811 14.87 Last Violet Star – Imperial Palace (4)

At the Capital City, Market Place...

Instead of attempting to quickly calm the uproar in the Imperial Palace, Hei Anjing and Xia Jieye decided to go on a date in the market. They made the decision to abandon their two systems in order to observe the events in the Imperial Palace. The marketplace scene in the ancient world was distinct from that in the modern era. Many items that are deemed antiques in the current economic scenario are available at reasonable prices at street stalls.

They spent their time together without giving a thought to the lives or deaths of those who were present at the Imperial Palace. The rest doesn’t matter to them as long as the Emperor and the Crown Prince are still alive. Those who are not involved in the world plot wouldn’t cause any waves in it.

The couple strolled around like typical street lovers while carrying some food and sweets in their hands. The others couldn’t help but stare at them with love-struck eyes since they both had a high face value. Some people were interested in one or the other before stopping when they caught sight of their joined hands. If the latter had a companion already, initiating conversation would be incredibly impolite and disrespectful.

Most of them just took pleasure in the sight of two attractive men distributing dog food on the sidewalk. Hei Anjing suddenly grew bored after the pair spent some time playing in the location.

Mo Bing Jingling-Jun spoke, “A’Xia, I’m bored. I want to see the barrier around the mortal world.”

“Why do you want to see such a useless thing?” asked Xia Jieye.

Hei Anjing says, “That barrier seems to be quite awesome to require the blood of five lineages to deactivate, but I’m bored and don’t want to go to the Imperial Palace right now. Does this mean the five souls that represent the five lineages retain the barrier, or is there something else that keeps the barrier activated all this time? When I was still Bai Wuan that barrier didn’t even exist yet. Does that mean it was created after I left Bai Wuan?”

Xia Jieye stated, “I don’t like Jing’er repeating the word ‘death’. Don’t say it anymore okay?” as he fixed his lover with a severe expression on his attractive yet sinister face.

.....

Hei Anjing smiled and said, “Okay. I will not say it anymore. Don’t get angry, My love~”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s go check the barrier. Teleport!” said Hei Anjing as the two of them disappeared in the middle of the street causing a commotion in the market.



However, the atmosphere at the Imperial Palace had changed and was now dark and unsettling. Everyone was taken off guard when the undead suddenly appeared, and the results were rather catastrophic. Even the Emperor, who had to distance himself from his children, was moved by the events. Even if he doesn’t love his children equally, having them die in front of his eyes was still quite upsetting.

He struck Jin Baihua while being protected by red-fire dragons under his control, in a fit of wrath.

He had mastered the Hou Long Sect’s methods, and because of his powerful royal ancestry, his mastery of fire elements is top-notch. Even the fire he created doesn’t burn him and only burns those he deemed as enemies. As if the fire dragons were alive themselves, they let Emperor Hong ride on the head of one of the dragons as they flew toward Jin Baihua.

“Preposterous! Do you not know whose territory you are in!? Devil’s Vessel! Die for Zhen!!!” yelled the Human Emperor.

The prime minister rushed after him and never wavered in his support. These two elderly men were only known to be at least Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, but who would have guessed that they had been hiding it so well? The Prime minister is in the Soul Transformation Stage, while the Human Emperor is at the First Star Ascension Stage.

For those cultivators in the ascension stage, there are nine tribulation stages that must be endured before they may ascend into the Heavenly Realm and really become immortals.

Devil Fennu’s voice rang in Jin Baihua’s head and gave a warning, [The Human Emperor is already at the ascension stage! Just complete your task and get the royal family’s blood. I will help you destroy the array.]

In his mind, Jin Baihua made the decision to avoid Emperor Hong and the Prime Minister’s attacks. His initial speed had grown significantly, allowing him to evade the two cultivators’ pincer attack. Jin Baihua abruptly materialized in front of the crown prince, going for his throat.

The Crown Prince drew out his sword and blocked Jin Baihua’s long, black claws, but his shoulder was still being scraped. On his left shoulder, there are several long wound marks, and a section of his robes was torn. He was severely bleeding, and death qi had already entered his body.

AGHH!

A black snake suddenly materialized in his robe and transformed into a human shape before the death qi completely spread from his wound. Heilan was out there. As the death qi from Hong Longqing’s body was ready to spread, Heilan swiftly tore off the robe from the crown prince’s left shoulder and bit his neck. He drew all the death qi out of his wound that Jin Baihua had applied.

Death qi had no impact on him because he was a demonic beast, except for a faint numbness as an aftereffect.

The crown prince sprang away from Jin Baihua while being supported by Heilan’s arm around his waist. To put additional space between himself and the audience, Heilan didn’t forget to toss some acid. He changed once more, but this time in his true form, after sucking out all of the death qi from Hong Longqing’s body. A large black snake encircled the Crown Prince with its tail and firmly guarded him.

SHAAA~ HISSS~

Heilan continued to strike Jin Baihua, and the majority of his blows had components of acid and ice. He is one of a kind among members of their Snake Race. He was viewed as a heretic since he was able to manipulate ice elements, which are meant to be the Devil Race’s weakness. Shards of ice appeared around Heilan and attacked Jin Baihua intending to kill him as he protected the Crown Prince.

Heilan spoke, “I do not care how many humans you kill and whoever they are but I won’t allow you to hurt A’Qing!”

ROAR!!!

