Chapter 395 - 286: Slaying (2)

Most of this power dissipated into the world, as if being reclaimed by it. The rest entered his body, absorbed by the Rebirth Jade within.

He connected his will to the Rebirth Jade and saw the depleted record of his Merits begin to change. A number fluctuated wildly before finally settling.

Merit: One Merit

’Killing one of the Ancient Eight Fiends provided One Merit?’

Zhao Xuanqi’s brows twitched. ’By that measure, the Three Merits and Seven Gains that Li Zhenyuan left in the Rebirth Jade really weren’t a small sum.’

After all, in Ancient Times, the Eight Fiends were the most powerful beings in the world, yet killing one only provided One Merit. An ordinary Holy Seed would likely provide even less.

’Then again, it’s possible Ba Wu hadn’t recovered its peak strength. Or perhaps because the Holy Seed was using a human host, the Celestial Dao deemed it less of a threat, reducing the Merit gained. After all, the world is in turmoil now, a far cry from Ancient Times.’

While Zhao Xuanqi was examining the Merit he had gained from killing Ba Wu, the observers from the Six Nations were utterly dumbfounded.

Two of the Four Marshals—Victor, a six-star general of the USK, had fled with grievous injuries, while Dino, a marshal of the Saint Sha Empire, had died on the battlefield, his body blasted into paste. And the man who had come alone to kill them was completely unscathed.

It completely upended their perception of reality, exceeding all comprehension.

Could a single human being actually be this powerful?!

A commotion was sweeping through all of Jinling City. The troops of the Six Nations were mobilized, but none dared to advance toward the battlefield.

They knew full well that against a combatant at the apex of global power, the weapons and numbers of an ordinary army were utterly useless. They couldn’t even hope to tire him out.

As for the top-tier masters from the various nations, the sight of the battle’s aftermath had shattered their courage. None dared to intervene or even draw near; they could only watch from a distance.

Zhao Xuanqi ignored the myriad stares, his gaze sweeping the area. But Lin Quelan and the other two Commanders-in-Chief of the Three Armies were already gone.

The moment Ba Wu’s body had exploded into a shower of gore, they had lost all will to fight. Now, a single thought consumed their minds.

’Flee! Flee as far as possible! Leave Jinling, get away from that terrifying monster!!’

"Thinking of running now? Too late."

Zhao Xuanqi watched the three figures retreating in different directions. His expression was calm as his body flickered and vanished.

Even though they had fled in three different directions, none would escape his grasp.

...

...

A Fog enveloped Jiang Feiyu. Butterfly-like wings sprouted from his back, propelling him into the distance at top speed. He wasn’t fleeing toward his own garrison or the Neon Nation’s encampment. He knew all too well that Zhao Xuanqi’s power was at the very pinnacle of the world; there was almost nothing and no one left who could stand in his way.

Even with an entire nation at his back, it would be pointless. His opponent was a living god. The only chance of survival was to escape his sight completely and hide.

’They split up, heading in different directions. No matter how strong he is, I have a chance. I must have a chance...’

"Jiang Feiyu, Commander-in-Chief of the Chengtian Army, the first to pledge allegiance to Neon. Your crimes are so great, ten thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for them."

A voice drifted by his ear, and his face instantly turned ashen. He skidded to a halt.

A flash of silver light, and a figure landed before him.

"The victor is king, the loser is vilified. What more is there to say?"

Jiang Feiyu said with a bitter smile.

"You are a traitor who will be nailed to the pillar of shame for all eternity. Are you even worthy of invoking the phrase ’the victor is king’?"

Zhao Xuanqi’s voice was level as his body shot forward.

BOOM!

Silver light erupted, and the Fog disintegrated. With a deafening roar, Jiang Feiyu’s body exploded into a bloody mist, his Holy Seed shattering along with him. Only his head, deliberately spared by Zhao Xuanqi, remained intact. The light in his eyes quickly vanished, leaving only a dead stillness.

Just as before, a strange power surged from his body. Part of it returned to the world, and part was captured by the Rebirth Jade.

