The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 668 Fist Kills Martial Immortal

Xiping Road, the camp of the imperial army.

The Empress has arrived!
The news spread like wildfire throughout Xiping a few days earlier, thanks to Xue Shence's efforts to disseminate it.

The morale of the imperial soldiers was greatly boosted, and they all eagerly awaited the arrival of the Empress, who finally led her personal army to the capital.

Duke Tang Daren personally led a group to welcome them, and on their return, local generals led by Xue Shence lined up to greet them.

Xu Zhenguan stood atop the carriage, his elegance unparalleled.

They entered the camp amidst the sound of war drums and the gazes of countless soldiers.

Russian qing.

A meeting was held in the central military camp. Xu Zhenguan sat in the main seat.

Xue Shence and the Duke of Zhenguo were seated alongside the other civil and military officials, who were arranged according to their seating order.

"Your Majesty..."

Xue Shence respectfully reported on the current battle situation in Xiping Road.

The Empress listened quietly, her face expressionless. She had learned this information in advance from the reports of her shadow guards along the way, and now it was just a matter of verifying it with Xue Shence's oral account.

Overall, the situation was not ideal. Although the soldiers of the Western Regions led by Buddhist masters were far inferior to the imperial court in terms of troop deployment, the imperial court had suffered a severe blow due to the War of the Eight Princes.

Therefore, even though Xue Shence did his best, the entire defense line still retreated uncontrollably. Now, nearly half of Xiping Road has fallen. Fortunately, after sacrificing so much, the defense line has been stabilized.

"I have seen all your hard work. Now that the chaos of the Eight Princes has been quelled, the troops from the south will arrive to provide reinforcements soon..."

After the Empress reassured them, the soldiers felt much more at ease seeing her calm and confident demeanor.

The meeting has ended.

The Empress kept Xue Shence behind alone.

"Does Your Majesty have something to ask me?" Xue Shence asked the Empress cautiously.

Xu Zhenguan stared at him and asked:

"Are you aware of the matter concerning the Red Sect guru?"

Xue Shence suddenly realized and hurriedly explained how he had been ordered by Zhao Du'an to come to Xiping Road, where he secretly contacted the Red Sect master and learned a lot of battle reports through him.

Later, the Red Sect master suddenly rescued Princess Wenzhu. By the time Xue Shence learned of this, it was too late, and he could not provide assistance. He could only do his best to blockade the Western Regions and search for the monk soldiers.

"Princess Wenzhu's whereabouts are unknown... As for the Red Sect Master, as far as I know, he has been captured by the Great Master Jing, who defected from Shenlong Temple, and has been sent back to the main altar. His fate is unknown," Xue Shence explained.

The Empress was slightly dazed, confirming the truth of the matter.

She hesitated for a moment, about to ask more questions.

Suddenly, the Tai'a sword at the Empress's waist began to vibrate violently, the sword rattling in its scabbard as if trying to break free!
Xu Zhenguan was startled. He gripped the hilt of his sword with one hand and quickly stepped out of the tent. Gazing towards the East China Sea, a silver jade seal mark appeared between his brows!

Her beautiful eyes sparkled like stars, as if she were looking at a scene tens of thousands of miles away.

But at such a distance, even a celestial being couldn't see clearly. She merely stirred something within her and murmured:
"Did he use the Dragon Soul again?"

At this moment, the Empress was eager to return home.

……

……

East China Sea.

"boom!"

As the figure wielding a sword broke through the water, everyone on the sea couldn't help but turn their gaze towards him.

The first to react was Jiyue on the deck of the sailboat. Her white eyes gazed at the sky, and she exclaimed in surprise:
"grown ups!"

Zhao Du'an! It's our master who's back!

Shuibei and Hongshan Island Master also breathed a sigh of relief. They had witnessed the nine elders diving into the Silent Sea and were extremely anxious.

Seeing Zhao Du'an return safely, he naturally breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked worriedly at the surface of the Silent Sea, only to find that he did not see the Thousand Island Elders who had chased after him.

"Zhao! Du! An!"

Wu Xiankui also saw this familiar yet unfamiliar figure. Immediately, the Green Mountain Sect Leader noticed the change in Zhao Du'an's aura, and his expression changed drastically.

Half-step Celestial Being... He's already reached this level?

Or did they use that dragon soul again?
Before Wu Xiankui could think, the premonition of danger inherent in martial artists made him feel like he had a thorn in his side, and he had the idea of ​​fleeing.

Zhang Yanyi alone had already exhausted him too much energy, and with another half-step Celestial being added to the mix, he might really perish at sea if he wasn't careful.

At this moment, the thought of hunting Zhao Du'an had long been forgotten. Wu Xiankui suddenly stepped into the sea, causing the seawater to surge. He left a trail of afterimages and fled rapidly into the distance.

He ran away!
Seeing this, Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, but the old celestial master did not stop him. A celestial being was determined to leave, and it was almost impossible to stop him.

He looked at Zhao Du'an, equally astonished: "You..."

Zhao Du'an nodded calmly: "I broke through by sheer luck."

