Book 04 Chapter 123: Ice Man

At the city lord’s official residence in Vacant City:

Crimson clouds covered the sky above. There was a floating island here, and countless dried corpses densely packed the space below the floating island. At death, they all showed expressions of despair.

Countless Divine Blood Army soldiers spread throughout the city lord’s official residence, guarding the floating island in the center. There were still three million citizens on the floating island, showing horrified expressions.

Crimson clouds churned in the sky as lightning bolts streaked down, looking like whips lashing a blood-mist-covered figure below, the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor.

“Hah!”

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor opened his mouth and sucked.

“No! Spare me! Spare me!”

“Don’t kill me! I don’t want to die!”

“Demon! Demon! You will die a horrible death!”

The three million citizens roared in pain. However, fresh blood gushed into the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor’s mouth in the blink of an eye.

“Argh!”

“Argh!”

After many miserable cries, the three million citizens turned into dried corpses. The blood mist around the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor thickened.

The whip-like lightning bolts in the sky grew increasingly more berserk as they lashed the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor.

Buzz!

After consuming the blood of three million citizens, the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor let out a long breath and slowly sat down on his throne.

At the side, the Divine Blood Army tossed the three million corpses off the floating island to the mountain of dry corpses below.

Ma Sanyan stood beside the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor, watching the lightning bolts whip the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor. He frowned slightly and said, “Your Holy Eminence, we cannot continue like this. The lightning of heaven’s fury will only grow stronger. When it reaches the point of inciting heaven’s wrath…”

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor showed a sullen expression. As he narrowed his eyes, malevolence flashed in them.

“Six thousand years ago, a lifespan cultivator told us that the Slaughter Heavenly Dynasty was too ruthless and would suffer from heaven’s wrath sooner or later. We did not believe him, so we killed him. The Slaughter Heavenly Dynasty achieved our Dao by killing; killing is our path. Back then, who dared to contest against my Slaughter Heavenly Dynasty? We butchered the entire clan of anyone who dared. We firmly believe that killing can resolve everything. If buddhas get in our way, we will kill buddhas. If gods get in our way, we will kill gods. If animal spirits get in our way, we will kill animal spirits. If heaven gets in our way…” As the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor spoke, he looked up at the sky.

“If heaven gets in our way, we will kill heaven!” the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor said with a cold expression.

“Yes!” Ma Sanyan answered with a frown.

“Six millennia ago, we led your souls to that place for today’s return, so that we could slaughter the world and accrue boundless sin, then kill heaven in one go, becoming immortal and undying by killing heaven,” the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor said seriously.

“Yes!” A fervent look flashed in Ma Sanyan’s eyes.

“Six millennia ago, who dared to go against us when we were around? Hah! Now, a traitorous subject pushed us into a difficult situation? The physical is still the most important, after all. Humph! To think that traitorous subject cultivated that forbidden technique, the Yinggou Art? Back then, we burned the Yinggou Art. To think that the Xi Clan kept a copy! Yinggou? Yinggou? Humph!” The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor showed a frigid expression.

“Your Holy Eminence, when I regain my physical body, this subject will cut that traitor into pieces while alive,” Ma Sanyan said coldly.

[TL Note: Being cut into pieces alive refers to a specific form of torture and execution, known as death by a thousand cuts. The person would be tied up, and small pieces of flesh would be cut off from the body. This continues slice by slice until the person dies. The process is designed to be painful but keeps the person alive for as long as possible.]

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor looked up at the sky. As the lightning whips continuously lashed down, he showed a sullen expression.

“There is not much time left,” the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor said sullenly.

“Why is that so?”

“We cultivate the killing Dao, filled with terrible sin. Even karma would not dare to get involved with us, as our sinful aura would shred it. However, we did not immediately return to our physical body when we returned. Without a physical body and only a soul body, the sinful aura has no body to work from, so we got tied up with karma. In such a case, the greater the sins, the greater the karmic effects. Right now, we are suffering from overwhelming karmic effects,” the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor said with an unsightly expression.

“Overwhelming karmic effects? What will happen?” Ma Sanyan asked with a frown.

