novelraw Chapter 1045 - 580: Reporting to Your Majesty, the Rebel Xu Jingtang Has Died at Zhengyang Mountain!
Chapter 1045 - 580: Reporting to Your Majesty, the Rebel Xu Jingtang Has Died at Zhengyang Mountain!
He suddenly grabbed the Heavenly Book at his waist, feeling the urge to carve this sentence into the "Heavenly Book".
Heavenly Master returns for a limited time.
"This boy..." Zhang Yan Yi sighed, "Does he really not want to owe this old man a favor? This slippery fox..."
...
Thousands of miles away, in the realm of Yunfu.
A group of white-clothed mages walked sparsely through the mountains and forests, their numbers significantly fewer than before.
Many had lost or broken their mourning sticks, and the coffins at their waists were dark and decayed.
The White Clothes Sect Master, Shi Youlian, walked at the front. This alluring old woman was dirty and stained with blood; under her shaking hood, her complexion was increasingly pale.
The coffin at her waist had a large crack running through it.
That night, she led the white-clothed mages retreating from Jingchuan City, only to encounter Zhao Shixiong, who came with a knife to kill.
A fierce battle ensued.
Under normal circumstances, though Zhao Shixiong was strong, he would meet defeat when faced with the entire White Clothes Sect.
But alas, the entire White Clothes Sect had nearly exhausted their mana to summon the Sorrow God at the time.
Shi Youlian had to restrain herself to protect the White Clothes Sect members from being slaughtered, and besides that, magicians were inherently inferior to martial artists in direct combat.
Thus, they were defeated. Zhao Shixiong slashed her three times fiercely, severely injuring her, and even her son, Shi Luoyi, was cut down by Zhao Shixiong’s blade.
They barely managed to retrieve his body and, with the remaining White Clothes Sect members, made a hasty escape.
But on Zhengyang Mountain, as the Sorrow God was being suppressed, the white-clothed mages walking through the forest all stopped at once, astonished, looking up towards the high sky.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Mages, already critically wounded, had the light extinguished in their eyes, and without even a scream, they fell lifeless to the ground.
Backlash!
A powerful ritual inevitably carries a powerful backlash. The "Death of the Sorrow God" triggered curses to erupt on all the evil mages.
In the blink of an eye, almost all magicians in the forest had perished!
"Pah!" Shi Youlian suddenly tilted her head back, spurting a mouthful of scarlet blood, her head hit the ground, and she temporarily fainted.
The backlash was not enough to kill a strong person of her level, even though she was already gravely injured.
If undisturbed, she would likely regain consciousness in no more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
However... just after the collective sudden death of the White Clothes Sect.
"Caw caw caw..."
In the high sky over the forest, a black crow circled with its wings, seemingly laughing.
Then, a wave of yellow mist surged in the forest, and from the yellow mist, a middle-aged man with a disheveled appearance, carrying on his back a sword made of copper coins, slowly approached.
The Netherworld Sect Leader gazed down upon the corpses in the forest with a sigh of pity, "Why all the trouble?"
The crow spiraled down from the sky, landing on a nearby tree branch, and spoke in human tongue: "They’re dead, they’re dead, won’t you save them?"
The Netherworld Sect possessed the power of resurrection, but every use of it came at a great cost.
The sect shared a close kinship with the White Clothes Sect.
However, the members of the Netherworld Sect were far fewer, with each generation never exceeding five core members.
The Netherworld Sect Leader replied irritably, "So many people, saving them would be futile. It was Zhang Yan Yi who intervened. How many times have I warned her, know when to stop, why tie the sect to a prince? Did she really hope to have the White Clothes Sect rise to power, turning around to become state preceptor? Following in the footsteps of those who walk the Demon Path..."
He muttered as he walked directly to Shi Youlian, who lay face up on the ground, the female sect master of the White Clothes Sect, mumbling his thoughts.
The crow jeered, "Not saving them? Then do you want your wife or not? Let me remind you, her son is still in the coffin, likely asking you for resurrection."
The disheveled Netherworld Sect Leader murmured, "Youlian, oh Youlian, in the past you threatened to hit me at the mention of marriage, and now you’re this weak, just accept me. As for your son, it’s better not to; common people say husband and wife share a tomb after death, there’s no reason to also bring such a big son along..."
As he spoke, he drew the sword full of copper coins from his back with both hands, and thrust it into Shi Youlian’s heart with a "puff"!
Shi Youlian suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring at him in disbelief, trying to say something but unable to.
Mounds rose from the surrounding ground; with each mound that rose, a white-clothed mage’s corpse was swallowed.
The crow was so frightened that its feathers dropped, flapping its wings, and it screeched loudly, "Murder, murder, forcing a ghost marriage..."
