Chapter 258: Treasure Cove
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
"Boom boom!"
As soon as the cultivators shouted out, the entire wall came crumbling down and a thick layer of dust floated in the air.
The restrictive spell screen which ran high up into the air started forming numerous cracks as spiritual energy leaked out from within. Several seconds later, the entire spell vanished after completely draining its energy.
Everyone turned to look down at the large gaping hole in the ground and were greatly stunned that they took a long time to recover their senses.
The powers of ten excavators is truly something to behold!
The spells conjured by the founding Fire Emperor along with his powerful cultivators had just been destroyed so easily. This Heavenly Explosion Faction is truly too scary!
However, the spells didn't intimidate Xu Que in the least. He never felt like they were impossible to break through. After all, these spells were created with the assumption that no cultivator would be given so much time to dig through, for the forces of the Imperial Guards would surely overwhelm a cultivator even before he could start digging.
However, the founding Fire Emperor would never have anticipated that Xu Que would possess a powerful machine such as this!
And the other cultivators who Xu Que had gathered earlier were all unusually elated. Most of them had low cultivation levels and one of them was only at the Qi Refining Stage. They had only planned to come around to witness the exciting scenes and did not expect to be called upon.
Getting a chance to operate this immense and awe inspiring excavator is such a glorious opportunity that none of them would ever pass up!
"Kuang kuang kuang!"
Loud sounds could be heard from the excavators and the powerful arms continued digging into the ground. These low levelled cultivators had all became immensely courageous and brave after the introduction of the excavators.
Because those were damned terrifying Godly Weapons!
Even the Qi Refining Stage cultivator was able to destroy the strongest spell wall within the Fire Emperor's palace and he didn't even have to use a single ounce of spiritual energy.
"Hey, hey, hey... Alright! That's enough! The spell has already been broken. Why are you still playing around? There's no need to break down the walls over there!"
After leading the entire group of cultivators using the excavators to demolish the spell wall, he noticed that several cultivators had trailed off behind and started to destroy the other walls of the palace. It seemed like these kids were addicted to the thrill of ploughing through walls. They wouldn't even let off the few eunuchs who remained behind as they drove the machine straight into those eunuchs. They were so much more excited over the excavator than he was, and more vicious too!
"Quick, quick, quick! All of you, come back now! You should fight with your blades as ferocious as you've been while on the excavator! I'm talking about you over there, that Qi Refining Stage kid! Look how you're operating the excavator with such ferocity. You're at such a low cultivation level but you're chasing an Original Infant Stage eunuch. It's fun to act tough, huh?"
As soon as the cultivator saw these eunuchs running amok in all direction in fear, Xu Que was elated as he laughed out loud. He then made a mental note to himself that he must really open a Lanxiang Vocational Institute one day.
"Lord Prince Consort, have mercy!"
"Please use the teleportation device, Lord Prince Consort!"
In the midst of all the dust and soil, the few remaining eunuchs all crawled and clamored towards Xu Que as they fell to their knees and begged for their lives.
The Fire Emperor had instructed them to destroy the teleportation device and they had acknowledged his order.
However, in actual fact, they didn't dare to destroy it.
After the few exchanges and battles between the Fire Emperor and Xu Que, the eunuchs themselves had witnessed how Xu Que had defeated him almost effortlessly. Without realizing it, their fear of the the Fire Emperor had dropped tremendously and they were clearly more afraid of Xu Que now!
As soon as the Fire Emperor departed, the fear which these eunuchs had of Xu Que far surpassed the fear of their own monarch.
Hence, they were willing to defy the Fire Emperor's orders and didn't dare to destroy the teleportation device. They were all extremely afraid of being the target of Xu Que's vengeance. Hence, all of them fell to their knees and begged.
Xu Que was elated by this as well, since this would help him to save act tough points now that he didn't have to buy anything else.
As for spiritual stones, he had more than enough on him. After killing those Original Infant and Infant Transformation cultivators, he had acquired many storage rings. Apart from the usual low grade pills and spell manuals, there were many spirit stones as well.
Over these few months, Xu Que had already acquired an entire mound of spirit stones. It can even be said that if these spirit stones were piled up, they would be as high as the mountains.
Hence, requiring a few high grade spirit stones wasn't a problem at all.
"At least you're smart. If you had really destroyed the teleportation device, I will promise to find your castrated penises and whip them in front of you. Now, get out of my way!" Xu Que's lips curled as he walked past them.
The Water Empress had alighted from the excavator. She then looked at the place where the spell wall stood before. Her eyes then fell onto the building right where the teleportation device was.
"This place is the treasure cove of the Fire Nation's Imperial family!" The Water Empress spoke into Xu Que's mind as though she was reminding him of this important fact.
With the system on him, he wasn't particularly interested in these earthly treasures. However, after thinking about how there could be many more powerful spell manuals and high quality weapons, he stopped hesitating. He stepped towards the building and kicked the door open.
Since the spell wall had been demolished, there wasn't any other obstacles preventing them from gaining entry into the building.
After Xu Que had kicked down the door, he peered in and saw that the entire building was filled with treasures and everyone outside also had a good look inside.
All the cultivators around opened their eyes wide in disbelief.
"My god! Is this… the fabled treasure cove of the Imperial family?"
"There are so many different treasures all around."
"Look! There's the Gold Dragon Blade over there. Wasn't this a creation of a Six Star Blacksmith a hundred years ago? The weapon is of the Six Star grade and has been hiding here all along!"
"And look at that Spirit Light Armor! That's also a Six Star grade body armor!"
"Celestial Rod? Isn't that the treasure lost to the Wood Nation many years ago? Why is that here too?"
"Ai, hang on a second. Look at that on the shelf. Isn't that the legendary Yin Yang Pearl?"
"Fuck me! It really is! The pearl can only be found in the shared domains between the Water and Fire Nation. It is so rare that only a single pearl forms after every thousand years!"
"And there are five of these pearls. Does it mean that these treasures had been taken by the Fire Nation for five consecutive millenniums?"
"Didn't the Water Nation realize this?"
The crowd had found some interesting and powerful artefacts. However, the five pearls had caused the biggest reaction as everyone shot glances at the Water Empress.
The Water Empress' eyes gleamed in the light as her face revealed a serene expression as though she was deep in thought.
"Is this item powerful?" Xu Que communicated with her using his thoughts.
The Water Empress looked at him and replied, "It's a precious and rare item but… It doesn't have much use."
"Ah? Why?" Xu Que straightened up and looked somewhat wary.
The Water Empress then replied, "Fire and Water can never mix. But this item is very strange as it contained both the Fire and Water elements together within. In doing so, it was able to create an energy of both the Yin and Yang together. Hence, this is one of the most mystical items which resulted from natural activities, allowing two conflicting elements to exist."
"Then why did you say that it doesn't have much use?"
"Because within the entire cultivation realm, there isn't a single spell capable of fusing both the Yin and Yang like this pearl. Even after I've travelled outside the domains of the five nations, I've never heard of anyone being able to cultivate both the Yin and Yang together. Hence, this item, if used as a weapon, could only provide a bit of usefulness."
Yin and Yang together?
As soon as Xu Que heard this, he was taken aback!
There are no spells in this realm, within and outside the five nations, which fuses both Yin and Yang?
Fuck me! Then isn't the entire realm too weak? Without requiring much effort, I can conjure several spells which embodies both these energies!
"So, you mean to say that if there was such a spell which could fuse both Yin and Yang, this item would be very useful?" Xu Que's eyes sparkled.
The Water Empress was astonished by this question as she looked at Xu Que and nodded her head without speaking.
However, an element of surprise took over her as she realized that Xu Que's expression was rather strange.
Could it be… that he has a skill which embodies both Yin and Yang energies?
That's impossible! Although there were such spells which existed in the past, it has long been lost to cultivators. How could he possibly have such spells?
Chapter 259: Please Don't Hurry. Take Your Time!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
"Haha! Now things are getting interesting!" Xu Que was overjoyed as he stepped deeper into the building.
