Great Li Martial God

In that moment, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit looked down at his hands in horror, finding that at some unknown point a network of reddish-black vein-like lines, branching like roots, had appeared across them.

Those lines were devouring the blood energy and true qi within his body, and were spreading at terrifying speed up his arms and toward the rest of his body.

At the same time, his arms were visibly growing withered and rigid before his eyes, with even the meridians within his limbs rapidly drying up.

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit strained with everything he had to circulate the true qi in his core and meridians, trying to drive out the web of reddish-black lines. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop them at all. If anything, the true qi he circulated was simply devoured by the lines, making their spread even faster.

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit's complexion changed sharply. He snapped his head toward Crown Prince Zhao Kuang beside him, only to find the man completely unaffected, showing no sign of anything similar happening to himself.

He then quickly shifted his gaze to Zhao Muning and Li Musheng, and found both of them equally normal, without any sign of trouble.

Finally, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit's eyes landed on the Grand Manager of the Treasure Assembly Trading House nearby. His eyes gradually went red, "Why is even he unaffected?"

At those words, the Grand Manager went momentarily blank, then stole a glance to the side and caught sight of the strange change on the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit's hands.

"You are finished. That is the Corpse-Devouring Demon Root. Within the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, it will drain you into a dried husk."

Li Musheng glanced sideways at the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit.

Zhao Kuang and Zhao Muning also turned at the same time, clearly confused about why the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit had suddenly cried out.

Just then, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit's expression shifted, and he immediately looked down at his own hands.

He found that the reddish-black lines, which had already spread nearly the full length of his arms, were now receding rapidly like a withdrawing tide.

At the same time, his withered and rigid arms were gradually returning to normal.

Zhao Kuang and Zhao Muning naturally saw all of this, and only now, belatedly, understood what had just happened.

The Grand Manager of the Treasure Assembly Trading House, who had been sent flying not far away, showed an expression of shock. He naturally understood how terrifying the Corpse-Devouring Demon Root was. Anyone afflicted by it had no remedy and no cure, and would inevitably be drained into a dried husk and die. Yet what had just happened with the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit shattered the Grand Manager's understanding of it entirely.

But he quickly recovered, and his gaze shifted immediately to Li Musheng, who had not said a word throughout.

Clearly, the only person present who could possibly have done that was Li Musheng.

"Thank you, young hero."

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit spoke with deep gratitude. He watched the reddish-black lines flow out from his fingertips and dissipate into wisps of rancid vapor, and felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Li Musheng waved a hand, his gaze directed toward the depths of the passageway in the stone chamber.

"That dog emperor uses truly venomous methods. Young hero, please be on your guard."

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit flexed his arms, which had not yet fully recovered, and killing intent flickered cold in his eyes.

Having come to his senses, Zhao Kuang immediately checked himself over, and only after confirming he was unharmed did he quietly breathe out in relief.

"Kuang, Father seemed to hear unfamiliar voices. Has something happened at court?"

At that moment, the Great Xuan emperor's aged and dignified voice drifted up from the passageway once more.

At those words, Zhao Kuang's fists clenched instinctively. His expression shifted through rapid and conflicted changes. In the end his eyes darted urgently toward Li Musheng.

He was clearly in a state of deep panic, completely unable to decide what to do, and had no choice but to look to Li Musheng for guidance.

For Zhao Kuang, this was entirely a matter of habit. All these years he had lived under the weight of his father's authority, moving with extreme caution and treading on thin ice, never daring to make a single mistake. His fear of the Great Xuan emperor had long since reached into the very marrow of his bones.

And it was precisely this that had driven Zhao Kuang, at every moment, to want to break free of it. It was also a large part of why he had agreed so readily to cooperate with Li Musheng earlier.

Faced with Zhao Kuang's look, Li Musheng remained perfectly composed, and simply gestured for Zhao Kuang to enter the passageway and lead the way.

Zhao Kuang hesitated with a conflicted expression for a moment, but the moment he thought of Li Musheng's terrifying martial cultivation, he steeled himself and faced the passageway head-on.

"Father Emperor, as you suspected, something has indeed happened in the palace tonight. I found myself unable to decide on my own and had no choice but to trouble you."

Zhao Kuang bowed slightly and spoke toward the dim and deep passageway ahead. He waited, but no reply came from that voice.

Zhao Kuang glanced up reflexively, and in the next instant his expression changed completely. He stumbled back several sharp steps, nearly falling to the ground.

