Chapter 168: The Death of the Undying Demon Empress!

Xici's cold and resolute voice echoed.

From the other directions, six figures flashed out, carrying violent gusts of wind; their True Gang surged, and the blades, spears, swords, and halberds in their hands radiated fierce, chilling light as they attacked that immortal-like figure with an unstoppable momentum.

They were none other than the three remaining Great Shamans of the Shaman God Sect: Ennahaidu, Cang Jige, and Bu Tiansuo; along with the Banner Lords of the Jin Clan's Upper Three Banners, Aliha, Baidu, and Boheli—a total of six True Martial Grandmasters!

It must be said that they chose the perfect moment; Lu Yuan's figure, wrapped in dim golden light, had just flashed out from the thick smoke and was immediately faced with this extremely treacherous ambush.

The first to reach him was Xici's terrifyingly pale spear shadow; this spear carried illusions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with forests of white bones, and it struck with a posture of destroying everything, as if it had suppressed the brilliance of the sun, moon, and heavens.

The sound, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, was deafening, and the spear shadow, carrying a horrifying power that made one's hair stand on end, sealed off all space for evasion, yet at this very moment, Lu Yuan let out a light laugh:

"I have finally waited for you."

He flicked his wrist lightly, and the Seven Star Dragon Abyss in his hand chimed once more; a magnificent Sword Qi, carrying a heart-stirring, brilliant golden light as if it were pulling all the light in the world, poured out in an instant.

Like the rising and falling of the tide, where the sea meets the sky, the space within a radius of over ten zhang was divided and cut, distinct and clear, as the golden Sword Qi surged into the heavens with a hunting sound. This sword strike did not stir up a howling gale, and the surrounding air did not surge in the slightest, yet even Xici felt a danger as piercing as a needle tip in that instant.

At this moment, Xici, who held the Abuhulin Spear and had lowered her status to disguise herself as an imperial guard, gritted her teeth; she poured all her vast True Gang into the bone spear in her hand, her eyes filled with the resolute killing intent of a desperate gamble.

In fact, she was the same as everyone else.

Just now, when she saw Lu Yuan flying through the air, surrounded by immortal light like a True Immortal descending, even she, the ruler of a nation, felt her heart tremble, uncontrollably producing feelings of slight panic, terror, and even fear.

After all, "traveling to the North Sea in the morning and the Cangwu in the evening"—Immortals were legendary existences; how could a mortal body possibly defeat one?

But all the arrangements were already in place, and Lu Yuan's existence concerned the survival of the entire Jin Clan; coupled with the temptation of the secrets of immortality, she had no other choice but to choose to launch this pre-arranged death trap in such a desperate gamble.

In reality, she had had people ambush two hundred expert marksmen in the viewing stands, but only a few dozen had dared to stand up and fire just now; clearly, the majority had been intimidated by the opponent's immortal-like image.

Boom!

As thoughts flashed like lightning, the two figures collided fiercely, sword light and spear shadow clashing.

In the blink of an eye, the entire world seemed to shake violently, and then a terrifying power surged in all directions; sharp energy rippled outward like a tide, and the already shattered arena disintegrated layer by layer at high speed, completely pulverized under the ravages of the sharp energy storm. Visible ripples expanded coldly and ruthlessly in all directions, and under the violent impact, everything was as fragile as cake, directly turning into dust under the destructive power of the energy!

In an instant, the place where Lu Yuan and Xici collided turned into a complete vacuum purgatory, and in such a scene, both their bodies shook violently, retreating upon contact.

As Xici retreated rapidly, an unnatural blood-red color appeared on her face, and she shouted sternly:

"His power is not impossible to resist!"

"All of you, attack with full force!"

Almost at the same time Xici's words reached their ears, the six Grandmasters, including Ennahaidu, had already killed their way over like maggots on a bone, and the violent, destructive blade light and sword radiance had completely enveloped Lu Yuan's figure!

Yet, what greeted them.

Was a single, understated, ethereal word:

"Freeze!"

Hum.

In an instant, a vast and invisible wave spread outward.

Suddenly, the air, dust, and light stopped flowing; there was not a sound, and all space within several zhang of him was directly suppressed by Lu Yuan's "Freeze" word. The rumbling of the earth and the howling of the gloomy wind in the sky all fell completely silent.

Everything was frozen, everything was solidified, and on this oppressive, suffocating, and eerie canvas, Cang Jige and the others, though still moving forward due to inertia, had already been solidified into sculptures.

Only on Ennahaidu's body did a vast wave suddenly emanate at this moment; it was a primitive bracelet on his wrist that suddenly unleashed a strange power, barely resisting this suppression force.

Not good!

In an instant, all six Jin Dynasty Grandmasters were horrified, letting out intense screams from the deepest parts of their minds, yet before they could break free from the restraints, a golden radiance of vast, world-extinguishing, and unstoppable power suddenly swept across their necks with destructive force.

Chi chi chi chi chi!

The brilliant sword light swept past, and five human heads shot into the sky at once!