Then, without explaining further, he simply watched Wu Xiankui's retreating figure, suddenly tossed the Xuan Turtle Seal to the Old Celestial Master, and uttered a single sentence:
"Please, Celestial Master, restrain the Sea God for a moment. I'll be right back."

After saying that, Zhao Du'an also flew away like a cannonball with a "bang".

The old Celestial Master instinctively grabbed the Black Tortoise Seal, but upon hearing the words "slightly restrain," his face twitched. He wanted to throw the seal away, but then he saw the man chasing after it and was startled.
"Don't be impulsive... He's not under much pressure here..."

From afar, Zhao Du'an's calm voice rang out:
"It's alright, this sea area has no effect on me at the moment."

Zhang Yan was stunned.

……

Thick clouds surged, torrential rain poured down, the sea was filled with towering waves, and lightning bolts danced wildly in the clouds.

An apocalyptic atmosphere permeated the entire sea, yet amidst this celestial phenomenon, two figures were frantically chasing each other across the boundless ocean.

Zhao Du'an gripped the Zhen Blade, pursed his lips, and raced across the sea. After advancing to the half-step Celestial Realm, he could now walk on air.

The most amazing thing is that after the Dragon Soul awakened, he suddenly realized that the pressure from the "Sea God" that had been pressing down on him had disappeared.

Even as he ran, he felt an unparalleled affinity for this sea and this land.

He understood that this was not due to the power of the half-step Celestial Realm, but most likely because of the connection between the Dragon Soul and the dragon skeleton at the bottom of the sea.

When that dragon was alive, as a near-divine being living in the East Sea, how could it be affected by the sea god?
Therefore, with the blessing of the dragon soul that inherited the divine essence of the dragon's remains, Zhao Du'an can now unleash his power without restraint.

Of course, this was under the condition that the Sea God was mostly restrained by the Old Celestial Master.

Perhaps because of this, he was incredibly fast, and in no time at all, he caught up with Wu Xiankui, who was fleeing ahead.

When Wu Xiankui realized that he was the only one chasing after him, he was first taken aback, and then suddenly turned around and hovered above the dark sea, standing in the cold rain, his empty sleeves dancing in the wind.

Wu Xiankui stared warily at Zhao Du'an, who had also stopped a dozen feet away, his gaze icy:

"You want to stop me?"

Zhao Du'an said with a smile:

"Sect Leader Wu, you hit someone and then ran away. Is this the style of the people of Qingshan?"

It was the same on the day of the Fengshan ceremony, and it was the same on Daluo Island later. It is still the same today. There is a saying in the Yu Kingdom's officialdom: "The net of law is thick and wide, yet nothing escapes it."

Do you think I'll allow you to escape again and again?

The two undoubtedly had a grudge against each other.

Although the two have only met twice to date, their differing stances have already forged an irreconcilable enmity.

Wu Xiankui stared at him coldly, the maroon mark between his eyebrows shimmering red like volcanic lava, extremely conspicuous on the dark sea.

He seemed somewhat surprised, and also somewhat sarcastic:

"You? If Zhang Yanyi also caught up, given my current injuries, I would be somewhat afraid of you. But you alone? You think you can stop me? You are simply ignorant of your own limitations. Do you think that by taking half a step, you can contend with a Celestial Being? Do you think that just because I am injured, you, a shallow person who has only cultivated for a few years, can hunt me down?"

His satire wasn't an act; it was genuine.

This stems from the inherent confidence, or perhaps arrogance, of the strong.

Wu Xiankui is the undisputed number one martial artist in the world today.

As for the Empress, she was not a pure warrior after all, and she also benefited from the emperor's dragon aura.

Zhao Du'an met his gaze calmly and said indifferently:

"When you heard I was here before, you didn't act like this when you came to sneak up and attack me."

"When His Majesty severed your arm a few days ago, and you abandoned the Green Mountain disciples to flee alone, you weren't like this. And your shameless face during the ambush at Luoshan wasn't like this either."

With each word he uttered, Wu Xiankui's expression grew increasingly grim.

Zhao Du'an, however, continued to say:
"You call yourself the number one martial artist in the world, yet your actions are as dark and shady as a rat. I really don't know how you cultivated to this level. It seems that the Green Mountain lineage, which has been passed down for thousands of years, has finally declined."

Ha, you're furious? I can give you a chance today. Didn't you want to seize the royal martial god's inheritance for a glimpse?

"Look, the dragon soul left behind by the founding emperor of the Yu Kingdom, the culmination of his life's cultivation, resides within me. Kill me, and all of this will be yours."

Wu Xiankui's heart stirred, and his gaze involuntarily fell on the man's lower abdomen.

Zhao Du'an continued to laugh:
"However, it's not accurate to say that I'm only at the half-step Celestial Realm. Have you forgotten that I can also borrow power?"

As he spoke, he took a step forward without any hint of sarcasm.

"Crack!"

It was as if some shackles within his body had been shattered once again. The dragon soul within his dantian roared, and a brilliant glow suddenly burst forth from Zhao Du'an's body. His aura also rose another step, reaching the level of a celestial being.