For there, less than a chi away from Zhao Kuang, stood a white-haired elder in imperial dragon robes, wearing a crown, who had appeared at some unknown moment.

The elder's face was deeply lined and his complexion pale. He stood without a sound at the entrance to the passageway, his clouded eyes fixed straight on Zhao Kuang.

"Kuang, why do you look so flustered at the sight of Father?"

The figure in the dragon robes spoke with the same dignified voice as before, his gaze never leaving Zhao Kuang.

Zhao Kuang stared at the figure with panicked eyes and took several more involuntary steps back, completely losing the composure and the blazing ambition he had shown when he had spoken so confidently of cooperating with Li Musheng to deal with his father.

At this moment, the Great Xuan Crown Prince facing the Great Xuan emperor was like a mouse before a cat.

Zhao Kuang stammered, seemingly unable to collect himself, and found he had absolutely no idea how to answer the elder's question.

The figure in the dragon robes spoke again, his eyes fixed on Zhao Kuang without moving, "Kuang, why are you not saying anything?"

"Come, tell Father what has happened in the palace."

...

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit watched the scene with shifting eyes, his gaze fixed hard on the Great Xuan emperor in his dragon robes ahead.

Though killing intent raged through him, he held it back with great effort and made no rash move.

After all, the sight of the Corpse-Devouring Demon Root earlier was still vivid in his mind, and he understood clearly that the Great Xuan emperor before him was no simple opponent. Extreme caution was essential.

"Young hero, that dog emperor..."

Unable to act himself, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit immediately shifted his gaze toward Li Musheng.

Li Musheng said nothing, watching the Great Xuan emperor ahead with a perfectly calm expression.

Zhao Muning beside him had not taken her eyes off the white-haired elder since he appeared. In the years since she had last seen him, she had never once managed another audience, and he looked visibly more aged than she remembered.

"Your daughter greets Father Emperor."

Zhao Muning bowed to the white-haired elder at the passageway entrance. But in the next instant her tone shifted, and she looked up to ask, "Has Father Emperor truly fallen into the demonic path?"

At those words, the Great Xuan emperor in his dragon robes shifted his gaze from Zhao Kuang for the first time, turning slowly toward Zhao Muning who had spoken.

At the same moment, now that the Great Xuan emperor's gaze was no longer directly on him, Zhao Kuang finally let out a breath of relief. He gradually recovered from the oppressive weight of that presence, and the panic that had shown on his face dissipated quickly, replaced by a darkly suppressed fury.

Zhao Kuang raised his head again, and when his eyes met the Great Xuan emperor's this time, they were filled with cold calculation.

The Great Xuan emperor looked at Zhao Muning for a moment, then seemed to recognize her, "Why, it is my Little Seventh. You have grown so much, Father almost did not recognize you."

As he said this, he gave Zhao Muning a gentle beckoning gesture, "Come here, let Father get a proper look at you."

At those words, Zhao Muning kept her eyes fixed on the white-haired elder before her and naturally did not move.

The father standing in front of her now felt both familiar and deeply strange. Her feelings at this moment were extraordinarily complicated, and she did not know at all how to face him.

"Father Emperor, these people have come looking for Daoist Qingyu. They threatened your son's life and left me with no choice. I had to bring them here. Please forgive me."

At that moment, Zhao Kuang suddenly dropped to his knees and turned to point at Li Musheng and the others.

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit erupted in immediate fury and was on the verge of striking Zhao Kuang down, but just at that moment he saw a cold gleam of light shoot out from Zhao Kuang's sleeve, passing through the white-haired elder's chest in nearly an instant.

The light moved with tremendous speed. Even the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit himself, had he been slightly inattentive, might have been caught off guard.

"You..."

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit stopped his hand in time, glanced at Zhao Kuang's expression of cold viciousness, then looked back at the Great Xuan emperor in his dragon robes.

"Kuang... why?"

The Great Xuan emperor turned slowly to look at Zhao Kuang, a look of disbelief spreading across his aged face, as though he truly could not believe that his own Crown Prince had struck at him.

Zhao Kuang's face was savage. He slowly lowered his hand, which was trembling faintly, and glanced at the blood-filled hole that had been punched through the Great Xuan emperor's chest. He looked as though a great burden had been lifted.

"Father Emperor, I was forced into this. I did not want to do it."

