Chapter 773: Back from the Dead

At this moment, the Huayuan had already completely spread out beneath Zijin Mountain.

At first glance, this Huayuan had the layout of a small garden; flowers, grass, wisteria trellises, tables and chairs, a water well, and pavilions were all present in only one or two spots. A fence surrounding it declared the limited scope of the Huayuan. It could not be considered a proper garden; it was just like a small garden built by some country squire for himself.

It was just that this small garden had been magnified a thousand or even a hundred times.

It was clearly a small garden, yet before it had even fully unfolded, it had already covered the foothills of Zijin Mountain. Every blade of grass seemed like a towering tree, and the original scenery was completely out of proportion with them. The seven-story Jindinglou, split in two, had long since had its roof obscured, and even the towering Zijin Mountain was visibly being completely swallowed by the Huayuan, about to become a mere viewing platform within the garden.

Aside from the lush and thriving spread of vegetation, vitality was also gradually appearing among the flowers and grass that had seemed like a dead zone.

Amidst the grass, there were grasshoppers and ladybugs; above the flowers, there were bees and butterflies; beneath the soil, there were earthworms and ants; even the roof of the single pavilion had chirping birds.

It was clearly a scene of vibrant life, but if one looked closely, one would feel terrified. Those birds and insects were all magnified a hundred times just like the plants, clearly being giant entities. Insects were already ugly and terrifying when simply magnified, let alone the fact that these insects were mutated monsters. The earthworms drilling out of the soil were covered in mouthparts, with rows of sharp teeth turned outward; they were clearly monster insects that had just crossed over from the boundary. Although their bodies were far from as massive as the monster insects, their numbers were not just one or two. As for the other creatures, each had its own distortion, each its own terror. They seemed to live only in the Huayuan, yet they also seemed capable of gnashing their teeth and sucking blood at any moment, transforming into ferocious hunters.

Besides this, there were scattered items in the Huayuan: a sickle in the grass, a cattail fan under the wisteria trellis, a wooden bucket on the water well, a teacup in the pavilion...

These things were merely common household objects; it was not strange for them to be scattered in the Huayuan, yet they also condensed a thick Yin energy and spirituality, as if they could jump up at any moment, turn into spirits, and walk away.

This was a vibrant Huayuan, and also a bizarre, ghostly realm. The Master of this Huayuan had just crossed the boundary and was right in the center of the grass.

He had previously been a short figure, and now he was still a short figure. However, he had been short among a crowd before, while now he was short within this massive Huayuan. In fact, his stature had unknowingly magnified dozens of times. No matter what environment he was placed in, he was always just short enough to be a bit pitiful, yet always enough to blend in with the surrounding environment.

At this moment, amidst the lush green grass, he finally became visible.

"He" looked a bit like a human at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences from a human. His eyes were far too large, like two fists, both large and round; his mouth also split open very wide, almost spanning the entire lower half of his face; his ears were long and pointed like a beast's; and the proportions of his limbs and body were also very uncoordinated.

His style, like this Huayuan and the living things within it, was filled with a bizarre atmosphere bordering on harmony, which was sometimes more terrifying than mere strangeness.

At this moment, he raised his head, his two large eyes looking toward the sky from beneath a bamboo hat. Only two people remained in the sky, and among them was the prey he had long since set his sights on. That prey was very easy to distinguish; the most imposing one was him, not only wearing distinct yellow but also draped in lightning as armor, almost becoming the center of the sky. Compared to him, the person beside him was nothing more than a thin figure.

The Huayuan Master parted his mouth; there were no teeth inside, only a patch of bright red mucous membrane.

Seeming somewhat dissatisfied with the two fellows above lingering, the Huayuan Master slowly squatted down and pounded the ground with his hand.

Poof—

Countless blades of grass flew up!

In the sky, it was as if a Luse dragon had risen, or perhaps a verdant waterfall flowing in reverse had erupted. A giant torrent surged upward, composed of individual blades of grass mixed with soil particles. Those blades of grass were too dense, as dense as water droplets in a river; although they were fragmented, they twisted together almost instantly to form a green torrent. Because the soil was brought up when the grass blades were pulled, this green flow also contained wisps of earthy yellow.

And besides the green and earthy yellow, outside that torrent, there was also a layer of pale white.

That was a layer of white smoke, thin and diffused, inexplicably wrapping around the grass flow. It looked unremarkable; if one were not careful, one would not notice it in the deep night.

Although the torrent seemed to be merely a powerful impact, a "chi-chi" sound rang out wherever it passed. That was the sound of cutting through the air, the sound of grass blades sweeping across the sky. Every blade of grass was a sharp knife, enough to cut through the wind. That grass flow was a sky-piercing blade composed of countless edges, intended from the start to cut through all enemies.

Such a powerful impact and cutting force was merely a greeting casually tossed by the Huayuan Master.

At the same time, the two people who had seemed to be standing still in the sky moved. The one who had been protected within the brilliance of lightning all along suddenly turned his head and also waved a hand, a Thunder Light pressing down from above!

The speed of this Thunder Light was even more violent and swift than all the previous Thunder Light! It could be said that the previous Thunder Light had been shot out, but this time, the Thunder Light was smashed down! This Thunder Light displayed an excellent level of control and also contained the powerful determination of the wielder!

Ever since the Emperor had mastered the Heavenly Thunder, he had become more adept each time. Clearly, the lightning was gradually transitioning from "another's power" to "his own power."

