Chapter 844 - The Conniving Merchant!
Chapter 844: The Conniving Merchant!
“How is that possible?” He Yunzi wasn’t the only one who was dumbstruck by the sight. The other two purple-robed elders, princes of the Divine Eye civilization, had gasped aloud in shock.
The other royal family members around them were staring too, incredulity and disbelief shining in their wide eyes. A myriad of emotions appeared on their faces. They seemed incapable of controlling their emotions at that moment.
The pillar of red light that was bursting from the top of Wang Baole’s head had reached the edge of the planet’s atmosphere and merged with outer space. From afar, it looked as if the heavens had opened its eye, revealing a blood-red pupil as it gazed upon the living creatures on the ground.
The unleashing of such power had been unexpected, and it sent the heavens and earth quaking. It sent waves of energy rippling across the lands, red waves surging forth. A tornado rose into being, and Wang Baole was the eye of the storm, whose fierce howling winds lashed outwards with a force that could flatten mountains and empty oceans.
Everyone around him was forced to retreat, and gasps of terror rose into the air. It was as if they had just seen a ghost.
“Heavens… how tall is it… A hundred thousand feet, or maybe even a million feet tall?”
“I must be hallucinating… I must’ve eaten too many spirit herbs yesterday…”
“So… which one is the real emperor?”
A commotion broke out in the crowd. The cultivators from the Violet Gold civilization stood a distance away. Dressed in rainbow-colored robes and with their faces hidden behind purple masks, these cultivators were similarly taken aback. The extent of shock that they were feeling couldn’t compare to what the royal family members were feeling, of course, but the sudden turn of events had shocked them as well. The only person who seemed unfazed was the Spirit Immortal realm cultivator leading them. His eyes glimmered with a strange light that quickly faded away.
It was obvious… that the pillar of red light rising from Wang Baole’s head was beyond this world. When placed next to the beams of light rising from the other family members’ heads… it was akin to seeing a giant standing next to a clutch of chicks.
Wang Baole was equally shocked, just like the rest of them. He had felt a tinge of unease when the Spirit Immortal realm cultivator from the Violet Gold civilization had whipped out the bronze lamp. After all, he had felt such a strong sense of kinship to the place when he had first arrived in the cemetery. But he had consoled himself then.
The emperor had needed to use real blood when he had tried to unlock the doors. Wang Baole’s current form was an avatar conjured through his essence technique, so no blood flowed in his veins. That was why he had thought that the concept of bloodline wouldn’t apply to his avatar form. He wasn’t going to be exposed. He had another thought hidden in the deep recesses of his mind then as well. He had wanted to… verify a theory of his.
While the events that had unfolded next had brought a grimace to his face, they had also led to the sudden flash of an icy glint in his eyes. The theory that he had all this while was true!
The fact that I don’t feel any forces of repulsion while I’m in the imperial cemetery and, in fact, feel an extreme sense of kinship to this place… has something to do with my practicing the Demonic Eye Art. But that’s not the main reason. The main reason is because… of the will hidden within the Demonic Eye Art!
This will… is closely tied to the Divine Eye civilization. I can probably guess who it belongs to… There’s a great chance that it belongs to the patriarch who created the Divine Eye Art, who is probably also… the first emperor of the Divine Eye civilization!
He had gone through the series of inferences and analysis and arrived at his conclusion within the blink of an eye. As he came to his conclusion, the old emperor, who had been howling in tears a moment ago, widened his eyes and stared dumbly at Wang Baole amidst the shocked gasps rising from the crowd. After a few moments, he climbed to his feet hastily and fell to his knees as he gave Wang Baole a deep bow.
“The esteemed patriarch, it’s the esteemed patriarch. He’s shown himself. He’s returned to us!” The old emperor was visibly agitated. He bellowed loudly, at the top of his lungs, in order to show how excited he was. Bowing didn’t appear to be enough to show how excited he was at the return of his patriarch. He kept kowtowing and slamming his forehead into the ground.
The fervor in his voice ignited a resonance that coursed through the blood of every royal family member. Members who had been coerced or pressured into supporting He Yunzi trembled and fell to their knees. Their voices joined the old emperor’s.
“Greetings to the esteemed patriarch!”
“The patriarch?” There were still quite a few family members who remained standing while their fellow family members greeted their patriarch. He Yunzi and the other two princes were standing as well. Their eyes shone with murderous intent and greed.
Wang Baole narrowed his eyes instantly as he glanced at the kowtowing emperor and family members before him. The old emperor’s reaction might have seemed perfectly normal, but Wang Baole still felt a slight unnaturalness to it. Wang Baole’s arrival seemed too timely.