After a while.
The Netherworld Sect Leader sheathed the bloodstained longsword, cradled Shi Youlian’s corpse in his arms, and stepped out. His right foot crushed a small coffin on the ground, exposing a palm-sized, broken body inside—none other than the young master, Shi Luoyi.
"An Evil Mage must be aware of the Evil Path. Why meddle in the struggles of dynasties?"
"Rustle rustle—"
An illusive Huangquan Road appeared out of thin air. The Netherworld Sect Leader, holding the female corpse, walked into it and disappeared.
Only the graves in the forest remained.
Symbolizing the extinction of the White Clothes Sect.
...
...
In the Capital, the third floor of the old building deep in the Martial Arts Hall within the Imperial Palace.
In the quiet interior, the stone wall’s surface flashed with light, and Zhao Douan’s spirit projection stepped out after several days!
"Back finally!"
Zhao Douan surveyed the familiar old building, feeling reassured. He’d been on the run for days, and now the ordeal had finally come to a halt.
He turned his head towards the stone wall, and his divine soul adeptly sank into the puppet.
Consequently, the puppet substitute, dormant for days and almost covered with dust, reawakened. Zhao Douan flexed the somewhat stiff joints, muttering, "A bit inflexible, damn it, should’ve left it out in the sun to recharge..."
Fortunately, the puppet substitute was still functional. After acclimating to the body, he eagerly pushed the door and stepped over the threshold.
"Jingle jingle..."
The bells hanging from the eaves chimed, producing a clear and pleasant sound.
Zhao Douan did not continue walking outside but stood on the upper floor, squinting and enjoying a sunbath at noon.
"Several days have passed. I wonder if military reports from the south have reached the Capital. Zhenbao must be worried sick, haha... Xu Jingtang is dead, this good news must be relayed to her quickly..."
Zhao Douan’s lips curled into a smile.
Sure enough, before long, a white-clothed figure arrived from afar, riding brilliant golden light.
The Emperor of Great Yu, Xu Zhenguan, appeared with silky black hair flowing and an exquisite figure gracing the third-floor corridor, her garments fluttering.
"Your servant greets Your Majesty!" Zhao Douan cupped his hands respectfully.
Xu Zhenguan gazed at him, her eyes filled with profound intent, an imperceptible cold smile and more indescribably complex meanings fleeting across her fair face.
Those myriad expressions lasted only a moment, quickly masked by her.
"Mr. Zhao, no need for formalities. Just now I received the front-line battle report, didn’t expect you’d return."
Xu Zhenguan seemed genuinely pleased.
This statement was true.
Moments ago, when she returned from "The Human World," her feelings were highly turbulent.
But she hadn’t been given much time to dwell on it, as she keenly detected faint celestial changes coming from the southwest.
Though possibly due to distance or the barrier of the Zhengyang Mountain formation, this time the phenomenon was subtler.
Yet, it still warranted her intense focus.
The moment she returned to the study, a swift military report from Jingchuan City, dispatched by eagle, was delivered to the palace.
The report, sent by Yuan Feng, outlined that the court had seized Jingchuan City and was pursuing the rebel army.
It also mentioned the disappearance of Xu Jingtang and Zhao Douan, among others.
The Empress’s heart grew even more unsettled. As she paced fretfully in Yangxin Hall, the desk bell suddenly rang.
She hurried over, only to see Zhao Douan before her.
Her heart finally eased a little.
Yet all these whirlwind changes occurred within one or two hours, leaving her somewhat taken aback.
In that instant, countless questions plagued her mind—wanting to ask about Zhao Douan’s connection to the Human World, whether he was now safe, and what happened during the communication lapse over the past days. She wanted to inquire about Xu Jingtang’s situation... But all the queries stuck in her throat, and she merely parted her red lips to say, "It’s good to be back safely."
Zhao Douan was unaware of the Empress’s complex emotions at that moment, and did not realize his disguise had been uncovered...
He paused, curiously asking, "Has the military report arrived? How is Jingchuan City now?"
He cared greatly about what unfolded after his departure.
Xu Zhenguan suppressed her urge to ask about his disguise, deciding to postpone it, and shifted to discussing business first: "Yuan Feng and Zhao Shixiong have taken over Jingchuan City. Zhao Shixiong severely injured the White Clothes Sect Master... Subsequently, Lang Shiba returned grievously injured to Jingchuan City, bringing back your orders. Only then did they learn of the events that night. So, are you now out of danger? Is Xu Jingtang still pursuing you?"
So much did happen... Zhao Douan took a deep breath, facing the Empress’s worried and earnest gaze, he solemnly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the rebel Xu Jingtang has just perished at Zhengyang Mountain!"