If there's no spell in this realm that could harness the Yin and Yang elements together, doesn't that mean that even the lowest grade Yin Yang spell would ensure that I would be able to act tough?
Taiji Punch?
Dark Hades Yin Yang Spell?
And what's that spell called? Dual… Heavenly Fire and Ice Ninth Wave?
Hehe… There are too many for me to choose from! After all, spells which combine both the Yin and Yang elements are what Heavenly Explosion Faction specializes in!
Thinking this way, Xu Que's lips curled upwards as he waved a hand.
Whoosh!
Under the astonished glances of everyone, a ray of bright white light enveloped the room. At the next moment, the room was completely empty and every treasure was stored in the system inventory!
The crowd was aghast.
Big brother… Isn't that too crafty of you?
All the treasures of the Fire Nations which took thousands of years to accumulate, were swept up by you just like that?
Where did you get such a huge storage ring from?
The entire crowd who had followed him earlier to witness the fight all watched on in envy.
This was the Fire Nation's Treasure Cove!
Most of the cultivators knew the value of every single piece of treasure since it had earned its spot within the treasure cove. They knew that just a single piece would be enough to start a bloodbath, where people would fight and risk their lives just to get a hand on it. It was very obvious at a single glance that these were precious treasures which had been obtained by many generations of Fire Emperors.
If any of these treasures were acquired by a normal cultivator. He would ensure that this heirloom remains within his family for as many generations as possible, passing it down with great reverence.
However, Xu Que treated these treasures as if these were mere cabbages. As soon as he got his hands on them, he swept them up in a huge bunch like he didn't care at all.
It was no wonder that the entire group of cultivators shot him looks of admiration and envy. They were all filled with thoughts about how this Xu Que was truly lacking in morals, about how he could sweep all these treasures up without even batting an eyelid. The Imperial family had stored these items for generations yet now, all of it were all gone because of your greed.
"What are you looking at? The Fire Emperor and I are extremely close. His treasures are my treasures as well. His wife is also my wife. It's not like you've never heard of this before. Why do you sound so surprised?" Xu Que raised his voice at the crowd.
Everyone around was left speechless.
Because these words… had some truth to them.
Most of the cultivators around already knew about how the Fire Emperor allowed Concubine Fantasy to disguise herself as the Flaming Sun Princess to deceive the Prince Consort.
Although this was the Fire Emperor's plan, how can you say such things aloud for everyone to hear! That's such a private matter!
However, the crowd were already familiar with Xu Que's temper. They already knew how he was so thick skinned and shameless that they had no other reaction but to remain speechless.
The treasures within the room had long been coveted by the entire group of people around. As soon as they laid eyes on it, they wished to get their hands on it. If it weren't for the fact that Xu Que was so vile and intimidating, they would've burst into a frenzy and started fighting with him for it.
"Let's go then. Let's go to the Imperial Tomb and find that dog Emperor to settle scores. Cutting the grass won't completely kill the plant. If you wish to watch an exciting scene, you can come. I won't charge an admission fee…" Xu Que waved a hand as he retrieved all ten excavators.
Asking everyone to watch him was also for him to act tough. Because acting tough was only possible with people watching!
Moving fluidly and swiftly, he jumped atop the teleportation device.
Soon after, he retrieved several high grade spirit stones from his system inventory and slammed it into the crevice of the teleportation device.
When everyone saw this, they hesitated at first. However, several people followed closely behind him as well.
After all, everyone wanted to witness Xu Que and the Fire Emperor engage in another battle to determine the winner of this feud.
Additionally, many people around had a certain feeling in their hearts which they found hard to suppress. It was the feeling of wanting to see their own vicious and unscrupulous monarch being beaten up. This was the same Emperor who was always aloof and punished anyone who said no to him. They wanted to see someone as authoritative and mighty as him being punished by a small kid till he had no temper left and till his head was forced to retreat back into his shell.
Such an opportunity to see the Fire Emperor getting beaten up wasn't something that comes along regularly!
Just by being able to witness something like this would give everyone so much pleasure!
Hence, why wouldn't anyone wish to follow him and watch an interesting scene unfold?
As soon as the Water Empress saw Xu Que dash towards the teleportation device, she hesitated for a moment before following him as well as she couldn't stop worrying for his safety and his life.
"Boom doom!"
As soon as the teleportation device was activated, a large gust of energy surrounded an area around it.
At the next moment, the air around the teleportation device started swirling like a vortex and everything became a blur.
A white ray of light then surrounded them as everything became hard to make sense of.
Just several breaths later, Xu Que and the entire group of people following him appeared at a vast plot of land!
Most of the cultivators around examined their surroundings and paused in shock.
"We really arrived at the Eastern Tombs!"
"Can the Fire Emperor really offer a sacrifice to the Fire God in order to call down blessings from him?"
"That's just a myth. Also, the Fire Emperor wouldn't decide to do something like this unless it was absolutely his last resort. Ever since the very first Fire Emperor established the nation, none of the Emperors had ever been placed in such a situation."
"That's because none of the previous Fire Emperor had ever met someone as monstrous as this Xu Que!"
"That's right. But being a Fire Emperor isn't an easy job as well!"
The crowd whispered to each other and some of them had even started pitying and sympathizing with him.
As soon as Xu Que had descended from the teleportation device, he directed his vision to the highest point of the tomb where an altar had been erected.
Right at this moment, the Fire Emperor and all the other officials and ministers were standing atop the peak of the tomb.
Based on the way they stood, it seemed like they were preparing for the ritual. The Fire Emperor looked rather intimidating as he stood at the edge, his robes flapping in the wind.
It was normal for most people to look fiercer and cooler than usual, especially right before they were about to use their ultimate plan or spell.
However, when Xu Que saw such a scene, he laughed out to himself before he pointed at the Fire Emperor and shouted, "Dog Emperor! My blade is getting thirsty for your blood. Come, come, come! Be good and accept your death!"
When the Fire Emperor saw that Xu Que and the rest of his followers had arrived, he wasn't the least surprised. Instead, he laughed coldly as well, "I've long guessed that the dog eunuchs didn't have the guts to destroy the teleportation spell. But alas, you're still too late!"
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot past and appeared in the air above the tombs. It then started to swirl around at the altar as it wrapped itself on the Fire Emperor.
The Fire Emperor and the rest of his ministers were then surrounded by another layer of protective spell.
"Hahah! Xu Que, what can you do about this? By the time you manage to destroy this protective enchantment, I would have already succeeded with my ritual!" The Fire Emperor taunted him as though he could already imagine how sweet his revenge on Xu Que would taste.
The group of people who followed Xu Que looked up and were aghast at seeing yet another protective spell.
The Fire Emperor had casted another layer of protective spell around himself?
"Haha! Dog Emperor, have you retracted your head into your tortoise shell once again? Do you think that by hiding within the defensive spell, you will succeed with your ritual?" Xu Que burst out laughing and didn't appear the least flustered.
The Water Empress moved to stand beside Xu Que. Her face was crestfallen and she shook her head, "Xu Que, you won't be able to make it! Come with me right now! Fire Emperor is right. By the time you break through his spell, he would have succeeded with the ritual! When that happens, he would have the additional strength from the Fire God. I won't be able to help you when that happens…"
Since things had already escalated to such a stage, she knows that she had to do everything she can to ensure Xu Que's safety even if it meant destroying the relationship between the Water and Fire Nation.
"Who said that I'm going to break through his protective spell?" Xu Que blinked once as he burst out in a wide smile.
The crowd paused in shock after hearing him say this.
If you're not going to break the spell wall, then why have you come?
Did you come here to be slaughtered after witnessing the Fire Emperor receiving the blessings from the Fire God?
"What, are you going to admit defeat? But you're still going to die!" The Fire Emperor heard Xu Que and taunted him.
Xu Que continued laughing, "No. It's just that I wish to tell you something. Your sister, Madam Ya... I've slept with her too! Oh, you're going to conduct a ritual? Alright then, you can go ahead. I shall wait for you to be done. Please don't hurry. Take your time. Please don't be ashamed that I have to wait. I won't mind!"
