The power of the Emperor's weapon was something Qin Wudao was very aware of. It easily allowed for battles against opponents of higher levels and could be a lifesaver in dire situations, a trump card that could turn the tables.
What a treasure!
Qin Wudao licked his lips, his eyes aflame with desire as he stared at the Six-stringed Demon Zither. In a certain sense, the instrument was incredibly precious—a weapon that killed enemies with melody.
He had already decided; he must find a way to acquire this zither.
He wouldn't resort to killing and looting for it, but if it were simply served to him, that would be a different story.
"To die under the power of a royal weapon is your fortune!" Sky Gang Old Ancestor sneered fiercely. In just a fleeting moment, he transformed drastically, his body shriveled, his face crisscrossed with deep crevices, looking like a skeleton cloaked in human skin.
His face full of hatred, he glared at Qin Emperor and the others. The Six-stringed Demon Zither was a broken Emperor's weapon. It had its own consciousness and could choose its master.
These people, with their mediocre talent and low cultivation, naturally could not have the Demon Zither acknowledge them as its master. Therefore, every time they used it, they had to use their vital blood as a medium, consuming a great deal of their lifespan.
Originally endowed with tens of thousands of years of lifespan, after this battle, it would terrifyingly be reduced to less than ten thousand years.
BANG!
The heavens and the earth trembled. After several rounds of attack, the technique that Qin Emperor had released could no longer bear the burden and shattered with a deafening crash.
The strong backlash forced Qin Emperor and his four companions to retreat uncontrollably, their faces turning pale. Following that, countless musical notes entwined with demonic light swept towards them.
"Protect your divine souls!" Qin Emperor warned. The attack mode of a melody weapon was a direct hit on the soul, disintegrating it from within, making it incredibly hard to guard against.
Bai Qi and the other three nodded, their auras flaring as a light barrier formed around their bodies to resist the hellish melodies.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosive sounds reverberated constantly as countless demonic melodies struck the light barrier, continuously eroding the power of the 'Five Elements Unity Array'. The brilliant spiritual light began to gradually fade.
"The power of royal weapons is too strong! If this continues, we won't be able to hold out much longer!" Li Si frowned, trickles of cold sweat breaking across his forehead. To resist the attack of the Six-stringed Demon Zither, he had already consumed more than half of the Spiritual Energy within his body in this short period.
Fortunately, the six sect patriarchs were not powerful enough to have the Demon Zither acknowledge them as its master; otherwise, they would have long been overwhelmed by its demonic melodies and driven to idiocy.
"Regardless, we must persist!" Qin Emperor spoke in a grave tone, gritting his teeth with determination. He couldn't retreat, because behind him was the last line of defense of the country. His citizens and his family were there.
"Die!" The eerie voice of Sky Gang Old Ancestor echoed across the sky, followed by him spewing another mouthful of fresh blood. Droplets fell onto the Six-stringed Demon Zither, forming a blood-black musical note exuding a mysterious power.
With one glance at this note, everyone's minds went blank, as if they had fallen into a boundless illusion. Their consciousnesses began to sink deeper and deeper, becoming increasingly nebulous, as if they were about to be consumed by hell.
Even Qin Emperor and his four companions were affected, their minds growing groggy. The 'Five Elements Unity Array' they had set up even showed signs of disintegrating.
The scales of victory had tipped completely in favor of the six great sects.
"Execution Platform of God, activate!"
At this moment, Qin Wudao began to summon the Execution Platform of God. With a flicker of thought, the Execution Platform of God suspended above Hangu Pass transformed into a beam of blood-red light and dissipated into nothingness.
Simultaneously, in the sky above the Imperial Capital, a huge spatial crack emerged, releasing an endless aura of slaughter, neutralizing the negative effects brought about by the Demon Zither.
Qin Emperor recovered, gazing at the slowly emerging Execution Platform of God with slight bewilderment.
Isn't this the same execution platform where Xiao Jiu beheaded the prodigies of the six sects at Hangu Pass? How is it here?
