God Emperor

“Qi Hong, you old dog, face the power of my Spiral Dragon Array!” Blackie was laughing boisterously.

“SWOOSH!”

A circular array had formed within a 100-meter radius. The inscriptions of the array resembled cyan iron chains that were intertwined, rippling on the surface. An illusory image of a lofty cyan mountain appeared.

A huge dragon was circling the mountaintop. Its claws were extended and its fangs were out, glaring ferociously.

Dozens of tombstones flew in, assaulting the array. However, they were immediately met by a cyan light which disintegrated them into dust.

When Zhang Ruochen saw that Blackie’s array could block off Qi Hong’s attacks, he sighed with relief.

At that exact moment, he lowered his gaze to look at Saint Lady and realized that she was struggling. He also realized that he was still holding on to her and immediately let go of her.

“I’m sorry. Just now… ”

Zhang Ruochen felt quite embarrassed. He did not know how to explain himself.

Saint Lady felt awkward as well. She was blushing bashfully. Turning around, she calmed herself down. “You didn’t have to apologize. I should be the one thanking you. I will never forget your name, Lin Yue! If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to find me.”

Zhang Ruochen glanced at Saint Lady’s naked back. He wondered if this ethereal and favored lady had ever been through such humiliation.

Zhang Ruochen took off his bloodstained Taoist robe and cloaked it over the shoulders of Saint Lady.

Saint Lady suddenly turned her head. Her bright, lovely eyes met Zhang Ruochen’s. For a brief moment, her emotions stirred inside her.

Her heart started to beat faster.

Despite her being a Psychic Sage, she lowered her head to avoid Zhang Ruochen’s gaze. A strange feeling overcame her.

What happened?

Her Saint Heart was almost entirely crushed. She wondered if the person standing before her right now, Lin Yue, was really a powerful Saint in disguise.

Why else would a Psychic Sage like her avoid the gaze of a Monk of the Fish-Dragon Realm? The thought brought her to the brink of despair.

To conceal her emotions, Saint Lady quickly gathered the fronts of her robe and wrapped herself with it. Her tender heart was still beating frantically. She said in a low voice, “Thank you very much.”

Zhang Ruochen glanced at Saint Lady and was baffled. He could not understand how an exalted Psychic Sage like her could be so dainty and self-conscious.

Zhang Ruochen thought that Saint Lady was frightened, but didn’t think much of it. He sighed inwardly. A Saint’s mind was not so different from a normal person’s after all.

Zhang Ruochen did not guess right. It was actually Saint Lady’s heart which was throbbing with emotions.

Saint Lady had seen a lot of men more handsome than Lin Yue. There were plenty of better men who had professed their feelings for her.

However, at the time, her Spiritual Power was very powerful, all she could think of was the Holy Road––she wasn’t capable of handling a romantic relationship.

As soon as Qi Hong struck her with the Death Qi, her Spiritual Power was suppressed and she was instantly turned into an ordinary woman.

Furthermore, Lin Yue saved her life while she was at her lowest point. The look in his eyes was so genuine and clear. He even took off his robe and put it on her.

So many men in this world wanted to take her clothes off. Lin Yue was the first man to put it on for her.

She felt like she was being taken care of. For her, it was an extremely strange feeling. It made her feel warm and cozy inside.

Sometimes, even the tiniest gestures could capture a woman’s heart.

As a result, Zhang Ruochen left a faint mark in her Saint Heart.

It was as if the Saint Lady, who possessed Spiritual Power at the 53rd level, had a heart like tung oil enclosed in a thick steel casing.

When the Death Qi entered her body and suppressed her Spiritual Power, the steel casing suddenly disappeared.

Her Saint Heart was now completely defenseless.

When Zhang Ruochen appeared, he was like a spark falling on the tung oil. Her heart started to catch fire and her cold, apathetic Saint Heart started to blaze with fervor.

Although she had not fallen for him at first sight, Saint Lady, like a young girl in the first throes of love, started to grow feelings.

Of course, Zhang Ruochen did not know about her feelings. Even she could not understand this strange emotion herself.

Qi Hong flew in from a distance and landed just outside the array. He mobilized his Holy Qi and struck against the array.

For a brief moment, the light surrounding the array flickered. An illusionary image of a huge dragon dashed out from the array. It roared and struck out its claws at Qi Hong, forcing him to retreat.

“BOOM!”

Qi Hong’s eyes glittered fiercely. He continued to hurl himself forward and attack, disregarding his injuries. He kept striking at the array to try to break it as quickly as possible.

He knew very well that if Saint Lady had a respite, her Death Qi would quickly be suppressed.

At the time, he was a dead man.

In the array, Saint Lady’s beautiful eyes stared at Blackie’s Spiral Dragon Array. She shook her head gently. “Your Spiral Dragon Array isn’t set up properly. It’s missing an Array Eye, and will only give off at most 30 percent of its power. This incomplete array would not be able to ward off Qi Hong’s attacks.”

“Young girl, it seems like you can tell that it’s the Spiral Dragon Array… not bad at all!”