Chapter 260: If You Dare To Come, I Shall Blow You Up!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
As soon as Xu Que's words rang out…
The entire area was filled with silence while their faces showed a shocked expression.
Madam Ya had also been… by him?
Could it really be true?
Madam Ya was clearly being locked up in order to preserve her purity and innocence for the Fire God. If she had truly lost her virginity to him, doesn't that mean that the Fire Nation would lose the protection of Fire God?
As soon as the Fire Emperor heard this, his heart trembled in fear.
But several breaths later, he regained his composure.
After thinking harder, he realized that Xu Que was probably just trying to deceive him. After all, he already had Madam Ya sealed within a powerful protective spell and he even made the Imperial Guards to protect the area. If Xu Que managed to break through his defenses, surely, he would've known.
Besides, Madam Ya was in love with Li Bai of the Heavenly Explosion Faction and not Xu Que. And if Xu Que had forced himself on her, she would've sent someone to kill Xu Que and not remain so quiet.
Hence… this was nothing but a sham!
"Haha! Xu Que you little kid! There's no need for you to resort to such methods, for I will never believe you! Men, get the altar ready! When Flaming Sun comes, I shall invite the Fire God down to bless the nation. Soon after, I shall cut this kid with thousands of slashes and preserve the integrity of this nation!"
The Fire Emperor waved his hands and several eunuchs responded immediately, running towards the center of the altar. Each of them took a blade and slashed a gash across their own palms, allowing droplets of blood to drip into the center of the altar as it formed a strange pattern.
A booming sound was heard as the entire altar trembled.
The crowd froze in fear and were taken aback.
The Fire Emperor was confident as he proceeded to summon an image of the Fire God.
Looks like Xu Que was really lying.
Everyone knew that Madam Ya admired Li Bai of the Heavenly Explosion Faction. Since Xu Que and Li Bai were from the same sect, it was absolutely impossible for Xu Que to go crazy and do something so inhumane to his own sect brother.
"Haha! I knew it. This kid is just trying to antagonize the Fire Emperor!"
"That's too immoral. If someone didn't know him well enough, he would almost certainly be fooled!"
"The way this kid behaves is truly too similar to his master, Duan Jiu De. According to the rumors, Duan Jiu De has been known to cheat and deceive others."
"And yet it seems to me like he's even scarier than Duan Jiu De!"
The crowd broke out in hushed whispers and discussion.
The Water Empress stood aside as she looked at Xu Que with intrigue and interest. Her face was filled with an unusual sense of calmness as her pupils gleamed.
"Boom doom!"
At this point, the altar burst open as a six-meter tall stone statue of the Fire God appeared from the base of the altar.
The entire group of people held their breaths in fear and stopped whispering. A look of severity, sincerity and admiration could be seen across their faces.
The Fire God's statue! The Fire God had long existed in the rumors of the people for thousands of years. Nobody dared to deny his existence and yet nobody could affirm that he existed.
However, the Fire God was the most revered and respected God to the cultivators of the Fire Nation, for he was the God of their religion.
As soon as the statue emerged, the effect was greater than raising the flag of the Fire Nation, for everyone stumbled into strict deference.
The entire crowd tensed up and were filled with reverence for the statue.
"Pu… Hahahahahah!!!" A burst of laughter broke the silence.
Everyone's faces turned as they looked for the source of the laughter.
Then, they saw Xu Que clutching his tummy as he laughed uncontrollably.
"Hahaha! Quit playing around. This is your Fire God? Fuck me! Isn't this a poorly replicated version of the statue of liberty? She's even raising a torch to complete the look. Dog Emperor, are you fucking insane?"
Xu Que was elated by this shocking sight. This statue of the Fire God was just a fake version of the statue of liberty! A clear indicator that this was a poor imitation was that his chest was much flatter and his hair was done in a different way. This statue was given a more masculine feel. Apart from that, there weren't other differences!
The fact that the Fire Emperor and everyone else were filled with reverence for a statue like that made Xu Que laugh out uncontrollably.
"Outrageous! You dare to show disrespect to the Fire God!?" The Fire Emperor raged out in anger.
This statue had been created by the Imperial family. According to rumors, the ancestors of the Imperial family had received the blessings and protection from the Fire God and so, they created this statue. It's also said that without it, the Fire Nation wouldn't be as prosperous as it is today.
However, their own God had been laughed at by this kid. Not only was the Fire Emperor fuming, there were many other people around who started getting angry as well.
At this point, Xu Que wasn't the least bothered by their reactions as he continued laughing coldly, "Dog shit Fire God? Heavenly Explosion Faction doesn't even respect the heavens! Much less your stupid looking God! Come on then! Come on down and I shall make your statue explode. The rest of you are nothing but superstitious people who will eventually fall behind because of your beliefs. What century is this already? We should all be speaking about science! Do you understand?"
Doesn't respect the heavens and doesn't respect the Gods?
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd were filled with shock.
Everyone looked at Xu Que as though they were looking at a madman.
If he doesn't respect the heavens or Gods, who does he respect then? Himself?
That's way too scary. People without any beliefs are the most ruthless and vile. Sooner or later, he will be taken away by the heavens!
Water Empress revealed a look of astonishment as she looked at Xu Que while her heart was hammering wildly.
Looking deep into his eyes, she could tell that he didn't care for any of these superstitions or beliefs. He was a man without fear of such trivialities.
He doesn't even believe in the heavens! That's not good!
Saying something like that would only mean that his next Tribulation will become much harder to cross through and might even be powerful enough to claim his life.
Right at this point, the Fire Emperor who was still up above on the altar looked down, his face was filled with a mocking smile.
He could feel Flaming Sun Princess' aura and could tell that she was approaching fast.
For the sacrifice ritual to be successful, as long as the person who was being sacrificed was within a hundred meter radius, it would work.
Madam Ya had already participated in the ritual some time ago to commit and devote herself to the Fire God. Although the ceremony looked like she was marrying the Fire God, that was just a symbolism to show their devotion to the Fire God.
"What an ignorant kid. Xu Que, today, I shall let you feel the wrath of the Fire God!" The Fire Emperor laughed out in anger as he walked towards the statue.
Xu Que was also able to feel the fast approaching aura of Flaming Sun Princess, yet he didn't look the least worried. He folded his arms and laughed out coldly, "Dog shit FIre God's wrath? I've even exploded the heavens. Whichever God I meet, I shall slay. As long as the Fire God senses my presence, he wouldn't dare to show up!"
"Huaaa!" As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd exclaimed in shock.
He's too arrogant!
He's too crazy!
He actually dared to say something as ridiculous as that? Fire God wouldn't dare to show up after sensing his presence?
How is that possible? You're just a little Original Infant cultivator. How could you ever cause the Fire God to fear you?
Even if you wanted to boast, this wasn't how you should do it!
If the Fire God truly came, you wouldn't even have the time to cry before being wiped out. When that happens, you shall be the laughing stock for the next century and everyone in this realm will know how ridiculous you were!
A person who dares to show disrespect to the Gods would certainly have a cruel ending to his life!
"Hm… looks like you truly wouldn't shed a tear until you've seen the coffin. I shall see if that smile remains on your face later!" The Fire Emperor shouted out across to Xu Que before turning around and approached the statue reverently and slowly.
"Putong!" The Fire Emperor fell to both of his knees before he kowtowed to the statue of the Fire God.
The group of officials and all the eunuchs behind the Fire Emperor all fell to their knees as well. Their faces were filled with immense reverence and fear.
At the same time, Fire Emperor drew a small blade as he sliced his palm open. The blood of the Emperor dripped down to the ground before the statue and into the core of the altar.
Soon after, he condensed his soul strength and directed it to his fingers and he carved several complicated looking inscriptions on the ground.
"Boom doom!"
The entire statue shook violently as sand and debris fell off the top of the statue. Immediately after, a resplendent ray of white light burst forth from the statue and filled the entire area!
