Compared to the rebel camp, the imperial camp appeared more orderly, with everything proceeding in a well-organized manner and the soldiers’ morale seemingly higher.
Meng Qi, wearing an iron-black mask, walked upright with a steady pace through the camp, his black armor producing crisp clinking sounds with each step. His demeanor grew increasingly cold and profound, making others reluctant to look directly at him or approach to ask questions.
He had merely deduced the approximate location of the Master of Vermin based on the threads of cause and effect, gaining a preliminary understanding of the latter’s strength and identity. However, he remained unclear about the specific details and the terrain conditions. Therefore, he dared not move hastily. Whenever he encountered obstacles, he detoured, and at checkpoints, he would present his “personal token” and coldly state that he had urgent matters to attend to.
Perhaps it was because he wasn’t heading directly toward the core area, or perhaps because the Master of Vermin was one of the few powerful figures in the camp, tasked with protecting people and suppressing assassins, no one had considered the possibility of him being targeted. Thus, Meng Qi’s actions had not yet drawn attention, and he smoothly arrived at the tent deduced from his calculations.
Behind the tent, blood light surged. Even without using his wisdom eye, Meng Qi could sense the situation. He mentally pictured the scene: corpses were arranged according to a certain formation, some flayed, some with eyes gouged out, all tortured to death. Their vengeful and malicious thoughts had coalesced into a tangible force, converging upon a blood-colored lotus-shaped altar at the center.
Indeed, it was inseparable from the Blood Sea Rakshasa. Even if he was unaware of our mission, he would not miss the opportunity to stir up trouble and plot mischief! Meng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and halted in front of the tent.
With a cursory sensing, he immediately detected more than ten experts at the exterior landscape level near the altar and around the tent, half of them at the middle third grade. The most terrifying presence emanated from the front of the tent, flickering and shifting, forming a massive shadow that prevented Meng Qi’s perception from penetrating further.
“Your Majesty, what brings you here?” The red-robed boy guarding the tent recognized the Yama King and immediately asked with a bow.
Who among the generals assigned to command the river blockade wasn’t powerful and highly trusted?
Meng Qi looked at the boy, whose face was as smooth as jade and whose lips were bright red, and coldly replied, “I have urgent matters to discuss.”
He kept his response brief and to the point, avoiding any formal address to prevent revealing his identity.
The boy smiled and said, “I’ll inform the Master right away. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty.”
Internally, he scoffed, Our master is a true deity, with divine powers manifested in the world, incomparable to those whose bloodlines trace back to false gods or demons. Why should he be so arrogant?
Shortly afterward, he stepped out of the tent, wearing a forced smile. “The Master invites Your Majesty inside.”
Following the boy, Meng Qi entered the tent. The first section was adorned with a thick red carpet and decorated with screens, tables, and chairs, forming an opulent residence. At the main seat sat a figure draped in a black robe. His face seemed obscured by a shadow, making it difficult to discern.
His aura was eerie and elusive, cold and chilling, filling the heavens and earth, yet it was very hard to detect. It seemed to connect with every shadow. Occasionally, sinister miasma seeped from within his robe, causing things to wriggle and crawl, densely packed, almost making Meng Qi shudder with goosebumps.
This was a genuine Grandmaster!
Meng Qi was well aware that the Master of Vermin was rated as a second-grade expert by the Bai Xiao Hall—the Shadow King!
To obtain the method for removing the mysterious vermin inside Du Huaishang’s body or to eliminate him directly was an impossible task!
…
At the headquarters tent of the rebel army.
Hu Zhi Gao had been busy the entire night but failed to uncover any other spies from Liang Ye’s remaining belongings. Disheartened, he returned to Du Huaishang’s sickbed and couldn’t help but complain, “Once the big brother gets injured, people’s hearts start to waver, and everyone has ulterior motives. Liang Ye, a long-time brother of Miao Hu for twenty years, was seduced and corrupted, becoming a spy who assassinated Miao Hu’s son!”