It was none other than Cang Jige, Bu Tiansuo, Aliha, Baidu, and Boheli—these five Jin Clan Grandmasters, excluding Ennahaidu, had all been decapitated!

Although Ennahaidu, the strongest of the six, narrowly escaped, his deer-horn staff and even the red-tasseled hat he wore for his disguise were sliced off by the sword light, and even a layer of his scalp was shaved off, blood flowing like a fountain.

Amidst the rain of blood, the corpses of the other five Grandmasters fell to the ground, dying with their eyes wide open in resentment; the only survivor, Ennahaidu, had a face filled with nothing but desperate terror and the fierce, resolute will to die.

"My life is at its end; I must clear the threat for the younger generation and secure their future!"

Facing such a terrifying enemy, he knew he could hardly escape; his eyes widened in anger, and his entire True Gang and spirit burned like a torch. In an instant, he completely abandoned all defense and thrust his broken deer-horn staff directly at Lu Yuan's glabella, the force so fierce and violent that it produced a piercing sonic boom!

However.

After the 【Sword Technique】 leveled up, Lu Yuan's sword skills had reached a miraculous level; facing this desperate final counterattack, he danced the sword light in his hand like a swimming dragon, and a golden Sword Qi like a thunderbolt shredded the staff he thrust into pieces before passing through his chest.

The Sword Qi instantly shredded his heart, yet at this moment, Ennahaidu seemed to feel no pain at all; in a split second, he lunged at Lu Yuan with his flesh-and-blood body, wrapped his arms tightly around him, and let out a heaven-shaking roar with eyes about to split:

"Empress, strike—!"

The tragic, resolute, and suicidal roar echoed over the venue; the thousands of spectators were so shocked by this earth-shattering turn of events that they hadn't even reacted. Xici, who was several zhang away and had recovered slightly from the shock of her True Gang, seized this fleeting opportunity; her figure and the spear shadow merged once more, shooting toward the two like a bursting bolt of lightning.

Boom!

In an instant, she disregarded the loss of her lifespan, and her True Gang, vast as the ocean, erupted without reservation. The Abuhulin Spear in her hand emitted a deafening, shrill whistle; although the spear body was covered in cracks and ready to shatter at any moment, the endless death energy and baleful aura within seemed to be fully released, condensing into a pale light spear a full zhang long.

Then, in the next instant, the terrifying spear shadow left her hand, piercing through the air as if tearing space apart, emitting shrill echoes like a mountain landslide and tsunami among the mountains and valleys. The spear shadow crossed the distance of several zhang like a thunderbolt, instantly passing through Ennahaidu and Lu Yuan, who was bound by his arms!

The Abuhulin Spear seemed to have completed its mission this time and disintegrated in mid-air. Xici, who had delivered the final blow, saw with wild joy that both Ennahaidu and Lu Yuan had a blood hole nearly the size of a human head pierced through their upper bodies!

The two figures solidified completely, remaining standing and motionless.

Such an injury would be fatal even for a true Immortal, leading to their fall.

＿￠o

"A Yuan (Master Lu)!"

Seeing this scene, Chen Zhantang, Li Junxian, Wu Yixian, and the others roared in horror, while the experts from various countries on the sidelines, the princes and ministers in the viewing towers, and even the thousands of spectators were all dumbfounded and silent.

"Hahahaha!" On the chaotic arena, Xici retreated several steps to prevent a counterattack, laughing loudly without caring about the massive consumption of her vitality, her laughter incomparably gratified:

"What of an Immortal?"

"Watch as I, the Empress, defy the heavens and slay an Immortal to protect the eternal empire of my Jin Clan!"

Finally confirming that this short figure who had suddenly erupted was the uncrowned king of the Great Jin, the Undying Demon Empress, everyone was incomparably shocked, especially the experts of the three major powers and the foreign envoys who had retreated to the sidelines, their expressions changing drastically:

"This so-called Immortal was actually killed!?"

"What a terrifying attack; it turns out they had long since set the stage to ambush this person!"

"As expected, our intelligence was not wrong; the Jin Dynasty's Empress Dowager Xici is also a powerhouse who has stepped into the Legendary Realm, and she even entered this realm earlier than our Pope!"

"And that bone spear—the terrifying aura released by its final strike likely reached the peak of the Legendary Realm; I fear that in this world, aside from His Majesty Alexander I, no one could have withstood it."

"Immortal. This so-called Immortal seems to be nothing more than this; it is a pity I do not know how he managed to fly through the air."

At this moment, the Xuantong Emperor and the princes and ministers who were unaware of the truth on the viewing platform also hurriedly turned their heads, only to see 'Xici' on the phoenix chair kneel down in a panic:

"Your Majesty, forgive me! It was the Old Buddha who ordered this servant to disguise herself as her!"

"Indeed, it was I who had her impersonate me!"

