Book 08 Chapter 036: Righteous Energy
Book 08 Chapter 036: Righteous Energy
It’s easy to oppress the common people but difficult to deceive heaven!
The curses of the people, the pointing of thousands of fingers finally shook the Xuanyuan Sword clone’s faith.
The Xuanyuan Sword had harnessed righteousness, which came from Ji Dihong’s absolute confidence and the people’s belief in him. It was a belief that everything Ji Dihong did was righteous, a faith in righteousness.
The belief of hundreds of billions of citizens had supported the Xuanyuan Sword, allowing it to become the fifth-ranked enchanted treasure in the world.
Now, he suffered a complete defeat. Could the belief of the past still sustain him? The people had all turned against him, calling him a demon.
Evil demon?
One would be righteous if the citizens called one righteous. How could one be righteous when all the citizens called one an evil demon?
The Xuanyuan Sword clone’s noble spirit quickly scattered as the Xuanyuan Sword clone fell into a state of panic and self-doubt.
After the righteousness disappeared, only evil remained.
The entire world seemed to stand still as the Xuanyuan Sword clone listened to the curses of hundreds of billions of people. For a moment, it was utterly lost, all the curses echoing clearly in his ears.
How long would he have to listen to these billions of curses?
Time appeared to freeze.
No, it was not frozen; the Xuanyuan Sword clone had fallen into an illusion.
He had not returned to the Divine Continent but remained in the void, sunk in a stupor.
A surging red light enveloped the Xuanyuan Sword clone.
The skeleton Gu Hai held the Life Killer Saber giving off the red light engulfing the Xuanyuan Sword clone. The red light seemed to teem with strange images.
It was the Life Killer Saber that had created this illusion of defeat for the Xuanyuan Sword clone, all meticulously prepared by Gu Hai.
The noble spirit on the surface of the Xuanyuan Sword clone was rapidly dissipating.
The lost Righteous Energy was not being broken down by Void Energy but rapidly absorbed by someone at the side. Gu Hai’s true body had arrived.
Protecting Gu Hai’s true body were Kong Xuan, Gu Han, Shangguan Hen, the Mosquito Daoist, and Long Wanqing!
The five consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm formed a Primal Essence Five Elements Ritual Array, keeping Gu Hai’s true body safe at the center as he absorbed the surging Righteous Energy.
Gu Hai circulated the Worldly Sorrowful Endowment. This was an opportunity that would never return if he missed it. His true body absorbed the Righteous Energy with all his might.
Kong Xuan and others at his side were shocked beyond belief. Gu Hai’s flawless calculations impressed them.
“Your Imperial Majesty, will Borderless Heavenly Capital’s blessings scatter since His Reverence came to the void? Will Ji Dihong’s true body seize the opportunity to strike?” Kong Xuan asked anxiously.
Long Wanqing shook her head and reassured him, “Don’t worry; my husband has already taken care of everything!”
“Yes!” The other four nodded in unison, ready to protect Gu Hai.
The Righteous Energy continuously flowed out, speeding up as time passed. However, Gu Hai did not refuse any of it. At this moment, all his pores opened up, making him feel comfortable.
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The emperor’s study, Xuanyuan City, Divine Continent:
Ji Dihong’s true body looked gloomily at the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon, who had returned from the Heavenly Demon Holy Land.
Other officials appeared shocked.
“That’s impossible! You say the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon saw Long Zhanguo? And even shared a drink with him, a Lafite or something like that?” Emperor Kong exclaimed.
The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon was equally bewildered but finally nodded. “Yes, Long Zhanguo spoke with our master for a while and finally told him there was no need to hide anything about their meeting. He could tell anyone he wanted!”
“Long Zhanguo said that?” Cangjie asked with some uncertainty.
“Yes, our master confirmed he was not a cloud beast created by Gu Hai but the real Long Zhanguo. Moreover, our master sensed an extremely dangerous aura from Long Zhanguo, as if he was even more powerful than before!” the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon recalled.
“More powerful than before?” Ji Dihong’s true body frowned slightly.
“Long Zhanguo was supposed to have died in the Heavenly Realm. The Six Paths Immortal verified it back then. If he were still alive, how could the Six Paths Immortal not feel it?” Fengbo asked in disbelief.
“It’s not strange. As long as Long Zhanguo is not in the Six Paths Immortal Firmament, the Six Paths Immortal naturally can’t sense him!” Cangjie said gravely.
“But, Mister Cangjie, Gu Hai killed Long Zhanguo right in front of the Six Paths Immortal. How could he be helping Gu Hai now?” Emperor Kong asked incredulously.
“No!” Cangjie shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Think back to the information we learned about the battle in the Heavenly Realm. When Long Zhanguo was about to die, Gu Hai acted. What if Gu Hai’s intention was not to kill Long Zhanguo?” Cangjie asked solemnly.
“Gu Hai did that to save Long Zhanguo? Furthermore, from right under the Six Paths Immortal’s nose? And the Six Paths Immortal didn’t notice?” Emperor Kong became agitated.
“Deceiving Heaven? That’s nothing especially complicated,” Ji Dihong said.
“Your Holy Eminence?”
“His Holy Eminence is right. Why would Long Zhanguo help Gu Hai? Because Gu Hai saved him! There’s no doubt about it. Besides, Long Zhanguo’s eldest son, Long Shenying, is very filial. Why would he hand over his nation to Gu Hai? Why would he swear allegiance to Gu Hai? It’s all quite clear!” Cangjie stated.
The officials were silent for a moment, overcome by terror.
Long Zhanguo?
Although it has only been twenty years, the memory feels incredibly distant.
Long Zhanguo’s era was one where he could battle the whole world single-handedly. His strength and spirit were unparalleled.
