman had appeared and was standing at the entrance of the room. The woman had a nice figure and wore a veil over her face.
A faint floral scent wafted from the woman's body as well. Xu Que could detect that the floral scent was exactly the same as the one coming from the undergarment!
She also exuded a mature and charming aura!
Obviously, this had to be the beautiful Empress Dowager!
However, she was glaring at Xu Que coldly. Her gaze fell on the undergarment that Xu Que was holding and she looked furious.
Xu Que put down the undergarment calmly. "I know you might not believe me!" said Xu Que seriously. "But I only wanted to smell it to see what brand of washing powder you're using!"
Chapter 382: Deep Waters Of The Royalty
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The air inside the whole bedroom seemed to have frozen.
The Empress Dowager stared at Xu Que coldly but with a righteous aura. He stood upright and looked at her with a clear conscience.
Perhaps she thought that there was nothing that she could do to Xu Que, so she could only let the matter rest by entering her bedroom and sitting down on a chair.
She also poured herself a cup of warm tea and said indifferently, "Young Hero Xu, I've invited you over because I have an important matter to discuss with you!"
"Your Majesty is too polite, please go ahead to say it," said Xu Que in a gentlemanly manner, sitting right down on a chair opposite her.
The Empress Dowager pushed the cup of warm tea over to Xu Que. In a nonchalant tone, she said, "if I am guessing correctly, Young Hero Xu wanted to go to the Water Nation because of the Genesis Water Herb, correct?"
"Ah, you're so clever. You actually guessed it!" Xu Que blinked and smiled. He didn't bother about the cup of warm tea and pretended that he had not noticed it.
After all, he was all by himself—one should not simply eat or drink things offered by strangers! Who knew if the Empress Dowager had done something to the drink?
What if she covets this Act Tough King's body and has drugged the drink? thought Xu Que.
The Empress Dowager could sense Xu Que's worry about the cup of tea but she remained silent about it. In her usual indifferent tone, she continued, "Young Hero Xu may not know that the Dragon Veins in the Water Nation are very special, for they are sealed in ice. If you break it forcefully, the spiritual herb may dissipate. I happen to have a treasure called Godly Ice Permeable Shuttle that can help you pick the spiritual herb with ease!"
"Oh? There exists such a thing?" Xu Que smiled faintly and appeared unaffected by the piece of news.
So what if the Water Nation's Dragon Veins are sealed in ice?
This Act Tough King has a System. Do you think ice can daunt me? System has the ability to directly extract the Genesis Water Herb. Why should I need to use your Godly Ice Permeable Shuttle?
The Empress Dowager was quite taken aback by Xu Que's apathetic attitude.
"Young Hero Xu, what I've said is really true," said the Empress Dowager earnestly. She thought that Xu Que did not believe her. "The Genesis Water Herb residing in the Dragon Veins of the Water Nation is really special. Only the Godly Ice Permeable Shuttle can help you get the herb."
Xu Que shook his head. "Your Majesty, I don't agree with you. As the saying goes, the world is full of wonders—ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough. The Exploding Heavens Faction has at least a hundred ways of extracting the Genesis Water Herb!"
The Empress Dowager was dumbfounded by Xu Que's claims.
Originally, she had wanted to use the Godly Ice Permeable Shuttle as her bargaining chip to negotiate with Xu Que!
However, Xu Que was not at all impressed by the Godly Ice Permeable Shuttle. He even claimed to have a hundred ways of obtaining the spiritual herb. This had totally upset the Empress Dowager's plans!
If such a situation had happened on Earth, the Empress Dowager would certainly make this remark: you boast so well that you scatter all my thoughts!
...
After a brief moment of silence, the Empress Dowager nodded her head slightly. "Seems like I've underestimated Young Hero Xu's capability. If Young Hero Xu does not think that this rare shuttle can help you, then I won't waste Young Hero Xu's time any longer. Speaking honestly, I know that there is a type of pill that can be found in the Imperial Tombs of the Water Nation. I would like to ask young hero Xu to help me remove it, since you're going there anyway!"
"Oh? What kind of pill is it?" Xu Que's curiosity was piqued.
The Empress Dowager replied solemnly, "Eight-Star Ice Jade Pill!"
An eight-star pill?!
Xu Que was taken aback by her reply. What kind of country is the Water Nation to actually have eight-star pills? he thought.
Within the five nations, even six-star pills were rarely seen. And now he had been told that the Imperial Tombs of the Water Nation actually contained eight-star pills. If this news were to get out, many cultivators from all over the world would be flocking to Water Nation's Imperial Tombs to become tomb raiders!
"From what I know, the Water Nation's Imperial Tombs contain three Ice Jade Pills," the Empress Dowager said softly. "These pills are priceless and only have an effect on female cultivators. I would like young hero Xu to bring back one pill to me. Please feel free to state your conditions!"
Xu Que was left speechless.
What kind of effect does this Ice Jade Pill has that could make the Empress Dowager say 'please feel free to state your conditions'?
Tsk, this is too embarrassing! This Act Tough King is not that kind of person!
"Your Majesty, what kind of effect will the Ice Jade Pill have on female cultivators?" asked a curious Xu Que.
The Empress Dowager's eyes shifted slightly away. She replied indifferently, "Young Hero Xu should be able to tell that I have been caught in a kind of… bottleneck for many years. This pill contains an immense amount of essence of dao and spiritual Qi that can help me break through this bottleneck in life."
"I see!" Xu Que nodded his head.
However, he was sneering inside his head.
He didn't believe what the Empress Dowager had said. An Eight-Star Ice Jade Pill to help her break through her bottleneck? Well, there wasn't any problem with that claim!
But, simply for the sake of breaking through her bottleneck in life, a well-respected figure like the Empress Dowager was actually asking Xu Que to state his conditions freely. Xu Que smelt a rat!
Instantly, Xu Que called out System and inquired, "System, what use is this Ice Jade Pill?"
Ding! "This Ice Jade Pill is high-grade medicine that purifies and rejuvenates bone marrow. Only a female virgin cultivator at the stage of Infant Transformation can consume the pill. After taking the pill, their innate talent and spiritual roots will be greatly enhanced so that chances of evolution will be higher!" explained the System inside Xu Que's head.
Xu Que was confused in that moment!
What?
This pill only works for female virgin cultivators?
The Empress Dowager even had grandchildren. Why would she need that pill? Could it be that the pill was meant for the Seventh Princess?
But the Seventh Princess was only at Level Three of the Original Infant Stage. To consume that pill, one had to be in the Infant Transformation Stage. In any case, the Empress Dowager really seemed to want the pill for herself.
Xu Que was filled with doubt. Thinking back to when the Empress Dowager had been explaining the use and purpose of the pill, she had been avoiding eye contact. Xu Que knew then that this matter was not as simple as it seemed!
The waters of the Royal Family are indeed deep!
If the Empress Dowager is a virgin, how many people will be scared to death?
Xu Que's eyes narrowed slightly at that thought as he took a look at the woman who was wearing a veil before him. He smiled lightly at her.
"What do you say, Young Hero Xu? Why are you smiling at me? Is there anything on my face?" asked the Empress Dowager with a slight frown.
Xu Que smiled and replied, "everyone has a love for beauty. The Empress Dowager is as beautiful as a fairy, I'm purely appreciating your beauty."
"Young Hero Xu, please show some respect!" The Empress Dowager gave an icy glare and her brows knitted closer together than before.
"Alright, I'll cut to the point now. There's no problem in getting the Ice Jade Pill! But…" Xu Que paused and looked serious. "The focus here is the 'but'! Why should I bring back the pill to you? You said that I can state anything I want, but I don't need anything. This deal is meaningless to me!"
The Empress Dowager was confounded. "Young Hero Xu," she quickly said in a persuasive voice. "I have numerous treasures and magical weapons. I can give them to you if you like. I can even… I see that you're rather close with the Seventh Princess. If you really like her, I can help with that!"
"Ah? You are giving me the princess?"
Xu Que was stunned and without much thought he blurted, "so… can you be given to me?"
