Chapter 420: The Mental World Showdown
"Master!" "Master, spare us!"
The pleas for mercy echoed around the altar. People hoped that the master would show them leniency, but the Jin Emperor would not relent at this critical moment of his long-planned dark ritual. Just a little more was needed.
Surrounded by desperate cries, everyone rushed at the death warriors. Although there were many death warriors, their cultivation levels were not too high. Was the master intending for the death warriors to perish along with his enemies?
"Such heavy resentment!" Mr. Corpse suddenly squinted and remarked.
Mr. Corpse's tone was clear—resentment was a powerful energy. These people felt they were dying unjustly, having served their master loyally only to be slaughtered. The Jin Emperor did this intentionally to collect the resentment energy for the altar.
"Everyone!" Old Zhao called out, looking at Bei Qingsi.
"Boom!"
The aura of the Longevity Realm members suddenly expanded, and the thirty Convergence stage experts displayed their formidable power. Some of the death warriors who rushed at them were instantly sent flying.
Seeing this sudden change, a sinister smile appeared on the Jin Emperor's face.
"Roar!"
More and more death warriors surrounded them, their foreheads glowing as their Divine Seals activated, significantly boosting their power. The oppressive energy waves surged towards Zhong Shan's direction, with endless sword and blade energy crashing down. Although the thirty Convergence stage experts managed to hold their ground, the number of death warriors kept increasing.
The spectators, now targets of slaughter, quickly regrouped under the leadership of some, forming a coordinated defense alongside the thirty Convergence stage experts, resisting the death warriors' onslaught.
Gradually, the scattered skirmish turned into an organized group battle.
The Jin Emperor watched coldly from afar, his death warriors relentlessly attacking the gathered experts.
Bei Qingsi, standing at the back, narrowed her eyes in determination. Her long hair began to float as an intense chill emanated from her, breaking the dye's hold.
Completely enveloped in a freezing aura, Bei Qingsi extended her right palm and softly called out, "Freeze!"
"Crack, crack, crack!"
The entire underground environment was instantly frozen. The massive energy from her bloodline froze all the blood in the altar's trenches in an instant, as well as the death warriors, the spectators, and even Zhong Shan.
The entire underground space turned into an ice cellar, with the intense cold pressing towards the Jin Emperor.
"Roar!"
With an angry roar, the Jin Emperor repelled the incoming chill.
Bei Qingsi flew into the air, avoiding the frozen people, and charged at the Jin Emperor. Her sword danced, creating a flurry of frost and snow, gathering all the moisture into countless ice swords, which shot towards the Jin Emperor and the humanoid fruit from all directions.
Seeing the endless ice swords approaching, the Jin Emperor's eyes turned cold. With a snort, he raised his palm and struck at Bei Qingsi.
"Boom!"
An eighteen-layer ice shield materialized in front of Bei Qingsi, protecting her from the Jin Emperor's attack. The clash of their powers filled the air with a sharp, chilling energy, setting the stage for a fierce and decisive battle.
However, the Jin Emperor, being an Imperial Realm powerhouse, wielded immense strength. His dark purple palm strike shattered all eighteen ice shields with ease and continued towards Bei Qingsi.
"Boom!"
The palm strike had been significantly weakened by the ice shields, and Bei Qingsi countered it with a thrust of her sword, releasing a stream of milky-white freezing energy. The chilling force neutralized the Jin Emperor's palm strike.
The Jin Emperor's eyes grew colder.
"You're strong," the Jin Emperor said coldly.
Then, his eyes flashed with purple light, and an unusual Divine Seal appeared on his forehead. Unlike the others, his seal was also in the form of the character "幺," but it was purple.
The purple Divine Seal emitted an overwhelming pressure, like a king inspecting his subjects. Those frozen in the ice all had their Divine Seals appear on their foreheads, showing reverence and causing an involuntary shudder among everyone.
As the purple Divine Seal emerged, the immense pressure erupted, and the Jin Emperor cast a cold glance at Bei Qingsi.
