Inside the royal palace…
Seated behind a table, Chu Tianxing gazed down on a kneeling black-robed man and asked impassively, “How is it? Has that fellow submitted yet?”
The black-robed man clasped his fist and reported, “Your Majesty, even though that brat is young, he has quite the backbone. Our brothers have attempted to use all kinds of torture to pry open his mouth, but as if a mute, he simply won’t talk!”
“Backbone? Hah! I have seen plenty of people with backbone in my lifetime, but before me, whatever backbone they have will be shattered into smithereens!” Chu Tianxing sneered coldly.
“That’s true… but Your Majesty, what do you want us to get out of him?” the black-robed man asked doubtfully.
Chu Tianxing had only asked them to torture the young man to get him to talk, but he had not said exactly what he wanted to get out of the young man. Faced with such a bizarre order, he was not too sure how he should proceed.
“You don’t have to worry about it at the moment. You just have to torture him until whatever spirit he has in him is broken so that he submits unconditionally to me. As for the rest, I’ll deal with it personally!” Chu Tianxing waved his hand casually.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The black-robed man nodded before taking his leave.
As soon as the black-robed man departed from the hall, a vicious glint surfaced in Chu Tianxing’s eyes.
As long as he could wear down Liu Yang’s spirit, he would be able to use the soul art that Vicious had imparted to him to take the young man’s soul hostage. By then, he would be able to do whatever he wanted!
Rising from his throne, he began making his way out of the hall as well. However, soon after walking out of the entrance, he saw the black-robed man whom he had just spoken to a moment ago lying on the ground motionless, seemingly having passed out.
“Hmm?” Chu Tianxing’s eyes widened in alarm as he began driving his zhenqi furiously.
He was a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert, and the strength he wielded was no joke. ‘Hula hula!’
Massive surges of zhenqi were pumped through his meridians, ready to bring death upon anyone who dared make a move against him.
To be able to knock out his subordinate at the entrance of the main hall without alarming him, there was no doubt that the one who had made a move was a true expert!
He warily scanned his surroundings as he walked over to his subordinate, intending to check on the wounds on the latter so that he would be able to verify the identity of the assailant through that. At this moment, however, a feeling of weakness abruptly consumed him, causing his body to stagger weakly. His eyes narrowed in alarm as he exclaimed, “This is… Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder!”
This sensation was very familiar to him. It was the poison that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had used for their invasion twenty years ago.
Those who came into contact with the poison would immediately be consumed with a feeling of weakness, and even Half-Leaving Aperture realm experts were not spared from it.
This poison was the reason for his capture back then. He could still remember the excruciating torture that the Qingtian Emperor had put him through, and eventually, he had been left with no choice but to offer his soul to the latter and become the latter’s puppet.
Fortunately, I still have the antidote with me, Chu Tianxing thought as he flicked his wrist to whip out a jade bottle. Suppressing the intense dizziness in his head, he popped out a pill and swiftly ate it.
He was not like the combat masters, who could still move and battle on their sheer willpower even in the face of abnormal conditions. It was true that he was at Half-Leaving Aperture realm, but that was actually the result of consuming countless precious medicinal herbs. In terms of true fighting prowess, he might not have been on par with an average Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator, let alone combat masters.
The pill swiftly dissolved in his mouth before entering his bloodstream to course through his veins. He thought that he would swiftly recover his fighting prowess, but after waiting for some time, the feeling of weakness still did not subside. On the contrary, it seemed to be growing more and more powerful.
It was as if he had consumed a fake antidote.
What’s going on? Chu Tianxing’s face darkened.
He had received the antidote from the Qingtian Emperor himself. It should have made him impervious to the effects of the Scattering Breeze Powder, so why would he still feel so powerless even after consuming it?
Perplexed, Chu Tianxing was just about to pop out a few more pills to consume when he suddenly heard a cold voice behind him.
“Don’t bother. The Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder was concocted using the poison cultivation technique we have learned from the founder. Its potency is at least five times stronger than the original, so the antidote you have won’t work at all.”
Hearing those words, Chu Tianxing quickly turned his head around, only to see a bunch of bizarrely dressed individuals walking over.
