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World's First Traitor System (306)
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 17:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 306 - A Startling Revelation
“Hu Zongxian?”
Danzhu who was trapped within the Shangjun Go Board for ten thousand years, had, of course, never heard the name of the former Grand Coordinator of the Great Ming’s Northern Territories.
But a single sword strike had forced him back. He knew his opponent was powerful.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack, crack, crack!
Danzhu’s mangled body emitted a series of sickening crunches as bones reset and reformed.
Huang Longshi was horrified and asked, “What’s… what’s he doing?”
“He’s using his spiritual energy to heal his injuries,” Hu Zongxian replied.
“That must be incredibly difficult,” Huang Longshi said. “Perhaps it will deplete his spiritual energy, weakening him?”
It was wishful thinking.
Hu Zongxian shook his head. “His cultivation level is equal to mine. But his spiritual energy reserves are vast, accumulated over countless years. Mine are far inferior. Healing his injuries will barely affect his strength.”
As they spoke, Danzhu had already regained Bai Shijiu's former beauty. Only her expression, cold and sinister, hinted at the evil lurking within.
“Your Majesty, be careful. I will fight with all my might.”
Fan Li immediately pulled Huang Longshi back without hesitation. He knew he wasn’t qualified to participate in a battle between Unity Realm cultivators. Moreover, these two were far stronger than ordinary Unity Realm experts.
“Foolish creature! You dare challenge me?!”
Danzhu glared at Hu Zongxian. If not for his intervention, he would have already possessed Fan Li.
“You claim to be my equal? A mere mortal?”
Danzhu’s aura exploded! Vast and boundless spiritual energy erupted from him like a raging ocean!
Hu Zongxian reacted instantly. His armor glowed with a brilliant light. The Spirit Armor Technique!
They faced each other. Danzhu’s power seemed to completely overwhelm Hu Zongxian's.
Before Danzhu’s boundless spiritual energy, Hu Zongxian was like a small rock on the seashore, insignificant and easily overlooked.
“You are like an ant trying to stop a chariot!”
Danzhu sneered. He unleashed a wave of spiritual energy, hoping to drown Hu Zongxian.
However, no matter how fierce the attack, Hu Zongxian remained unmoving, like a mountain.
He was like a divine needle, stabilizing the sea, his silence and composure was a clear sign of his contempt for Danzhu’s empty display of power.
“How is this possible?!”
Danzhu was so angry that his teeth were itching and he felt greatly humiliated.
Hu Zongxian said calmly, “I told you, I am your equal.”
Fan Li, observing the scene from a distance, made a mental note. In a battle between cultivators of the same realm, a clash of spiritual energy was meaningless.
Spiritual energy of the same rank could not harm an opponent of the same level, even if the quantity was vast.
“I don’t believe it!”
Danzhu screamed and transformed into a shadow as he lunged towards Hu Zongxian.
A fierce battle ensued. Bai Shijiu's most powerful spiritual treasure had been the Rotten Axe Go Board. Now that it belonged to Huang Longshi, Danzhu was forced to rely on hand-to-hand combat against his powerful opponent.
He attacked relentlessly, each punch, claw, kick, and stomp aimed at inflicting as much damage as possible, even if it meant injuring himself in the process.
Fan Li wanted to warn Hu Zongxian. It seemed Danzhu was confident in his vast reserves of spiritual energy, and had chosen a reckless, suicidal tactic. If his plan succeeded, Hu Zongxian would be the one to suffer. But he quickly realized his worries were unfounded.
Hu Zongxian was a master strategist. Although he was fighting alone, he could easily see through Danzhu’s intentions.
He defended himself with his sword, focusing on neutralizing Danzhu’s attacks rather than seeking to counterattack. Each strike was perfectly deflected.
However, because Hu Zongxian rarely attacked, he posed no real threat to Danzhu.
“What is this? A turtle’s tactic? You’re pathetic! If we continue like this, your spiritual energy will be depleted. In the end, I will still be the victor!”
Danzhu continued to attack and taunt his opponent.
But Hu Zongxian remained calm and composed, like a mountain unmoved by the wind.
“Hu Zongxian, Grand Marshal of Great Jin? What a grand title! I thought you were capable. What path have you chosen? Literature? Martial arts? Refining? Alchemy? Perhaps… Go?
Show me your skills. Let me see how much the world has progressed in ten thousand years!”
Danzhu was still furious about his defeat in the Go game against Fan Li.
The Chess Sage of ten thousand years ago, now considered insignificant in the modern world?
He held a grudge, hoping to vent his rage upon Hu Zongxian.
A Unity Realm opponent?
A Unity Realm cultivator from ten thousand years in the future?
Aside from his “turtle shell,” there was nothing noteworthy about him.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. For the first time, Hu Zongxian launched a powerful attack.
A single sword strike, aimed at his opponent’s slender, delicate neck.
The strike landed, but it felt incredibly solid. Danzhu’s protective spiritual energy was strong. Despite this, the force of the blow made Danzhu feel as if his neck had been broken!
He fell from the sky awkwardly on the ground.
“A lucky strike! I’ll tear you to shreds…”
Before Danzhu could finish his threat, he suddenly felt a sense of danger surrounding him.
He looked around and noticed wooden figures scattered throughout the dense forest.
They resembled female servants, wielding weapons forged from high-grade spiritual iron.
“You asked what path I’ve chosen?”