Chapter 383: I'll Wait For You
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xu Que really had not expected the Empress Dowager to be so generous. For only one Ice Jade Pill, she would give the Seventh Princess away just like that.
At that time, Xu Que was wondering if the Seventh Princess was really the granddaughter of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager chose to ignore Xu Que's question, 'can you be given to me'. Although her cold aura of killing intent betrayed her feelings, she still pretended that she had not heard anything and continued to negotiate with Xu Que.
"Young Hero Xu, I believe that the Seventh Princess does like you. If you can bring back the Ice Jade Pill, I will arrange a marriage between the both of you. Furthermore, I've collected many rare herbs and medicines as well as magical weapons. Some of them are very suitable for tiding over the heavenly trials, as well as Six-Star Spiritual Pills that can help you cross over to the Infant Transformation Stage!"
The Empress Dowager smiled. "Of course, with Young Hero Xu's strength," she continued, offering all kinds of favorable terms that she could think of. "Even without the help of the spiritual pills, reaching the stage of Infant Transformation is simply a matter of time. But if you become the Prince Consort of the Metal Nation, you might be able to become the heir to the royal throne as well!"
From the Seventh Princess, to magical weapons and spiritual pills, and now, she had even given a subtle hint that she could assist Xu Que to become the future Metal Emperor, if he wanted to.
All these terms were based on a single condition, the Ice Jade Pill. It simply meant that the Empress Dowager attached great importance to it. It was as if that rare pill was more important to her than anything.
Xu Que was someone who could talk very well. When the Empress Dowager had ignored his question, he had also pretended that nothing had happened, sitting at his seat and wearing a faint smile, staying silent.
However that faint smile of his was no different from a cheapskate's smile in the Empress Dowager's eyes. In the end, she asked solemnly as her patience ran out, "so, what are your thoughts, Young Hero Xu?"
Xu Que gave a chuckle; his gaze fell on the scenery outside. "Aiya, we have had such a happy chat but it's getting late now. I still need to rush over to the teleportation device. Goodbye!"
He got up abruptly and strode out the door.
The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment as she had not expected Xu Que to leave just like that.
She immediately gave a shout when she realised that Xu Que had really walked out without any hesitation. "Wait!"
"Don't bother!" answered Xu Que without turning his head, and he continued to walk.
He had never even considered agreeing to the deal. Although obtaining the Ice Jade Pill was not something difficult to do, the thought of bringing the rare pill back was troublesome.
Moreover, he did not like this Empress Dowager at all. Somehow, he could feel an air of aggressiveness and sense of superiority coming from the Empress Dowager. That made him very uncomfortable.
However, as soon as he stepped over the threshold, the Empress Dowager spoke again.
"I can agree to your condition."
"Ah?"
Xu Que was frozen on the spot.
Although the Empress Dowager's voice was rather subdued when she said that, Xu Que could hear the implication very clearly and he was stunned.
Agree to my condition?
What condition did I state?
F*ck, could she be referring to that 'can you be given to me' matter? This… this is too much for me!
"You… you're serious?" asked Xu Que who could not believe his ears and had turned around to face the Empress Dowager.
She stared hard at Xu Que and was gritting her teeth. Her lips even quivered a little. "I mean what I say," said the Empress Dowager coldly. "If you bring me the Ice Jade Pill, I can agree to the condition you stated earlier!"
Xu Que was at a loss. He did not know what to say.
Don't, I was just fooling around earlier for some fun. Why did you take it so seriously?
It's not fun now!
Xu Que felt funny but at the same time annoyed inside his heart.
He was also puzzled by the fact that the Empress Dowager seemed bent on getting the Ice Jade Pill?
Could it be that she was really a virgin and wanted to change her fate by evolving her spiritual roots?
But this thought was really absurd. If she was really a virgin, how had she become the Empress Dowager?
With a mind filled with doubts, he asked without a second thought, "I know the effects and uses of the Ice Jade Pill very clearly. What are you using it for?"
There was a sharp contraction of the pupils in the Empress Dowager's eyes. She seemed very surprised that Xu Que knew the uses and effects of the Ice Jade Pill.
However, in no time she regained her composure. "This has nothing to do with you," she said coldly. "You only need to bring the Ice Jade Pill back and I shall grant you your wish!"
"Hoho!" Xu Que gave a fake smile. Then he answered ambiguously, "I see!"
After that, he walked away quickly.
"Young Hero Xu, I'll be waiting for you!"
He heard the Empress Dowager's voice again after he took a few steps.
Xu Que's lips twitched but he did not stop. He went straight towards the center of the Palace.
The Empress Dowager stood in her chamber, watching Xu Que far away till he disappeared from view, and her eyes gradually turned cold and sharp.
"Shameless scum," she muttered under her breath. "If I didn't need to rely on you to enter the Imperial Tombs of the Water Nation, I would have killed you. Who are you to lust after my body?"
Boom!
With a wave of her hand, the doors of her chamber abruptly closed and were now tightly shut!
However, what she did not know was that Xu Que had never thought of coming back.
This guy often never meant what he said. Earlier on, he had replied using the words 'I see'. He had not promised that he would bring back the Ice Jade Pill.
...
After Xu Que was quite a distance from the Empress Dowager's chamber, he suddenly turned around.
Thinking back to the Empress Dowager's last sentence, 'I'll be waiting for you', his lips curled up with disdain.
Are you kidding me? Waiting for me?
Why are you waiting for me? This Act Tough King has the important task of acting tough as well as reviving Xiao Rou. I don't have the time and nor do I want to make the effort to come back here and give you the Ice Jade Pill!
What an arrogant Empress Dowager! Why would I want you?
Ice Jade Pill right? When I find them, I'll go back to Fire Country and give one to beautiful Sect Leader Su, then one for the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Su Ling'er, and one for Madam Ya. That leaves none for you, the Empress Dowager!
Oh yes, and one for the Water Empress!
Oh no, only three Ice Jade Pills. There's not enough to go around…
Xu Que instantly realised a dilemma. He furrowed his eyebrows and pondered over who he should give the Ice Jade Pills to. Unknowingly, he had reached the front hall of the Palace.
A eunuch saw him and scurried over anxiously. "Aiya, Young Hero Xu, I have finally found you now. The teleportation device is complete. His Majesty has sent me to lead the way."
"So this time it's really His Majesty who sent you right?" remarked a suspicious Xu Que who puckered an eyebrow.
The eunuch was baffled for a moment. "Young Hero Xu, what do you mean?"
"It's nothing, hurry and lead the way!" said Xu Que who waved his hands dismissively.
"Alright, Young Hero Xu, please follow this old servant," the eunuch hurriedly responded. "His Majesty and your pet have been waiting for a long while now." The eunuch led the way attentively as they swiftly made their way to the teleportation device.
When Xu Que heard the words 'pet', he was slightly startled. "Buttface is there too?"
"Yes, your pet has been here these two days and has refused to leave the Imperial Kitchen," nodded the eunuch. "When he heard that you are going to take the teleportation device today to teleport to the Water Nation, he finally left the Imperial Kitchen and wanted to leave with you."
Xu Que's lips gave an uncontrollable twitch.
He thought Buttface had a lot of backbone as he had disappeared when they had returned from the Imperial Tombs. Never had he thought that Buttface had just been stealing food in the Imperial Kitchen.
It was a no-brainer that Buttface had definitely borrowed his heroic, prestigious name to get nice food and drink!
...
In no time, the eunuch had led Xu Que to the place where the teleportation device had been built.
A huge, ancient-looking teleportation device appeared before him.
The entire teleportation device had been built using spirit stones which were engraved with runes. Moreover, the spirit stones had been inlaid with metal to supply an immense amount of metal spiritual Qi.
There were several figures standing beside the huge teleportation device. They were the Metal Emperor, the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess.
And of course, Buttface was there too!
In just two days, that cheapskate dog had actually gained weight. Now, he was lying lazily atop the teleportation device, sunbathing.
"Young Master Xu, you're here!"
"Young Hero Xu!"
The Seventh Princess and the Third Prince greeted Xu Que with warm smiles when they saw him.
Xu Que clasped his hands in salutation and exchanged a few words with them as courtesy.
