Chapter 480: The Qi Emperor

The sun sank below the horizon!

The heavens and earth suddenly plunged into darkness.

Night fell heavy as water; the surrounding mountains stood silent and desolate.

Within a hundred li around He He Pingsheng's feet, all was a wasteland of ruin.

The battle was finally over.

"Ah…" The jade infant clutched in He He Pingsheng's hand sighed deeply. "It's over… My Great Qi state… is finished…"

Two of the three Nascent Soul cultivators have perished; only one aged True Person remains to guard the ancestral land.

Though the aged True Person's cultivation has reached the eighth layer, Jiang Yu knows his ancestor's time is running out.

In another hundred years, he will surely exhaust his lifespan and depart this world.

Who will uphold Qi after that century passes?

How long can the imperial house endure without a Nascent Soul to support it?

Jiang Yu felt a wave of regret.

But soon, he no longer regretted it.

All karmic debts must be borne by someone—and the one truly responsible for this outcome was not him.

It was the Emperor.

Every order came from the Emperor; he, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was merely a pawn dragged along.

"What are your last words?" He He Pingsheng regarded the Nascent Soul infant in his hand with indifference.

Jiang Yu said: "None… Since I've fallen into your hands, death is my only path."

"Good!" He He Pingsheng said coolly. "You at least have self-awareness."

Boom…

Behind He He Pingsheng, a pitch-black spirit banner suddenly unfurled, rising higher and wider until it became a hundred-zhang divine banner, drifting in the void.

"Is this… the Ten Thousand Souls Banner?"

Jiang Yu cried out in terror: "You cannot do this to me! I can die—but let me enter reincarnation! I refuse to be trapped in this evil artifact…"

The horror of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was unmatched in the cultivation world.

He He Pingsheng ignored him, instead channeling magic power to draw forth a thread of its power.

Within a few breaths, Jiang Yu's spiritual soul was sucked directly into the banner.

From then on, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner gained another spirit head.

And not just any spirit head—a Nascent Soul ghost king.

"Come…" He He Pingsheng waved his hand again, and three rings landed in his palm.

These were Jiang Yu's treasures.

He lightly brushed his fingers over them, erasing the spiritual impressions.

His spiritual sense reached into the rings.

No spirit stones.

Of course—for a Nascent Soul monster like Jiang Yu, spirit stones held no value.

Inside the rings were many materials, magic treasures, jade slips, and more.

And over a dozen jade infants.

No need to guess—these jade infants were surely harvested from others Jiang Yu had slain.

He He Pingsheng grew uneasy, scanning each one with his spiritual sense.

Fortunately, none he recognized.

After searching, only two items caught He He Pingsheng's attention.

An axe bearing nineteen sealing layers—an upper-grade ancient treasure.

A black jade seal bearing seventeen sealing layers—a lower-grade ancient treasure.

Both were interesting—ancient treasures.

They could be strengthened.

But there was no rush now; he'd store them away for now.

He had no time to examine the other jade slips or cultivation techniques.

Now he had to make a decision.

What next?

Should he go to Qi's capital to find the Qi Emperor—or what?

He He Pingsheng became a streak of light and returned to Dingxiang City.

Countless experts in Dingxiang City watched in silence.

They dared not approach to observe He He Pingsheng and Jiang Yu's battle, yet they never stopped watching.

Now, seeing He He Pingsheng return as a streak of light, all were stunned.

Holy shit… this bastard didn't die?

Then…

Did Jiang Yu, the Nascent Soul third-layer cultivator, die?

Hisss…

Terrifying!

No way?

Many secretly flew toward the site of He He Pingsheng and Jiang Yu's battle, eager to see what had happened.

…

Elsewhere, the Qi imperial capital!

In the imperial palace's grand hall.

The Emperor of Qi sat behind his desk, brow furrowed, face dark with gloom.

Since ascending the throne, he had never known a single day of peace.

Earlier, he learned a great destiny bearer resided in Dingxiang Commandery, so he swiftly ordered its eradication.

But the great destiny bearer escaped.

Not only that, but recently Wang Dun had secretly infiltrated Qi and slain the Third Ancestor, a Nascent Soul first-layer cultivator.

This filled the Emperor with deep regret.

He regretted ever meddling with the great destiny bearer.

Yet barely a decade later, another man once hunted by Qi had come to cause trouble.

He He Pingsheng had slain the governor of Dingxiang Commandery.

The Emperor had no intention of punishing He He Pingsheng—he wished to end hostilities with him.

But then!

This bastard had the audacity to stay after killing someone, openly settling down in Dingxiang Commandery.

Damn it…

The Emperor was furious enough to curse.

This was stomping on Great Qi's honor.

How could he tolerate it?

If he tolerated this, what face would Qi have before the Nine States?

After much deliberation, the Emperor consulted the Second Ancestor, and they decided: the Second Ancestor, Jiang Yu, would go to Dingxiang Commandery to eliminate He He Pingsheng—or persuade him to leave.

Either option was acceptable.

Jiang Yu had departed a day ago—and still no word.

The Emperor sat motionless in the hall, his only thought: waiting for news.

Time passed slowly.

Night fell.

A palace maid approached with a tray of spirit tea, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty, please take some spirit tea."

"Or perhaps you should rest?"

"Your Majesty, your constant worry endangers your imperial health!"

The Emperor finally snapped out of his thoughts, glanced at the maid, and said: "Hmm… I know. You may leave."

His face showed impatience.

At this moment, the Emperor wished to see no one.

"Yes." The two maids withdrew.

After several breaths, faint rustling sounds came from outside.

Someone was approaching the palace.

The Emperor's face darkened instantly: "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

A young eunuch burst into the hall, frantic: "Your Majesty, forgive me… It's urgent—urgent beyond measure!"

The Emperor shot up from his throne in an instant.

"What is it?" he asked, voice trembling.

The eunuch collapsed to his knees: "Your Majesty… it's terrible… the Second Ancestor's life tablet… it's shattered."

"What?"

The Nascent Soul Emperor suddenly felt his vision go black and collapsed onto the ground.

"It's over, it's over, it's over..."

"It's over..."

"My Great Qi... is finished..."

At this moment, he was filled with regret: I'm such an idiot—why the hell did I go after these blessed ones in the first place?

Now, two of Qi's three pillars are dead.

As for the last ancestral elder, how many more years can he even live?

We're doomed!

The Great Qi state is finished!

At the fifth watch, I slew a Soul Transformation cultivator—grant me a reward!