Everyone around were stumped.
Could it be true… that the Fire God does exist?
Is the Fire God coming down to our realm?
I've finally got the chance to meet the Fire God with my own eyes!
Water Empress' face fell as she looked towards Xu Que and urged him, "Come, let's go. The arrival of a God shouldn't be taken lightly."
"Little miss, you're too easily swayed. Please calm down and learn from me. I shall show you how to act tough!" Xu Que's expression was one of calmness.
"Boom!"
At this moment, a large sea of flames erupted right before the Fire Emperor and surrounded the entire altar. The flames rose high up into the air and felt extremely powerful.
"I invite the Fire God to descend to this realm and protect the Fire Nation!" Fire Emperor shouted out loudly, his voice soared into the clouds.
A strange sight greeted everyone who stared hard in fear.
This caused everyone who was around to tremble as they felt their knees growing weak and were almost compelled to fall to their knees.
The few officials and ministers behind the Fire Emperor shouted out as well, "We invite the Fire God to descend to our realm and protect the Fire Nation!"
Even a few cultivators around who didn't believe in such superstitions hardened their faces as they became quiet and respectful. They were afraid of showing the slightest hint of disrespect, which might bring the wrath of the Fire God upon them.
Right at this point, there was only a single man who stood still and unafraid, staring right at the statue in defiance. He had a look of taunting mockery on his face.
This man was Xu Que.
He stood right beneath the towering statue and watched as the Fire Emperor summoned the FIre God. He then shouted out in a dramatic fashion, "Fire God, the Fire Nation is now the territory of the Heavenly Explosion Faction! If you fucking come, I shall blow you to pieces!"
As soon as the crowd heard Xu Que's crazed words, their faces all fell. The Fire God was about to descend down to this realm and Xu Que still dared to show such blatant disregard for him by speaking such gibberish words. To them, Xu Que was a walking dead man.
However, even before the crowd had time to react, they saw the ferociously looking Fire God statue tremble once.
"Boom!"
A loud crash could be heard as the Fire God's arm cracked and exploded into fragments.
As soon as his arm exploded, blazing light erupted from the stump and shone in all directions.
The sea of fire on the altar became visibly weaker at that moment before it completely disappeared. At the next moment, everything was silent and calm, as though nothing had ever happened in the first place!
Exploded!
The Fire God actually exploded!
The entire group of people stood still in shock and couldn't regain their senses after what they had witnessed.
Chapter 261: This Was Done By Li Bai, That Cheap Bastard!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
The entire atmosphere was filled with panic and fear which coursed through the entire area.
The crowd were terrified and their faces turned pale as all colors were drained from their faces. They looked at Xu Que with trepidation.
This kid… How did he do that?
He's only of the Original Infant Stage. How did he managed to do that?
"Even the Fire God was intimidated by him and was forced to retreat! Was it because he mentioned the Heavenly Explosion Faction? Or was it because he was intimidating enough alone?"
"That's too scary. Just a single sentence and the Fire God's statue was ruined!"
"Was the Fire God afraid? Looks like Xu Que did that to prevent the Fire God from descending down to our mortal realm!"
Most people around were still filled with disbelief and yet they had witnessed it personally. This filled all of them with immense fear.
Mere words from Xu Que could interrupt the Fire Emperor's sacrifice ritual and could even make the statue of the Fire God to break. That meant that even the heavens were afraid of him. Hence, many of them had changed their minds.
Looks like the heavens weren't as unrivalled as they thought, for they had fears of their own as well-- that was this Original Infant staged teenager!
The Fire Emperor and the other officials and ministers stood on the spot, each of them, bewildered at the sight they had witnessed and their minds were blank.
They found it extremely hard to accept the truth... that their sacrifice to the Fire God had failed!
And the statue of the Fire God had even exploded!
Could this really be the end of the Fire Nation? Without any warning or signs, this kid came along and destroyed the future of the Fire Nation!
The Water Empress found it hard to contain her bewilderment as she stared at Xu Que in utter shock.
The faces of everyone fell drastically and only Xu Que's expression remained the same throughout, smiling to himself.
In his head, the system notifications were ringing out unceasingly.
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 130 act tough points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 150 act tough points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 180 act tough points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough intelligently, and even offended the Fire God. The reward is 500 act tough points!"
Fuck me!
As soon as Xu Que heard the final notification ring out, he almost jumped up in shock.
"System, what do you mean by that? Is there really a Fire God in this realm? So what if I offended him? Will he actually come and kill me?"
"The next Tribulation that you'll face will have a much higher difficulty level." The system replied coldly.
"As long as he doesn't kill me, that's fine. It's just a Heavenly Tribulation after all. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, I can explode the heavens. Why should I be afraid of him?" Xu Que heaved a sigh of relief before putting on a cocky front.
He then looked up towards the Fire Emperor by the altar and shouted out, "Dog Emperor, what now?! Your Fire God refuses to come down to our realm. Do you have any other moves to show?"
"..." The Fire Emperor fell into silence.
His face fell, making him look rather intimidating and yet his heart was filled with suspicions, wondering the reason for such an outcome!
"Whoosh!"
Right at this point, two rays of bright white light flashed across the skies as the Flaming Sun Princess and Zi Xuan rushed over.
It was rather obvious that both of their faces had strange expressions.
As soon as Zi Xuan saw the Water Empress standing next to Xu Que, her face fell and she opened her eyes wide!
"Sister, what are you doing here?" She exclaimed in shock.
As soon as these words were spoken, Xu Que felt his eyelids twitch.
Fuck! Zi Xuan is the younger sister of the Water Empres?
Zi Xuan, Hong Yan… No wonder their names are so similar.
But the Water Empress is still better than Zi Xuan. The way she carries herself, her demeanor and her… Keke... the Water Empress is definitely better!
The Water Empress laughed gently, "He's half a disciple of the Sky Incense Valley and I'm here to bring him back and pay respects to his master!"
"What?" Zi Xuan was clearly astonished, and yet she recalled how a "Hua Wu Que" had made a reputation for himself during the Sky Incense Valley trials. However, she and the Flaming Sun Princess were both aware that Hua Wu Que was just another name of Xu Que.
"No sister, that won't do. He's..."
"Yo, so this miss is the younger sister of the Water Empress? This humble subject is Xu Que. It's a pleasure meeting you. Let's watch out for one another!" Xu Que interrupted Zi Xuan's words and smiled as he spoke.
Once Zi Xuan saw Xu Que's smile, she held her tongue and started thinking again. She recalled how both she and the Flaming Sun Princess had been poisoned by Xu Que and realized that this was a poor time to bring that up.
Hence, she shut her mouth and stopped speaking.
The Flaming Sun Princess didn't stop. However, as she went past Xu Que, she cursed, "Shameless traitor." Then she moved towards the altar.
Xu Que was clearly upset by this comment. I didn't kill you and you still dared to curse me this way? What grounds do you have to call me shameless? You're just a bully!
"Boom!"
Right at this moment, Xu Que poured his soul strength out as he raised his hands. Immediately, the Flaming Sun Princess was being prevented from moving further. She paused momentarily in the air before falling to the ground.
"Stop it!" The Fire Emperor shouted out in anger when he saw this.
However, Xu Que didn't execute his killer blow. If he wanted to kill the Flaming Sun Princess, all he had to do was to use his mind and she would be dead. He didn't even have to move.
Hence, he did this just to force the Fire Emperor out.
Without wasting time, he spent some act tough points and halted the spell restrictions around the altar.
Besides, Madam Ya had already lost her purity to Xu Que. Even if the Fire Emperor tried his utmost, he wouldn't be able to call upon the Fire God. Xu Que was thus completely free of worry.
"Dog Emperor, if you want me to stop, come on out! You're just like a tortoise, hiding in your shell. What kind of monarch are you? It's no wonder that the Fire God chose to ignore you. All these are the consequences of your own actions. Only someone who's as ferocious and fearsome like me would be able to make the Fire God cower in fear!" Xu Que shouted out.