Was Long Zhanguo strong? There is no question about it. He was once the undisputed number one.
Everyone believed him to be dead. What did it matter how strong a dead man had been?
Yet now, we are told that Long Zhanguo did not die and is helping Gu Hai?
How are we to fight that?
What would have happened if we had provoked Long Zhanguo into coming out?
Are we going to be enemies with Long Zhanguo?
“Your Holy Eminence, do you think this is true?” Cangjie turned to Ji Dihong, seeking confirmation.
If they did not believe what the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon said, nothing would make sense. However, if they believed it, the situation was exceptionally dangerous.
“Only the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon has seen Long Zhanguo. We are not certain yet,” Ji Dihong said nonchalantly.
The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon stayed quiet, obviously frightened by recent events. He had thought of wiping out Borderless Heavenly Capital before, but what if he had provoked Long Zhanguo? He would not even know how he had died.
“However, it doesn’t matter even if Long Zhanguo is alive. He won’t dare show his face, for the Six Paths Immortal will take care of him if he does!” Ji Dihong asserted.
“Right!” the crowd sighed in relief.
If alive, Long Zhanguo would not dare roam the world openly.
“Still, we must reassess our position regarding the Han Imperial Dynasty, Your Holy Eminence!” Cangjie said gravely.
Ji Dihong nodded in agreement.
Although still skeptical about the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon’s words, he could not help but be cautious about Borderless Heavenly Capital when he considered the possibility of Long Zhanguo’s presence.
Consummation of the spiritual souls? Long Zhanguo attained that long ago. I have no idea how strong he is now.
Previously, when comparing Gu Hai and Ba, I thought Gu Hai was the easier target. However, after some probing, I realized that Gu Hai was a ravenous tiger. In hindsight, I should have dealt with Ba first.
Ba has the foundation left to her by Jiang Lianshan and her own powerful methods.
However, since she is Jiang Lianshan’s daughter, I know her well enough, and she is manageable.
“I have a report!” A loud cry came from outside the emperor’s study.
A guard rushed in.
“Reporting to Your Holy Eminence! There’s news from Borderless Heavenly Capital. Borderless Heavenly Capital’s blessings scattered again!” that guard said respectfully.
“They scattered again?” Everyone showed a strange expression.
The scattering of blessings meant the emperor’s death! This was an undisputed fact in the Divine Continent. However, it had become a frequent occurrence for the Han Imperial Dynasty.
No one believed that Gu Hai had died; all thought Gu Hai was plotting something.
“Your Holy Eminence, could Gu Hai be deliberately baiting you into action?” Emperor Kong was the first to guess.
Baiting His Holy Eminence to act?
“Gu Hai is indeed too crafty and wicked!” Limu exclaimed angrily.
“It’s uncertain. Perhaps Borderless Heavenly Capital is really vulnerable at this moment,” Fengbo said, furrowing his brows.
“Even if it’s vulnerable, would you dare to probe it?” Cangjie asked with a bitter smile.
“Huh?” Fengbo’s face stiffened, and he said nothing more.
Probe? Had this been six months ago, Fengbo might have dared. But now? No way. I’m not tired of living yet. Furthermore, given Gu Hai’s countless methods, what if it is a trap? On top of that, there’s Long Zhanguo! I would just be seeking death.
Fengbo remained silent, and the others said nothing, all looking at Ji Dihong.
Ji Dihong took a deep breath, pondering.
Long Zhanguo’s appearance had disrupted Ji Dihong’s thoughts. Had it been earlier, Ji Dihong might have wanted to probe. But now, the presence of Long Zhanguo silenced him.
Cangjie waved his hand, producing a screen of light, and studied it for a while.
“Your Holy Eminence, Gu Hai is not in the Divine Continent! He must have gone into the void!” Cangjie guessed.
“Perhaps Gu Hai did this intentionally? He might have laid a trap for us. Doesn’t he also have a clone?” Emperor Kong argued.
“A clone? That’s not good!” Ji Dihong’s face sank as he looked skyward.
“What’s wrong, Your Holy Eminence?” Emperor Kong asked in shock.
Cangjie suddenly cried out in alarm, “Your Holy Eminence, if Borderless Heavenly Capital is not a trap, then Gu Hai’s true body is dealing with the Xuanyuan Sword!”
The Xuanyuan Sword clone?
Gu Hai is dealing with the Xuanyuan Sword clone?
That is one of my greatest trump cards. The Xuanyuan Sword clone’s strength has reached the consummation of the spiritual souls; it is far stronger than my subordinates, who are merely at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. If Gu Hai renders the Xuanyuan Sword clone useless, the loss will be devastating.
“We will go to the void. Cangjie, you will govern in my stead, and the rest of you will protect the Huang Heavenly Dynasty!” Ji Dihong ordered firmly.
“But the void is vast, Your Holy Eminence. How will you find him?” Emperor Kong asked desperately.
“We’re not sure how, but we’re certain that Gu Hai is near the periphery of the Six Paths Immortal Firmament. He can’t have gone far into the void. We’ll search along the edge of the Six Paths Immortal Firmament, and we’ll find him!” Ji Dihong said determinedly.
While speaking, Ji Dihong burst out of the study. His figure flashed as he shot straight up into outer space.
Rumble…!
The blessings cloud sea over Xuanyuan City instantly scattered, signaling Ji Dihong’s entry into the void.
Whether because of the intimidation of Long Zhanguo, the apprehension of Gu Hai’s tactics, or the sheer importance of the Xuanyuan Sword clone, Ji Dihong ultimately chose not to move against Borderless Heavenly Capital but to seek the Xuanyuan Sword clone.