Elder Xu knew that this operation would have great implications, so he had all the poison masters switch into their normal clothing so as to indicate that they had conducted this operation in their capacity as individuals and not combat masters.
Their Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder was concocted using the unique poison cultivation technique that their founder had imparted to them, which had enhanced its potency manyfold. This had rendered ordinary antidotes ineffective against it.
If it was not for this, would they have dared to barge into the royal palace?
“You scoundrels, do you know who you are standing before? How dare you assault me, the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire? Just on the grounds of this crime itself, I can have you—as well as all of your kin, friends, and everyone related to you—executed…” Chu Tianxing bellowed furiously.
But before he could finish his words, another furious voice had already interjected. “Execute us? Try it then!”
Following which, Chu Tianxing suddenly saw a massive meatball charging in his direction.
Peng!
A fist struck his eye squarely, sending him flying headfirst into a pillar. The impact from the collision caused blood to bleed profusely down his face.
“You…” Struggling weakly to his feet, Chu Tianxing shot a hostile glare at the fatty who had just made a move against him, only to pale upon recognizing the latter. “You are… Zhang shi’s butler, Sun Qiang?”
It was due to abducting this fellow that King Zhongqing had nearly been killed. Chu Tianxing had conducted an investigation into Sun Qiang as well, allowing him to recognize the latter with just a look.
“That’s right! It’s me, your Grandpa Sun!” Sun Qiang sneered coldly before turning to the elder beside him. “Elder Xu, do you have a dagger?”
“Here you go!” Elder Xu obediently took out a dagger and passed it over to Sun Qiang as he asked doubtfully, “Benefactor, what are you planning to do with it?”
“This dog actually dared to capture Liu Yang… I’m going to castrate him to get even with him!” Sun Qiang spat through gritted teeth.
“Castrate?”
The faces of Elder Xu and the others twitched.
Everyone in the royal palace had only been knocked out temporarily—the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder would not harm their cultivation or life at all. This was also their primary intention in hopes of minimizing the repercussions from the operation. This way, even if the Master Teacher Pavilion investigated the matter, they might at least still be able to justify their actions…
As long as things did not get out of hand, Zhang shi would be able to clean up their mess once he returned.
But if they castrated the emperor… that would really be a huge matter.
That would be equivalent to attempting to assassinate the emperor, and once news spread, not even Zhang shi would be able to cover them!
Glaring at Chu Tianxing coldly, Sun Qing harrumphed. “Help me hold him tightly. If I don’t make this dog pay the price for his actions, my surname won’t be Sun!”
Ever since he had begun following the old master, he had never suffered such grievances before!
First, King Zhongqing captured him for no reason, and now, Chu Tianxing even held Liu Yang hostage…
The heck, did you really think that you can climb over our heads so easily?
If I don’t teach you a lesson, won’t everyone think that they can bully us?
“Yes!” A few poison masters rushed forward to hold down Chu Tianxing’s limbs.
Seeing that Sun Qiang was serious about the matter, Chu Tianxing’s face turned ghastly pale, and he began screaming at the top of his lungs. “What are you doing? I am the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire! You won’t get away scot-free for doing this to me! You will pay with your lives! The Master Teacher Pavilion will never allow such an incident to pass…”
He was the emperor of a Conferred Empire, the man who dictated the fates of countless lives. There was no way he could withstand the humiliation of being castrated by another!
“Master Teacher Pavilion? Humph! If the Master Teacher Pavilion was really interested in interfering in this matter, they would have long rid the world of a poisonous tumor like you!” Sun Qiang harrumphed coldly. “Take off his pants!”
Heeding Sun Qiang’s command, a poison master quickly rushed forward to pull down Chu Tianxing’s pants. However, Elder Xu suddenly walked over at this moment and said, “Benefactor, let’s not dirty our hands with his filthy blood. That would be a great discredit to you!”
Hearing Elder Xu pleading on his behalf, Chu Tianxing heaved a sigh of relief.
“It’s indeed a little disgusting…” Sun Qiang nodded as his movements came to a halt. “What do you suggest we do then?”
It was only in the heat of the moment that he wanted to castrate Chu Tianxing. Elder Xu’s words had brought rationality back to him, and he swiftly realized the possible implications of the matter. As such, he could only reluctantly drop the idea.