As for the Metal Emperor, when he saw Xu Que and the Seventh Princess talking cheerfully and humorously with each other, his facial expression seemed concerned, as though he was worried that his daughter might get abducted.
"Little Seven," interrupted the Emperor. "Young Hero Xu has urgent matters to attend to. Do not waste Young Hero Xu's time!"
"Oh…"
The Seventh Princess stopped chatting in slight embarrassment. She bade farewell to Xu Que. "Young Master Xu, farewell!"
"Well, I should be on my way too! Everyone, farewell!"
Xu Que clasped his hands again to bid goodbye as he did not want to waste too much time as well. He stepped inside the teleportation device and stepped on Buttface's belly.
"Owwww…"
Buttface howled when he was awakened by the pain.
"Start the teleportation device!"
At this time, the Metal Emperor ordered his men to start the device. Clearly, he wanted to send Xu Que, the big disaster, away as soon as possible.
Booomm!
With a loud sound, the entire teleportation device glowed with white, bright light.
Under the sad gazes of the Seventh Princess and the Third Prince, the teleportation device started to rotate rapidly and the spiritual Qi started to intertwine. Xu Que and Buttface's silhouettes gradually faded away!
Chapter 384: Boy, Help!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Building an inter-country teleportation device required much more time than a normal teleportation device.
In addition, as this teleportation device had been built in a hurry, it was consuming quite a lot of the best-grade spirit stones.,, but its speed could not yet compare to the engraved teleportation spell runes that Xu Que had used back in the Fire Nation!
During the teleportation, both Xu Que and Buttface were buffeted by violent, strong winds. Their vision was blurred and they somewhat felt as if they were seeing scenes in reverse, as though they had entered a time travel portal instead.
"F*ck, is this really a proper teleportation device?" cursed Buttface, who had both fore limbs covering his head.
Xu Que shook his head. This teleportation device was indeed hastily made.
Nonetheless he also knew that this was already considered a magnificent teleportation device within the five nations. After all, to be able to teleport to another nation requires an immense number of spirit stones. The Metal Emperor had been very generous in this aspect.
"If this deity's actual prowess were not sealed, I would create a giant teleportation device that would let us arrive in the Water Nation in the bat of an eyelid!" boasted Buttface loudly.
Xu Que gave him a glance of contempt and sneered, "if I engraved the rune words for the teleportation device myself, I would be able to arrive in Water Nation instantly as well!"
What Xu Que had claimed was the truth. When he had been inside the Imperial Tombs of the Fire Nation, he had copied the rune engravings through the System. However, if he were to have engraved the rune words himself, he would have needed at least four to five days to complete it. He would rather go for something much faster.
However, Buttface did not believe his words at all. He scorned him with a snort. "This deity only needs to wave my paw and we'd arrive in the Water Nation!"
With that, Buttface even pretended to wave his paw as demonstration!
Xu Que immediately mocked him. "Damn it, you…"
Booommm!
Before Xu Que could finish cursing, a thunderous sound was heard from the teleportation device! Xu Que and Buttface were startled and before they had time to respond, both of them were abruptly thrown into the air.
The spirit stones on the teleportation device had unexpectedly burst. Large pieces of spirit stone had started to give way and crumble, turning into powder that dissipated in the wind.
Xu Que's eyes stared in disbelief; his body was now being wildly pulled by the wild, tearing force of the void, away from the teleportation device. He had nothing to hold on to.
Damn, it's a f*cking piece-of-sh*t project!
"Owww…"
Buttface howled, his eyes wide-open in shock as he floated past Xu Que in mid-air!
The breaking down of the teleportation device during teleportation was highly dangerous. They could be torn to shreds at any minute. They might even fall into a mysterious, unknown land.
No matter how hard Xu Que tried, he was unable to shake off the pull of the void.
Subconsciously, he tried to call System but the vast, surrounding energy of the void enveloped him and Buttface. Both of them were thrown out of the indistinct space!
Bang!
A loud crash sounded. Xu Que felt the wind howling past his ears as well as Buttface's piteous cries.
With a swish, Xu Que saw his surroundings suddenly regain their original brightness. A stretch of deserted mountains appeared underneath him. His body was still in free fall.
Gradually everything had calmed down!
Xu Que took a deep breath and executed Three Thousand Volts Lightning. Lightning appeared beneath his legs and he instantly gained control of the speed of his descent, taking him flying rapidly towards a tall mountain not too far away.
Shoosh!
He landed on the ground steadily, followed by a muffled bang from Buttface as he fell onto the ground, splashing into a mud puddle.
"Owww… oww, oww, oww, ouch!" Buttface lifted his head and screamed miserably. But, he had not been hurt at all.
The moment Xu Que saw him, he became enraged. Just now before the teleportation device went haywire, Buttface had been demonstrating how he could wave his paw and arrive in Water Nation instantly by doing so.
But in the end, the moment right after he waved, the teleportation device had started to break down.
Xu Que became more infuriated as he thought about it. He dashed towards Buttface, pinned his head firmly in the mud puddle and gave him a slap on his head.
"F*ck, why did you have to wave your paw? Why did you wave your paw!"
"Owww, what has this f*cking got to do with this deity?"
"You wave that paw again… oh, just try wave it again!"
"Owww, it's really none of my business! It's the teleportation device! It's too trashy…"
Piak! Piak! Piak!
"Ahhh! Oww, oww, ouch…"
The whole mountain was filled with Buttface's tragic cries as they echoed around the area…
A moment later, Xu Que stopped his actions.
He stood at the top of the mountain and surveyed the area with a gloomy face.
The surrounding area was uninhabited and filled only with remote mountains. In fact, everything around them, even the land stretching faraway towards the horizon, was covered in endless mountainous areas…
The air had a faint hum of spiritual Qi of the metal element. Apparently, both of them were still in the Metal Nation, at the borders. They had not completely left the Metal Nation!
"Hurry up, get up and lead the way. Darn, in this remote place, it's impossible for me to even barbecue some chicken wings to eat!" Xu Que kicked Buttface forcefully, wanting him to hurry up.
Swish!
Buttface had rolled away agilely from Xu Que's kick, and got up with an aggrieved expression. He snapped, "boy, the breakdown of the teleportation device has nothing to do with me at all. Why did you hit me?"
"I'm in a bad mood. Why can't I hit you to vent my anger?" Xu Que said seriously in a deep voice.
As a matter of fact, what had happened to them earlier was an accident that could not have been caused by Buttface. They had simply been unlucky.
"If you want to vent your anger, you can hit the trees. Why did you hit me?" said a bitter Buttface.
Xu Que gave a glance at him and said curtly, "you're tough enough!"
"F*ck!" Buttface instantly cursed, wanting to go up to Xu Que and battle it out with him.
But he seemed to have thought of the dog collar on his neck, and quickly dismissed that thought.
"All right, quickly lead the way. The Empress of the Water Nation is still waiting for me!" said Xu Que.
Buttface stared at Xu Que. "Why does this deity has to lead the way?"
"Is it not the dog's responsibility to lead the way?"
"Boy, you're pushing things too far… you're a big wolf bully!"
"So what if I bully you? Are you not happy? Fight me…"
"This deity will choose to submit!"
Xu Que gave Buttface a disdainful look and decided to remain silent. He quickly obtained a compass and started to ascertain the directions.
The Water Nation was south of the Metal Nation. This was general knowledge, so figuring that out was not a difficult task.
But the problem was, Xu Que did not know how far away the Water Nation was from his current location. He hesitated… perhaps he should just fly there or engrave rune words to make a small teleportation spell.
"Buttface, I'll give you a mission. Go grab a local to find out more information!" This time, Xu Que gave a light kick to Buttface who was lying beside him.
Buttface replied listlessly, "forget it, this is such a remote place, how could there be human here! We should take things as they come, rest for a few days, get in shape then go on our journey. If I can have some stinky tofu, that would be even more wonderful!"
"I think you need some strangling instead!" Xu Que narrowed his eyes and acted as if he would chant the spell anytime.
"No, no, no, I'll go now."
