Chapter 227 - Scheme
Chapter 227 – Scheme
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Zhou Emperor trio unleashed their full powers!
With the combined strength of the three Heaven Rank experts, the void rumbled with the influx of Origin Qi.
Violent energy condensed from the heavens and the earth as it blasted towards the Su Clan members.
At this moment, hundreds of thousands of people in the city had already died under Su Changqing’s spirit array.
A large number of living beings were sacrificed, causing the Demon God phantom behind Su Changqing to gradually solidify.
The illusory figure of the Demon God was dozens of meters tall and surrounded by black Qi.
The Demon God was wearing a cloak, and his face could not be seen clearly. His eyes however, seemed to originate from the depths of hell.
In his hand was a huge black magic orb.
As Emperor Zhou and the others attacked, his body turned slightly.
A voice that seemed to come from the void sounded.
Crack!
What was that sound?
Under the shocked gazes of Emperor Zhou and the others, a barrier appeared in front of the Demon God, or rather, a door.
Inside the door was an endless void.
All the attacks poured in through the door…
It did not even cause a ripple.
This was not the end. The Demon God casually waved the magic orb that it held.
And then… the space around them actually shattered! The space cracks charged towards Emperor Zhou and the others!
It looked slow, but in an instant, it had almost reached Emperor Zhou.
“Five Tyrant Arts — Hegemonic Destruction!”
BAM!
The ancestor that Emperor Zhou mentioned had arrived in the nick of time.
He punched out in response to the attack headed towards Emperor Zhou.
With a punch, the world fell silent!
It was as if everything had turned into nothingness.
In front of him, even the power of space shattering could not surpass the strength of his fist!
The power of destruction annihilated everything!
Su Wen’s eyes widened!
F*ck me!
He was that strong?
At this moment, Su Cheng was also dumbfounded. What was going on?
What happened to paying respect to their ancestors?
How the f*ck did this turn into treason?
He was purely tricked by Su Changqing and did not know what was going on.
After the attack, the world seemed to have fallen silent.
Right at this moment, Wu Kunhu arrived.
He roared, “Su Changqing, you bastard! You’re not going to tell me that you abducted my son?”
He held his crying son in his left hand, his wife in his right, and his concubines on his thighs…
It was an embarrassing sight.
He descended from the sky, but Su Changqing did not stop him.
Instead, he smiled and said, “Go with them!”
Su Changqing did not seem surprised that Wu Kunhu was hiding his cultivation.
The royal family’s ancestor had a solemn expression as he looked at the increasingly corporeal Demon God phantom behind Su Changqing.
He whispered to Emperor Zhou, “This thing is not easy to deal with, but we can retreat first. This is the power he obtained from sacrificing living beings. It won’t last long. Once the power disappears, he will definitely die!”
Su Changqing didn’t care what he said. He turned to look at Su Wen and said in a low voice, “I’ve already sent someone to bring your second brother out. He will first enter the Qiang Tribe and then take a detour to the Chu Country. Be careful and receive him.”
“Huh?” Su Wen could tell that something was wrong.
“I can only protect you until here. The Su family’s future is in your hands.” Su Changqing smiled casually.
Su Wen panicked and asked, “Father, why don’t you leave with us?”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “To teleport across tens of thousands of kilometers requires me to use my consciousness to locate it and continuously transmit tremendous magic power. If I follow you, this spirit array will fail halfway through the teleportation! Everyone will die!”
At this moment, Su Wen did not know what to say.
Tears streamed down his face unconsciously.
A ruthless look flashed across his eyes as he gritted his teeth.
“Let’s fight it out with them. Father, you look very strong now. I also saw Uncle Wu fly over just now. I might not lose to them! I should be able to fight against that ordinary Heaven Rank.”
Su Changqing shook his head and said, “They might not necessarily lose, but if they flee in this battle, then what should we do? Once my strength disperses, then everyone will still die.”
At this moment, Emperor Zhou looked at Su Changqing and Wu Kunhu. He gritted his teeth and said, “Good, good, good! The two of you have hidden yourselves well. Wu Kunhu, why are you doing this? If you had revealed that you had such a cultivation, how could the situation in our Great Zhou be so difficult?”
Wu Kunhu looked at Emperor Zhou and said calmly, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid that your magnanimity will not tolerate me.”
“Just because of this?”
“Hahahaha!” Emperor Zhou laughed loudly. “Am I not magnanimous enough?”
Wu Kunhu looked at him and said, “Your Majesty, you might allow me to become a Heaven Rank cultivator, but you definitely won’t allow me to become the strongest Heaven Rank cultivator in Great Zhou! The strongest Heaven Rank cultivator in Great Zhou has always been surnamed Zhao!”
