Chapter 36: Killing One's Kin (Please Vote)
Page 1 of 3
“No! No, Father! I am your own son!”
The richly dressed man collapsed in terror into the muddy water, staring in horror at his father, who stood nearby with a hideous grin.
“Your own son? Yes, you are indeed my own son,” the Spirit Emperor said in complete agreement. “Since that is so, you must surely be willing to help Me walk this path to immortality, yes?”
“Do not worry. Once I have achieved immortality, I will give birth to you again.”
“No! No! You are insane! You’re a madman!”
The man screamed in terror and summoned his martial soul, attempting to resist.
Yet the roots of the Ginseng Fruit Tree, resembling blood vessels, had already wound themselves around his body. As he stared on in fear and despair, the Spirit Emperor strode over and thrust a sword into his head, piercing straight through it. White fluid slowly dripped down the blade, mingling with the blood.
“Rumble—”
Illuminated by the lightning, the Spirit Emperor’s face resembled that of an evil spirit. His voice shrieked, “You rebellious son! You unfilial wretch! How dare you curse Me like this!”
He pulled out the sword and stabbed again. After several such repetitions, the prince’s head had become an indistinguishable mass of flesh and blood. The roots held him fast, and before long, another skeleton lay upon the ground.
All around them, countless identical skeletons had piled up like a vast ocean, layer upon layer, as though soil covering the roots of the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
“Thump—thump—”
The young fruit within the blossom, resembling a heart, began to beat violently. With every pulse, the ghostly faces on the trunk released shrill, ear-piercing howls.
Nutrients surged through the veinlike leaf veins, continuously drawn into the young fruit. A layer of dry, wrinkled skin formed around it, then gradually filled out until it became a sleeping, enormously fat infant.
Seeing the infant, the Spirit Emperor was overcome with delight. He murmured, “The eighth time... It is almost done... almost...”
The final bit of blood sacrifice had finally been gathered after the slaughter of the entire Spirit Imperial Family.
The eighth transformation was complete. Only nine days remained before he would obtain true immortality.
Nine days from now, he would become the only undying being in ten thousand years. He would become an eternal emperor!
By comparison, this minor sacrifice was utterly insignificant. So long as he remained alive, the Spirit Empire would never perish! It would follow him into becoming an eternal empire, its lineage enduring for all ages!
“Golden Cavalry!”
He spun around abruptly, his blood-red eyes fixing themselves upon the Golden Cavalry Douluo standing not far away. His tone was feverish, yet his words were chillingly cold.
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
“Go gather those vermin. Slaughter everyone within the inner city.”
“Your Majesty, you cannot!”
This was likely the first time the Golden Cavalry Douluo had ever openly defied the Spirit Emperor. Perhaps he could no longer bear to watch what was happening. Or perhaps he knew that if all those officials were killed, the Spirit Empire would truly become impossible to control in the future.
The Golden Cavalry Douluo said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, messengers have been arriving from every region these past few days, reporting that the armies of the Star Luo Empire and the allied forces of other powers are advancing relentlessly. If we lose these officials now, our control over Spirit City will be greatly weakened.”
“When that happens, we will be completely unable to mobilize enough strength to resist them.”
“Bang!”
A blood-red figure suddenly appeared before him. The Spirit Emperor struck the Golden Cavalry Douluo on the head.
His helmet was knocked away, revealing an aged yet resolute face beneath.
The Golden Cavalry Douluo did not resist. He allowed the Spirit Emperor’s soul skill to strike him, standing immovable from beginning to end.
The Golden Cavalry Douluo said, “Your Majesty, you truly cannot touch them.”
“Heh heh, good! Truly worthy of being My loyal protector! Even now, you are still thinking of Me.” The Spirit Emperor laughed from sheer fury. “Since you were bound to say such a thing sooner or later, why did you not stop Me from the very beginning?!”
“Answer Me! Golden Cavalry!”
“...”
The Golden Cavalry Douluo had no answer.
He was an excellent guard, blessed with outstanding talent. In his lifetime, he still had hope of reaching the rank of Transcendent Douluo. Yet, as some people said, he was blindly loyal, incapable of adapting, and indecisive.
“Golden Cavalry, do you still not understand? I can no longer turn back!” the Spirit Emperor cried out, his voice tearing through his throat as murky tears streamed down his face.
“Do you know who wants Me dead now?! The gods! Those lofty, exalted gods!”
“The gods want Me dead! The Heavenly Soul Empire is waiting for the Spirit Empire to perish so that it can restore the Heaven Dou Empire! The Star Luo Empire wants to swallow the Spirit Empire whole! The Sun Moon Empire is trying to use this opportunity to advance eastward! Even Shrek wants to seize this chance to reassert its supremacy over the continent!”
“With wolves circling on every side, the Spirit Empire is nothing more than a choice morsel of meat. Anyone would come forward to take a bite!”
“So, you fool, do you understand now?! There is only one road before Me. If I make it through, the sky will be vast and the world open. If I fail, I will be doomed beyond redemption!”
“Hahahaha! Even if I fail, and the entire empire is buried with Me, that will still be enough to make My name stink for ten thousand years!”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
His manic laughter tore through the wind and rain, shrill and grating.
Rain soaked the Golden Cavalry’s hair, which hung in disarray and concealed his expression.
“So...” The laughter abruptly ceased. The Spirit Emperor regarded the Golden Cavalry Douluo with a sinister gaze. “What, precisely, is your choice?”
“There is no need for him to choose. We have come ourselves.”
A cold, cutting voice suddenly rang out from within the wind and rain. A group of people approached from the distance.
Had Lu Chun been present, he would surely have recognized the woman leading them as the elderly woman who had presided over the secret conference. Behind her followed the leaders of every noble house in Spirit City, along with numerous ministers.
They had gathered here with a large force of soul masters, glaring menacingly at the Spirit Emperor. Their purpose was obvious.
The order to slaughter the outer city, cart after cart of corpses, and blood spreading ten miles beyond the city walls— they had witnessed every one of those cruel scenes with their own eyes. Terror and horror had gripped their hearts. Their prolonged oppression had finally compressed them like a spring until they reached their limit and recoiled.
They wanted the Spirit Emperor to understand that they were not those common peasants he could harvest at will, as easily as cutting wheat!
The elderly woman looked toward the Spirit Emperor, then shifted her gaze to the demonic tree behind him. In a solemn voice, she said, “Imperial Brother, give up. You no longer have the slightest chance of victory. All the Dayfeather Golden Cavalry guarding the imperial palace have chosen to abandon the darkness and join the light. They did so because of your orders.”
At those words, the Golden Cavalry Douluo abruptly raised his head and stared fixedly at the elderly woman.
“Hah? Hahahaha! Dear Imperial Sister, you truly have made Me laugh.” The Spirit Emperor roared with laughter, his voice filled with contempt. “Surrender without resistance, submit meekly, and then be killed by all of you yourselves?”
The elderly woman said earnestly, “If I kill you, at least I will leave your corpse whole. You will retain the dignity befitting an emperor. This is the only way the Spirit Empire can survive. Imperial Brother, do you truly wish to watch our ancestors’ foundation vanish into nothing before your eyes?”
“Heh.”
The Spirit Emperor sneered. “Do you really think I have not the slightest chance of victory?”
“Since you have come, then none of you shall leave today!”
“Rumble!”
Page 3 of 3