"Father, I have connected the Execution Platform of God to our nation's destiny. You can reinforce our national destiny and control the Execution Platform of God!" Qin Wudao's voice echoed in Qin Emperor's ears.
Qin Emperor's eyes lit up. He began to reinforce the national destiny, a dragon-shaped phantom circling around him. He instantly felt a special connection between himself and the Execution Platform of God.
A surge of blood-red light radiated from the Execution Platform of God, from which six blood dragons flew out, coiling in the firmament. Their sanguine eyes were locked onto the Six-stringed Demon Zither, revealing a trace of combative spirit.
HUM HUM.
The Six-stringed Demon Zither, as if possessing consciousness, began to tremble slightly. Eventually, it quieted down, dissipating all its offensive attacks.
"What is this thing?" The six sect patriarchs, their faces ghastly, showed a touch of panic. They continually infused vital blood into the Demon Zither, but no matter how hard they tried, the Demon Zither did not respond.
If it were still in its prime, it would not fear the Execution Platform of God and would have wished to compete with it.
But now, having fallen from an Emperor's weapon to a royal weapon, with five out of its six strings broken, it certainly did not want to break its last string and render itself completely useless.
"Behead!" Qin Emperor's figure flickered and, along with Bai Qi and the others, appeared on the Execution Platform of God as he shouted coldly.
The six blood dragons coiling in the sky plunged downwards, transforming into six chains. Imbued with the power to seal heaven and earth, these chains ensnared the six sect patriarchs, suspending them around the Execution Platform of God.
"Why is this execution platform so powerful?" The six sect patriarchs were horrified and began struggling fiercely, but all in vain.
The Execution Platform of God was an Emperor's weapon. Once bound, unless they possessed a weapon of the same rank or had a cultivation far superior to Qin Emperor, there was no chance of escape.
"Behead!" Qin Emperor's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Without hesitation, he controlled the blood dragon chains and placed Sky Gang Old Ancestor on the Execution Platform of God.
The roar of a dragon resounded, and the suspended guillotine blade descended, carrying with it an aura powerful enough to annihilate everything and destroy all life.
"No..." Sky Gang Old Ancestor roared indignantly, emitting his final sound. His severed head rolled on the ground, his wide-open eyes conveying utter disbelief.
It shouldn't have been like this! Before coming here, he had not expected Li Si of the Qin Empire to break through to the Saint Realm, nor did he expect the Qin Empire to be able to set up the 'Five Elements Unity Array'. He certainly hadn't expected that the Qin Empire also possessed the Execution Platform of God, which was more potent than a royal weapon... So many unexpected things had happened here!
GULP.
The Skyfire Old Ancestor and the other four elders, upon witnessing Sky Gang Old Ancestor's bloody severed head, couldn't help but swallow hard, frightened out of their wits.
All mortals feared death.
"Qin... Qin Emperor, I am willing to lead the Skyfire Sect in surrendering to the Qin Empire. Can we be spared?" the Skyfire Old Ancestor said tremblingly, his desperate desire for life evident. He didn't wish to die yet; even surviving precariously for several thousand more years would be acceptable.
"Too late!" Qin Emperor remained unmoved. War was no child's play; it had to be ended with bloodshed. It wasn't something that could be wiped away with a few words of surrender.
Just as the six sects wouldn't spare them if the Qin Empire were defeated.
The best course of action was to eradicate them completely, root and stem!
"Behead!"
"Behead!"
...
Five consecutive shouts of "Behead!" signaled that the era of the six sect patriarchs was thoroughly over.
Six bodies, still warm, lay in a pool of blood. The experts of the six great sects, seeing their patriarchs fall, all fell silent. Their eyes were filled with terror, and they dared not make another move.
"Kill!" Qin Emperor hovered over the Execution Platform of God and commanded in a supremely domineering manner, "Pass down the order! Today, all invaders shall be slain! Spare none!"
"Yes!"
The experts of the Qin Empire were invigorated. They launched relentless assaults, descending like fierce tigers from the mountain, an unstoppable force, leading to massive casualties among the experts of the six great sects and the five countries.