Chapter 772: Huayuan

No one expected that the fellow who finally made a grand entrance would do so in such a way.

Not from the sky, and not from the ground, but from... within a person!

A Sword Hero used what was almost a self-detonation to open a path; this must be some sort of bizarre Sword Technique that bypassed the restrictions between heaven and earth through unique rules, ushering in an existence that should not have been able to enter.

It was fortunate that there was actually a Sword Hero willing to sacrifice their life to do such a thing! And a pure Human Sword Hero at that!

The Demonic Sect, this is definitely the Demonic Sect!

Anyone with even a little bit of insight had this thought flash through their mind: only those insane fanatics who are considered mentally abnormal even within the Demonic Sect would do such a thing.

And the one who finally made a shining entrance was...

A short person.

Seemingly a person.

In the night, their figure was very blurry; one could only see that the body was short and thin, yet somewhat hunched, and they wore a bamboo hat on their head, as if the bamboo hat the old man who just self-detonated threw into the sky had fallen back down and landed on them.

Perhaps because of the bamboo hat covering them, perhaps because of the thick night, or perhaps because of the person's own strangeness, apart from the silhouette of a short, hunched figure, no details could be seen clearly, as if they stood between reality and illusion, existing yet not existing.

Above, the Emperor saw this person and felt only strangeness in his heart. At this moment, he had gradually mastered the power in his hands and naturally learned some methods of using it, such as relying on the release of his Spirit to distinguish the strength of an opponent.

He clearly perceived that the person before him was not very powerful, seemingly not as strong as the old man who had just self-detonated.

However, the Emperor did not dare to underestimate them, because he truly could not see that person's appearance clearly. They seemed to be covered in a layer of disguise; this disguise was not gauze, not a Mask, nor any concrete, tangible obstruction. It seemed to be a "disguise" in the conceptual sense, and because of this layer of disguise, they could fundamentally never be seen through.

In any case, for things beyond his reach or where he lacked certainty, he had to remain cautious; having stayed in the deep palace for so many years, the Emperor had certainly learned the word "caution." Therefore, he retracted the roaring lightning bit by bit and no longer deliberately maintained the appearance of a True Dragon, instead letting it wrap around him like layers of armor, while still leaving behind long lightning blades for offense.

And overhead, the Gaoyuan Marquis's expression was even more solemn; he touched his ear lightly and said to the air, "Prepare to transfer—"

The fourth word had just left his mouth when he saw that short figure move slightly, reaching their hand forward to perform a motion. This motion did not look like throwing a punch or executing a move, nor did it look like picking up an object, but rather like...

Hoeing the ground?!

As soon as this motion was made, the world changed in an instant, and everyone felt as if something was shifting.

At the same time, someone jumped out from the half-collapsed Jindinglou, vaguely draped in a cloak, holding a long sword high, swinging it with all their might, and shouting:

"Sword Technique—Collective Exile!"

Where the Sword Technique raged, it almost swept up the entire open space in front of the building. The commoners who had been separated and were waiting to be evacuated, many of whom had lingered to pay respects to the Emperor, as well as several hundred people including the Imperial Guards, were gathered together in a dense crowd, but they happened to be within the coverage of the Sword Technique. As the Sword Technique fell, in an instant, the stars shifted and the world turned, leaving behind a patch of white ground.

Yet the next moment, the white ground turned green.

Countless blades of green grass shot up from the open ground, instantly filling the entire foot of Zijin Mountain. Whether it was the open ground, lanterns, pavilions, railings, or mountain rocks, everything was buried in wild grass in an instant.

It was not simply covered, but replaced. All the wild grass grew straight upward; no matter what the obstacle, it could not withstand the growth Momentum of the sprouting vegetation and was directly pierced through, as if piercing paper. Some heavier things turned into waste and piled up at the very bottom of the grass, while some lighter things were skewered on the tips of the grass blades like candied haws. Some lanterns, because they had large cavities and the candles inside had not yet gone out, actually illuminated the healthy grass in colorful hues, possessing a bizarre and surreal beauty. It was just that the transfer Sword Technique from earlier had come quickly; had it been a fraction of a second later, what would have been hanging on the grass blades would have been hundreds of gruesome blood-covered gourds.