Emperor Zhou’s expression turned solemn. He had to admit that Wu Kunhu was right.
The three most powerful individuals of Great Zhou stood here at this moment.
Emperor Zhou looked at the two people who had accompanied him for many years.
He muttered, “If the three of us work together, the world would have long been at peace! Why is this so!”
At this point, he felt as though he was going insane. He looked at Su Changqing and shouted, “Haven’t I treated you well enough? Su Changqing, I gave Yan Luoying to your son as a betrothal gift and let your two sons be the top scorers. How much trouble did Su Wen cause? Have I punished him once? Even if you guys leave, is there anyone in the world who can treat him better than me?”
Su Changqing sighed and said, “But you won’t allow him to disobey you. This son of mine has excellent talent and is used to being domineering. He isn’t an old official and isn’t good at enduring. Sooner or later, he will definitely be frowned upon by His Majesty! Leaving early is the best strategy. Your Majesty, the Su family will take their leave!”
With that said, the demonic god phantom emitted a strong black light!
It seemed to devour all the light present in their surroundings.
Immediately after, the array was activated!
Hundreds of people, including the carriage, instantly disappeared in Su Changqing’s array!
Bang!
Su Wen landed on the ground, surrounded by treasures.
He immediately recognized that this was inside the Flame God Sect, beside Ni Hongxiao’s laboratory!
He had placed the Su family’s private property there.
Looking around, he caught sight of the black crystal ball in front of him.
At this moment, in the crystal ball was actually the scene of Su Changqing confronting Emperor Zhou and the others.
“Su Wen, take good care of your mother, Nuannuan, and your two brothers. This is the only thing I can do for you as your father…”
After this teleportation, the Demon God phantom behind Su Changqing instantly turned illusory.
At this moment, Su Changqing turned to look at Emperor Zhou.
He smiled and said, “Forgive me for my disrespect, but today, I will behead Your Majesty as a sacrifice to the devil god!”
With that said, the demonic phantom waved its arms! In an instant, two transparent Qi-forces blasted out!
The Zhou Family’s Old Ancestor stepped in front of Emperor Zhou and punched out with both fists!
Bang!
He could actually withstand the attack of this Demon God’s phantom.
But the others were not so lucky.
One of the Heaven Rank experts couldn’t dodge in time and was brushed by the energy.
Half of his body suddenly disappeared…
The Qi force flew towards the imperial capital from afar. Wherever it passed, everything disappeared.
That’s right, it disappeared directly.
The Zhou Family’s Ancestor shouted, “Be careful, this devil god controls the power of space, his attacks are extremely sharp!”
How could the other Heaven Rank experts not realize that by now? They had all hurriedly retreated far away.
They then belatedly realized that Su Changqing didn’t pursue them.
The Old Ancestor laughed maniacally. “Hahaha! Looks like you’re not the one activating this power!”
Su Changqing was not surprised that he was seen through.
This was also an obvious weakness.
He was merely condensing the image of a Demon God and borrowing its power.
If the Demon God really came in person, even if the Royal Ancestor’s combat strength was formidable, the Demon could rely on the agility of the spatial power to kill everyone except the Royal Ancestor!
The Demon God and Su Changqing had an extremely special relationship.
The Demon God could only stick to Su Changqing’s back, unable to move about freely on its own.
This limited his agility.
“Then die!” The Royal Ancestor shouted.” The others retreat, leave him to me!”
Their battle began in earnest.
The Royal Ancestor kept swinging his fists non stop to attack Su Changqing.
His vast fist force collided continuously with the spatial power of the Demon God!
The aftershocks of the battle between the two of them had even destroyed more than half of the walls of the capital, as well as countless houses in the fringes of the city.
This fellow’s combat strength was extremely strong. Even this phantom of the Demon God could not do anything to him!
The more he fought, the more the demonic god phantom behind Su Changqing faded.
“Die!”
Finally, seeing that Su Changqing couldn’t hold on any longer, the Royal Ancestor launched his final attack.
Vast amounts of Heaven Earth Origin Qi gathered.
Bang!
A huge explosion of energy erupted.
The Demon God’s phantom instantly shattered due to the impact.
And under this vast energy… everything turned to ashes.
A huge crater appeared…
It was even more terrifying than Wu Kunhu’s attack previously.
It was a few kilometers wide, and the bottom of the crater could not be seen.
The crystal in front of Su Wen shattered at this point.
Before the final attack, he heard Su Changqing’s last sentence: “Take care of the family…”
Su Wen gritted his teeth as tears streamed down his face…
He clenched his fists tightly…
In this instant, he broke through!