“That karma means one would have to pay for the sins one has committed sooner or later. How many people have we killed? How much sin have I accumulated? A great calamity corresponding to our sin will befall us. We could even slaughter a heavenly tribulation if we had our physical body. Now…” The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor showed a sullen expression.

“Your Holy Eminence, we have already retrieved one hundred thousand of the bodies of our soldiers. We will collect more in the future. Furthermore, we have trapped the prime of the Yuan Nation’s national beast, Archduke Xi Kang, and the important officials from the Chang Clan. Once we capture them, we can exchange them for my body,” Ma Sanyan said worriedly.

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly as he nodded.

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor felt great anticipation for his physical body. While Imperial Emperor Xi Yu could not defeat him previously, the Slaughter Heaven Emperor had not been able to take down Imperial Emperor Xi Yu, either, which placed him in a difficult situation.

They could capture the Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders to negotiate with Imperial Emperor Xi Yu and get him to hand over Ma Sanyan’s body.

Ma Sanyan’s body? No, what was assumed to be Ma Sanyan’s body was actually the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor’s body.

Once the Slaughter Heaven Emperor regained his body, he would regain control of everything.

“Send more people to search. Kill anyone who does not know their location,” the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor said coldly.

“Your Holy Eminence, rest assured. I have already done so. We have to capture them before Xi Yu reacts. Xi Yu cannot possibly discover this so quickly.” Ma Sanyan nodded.

Imperial Emperor Xi Yu?

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor showed a sullen expression. Previously, he swept his way through the world. Now, he had to hide from a traitorous subject? That did not feel good.

A subordinate rushed over anxiously. “I have a report!”

“Huh?” The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor turned his head to look.

“Your Holy Eminence, that traitor, Xi Yu, appeared to the south of the city. His projection is there. He already knows about this!” that subordinate said with an anxious expression.

“Xi Yu?” Ma Sanyan’s expression changed.

However, the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor’s expression turned sullen.

Whoosh!

The Slaughter Heavenly Emperor waved, and the fog to the south cleared up, clearly showing all the buildings. When seated on his throne, he could see very far, all the way to the south of the city.

Heavy snow fell to the south, turning the region white.

——

South of Vacant City:

An urgent call suddenly rang out. “We found them! Brothers, quickly come over! It’s Archduke Xi Kang and the others. There are twenty thousand bodies here!”

Rumble…!

Many Divine Blood Army soldiers flew over from all directions. Twenty thousand bodies? That was twenty thousand zombie bodies. All the Divine Blood Army soldiers rushed over as quickly as they could.

“Hurry up and leave!” Archduke Xi Kang’s expression changed as he turned to flee.

“Halt!” The Divine Blood Army soldiers had flocked over.

A group of zombies immediately started fighting with the Divine Blood Army soldiers.

“Be gentle. That’s my body. Don’t break it!”

“Hurry! Call the others. Don’t let any of them escape! After hiding for so long, they have nowhere to run. Hahaha!”

The south of the city immediately turned chaotic.

“His Holy Eminence commands that we capture Archduke Xi Kang alive. Don’t let him escape!” the Divine Blood Army soldiers shouted. Then, they charged at Archduke Xi Kang. There was even a battalion commander among them.

“Where are you running to?” That battalion commander suddenly swung his sword.

Boom!

Archduke Xi Kang raised his sword to clash.

Many Divine Blood Army soldiers from all directions immediately surrounded this place.

Archduke Xi Kang showed an anxious expression.

——

At this time in a distant mountain forest:

The Bat Ancestor and the others kept a close eye on the situation. Then, they turned to Gu Hai and said, “Will this work or not?”

“It is sufficient to subdue these people. Activate the ritual array,” Gu Hai said.

“Activate the ritual array!” the Bat Ancestor shouted.

Buzz!

The subordinates below activated the ritual array according to Gu Hai’s earlier instructions. The ritual array immediately started up, and fog appeared.

“Your Majesty, is this the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array?” Bing Ji asked with a bitter smile.

“That’s right.” Gu Hai nodded.

Not the thirty line-pair, not the twenty-nine line-pair, but the twenty-eight line-pair? The Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array that can only deal with Nascent Soul Realm cultivators?