“That’s just how people are,” sighed Master Wan Shi. “If it weren’t for a few Daoist friends who are skilled at adapting and possess mysterious methods, this incident could have sparked internal strife and led to defeat without even engaging in battle. However, there is also a silver lining to this matter. After the tragedy of losing his son, Miao Hu will have no possibility of reconciliation with the imperial court. He is trustworthy and worth rallying behind. Should our Heavenly King meet with misfortune, we will fully support him and subdue the other rebel forces.”
Beside him, Hou Yue immediately jumped up, “Master, what do you mean? Do you think we can’t save the big brother? The Master has already gone!”
He was very agitated, feeling that Master Wan Shi’s attitude was a betrayal. Hu Zhi Gao’s face darkened, yet he did not refute Master Wan Shi’s words.
Master Wan Shi smiled bitterly, “Old Daoist is just preparing for the worst. At that time, it was the ‘Shadow King’ who inflicted the heavy injury on your big brother. The vermin cultivated with curse power is undoubtedly left by him.”
“He was rated as second-grade by the Bai Xiao Hall, known for his mysterious methods, impossible to guard against, and his martial arts are strange and difficult to harm. He is the king of devils in the dark. This evaluation is even above old Daoist. How can he be an easy opponent? Although the world is vast, there is not a single person who can easily kill him, unless three first-grade experts with divine weapons are present, which might be possible.”
“Moreover, he is deeply hidden in the imperial camp, surrounded by ‘Emperor of Martial Arts’ Dugu Shi, five experts above the top three grades, and the divine weapon Emperor’s Blade. Once a battle breaks out and causes commotion, he can immediately receive strong support. Although that Daoist friend is extraordinary, even defeating the Shadow King alone might be uncertain. Being surrounded like this, unless a real deity descends, there is no way to escape!”
Hu Zhi Gao reluctantly nodded in agreement, whispering, “The Master is restricted by the celestial rules and probably doesn’t have the strength of the top three grades…”
When Meng Qi sneaked out of the camp, both Master Wan Shi and he roughly judged Meng Qi’s current realm, so he helped Master Wan Shi supplement the unspoken point.
The words of the two made Hou Yue’s face gradually pale, his body slightly shaking, stuttering, “Then, then why did you let the Master go…”
“Old Daoist saw that he was quite confident, thinking to treat a dead horse as a living one, better than doing nothing.” Master Wan Shi smiled bitterly again, “But when planning major matters, we must prepare for the worst. Hou Yue, you should secretly seek out Miao Hu during noon.”
Hou Yue took several steps back, then plopped down onto a chair, looking at the weak breath of Du Huaishang, his eyes gradually reddening, his heart filled with sorrow that he couldn’t control, but his reason told him that Master Wan Shi and his second brother were speaking the truth!
…
Inside the elaborately decorated tent, the aura coalesced into a coiling five-clawed golden dragon, exuding an immense and majestic presence.
Wen Jing entered again, bowing to the Crown Prince, “News has come back. Several mysterious individuals have joined the enemy. Their martial arts are strange, and their skills are impressive. They have foiled our first attempt at sowing discord.”
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment before turning to the tall old man beside him, “What’s your opinion, Teacher?”
“Do these mysterious individuals possess the strength of the top three grades?” asked “Emperor of Martial Arts” Dugu Shi.
Wen Jing shook his head, “No.”
Dugu Shi nodded slightly, “Continue the plan of sowing discord. A few mysterious individuals won’t change the overall situation. Inform the spies that if there’s an opportunity, they should take advantage of the situation to eliminate them.”
“Our camp should also increase vigilance to prevent being disrupted by their strange methods,” the Crown Prince added after a moment’s thought.
“Old man will inform the others,” Dugu Shi did not object.
At this moment, Wen Jing smiled, “Also, we should make ‘Shadow King’ work harder. He is the best at countering strange martial arts.”