In the blink of an eye, the area under Zijin Mountain had turned into a green desert!

The Emperor had previously had a fleeting thought: what kind of arrogant person would use a name like "Collective Exile" for a Sword Technique, and yet it was a Sword Technique that saved people? The next moment, he was stunned by the suddenly unfolded green world and was speechless for a time.

Immediately following, the green vegetation had already grown to an average height of over a zhang, and then flowers of deep purple and bright red bloomed in the grass. The flowers were not scattered in a disorderly fashion like wildflowers, but were in clusters and clumps, arranged with scattered elegance, as if they had been planned and pruned, built into flower beds like a landscape. The flowers in the flower beds included roses, Chinese roses, crabapples, hibiscus, lilies... among which there was no lack of rare species.

Besides the flower beds, fruit trees, wisteria trellises, stone paths, stone-rimmed ponds, pavilions, and stone stools appeared on the grass...

In the blink of an eye, this green desert that carried a hint of murderous intent had turned into an exquisite, elegant, and vibrant...

Huayuan?

It was just that these flower and grass landscapes were all too large; this was a Huayuan for a kingdom of giants!

The Emperor watched, dumbfounded; clearly it was a beautiful scene, yet he could not help but feel a chill down his spine.

This was not the first time he had seen that kind of strange insect and felt a disgusted physiological reaction, nor was he intimidated by pure power, but rather stunned by the incredibility and disharmony before his eyes.

Creation, of course, has far less visual impact than destruction, yet it gives people a sense of unfathomable mystery. This mystery brings unknown fear, and this fear is an instinctive fear that grows deeper and more terrifying the more one thinks about it.

Besides this, there was another kind of fear: loneliness. With that transfer Sword Technique, the irrelevant people around were cleared away in one fell swoop, and it suddenly became quiet. The commoners who had just been applauding and cheering, allowing the Emperor to enjoy the joy of being revered by all the people, had all dissipated, and taken along with them were the Emperor's sense of achievement and glory. That kind of glory, where every move elicited cheers and leaps of joy, was very good at diluting fear and a sense of reality, making the Emperor, who had just stepped onto the battlefield, feel that he was not just fighting, but performing, and the fear also became stimulating, making him feel encouraged and braver as the battle went on.

Once it became silent, he had to face his most real unease.

The Emperor was trembling slightly; his upbringing told him he should be calm, but he still felt uncomfortable.

This discomfort should have been psychological at first, and the Emperor also felt it was psychological, but gradually he realized it might not be psychological, but a tangible discomfort and weakness.

It was as if someone was holding a spoon and scooping out his body, one spoonful at a time. Although his body surface was fine, his inner self seemed to be about to be hollowed out.

This physiological fear made him even more panicked, and he hurriedly looked at the Gaoyuan Marquis.

The Gaoyuan Marquis's expression was very focused; he was not looking at him, but scanning the battlefield, just like a general overlooking a military formation from a command platform.

At this moment, the Gaoyuan Marquis was not old at all, nor was he weak. He simply did not look like the Gaoyuan Marquis.

The Emperor felt strange in his heart, but at this moment, such a performance by the Gaoyuan Marquis naturally brought him a sense of security.

He said candidly, "Xunqing, I am very uncomfortable."

"Your Majesty..." the Gaoyuan Marquis looked at him and said, "Your Majesty can exit the scene now."

The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, saying, "Does Marquis Xun think I am cowardly, so I am faking illness? How could I be a hypocritical person? It is truly..."

He stopped speaking when he reached this point.

The reason he was willing to seek help from the Gaoyuan Marquis was that he felt the Gaoyuan Marquis was worthy of trust; he had not expected that the Gaoyuan Marquis looked down on him in his bones. If that was the case, why should he seek help and let this person look down on him?

The Emperor should never show weakness, no matter what.