Even before the Fire Emperor opened his mouth, Flaming Sun Princess clutched her chest as she stood up and spoke, "Father Emperor, don't worry about me. Activate the protective spell and get out of here!"
"What about Madam Ya?" The Fire Emperor asked. He wanted to be certain if the ritual earlier had succeeded or failed."
"Madam Ya is no longer a virgin. When I went over, I discovered that the Purity Bracelet on her wrist had vanished. Hence, I rushed here to inform Father Emperor." As soon as the Flaming Sun Princess said this, her face looked extremely displeased as she glared at Xu Que.
"What?" The Fire Emperor was shaken as he stood on the spot and stared into space. His mind was completely blank!
When the crowd heard this, they were all stumped as well.
"Madam Ya has really given herself away?"
"Fuck me! No wonder that the ritual failed. It was because Madam Ya had already lost her virginity. How could the Fire God still extend its protection to Fire Nation?"
"Xu Que, this kid is really too vicious!"
Most of the onlookers had nothing to say as their eyes fell onto Xu Que.
This kid had slept with the Fire Emperor's concubine, the Princess, and now, it's with the Fire Emperor's own sister!
Damn it! And he still had the cheek to say that he scared the Fire God away?
Screw your sister! You clearly knew that the ritual was going to fail.
Just thinking of this almost caused many people to vomit blood. They thus gained a deeper insight into Xu Que's shamelessness and realized how thick skinned he truly was.
The Water Empress threw a glance at Xu Que, her demeanor was rather calm as her lips curled into a smile. She then spoke into his mind, "Little kid, now I know why you've come here with so much confidence and decided to chase after the Fire Emperor!"
"Eh, that has nothing to do with me. I, Xu Que, would always dare to own up to my mistakes. This was done by Li Bai, that cheap bastard!" Xu Que spoke indignantly.
Chapter 262: Wrath Of The Fire God!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Xu Que's skin was unbelievably thick, that nobody had anything more to say about him at this point. It had reached a stage where his thick skinned nature was probably the pinnacle of all other thick skinned men who had ever existed.
The uncanny ability to shut his eyes and convince everyone that he was blind was something very unique to him.
From start to end, Xu Que had always abided by a simple rationale-- that was, the man who is shameless will always be unrivalled.
However, since he replied the Water Empress by speaking into her mind and was non-verbal, Zi Xuan and the Flaming Sun Princess didn't hear it. If not, they would probably expose that Xu Que and Li bai were the same person. If they'd exposed him, the crowd would probably collapse at the realization of how utterly shameless this man was.
The Water Empress didn't seem to pay much mind as well and just assumed that Xu Que was just a mischievous junior and shook her head while laughing. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Xu Que with utmost interest.
When Xu Que noticed that she was looking at him, he felt rather shy and couldn't help but to look away.
All of a sudden, his eyes hovered over the statue of the Fire God in shock. As if he was trying to change the topic of conversation, he exclaimed loudly, "Eh? Everyone quickly look! The statue seemed to have lost a hand!"
"...";The Water Empress paused in shock.
Everyone around froze.
The statue seemed to have lost a hand?
That's right!
We know about this!
It just blew up right in front of us!
We aren't blind. Why are you telling us about this?
Xu Que allowed his jaws to hang as he replied formally, "That's way too outrageous! It's not a masterpiece! Doing something like this truly affected the beauty of the statue and there's not a touch of talent existing in this piece of art! Ai, looks like I have to act now!"
"You're going to act now? What are you going to do?" The Water Empress froze once again as a bad feeling took over her.
"Nothing much, little miss! You came all the way here for me, to watch me act tough! How can I let you return empty handed? Come, come, come… Let me show you something for you to remember all your life!"
Xu Que blinked once before flinging his robes. Laughing loudly, he moved towards the statue by the altar.
As soon as the statue emerged earlier, the massive frame of the statue had broken out of the protective spell and more than half of the upper torso of the statue wasn't under protection of any spells.
Hence, Xu Que soared towards the statue, causing everyone to pause in curiosity.
What is this kid trying to do now?
He's flying to the Fire God statue? He probably wouldn't be…
No!
Impossible!
That's too disrespectful to the Fire God and would incur the wrath of the heavens if he did that!
At that point, everyone had an ominous feeling creeping up in their hearts as though they all expected something bad to happen.
Indeed…
When everyone looked up, they saw Xu Que soaring to upper torso of the statue, with a sword in his hands. He then moved to the side of the statue with the other hand intact and severed it off as well!
"Boom!"
The remaining intact hand was fell off and it crashed heavily to the ground.
Everything was silent after the crash and everyone remained quiet.
The arm of the statue was sliced off so cleanly and it dropped to the ground in an anticlimactic fashion as though it was nothing more than a slab of stone.
Doomed!
We're really doomed!
Everyone remained stunned.
This kid… actually dared to ruin the statue of the Fire God?
That was showing such major disrespect to the Fire God and will incur his wrath!
The Water Empress expression was stoic as well. She was worried that Xu Que would do something immoral and yet would never expect him to ruin the statue of the Fire God!
When Xu Que was uttering curses and slandering the Fire God, nothing much had happened to him.
But now, he actually ruined the statue physically! The Water Empress couldn't control her emotions, for she knew that there will be retribution for such an act. In his next Tribulations, the heavens would certainly do everything it can to strike him dead!
"Xu Que, stop it now!" The Water Empress shouted out in his mind.
"Outrageous! You… You dare to treat the Fire God with such impunity?" The Fire Emperor was clearly enraged as he shouted out to Xu Que while pointing at him in anger.
Xu Que didn't seem to pay him any mind and replied, "Fire God my ass! I'm showing you what a piece of art is. Have you never heard of the statue of Venus? It's a statue without both arms… Forget it, one look and I know that none of you have seen it. Today, I decided to be generous and helped to complete this masterpiece before your eyes!"
"First, the hairstyle of this statue is off. And his hair is too long!" As he spoke, Xu Que then clutched his sword as he flew higher to the head of the statue. He then waved his sword at the statue's hair.
Snip, snip, snip!
Xu Que's sword moved in a burst as the light from the sword gleamed. Blocks of stone was being chipped off from the statue as its hair became shorter with each passing moment. At last, the statue resembled a man with a buzz cut, causing everyone to be at a loss for words.
This kid… is actually cutting the hair of the Fire God?
He's really insane!
The heavens won't forgive him for this!
As soon as Xu Que was done cutting the hair, he observed the statue from afar as though he was deep in thought. His expression was severe as he muttered under his breath, "Oh! I almost forgot. It seems like Venus was a woman. This statue's chest is too flat. I have to do something about it. But what should I use to enhance his chest? Oh… I got it! This is when scrap becomes useful…"
As soon as he spoke, he gathered the pieces of stone from the ground which came from the broken arm. He then grinded these pieces of stone till they were fine sand. Xu Que added some water, causing it to form white globs. He then started putting these globs of white sand onto the statue's chest till it became bigger and bigger…
"Alright. I will change his clothes another day and there we have it! A perfect statue of Venus! What a piece of art!" Xu Que clapped his hands as he returned to the side of the Water Empress.
Everyone's faces were filled with shock as they scrutinized the newly modified statue before their eyes.
All of them were stupefied beyond measure.
And yet they had to admit, that this new statue did look very different from the one they had seen earlier.
There seemed to be a new aura to this statue and it was somewhat better looking than the previous one.
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 150 act tough points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 180 act tough points!"
"Ding! Host has acquired 'Fire God's Hatred'. As of today, future Tribulations will be extremely powerful!"
The system rang out in Xu Que's mind.
Xu Que was taken aback!
What the hell?
Am I really being marked by the Fire God?
That's truly vicious!
But what's so scary about a powerful Tribulation? Even if it's extremely hard, I will overcome it as easily. After all, I am the king of lightning!
It looks like this Act Tough King sacrificed himself in the name of art!
If the heavens decide to punish me by making my Tribulations harder, then bring it on!
