Chapter 0.62: Vomit
At noon, the scorching sun blazed.
Beneath the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Tian Kun Imperial Palace, guests gathered. The Tian Kun Human Emperor sat in the center, with Yi Chengying and Mu Man’er seated on either side, their esteemed status evident.
In this battle, Qin Gou was forbidden to use the power of the Stone Spirit by the rules. If external forces were allowed, he and his brother could have simply fetched Xu Chengfeng and Liu Fuyun’s signature magic tools and smashed them.
Qin Gou had arrived earlier, his eyes closed in concentration.
Xu Wenrui arrived late, but his entrance immediately became the focus of everyone’s attention. He was exuding a palpable killing aura, his gaze as cold as a fierce god. Every move he made was laced with a brutal and fierce intent, like a famished wolf.
Seeing this, the Tian Kun Human Emperor secretly cursed his misfortune. Xu Wenrui was audacious, completely disregarding his warning as the ruler of the land.
Thinking thus, the Tian Kun Human Emperor subtly glanced at Mu Man’er beside him. If Xu Wenrui’s actions were to disturb Mu Man’er again, then this scoundrel would deserve death a thousand times over.
“Third Brother.”
Xu Wenrui stared directly at Qin Gou, his murderous intent undisguised. “As your elder brother, I originally only intended to teach you a small lesson, to show you the immensity of the heavens and the depth of the earth. Unfortunately, you actually sought to rely on secretly pleasing the Sword-bearing Princess to force me to yield to you? That’s quite a clever calculation! Therefore, do not blame me for discarding our fraternal bond.”
Hearing Xu Wenrui’s words, Qin Gou could guess about seventy to eighty percent of what had happened. He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. “I bet that even if this incident hadn’t occurred, you, Xu Wenrui, never intended to let me off lightly from the start.”
Xu Wenrui was stunned for a moment, then burst into unrestrained laughter. “Well said, he who knows me is my Third Brother!”
“Then let’s dispense with the useless pleasantries and settle this with action.” Qin Gou’s eyes were as calm as still water, his demeanor composed.
Xu Wenrui sneered and said sternly, “My Third Brother is truly sharp-tongued now. As your elder brother, I still feel that the Third Brother who was bedridden back then was more discerning! Today, let your elder brother personally correct you and help you return to your former state!”
“The battle begins!” The referee, holding an array flag, gave the order. An invisible barrier enveloped Qin Gou and Xu Wenrui.
A light purple Myriad Seed flew from Qin Gou’s fingertip, circling around him like a cheerful bird.
Xu Wenrui, clad in a golden robe, moved without wind. A long, battle-hardened military banner materialized beside him, bearing a single large character: ‘Xu’!
His Natal Spirit Tool, the Formation Breaking General Banner, suited his identity perfectly.
Anyone who saw this spirit tool couldn’t help but praise, “Heaven has blessed this man; he is destined to be a great general for his generation.”
Xu Wenrui held the banner with both hands and swung it forcefully. With a triumphant roar, “As commanded by the general!”, a cavalryman, entirely condensed from black shadow, charged towards Qin Gou on horseback, whip in hand, his killing intent formidable.
The Myriad Seed shot out, but it passed directly through the shadow cavalryman’s chest without causing any damage. In an instant, under Qin Gou’s control, the Myriad Seed erupted with unimaginable speed, zipping around the shadow cavalryman before finally lodging itself firmly at the horse’s head.
“So this is the weak point,” Qin Gou mused. He immediately shifted his stance with nimble footwork, his form elegant. With his staff sword, he unleashed thirteen rapid strikes. With a “pop,” the shadow cavalryman dissipated. However, a black arrow shot out, grazing Qin Gou’s face and leaving a bloody wound.
“Tsk, what a shame.”
Xu Wenrui appeared leisurely, seemingly unconcerned by the battle. To his sides, two shadow archers locked onto Qin Gou. Then, the military banner moved again, summoning two more shadow cavalrymen to charge fearlessly at Qin Gou.
“What a cool spirit tool, I want one too,” Qin Gou sighed. He stamped his foot, and an ironwood tree sprang up from the ground, blocking him. The Myriad Seed, suspended in mid-air, transformed into a Profound rank Spiked Fungus as it flew towards the shadow cavalrymen. Instantly, a rain of needles filled the air. These poisonous needles could cut through iron and seal a throat with blood. The two shadow knights dissolved without the slightest struggle.
Furthermore, countless poisonous needles shot towards Xu Wenrui’s position.
Xu Wenrui’s expression finally changed. He ordered two fearless shadow archers to shield him and then summoned a semi-transparent shadow armor with the Formation Breaking General Banner, protecting himself thoroughly.
The Profound rank Spiked Fungus’s poisonous needles easily took down the shadow archers, but they were all deflected by Xu Wenrui’s silken shadow armor, leaving only minor traces.
The poisonous needles erupted from the Profound rank Spiked Fungus in mid-air seemed endless, yet they caused no significant damage to Xu Wenrui. Bearing the needle rain, Xu Wenrui stood with his hands behind his back, appearing exceptionally at ease, and mockingly sneered, “Third Brother, if I’m not mistaken, as long as your spiritual power is sufficient, these poisonous needles can be shot out continuously. It’s quite a rare attack technique, but you haven’t forgotten, have you? Your elder brother is in the Li Jiu Realm. If we’re talking about spiritual power, the difference between you, a mere Hidden Weapon Realm cultivator, and me is like that between the heavens and the earth.”
He saw through it quite clearly, Qin Gou thought to himself, but he didn’t stop shooting needles, having his own plan.
The battle in the arena was at a stalemate. Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the Tian Kun Human Emperor suddenly frowned. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, as if his intestines were twisting together, and an urgent desire to relieve himself. This struck the Tian Kun Human Emperor as very strange. Could it be diarrhea? How was that possible? As a Dao Comprehension Realm cultivator, how could he inexplicably contract a commoner’s affliction like diarrhea?
Helplessly, the Tian Kun Human Emperor suppressed the discomfort with his profound spiritual power. Unexpectedly, the spirit medicine Ji Wu had acquired at great expense, which had potent marrow-cleansing effects, caused impurities to slowly seep from the pores of the Tian Kun Human Emperor’s entire body… Acrid odors filled the air, causing those near the Tian Kun Human Emperor to feel dizzy and faint from the utterly foul stench.
Someone was about to curse, but everyone present possessed cultivation. Anyone who wasn’t foolish could easily discern that the source of this stench was the current Emperor!
For a moment, no one dared to speak out. They could only endure in silence, not even daring to show any sign of alarm. Just like before, they pointed and discussed the pros and cons of Qin Gou and Xu Wenrui, who were engaged in combat in the arena.
“Damn it, how outrageous!”
The Tian Kun Human Emperor was utterly mortified and embarrassed, his face flushed, his anger blazing. He racked his brain, desperately trying to figure out what had gone wrong to cause him, the dignified ruler of a nation, such immense disgrace.
Of course, there were never a shortage of hotheads in this world, and not everyone here feared him, the Tian Kun Human Emperor.
“Ugh! Your Majesty, you smell horrible!” Mu Man’er suddenly stood up, her beautiful eyes wide, her hands on her hips, and said indignantly.
In an instant, the entire spectator stand fell silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was dumbfounded, staring fixedly at the Sword-bearing Princess, who dared to defy the world.
The Tian Kun Human Emperor himself gaped, trembling with rage, his face as black as coal, and he was so shamed and furious that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
