Chapter 722: Real Men Don’t Look Back at Explosions

In comparison to the Revolutionary Army encampment, the Imperial Army encampment was much more orderly. Everything was structured and regulated. Even the morale of their troops seemed higher.

Meng Qi, with a black iron mask on, walked through the camp with his back straight. His pace was neither slow nor fast. His black armor emitted crisp collision sounds as he moved, and he looked even colder and more indifferent than ever. No one dared to look at him in the eye or approach and question him.

He had deduced the location of the Master of the Gu Poison Bug from the strand of karma. He had a rough idea of the Master’s strength and identity but nothing detailed. He was even more unsure about the path he should be taking. Thus, he dared not storm his way through and made detours around obstacles instead. He would take out “his own token” at checkpoints and coldly say that he had business to attend to.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that Meng Qi did not head straight for the Master of the Gu Poison Bug. Perhaps it was because the Master was one of the experts who were responsible for guarding and suppressing assassins instead of the other way around. For now, no one paid him any heed and he arrived safely at the tent of his deduction.

Bloody light rose from the rear of the tent. Even without using the Penetrating Stare technique, Meng Qi could see the condition over there in his mind just by using his senses. Corpses were being laid down based on the requirements of a certain formation. Some were skinned while some had their eyes dug out. The deceased were all tortured to death and their bitter resentment was so dense that it almost felt tangible. It condensed in the center of the blood-colored, lotus-patterned altar.

“Sure enough, this has something to do with Blood Sea Rakshasa! Even if he doesn’t know we are here to complete a task, he wouldn’t let go of any chance to incite trouble and scheme!” Meng Qi narrowed his eyes as he stopped in front of the tent.

With a rough sensory probe, Meng Qi discovered more than ten Exterior experts near the altar and all around the tent. Half of them were mid-tier experts. The most terrifying breath came from the front of the tent. The breath hovered unsteadily and transformed into an immense shadow, preventing Meng Qi’s senses from permeating into the tent.

The red-robed boy guarding outside the tent immediately saluted Meng Qi as soon as he recognized him. “Divine Lord, why are you here?”

Among the high-ranking officers sent to handle the river blockade, who wasn’t strong or highly favored?

Meng Qi stared at the boy, noticing his jade-like smooth face and ruby red lips. He then said coldly, “I am here to request a meeting.”

He spoke concisely and avoided addressing the person inside the tent lest he fall into a trap.

The boy grinned and said, “I will relay this message immediately, Divine Lord. Please wait for a moment.”

Deep inside his heart, the boy was sneering. “The Ancestor we serve is the true spirit, which descended upon the earth through his mythical powers. You, whose lineage derives from deities or demons that nobody knows of, are no match for us. On what grounds are you basing your arrogance?”

He soon stepped out of the tent and came to Meng Qi with a wide smile. “His Eminence has invited you into the tent.”

Meng Qi followed the boy into the tent. The first half of the tent was decorated like a lavish residence, with a thick red carpet, a screen, a desk, and a chair. Occupying the main seat was a man clad in a large, black robe. His face was obscured by shadows.

With an eerie and barely discernable breath, the man gave off a cold and terrifying impression. His breath filled the air between heaven and earth yet it was oddly difficult to detect. It was as if his breath had made a connection with every shadow in the world. Now and then, bizarre Qi would seep out of his robe while some objects inside it seem to wiggle, creeping out Meng Qi.

“This is a true grandmaster!”

Meng Qi was now certain that the Master of the Gu Poison Bug was the Lord of Shadows, whom the Erudite Hall determined to be a Second Order master of the Earth Rank!

It would be an impossibly difficult task to make him reveal a way of removing the bug inside Du Huaishang or directly killing him!

Inside the main camp of the Revolutionary Army.

Hu Zhigao spent an entire night ransacking Liang Ye’s remains but found nothing that could point to other spies. He returned to Du Huaishang’s sickbed in low spirits and could not help himself from complaining. “Now with my eldest brother injured, loyalties are shifting and everyone is harboring unfathomable intentions. Liang Ye has been following Miao Hu for twenty years and is an old friend of his, yet temptation corrupted him and turned him into a spy who killed Miao Hu’s son!”