Buttface jumped in fright and with a swish, he dashed into the forest of the mountain.
Xu Que touched his chin, and pondered as he looked up at the sky.
He was suspicious of the fact that the teleportation device had failed halfway.
According to reason, the Metal Emperor and the others could not have been the ones to do such a thing, as they didn't have the guts. There was no hatred or enmity between them.
"Owww…"
Suddenly, a miserable cry from Buttface was heard from within the forest.
"Boy, help! There's demons here…"
Chapter 385: A Group Of Black Monkeys
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Demons?
When Xu Que heard this word, he was startled.
Could it be Su Ling'er and her tribesmen?
"Ahhhhhhhh… Boy, save me quick! Damn, don't come near me. Ah, don't force this deity to attack you! Oww… don't chase me if you have guts!"
Buttface's howling could be heard continuously.
Xu Que raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "With such a cowardly pet by my side, everything is so f*cking embarrassing!"
He strode towards the forest.
But soon, Xu Que was shocked.
Inside the forest, countless black shadows were visible darting through the forest. He could not see their appearances clearly.
And Buttface was being pursued and attacked by the numerous black shadows. He was yelling at the top of his voice as he ran and jumped wildly about.
Boom!
Suddenly, a muffled sound was heard as a black shadow knocked into Buttface's back. The black shadow fell onto the ground as Buttface was still howling and running away as if nothing had happened.
Xu Que was speechless at the sight and he looked at the black shadow on the ground. His eyes immediately became big and wide.
A black monkey was lying on the ground!
The monkey was around the size of an adult human. It was skinny and had black, shiny fur. It even wore a weed woven skirt similar to those of prehistoric apes, who were evolving into humans and using them to cover their modesty.
Apparently, this black monkey had been the one to attack Buttface. But the moment it knocked into Buttface, it had fainted immediately.
Buttface was such a cheapskate and so were his body and bones... till now he had not yet come across anyone who could hurt him.
Xu Que recalled the scene that had taken place several days ago, when an Original Infant stage cultivator had tried to attack Buttface.
But when the Original Infant stage cultivator hit Buttface, he was the one who had ended up suffering a bone fracture.
However, although the black monkey had knocked into Buttface so strongly, he only seemed to have fainted. Xu Que could make out that the body of the monkey was rather tough as well.
"Oww, boy, you're finally here. Quick, release the Sword Spirit and destroy them! These demons are crazy!" shouted Buttface when he saw Xu Que and ran towards him wildly as if he had seen a lifesaver.
"Are you crazy? These are monkeys, not demons!" Xu Que's lips twitched heavily.
"Are normal monkeys anything like them?" shouted Buttface as he ran. "These monkeys look like half-humans and half-demons. They speak human language too. Aren't they f*cking monkey demons?"
Xu Que rolled his eyes. "Don't you speak human language as well? Why don't you call yourself a demon?"
"This deity is not the same as them!"
"Yes, you're right, you're a dog demon!" nodded Xu Que.
Buttface looked exasperated but he dared not challenge Xu Que. He could only wear a gloomy expression and continue running.
Xu Que now looked carefully at the countless black shadows in the forest.
The black shadows that were chasing after Buttface were all black monkeys!
According to what Buttface had said earlier, these monkeys knew how to speak human language. That meant they were demon beasts with intelligence.
Xu Que was glad and took a step forward. He gathered Qi into his dantian and shouted, "everyone, stop!"
This shout contained his enormous Soul Strength and was heard throughout the entire forest!
The trees and flowers in the forest swayed. All the black shadows stopped abruptly in their tracks.
In an instant, numerous black monkeys appeared in the trees. Every one of them looked at Xu Que.
Xu Que took a step forward with his hands on his waist. He asked the monkeys with a mighty air, "what are all of you doing? Have you ever heard of the saying, 'it's up to the owner to discipline the dog'? Go get your monkey king!"
"Damn, this deity is not a dog!" shouted Buttface as he ran to Xu Que with a bitter face.
Nonetheless, nobody bothered with Buttface.
Xu Que scrutinised the black monkeys in the forest. Some monkeys were scratching their ears, some scratching their butts. They were also looking curiously at Xu Que with very naïve and adorable expressions.
In no time, Xu Que was perplexed. These were such adorable monkeys, why would they move in collectively and attack Buttface?
Immediately, he turned to the dog. "Buttface," asked Xu Que, "did you f*cking create some trouble? Did you do it with a female monkey?"
Buttface instantly glared at Xu Que. "Boy, don't spout nonsense. This deity values chastity. Why would this deity ever do such a superficial thing?"
Swoosh!
At this time, they heard a deep noise from within the forest. A tall and strong black monkey suddenly sprang out in front of them.
With a loud boom, it landed heavily in front of all the monkeys, as if it was the king of the monkeys. It had a strange aura.
Xu Que was surprised. He was actually unable to check the stage of cultivation of this Black Monkey King. Not only that, but the strange aura of this monkey king actually felt ancient and totally out of place in this world.
In fact, all these monkeys, not only this monkey king, had that peculiar, ancient aura around them.
Xu Que couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows.
At this time, the Black Monkey King's eyes glared at Buttface mercilessly. "You are bold enough to profane our sacred tree," growled the monkey king. "We must wash it with your blood today!"
Gasp!
Xu Que immediately took in a breath of cold air when he heard that. Instantaneously, he gave Buttface a tight slap!
Piak!
"Oww! Boy, what are you doing?" howled Buttface, who stared angrily at him.
"Are you f*cking crazy?" said Xu Que with a face full of shock. "I thought you did it with a female monkey. Never did I expect you to be so perverse! Tell me, did you do it with the sacred tree?"
"Ah?"
Buttface was terribly confused.
Do it with a tree?
The next moment, he suddenly realised what Xu Que was referring to and dashed over to Xu Que furiously. "F*ck," cursed Buttface, "this deity will fight it out with you!"
Xu Que was thrilled inside. He thought, now I have a chance to teach you a lesson.
"Lie on the ground!" he shouted and quickly chanted the collar-tightening spell.
"Owww!"
The dog collar around Buttface's neck contracted sharply, and Buttface fell to the ground and rolled around in pain.
"Ah! Boy, stop! This deity did wrong! Really wrong!" pleaded Buttface loudly.
A faint smile appeared on Xu Que's face and he stopped chanting the spell. "What did you do wrong?"
Buttface laid on the ground, he was gazing at the sky with a despondent face and took a few long breaths!
A short while later, Buttface stood up. "What did I do wrong?" asked Buttface, full of resentment. "This deity only peed under a tree earlier. Then this group of monkeys rushed in and claimed that it was a sacred tree. Isn't this injustice? They're obviously trying to blackmail me!"
"Darn, I just transformed the Imperial City into a civilised ancient city," said a vexed Xu Que. "And you pee and poo without qualms the moment we step out of the city. Yet you still have the cheek to call this an injustice?"
Buttface gave up immediately and turned his head away from him, pretending he had heard nothing.
The tall black monkey took a step forward. "Hmph, by trespassing upon our ancestral land, you already deserve death," declared the monkey coldly. "Now you even desecrated our sacred tree, don't think you can get away alive!"
"Wait, did you just claim that this is your ancestral land? asked Xu Que, staring at the monkey. "On what basis? Do you have proof? Do you have the title deed?"
The Black Monkey King was startled for an instant. "This has been the ancestral land of our tribe for countless years," replied the monkey king immediately. "We have lived here for generations and have guarded our ancestor. Why would we need proof?"
"You're wrong, this place is the border of the Metal Nation," grinned Xu Que. "And I'm the future heir of the throne of the Metal Nation. In short, your land also belongs to me!"
The Black Monkey King shook his head. "I don't care which country this is," said the indifferent monkey. "This place does not belong to you humans. If it were not for the recent unusual changes of heaven and earth that weakened the Five Elements Seal that is suppressing our ancestor, you wouldn't even have had the chance to see this place at all."
Chapter 386: Domestic Chaos In Water Nation
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xu Que was somewhat startled by that.
From what the Black Monkey King had said, this place had initially been intended to be in isolation...