Just a mere Fire God!
Carry on your anger and hatred for me!
Do you really think that this Act Tough King will be afraid of you?
"So, what do you think? Little miss… this extremely precious and valuable statue of Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love, I shall give it to you. Do you like it?"
After observing his works for several moments, Xu Que looked back at the Water Empress and blinked several times, admiring his work.
"The statue of this god doesn't even have any arms…" The Water Empress laughed out.
"So what if she doesn't have arms? Let me tell you! This is something you didn't know! It's precisely because this statue doesn't have any arms that it's very valuable. Come, come, come, grab a seat. You… Everyone, listen to this lesson!"
Xu Que then pointed at the fallen arms of the statue on the ground and spoke in a grave tone, "If both arms were on the statue, would this still be called perfection? That would be too normal. On the other hand… Look! This statue lacks a pair of arms. That's called perfection in flaws. Something that is too perfect would instead be normal and imperfect…"
Chapter 263: Dog Emperor, It's Time To Go!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Everyone heard Xu Que loud and clear. They felt like they had just been jolted awake from a dream.
Most of these people around were cultivators and anything they hear and understand which contains logic about how the world worked or philosophical ideas would cause their hearts to see the world with more clarity and improve their cultivation. Sometimes, hearing profound ideas might even enable them to break through their cultivation bottleneck!
Xu Que's entire speech about how beauty resided in imperfection sounded like it was utterly rubbish and lacked logic and sounded rather comical. But when a person started delving more into this idea, it would cause them to understand something completely different.
"Beauty in imperfection?" When the Water Empress heard this, she was somewhat astonished as well as she fell deep in thought.
Indeed, these words spoken by Xu Que sounded very simple but contained profound philosophy about the world and was extremely thought provoking.
It is the way of the heavens to take from what's in excess in order to make good of what is deficient.
Even in the way of the Dao, the paths aren't all perfect and imperfection is to be expected.
Aren't these synonymous with what Xu Que had said about beauty in imperfection?
But even if that was the case and you wanted to demonstrate the concept of "beauty in imperfection", you can't just… You can't just ruin the Fire God's statue like that!
Looking at the conceited and satisfied Xu Que, the Water Empress shook her head, unsure of whether to laugh or to cry. "What do you plan to do now kid?"
"Since my art piece has already been completed, then the next thing left to do would be… to act tough! Pui, I mean… Of course, it's to seek revenge!" Xu Que's lips curled as he took a large stride as he stood beside the Flaming Sun Princess.
Soon after, there was a "whoosh" sound as he whipped out his sword once more and placed it along the fair and tender throat of the Princess. He then glanced towards the Fire Emperor and shouted out coldly, "Dog Emperor, your daughter is now with me! I don't wish for riches, neither do I wish for women. If you want her to live, shut off your protective spell and come on down now!"
"Stop it Xu Que! Don't be rash!" Zi Xuan shouted out anxiously.
"I'm not being rash. If I wanted to kill her, she'd be long dead!" Xu Que's words had two meanings as he was also referring to the incident about the poison, which only these two ladies knew.
However, to everyone else, this statement wasn't wrong at all. With Xu Que's prowess, killing the Princess who was only at the Golden Core stage was only too easy!
Up on the altar, the Fire Emperor's face turned pale as his hands started trembling in fear.
As the monarch of the powerful Fire Nation, he never expected to fall to such a state.
And yet he didn't regret, for he only blamed his luck for being poor.
He also realized that he should've completely vanquished Xu Que's body to dust and shouldn't have listened to his daughter. If he only made sure that Xu Que would disintegrate with the soil beneath his feet, none of this could have happened.
He didn't do it and so, this was the result!
"Dog Emperor, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to rescue your own daughter?" Xu Que shouted out once again.
The time of use for the excavator was up and he didn't wish to waste another 500 act tough points to extend the rental time.
Indeed, the Fire Emperor maintained his composure as he stood still and unmoving under the watchful eyes of everyone. He was standing by the altar as though he was deep in thought.
The Flaming Sun Princess straightened up as her body trembled gently in fear.
She didn't wish for her father Emperor to sacrifice himself for her and yet when she saw that he was hesitating, she couldn't help but tremble and felt pain in her heart.
After all, the emotions of humans are such complex affairs.
Xu Que shook his head before sighing. He then turned to the crowd and addressed them.
"My friends, look at this! The Dog Emperor is too inhumane and heartless. He won��t even save his own daughter! No matter how vicious a tiger is, it won't eat it's children. Then what difference does he have from a bastard beast?"
Everyone fell into silence for they realized that it was indeed rather inhumane. How can an Emperor claim to love his people when he doesn't even love his daughter?
Right at this point, Xu Que opened his mouth once again.
"And yet, maybe we can't blame him. After all, he's afraid of death. Look at that dog Emperor standing there, pretending to be strong and fearless. In actual fact, he's terrified of death. I know that deep down, he wants to fall to his knees and beg for mercy. But as a monarch, he won't kneel without a proper reason and that's very normal." Xu Que spoke like he understood the Fire Emperor's predicament and empathized with him, causing everyone to pause in shock.
What the hell? Now you're speaking up for the Fire Emperor?
Big brother, what are you playing at?
Everyone casted astonished glances at Xu Que. Even the Fire Emperor eyed him coldly.
Xu Que then continued, "Everyone knows that the monarch of a nation is deemed as the son of heaven. Apart from kneeling to the heavens and his parents, he shall kneel to no man. Even if there are certain things which are hard for him to do, in his capacity as an Emperor, he would ask his subordinates to do it on his behalf."
"Hence, even if he truly wanted to kneel down and beg for his dog life, his heart and pride wouldn't allow him to, because he is still the Fire Emperor. So the question is…" Xu Que paused as he swept a glance at everyone around.
Everyone looked at Xu Que as their hearts were extremely confused.
What's going on? Do you want us to think of a solution for you so that the Fire Emperor can kneel down to you?
This is such a strange situation. For so long, you've been screaming out about killing the Fire Emperor. And now, if the Fire Emperor truly knelt down, would you let him off?
That's impossible! That's so out of character!
The Water Empress gazed at Xu Que curiously as her heart was filled with suspicions, wondering what game this kid is playing.
Xu Que finally opened his mouth and continued, "How should we handle this matter? Actually, that's rather hard. He wishes to kneel, but can't kneel. After all, he's the son of heaven. Hence, he actually communicated in my mind. He asked me to announce to everyone and ask if there's someone here in the crowd who would… take over the role of Emperor on his behalf?"
"Pu!" Everyone spat out saliva as they attempted to hold their laughters in.
Damn it! You played around for the entire day and came up with something like this?
Who would want to take over as Emperor?
Shouldn't we settle the problem of him kneeling down first?
The Water Empress couldn't help but to chuckle as well.
"Outrageous! The audacity of you! I didn't say anything like that!" The Fire Emperor was nearly mad with anger as he roared out.
Xu Que then raised his eyebrows as he looked up at the Fire Emperor and laughed coldly, "Dog Emperor, looks like the only way to get you to speak is to agitate you. In actual fact, you know this too. Even if you don't shut off your protective spell, I can break through it as well. The outcome is the same. You will die. Whether you die earlier or later, doesn't matter, right?"
The Fire Emperor fell into silence once again as his face revealed an expression of gloom.
Xu Que then continued, "In this life, the most important thing is to be happy. Since you've already led a happy life, try to be positive about the whole situation!'
"Come on, shut off your protective spell. Look. For you, everyone here is wasting so much of their precious time."
"For you to have lived up to this point, you've already done well. I've tried to kill you several times now, but failed. For someone like you, if you were a character in a story, you wouldn't have lived past the third chapter. But you've already lived for so long. If you didn't die now, the readers will all start cursing at the author!"
"Hence, you've done well. Now, it's time for you to go and meet your eighteen generations of ancestors…"
"As humans, we can't be too stubborn. What about this, I shall allow you to kill yourself and end your life with more dignity!"
