NABC Chapter 189 Primordial Demons, Visitors from Beyond the Realm
Chapter 189 Primordial Demons, Visitors from Beyond the Realm
Chapter 189 Primordial Demons, Visitors from Beyond the Realm
The mirror suddenly went black, and all that was reflected were the onlookers around it.
Emperor Qian remained expressionless, his gaze shifting from the mirror to the seated grandmasters below. He spoke in a detached tone:
"As you all have seen, what are your thoughts on what Du Yuanping, or rather, the Styx Daoist behind him, said?"
Those seated below exchanged glances, none daring to speak, lest they offend this emperor whose temperament was becoming increasingly extreme.
Since the start of the war between ghosts and immortals, Emperor Qian's personality has become increasingly unpredictable, tyrannical, bloodthirsty, and even capable of executing court officials in court.
Wang Zhi and Song Zhong once asked the Imperial Advisor Zeng Yao, trying to find out from her why Emperor Qian had become the way he was now.
However, Zeng Yao remained tight-lipped about it, claiming that she was unaware of the matter.
Anyone with eyes can see what she's trying to hide.
"Why are you all silent, my dear ministers? Do not be so reserved; speak freely."
Emperor Qian glanced around from left to right and saw Zhang Kuning sitting on the left, closest to him, engrossed in drinking.
Wang Zhi, Song Zhong, Zeng Yao, and Duan Yong each occupied one side, their eyes lowered.
His personal attendant, Eunuch Liu, stood beside him the whole time, maintaining an air of indifference.
After a long while, just when he was about to lose his composure, he finally heard Duan Yong's voice.
The commander of the Golden Scale Guard stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said without hesitation, "This man, Styx, has no regard for the law and has corrupted morals. His wolfish ambitions are obvious. If we let him go unchecked, he may become a serious threat."
"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to attack them. I humbly request your permission."
Emperor Qian shook his head slightly, gesturing for him to sit down first, before speaking:
"Duan Qing, you're mistaken about one thing. Daoist Styx isn't just about to become a force to be reckoned with; he already is. In fact, he was already a force to be reckoned with long before the Ghost Immortal War even began."
"A knight-errant uses martial arts to break the law. Even the most honest common people will inevitably develop inappropriate thoughts once they learn martial arts."
"I established the Zhenwu Division, and outside of it, I set up the Western Depot to confiscate all martial arts manuals circulating throughout the land and suppress martial arts sects, all to prevent people from becoming restless and insatiable."
"However, the sects' influence is stubborn, and their martial arts are difficult to eradicate. This has been the case ever since Chi Chengzi founded the path of martial arts. A thousand-year-old sect, a hundred-year-old dynasty—ah, the Five Sects have stood in the world for far more than a thousand years."
Wang Zhi and Song Zhong lowered their heads and remained silent.
The true essence within Emperor Qian surged, supporting his dragon robe, making it appear as if a giant python was crawling on his body. The overflowing true essence even stained a corner of the seat beneath him black.
"Martial arts fuel greed in people's hearts and are the root of all instability. I intend to issue a ban on martial arts, confiscate martial arts manuals, and eradicate all sects and martial arts practitioners within the Great Qian territory."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi and Song Zhong both looked up in surprise, as if they had heard something unbelievable.
The two exchanged a glance, and Song Zhong, forcing a smile, said, "Your Majesty, isn't this a bit too hasty?"
Wang Zhi gritted his teeth and echoed, "Your Majesty, confiscating martial arts manuals and purging martial arts practitioners is certainly a good thing, but I worry... the Western Depot and the Zhenwu Division may not be up to the task."
"Your Majesty, in this world today, the Five Sects and the Blood God Sect are causing chaos within, while the Golden Wolf and the Hundred Poisons Sect are lurking without. A single misstep could have far-reaching consequences. If we act rashly, these rebellious barbarians may seize the opportunity, and the world could descend into utter chaos."
Wang Zhi and Song Zhong spoke with sincerity and earnestness, Zeng Yao was indifferent, Duan Yong did not question them at all, Eunuch Liu remained meek and obedient, and Zhang Kuning continued to eat and drink.
Emperor Qian saw everyone's reactions, but he simply waved his hand and said, "I understand your concerns, but there is one thing I cannot back down on."
He glanced at Zeng Yao, who remained silent, and gave her a look. Zeng Yao understood and chuckled, "You two don't need to be so pessimistic."
"Oh? I wonder what brilliant idea the Imperial Preceptor has?" Song Zhong asked indifferently, as he had no liking for this Imperial Preceptor who came from the Feast Sect.
"Three days ago, the imperial court might indeed have faced a shortage of manpower, but precisely three days ago, our Dan Ding Division made progress in our experiments and successfully created the first batch of demonic warriors."
