Chapter 786
Chapter 786
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 786
>Chapter Title: Emperor
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> "It's time!" After Huangfu Tiangang, who had completely transformed, said this, everyone resolutely extended their dragon claws before their eyes and forcibly gouged out their own eyes.
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> "Go!" Huangfu Tiangang forcefully hurled the Stellar Sword in his hand into the air, kicked off with both feet, and then directly flew on the sword toward the Gate of Ya.
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> The Daoist robe on Xuan Pin suddenly shrank, then darted out again. A bizarre golden dragon covered in golden claws burst from the robe and charged toward the Gate of Ya.
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> As the two of them left, the others also used their own divine abilities, crossing the sea like the Eight Immortals, all rushing toward the Gate of Ya.
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> As they moved, the feng shui dragon veins of the entire realm shifted with them. They weren't just borrowing the fortune of the dragon veins—they were borrowing the fortune of the entire world.
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> When Li Huowang opened his eyes again, he found himself collapsed on the ground, nose bleeding profusely, head spinning so badly he could barely stand.
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> Even so, he remembered everything that had just happened crystal clearly, down to the tiniest detail, without forgetting a single thing.
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> This wasn't just revealing the secret—it was forcibly cramming the secret directly into Li Huowang's mind.
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> "So that's how it is... That's how it is! They couldn't help Si Ming on their own, nor was it possible, so they borrowed two dragon veins and all the earth's veins under heaven to qualify meddling in Si Ming's battle! I knew Xuan Pin had a backup plan!"
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> But just as he said this, the excitement on Li Huowang's face gradually faded. Even so, Xuan Pin and the others had still died.
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> Before Li Huowang could mourn them for even a moment, something strange happened. That incredibly clear memory in his mind was actually starting to vanish.
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> Li Huowang panicked. "What's going on? Weren't you helping me? Why take it back!!"
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> Seeing the disappearance accelerate, even starting to affect Xuan Pin's incantation, Li Huowang clutched his head and roared, "Come back! You're not allowed to disappear!!"
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> He tried using his cultivation abilities to reverse this, but his cultivation powers seemed to have little effect on memories that were ethereal to begin with.
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> "I said come back!!" Veins bulging on his forehead, Li Huowang gripped harder with both hands until—crack—his own skull split open under the pressure.
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> Hearing his skull crack, Li Huowang froze for a moment, then a mad gleam of joy appeared on his face.
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> Li Huowang raised his right hand and thrust it into the gap in his skull, rummaging frantically through his brain.
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> Soon, he found that vanishing segment of memory and gripped it tightly with his right hand, refusing to let it fade even a little.
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> Then, trembling, Li Huowang dipped his left fingers into the soft, squishy memory and began scribbling furiously on the ground.
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> He couldn't let the memory disappear. He had to write down everything from it.
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> One hand clutching the memory, the other dipping into it repeatedly, Li Huowang scrawled everywhere in the room—floor, then walls, then his own body—filling every possible surface.
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> Finally, when the memory had nothing left to give, he slowly withdrew his hand from his brain.
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> Standing in the center of the room, he looked at everything he'd recorded around him and let out a long sigh of relief. He'd gotten it all down.
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> With his worries settled, Li Huowang slowly examined all the records around him, piecing together the puzzle.
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> But as he looked, Li Huowang frowned. Something felt off.
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> "No! There's something wrong here! If they all went to the Gate of Ya, how did the Fa Sect ambush them? Wasn't Xuan Pin killed by a Fa Sect sneak attack?"
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> "The Altar Master truly wasn't there—he might not have known. But Gao Zhijian was right there on site. How could he not know?"
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> The truth once relayed by Gao Zhijian now grew murky and unclear. "Could it be... he lied to me? Even he deceived me?"
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> At this thought, Li Huowang's expression hardened. He refused to believe it at first—he needed to ask directly.
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> Li Huowang found Gao Zhijian on a wide road far from the military camp. Dressed in dragon robes, he sat upon a jade palanquin pulled by sixteen carriages, surrounded by utmost pomp and ceremony.
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> The surrounding commoners dared not block the path and scattered to the roadside, kneeling and kowtowing toward the supreme ruler.
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> Li Huowang's arrival immediately put the eunuchs and imperial guards on high alert, but they withdrew at Gao Zhijian's command.
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> "Senior Brother Li, can it wait? I'm heading to the camp to bid farewell to the generals and soldiers. If we delay the timing, they might get ideas."
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> "Tell me the truth! How did Xuan Pin and the others die?"
Li Huowang leaped directly onto his towering jade palanquin.
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> "They were ambushed and killed by the Fa Sect while performing the ritual to aid Si Ming."
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> "You're full of shit! They set up the Dragon-Slaying Immortal-Exterminating Formation, borrowed your fortune and that of the entire world, and went straight into the Gate of Ya! How did the Fa Sect people harm them?"
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> Hearing this, Gao Zhijian's expression stiffened. "How do you know all this?"
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> "Don't ask how I know! I just want to ask you one thing—why did you lie to me? You were right there, you even took part in the formation. Why didn't you tell me?"
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> "Are you still that fool I could entrust my life to, or are you the emperor on the dragon throne now, scheming and calculating everything from afar!"
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> The yellow silk ribbons of the canopy overhead swayed gently in the breeze. Gao Zhijian inside said nothing.
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> After a brief pause, Gao Zhijian spoke. "Senior Brother Li, there are some things Xuan Pin instructed not to tell you, and I agreed."
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> "Senior Brother Li, I'm still that fool you could entrust your life to, but you once said you wanted me to be a good emperor."
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> "A good emperor can't just say whatever he wants. A good emperor must have depth, must lie without batting an eye."
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> "A good emperor always puts the affairs of the realm above family matters."
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> "A good emperor must ruthlessly wield imperial arts to manipulate everyone for his people. One step too far and he's a tyrant; one step too slow and he's a fool."
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> "But if being a good emperor conflicts with being that fool you entrusted your life to, which should I choose?"
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> "Senior Brother Li, you've saved my life more than once. You tell me how to choose, and from now on, that's how I'll choose—no questions asked."
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> The anger in Li Huowang's heart had vanished. He looked at Gao Zhijian before him with a very complicated expression, saying nothing.
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> As the two locked eyes, a pained groan came from nearby.
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> A kneeling big-bellied woman suddenly toppled sideways to the ground, blood gushing from between her legs.
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> Gao Zhijian, anxiety on his face, pointed urgently toward her. "Quick, quick! Help her give birth! Don't let it be a difficult labor!"
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> Several eunuchs and palace maids from the procession rushed over to assist.
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> "Good emperor."
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> "Good."
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> And at that moment, amid a scream, the midwives fled in terror like madwomen.
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> Then everyone present saw a monster with an infant's head and a hairless vulture's body emerge from the blood.
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> Its rotten-toothed mouth opened wide in laughter.
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> (End of Chapter)