A powerful Heaven Earth Origin Qi surged into his body, and his Spiritual Sense broke through the barrier!
Heaven Rank!
However, Su Wen was not happy at all!
“Emperor Zhou… I will kill your entire family! Leave no one alive! I will also exterminate your Great Zhou! I will avenge my father…”
After so many years, Su Wen and Su Changqing’s relationship was naturally extremely deep.
In Great Zhou, Emperor Zhou looked at the deep pit with a complicated expression.
They lost a Heaven Rank expert, and nearly a million citizens!
As for the other Mister Wen, his fate was unknown. He was probably dead as well!
Wu Kunhu and Yan Ze had also left.
His losses this time was simply too great.
Great Zhou, who had just managed to take a breath, suffered another heavy blow!
“Fortunately, that bastard Su Changqing is dead! This has allowed me to vent the resentment in my heart. Moreover, don’t worry, no matter where your family is, I’ll find and kill them one by one! I’ll let you know the outcome of betraying me!”
However, neither Emperor Zhou nor Su Wen was aware…
Just as the battle was getting intense…
Far away at a hidden place by the eastern seaside of Great Chu.
Thousands of foreign sorcerers were guarding a magic formation.
And in the middle of the array lay a body.
At the same time as the final attack from the Royal Ancestor, all the Mages poured their magic power into the array!
“Spirit Guiding Formation!”
The spirit array began to frantically absorb their magic power.
In an instant, someone’s face turned pale as his magic power was exhausted.
However, they were immediately replaced by others who were waiting on standby!
Beside the array, Luo Ning and a man in black looked on nervously at this scene.
They didn’t even dare to breathe loudly!
Suddenly, an extremely intense light appeared in the array!
“Huuu!”
The person in the middle of the array sat up.
If one looked over, they would realize that it was Su Changqing!
However, this body was much younger than his original body.
A day later, on a ship.
Su Changqing stood at the bow of the ship with a faint smile on his face.
“Not bad. This Spirit Guiding Formation only has an 80% chance of success. The risk isn’t low, but it still exists. Fortunately, it succeeded,” Su Changqing said indifferently.
Luo Ning bowed and stood at the side. He said with a smile, “The Prime Minister is wise. His ability to escape is truly marvelous.”
Su Changqing sneered. “Otherwise, do you think I would be so easily discovered? The formation has been set up in the capital for more than ten years. It has to be of some use. Su Wen, that brat, I’ve put in so much effort in acting. If he can’t break through to the Heaven Rank, I’ll give him a good beating!”
He then stretched his body and said, “This body that has been nurtured is still not as habitual as the previous one. However, the taste of youth is really good.”
At this moment, the man in black walked over and bowed. “Prime Minister, let’s take a detour from the sea route from Ji Luo County before turning towards Chu Country. It’s rather fast, we should be able to reach there in a month or so.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Take your time. I’m so young and handsome now. Shouldn’t I take the chance to tour the country and enjoy the sights of a foreign country? I can also sleep with a few foreign beauties. Why are you in such a hurry to go to Chu?”
(TL Note: Like father like son…)
The man in black said in a low voice, “Didn’t the Prime Minister say that he wanted to seize the power of the Royal Family in Chu?”
Old Su said with a face full of disdain, “In any case, that brat has already laid down his foundation in the Chu Country. Let him slowly play by himself. This daddy has been working diligently in the capital for so many years. I was already so old, yet I had to maintain my status. I’m so tired every day, so can’t I relax now?”
At this point, he couldn’t help but complain, “My son is so lazy that maggots are growing in his ass. If I go and get discovered by that kid, will he let me off? Won’t he let me handle the government affairs for him?”
“After so many years as the prime minister, I’ve long had enough. Let him play by himself for a year or so first!”
“Oh right, don’t call me Prime Minister anymore. Call me Young Master…”
Luo Ning and the man in black immediately had a troubled expression. “Well…”
Luo Ning tried to persuade him, “Prime Minister… if we all call you Young Master… wouldn’t it mess up the seniority?”
Su Changqing said angrily, “Idiot, what’s with the mess? Of course you just stick with calling me Young Master outside. If you call me Old Master or Prime Minister, what will those madams and young mistresses think? When we meet up with Su Wen and the others, it’s not too late to change your address…”
He then turned to gaze at the vast sead with a smile, “I wonder what kind of expression that kid will have when he sees me in the future. However, he should grieve in sadness for now. Tell me, how was my final performance?”
The man in black said, “It still feels a little exaggerated…”
“Really?” Su Changqing rubbed his chin.