Zhao Xuanqi then noticed the Merit record tremble slightly. The characters for "One Gain" began to appear, but they flickered and never fully solidified, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible afterimage.

’Not even enough Merit for a single Gain?’

Zhao Xuanqi muttered to himself. Jiang Feiyu’s Holy Seed was merely an ordinary one, but at its peak in Ancient Times, it would have been comparable to a Divine General. He hadn’t expected the Merit it provided to be so vastly different from Ba Wu’s.

’It seems Merit Points are indeed tied to the Holy Seed’s level of recovery. If I were to kill a Holy Seed at its peak, I should at least be able to gather enough for one Gain.’

He didn’t dwell on it. The matter wasn’t over.

A minute later, in the southern part of Jinling City, Yan Fu stood frozen stiff, a chilling dread gripping him as if he’d been plunged into an ice pit.

A sliver of silver light enveloped his large frame, freezing him in place like an ice sculpture, unable to move a muscle.

BOOM!

A figure flashed past, and Yan Fu’s sturdy body, as if made of paper, shattered instantly under Zhao Xuanqi’s fist. As before, only the head remained.

"One last one."

Zhao Xuanqi muttered to himself, holding two large heads in his hands.

「Elsewhere.」

Dressed in the presidential uniform of the Pseudo-Government, Lin Quelan had lost all of the stunning, regal presence she once commanded in the spotlight.

Her hair was disheveled from her frantic sprint, and her breath came in ragged, panicked gasps.

She burst into a seemingly ordinary house not far from the Phoenix Army garrison. It was a safe house she had established, complete with an underground escape tunnel that connected to one of the city’s waterways. If she could just get out of the city, there was still hope.

’That monster... he hasn’t caught up yet!’

"Lin Quelan. In all the Divine Land, you were once the strongest, second only to Yuan Tianhao. We had our grievances and feuds, but I once considered you a worthy opponent. I never thought you would end up making a choice like this."

Just then, a voice echoed in the room like a phantom. A figure was standing in the doorway—when he had gotten there, she didn’t know—dangling two human heads and blocking all light from entering.

The elation she had felt at her imminent escape was instantly extinguished, replaced by a wave of overwhelming despair that crashed over her.

BOOM!

A brilliant crimson-gold light erupted from her body. A terrifying heat instantly radiated outward, and everything in the room began to melt.

The Secret Technique of the Vermilion Bird Sect—the power of the fused Three-legged Crow Holy Seed—erupted in an instant.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Her arms blurred into motion, unleashing what looked like a torrent of falling feathers that hammered against Zhao Xuanqi’s body.

The house exploded, and the terrified screams of nearby civilians pierced the air.

Zhao Xuanqi waved his arm. A silver light shot out, covering a nearly twenty-meter area like an unfolding Realm, using his Primordial Qi to stop the shockwave from spreading.

"Was I wrong?!"

"All I wanted was more power and greater authority! To be stronger than anyone! Only then would no one look down on me, no one toy with me, no one dare to bully me! As for the methods I used—I don’t give a damn! Not as long as I get what I want!"

"Do you know me?! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?! What right do you have to stand there and judge me?!"

Lin Quelan shrieked, her attacks growing more frantic. Her Pseudo-Government presidential uniform tore to shreds amidst the reckless assault. Her coiffed hair came undone, and veins bulged on her once-exquisite face, twisting her features into the mask of an Evil Ghost from Purgatory.

Zhao Xuanqi stood his ground, perfectly still, watching the crazed woman with a placid expression, not a shred of pity in his eyes.

"I’m not interested, and I don’t need to know. I only know one thing: when you do wrong, you pay the price."

The cold voice echoed in Lin Quelan’s ears as a flurry of fists magnified in her vision.

After a brief, intense flare of pain, she felt an indescribable lightness, as if she had finally set down all her heavy burdens and could at last breathe a sigh of relief.

Her body dissolved into a mist of blood. A head, hair in disarray, fell from the air and was caught in Zhao Xuanqi’s hand.