Boom!

Suddenly, a thirty-three-meter-tall cloud beast figure started forming in the fog.

Gu Hai held Bing Ji in his arms, and their figures flashed, immediately entering the cloud beast.

Boom!

The fog withdrew towards the center as the cloud beast’s vague appearance turned more distinct.

“Bing Ji, the ice mountain has boundless cold energy. It is in our water deity palace. You drive the ice mountain’s energy to create a scene of ice and snow,” Gu Hai said.

“Ah? However, the ice mountain is in Your Majesty’s body. How can I…,” Bing Ji said in confusion.

“Do you remember that coital cultivation technique? The moment you entered my water deity palace and I formed a water deity, your nascent soul became the water deity queen. Both the water deity and the water deity queen are the masters of the water deity palace. You can drive the cold energy in the water deity palace as long as I permit it,” Gu Hai explained.

“Ah? Oh!” Bing Ji bit her lips as she lowered her head.

Bing Ji extended her hand and lifted it. Indeed, cold energy strangely came out from Gu Hai’s water deity palace, coming over to her palm after it came out from Gu Hai’s palm.

“It’s true?!” Bing Ji exclaimed.

“Hurry! The cloud beast is about to finish taking form,” Gu Hai said.

“Yes!”

Bing Ji controlled the cold energy, and intense cold energy blew from the cloud beast, covering the place and spreading in all directions.

“Heavy Snow Falling!” the cloud beast shouted coldly.

Boom!

Snow started falling everywhere within five hundred kilometers, turning the surroundings white. The cold energy spread into the distance.

The expressions of the Divine Blood Army soldiers surrounding Archduke Xi Kang changed immediately as they turned their heads to look.

Heavy snow blew over, covering the place. The heavy snow blanketed the south of Vacant City instantly. The fighting came to an abrupt halt.

A thirty-three-meter-tall ice person appeared out of nowhere in the center of the heavy snow. This person looked coldly at the battlefield.

“Who is it? You are seeking death…” a Divine Blood Army soldier shouted, then trailed off midway.

“Imperial Emperor Xi Yu?” The Divine Blood Army soldiers’ expressions changed.

Gu Hai used the ritual array to manifest a cloud beast with the appearance of Imperial Emperor Xi Yu. Then, he used cold energy to freeze the cloud beast, instantly making it look like an ice man as it stepped on a mountain.

The ice man coldly eyed the distant battlefield.

“Your Reverence! Your Reverence, you finally arrived!” Archduke Xi Kang and the others shouted excitedly.

As Archduke Xi Kang shouted, he led his subordinates in flying over to the ice man.

“Trying to flee?” One of the Divine Blood Army generals glared.

“How audacious!” the ice man said in a frosty tone, staring at the Divine Blood Army general who was about to attack.

The ice man did not unleash much aura. However, that general’s expression changed, and his hand stopped with just a threat from Imperial Emperor Xi Yu.

Rumble…!

Archduke Xi Kang flew quickly to the ice man with his subordinates.

“Salutations, Your Reverence!” Archduke Xi Kang saluted the ice man with an unsightly expression, his back to the Divine Blood Army.

The ice man ignored Archduke Xi Kang. Instead, he stood upright with hands clasped behind the back, indifferently looking at the distant Vacant City.

“Our city? You are indeed bold!” the ice man said coldly.

When the hidden citizens around Vacant City turned their heads to look, they suddenly saw heavy snow in the south. Wild joy erupted on their faces.

“Your Reverence! It’s His Reverence! Your Reverence!”

“Your Reverence, save me!”

“Your Reverence!”

Countless citizens suddenly poured out, crying excitedly.

Countless Divine Blood Army soldiers stared at the ice man. They held up their weapons, wanting to charge over.

“Go tell the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor. Tell him that we are here!” the ice man said coldly.

Boom!

The city wall in the distance exploded as a huge passage extended all the way from the floating island at the city lord’s official residence.

Rumble…!

The Divine Blood Army soldiers in the city quickly gathered at the city lord’s official residence.

As the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor sat on the throne, he looked at the distant ice giant to the south of the city.