“That is just human nature.” Immortal Wanshi sighed. “Fortunately, you are all good at adapting to situations and possess mysterious methods. Otherwise, this would have been enough to bring about an internal strife and we would have lost the war without even fighting the battle. But there is an advantage to gain from this incident too. It would be impossible for Miao Hu to mend things with the imperial court after they killed his son. He is worthy of our trust and we can consider roping him in. In the scenario where Heavenly King can’t make it, we will give him all our support and compel the rest of the armies to obey.”

Hou Yue, who was sitting next to Immortal Wanshi, suddenly jumped. “Immortal, what are you saying? Do you think that we won’t be able to save Eldest Brother? Master is already working on it!”

He was agitated, finding Immortal Wanshi’s words to be akin to betrayal. What was more surprising to him was that Hu Zhigao looking downcast and didn’t bother rebutting Immortal Wanshi’s words.

Immortal Wanshi smiled bitterly. “I am merely making plans for the worst case scenario. The one who severely injured your Eldest Brother was ‘Lord of Shadows’. Undoubtedly, he is the one who left behind the Gu Poison Bug cultivated from curses.”

“The Erudite Hall evaluated him to be a Second Order master in light of his mysterious methods that could not be guarded against, and his strange skills make it hard for opponents to hurt him. He is the Demon Emperor of the night. The Hall ranked him above me; so how I can consider him an easy opponent? Not one person in this wide world can kill him with ease. It is only possible if three First Order masters equipped with divine weapons worked together.”

“Moreover, he is inside the camp of the Imperial Army with ‘Martial Monarch’ Du Gushi and five top-tier masters around him. The divine weapon, Saber of the Emperor, is in his hands too. Also, fighting him is bound to cause a commotion which will bring in strong reinforcements. Even if that Taoist friend is extraordinary, he might not even match up to Lord of Shadows alone. Unless a genuine God descends, there is no way he would be able to escape such a siege!”

Hu Zhigao nodded with great difficulty and said quietly, “With the Rules of Heaven and Earth suppressing Master, I fear he doesn’t have the strength of a top-tier master…”

Immortal Wanshi and Hu Zhigao had made a rough judgment of Meng Qi’s current realm when they saw him off earlier. Thus, Hu Zhigao helped Immortal Wanshi say what the latter did not clearly express.

Hou Yue’s face turned increasingly pale at their words and he felt his body swaying. “Then… Then why did you still allow Master to go…” he said, stammering.

“Seeing his confidence, I thought we should give it a try even while knowing it is impossible. It is better than not doing anything.” Immortal Wanshi forced a smile. “But in strategizing for important events, one must make preparations for the worst case scenario. Hou Yue, take advantage of the night to quietly look for Miao Hu.”

Hou Yue took several steps in retreat and fell on the chair with a thud. When he stared at Du Huaishang with his weak breath, his eyes began reddening and he could no longer suppress the sorrow in his heart. Yet, logic dictated that Immortal Wanshi and Second Brother were telling him the truth!

The five-clawed golden dragon condensed out of breath swirled incessantly inside the lavishly-decorated tent. It was as majestic as an ocean and a mountain.

Wen Jing stepped inside the tent once again and saluted the Crown Prince. “We have received information that several Dissimilated Men with mysterious and exceptional skills have joined the other side. They have ruined our first attempt at sowing dissension.”

The Crown Prince fell into a momentary silence. He then turned to look at the tall and large elderly man beside him and asked, “What do you think, Teacher?”

“Does any of the Dissimilated Men possess the strength of a top-tier master?” ‘Martial Monarch’ Du Gushi asked.

Wen Jing shook his head. “No.”

Du Gushi nodded. “Let us continue driving a wedge between the factions of the Revolutionary Army. The Dissimilated Men would not be able to incite much trouble for us. Pass on this message to our spies: Should they find an opportunity, use all that they have to kill the Dissimilated Men.”

“We must enhance the security of our camp as well. We wouldn’t want their strange methods to disturb us,” the Crown Prince added, after thinking about it.

“I will inform the rest.” Du Gushi did not reject the idea.

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Just then, Wen Jing smiled and said, “We must let ‘Lord of Shadows’ put in more effort as well. He is the best at suppressing strange methods.”

“Yes. With Lord of Shadows around, it will be hard for thieves and rascals to succeed,” the Crown Prince said in agreement.

With his Second Order strength, mysterious skills, control over curses and his Gu Poison Bugs arts, Lord of Shadows was truly the bane of all strange characters!