At this point, her words carried a hint of hesitation and apprehension.
"Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call them primordial demons, after all, they have completely lost their human characteristics."
"Primordial demons?" Wang Zhi repeated the word in a low voice. For some reason, he always felt that there was more to this than met the eye.
He had seen the demon-transforming pills developed by the Pill Refining Division before, but Zeng Yao had never shown such an expression when talking about those things.
Zeng Yao nodded gently and waved her arm. As her bright red sleeves fluttered, a wisp of divine light split into several parts and landed in front of everyone present. Wang Zhi, Song Zhong, and Duan Yong curiously reached out and touched the light. Instantly, images appeared in their minds.
They saw dozens of creatures, some ferocious, some bizarre, and some terrifying, imprisoned in the underground experimental site of the Dan Ding Si.
Winged tigers, human-faced snakes, nine-headed birds, and many other bizarre creatures, including the legendary dragon.
Wang Zhi suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Its antlers resemble a deer's, its head a camel's, its eyes a rabbit's, its neck a snake's, its belly a clam's, its scales a fish's, and its claws an eagle's!"
Its paws resemble a tiger's, its ears a cow's... Is this a dragon?!
"No, this is not a real dragon, it's just a fake one," Zeng Yao denied.
"Dragons are the chief of scaled creatures and possess the characteristics of various animals. Therefore, we started from this point and used a Divine罡 Realm cultivator who failed to break through to the Grandmaster Realm as raw material to give him the Blood Barrier Pill."
Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, she explained:
"After taking the Blood Barrier Pill, a person will turn into a pool of living pus and blood. During this process, he will retain his conscious mind and gain the ability to devour others."
"So, you let him devour all sorts of animals?" Duan Yong asked.
"No, we let him devour all sorts of demonized humans and animals. The effect is far less than that of a demonized being."
Zeng Yao offered a faint smile, but her alluring face sent chills down everyone's spines.
"With our human intervention, we ultimately obtained a pseudo-dragon comparable to a grandmaster."
Everyone fell silent, as if they could smell the indelible stench of blood in her words.
Even Zhang Kuning, who was engrossed in eating and drinking, stopped what he was doing and gave her a cold glance.
However, Emperor Qian burst into laughter.
"Excellent, Grand Preceptor, you've done a great job! With such a guardian beast, how could my country not prosper?"
Zeng Yao bowed with her hands clasped, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's trust that Zeng Yao will not let Your Majesty down."
Upon hearing Emperor Qian define those demons as guardian beasts of the nation, Wang Zhi and the others felt a chill run down their spines.
Even knowing it was a virtual world, and even knowing that everything would return to normal after they left, they still couldn't suppress their heart palpitations.
This incident triggered a resurfacing of an issue that they had intentionally ignored.
After they leave, will the court, which has already tasted the benefits of demons, and the Emperor Qian, who is gradually going mad, simply give up?
Or will they escalate their actions and completely transform the Great Qian Dynasty into a land of demons?
Various thoughts arose, and Wang Zhi and Song Zhong exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes.
But they were powerless to stop it all. After all, the Great Qian Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles. The earliest invasion by the Golden Wolves, the previous battle in the capital, and the words of the Styx Daoist just now had all driven the Qian Emperor to madness.
Whether it's the Western Depot, the Zhenwu Division, or the Golden Scale Guard, their status in Emperor Qian's heart is probably no longer as high as Zeng Yao's and her Dan Ding Division.
"Now that the demonization technology is mature, let's go ahead and do it."
Emperor Qian's voice was cold and ruthless, lacking the warmth that a normal person's speech should contain.
"Wang Zhi, Song Zhong, I hereby order you that all prisoners from various regions, regardless of their crimes, shall be given priority in supplying the Dan Ding Division. Furthermore, all martial arts practitioners captured after the martial arts ban was issued shall also be transported to the Dan Ding Division."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Zhi and Song Zhong both knelt down, a bitter feeling rising in their hearts.
With the support of Emperor Qian, the Dan Ding Si has almost completely abandoned its moral bottom line, from secretly using death row inmates for experiments at the beginning to now openly arresting people for experiments.
In addition to the majority of prisoners, some of the test subjects were civilians who were randomly accused of crimes and arrested to make up the numbers.
Furthermore, under Emperor Qian's instructions, the Dan Ding Division disregarded national interests and made deals with the Golden Wolf and the Hundred Poisons Sect, exchanging people, money, and food for some of their technology.
This humiliation truly enraged the two of them.
"Imperial Preceptor, how many of the guardian beasts are comparable to the Grandmaster realm?" Emperor Qian asked again.