Blackie, of course, knew that Saint Lady was a Psychic Sage. However, at the time, she couldn’t mobilize her Spiritual Power, so she was no different from an ordinary person.

Blackie did not fear her and even wanted to make her build a city for him inside the Scroll World.

Saint Lady was not bothered by Blackie’s words. She smiled and said, “The Spiral Dragon Array is an ancient array. It needs a dragon soul of the Half-Saint realm to act as an Array Eye. That’s the only way to gather its full power.”

“The Battle Formation of the Spiral Dragon Array has always been kept at Phoenix Cry of Sky Scroll Sect. Even the disciples of Scroll Sect may not know its presence. I’m curious to know how you’ve managed to learn it.”

“What business is it of yours?” Blackie snorted coldly. He continued, “And what’s the point of mentioning that now? How can I, the Emperor of Cats, find you a dragon soul of the Half-Saint realm? Just make do with this incomplete array!”

Saint Lady’s eyes stared coldly at Blackie who called himself “the Emperor of Cats.” “You’re just a cat. How dare you call yourself an Emperor?”

“I’m the Emperor of Cats… an Emperor… an Emperor…” Blackie declared on fearlessly.

Saint Lady was infuriated. She wanted to teach Blackie a lesson.

Zhang Ruochen hastily stepped in between them and said in a quiet voice, “Why are you two fighting right now? If Qi Hong breaks the array, all of us will die!”

Saint Lady waved her robe sleeve and remarked coldly, “I’m warning you. You better control that cat of yours. You two are fortunate enough to have met me and not anyone else. If it was someone else, the word ‘Emperor’ would be enough to send both of you to the gallows.”

“What are you saying? Don’t you know I can trap you inside the…” Blackie sounded very arrogant and took out the Yin Yang Wooden Graph.

Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, quickly snatching the Yin Yang Wooden Graph from Blackie. He knocked Blackie’s head with it and reprimanded him. “Why are you so disrespectful toward a Saint?”

Blackie might not care about anything, but Zhang Ruochen couldn’t do that.

Qi Hong was just outside the array and could break in any time. The only way Zhang Ruochen could keep himself alive was to make use of Saint Lady’s power.

Besides, even if there was no threat from Qi Hong, how could Blackie trap Saint Lady inside the Yin Yang Wooden Graph? Saint Lady was under Empress Chi Yao; she held a very high status. The Empress would feel a premonition if her subordinate was endangered.

Had Zhang Ruochen dared to trap her inside, Chi Yao might come after him in person within a day. Qi Hong might be imprudent, but Zhang Ruochen certainly was not. He did not want to die in Chi Yao’s hands again!

This cat was really looking for a fight. He knew very well Saint Lady was under Chi Yao and yet spoke such nonsense to her. Was Blackie looking to die?

Calling himself “Emperor” was extremely disrespectful to the Empress. Your entire clan might be exterminated.

If a savage beast was disrespectful toward the Empress, its owner would also be executed.

In other words, Saint Lady was actually quite easy-going. She had pardoned such a grave crime, which made Zhang Ruochen admire her greatly. Indeed, her Saintly qualities could not be matched by an ordinary person.

Zhang Ruochen bowed his head hastily to Saint Lady and explained, “He’s just a wildcat and doesn’t know the rules very well. He’s talking nonsense. Please don’t take his words to heart, Your Excellency.”

Saint Lady replied, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. We have to find a way to get rid of Qi Hong first.”

Zhang Ruochen felt unsure of himself. “How long would it take to recover your cultivation?”

Saint Lady’s face was sometimes pale, and other times it was dark. Pressing a hand against her abdomen, she was bearing pain. She said quietly, “I don’t know what heretic skills Qi Hong have mastered. He drove some evil Qi into my body.”

“The evil Qi will attack my Saint Heart every time I try to execute a spell. If my Saint Heart is completely eaten up by the evil force, I will not be able to control my Spiritual Power. I’ll lose my consciousness and turn into demon. For the time being, I can only use my Spiritual Power to ward off the evil Qi. I cannot make any mistakes here.”

Qi Hong had previously kicked her in the abdomen and caused her a serious injury.

Seeing her in pain, Zhang Ruochen took out an injury-healing pill. He pinched it between his fingers and offered it to her. “Take this first!”

Saint Lady took the pill and examined it carefully. She said to herself, ” A Pill concocted from the Blood of Wood Spirit. It’s a mild pill. I can take it. ”

After ingesting the pill, the surface of her body started emitting a faint, blood-red glow.

Soon, her physical injuries were recovered completely and the pain in her head and abdomen subsided.

Of course, this pill could not treat the Death Qi. Saint Lady would have to mobilize her entire Spiritual Power to suppress the Death Qi and fight its contamination.

The weakness of a Spiritual Power Monk could be seen at once. If their bodies were to be invaded by any toxic fume or evil Qi, they would not be able to get rid of them with their own power.

Zhang Ruochen chose to practice Martial Arts simply because the power of a Spiritual Power Monk was too flawed.