"Eh? Five Elements Seal?" Buttface chimed in with a murmur. Then he suddenly had a change in expression and exclaimed, "The Five Elements Seal… isn't this the Five Elements Mountain stated in the ancient records? Has your ancestor been suppressed for five million years?"
When Xu Que heard that, he stood rooted to the ground.
The creature that is suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain is the ancestor of this group of black monkeys? So that creature's a monkey too?
Holy sh*t, could there really be such a coincidence?
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deafening, beast-like roar reverberated throughout the entire forest and mountain!
All the monkeys looked grim and the Black Monkey King furrowed his brows. The Black Monkey King shot a cold glance at Xu Que and Buttface.
"Hmph, the Elders of the clan are calling us back. Count yourselves lucky that we are letting you off now!"
Immediately after that, the Black Monkey King turned into a black shadow and with a flash, he was already far away into the distance! The rest of the monkeys followed suit. Countless numbers of black shadows dashed through the forest like spirits, following their Black Monkey King deep into the mountains.
"Wait up! Is your ancestor called Sun Wu Kong?" Xu Que shouted hurriedly. He was in shock but he still wanted to catch up and get an answer from them.
Boooommm!
At that instant, an unusually loud and muffled sound echoed about suddenly, as if thunder had clapped right beside their ears!
Xu Que's body froze for an instant and he felt like he had come into contact with an invisible force. He felt that he had knocked against some cotton-like barrier and his body rebounded abruptly.
The next moment, the scene before him suddenly blurred. It was as if ink had dripped onto a piece of white paper and was starting to spread and get all cloudy!
Swoosh!
A sound was heard and in the blink of an eye, the black shadows of the black monkeys, together with the forest and mountain before them, disappeared without a trace.
What was before them now, was a scene of another, unfamiliar slice of mountainous terrain!
"Woah…" Xu Que stared at the scene in disbelief.
What just happened really felt like a mirage…
But the monkeys just now had been real. They couldn't have been imaginary... yet they had vanished just like that!
"This deity now understands that the incidents and events recorded in the ancient book of records are true!" Buttface exclaimed. He looked aghast and walked over to Xu Que.
"What did the ancient book of records say? Tell me quick!" Xu Que asked Buttface as he hurriedly turned around.
He couldn't contain his curiosity and astonishment. Five million years ago, the Five Elements Mountain had suppressed the ancestor of a group of monkeys. Wasn't this what the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong, had experienced?
Previously Buttface had once mentioned that the Five Nations were actually acting as the Five Elements Mountain, and that a creature was suppressed beneath the Five Elements Mountain.
Back then, Xu Que had thought that maybe it was just a coincidence and had not felt particularly bothered.
However, the situation was different now. The black monkey had actually said that their ancestor was trapped under the mountain. This was too shocking for Xu Que.
"Back in earlier days, this deity read widely. When I read the tattered ancient book of records, it seemed the records were a load of bullsh*t. This deity has forgotten much of it. But there is something like this mentioned in there," said Buttface, swaying his head. "Apparently, when the Five Elements Mountain suppressed that creature, it also suppressed its ancestral land. That forest we were in earlier, maybe that's really their ancestral land."
Xu Que raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. Even the ancestral land was suppressed? The immortal who did that must be really powerful! he thought.
"Oh yes!" Buttface suddenly exclaimed and his eyes lit up in excitement. "This deity has recalled that their ancestral land has an interesting name... uh…Fresh Fruit Mountain! That's such a ridiculous claim though, as when this deity went inside, there wasn't any fruit at all!"
Pfftt!
Xu Que nearly coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Fresh Fruit Mountain?
What f*cking fresh fruit?!
Could this f*cking be the Flower Fruit Mountain?
Xu Que could not maintain a calm composure now. "Are you sure you don't mean the Flower Fruit Mountain?" he asked Buttface, looking intently at him.
Sun Wu Kong and Flower Fruit Mountain... these words meant a lot to the Chinese.
But to those in the Cultivation World, they were nothing special.
Buttface contemplated for a while then suddenly slapped his head. "No, it should be Bear Fruit Mountain!" said Buttface affirmatively.
Xu Que's mouth twitched. Bear your f*cking fruit! he cussed in his head!
He was certain that he could not rely on Buttface's impaired memory.
Basically, he could guess from what Buttface had seen in the ancient records that the Five Elements Mountain had likely suppressed a monkey, and the name of the ancestral land was likely Flower Fruit Mountain!
It was a pity that the group of black monkeys had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. No matter how curious he was, there was no way to find out more now.
"Let's leave it aside for now and hurry to the Water Nation first. Let's see if the Water Empress has an ancient book from five million years ago!"
Xu Que shook his head and decided that the most important task on hand was getting to the Water Nation fast.
He pulled out the compass and identified the correct direction to go to the Water Nation. Boom! In the next moment, he activated his black flaming wings.
Buttface immediately shouted in excitement. "666, boy, quick, teach this skill art to this deity, 666!!"
Xu Que picked Buttface right up by the collar and extended his wings, instantly soaring into the sky.
"Owww… Boy, let go! This deity doesn't like this pose!"
Both of them continued their journey by flying and Buttface kept shouting at the top of his voice.
Xu Que ignored his cries. His eyes were fixated on the landscape below.
He needed to first ascertain how far away the Water Nation was before deciding if he should engrave the rune words for a teleportation enchantment. After all, that would take him four to five days.
This situation was of utmost urgency; unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want to waste any more time.
Fortunately, after flying through a few mountains, Xu Que finally sensed faint plumes of water spiritual Qi in the air. That meant the Water Nation was near.
He was currently positioned on basically the boundary of the two nations!
Xu Que immediately sped on ahead, ignoring the amount of consumption of his True Core Strength with this decision. He was not worried as he could use the automatic replenishing function available in System. He had never run out of True Core Strength!
Soon enough, after flying for four hours, Xu Que's eyes suddenly narrowed into a thin line.
The distant scenery was very different. The never-ending mountainous regions were now covered in thick snow. Everything seemed white.
Between the mountains, Xu Que could make out an ancient city within!
"Eh? Boy, look! There's a city ahead! Ah, this deity is fatigued and needs to rest for several days before continuing the journey!"
Buttface spoke in a weak and feeble tone. He pretended to be worn out as if he was dying when he noticed the city ahead.
But in no time, Buttface's expression changed abruptly.
"Wait, that city is in the midst of a battle right now? D*mn, large numbers of troops are killing each other! Boy, don't go there. This deity now feels energized and refreshed. Let's continue our journey!"
...
"If you don't shut your mouth, I'll strangle you for 20 hours!"
Xu Que gave Buttface a warning glare. His flaming wings gave a flap and dashed towards the ancient city.
Outside the city, a war had broken out between two opposing sides. There were at least tens of thousands of people involved in the war, making it a magnificent battle scene.
But what surprised Xu Que was that the human cultivators were the ones battling each other. One side persevered in defending their city bravely while the other had a mighty amount of powerful troops. They were executing their skill arts and blasting them at the city in a frenzied manner, and it seemed that they had the upper hand!
Xu Que's eyes lit up in interest.
This was because the cultivators inside the city were all using water elemental skill arts, and a water dragon that had been conjured using water spiritual Qi was hovering around the city. This could mean that the city belonged to the Water Nation!
However, the troops that had besieged the city had armor made of ice, and their skill arts seemed to be blend with both water and ice as well. They were very powerful!
Xu Que started to wonder why there were so many cultivators using the ice element and how it had even given rise to a civil war. It seemed like the Water Empress's ability to govern the country could be rather lacking!
Shoosh!
He spread his wings and quickly flew towards the city.
...
Meanwhile, outside the city, there was a middle-aged man who was believed to be the general of the ice troops. He wore armor of ice and rode on an ice horse.
"Hai Tang, hurry up and open the city gates to surrender!" shouted the general, loud and clear. "What's left of the Water Nation is only this Snow City. The Water Empress can do nothing to salvage the situation now. Be obstinate no longer! Quick! Open the city gates and surrender! Pledge your allegiance to the Ice Queen and you'll keep your status and wealth!"
Xu Que was thunderstruck by what he heard!