“How about this instead?” Elder Xu hesitated for a moment before flicking out a jade bottle. He took out a pill from it and passed it Chu Tianxing. “Eat it!”
“Eat it?” Staring at the pill in his hand, Chu Tianxing hesitated.
However, the other poison masters were not as good-tempered as Elder Xu as to allow Chu Tianxing to take his time. They held Chu Tianxing’s head firmly and forced the pill into his mouth.
Sun Qiang turned to Elder Xu and asked, “What is it?”
“Benefactor, it’s a kind of poison. Its consumption will cause it to drop off by itself without having the need for you to castrate him personally. Furthermore, the poison alters his genes to make it a permanent condition. In other words, even if he consumes the Grand Intermittence Pill, he will still be unable to regrow it. Not only is this method cleaner, it also resolves the problem once and for all! Two birds with one stone, don’t you agree?” Elder Xu said.
“Drop off by itself?” Chu Tianxing nearly blacked out upon hearing those words.
He was just thanking the heavens a moment ago for having mercy on him when he was suddenly fed such a vicious pill.
Choked up with frustration, his face flushed crimson, and he spurted a mouthful of blood.
Amid the uncontrollable shivering of his body, he felt an abrupt coldness in his lower body, as if something had really dropped off.
“My…” Unable to take the trauma, Chu Tianxing’s eyes rolled up, and he passed out on the spot.
“Wow… the poison sure is potent!” Watching as Chu Tianxing’s pants were dyed crimson by the fresh blood flowing from his crotch area, Sun Qiang could not help but direct a look of admiration toward Elder Xu.
No wonder poison masters were so deeply feared on the Master Teacher Continent! Their means were truly fearsome, a living nightmare for all cultivators!
Sun Qiang waved his hand impassively and instructed, “Wake him up and get Liu Yang’s location out of him!”
‘Yes!”
Two poison masters stepped forward to deal with Chu Tianxing, and it did not take too long for them to uncover Liu Yang’s location from his mouth.
The means of the poison masters were simply too frightening. The myriad of effects that their poisons had could have the most steadfast of minds crumbling in just a few moments, let alone a spoiled emperor.
The group swiftly rushed over to the place Chu Tianxing had pointed out, only to find a feeble Liu Yang. He had been severely tortured to the point that it seemed like he was about to breathe his last.
“Young Master Liu Yang!”
Sun Qiang quickly rushed forward to feed him a few recovery pills that Zhang Xuan had given him previously.
Perhaps his previous capture had given Zhang Xuan a shock, but for fear that Sun Qiang and the others would find themselves faced with life-threatening situations in the future, he had decided to leave them with a few pills for times of need.
Even after consuming the pills, it took some time before Liu Yang regained his consciousness. When he saw the arrested Chu Tianxing held firmly by the poison masters, a burst of rage swiftly ignited within him, blazing into an inferno in an instant.
He had truly thought that the other party had invited him out of goodwill, wanting to reconcile the differences he had with his teacher. Yet, from the start to the end, that fellow had been planning to hold him hostage to threaten his teacher! Unforgivable!
Never in his life had he felt so enraged by anyone’s action.
“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” Roaring furiously, Liu Yang sent a kick straight toward Chu Tianxing.
Peng!
Chu Tianxing crashed forcefully into the wall, and the powerful impact had him coughing out huge mouthfuls of blood.
“These are the knuckledusters you have given me. Allow me to return them to you right now!”
Putting on the knuckledusters, Liu Yang charged up to Chu Tianxing and smashed his fist into the latter.
Peng!
Chu Tianxing’s chest immediately sunk in. His ribcage had been shattered.
Liu Yang raised his fist once more and send another blow toward Chu Tianxing, and at that moment, Elder Xu’s eyes suddenly narrowed in horror.
“This is bad. H-h-he… is dead!”
“Dead?” Taken aback, Liu Yang quickly took a closer look, only to see that a horrified look had been permanently plastered onto Chu Tianxing’s face. Unknowingly, the latter had breathed his last.
“Things have really gone in the worst direction…”
Gazing at the dead emperor before their eyes, everyone’s face paled. Even Sun Qiang could not help but stiffen at that sight.