Zhao Kuang gave a small shake of his head, then backed away step by step until he reached Li Musheng's side, and lowered his voice, "Sir, my father does not have much time left. If you have questions, you should ask them quickly."

Li Musheng said nothing. Zhao Muning beside him was visibly shaken, clearly not having expected Zhao Kuang to truly move against his own father.

"Are you the one who threatened my son and had him kill me?"

At that, the Great Xuan emperor with the hole through his chest turned his clouded gaze slowly, settling it on Li Musheng and asking in a low voice.

Those around Zhao Muning could see that the white-haired elder's vitality was draining away rapidly. The figure that had stood straight and proud before was slowly beginning to sag, as though he might topple forward at any moment.

Seeing this, Zhao Muning could hold back no longer, and was on the verge of rushing toward the Great Xuan emperor to check on him.

But in the next instant, Li Musheng extended a hand to stop her, "As the emperor of a nation, do you truly lack the courage to come and see me in person?"

These words were naturally directed at the Great Xuan emperor, and the moment they fell, a sudden silence settled over the area.

Whether it was the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit, or Zhao Kuang and Zhao Muning, every one of them caught the meaning beneath Li Musheng's words.

"Sir, are you saying that he... is not my father?"

Zhao Kuang's expression changed sharply, and he stared at Li Musheng in disbelief. Zhao Muning also stopped immediately, her eyes fixing on the white-haired elder in the dragon robes with a startled and uncertain expression.

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit said nothing, only quietly put distance between himself and the Great Xuan emperor and drifted back toward Li Musheng.

A moment of silence hung in the air, and then the Great Xuan emperor, his chest pierced through by Zhao Kuang's strike, allowed the faintest curve to appear at the corner of his aged mouth, "Not for nothing did you clear the Mystic Mechanism Palace and leave even my most powerful experts unable to do anything against you. You have seen through this small trick of mine with ease."

As he spoke, the figure that had begun to sag slowly straightened again, recovering the upright and imposing bearing of before.

Zhao Kuang's sneak attack and the wound it had inflicted seemed to have had no effect on him whatsoever.

At the sight, Zhao Kuang was so terrified his soul seemed to leave his body. He stumbled back several quick steps at once.

At this point, the Great Xuan emperor turned his clouded gaze slowly, glancing at Zhao Kuang, and suddenly laughed, "Kuang, Father was only joking with you just now, just like when you were small and Father used to tease you. Do not take it to heart."

"I..."

Zhao Kuang felt a wave of bone-deep dread wash over him, a chill spreading through his entire body, and he could not get a single word out.

"You know my purpose."

Li Musheng spoke with composure, watching the Great Xuan emperor ahead, "Are you willing to hand Daoist Qingyu over?"

At those words, the Great Xuan emperor let his gaze settle on Li Musheng, held it there for a long moment, and smiled, "Young man, your martial cultivation is indeed impressive. But you should not have come to this palace of mine tonight and disrupted the bond between Father and his two children."

As he said this, the smile on the Great Xuan emperor's aged face gradually faded, and he continued slowly, "Kuang is the son I have loved most. I have poured countless efforts into him, hoping that he would one day inherit the throne of Great Xuan..."

Here the Great Xuan emperor paused briefly, and his aged voice turned heavy and obscure, "And yet all of this has been ruined by your hand. You drove a wedge between us as father and son, and incited my always obedient child to raise his hand against his father, to commit the unthinkable act of patricide, of killing his own sovereign."

"You have left me with no choice... but to destroy a beloved son I raised with my own hands."

...

With a heavy thud, Zhao Kuang collapsed to the ground and pressed his forehead to the floor, "Father Emperor... this is your son's fault. Your son was blinded by greed and committed that terrible act..."

Seeing this, Li Musheng glanced at Zhao Kuang prostrating himself in frantic apology, "Crown Prince, so soon you are already afraid? Do you no longer want to be emperor for two hundred years?"

At those words, Zhao Kuang's expression went briefly blank, and he snapped his head up to look at Li Musheng, "Sir..."

But his words were cut off by the Great Xuan emperor's furious voice, "Unfilial wretch, do you still show no remorse even now?"

Zhao Kuang's eyes moved back and forth between Li Musheng and the Great Xuan emperor, his complexion shifting rapidly through a series of expressions.

In the end he simply collapsed onto the ground where he stood, unable to decide what to do.

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