If one were to speak of lightning clashing head-on with vegetation, it should have been a clean sweep, after all, both were at the level of a Sword Immortal's power. But lightning was the leader among all powers, not to mention it was the Golden Heavenly Thunder fused with Imperial Might and National Fortune; these plants were not enough to formally counter it. When the Thunder Light smashed down head-on, countless grass blades should have turned into charcoal instantly.

However, at this moment, the grass flow suddenly opened up in the air!

Or rather... bloomed!

The grass flow, which had been like a pillar, suddenly branched out into countless offshoots, transforming into a giant tree with a single trunk and lush foliage. Countless branches spread forward, and there were even more branches at a certain point, instantly forming a green net in the air, as if to cover the entire sky.

The green grass blades and the tributaries could still be seen, but the white smoke clinging to them completely diffused. Although it had thinned countless times to the point of being invisible, it spread throughout the entire sky, broadcasting like true smog.

And over there, the golden Thunder Light had arrived!

The golden thunder pierced down without hesitation, crushing the oncoming, surging green flow with almost no resistance, as if what was coming was not an attack from a Heavenly Demon King, but merely weeds that did not know their place, trying to break through the soil amidst the Heavenly Thunder!

If one only looked at the front-line battlefield, the outcome was already decided!

Even though that grass flow had formed a net in an instant, its core had been completely destroyed by the golden thunder; no matter how one looked at it, it appeared to be a sign of defeat.

When that monster Huayuan Master looked up, a look of surprise actually appeared on that strange face. He seemed to be taken aback by the power of the golden thunder.

It was indeed as he had sensed: the power of the golden thunder was increasing!

If it were just lightning, the power would be relatively constant, related almost only to the strength of the one wielding the thunder. The Imperial Preceptor's power had remained unchanged for so many years. But once the Heaven-Walking Seal was retrieved, and powers like National Fortune and Imperial Might were mixed into it, it added some subjective, idealistic elements.

Not to mention the variable of National Fortune, which would not change in the short term, the variable of Imperial Might was constantly increasing with the Emperor's determination, fighting spirit, and battle achievements. This increase was not a simple quantitative addition; it was actually an adjustment of a coefficient.

Now, the front-line combat power of the golden thunder had climbed to a terrifying level; the Huayuan Master's probing attack just now had been unable to withstand a single blow.

But the Emperor's weakness still existed!

He himself was the weakness.

The Emperor also knew the fragility of his own body, so even when he took the initiative to attack, his body always maintained a thin layer of lightning coat, which was the "Protective Aura." When that green torrent spread crazily in the manner of a spider weaving a web, the Emperor fell into the net almost instantly. Countless grass blades were like sharp thorns, wanting to pierce through his body, just like the stones that had been pierced through by grass blades when the Huayuan descended.

Countless grass blades were burned into charcoal at the Protective Aura, and the next moment they vanished into ashes, but the grass blades still grew crazily. The defensive line maintained by the lightning coat began to collapse in an instant!

In an instant, the center of the lightning became a hedgehog!

The next instant, the lightning extinguished, and the grass blades disappeared.

The Emperor was in the sky, and that monster was still on the ground.

Everything was the same as before.

The Emperor stretched out his hand in the lightning, loosened his hand, and then clenched his fist, as if experiencing the tactile sensation: "Did I just die? No... did I just dream? Xunqing..." As he turned his head, he saw the Gaoyuan Marquis right behind him, covering his eyes with his hand, blood flowing from between his fingers.

"Ah... you..."

The Gaoyuan Marquis looked much more disheveled than before, but he actually smiled: "Emperor, what does death feel like?"

The Emperor was momentarily dazed: "It was the world spinning, the world becoming pale, silent, and void. No, first pale, then void, but I could hear sounds. My ears were still there; I could hear sounds coming from far and near, but I couldn't move, and I couldn't think. I just listened, listened..."

The Gaoyuan Marquis still smiled: "As expected, does the taste of death feel about the same? Back then, I had the same feeling."

The Emperor was stunned for a moment, a bit confused, and said: "So... did I really just die? You saved me?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis wiped away the blood and lowered his eyes slightly, saying: "Even when I was penniless, there were people who came to save me. Since you are fighting the Heavenly Demon with a sword and have not retreated, how could I not save you? That is enough, that is enough; you have already far exceeded my expectations. Leave first; leave this place to me."

The Emperor lowered his head and gritted his teeth, saying: "I feel that the last one shouldn't count. I just lacked experience and was ambushed by him. Xunqing happens to be experienced; you come to provide cover for me, and I will fight him again. I will definitely be able to win."

He refused again. The Gaoyuan Marquis did not feel impatient, nor did he feel that he was an obstacle overestimating his own abilities. Instead, he stared at him with eyes from which the blood-red color had not yet faded and said: "You just died once, and you still want to fight?"

The Emperor's eyes also gradually turned blood-red, like a gambler who had lost everything, and said: "I said... I will never give up halfway on what I want to obtain. Besides, I was just killed by him; shouldn't I avenge myself? I will try one more time!"

The Gaoyuan Marquis looked him over, suddenly smiled, and said: "Good, even stubbornness is better than cowardice. Then try one more time. But I am not your best partner. The one below is merely a Sword Immortal. You actually do not lose to him; you just don't know how to use your own power. There is someone who just promised that he is willing to teach you how to use your power."

She lightly flicked her finger, and a wisp of sky-blue thread drifted toward the Emperor.