…

The sinisterly cold feeling undulated between heaven and earth. “Lord of Shadows” leaned against a padded seat, looking like an absent-minded fellow. Yet there was no doubt that any commotion in the vicinity would be immediately known to him. The cursed Gu Poison Bugs hiding underneath his robe were emitting a dangerous aura.

“What is the matter?” Lord of Shadows did not open his eyes as he casually asked “Divine Lord of Plenitude” Meng Qi when the latter stepped inside the tent.

Meng Qi glanced at the red-robed boy. “Please leave.”

The boy immediately excused himself and closed the flap of the tent while stepping out.

Lord of Shadows opened his eyes with an expression of mild interest and said in a belittling manner, “It doesn’t look like a simple matter.”

Meng Qi said apathetically, “Of course.”

“So what is the matter?” Lord of Shadows asked again, straightening his posture a little. His sinisterly cold breath was like vipers that surrounded Meng Qi, which was ready to nip at him at any time. He had fully unleashed the might of a grandmaster!

Meng Qi stared into Lord of Shadow’s eyes and said apathetically:

“To kill you.”

The words had barely left Meng Qi’s mouth when Lord of Shadows saw him taking out his saber and thrusting it forward in a plain and ordinary manner!

Lord of Shadows leaned backward just as the saber radiance entered his vision. His breath instantly vanished and the only emotions left in his eyes were astonishment, anger, and disbelief. The wriggling of the incorporeal Gu Poison Bugs under his robe gradually turned intense.

Meng Qi returned his saber to its sheath. His eyes lowered as he felt the weight of yet another strand of karma on his body. He then turned around and walked out of the tent, without even looking back.

When he walked past the red-robed boy, he said placidly, “Lord of Shadows wishes not to be disturbed for now.”

Then, with his back straight, he walked out of the camp with large strides.

…

Hou Yue stared sorrowfully at Du Huaishang with red-rimmed eyes. Suddenly, he heard a pained voice—a very familiar voice!

“Eldest Brother!” He leaped up from his seat as he looked at the sickbed.

Immortal Wanshi and Hu Zhigao noticed that something was wrong, and thought that Du Huaishang was finally breathing his last. They walked toward his sickbed with feelings of sorrow and pain.

They were all stunned when they saw Du Huaishang. The black gas was wafting out of him and the wounds that they could not do anything about were now healing. Du Huaishang’s strength was recovering as his face gradually regained color.

“This…” Ho Yue and Hu Zhigao were astonished.

Initially stunned, Immortal Wanshi suddenly realized what had happened. He blurted out:

“Lord of Shadows is dead!”

“How is this possible?”

His eyes reflected his deep shock and disbelief.

“In addition to the six top-tier masters in the vicinity, he also had the divine weapon, the Saber of the Emperor! He was the mighty Lord of Shadows! How did he die just like that?”

Meng Qi put away his token when he saw that no one was going to stop him. He told his subordinates that he was going to inspect the defense of the surface of the river, and walked toward the gate at an ordinary pace.

Inside the Lord of Shadows’ tent, the Gu Poison Bugs began to lose control and “ignited” the Vital Spirit remnants in his body. Black gas soared into the sky and swirled in the air like they were dancing evil spirits of all kinds.

The black gas collided with the Qi movement of heaven and earth, then with the altar in the rear of the tent. This was the reason Meng Qi did not take anything from Lord of Shadows. He would have to remove the Gu Poison Bugs one by one which was an exceptionally dangerous task. This was not the right time for it!

“Kaboom!”

The collision with the Qi movement caused a great explosion. Blazes soared into the sky and completely shrouded the altar and tent in flames.

The soldiers in the camp all turned to look in the direction of Lord of Shadows’ tent. Meng Qi stared ahead calmly, not stopping or turning around to look as he passed through the layers of protective spells. As he walked out of the gate, a beautiful mushroom cloud gradually arose behind him.

The deceased: Lord of Shadows.

Identity: The newly appointed Leader of the Cult of the Gory Seas. Erudite Hall evaluated him to be a Second Order master. He moonlighted as Demon Emperor, one of the top experts of the world.”

Condition of death: No visible injuries.

Cause of death: Unknown.

Location of death: In the midst of the imperial camp, next to a divine weapon and Martial Monarch.

Killer: “Killing Blade” Su Meng.