The Water Empress can do nothing to salvage the situation now? What has happened?
The Water Empress has been dethroned? Who the hell is the Ice Queen?
F*ck, you dare to touch my Water Empress! You're asking to die!
Xu Que raised an eyebrow.
Shoosh!
In an instant, he turned into a dark shadow and charged towards the ancient city!
Chapter 387: The Young Man & His Dog At The Battlefield
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Boom!
With a burst of energy and pressure, Xu Que nosedived to the battlefield from the sky. His enormous, dark fire wings seemed to almost envelop the whole sky. Xu Que and his wings of blazing flames resembled a meteor falling from heaven.
"Slow down, boy," shouted Buttface. "This deity's hair is all messed up!"
Xu Que was carrying Buttface in his arms and Buttface was covering his head with his paws.
Soon, Xu Que and his dog attracted the attention of the cultivators on the battlefield. The troops outside the city looked up with confused and shocked expressions.
"Who are you? Tell us your name!" shouted the general of the Ice Troops.
"F*ck, all of you scums! Where did you hide my Hong Yan?"
Xu Que gave an angry roar. Covered with dark flames, he dashed into the battlefield!
With a loud bang, he landed heavily onto the ground. The snow on the ground splashed high up around him. Dozens of ice armored soldiers who had been standing close to his landing spot were sent flying for more than 10 meters.
In no time, the snowflakes that had been disturbed floated gently down.
Everyone was surprised by this initial display of prowess.
Who's this guy?
Looking for Hong Yan?
Hong Yan?
D*mn… isn't that the name of the Water Empress?
The people inside and outside the city were all startled.
"Where did this boy come from? What audacity! He has dared to invoke the name of the Water Empress!"
"He's using fire skill arts. He must be from Fire Country."
"The Water Empress has been trapped inside the Snow Mountain by the Ice Queen and will never be able to get out again. Anyone who was found to be related to the Water Empress has been killed. And this boy has actually dared to show up… is he asking to get killed?"
"To come all the way here from Fire Country just to get killed? How foolish of him!"
The Ice Troops jeered and sneered at Xu Que.
Over at the Snow City, the defending troops wore different expressions. They were frowning over Xu Que's words and talking amongst themselves. "Who is that man? How can he just address the Water Empress by her name so recklessly?"
"And since when did the Water Empress become his? What a shameless fellow!"
"Let's not bother about him. Even if we are to die here today, we must defend Snow City with all our might. We'll pledge allegiance to the Water Empress even in death!"
"Yes, everyone need not bother about the boy. Let's kill the rebel forces first!"
"Fight!"
The tens of thousands of troops continued to battle again after the momentary pause.
Xu Que was being ignored. However, as he had landed outside Snow City, he was instantly surrounded by Ice Troops. These rebel forces attacked Xu Que, executing their ice elemental skill arts.
Apparently, these people had labelled him as a member of the Water Empress's faction, and would not let him off!
The snowy weather had greatly increased the power of the ice elemental skill arts of the Ice Troops. Tens of thousands of ice elemental swords were conjured up in a moment, and came raining down on Xu Que.
"Hoho, this is easy!"
Xu Que's lips curled up in disdain.
Buttface was also sneering as well. "Trash!"
But in the next moment, Buttface's expression changed to one of fright.
Xu Que picked him up and threw him towards the massive rain of ice elemental swords.
"D*mn…boy, wait up! What are you doing?" shouted a frightened Buttface whose eyes were now wide open in fear.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Immediately, numerous ice elemental swords rammed into Buttface!
"Owww… ow, ow, ow, ouch!" Buttface screamed mournfully.
And as usual, there was no sign of any graze or wound, nor even a fallen hair, on Buttface's body.
That instantly made the attacking soldiers freeze on the spot.
Heavens, what kind of f*cking dog is that?
It took so many hits but it's totally unhurt...
"There's something wrong with this dog!"
"It's definitely not an ordinary dog!"
The soldiers surrounded Xu Que and Buttface, wearing grim expressions.
"D*mmit! I'm a wolf!" yelled an infuriated Buttface.
"Buttface, it's time to prove that you're a wolf," grinned Xu Que as he picked Buttface up one more time. "Hurry up, I'll leave these people over there to you. Just kill them, there is no need to be polite with me." With that, he threw Buttface at the soldiers!
Buttface was so scared that his tongue lolled out of his mouth. "Boy, you lied to this deity… owww… don't hit me, don't hit me!" howled Buttface. "This deity will surrender, alright? F*ck! Why are you still hitting me when I've already surrendered?"
In no time, Buttface's tragic cries were drowned out by the shouts of a group of soldiers.
However, the outcome was disastrous for the rebel forces. The soldiers were the ones suffering heavy casualties. Buttface was only screaming tragically, but had not suffered any actual injuries.
As for Xu Que, he activated his slaughtering mode against the rebel forces!
As these were the rebel forces, there was no pressure on him to take their lives.
He pulled out his heavy buster sword and executed the movement skill 'Three Thousand Volts Lightning' and the 'Six Corporeal Forms' to the best of his ability.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One by one, the soldiers exploded into mists of blood as they were hit by his heavy buster sword.
What was more appalling was his flaming dark wings that were around several dozen feet in length. Any soldier that came in contact with them was burnt to ashes, drowning in their screams!
The man and his dog had only arrived in the battlefield a little while ago but they had already caused the Ice Troops to suffer heavy casualties. The number of casualties was still increasing.
It was as if a virus had attacked and was spreading amongst the rebel forces, bringing some changes to the current situation.
"D*mn, where the hell did this man and his dog come from?" The general of the rebel forces gritted his teeth with obvious murderous intent. Clearly, he had noticed the prowess of Xu Que and his dog.
Although the general was a Level Two Infant Transformation Stage cultivator, he could sense that Xu Que and Buttface were not to be taken lightly.
"Troop Two and Troop Three, hear my orders! Quickly kill that boy and his dog!"
He quickly issued a command and deployed two large groups of troops to kill Xu Que.
This command indirectly eased the pressure on the defending troops over at Snow City.
The defending troops were aghast. But at the same time, they felt that the strength of Xu Que and his dog was incredible.
"That man and his dog are so strong! Such strength is simply amazing!"
"Thank goodness that they're not our enemy. Otherwise, the Snow City would have fallen in an instant!"
"The Water Empress has always been amiable and kind. Knowing a young and talented hero like this is a great fortune for our Water Nation!"
"A pity that despite her wisdom, Her Majesty was tricked by the Ice Queen and trapped at the peak of the Snow Mountains!"
"The only thing we can do now is defend the last city under Her Majesty's command till our last breath. We'll never let the Ice Queen and those foreigners occupy the Water Nation!"
"For the Water Nation!"
Many of the defending forces stared at the rebel forces with anger. Many managed to fight their way out of the city gates.
Overseeing the city walls was a general with a fair complexion and heroic aura, as well as a white-robed old man. They were looking at the battlefield.
The general had a slender figure with nice curves; she was the general of the Snow City. Her cultivation was at Level Two of the Infant Transformation Stage, which was the same as the general of the Ice Troops.
She wore a serious expression and her gaze was locked on Xu Que, who was fighting vigorously on the battlefield.
The white-robed old man did not have a high level of cultivation; he was only at Level Eight of the Original Infant Stage. But his eyes were deep and seemed to be filled with great intelligence. He was the strategist of the defending troops. He stood beside the female general, also looking at Xu Que intently.
"Hai Tang, this boy is extraordinary!" said the white-robed old man. "And the body of his pet is weird. It might be the legendary 'Impenetrable Body'!
The female general nodded. "The young man and his dog are indeed exceptional. The situation has changed because of them. But… the chances of winning this battle are still low."
"Alas, the rebel forces came well-prepared," sighed the old man heavily, shaking his head. "They are strong in strength as well as numbers. They had us fully surrounded. We are like a trapped beast. There's nothing I can come up with to counter the situation!"
...
Meanwhile, Xu Que held onto his heavy buster sword. He had killed several hundred rebel soldiers by now.
He had gained Experience Points as well as Acting Tough Points.