The Gaoyuan Marquis did perceive his meaning, looked at him earnestly for a few moments, and said, "Your Majesty seems to be physically weak. Go back and rest first; I will send you back to the palace. It is not that I look down on Your Majesty; in matters of battle, both overestimating oneself and underestimating oneself are great harms. This person right now is an enemy Your Majesty cannot deal with at present." As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a light covered the Emperor from above his head.

The Emperor immediately felt better, as if he had just had a long sleep, bathed in the morning Sunlight, and eaten a hearty breakfast. His heart settled, and he felt he could do it again, saying, "Qing says: I cannot deal with them now, but actually I will be able to deal with them in the future? Or rather, if the State Preceptor were here, he should be able to handle it if he mastered this power, right?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis coughed lightly and said, "It is fine that Your Majesty guessed it. If you were given a year or two or a few months to familiarize yourself with the power, it would still be possible. But right now you are too inexperienced; it is impossible to win. However, you do not need to regret it; originally, your fighting was also to accumulate Imperial Might. Now that the Imperial Might has been earned enough, you can exit the scene. As for the rest... leave it to me."

The Emperor stared at him fixedly and suddenly said, "Does Marquis Xun have certainty?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis said softly, "I cannot speak of certainty, but I have encountered more dangerous situations."

The Emperor sneered and said, "If I insist on fighting and winning, would Marquis Xun be willing to guide me?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis looked at him sideways and said, "The child of a wealthy family does not sit under the eaves. Your Majesty can take risks, but there is no need to take risks to this extent. It is only your first time on the battlefield; having this performance is already enough. In any case, I am very satisfied."

The Emperor sneered, "Is there anyone in the world more arrogant than you? Am I fighting just for your satisfaction? Besides, is Marquis Xun truly satisfied? Previously, Marquis Xun was not discourteous, guiding me step by step, leading me to fight; now you have suddenly changed your face, completely lacking in etiquette, and every word implies that I am useless, that I have bad intentions, that I am not truly intending to subdue demons, driving me back, and disparaging everything I did to muster courage as worthless. Are you too disappointed, or are you using reverse psychology? If you really wanted to use reverse psychology, you have succeeded."

The Gaoyuan Marquis looked him up and down, thinking to himself that he could not say that he saw the situation gradually becoming uncontrollable and that a decisive battle was about to happen, so he was just too lazy to continue humoring him, but he only asked curiously, "Since Your Majesty recognizes reverse psychology, why would you still fall for it? If you were to fall for such a shallow trick, Your Majesty would not be the person you are today."

The Emperor sneered, "I am not falling for it, I just truly still need to fight. You said, is there any meaning in me coming to fight? Since you used reverse psychology to provoke me into staying, presumably my fighting has meaning, right? Then why not fight?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis's expression became somewhat strange, and he said, "Why do you wish to continue fighting? Is it because you enjoy fighting?"

The Emperor said, "If I do not fight, should I entrust the safety of the world to you? I would not be at ease. Since even Marquis Xun has torn off his Mask at the moment of life and death, then I shall speak plainly as well: I will not relinquish the power I have obtained, nor will I relinquish the authority I have obtained. Therefore, I will not relinquish my responsibility, and I certainly will not admit defeat. I once wanted to implement new policies and do some practical things, but there were obstacles at every turn, and I could not carry out a single one. At that time, I resolved to consolidate power, to take the power back into my own hands, and never again allow others to obstruct me. If the imperial clan obstructs me, I will abolish them; if the feudal lords obstruct me, I will eliminate them; if the Heavenly Demons obstruct me, how could I possibly let them go? If you, Marquis Xun, get in my way, I will not let you go either."

Upon hearing this, the Gaoyuan Marquis suddenly laughed and said, "If Your Majesty could truly master the power of a Sword Immortal, how could we not win? Allow me to try to resolve your confusion. You see how he changes the natural environment in an instant, appearing like a god, but in reality, he has merely unfolded his Momentum. All Sword Immortals possess such an ability. You also have Momentum; the thunder from just now was still at the level of Sword Technique, so try to explore the Momentum that can truly influence the environment!"