Hu Zongxian’s voice came from above him. The former Grand Coordinator of the Great Ming’s Northern Territories, having finally abandoned his low profile, revealed his true strength.
“Now, I shall tell you. My Dao… is the Dao of War.”
His killing intent surged skyward!
This was Hu Zongxian’s own creation, a deadly formation originally intended for a thousand Golden Core cultivators. But today, he was using a hundred Nascent Soul automaton servants.
The mechanical puppets felt no fear. Their obedience and discipline were no less than that of elite soldiers.
Where this formation went, blood was sure to flow!
“Damn you!!!”
…
Fan Li, from atop a distant mountain, watched the battle unfold. With his limited eyesight, he could only barely discern the details. The tables had turned.
Previously, Danzhu had attacked relentlessly, even injuring himself in the process. Now, Hu Zongxian was on the offensive.
Sacrificing the mechanical puppets, Hu Zongxian launched a series of powerful attacks, each one a killing blow!
Fan Li knew that even with Wang Ban’s exceptional skill in crafting puppets, the entire Great Jin kingdom possessed no more than a few thousand.
Today, these hundred “maidservants” would all be destroyed. But in exchange, Danzhu wouldn’t escape.
A worthy trade!
After half a day, the battle finally ended. Hu Zongxian’s armor was stained with blood, but his right hand still gripped his sword tightly. Before him lay Danzhu who was ripped to shreds by the automaton servants. He was dead, beyond any doubt.
“Heavens… He… Danzhu… He’s truly been defeated?”
Huang Longshi, standing beside Fan Li, couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Danzhu, a figure from ancient legends, had returned to the world only to die within a day?
“Let’s go.”
Fan Li descended the mountain, walking towards Hu Zongxian.
Thud!
Hu Zongxian knelt without hesitation. “The traitor has been eliminated. Hu Zongxian, Grand Marshal of Great Jin, awaits your command, Your Majesty!”
“Well done, Grand Marshal.”
Fan Li smiled, helping Hu Zongxian to his feet. He noticed Huang Longshi’s astonished expression.
Fan Li had long decided that a talented individual like Huang Longshi should remain in the Great Jin.
He no longer concealed his intentions and explained the existence of the Great Jin kingdom.
“Master Huang, if you are willing to join the Great Jin, I will treat you as a valued advisor. The position of Chess Sage awaits you.”
Huang Longshi was initially stunned, then he flushed with excitement. He didn't covet the title of "Chess Sage." But if there was a place in the world where he could freely study Go, why would he refuse?
“Excellent! I… no… this humble… I… I…”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Huang Longshi struggled to speak coherently.
Fan Li understood his intentions and was pleased. He was about to offer a few words of encouragement when an unexpected change occurred.
Spiritual energy burst from the corpses scattered on the ground, swiftly forming threads that pulled the severed limbs and body parts together.
Within moments, Bai Shijiu’s body had been restored to its former state.
“I… I am not dead! Hahahaha! Ten thousand years of accumulation, it’s not so easy to kill me!”
Danzhu floated in the air. Bai Shijiu’s body, which he now occupied, was covered in scars, the remnants of his previous wounds. Blood continued to seep from the gashes.
Hu Zongxian frowned. He had not served the Great Jin for long. Had he failed in his first mission?
“Your Majesty, I request permission to fight again!”
Danzhu’s expression shifted repeatedly. He had seen Hu Zongxian’s strength firsthand.
The Dao of War?
Terrifying!
Their cultivation levels were similar, but Hu Zongxian’s ability to command a hundred automatons simultaneously had completely overwhelmed him.
He knew, even if he were resurrected, even if they fought a hundred times, he would never defeat Hu Zongxian.
He had only one option – escape!
“Humph!”
Danzhu glared at them with a resentful look. Then, without hesitation, he flew towards the west.
Having completely merged with Bai Shijiu’s memories, he now understood the current state of the world.
The Central Plains was divided!
The Great Ming, Great Han, Great Wei, Great Wu, Great Chu, and even the Great Ci Dynasty.
And he had also heard Fan Li’s conversation with Huang Longshi.
The Great Jin Dynasty?
A kingdom unknown even to Bai Shijiu.
His plan to possess Fan Li had failed. Fan Li, after all, was an Emperor, while he was nothing, not even inheriting Bai Shijiu's Rotten Axe Go Board.
The safest course of action was to flee to the Great Ci Dynasty, recover from his injuries under Empress Yao Guang's protection, and slowly regain his strength. Then, he would seek revenge.
“Fan Li! I will repay today’s humiliation a hundredfold! You dare establish a kingdom in the Southern Ridge Mountains? Hahahaha! I will reveal this secret to the world. They will hunt you down!”
…
Within Nanchao, atop Tongshan, the barren mountain where King Jie’s tomb was located.
The tomb chamber was dark and silent. Inside stood an elderly man with a regal aura and elegant attire - Zhang Juzheng, a high-ranking official of the Great Ming’s cabinet. He extended his hand, slowly lifting the coffin lid.
King Jie, the seventeenth Emperor of Xia, his corpse, sealed within the tomb for ten thousand years, was once more revealed to the world.
Zhang Juzheng’s face paled with shock. Finally, he understood why the Imperial Astrologer, Lan Daoxing, had said that the Crown Prince’s fate was tied to Nanchao.
King Jie’s body was lifelike, his features perfectly preserved, as if he had just died, not a skeleton after ten thousand years.
And even more terrifying… His appearance was strikingly similar to that of Crown Prince Wanli!