Zeng Yao replied, "There are a total of thirty-seven divine beasts, among which three are comparable to the Grandmaster realm: the Pseudo-Dragon, the Ghost Chariot, and the Xiangyao."
"Very good, Duan Yong. You will lead the Golden Scale Guards, along with the two guardian beasts, Guiche and Xiangyao, to ensure the complete annihilation of Zhenchan Mountain, one of the Five Sects."
Duan Yong bowed with his hands clasped, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Emperor Qian waved his hand, and everyone took their leave, leaving only Zhang Kuning and Eunuch Liu.
"Does the Emperor Taizu have something to ask me?" Emperor Qian forced a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes.
Zhang Kuning glanced at Eunuch Liu, and Emperor Qian immediately understood, gesturing for Eunuch Liu to step down.
Once they were alone in the palace, Zhang Kuning calmly asked, "Was it worth it?"
"It's worth it." He said decisively, without the slightest hesitation. "I have done all this with only one purpose from beginning to end, which is to make the Great Qian Dynasty great again."
Zhang Kuning asked, "What if one day you can no longer control your creations, and demons lose control?"
"That will never happen. They are just livestock. I will not give them the chance to get out of control."
Emperor Qian's answer did not satisfy Zhang Kuning. He gave his descendant a deep look, then left without saying anything.
The palace gradually became deserted, with only Emperor Qian remaining.
He gazed at Zhang Kuning's departing figure, his eyes gradually deepening, a sentence unspoken in his heart.
If the demons truly lose control, then he will abandon all humanity and transform into the King of Demons, ruling over all demons.
Even if it means abandoning his human identity, he will continue to rule the world and wield this supreme power.
"This world belongs only to me. I will not only be the emperor for one lifetime, but also for the second, the third, and even ten thousand lifetimes, so that everyone will grovel at my feet for all eternity."
His dragon robe bulged, and the Emperor Qian's eyes were filled only with his obsession with power. No one noticed that his temples were bulging and fine scales were growing under his skin.
He looked more and more like a twisted dragon.
"Three months have passed since the Blood God Cult of Daze Mountain started its uprising."
A calm, even indifferent, voice rang out, echoing in the dimly lit room.
"In the past three months, the entire situation of the Ghost Immortal War has undergone earth-shattering changes, no longer conforming to our initial assessment of the situation."
His response was a slightly helpless voice:
"What can we do? After all, this is an unexplored world. Three stars are practically worthless, only four stars can give us a fighting chance, and it even seems to incorporate some kind of science fiction worldview, having even created a virtual world."
Then another female voice rang out: "Our team alone is not enough to dictate the course of the Ghost Immortal War. Meeting the minimum requirements for the mission will not be easy."
"We need to find local forces as allies," the calm voice that had started earlier rang out again. "Captain, what do you think?"
"I'll watch from here... I mean, could we turn on the light before we talk?"
A buzzing sound filled the air as a light bulb suddenly lit up, illuminating the previously dim conference room.
Inside the meeting room, three men and one woman were seated around a simple wooden table.
The captain who had spoken earlier was a crew-cut man. He rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and said, "Xu Hui, you said we need to find an ally. Can you give us your reasons?"
The young man named Xu Hui adjusted his glasses and calmly said:
"The main mission assigned to us by the Supreme God is to achieve at least third place in the Ghost Immortal War. However, as far as I know, there are at least five local powers that are outwardly stronger than us."
"Uh, including us, there are only seven factions, right? Why not just say we're second to last?"
The Taoist-robed man standing to the side complained helplessly, but after being glanced at by Xu Hui, he immediately sat up straight.
"That being said, we don't know what the remaining force is like; we might be last."
As Xu Hui spoke, he spread out an old map on the round table. On the map, the outlines of mountains, rivers, and towns were drawn with ink.
A moment later, the contents of the map began to writhe, the lines twisting like living snakes, and even standing up, as if rising from two dimensions to three.
Mountains rise, rivers rush, and smoke curls from chimneys in towns as people hurry home.
On the map, in a certain corner, there are four small green dots; those are the four reincarnators.
Xu Hui placed his palms on the map, casually clasped them together, and the map immediately shrank while the area it displayed continuously expanded.
"A three-star item, the 3D map, can project the terrain in three dimensions. Its only drawback is its small range, but this has been resolved now that we have psionic sensors."
The psionic sensor the Taoist man mentioned was something they obtained while carrying out a mission in a special world.
Essentially, it is a four-star item that can detect the projection of matter on a higher level and restore the shape of the material layer.
Its detection range is very large, covering an area that is even as large as three or four states.
Unless the enemy has methods such as shielding the secrets of heaven or concealing the energy flow, they will all be exposed by the detection of the psionic sensors.