Nevertheless, the deaths of several hundred rebel soldiers were nothing compared to the tens of thousands of soldiers still remaining on the battlefield.
"I can't go on like this! Looks like it's time to use something good. Heheh, I can make use of this opportunity to level up to Level 10 of the Original Infant Stage!"
Another mist of blood burst as Xu Que took out another rebel soldier. He abruptly stopped. His lips curled up into a sneer.
Chapter 388: I'd Be A Fool If I Didn't Take Them!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the ice-covered battlefield, numerous human cultivators were fighting in battle. Large numbers of Ice Troops were stationed before the city gates!
Amongst them, two large contingents of the ice-armored cultivators suddenly stopped attacking the city. They retreated to the rear instead, rushing towards Xu Que and Buttface.
The general of the Ice Troops had now witnessed the extraordinary prowess of Xu Que and Buttface. But as he needed to oversee the progress of the battle, he did not want to retreat to the rear to deal with Xu Que.
Instead, he chose to mobilize two large contingents of cultivators to kill him!
With these two contingents going after Xu Que, the situation was similar to the saying, 'using a lion to fight a rabbit', which meant that he was using a lot of strength to perform a small feat.
The general was a Level Two Infant Transformation Stage cultivator. Even with his strength, he would have no confidence in his own survival if he were to be surrounded and attacked by two large contingents of cultivators. Hence, he firmly believed that Xu Que and his dog would be finished off in no time.
Then, he could focus his energy on conquering Snow City and completely wiping out the supporters of the Water Empress.
...
"Oh no, that boy and his dog is in trouble!" exclaimed the white-robed old man. He furrowed his eyebrows as he monitored the battlefield from above the city gates.
The female general, Hai Tang, looked slightly dismayed as well. "I'm afraid we're unable to save them!" She shook her head. "These two groups of elite troops are too strong. Moreover, they have a large supply of medicine and energy-replenishing pills. They can perform at their peak and never feel tired, whereas our soldiers…"
The female general was unable to say another word when she thought of her soldiers. Her valiant figure suddenly seemed lonely and melancholic in the cold, snowy winds.
The white-robed old man knew very well what she had left unsaid.
The forces in the Snow City had been defending for seven continuous days; all their energy-replenishing pills and medicine had long been depleted.
In the absence of supplies, countless soldiers had been wounded and killed. More importantly, the soldiers were all feeling extremely worn out. The city could fall at any moment; how could they even contemplate sending a force out to save others?
Besides, in order to save Xu Que and Buttface, they would have to cut right through the opposing forces to the rear, which was an impossible task.
"Second Uncle, speaking frankly, when we decided that we would not surrender and would instead defend the city, I had already known that very soon my blood would be splattered on the walls of Snow City. That young man is only one step ahead of us! I, Situ Hai Tang, will join him later!" said the female general heroically. Her expression was determined and steadfast.
Clearly, she did not lose out to any other male general in terms of compassion.
The white-robed old man nodded in silence.
...
Meanwhile, these two groups of elite troops rushed towards Xu Que. It was like a huge crowd of people swarming towards him.
Xu Que, however, was surprisingly calm. He even wore a relaxed smile on his face.
Such a large-scale battle scene was not unfamiliar to him.
Back when he had been in Su Ling'er's tribe, he had seen line-ups of tens of thousands of demonic beasts charging at him. Why would he be afraid of a few thousand cultivators?
From Xu Que's point of view, the more enemies he had, the better it would be for him.
He had been at the stage of Level Nine Original Infant for a long time now. Previously he had always been focused on acting tough and had not bothered about levelling up. And during the Imperial Tombs Contest at Metal Nation, there hadn't been any opportunities to kill anyone to get Experience Points.
Now that the rebel forces of the Water Nation were before him, Xu Que saw a good chance to level up.
His eyes seemed especially excited as he looked at the dense amount of ice-armored troops charging at him. In his eyes, these were Experience Points in the forms of humans, just waiting to be harvested by him!
"Heheh, so many Experience Points are coming towards me, I'd be a fool if I didn't take them!"
Xu Que gave a laugh and pulled out his Killer Book from his system inventory, then slotted it into his robe at the chest.
Immediately, he raised both of his hands into the air, palms facing the sky.
Shoosh!
Two different types of mystical fire appeared, one in his left palm and the other in his right.
His left palm contained the Molten Green Lotus Fire, while his right contained the Bone Freezing Fire. One was fiery hot while the other was freezing cold, and both flames were emitting an aura of bloodlust.
The next moment, Xu Que put his hands together and the two different flames joined together. His fingers moved rapidly and flicked swiftly in an attempt to merge the two mystical fires.
Booomm!
Suddenly, a powerful and violent energy radiated from Xu Que's hands. It swept across the entire battlefield!
"What… what is that?"
The two elite ice-armored forces, which contained more than a thousand people charging at Xu Que, suddenly paused. Each and every one of the ice-armored soldiers looked at Xu Que, astounded.
The general of the ice-armored troops standing in the distance was suddenly startled. He quickly turned around to look at Xu Que and his eyes went wide. His expression was alarmed.
"What is that? How can there be such an imposing and frightening flame?"
The general felt uneasy. Although Xu Que had not completed the formation of the Buddha's Fiery Lotus with his flames, just that burst of energy and aura was still enough for him to sense danger.
Over at Snow City, Situ Hai Tang and the white-robed old man was also shocked.
"That young man can actually fuse two flames of different characteristics together!" exclaimed Situ Hai Tang. "Such skill is simply unheard of!"
The old man marvelled at the sight as well. "He's really strong! At such a young age, he's already a Level Nine Original Infant cultivator, and can also execute such a powerful skill art. This is too unbelievable!"
"Unfortunately, the foot of the Snow Mountain is affected by the ancient restrictive enchantment of the holy ground. The power of all other skill arts except the ice elemental skill arts are greatly reduced! What this young man is trying to do might not work as well here!" Situ Hai Tang regained her composure and shook her head.
The Snow Mountain was the holy ground of the Water Nation. There was an ancient restrictive enchantment upon it that could restrict one's cultivation abilities. It would not matter if one was an Infant Transformation Stage cultivator or the higher Void Training Stage cultivator; the moment a cultivator stepped into the mountain, they would instantly be stripped of their cultivation abilities until they left the holy ground.
And as the Snow City was situated right at the foot of the Snow Mountain, it was more or less affected by the ancient restrictive enchantment, in such a way that the power of other skill arts was significantly reduced. Only the ice elemental skill arts were not affected, and were in fact strengthened.
This was one of the reasons why the attacks of the Ice Troops could be so strong and ferocious.
Despite the imposing energy surrounding the fire elemental skill art that Xu Que was using, Situ Hai Tang felt that the power of that skill would not manifest itself to be as great. At best, maybe it could deal somewhat heavy damage to some of the Ice Troops.
Apparently, the general of the Ice Troops thought of the same as well, after recovering from his initial shock. "Why have all of you stopped?" roared the general. "We have the advantage of the weather as well as the location. There is no need to fear the fire elemental skill arts! Go attack! Kill them fast!"
"Yes!" The two groups of elite Ice Troops yelled their reply with enthusiasm; their shouts were loud and reverberated around the area.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground shook with the marching of the two groups of several thousand soldiers. The loud sounds were muffled, neat and pounding clearly in everyone's hearts, be they friend or foe.
However, Xu Que's fingers were still swiftly working on the two flames. He totally ignored the approaching army of cultivators.
Shoosh!
Suddenly, Xu Que stopped moving his fingers. He slowly stretched out all ten of his digits, revealing a fearful lotus of fire in his palm. The lotus was slowly rotating and glowing radiantly!
"Sorry to have kept all of you waiting!"
Xu Que lifted his head and looked at the approaching Ice Troops. The corners of his lips raised. The fire lotus within his palm was still floating and rotating.
"Do all of you know what art is? Art… is an explosion!"
The moment he finished speaking, the fearful lotus of fire instantly soared through the air, flying directly towards the Ice Troops.
Then instantly, under the alarmed gazes of the crowd, the fire lotus slowly bloomed before them…
Chapter 389: A Unilateral Massacre
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Booommm!
