Chapter 361 - 218: A Contest of Height

Chapter 361: Chapter 218: A Contest of Height

Niu Zhong was taken aback for a moment, then he realized what Su Mu meant and flew into a rage.

"Don’t get smart with this Crown Prince! You lost! Just hand over a state’s worth of land!"

Niu Zhong’s eyes blazed with fire as he stared down at Su Mu. The white mist snorted from his mouth and nose was dispersed by an invisible force before it could even land on Su Mu.

Xu Chongyuan, the other Taiping Captains, and Lu Mingyang with his fellow Civil Servants bringing up the rear—all of them looked utterly devastated.

’This time, there’s really no hope left.’

From the very beginning, the Demon Court had intended to cheat.

The best course of action would have been to reject the absurd demand to pass three trials from the very beginning.

The moment they accepted, they had fallen into the Demon Court’s trap, no matter the outcome.

However, the Demon Court had made an offer the Taiping Bureau simply couldn’t refuse.

This was a blatant, undisguised plot.

Even knowing it was a trap, the Taiping Bureau was bound to accept.

For the Taiping Bureau, retrieving the bodies of the two Marquises was an absolute necessity.

Even Zhu Jiuyuan believed that the bodies of the two Marquises had to be brought back to Da Xuan.

They had died in battle for Da Xuan. Their bodies absolutely could not be left in the hands of the Demon Court.

Now, the Demon Court was showing its true colors.

The Da Xuan Envoy had gotten lucky and passed the first two trials.

But this third trial was impossible to pass, no matter how strong or clever the Da Xuan Envoy might be.

"Even if we really have to cede a state’s worth of land to the Demon Court, we must relocate all the people first. Otherwise, the entire state’s population will become food for the demons."

Lu Mingyang said in a low voice.

He was already thinking about how to handle the aftermath.

Governing a nation was his area of expertise, but the thought of relocating the people of an entire state gave him a massive headache.

A state’s land held anywhere from several million to tens of millions of people. How could relocating them possibly be easy?

How to resettle them, how to feed them—each step was an unimaginably difficult task.

One could imagine the Demon Court wouldn’t give Da Xuan much time to relocate the people. In the end, a great number of them would inevitably become food for the demons.

"Was it worth it?"

Lu Mingyang muttered to himself.

He didn’t say it aloud.

But everyone understood what he meant.

Was it worth sacrificing so much just for the bodies of two Marquises?

"It is!"

Xu Chongyuan said grimly, "If not for the Marquises, countless more of Da Xuan’s people would have died over the years."

"They died in battle for Da Xuan. No matter what, their bodies should not be left to be defiled by demons!"

"Even if it means paying the ultimate price, we of the Taiping Bureau will bring the Marquises’ bodies home."

"The Taiping Bureau will take full responsibility for this."

A Taiping Captain added grimly, "Even if we must cede a state’s worth of land, the Taiping Bureau will safeguard the people’s peace!"

"That’s not what I meant."

Lu Mingyang said with a sigh.

’You’re just Taiping Captains,’ he wanted to say. ’What gives you the right to make such a promise?’

But when he saw the resolve in the Taiping Captains’ eyes, he suddenly understood.

They intended to sacrifice themselves to escort the people during the relocation.

Suddenly, Lu Mingyang felt he was beginning to understand what the Taiping Bureau was all about.

They were overbearing, they were brutish, but they had never once failed in their duty.

Lu Mingyang fell silent. He turned to the Taiping Captains and gave them a deep, formal bow.

It was a bow of respect for all they had done for Da Xuan.

"Lord Lu, you’re getting moved a little too soon."

Su Mu said slowly, his back still to Lu Mingyang.

"Let me tell you whether it’s worth it."

"Ever since the Taiping Bureau was founded, demons have never seized a single inch of land from our hands."

"This is the Great Wall that everyone in the Taiping Bureau, from top to bottom, has forged with their own flesh and blood."

"The two Marquises may have fallen, but Da Xuan will not lose its territory on their account."

Su Mu took a step forward, closing the distance to Niu Zhong.

Though he was considered tall, he seemed exceptionally short in front of Niu Zhong.

"They are not two inconsequential corpses. They are Da Xuan’s Great Wall of flesh and blood."

"So, yes, it is worth it."

Su Mu declared in a resonant voice.

"Su Mu, Fifth-Grade Taiping Captain of the Da Xuan Taiping Bureau, beseeches the spirits of the two Marquises in the heavens to lend me your strength!"

