Chapter 388 - 283: Indestructible (2)

Unfortunately, this power came at the cost of his life. Each time he used it, he drew one step closer to death. Zhao Xuanqi could also tell that the ability Bard wielded was a far cry from the true power of the Black Earth Dragon.

Still, this technique alone was terrifying enough. Even a restricted-level master would be hard-pressed to survive it. A newly-ascended Divine General likely wouldn’t dare to take it head-on.

To him, however, it still made little difference.

INHALE!!

Zhao Xuanqi stood his ground and took a sharp breath. Instantly, a gale tore through the ancestral hall’s courtyard. The Dragon Form of black smoke was swept up in the churning airflow and, in the blink of an eye, swallowed into his belly, as if its all-dissolving poison simply didn’t exist.

Then, with a flicker of movement, Zhao Xuanqi appeared before Bard.

"You have considerable strength. Why must you borrow the power of another at the cost of your own life? You still have a long road ahead of you. You aided one of my Divine Land, so today, I will help you eliminate this latent threat."

Zhao Xuanqi’s voice resounded in Bard’s ears, grand and majestic, like a celestial decree. It was as if the heavens themselves had issued an edict that mortals could only accept, never defy.

A single finger tapped against Bard’s chest.

BOOM!!

A silver light erupted as terrifying Primordial Qi burst from his fingertip, surging into Bard’s body.

AHHH!!!

The Primordial Qi raged within him, and the intense agony made him howl. Zhao Xuanqi’s Primordial Qi relentlessly forced out the stagnant poison that had accumulated in his body. Plumes of black smoke poured from his every pore.

How could scraping poison from the bone not be painful?

As the last wisp of black smoke seeped out, Zhao Xuanqi inhaled sharply once more, swallowing all of it. The Primordial Qi in his body circulated, using his True Essence to forcibly refine the poison into nothing.

The remnants of the Black Earth Dragon’s power were obliterated before they could exert even the slightest influence.

THUD!!

With that, Bard collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Sweat poured from his body, instantly drenching his clothes.

Half of his face was still shriveled and wrinkled, but the deathly stillness of withered wood was gone, replaced by a flicker of Vitality.

Normally, at his level of power, any injury would heal without a scar. The only reason his face remained this way was because of the Primordial Qi poison wreaking havoc in his body. Now that the poison was gone, though he was severely depleted, recovery was not impossible.

Sensing the changes within his body, Bard snapped his head up to look at Zhao Xuanqi, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

He had once faced Grell, the Black Dragon, one of the Four Marshals. Though he had miraculously escaped with his life, the Primordial Qi poison had entered his body and proven impossible to remove.

Fortunately, he had a special ability—he cultivated the Western Continent’s Witch Prayer Technique, granting him terrifyingly potent vitality and regenerative powers. That was how he had survived. But death was still inevitable; even without using his powers, the Primordial Qi poison was slowly eroding his body.

He had given up hope of living and only wished to go out in a blaze of glory. He never imagined that the man before him could so nonchalantly expel the Primordial Qi poison from his body and then swallow it whole.

It was as if that lethal Primordial Qi poison was no different from breathing air.

’What... what in the world is this level of power?!’

’Is this what a Divine General of the Divine Land is like?’

For a moment, the crowd was utterly silent.

The power Zhao Xuanqi had just displayed completely subverted everyone’s understanding. To them, he seemed like a living deity, omnipotent.

"Alright," Zhao Xuanqi said, "now, who else would like to have a try? Feel free."

Zhao Xuanqi’s gaze left Bard and swept over the other resistance leaders.

’Matt and Bard were the strongest among them, yet before Zhao Xuanqi, they were like children being toyed with. What was the point of testing him any further?!’

’How could a mortal dare to test a deity?’

Meanwhile, the contingent from the Divine Land looked as if they’d expected this all along. They had already sought Zhao Xuanqi’s ’guidance’ before the meeting. If not for being utterly shocked by his terrifying power, they never would have so easily approved such a plan.