Ronin chimed in, “Yes, a little off-key…”
“Eh… looks like there’s still room for improvement. You two, clean up the deck… I’ll get someone to check it with a white cloth when you’re done. If I even see the cloth turn a little gray… hehe…”
At this moment, Su Wen was sitting on the peak of the mountain.
This was the first time he felt the passing of his loved ones.
It had to be said that his hatred, unwillingness, and anger had pushed him to the Heaven Rank.
Only after reaching Heaven Rank did Su Wen understand.
It was basically a sort of transformation of his life level.
Using the martial path as the key, he opened the door to a whole new world of perception.
Approaching heaven and earth, allowing oneself to merge with heaven and earth.
Every move he made was accompanied by Heaven Earth Origin Qi.
Furthermore, his True Qi recovery was greatly enhanced.
However, Su Changqing’s death remained a huge blow to him.
Over the past few days, he had been very busy, including the coordination and explanation of the group after they entered the Flame God Sect.
Wu Kunhu’s existence immediately alerted the elders of the Flame God Sect.
This was because Wu Kunhu was actually a 5th Grade Heaven Rank cultivator!
Even amongst today’s experts, he could be considered a top tier expert!
Su Wen did not hide anything and directly explained his background to them.
Everyone was honest with each other and the sect finally decided to accept Su Wen and the others.
In the end, whether it was Su Su or Su Wen who had broken through to the Heaven Rank, they were both the future of the Flame God Sect.
Moreover, there was no enmity between them, so there was no reason for them to be enemies.
After Dongfang Ju comforted Su Wen, he could not help but sigh to himself.
This stimulation came at the right time.
Many people would never have the chance to break through to the Heaven Rank. Even he was stuck at only a step away from it from a long period of time.
If Su Wen did not have this stimulation as an impetus, it would be normal for him to be stuck for a few years.
At the peak of the mountain, Su Wen was seated. A figure walked to his side and sat down.
“Why? Are you very sad?” Wu Kunhu asked calmly.
Su Wen remained silent.
Old Wu continued, “It’s human nature to live and die.”
Su Wen raised his eyebrows. “Why? Picking a fight?”
“You can’t beat me!” Wu Kunhu calmly stated.
Su Wen was unconvinced. “If we’re all at 9th Grade Earth Rank, you won’t beat me!”
Wu Kunhu rolled his eyes. “But I’m a 5th Grade Heaven Rank now, while you’re only a 1st Grade Heaven Rank. You don’t stand a chance.”
“You!” Su Wen was speechless. He could not help but say, “You actually hid it so deeply.”
Wu Kunhu said, “There are too many restrictions placed on Heaven Rank cultivators. Once I enter that realm, His Majesty will definitely pay close attention to me. It won’t be easy to hide.”
He looked at Su Wen and said, “However, in my opinion, I think you don’t have to be so sad.”
“Why?”
“Do you think Su Changqing is definitely dead?” Wu Kunhu asked.
Su Wen was stunned.
Wu Kunhu continued, “Don’t you think that your trip out of the city this time was too relaxed?”
As the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. Now that Wu Kunhu had mentioned it, Su Wen seemed to have sensed something amiss.
Wu Kunhu continued, “Your father is a wily old fox. Would he not consider the situation of being monitored by a Heaven Rank expert? If he wanted to leave, why did he tell His Majesty in advance that he wanted to pay respects to his ancestors?
If that was the case, as long as Wu Muyu and Zhao Wanrou followed, they would definitely arouse suspicion. It would be more believable if he told him that he wished to go out of the capital for a hunting expedition.”
“If he used his ancestors as an excuse and a Heaven Rank expert reports this, His Majesty will definitely sense that something is wrong.”
“Isn’t this lie a little too crude?”
“Do you think your father would make such a simple mistake? It might be possible for others, but I feel that if your father wished to escape silently, he definitely would have come out with a more meticulous plan.”
Su Wen frowned. “So?”
“So… I think he might just be faking his death,” Wu Kunhu said softly. “Of course, it’s just a little suspicion, but it doesn’t rule out the possibility that your father was really blasted to smithereens.”
Su Wen wondered out of puzzlement. “What benefits does he get from doing this?”
Wu Kunhu looked at him and smiled without saying anything.
Su Wen suddenly understood everything!
He had broken through to the Heaven Rank the moment he witnessed Su Changqing’s death. At that instant, he had deeply felt his lack of strength and his incomparable desire for power.
“Just for a Heaven Rank?” Su Wen was in disbelief.