Su Mu clasped his hands in a salute toward the sky, his voice ringing out.

Mockery filled Niu Zhong’s large, bell-like eyes. ’Has Su Mu gone mad?’

’Spirits in the heavens, lending you strength.’

’Why not just pray for your two Marquises to come back to life?’

’Even if they did, I, Niu Zhong, wouldn’t be afraid.’

’No matter how strong they are, they still wouldn’t be taller than me!’

Lu Mingyang, Xu Chongyuan, and the others all exchanged confused glances, wondering what Su Mu was up to.

Although all the Taiping Captains deeply revered the two Marquises.

But the two Marquises were dead. How could there be such a thing as spirits in the heavens?

When a person died, that was the end.

’Bluffing is pointless now. The loss is certain.’

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes went wide.

A faint, clear light suddenly began to emanate from Su Mu’s body.

It was as if the spirits of the two Marquises were truly manifesting from the heavens.

In the blink of an eye,

Su Mu’s form began to swell.

Doubled, then tripled in size...

Niu Zhong’s jaw dropped, drool streaming down like a waterfall. He was surprisingly good at arithmetic and instantly recognized the magnitude of the change in Su Mu’s form.

Ten times!

In an instant, his body had grown ten times taller!

Instantly, Niu Zhong went from being a behemoth to looking like a tiny pet.

Even craning his head back, he only reached Su Mu’s waist.

Anyone who wasn’t blind could see who was taller.

Lv Lake’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He had been certain that Su Mu was going to lose this time.

Who could have imagined that Su Mu could turn the tables even in a situation like this? Was he even fucking human?

’Is there anything in this world he can’t do?’

Lv Lake didn’t even realize it himself, but his perception of Su Mu had been irrevocably solidified.

He had never felt this way, not even toward the Saint Venerable or the National Preceptor.

THUD!

Tushan Hanyu collapsed to the ground in fear. Su Mu’s massive form was simply too overwhelming.

Niu Zhong’s limbs were trembling.

’They manifested!’

’The spirits of those two dead Marquises from the Da Xuan Taiping Bureau really manifested!’

’Otherwise, how could a perfectly normal person suddenly grow ten times taller?’

’Do spirits in the heavens really exist?’

’Doesn’t that mean we killed those two Taiping Bureau Marquises for nothing?’

’Their spirits can still protect Da Xuan from the heavens.’

Niu Zhong’s eyes filled with terror.

"This—this—"

Lu Mingyang’s lips trembled. ’Spirits in the heavens?’

’That’s impossible.’

’If spirits really existed, why had none of the countless others who died for Da Xuan in the past ever manifested?’

’It wasn’t as if other experts, just as powerful as the two Marquises, hadn’t died for Da Xuan before.’

’What in the world is going on?’

Xu Chongyuan and the other Taiping Captains exchanged glances, seeing the surprise and excitement in each other’s eyes.

’The Marquises’ spirits have manifested from the heavens?’

’Doesn’t that mean the Taiping Bureau can act without restraint from now on?’

Shi Ziran noticed their expressions and couldn’t help but curl his lip.

’Spirits manifesting from the heavens, what a joke.’

’There’s no such thing in this world.’

’This is clearly a Physical Divine Technique!’

Shi Ziran had the highest cultivation level of anyone present, and he also possessed a Physical Divine Technique. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

His Physical Divine Technique was focused in his eyes, giving him extraordinary vision.

Others couldn’t tell, but he could clearly see that Su Mu was using some kind of Physical Divine Technique.

’The so-called manifestation was just his lord’s way of tricking them.’

Shi Ziran found it amusing to see how thoroughly the three demons had been bluffed.

’His lord is truly wicked.’

’He isn’t content with just winning; he has to crush their spirits as well.’

’If these demons truly believe that spirits can manifest, they’ll have a lot more to worry about the next time they face human Martial Artists.’

WHOOSH!

Su Mu’s form shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye, and he soon returned to his original height.

"Niu Zhong, do you concede?"

Su Mu said. "If you didn’t get a clear look, I can ask the two Marquises to manifest their spirits and lend me their strength again."

"I saw clearly—"

Niu Zhong yelped, saying hastily, "You’re taller than me. You win."

The moment the words left his mouth, Niu Zhong felt all the strength drain from his body. With a flash of light, he reverted to his form—a human body with a bull’s head—and collapsed limply to the ground.

’It’s over. It’s really over.’

’I lost the third trial, the one that was supposed to be a guaranteed win. I’m even more useless than the National Preceptor thought.’