“Yes, with Shadow King around, villains won’t have a chance to succeed,” the Crown Prince agreed.
With a second-grade strength, mysterious martial arts, unpredictable curses, and techniques of vermin, he was practically the nemesis of all mysterious individuals!
…
The cold and sinister aura fluctuated throughout the heavens and earth. The “Shadow King” leaned casually against the cushions behind him, appearing indifferent, yet no one doubted that any anomaly nearby would escape his notice. The countless cursed vermin hidden within his robes exuded a dangerous aura.
“What is it?” The Shadow King lazily raised his eyelids, casually asking the “Yama King” Meng Qi who had entered the tent.
“Wait outside,” Meng Qi glanced at the red-robed boy.
The boy hastily excused himself and closed the tent flap.
The Shadow King opened his eyes slightly with mild interest, looking down at Meng Qi and said, “Seems like it’s not a simple matter.”
Meng Qi replied indifferently, “Of course.”
“What is it?” The Shadow King sat up straighter, repeating his question. The cold and eerie aura around him coiled like venomous snakes, ready to strike at any moment, fully displaying the might of a Grandmaster!
Meng Qi looked into his eyes and coldly uttered two words:
“Kill you.”
As the words fell, the Shadow King saw him draw his long saber and strike in a plain, unremarkable manner!
As the blade light entered his vision, the Shadow King leaned back, his aura instantly vanishing. His eyes retained a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief. The invisible vermin beneath his black robe began to wriggle more violently.
Meng Qi sheathed his blade, lowered his eyelids, his body weight increased with the power of causality. Without looking back, he stepped out of the tent.
Passing the red-robed boy, he calmly said, “The Shadow King doesn’t want to be disturbed for now.”
After speaking, Meng Qi strode forward with his back straight, heading outside the camp.
…
Hou Yue’s eyes were red as he looked at Du Huaishang, his sorrow spreading like fog, obscuring his vision. Suddenly, he heard a familiar pained groan.
“Big brother!” He jumped up and looked toward the sickbed.
Master Wan Shi and Hu Zhi Gao also sensed something amiss, thinking Du Huaishang was at his dying moment, filled with grief and sadness as they approached the bed.
Looking closely, they were all stunned. Black mist was drifting from Du Huaishang’s body. The wounds that had previously refused to stop were slowly closing, and the medicinal effects inside him were taking hold, reducing the pallor on his face.
“This…” Hou Yue and Hu Zhi Gao were both bewildered.
Master Wan Shi was first stunned, then a thought flashed in his mind, and he blurted out:
“The Shadow King is dead!”
How could this be possible?
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
There were six top-grade experts nearby, the divine weapon Emperor’s Blade, and the formidable Shadow King himself. How could he just die like this?
…
Unimpeded, Meng Qi, holding his personal token and claiming to inspect the river defenses, calmly and unhurriedly reached the main gate.
Inside the Shadow King’s tent, the vermin had lost control, igniting the residual true energy within his body. Streams of black mist soared, resembling a chaotic dance of demons.
They clashed with the ambient energies of heaven and earth and with the altar behind. This was also the reason Meng Qi did not take the Shadow King’s belongings—they needed to eliminate each vermin one by one, a very dangerous task if the timing was off!
Boom!
The collision of energies resulted in a violent explosion, flames soaring into the sky, completely engulfing the altar and the tent.
Soldiers looked on as Meng Qi calmly continued forward, unhesitating and not looking back, passing through layers of forbidden techniques and exiting the main gate. Behind him, a beautiful mushroom cloud slowly rose.
Deceased: Shadow King.
Identity: The newly appointed leader of the Blood Sea Sect, a second-grade expert rated by the Bai Xiao Hall, the King of Demons in the night, one of the most formidable figures in the world.
Condition at death: No visible wounds.
Cause of death: Unknown.
Location of death: Deep within the imperial camp, with divine weapons nearby and the Martial Emperor present.
Perpetrator: Kuang Dao Su Meng!
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