The entire crowd felt cold sweat dripping and were at a loss for words.
They've only seen people trying to coax others from committing suicide. This kid however, is coaxing the Fire Emperor to kill himself.
And the worst part was, how he made it sound like it was the right thing to do!
Chapter 264: Break The Shackles Of Slavery And Save The World!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
"Xu Que, do you really think that I have no more tricks up my sleeves? I am the Fire Emperor and the methods of my royal family aren't as simple as you think!" The Fire Emperor laughed out coldly and spoke. He had a look of crazed cruelty in his eyes as if he had been pushed to the edge.
"You think that just because you caused my younger sister to lose her purity, I wouldn't be able to proceed with the ritual? Well, you're wrong. You're direly wrong. Hahahaha!!!" The Fire Emperor started laughing maniacally.
"Shit!"
The Water Empress seemed to have thought of something as her face fell.
Xu Que paused in shock as well. Can this Dog Emperor truly proceed with the ritual?
"Xu Que child, you've forced me to do this. Since you refused to let go, then I shall take you to death with me. I shall take everyone here to death with me!" The Fire Emperor shouted out in a crazed tone.
With a wave of his hands, he conjured a massive wave of flames, enveloping the entire area around them.
"Boom!"
The inscriptions on the ground glowed once again as it rapidly turned to bright flash of light as it levitated from the ground.
The glowing inscriptions which the Fire Emperor was stepping on was lifted off the ground and it turned into a bright beam which shot swiftly towards the direction of the Imperial Palace.
"Fuck me! I was wondering what cool ultimate skill you're going to use, but instead, you opted to flee again. Dog Emperor, is fleeing the only thing you know how to do?" Xu Que burst out in frustration.
However, the Water Empress face looked grave as she exclaimed, "He's not running. He's going to sacrifice all the spirits and living citizens of the Fire Nation. Kid, go and stop him!"
When Xu Que heard this, he opened his eyes wide in shock, "Fuck me this time! He can do something like that? Dog Emperor, you're really going to do this?"
"Chase after him!"
As soon as the Water Empress said this, he didn't hesitate any longer as he soared into the skies and started making chase.
Xu Que's lips curled upwards in a snarl. Indeed, acting tough has its occupational hazards as well. This dog Emperor really knows how to play.
Boom!
He activated the Eight Waste Destruction Flames and the Lightning Haste spell as he dashed through the clouds.
Although the Fire Emperor sped off first, the consolation to Xu Que was that he wasn't hiding behind his protective spell any longer. This saved Xu Que the act tough points needed to rent the excavator once again. He thus chased after the Fire Emperor with great haste.
However, with the addition of the glowing inscriptions beneath his feet, the Fire Emperor was moving extremely quick as he headed towards the city. From time to time, he would turn his head back and look at Xu Que and the Water Empress chasing after him and he laughed out loudly, "There's no use. The entire Imperial City was built such that it's a massive altar and the ritual had already begun. Everyone within the Imperial City shall be used as sacrifice and we shall die together!"
"Damned retard! Don't think that just because you're hiding, I won't be able to kill you!" Xu Que cursed back at the Fire Emperor.
He then then accessed the system inventory and whipped out the God Powered Cannon which he had acquired from the Imperial Palace and aimed at the figure of the Fire Emperor. He slapped a spiritual stone into the cannon as it shot after him.
"Boom!"
A golden ray of light emanated out as it rippled through the air and shot towards the Fire Emperor.
There was an invisible barrier hovering at the Fire Emperor as though the strength of the Fire God was defending him.
The golden burst of light shot out from the cannon and it hit the Fire Emperor, yet it was absorbed by the invisible barrier.
The Fire Emperor was unscathed from the cannon.
"That's the faith of the people towards the Fire God and it cannot be broken!"
The Water Empress looked at the God Powered Cannon and shook her head.
Xu Que's expression was ashen.
Looks like the effectiveness of the God Powered Cannon won't be of use here. Against a normal Original Infant cultivator, it might have been useful. But against a level six Infant Transformation elite cultivator, it was rather weak.
Much less the Fire Emperor, who was about to perform the sacrifice ritual and had acquired the faith of his people to defend himself. He was thus much stronger!
"Hahaha! Little bastard, you're finished!" The Fire Emperor laughed out once again.
The three of them were speeding, two in hot pursuit of one. Less than two hours later, they arrived outside the Imperial City.
At this point, the scene within the city stumped Xu Que, making it hard for him to believe his eyes.
Countless of mortals and cultivators were all on their knees as they prayed to the Fire God.
Their faces were filled with sincerity and humility, as though they were earnestly praying for their lives.
"What's going on? Why is this happening?" Xu Que's eyelids jumped.
The Water Empress gave a grave frown as she shook her head, "We're too late. Come on kid, let's go! Once the ritual is complete, the Fire Emperor would gain an immense strength boost and he will be unrivalled. Once the effects have worn off, the Fire Emperor would die too. Come with me. I shall take you to somewhere else to hide and wait for this to be over."
"Hide? Are you kidding? Why do I need to hide from this dog Emperor?" Xu Que was clearly displeased.
We've already chased up to this point and you actually want me to hide? That's impossible!
"That's God's Strength and it is impossible to break. Ever since the old days, the souls of the commoners have gotten used to being enslaved by the Emperor and this is something that would never change. It was precisely because of such authority possessed by the Emperor, that over the course of thousands of years, nobody could change it!" The Water Empress sighed out and spoke.
"Enslavery of souls?" As soon as Xu Que heard this, his eyes opened wide.
Such an explanation by the Water Empress was understood by Xu Que who had always excelled in history lessons.
Wasn't this feudalism? In which the monarch holds absolute power over the commoners and owned them like slaves?
This meant that the commoners were enslaved by such thinking!
Break the shackles of slavery!
And rebuild a fair and equal society!
Only then would a world be perfect!
Alright then, since that's the case, this Act Tough King shall save the world once again and return freedom to the citizens of the Fire Nation!
At this point, Xu Que's lips parted to reveal a smile as he sighed and turned to look at the Water Empress.
"You little cheeky girl, you should've said so earlier. Isn't this just the souls of the commoners being brainwashed by the Emperor? I thought it was something greater than this!"
When Xu Que said "cheeky girl", the Water Empress felt her usually calm and composed heart tremble as her entire body went numb.
However, what truly shocked her was the second half of Xu Que's sentence.
I thought it was something greater than this? Could it be that this kid wished to change the ancient way of beliefs held for centuries?
No, that's impossible to do!
The authority of the Emperor had long been vested within the hearts and minds of these civilians.
Every nation, regardless of whether it was a large or small nation, had always been subservient to the crown. The commoners had always lived under the protection and rule of the Emperor.
Hence, their loyalty and reverence to the Emperor had already been ingrained deep into their bones and souls. How can he think of changing it like that?
Besides, the Fire Emperor already had plans to kill himself and drag Xu Que down with him. His insistence on this was absolute and his intent blossomed from the depths of his heart, which binded all these commoners to his will out of sheer fear. Even if they knew that they would die, they couldn't put up any resistance.
"Whoosh!"
However, right at this point, Xu Que waved his hands and took out his electronic keyboard and placed it over his thighs. He then started playing.
"Zeng zeng!"
The sounds of drums, of piano and flutes could be heard all together and it reverberated all across the area.
A certain sense of exhilaration coursed throughout as though he was igniting the passions of everyone who could hear the music.
The Water Empress' eyes gleamed as she looked at Xu Que, clearly stirred.
At the next moment, Xu Que's face froze as he gave a severe expression.
He raised his hands and condensed his energy within his dantian before allowing his voice to boom out through his lips.
"Arise!
Ye who don't wish to be slaves,
With our blood and flesh,
Let us build our new Imperial City.
The citizens of the Fire Nation have come,
Right at the critical moment,
As we face our greatest peril,
The urgent call to action comes out,
Arise!
Arise!
Arise!
Millions of but one heart..."