Although she had paid the heavy price of all six Great Jin Dynasty Grandmasters dying and the loss of over ten years of her own lifespan, Xici, having achieved final victory, could not suppress her excitement and said to Abraham and the others at the edge of the arena:

"Honored envoys, please forgive the earlier offense. This person was a traitor to our Great Jin, and in order to..."

Her words were not yet finished.

With a bang!

On the arena, within the embrace of the already-corpse Ennahai, Lu Yuan's broken 'body' suddenly shattered like fireworks, transforming into specks of immortal light that drifted away, dancing in the wind as they floated, merging into the breeze—it was breathtakingly beautiful.

What!?

Xici's expression suddenly stiffened and froze.

Staring blankly at the light rain drifting across the sky, a boundless chill and trembling sensation suddenly surged in her heart.

She clearly saw that what dissipated before her was not a true flesh-and-blood body, but seemed to be a Cloning illusion formed by some technique, one that was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing!

In other words, everything that all their Jin Dynasty Grandmaster powerhouses had joined forces to defeat, launching a peerless strike and paying an extremely heavy price for, was merely a clone!

Just as her mind was trembling.

Swish!

The next moment, a violent golden light flashed like lightning, and a scarlet line of blood abruptly appeared on Xici's neck, causing her body to freeze completely.

"A very effective coordination."

A cold and emotionless voice drifted about; in the void behind Xici, Lu Yuan's figure, wreathed in immortal light, manifested as if descending from another world:

"Unfortunately, it was all in vain!"

As his voice rolled and spread, he reached out, and a palm formed by condensed Dharma Power took shape; before the eyes of the crowd, he directly lifted Xici's head—her eyes still wide open in death—from her body!

The headless corpse stood upright, and a rain of blood sprayed into the sky.

At the moment this twist of fate, this inconceivable scene occurred, the entire arena fell into dead silence.

Having held the regency from behind the curtain for over sixty years, the true master of the current Great Jin, the Undying Demon Empress Xici, had just died like this!?

Thousands upon thousands of people could not believe it at this moment.

However, Lu Yuan just held Xici's wide-eyed head with his Dharma Power, his entire body blooming with immortal light once more, and rose into the air amidst the whistling wind, his voice resounding grandly:

"When a nation is about to perish, there must be monsters; Heaven intends to execute them."

"Today, the Demon Empress Xici has monopolized the government, harming the nation and the people, causing the land of Shenzhou to lose its sovereignty and suffer humiliation, leaving it scarred and devastated. I, Lu Yuan, having been enlightened by an Immortal and sensing the will of Heaven, have personally walked the mortal world to execute this monster, to change the heavens and the earth, and to reshape the mountains and rivers. I hereby proclaim this to the world!"

His voice, like the sound of Heaven, rolled and echoed among the mountains; the hundreds of thousands of spectators and commoners in the arena suddenly woke up, all kneeling in excitement and shouting in worship with all their might.

Although Xici was the master of the entire Great Jin, the Emperor of Emperors, and a living fossil who had lived for two sixty-year cycles, she had become a supreme being of myth and legend among the common people.

But the people of the world had long suffered under Xici and the Jin Dynasty; with Lu Yuan descending like an Immortal to execute Xici, it was as if it were the will of Heaven, and the vast majority of the commoners prostrated themselves, believing deeply in what he said, and even rapidly turning toward a fanatical faith.

Amidst the worship of the masses, like the roar of mountains and the surging of seas.

Li Junxian, Lin Xingchao, Chen Zhantang, Wu Yixian, and other friends and relatives from various sides even felt the urge to worship; beyond their surprise and excitement, they were also dumbfounded, finding it hard to digest everything that had happened since the start of the assembly:

"Incredible, incredible, how could such a thing happen in this world..."

"Master Lu actually encountered the enlightenment of an Immortal..."

"No wonder the Demon Empress, this so-called Grandmaster of the Heavenly Gang Realm, was no match for him; how can a martial artist compare to an Immortal?"

Compared to the seething crowd, the Xuantong Emperor and all the princes and ministers on the viewing platform were even more dull-eyed, their bodies and minds cold and trembling, their faces as bloodless as the dead.

Because even the puppet-like Xuantong Emperor knew that Xici was the living fossil of the Great Jin, the number one powerhouse of Shenzhou, and the true pillar supporting the Jin Clan; it was precisely because of her existence that the Great Jin had been able to maintain itself until now.

That such an existence could be killed in full view of everyone was, to the entire Jin Clan, no different from the sky collapsing!

However, regardless of what they were thinking in their hearts.

Amidst the shouting of the masses, Lu Yuan, still holding Xici's wide-eyed head, floated with his immortal light blooming to the space above the viewing platform and tossed the head in his hand, letting it land before the trembling Xuantong Emperor and all the cowering princes and ministers:

"Xici is dead. The Jin Clan has usurped the empire for five hundred years; it should be returned to the Han people of the world."

"I give you two months to issue a decree of abdication with dignity, return the nation and its lands, and let the people of the world discuss the re-establishment of the national system together."

"Do you have any objections?"