Just like back on Daluo Island, Prince Jing, whose true cultivation level was half a step into the Celestial Realm, also briefly advanced his realm through the relic.

Today, Zhao Du'an, the Prince of Jing, ascends another step.

As Wu Xiankui's expression suddenly changed, Zhao Du'an smiled nonchalantly and slashed at his opponent from a distance with his Zhen Dao!
Creation of the world!
"Rumble--"

At first glance, the slash seemed unremarkable, but suddenly the dark sea split open in the middle, with the vast expanse of water parting to the left and right.

A canyon-like ravine was carved out of the sea, and at the end of the ravine was the Green Mountain Sect Leader.

Wu Xiankui's face contorted and trembled as he felt the sharp sword energy that seemed to tear him apart.

The mark between his eyebrows burst forth with light and fire, and the air around him cracked, shattering like porcelain, with invisible "shards" falling into the sea.

This martial arts master's skill was so great that he could distort the surrounding air into a shield against the blade's energy.

Incredible skills.

However, a bright red gash still appeared on Wu Xiankui's chest and abdomen, which seemed to enrage him. Wu Xiankui roared like a raging lion, locking his gaze on the young man holding the knife in front of him.

Then, he suddenly transformed into a burning crimson meteorite, crashing into Zhao Du'an with overwhelming force.

"Isn't this enough...?"

Zhao Du'an murmured softly. He smiled and simply put away his Zhen Dao. Then, he recalled the image of the founding emperor of the Yu Kingdom practicing his fist techniques in the Martial God Diagram.

He slowly assumed a boxing stance, his body radiating brilliant light. He threw a heavy punch, directly clashing with the one-armed opponent that Wu Xiankui had delivered.

"boom!"

Centered on the two people, the sea surface suddenly formed a ring, bursting open with a circle of turbulent white waves.

The dark clouds in the sky were almost shattered by the shockwave, and a part of the sea god's will seemed to have noticed this, angrily slashing down twisted lightning bolts from the sky.

In an instant, the sea was covered with electric snakes, while Zhao Du'an and Wu Xiankui exchanged blows frantically.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

……

Fighting among warriors has always been simple and brutal.

Zhao Du'an seemed to have returned to the time when he fought against Prince Jing. He devoted himself to the fist technique, forgetting all the moves, and simply followed his instincts to pump all the strength in his body into his opponent's body.

This time, after advancing to the half-step Celestial Realm, he finally understood why Prince Jing was so resilient back then.

In the realm of the divine, the human body is connected to heaven and earth; any attack that strikes the body will automatically be redirected to the sea within a radius of several miles.

Wu Xiankui was equally astonished as the fight progressed, because he discovered that Zhao Du'an was much stronger than he had anticipated.

At this moment, the radiance emanating from Emperor Taizu of Han finally revealed its true defensive power, a defense even more difficult to break through than the Buddhist Golden Bell Shield.

Wu Xiankui also sadly realized that his injuries had become so severe that he could no longer exert his full strength.

First, he fought the Empress, then he battled Zhang Yan. Even a celestial warrior couldn't withstand it in the end.

Especially since he only had one arm left, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position when fighting against Zhao Du'an, who was almost of the same level.

This caused a sudden surge of fear and panic in Wu Xiankui's heart.

He froze, gripped by fear or panic.

How many years has it been since I've felt this emotion?

It's even become unfamiliar...

The battle continued. Seawater evaporated continuously, and countless fish on the seabed were killed by the aftershocks of their fight, creating schools of white fish floating on the surface of the sea.

Wu Xiankui gradually felt his breathing become heavy, his movements became slower and slower, the sounds from the outside world began to fade, and the pounding of his heart became incredibly clear.

But Zhao Du'an, who was much younger than him, was still full of energy.

Boxing is afraid of young people.

At this moment, Wu Xiankui suddenly recalled his childhood, when he left home to learn martial arts at a martial arts school in the county town.

The first thing that the mean old boxing master said to him during his first lesson was:

"Youth has the upper hand in a fight..."

Am I... already old?
"No... we can't keep fighting..." Wu Xiankui suddenly realized and tried to escape.

However, he met Zhao Du'an's bloodshot eyes:
"Trying to leave? Too late..."

Then, to Wu Xiankui's horrified gaze, Zhao Du'an suddenly pressed a palm against his chest and abdomen. Then, a phantom golden dragon emerged from Zhao Du'an's arm and entered his own dantian.

"Want it? Here you go!"

Zhao Du'an smiled slightly.

Wu Xiankui was terrified, and a sense of crisis he had never felt before surged through his heart!

He tried to break free, but found himself unable to move, and could only watch in astonishment as the dragon spirit rapidly grew stronger within his dantian...

His dantian area expanded wildly like a balloon, with boundless, violent, and pure qi frantically filling every blood vessel.

"Do not--"

Wu Xiankui's eyes widened, only to see Zhao Du'an suddenly move away from him, mouthing something to him with a pitying look in his eyes:

"Bang!"

The next moment, a dazzling flame rose from the sea, and the body of the number one martial artist cracked with countless fissures and shattered...

A few moments.

On the sea, blood rained down.

(End of this chapter)