Wu Kunhu sneered. “Don’t try to act like you’re not involved after getting a benefit. How many people in this world are stuck before this level? Only when you reach the Heaven Rank will the Su family truly have the foundation to continue their legacy in this world! Otherwise, they will always be destroyed at will!”
“How many aristocratic families in the Li Prefecture have been destroyed? Why is the Ma Family still here? It’s because they have Heaven Rank experts!”
Wu Kunhu looked down the mountain and said in a low voice, “It’s the same even in Chu. As long as you reach the Heaven Rank, anyone who dares to touch your family will have to think about it. As long as you don’t die, you can take revenge crazily! No one can guard against a Heaven Rank expert forever!”
“Getting a Heaven Rank exchange for the lives of a million people is too worth it. If Emperor Zhou could do this, he would exchange more than half of the Great Zhou citizens for Heaven Rank experts!”
After hearing Wu Kunhu’s words, Su Wen started to ponder in silence.
Something did seem wrong about this whole affair.
His father’s plan was indeed a little too crude.
However, Su Wen only had the suspicion in his heart.
Su Changqing and that expert from the royal family had fought with a might that could destroy the world.
How could Su Changqing survive?
Su Wen stood up and said coldly, “No matter what, this matter isn’t over. If I don’t see my father, then he’s dead. The Zhou Country’s ancestor killed my father, so I’ll destroy his country.”
“Now, I’ll collect some interest!”
Su Wen opened the teleportation portal and took a step in.
It had to be said that the Qi Concealment Belt produced by the system was quite good.
Su Wen knew very well that the Great Zhou inner city had the Spiritual Master Residence’s monitoring formation. Heaven Rank experts would be discovered, but he had the Qi Concealment Belt, so he was not afraid.
A familiar mansion, a familiar home.
However, it was so quiet at this moment.
Su Wen’s face twisted again and he turned into a person that no one knew.
He left the residence stealthily.
At this moment, too many people had died on the streets of Great Zhou.
The entire place looked extremely bleak.
Su Wen strolled around before arriving at the Crown Prince’s residence.
How could he forget this guy?
Su Wen entered and realized that the Crown Prince was not at home.
At this moment, the Crown Prince was in the palace!
Emperor Zhou sat on the throne, and in front of him was the Great Zhou civil and military officials.
Wu Kunhu and Yan Ze had both left. Naturally, there were other generals to replace them.
As for the seat of Prime Minister, Emperor Zhou handed over Su Changqing’s position to Wu Qiuhan!
He would slowly eradicate Su Changqing’s forces in the court.
Emperor Zhou seemed to have aged a little and looked listless.
He said in a deep voice, “This rebellion can be said to be something that has never happened since the founding of our Great Zhou. However, Su Changqing has already been executed. The rest of you, immediately sign the arrest documents and send it out. Anyone who has any clues will be heavily rewarded!”
Emperor Zhou did not know where Su Changqing had teleported the rest to. He still had to investigate.
He was also a little tired.
Most of it was mental exhaustion.
He had always thought that he was magnanimous, but he did not expect his subordinates to be so disloyal.
The atmosphere in the court was also very gloomy.
No one would be happy with such a disaster.
Most of these officials were protected by experts in Earth Rank. Thus, not many of them died in the array. It was the only good thing.
Emperor Zhou returned to the palace and sank back on the dragon coach in fatigue.
The old eunuch stood by the side. Emperor Zhou asked, “Do you think there are any other officials like Su Changqing and Wu Kunhu?”
He also began to suspect everyone around him. After this incident, his trust in others would only be lower.
The old eunuch shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, those two can be considered outstanding talents. Back then, Wu Kunhu crushed everyone in his generation and even confidently promoted to Earth Rank without entering the mystic realm.
Su Changqing seized the throne for Your Majesty, and has always been your best strategist. With these two people’s talent and scheming, how can others compare?”
He did not say anything bad about their betrayal.
Emperor Zhou nodded and said with a bitter smile, “Su Changqing, Su Changqing, I never expected him to be like this… It’s just that he ended up dying in the end. Why do you have to do this?”
He seemed to recall the plain-clothed youth from back then.
“Do you think it would have been better if I hadn’t forced him to come back? If I hadn’t stopped him, perhaps he wouldn’t have acted so rashly, and Great Zhou wouldn’t have suffered such losses. Two more Heaven Rank experts died! Although they’re all at the lower grades, they’re still Heaven Rank!”
Emperor Zhou’s heart ached!
At this moment, he suddenly saw a red dot appear on the array disc that monitored the entire city!
“A Heaven Rank expert entered the city?!” Emperor Zhou looked over.
The Crown Prince’s residence!