Incoming ice shards are avoided by Jin Baihua. The ice element’s scratches left a burning feeling on his wounds, making it difficult for him to cure them. The sight of a flood dragon startled him. The astonishment even reached the Human Emperor and his Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was shocked and said, “Dage, is that a Flood Dragon? I thought the Dragon Race vanished!”

“Don’t tell me... Is that the Lan-ge, the companion of Qing’er, he is talking about,” said Emperor Hong in disbelief. “That Dragon... Is he guarding my son? Erdi, let’s aid him in eliminating the devil’s offspring!”

“Yes, Brother!” answered the Prime Minister.

To combat the Demonized Jin Baihua, the three of them cooperated. The other elemental strikes, however, had no impact on Jin Baihua outside the ice elemental attacks. His aura grows stronger as he sustains more injuries, and the other three were also heavily injured by Jin Baihua’s strikes. The human cultivators were just barely able to stop themselves from turning into undead when they were on the point of doing so. At these strikes, it was clear that the human side was losing.

The Prime Minister and Emperor Hong both collapsed next to Hong Longqing, their wounds spewing black smoke. Although it wouldn’t totally heal it, at least it would limit the quantity of death qi that entered their bodies. They used elemental fire to burn their wounds in an effort to dissolve the death qi before it spread throughout their bodies.

The Crown Prince assists his father, who appears to be a little under the influence of death qi.

“Imperial Father! Are you okay?” he asked.

“Zhen is alright. I think your friend could barely manage this fight. Do you think he would be able to buy more time until the Venerable Lords arrive?” asked the Human Emperor.

The Crown Prince looked at his injured friend and wanted to join him in his fight with Jin Baihua but his friend’s tail prevented him from doing so which is still wrapped around his waist.

“This... I don’t know...” responded Hong Longqing. “Lan-ge, please let me fight with you!”

“No! You can’t even wield an ice element. Aside from this no element is able to harm him! Stay back, A’Qing!” said Heilan.

Jin Baihua said, “You are strong. That I admit but... How long do you think you can protect the humans behind you?”

Once more, the sky was filled with red arrows, but this time there were twice as many as during the initial assault. Before, a few hundred had gathered, and above their heads, at least a thousand crimson arrows had been filled with death qi.

The Prime Minister, startled, asks, “Is he crazy!?”

Jin Baihua is now no different from a true devil. He looks down on and despises the human species at the same time, and he wants to wipe us all out, stated Emperor Hong. “He no longer has humanity in his heart.”

When Heilan noticed this, he again curled up around Hong Longqing, and because the Emperor and the Prime Minister were standing next to him, Heilan decided to shield all three of them. Heilan wrapped himself in a spiral, tucked his head under his body, and encased his entire body in as much ice as he could.

Everyone who wasn’t shielded by Heilan was afraid and had a vacant expression as they all saw the spectacle above them. They yearned to end their lives, some of them started sobbing, and several of them immediately went insane.

Evil laughter resounds throughout the Main Palace. Jin Baihua appears pleased as he observes the desperation and mayhem around him. Observing his most despised species appear so helpless and impotent at the scene of their deaths, he felt an incredible sense of power. It appeared as though he held these people’s lives or deaths in his hands.

Hahahaha~

Jin Baihua sneered and said, “To think that the great royalty had a day like this. Don’t worry~ even if you all die on this day your blood would still be useful to me. It’s not like the human race can still remain safe after the barrier disappears right?~”

Red arrows fall like rain to the main palace as he swings his hand downward. The entire castle is filled with the sounds of suffering and death screams. Heilan made every effort to stop Jin Baihua’s onslaught, but there were just too many arrows to be stopped by his ice barrier. Due to its enormous volume of arrows, shaving his ice didn’t take long. Several arrows had hit his substantial physique. Even if his scales shield the majority of it, it is inevitable that he would get punctured if several arrows kept landing on his skin repeatedly.

He moans in agony but is afraid to get up. Heilan decides to use his tail to fiercely defend Hong Longqing. Heilan would have chosen to disregard the Emperor and Prime Minister if they hadn’t stood by the crown prince before the arrows were fired. Only Hong Longqing, out of the whole human species, was important enough to him to safeguard.

Blood from Heilan began to fall on Hong Longqing. He was surrounded by the smell of blood, and the sorrow in his heart was unbearable. Heilan’s level of protection was not what he had anticipated. It appeared as though he was willing to die for him.

The Crown Prince said, “L-Let me out. Let us out! Lan-ge, don’t protect me anymore. Please... If you are alone you could have escaped this place regardless of the array. You should have left me here. Wuwuwu~”

“D-Don’t... Don’t cry... A’Qing. The death qi had no effect on me. Just a bit of numbness. These wounds would heal fast once the arrows are pulled out. Moreover, there is no need to ask me to leave. When you brought me back home with you, I no longer had any intention of leaving. I shall stay with you until the end. The dragon race is quite well known for its pride and loyalty. To me who wasn’t born with it, it was A’Qing who gave it to me. Since I’ve decided to stay with you, I will be by your side whether it is living or death, A’Qing,” said Heilan.

His statements only served to amplify Hong Longqing’s sobs. He had experienced the dread of other people dying for the second time after losing his little brother. He struggled to see why those he chose to love would have to endure suffering only by continuing to be around him. He wouldn’t have considered this in the first place if he had known that Heilam would end up in this way just because he had brought him home, he would choose not to bring him back. He will now lose the second person most dear to him.