NOVEL NEXT Chapter 369: Victory and Defeat
Chapter 369: Victory and Defeat
Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. Flames clashed with lightning, sand and golden light intertwined, and deafening booms echoed incessantly.
Jun Aoshi was enveloped in pale flames, his Dharma form a white flame ogre contained within him.
He moved through the battlefield, his gentleman’s sword occasionally striking like a venomous snake, its blade imbued with cold flames, ever-present.
These flames seemed to possess sentience, relentlessly pursuing Luo Xue. The inherent coldness within them was chillingly intense, almost solidifying into a tangible presence, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Luo Xue merely offered a symbolic defense, allowing the cold air to seep into her body. With each passing moment, she grew bolder in her attacks.
Although she couldn’t utilize her Dharma form or domain, she held her own against Jun Aoshi without faltering.
Jun Aoshi was taken aback, bewildered as to why his unstoppable flames had no effect on this young man.
He was forced to adjust his tactics, intending to exploit Luo Xue’s weaknesses with his unorthodox movements and swordsmanship.
But Luo Xue’s swordsmanship was exquisite, far surpassing his own. Her agile movements were no less impressive, and her sharp swordplay left him struggling to keep up.
Her strikes were swift and fierce, each one carrying the fury of thunder. Her blade sliced through the air, leaving a trail of electric light.
After half an incense stick, Luo Xue seized Jun Aoshi’s opening. A surge of thunderous power erupted from her body, and she calmly declared, “This ends now!”
At that moment, the pitch-black sky was instantly shrouded in thunderclouds. Lightning swept across the sky, forming a breathtaking thunder pool.
Luo Xue swung the Zhenyuan sword in her hand, channeling the raging thunder into each strike. Her voice was cold as she uttered, “Burial of the Immortals!”
As if her words were law, the thunder clouds erupted in a blinding flash.
Thousands of thunder swords streaked across the night sky like meteors, hurtling toward Jun Aoshi.
Each blade was infused with Luo Xue’s thunderous power, its sharpness undeniable, its momentum unstoppable.
Jun Aoshi’s face contorted in fear. He tried to merge with his flames, seeking refuge from the onslaught of lightning.
But the thunderous power surged like a tidal wave, relentlessly enveloping his domain in a storm of lightning, leaving him with no escape.
He could only raise his sword in front of him, gathering his domain with all his might and attempting to withstand the attack.
The thunder swords swept across the battlefield, trapping Jun Aoshi in the storm of lightning, forming a breathtaking and terrifying killing ground, the Burial of the Immortals.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged violently, and the entire sky seemed to tremble.
Despite Jun Aoshi’s desperate resistance, the thunder swords remained unstoppable, tearing through his domain and extinguishing his pale flames under the baptism of lightning.
His gentleman’s sword snapped first, then his domain shattered and crumbled under the onslaught of thunder.
The thunder swords pierced his body, tearing his flesh and blood to shreds and leaving him scorched black.
Luo Xue’s Zhenyuan Sword continued its relentless assault, carrying the destructive aura of thunder as if determined to utterly obliterate Jun Aoshi.
The previous lesson had taught her that only a completely powerless enemy was a truly good enemy.
Moments later, the charred Jun Aoshi, clutching his broken gentleman’s sword, crashed to the ground from the sky, swiftly bound by the vigilant Golden Feather Guards.
“Third Brother! (Third Prince!)” The King of Liaodong and Xu Su both paled in alarm.
Realizing that the tide had turned, they quickly abandoned their opponents and tried to flee from the Holy Emperor’s Palace, desperately trying to save their lives.
But Wei Ting and Zhao Ban were not about to let them escape, pursuing them relentlessly.
Luo Xue turned into a stream of light and rushed to Zhao Ban, who was in the most dangerous situation, and joined forces with him to deal with the King of Liaodong.
Moments later, King of Liaodong was struck down from the sky by Luo Xue’s sword, with Zhao Ban seizing the opportunity to lock down his spiritual energy.
Seeing Luo Xue’s menacing approach, the Southern King’s face turned pale. He quickly declared, “Your Majesty, I surrender!”
Luo Xue subdued Southern King with little effort and handed him over to Wei Ting for custody.
“Impressive, crushing them effortlessly!” Lin Fengmian exclaimed in admiration.
He had expected a fierce battle, but the outcome was one-sided from the beginning.
Luo Xue gave her body back to Lin Fengmian and said in a dull tone, “He was weak against my attributes and seemed determined to die, his strength diminished significantly. This battle was rather disappointing.”
With Jun Aoshi and his companions captured, the remaining rebels lost their will to fight and were swiftly subdued by the well-trained Golden Feather Guards.
Although the rebellion had been crushed, there was no trace of joy on Jun Yunshang’s face.
“Your Majesty, what should be done with these traitorous scum?” Wei Ting inquired.
Lin Fengmian couldn’t help but look towards her, curious about her judgment.
Jun Yunshang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and commanded in a steady voice, “Nascent Soul Realm and above will be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and used as human elixirs! The rest, all to be executed as a warning to others!”
“Yes!” Wei Ting replied with a nod.
With a wave of his hand, screams erupted from the surrounding area.
Those who begged for mercy or cursed their fate were all killed on the spot, their blood staining the ground.
Jun Yunshang watched the blood spread across the floor, her small hand clenching involuntarily.
With internal and external threats, the palace simply couldn’t spare the resources to guard these prisoners. Execution was the most practical solution.
As for the so-called human elixirs, it referred to using humans as ingredients to create elixirs, providing honored positions for those loyal to the Holy Emperor.
This was also a major reason why the dynasty attracted cultivators.
Each cultivator imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison was a living, breathing Honored Position.
While using living beings as gifts was undeniably cruel, who could blame them when Honored Positions were so limited in the world?
Of course, this punishment was usually reserved for the most heinous criminals, and treason was one of the worst.
The dying Jun Aoshi and the other two kings were pushed in front of Jun Yunshang to await their fate.
Zhao Ban whispered, “Your Majesty, what should be done with the three kings?”
Jun Yunshang looked at the dying Jun Aoshi and asked, “Uncle, do you regret your actions?”
Jun Aoshi opened his eyes and smiled, “Not at all. Victory and defeat are part of life. I accept my fate.”
Jun Yunshang nodded, closed her eyes and instructed Zhao Ban, “Grand Eunuch Zhao, summon all the officials to the court.”
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Zhao Ban’s eyes as he bowed, “Yes, Your Majesty!”
Moments later, all the officials rushed to the palace, some with concealed joy, exchanging whispers among themselves.
Most of them were confused and questioned their colleagues.
“Grand Minister Zhao, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Minister Li, do you have any information?”
…
Jun Fengya and Jun Chengye were also in the crowd, both having heard some rumors, their faces etched with fear.
Although they had arrived at the palace gates early, the gates were closed, leaving them unaware of the situation inside.
After a while, the palace gates swung open and everyone entered in an orderly fashion.
Seeing the broken walls and the palace maids cleaning the bloodstains, everyone knew that something significant had happened the night before.
But since the gates had been reopened, it meant that everything had been resolved, though the outcome remained unknown.
When they reached the hall, the sight that greeted them turned the faces of many people pale and ashen.
Jun Yunshang sat regally on the makeshift throne, her beautiful face frozen in a frost of coldness, her skirt stained with blood.
Lin Fengmian stood beside her, cradling the Zhenyuan Sword, an aura of chilling killing intent emanating from him.