An earth-shattering explosion resounded through the entire area.
The whole battlefield was shrouded in flames as the ground shook. Countless numbers of rebel soldiers had been completely engulfed in flames.
The power of the Buddha's Fiery Lotus was extremely terrifying even though it had been weakened.
Furthermore, Xu Que was carrying the killer book that had maxed out his power. That was equivalent to his skill being amplified by thirty of its original power. Even though it had been weakened, it had not been by too much, as the amplified skill would have already been exceedingly horrifying to begin with!
The two groups of troops that had gone after Xu Que had suffered heavy casualties. The soldiers had been swallowed by flames upon the explosion. The ice armor they had been wearing had instantly broken and evaporated into water vapor, along with their bodies.
The battlefield was filled with the horrendous screams and shrieks of the soldiers.
Thousands of lives had been taken out in the explosion even though their corpses were nowhere to be found, as they had either evaporated or been burnt to ashes.
When the flames died down, everyone could see that the area affected by the explosion had become completely bare.
The snow had evaporated into water and then into water vapor. The ground had become hot, red, and filled with molten rock and gravel.
...
The soldiers on the battlefield were appalled by the sight.
"How… is this possible?" the general shouted in exasperation.
He found it hard to believe as there was obviously a restrictive enchantment from the Snow Mountains. How in the world had a young man with a cultivation level of Level Nine Original Infant Stage execute such a frightening skill art?
Over at Snow City, Situ Hai Tang and the white-robed old man were extremely shocked. Their eyes were wide open as well.
They had originally thought that Xu Que's skill art, although powerful, would not be able to take out many enemy troops. They had thought that he was an Original Infant Stage cultivator after all, plus there was the restrictive enchantment that would weaken all other skill arts except the ice elemental ones.
However, he had taken out half of the two troops of elite rebel forces with one terrifying skill. That had really left an impact. Everyone felt this had to be a dream or a nightmare.
"This is scary. Who exactly is this young man? He has such frightening methods!"
The white-robed old man gave a gasp as he was severely shaken by the mighty prowess of Xu Que. "Even under the restrictive enchantment, the power of his skill art is still so formidable. If… if there had not been such an enchantment at play, perhaps this skill art would have even been able to take out an Infant Transformation Stage cultivator without any problem!"
"You're right! If there had been no restrictive enchantment, I wouldn't have been able to handle that!" Situ Hai Tang nodded her head. Her expression was serious and wary.
At her level of cultivation, she could clearly feel just how scary and alarming that fire skill art was!
"D*mn, boy, what's that skill? How come this deity has never seen it before?" exclaimed Buttface who was not too far away. He was running away from the rebel soldiers.
...
But Xu Que was also in shock as well.
"Why is this so?" He could not help but express his disappointment.
Everyone was slightly stunned by that.
Why is this so?
Does he mean that he did not know that skill art would have such tremendous power?
Maybe a master has helped him secretly?
In the next moment, Xu Que pointed at the rebel forces and said, "f*ck! Did you do something sneaky? Why has my Buddha's Fiery Lotus's power seemingly become so much smaller?"
Tsk!
Instantly, silence filled the whole area!
Such prowess! And it's considered small to you?
That skill took out over a thousand lives of elite soldiers. All of them died in a single explosion. And you are saying that the power is small?
All of a sudden, the rebel forces shuddered. Fear slowly crept into their hearts.
In their eyes, Xu Que was a demon, a monster.
Such power was beyond what they had known and learnt since childhood. Even as soldiers who had been in battles taking out the opposing forces, they felt fear in their hearts. The morale of the rebel forces instantly plummeted.
After all, Xu Que's skill art could not be classified as killing, but unilateral massacre!
If he could take out over a thousand lives in a single stroke, does that mean that the tens of thousands of troops here can be wiped out in less than ten strokes? they thought.
What the f*cking hell? How can one fight like this?
...
In fact, Xu Que was not boasting.
It was true that the explosion of his Buddha's Fiery Lotus had not met his expectations.
As the one who understood fully the power of the Buddha's Fiery Lotus, with the maxed out killer book the skill art should have been able to deal heavy damage to a Level Six Infant Transformation Stage cultivator.
Yet, it had only taken out a bit over a thousand men. Not only that, but the explosion had not spread out like it should have done, and the flames had gone out earlier than expected. How could this be?
Ding! "After checking, a strong restrictive enchantment has been discovered in this area. Host is around the boundary of the enchantment and is affected by it. The powers of all skill arts are reduced, except the ice elemental ones!"
A system notification rang in Xu Que's head.
Xu Que now understood why his fiery lotus had not performed up to mark.
D*mn, so there's actually a restrictive enchantment here. No wonder it performed not as well as expected, he thought. How regrettable!
"There are too many restrictive enchantments. It's so inconvenient!"
He shook his head in disappointment and displeasure. Immediately, two types of flames sprang out from his palm with a swish. They were burning brightly just as before.
The Ice Troops in the battlefield wore aggravated and fearful expressions when they saw that.
F*ck! Again?
Won't you run out of True Core Strength?
You just displayed such a powerful and scary skill art. You do not even need to rest a while, and you want to execute the same skill again?
In an instant, the originally high morale rebel forces suffered another blow. Their morale now fell to almost rock bottom as fear enveloped them.
But in the next moment, Xu Que paused, furrowed his eyebrows and looked hesitant.
Since the two-color fiery lotus had its power restricted, he thought, should I make a tri-color fiery lotus then? But will the tri-color fiery lotus cause an avalanche?
...
His hesitant manner was interpreted otherwise by the Ice Troops.
"He stopped?"
"He must have run out of True Core Strength!"
"It must be! Such a powerful skill art must have consumed a lot of true core strength."
"He must be recovering his true core strength. Don't give him a chance to do that, kill him quick, everyone!"
The nearby Ice Troops started to move. They felt that this was a great opportunity to kill Xu Que.
Even the general of the rebel forces thought so as well, as his eyes lit up in excitement.
He had been rather worried about Xu Que's skill art earlier, but now he also felt that it was a good time to get Xu Que.
"All soldiers! Follow this general to kill this man! Kill…"
The general roared a command then gave his ice horse a kick. Holding an ice spear, he galloped towards Xu Que aggressively.
The Ice Troops' morale was greatly boosted by the sight of the general going to take Xu Que out personally. They also roared words like 'kill' and dashed towards Xu Que.
"This is bad! Save that young man, quickly! With such strength, he might be our only hope for defending Snow City!" the white-robed old man suddenly shouted in anxiety.
Situ Hai Tang wore a serious and thoughtful expression. Suddenly, she clenched her long polearm. She wanted to dash out from the city to save Xu Que.
Shoosh!
Just then, over at the battlefield, Xu Que waved his hand. He held his palm with the two types of flames inside close to his body.
Whiz!
Another type of flame appeared on his palm. It was a black flame that was ranked sixth amongst all the other types of rare flames… Eight Waste Destruction Flames!
When the third flame appeared, the other two other flames were intensified. The intensified burst of energy was felt by all those in the battlefield in an instant.
Immediately, Xu Que clenched his hand into a fist.
Boom!
The three rare flames were instantly squeezed together. Xu Que squeezed his fist hard with the other hand over it, as if he was squeezing a ball. Both hands quickly worked on merging the flames into a fiery lotus.
"What… what is that?"
The white-robed old man and Situ Hai Tang watched in wonder.
Those who had witnessed the scene were staring hard at Xu Que, frozen on the spot.
So this guy did not run out of True Core Strength but was thinking of merging three types of rare flames!
D*mmit! How can this be?
The two-color fiery lotus from earlier was already so terrifying. Now he's making a tri-color fiery lotus. Isn't this going against the heavens?
"Go! Go! Go!"
"Kill …"
Meanwhile, the general of the Ice Troops, who was full of murderous intent, was riding out on his ice horse. He was leading a great number of troops to kill Xu Que.
But when he saw Xu Que squeeze the three types of flame together, his face suddenly went pale and aghast.
"Yuuu!" He immediately stopped his ice horse.