Previously, they had all thought Zhao Xuanqi, having just awoken, was ignorant of the current state of affairs—young and arrogant. Now, not a single one of them still harbored such a thought.

"Mr. Zhao, your strength has reached a level beyond our comprehension. We were out of line before. On behalf of the National Union Divine Continent District, I promise that we will cooperate fully with your plan."

"However, I still urge you to be extremely careful, Mr. Zhao. After all, our enemies are no ordinary foes."

Matt took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn as he spoke to Zhao Xuanqi.

"I am well aware."

Zhao Xuanqi nodded, his gaze slowly turning toward the sky.

In fact, he understood the dangers better than anyone.

For the true threat was one nobody else knew of: the Bloodline Species lurking in the shadows.

Even with his current power, he wasn’t completely confident he could defeat them.

But he was running out of time. Even if the path ahead was paved with thorns, he would have to carve his way through.

...

...

「Five days later, within Jinling City.」

Today was the day. The founding ceremony of the Pseudo-Government was to be held in the Jinling Grand Hall.

Dignitaries, celebrities, and reporters from both within the Divine Land and abroad had all been invited to attend.

Within Jinling City.

At this moment, the streets and alleys were festooned with lanterns and colorful bunting. Soldiers in crisp uniforms lined the main thoroughfare, their immaculate white gloves dazzling in the sunlight.

From the residential buildings flanking the main road, the sounds of people beating drums and gongs, their cheers incessant, filled the air. Children had been organized to line the streets, waving bouquets of flowers—a perfect picture of peace and prosperity.

Under the ’warm welcome’ of the populace, a procession of vehicles carrying important figures from home and abroad slowly made its way toward the Grand Hall. Shutters flashed from the cameras of international reporters on the main road, capturing this scene of ’the people’s will, celebrated by the masses.’ They were all preparing to publish extensive, glowing reports.

And yet, at the same time, the rest of Jinling City was a stark contrast to the bustle on the main road. The doors of every home were sealed shut. Soldiers of the Six Nations and the Three Armies, along with plainclothes agents, saturated every corner of the city. A murderous aura hung in the air, suppressing any hint of dissent. Ordinary citizens wouldn’t dare show their faces outside. If they were branded as traitors, those soldiers—like Evil Ghosts—would storm their homes and seize all their possessions, without a second thought as to whether they were truly guilty.

In this new world, there was no one to bring them justice.

Hidden within the houses, eyes stared out from cracks in windows, watching or listening to the lively main road. Their gazes were filled with a profound numbness, as if all hope was lost.

The festivities were confined to what the cameras could see; the chill, however, permeated the entire land.

「9:00 a.m., inside the Jinling Grand Hall.」

Dignitaries from all walks of life, dressed in their finest suits, filled the hall. Most were foreigners. The military and political leaders of the Six Nations occupied the frontmost seats, followed by invited socialites from the Six Nations. Only at the very back were the personnel from the Divine Land and the Pseudo-Government.

Two men, however, sat at the absolute forefront, the clear focus of everyone’s attention.

Both wore crisp, yet stylistically different, military uniforms. The General Stars on their shoulders glinted, signifying their esteemed rank.

One had sharp, deep-set features, an aquiline nose, and eyes that held a disconcerting glint. On his epaulets, six silver stars shone.

This was one of the Four Marshals of the Western Continent: Victor Yude, a six-star general of the USK.

The other man was built like a giant bear, standing nearly ten feet tall. He had a bristly golden beard like a broom and a pair of azure eyes that radiated endless, domineering power.

He was another of the Four Marshals: Dino Dokatov, Marshal of the Saint Sha Empire.

Of the four most powerful individuals in the world, two were present in this hall.

What no one knew, however, was that beneath their human exteriors, their Spirits had long since been possessed by the Ancient Eight Fiends.