(T/N: The Chinese National Anthem)
Chapter 265: Kill the Fire Emperor! Free the Fire Country!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The loud and majestic singing voice that rang out from the four-star musician Xu Que's lips resounded all throughout the imperial city, purifying everything that came in its path.
Everyone was stunned!
After being charmed and spellbound by the Fire Emperor's rituals for all this time, the common folk began to see clearly at last.
Even the Empress herself was awestruck and stared at Xu Que in disbelief. It was only when she saw Xu Que's earnest and serious face that she finally realized—this bastard wasn't only good at silly tricks and stupid jokes, he also had a big heart as well! How else could he have sung such a sublime song that had moved the hearts of all who had listened?
The Fire Emperor, still hovering in mid-air, was gobsmacked as well. He watched in horror as his majestic divine powers began to dissipate and scatter into thin air. He began to burn all over with anxiety.
"No, no… Stop it!" yelled the Fire Emperor at Xu Que. "I command you to stop! I command you to shut up!"
None of his imperial commands made any effect, though, as they were being completely eclipsed by Xu Que's powerful and sonorous voice and crushed by the sound of justice that was reverberating through his song!
...
In truth, it was because of Xu Que's deep respect for this song that he had become so solemn and serious--the sanctity of this song that stood for liberty and freedom could not be violated! It represented the indomitable spirit of a great nation of people, it represented the inviolable holiness of the divine, and it represented relentless perseverance and determination!
Xu Que had now adapted it, all with a genuinely pure intention to save the people!
Well… that, and to act tough!
Still, Xu Que was nothing more than a four-star musician after all. It was impossible for a single song to change the world, and stupid to imagine that one song could dislodge the ideological beliefs held by the people that had been passed down from generation to generation—no, that would be asking too much.
But that didn't mean he couldn't do anything at all. Xu Que could easily put the people under his influence for a short period of time and awaken them from the stupor that they had been put under by the Fire Emperor's rituals!
"This is our final stand, let's unite and fight till the sun rises up again tomorrow!"
Xu Que become more and more fired up as he sang, and there were signs that it had produced some effects in the people. They no longer knelt on the ground, they no longer bowed their heads down. Instead, they had begun to stand up and direct eyes that were full of awe and respect onto Xu Que!
"No!" yelled the Emperor. "You little scum, I told you to shut the hell up!"
The Fire Emperor was now bristling with anger. He turned around abruptly and headed straight towards Xu Que. Although more than half of his body's divine powers that he had worked so hard to accumulate had now dissipated, he was still very strong and was not to be taken lightly.
Sharp murderous intent flowed out from his body!
"I'm going to kill you!"
At this point the Empress noticed him and sharply drew in a breath before quickly rushing towards Xu Que and standing between him and the wrathful Fire Emperor.
She then pointed her delicate finger to the sky and waved it gently, causing a ripple to appear.
Boom!
The empty space in front of Xu Que instantly turned to water and then quickly gathered to become a vast, vast sea complete with its own rogue waves!
Heavens above!
Xu Que's eyes opened as wide as saucers, flummoxed by the sight before him.
What fierce powers the Empress possesses! She can unleash such powerful force so easily with just a gentle wave of a finger… This is the epitome of acting tough! I must learn to do it as well!
Xu Que's eyes were then hit by a gust of hot air…
Bang!
As expected, even such a powerful force could hardly cause any effects on the mighty Fire Emperor. Even when the song had weakened his powers by more than half, he still remained a formidable force not to be underestimated.
The emperor unleashed his Flaming Dragon, and he crashed into the wall of water looking like a golden dragon diving into the sea. He vanished inside the body water, then suddenly exploded within it, dispersing all the water and making it vanish into thin air!
"Get out of the way, little girl," said the Fire Emperor to the Empress. "Watch me destroy him!"
Whooossshhhh!
Xu Que let out a scream then activated the system's automatic hosting functions and continued to perform the song. At the same time, he unsheathed a sharp sword and assumed the stance for God Killing Sword, ready to kill the dogged emperor.
Right at that moment, a few columns of icicles appeared in front of him, forming a protective barrier between him and the Fire Emperor. The Empress then appeared before him, calm as the surface of a still lake, and as graceful and dignified as ever.
"Keep on playing the music, young man!" she said. "Let me handle the rest!"
Xu Que raised an eyebrow at the Empress' command, realizing now that in order to kill the Fire Emperor, he had to destroy the remaining half of his divine power! Even though the song was playing loudly at the time, some of the people had not yet awakened and remained sacrificial lambs for the Emperor's ritual as their life force was being continually consumed right at that moment!
"All of you," shouted Xu Que at the people he had awakened. "Help your fellow countrymen and wake them up! The battle has not been won yet, we must all work very hard to achieve victory!"
"Yes!" replied a monk immediately. "I, Old Ma, will join the battle to kill the Fire Emperor and free the Fire Country!"
"I will join the battle as well!"
"Kill the Fire Emperor! Free the Fire Country!"
"Kill the Fire Emperor! Free the Fire Country!"
Soon, the energy of the small initial group of people began to spread, and more and more people stood up and joined the spirited shouts. Their cries rang in all directions, awakening more and more of the common folk from the clutches of the Fire Emperor's powers.
But still… they couldn't awaken everyone in the whole imperial city.
No, this isn't enough, thought Xu Que. I'm afraid I have to bring out the big guns now!
Xu Que's eyebrows furrowed so deeply that they almost joined together as he called up the system and entered the market on the interface. He quickly purchased a manuscript and made simple alterations on it.
He then flung the manuscript down towards the monk who had first stood up and shouted earlier.
"Old Ma, that's your name isn't it?" he shouted to the monk. "Good, from now on you'll be called Ma…rx, yes, from now on your name is Marx! And you, the one beside him! Your name will be Engels from now on. Both of you distribute the manuscript among the crowd of people now! And read it aloud while you're at it!"
"Huh?" The two monks were stunned for a moment. They then looked at each other and flipped open the manuscript, and were further perplexed by the text inside.
"The Declaration of… Independence?" they both read out in an uncertain tone.
"What? Wasn't it the Communist Manifesto?" said Xu Que. "Oh shit, I must've bought the wrong one. Ah, never mind, the Declaration of Independence will do! Go on, hurry up! Distribute it around and let everyone read it. If this doesn't destroy the son of a bitch emperor, I don't know what will!"
Meanwhile, the crowd was still bellowing out, "kill the Fire Emperor! Free the Fire Country!
At the same time, the Fire Emperor and the Empress were still engaged in a fierce battle, until suddenly the Fire Emperor couldn't hold his anger in any longer and shouted out: "you peasants! You're nothing but flesh and meat to me! I am your emperor! You must do as I command! If I commanded you to die, then die you must! How dare you defy me?"
"Don't listen to the old fart!" yelled Xu Que in reply. He then addressed the monk called Ma saying, "come on, Marx! Since you're the first one to read the manuscript, come on up and shout it out so everyone can hear you!"
The monk's face was full of emotions. The bold ideas of the Declaration of Independence had kindled a fire in his blood and they had completely shattered all his formerly held beliefs in the short amount of time that he had spent reading it.
Now that Xu Que, their leader, had called upon him to spread the noble words of the manuscript, he cared little of the fact that his name had only become Marx a few minutes ago and stepped up proudly to shout out the good words he had just read.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident," shouted 'Marx'. "That human beings are all equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…"
"Alright, good job. Now, Engels, it's your turn!" said Xu Que, pointing to the man next to the monk named Ma.
The man then stepped up promptly and without any hesitation at all.
"We appeal," shouted the man with a booming voice, "to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions…"
As 'Engels' read on more people who had now received the manuscripts began to join in as well. Their voices got louder and louder, until finally when they reached the last sentence, the people's voices united into a loud and resonating single voice.
"We solemnly declare that we, the people of Fire Country, are now free and independent, and we are absolved from all allegiance and loyalty to the Emperor!"
Pooffff!
The moment the crowd uttered the last word, the Fire Emperor who was still fighting the Empress in the clouds suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.