The timing had been too perfect. He had appeared at just the right time to hear the royal family spill their secrets and find out who the Violet Gold civilization was. The old emperor’s cry about their patriarch finally showing himself and returning to the family suddenly gave Wang Baole some ideas about what was going on.
I don’t believe that Xie Haiyang doesn’t have a hand in this. So… what does Xie Haiyang get out of me appearing now?
Maybe… Xie Haiyang’s got something to do with the old emperor as well. He said something about his patriarch finally showing himself and returning to the family. Could it be that… he’s made a deal with Xie Haiyang and wished for his patriarch’s return?
Xie Haiyang’s making deals with both sides then? So, let’s see who’s the more important investment… Wang Baole laughed suddenly. It wasn’t the first time that Xie Haiyang had done something like that. He had done something similar during his days on the ancient sword. He had sold information on Wang Baole’s whereabouts to someone who had wanted to kill Wang Baole, then helped Wang Baole kill that very same person. They had split the spoils between them after that.
Wang Baole immediately changed his plans. He had planned to enter the imperial ancestral tombs using the fastest way possible. But now that he wasn’t experiencing any force of repulsion and might face some problems with the will that was hidden inside his Demonic Eye Art, he wasn’t in as much of a rush as he had been.
He wasn’t going to give up on a life-changing opportunity. But before he got his hands on such a golden ticket, he needed to establish control over the current situation. This was to prevent anything unexpected from happening. As that thought flashed in his head, he released the full power of his cultivation. His Emperor Armor materialized instantly, exuding an incredible power that swept across the lands and exerted a suppressive force over everyone.
Giant waves seemed to rise instantly and sweep over the royal family members who hadn’t gotten to their knees. Blood spilled from their lips as they shuddered violently. Wang Baole then leaped into the air and charged at the three royal princes!
His speed was akin to that of lightning. Surprise flashed across He Yunzi and the two princes’ faces. There was no time for them to retreat. Wang Baole appeared before them, stuck his right hand into the air, and unleashed the power of a Spirit Immortal realm cultivator at the trio.
At that exact moment, as Wang Baole unleashed his attack, the light in the bronze lamp that He Yunzi was holding all this while suddenly flared up. Someone inside the lamp snorted, and an illusory finger stretched out from the lamp and pointed at Wang Baole.
The power of a Planet realm cultivator exploded from the finger instantly. Wang Baole’s pupils contracted as the two forces collided.
Wang Baole shuddered as a thunderous boom reverberated in the skies. He retreated hastily. The Eternal Star Fire inside his body flooded out and tried to weaken the force of the finger’s attack until the latter finally faded away. Despite the aid from his Eternal Star Fire, Wang Baole could still feel his essence churning painfully inside him. His face darkened as he retreated, and his eyes stared unblinkingly at the finger that had emerged from the bronze lamp.
The sudden turn of events had shocked He Yunzi and his fellow princes as well. Cold beads of sweat lined their foreheads. They had felt the swift approach of death as Wang Baole charged at them. If not for the bronze lamp, both their spirits and flesh would have been destroyed by now.
“Who are you?” He Yunzi’s breathing quickened as he stared at Wang Baole.
The princes meant nothing to Wang Baole. Instead, his stare was fixed on the bronze lamp. He narrowed his eyes. They had gone to the extent of housing the Divine Sense of a Planet realm cultivator inside the lamp. The Violet Gold civilization was clearly plotting some grand scheme. His interest in what lay hidden inside the imperial ancestral tombs grew!
“Not only did you manage to survive an attack from me, but you’ve also released the most powerful red light, proving the strength of your bloodline. I don’t care who you are. My predictions were right. We’ve chanced upon the perfect opportunity to unlock the Divine Eye civilization’s ancestral tombs. Zi Luo, release your seal and capture this man. We shall offer him as a sacrifice!” A cold, cruel voice rang out from inside the bronze lamp. Its words were laced with murderous intent and mercilessness.
As soon as the order was issued, Zi Luo, the early-stage Spirit Immortal cultivator, turned towards the bronze lamp and cupped his fists.
“Yes, my lord!”
He looked up immediately, and a thunderous boom erupted inside his body. It sounded like the release of a seal. His cultivation erupted suddenly, rising from the early-stage Spirit Immortal realm to the mid-stage Spirit Immortal realm. It didn’t stop there. It continued rising until it reached the perfected Spirit Immortal realm. Zi Luo towered like a deity as he stood there. Then, he turned towards Wang Baole and smiled faintly at him.
“I may not know who you are, but you… are the reason that I’m here.”
Wang Baole’s pupils contracted, and he retreated instinctively, without any hesitation. At the same time, curses began to fly inside his head.
“What prediction? It’s all rubbish. D*mn you, Xie Haiyang. You had your bets placed on every outcome, didn’t you!”