"Ahhh!"
Bei Qingsi let out a cry of pain and was sent flying.
Just one glance, and Bei Qingsi was defeated?
"Hmph!" the Jin Emperor snorted coldly.
Despair filled the eyes of the onlookers.
The Jin Emperor's aura suddenly expanded, dispelling all the cold energy. The frozen spectators and warriors were released from the ice.
But now, none of them had the courage to fight. The Jin Emperor's power was too overwhelming. Everyone felt paralyzed under his immense pressure.
An Emperor-level being? Zhong Shan was shocked as he looked at the Jin Emperor. No, not quite. This aura was slightly less potent than that of the Bodhisattva Puxiang, but still immensely powerful.
"Boom!"
Bei Qingsi crashed against the wall, looking towards the Jin Emperor at the center of the altar with despair.
The Jin Emperor glanced at the humanoid fruit, his eyes cold. The purple Divine Seal on his forehead pulsed slightly as he looked at the crowd and commanded, "Die!"
The purple Divine Seal pulsed.
"No!"
Those who understood the significance screamed in terror, but it was too late.
With the Jin Emperor's command, everyone implanted with a Divine Seal exploded into a bloody mist, regardless of whether they were spectators or death warriors. The altar's trenches quickly absorbed the red energy, converting it into the necessary energy for the humanoid fruit.
All around the altar, only the Longevity Realm members, Zhong Shan, and Mr. Corpse remained.
The Jin Emperor's eyes turned icy.
Everyone gathered around Bei Qingsi, who had been helped up by Zhong Shan.
"Quite a few fleas," the Jin Emperor sneered. He extended his hand towards them, and they felt the air around them compressing wildly, crushing them from all sides.
The immense pressure bore down on them, threatening to crush them. Even the Longevity Realm experts struggled to withstand it.
Bei Qingsi, still weakened, tried to muster her strength, but it was evident that the Jin Emperor's power was too overwhelming for them to handle.
Zhong Shan's mind raced as he searched for a solution. The pressure was too much, and the situation seemed dire. Yet, there had to be a way to turn the tide, a way to counter this overwhelming force.
"Think, Zhong Shan, think!" he muttered to himself, knowing that their survival depended on finding a way to disrupt the Jin Emperor's sinister plans.
Suddenly, Mr. Corpse, who had been observing quietly, stepped forward. "We need to strike at the core of the altar, disrupt the flow of energy to that fruit. It's our only chance."
Zhong Shan nodded. "Let's do it."
With newfound determination, the group prepared to make one final stand against the overwhelming might of the Jin Emperor, hoping to shatter his dark ritual and save themselves from certain death.
"Seal!" Zhong Shan roared.
Countless talismanic shadows erupted, sealing heaven, earth, spirit, and man. Instantly, all around were filled with these talismanic shadows.
The foreheads of the Longevity Realm members, including Bei Qingsi and even the Jin Emperor, were each marked with a talismanic shadow. The only exception was Mr. Corpse, who had his own way to counteract such measures, as long as Zhong Shan didn't specifically target him.
In an instant, everyone was sealed.
"Ha!" came the Jin Emperor's cold laugh from the center of the altar. The talismanic shadows seemed to have no effect?
Zhong Shan carefully laid Bei Qingsi down and, along with Mr. Corpse, quickly advanced. Unbeknownst to them, Bei Qingsi's eyelashes suddenly fluttered.
The Jin Emperor's cold snort made Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse extremely cautious, but the Jin Emperor did not move. The talismanic shadow remained on his forehead.
"It sealed his body but not his spirit. His primordial spirit can leave his body. Be careful!" Mr. Corpse warned.
"Understood," Zhong Shan nodded, becoming even more vigilant. The Jin Emperor's spirit, especially after activating the purple Divine Seal, was nearly at the Emperor Realm. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Bei Qingsi with just a look.
"You handle him, and I'll take care of that evil fruit," Mr. Corpse said directly.
Zhong Shan did not object, charging towards the Jin Emperor with his blade.
"Hmph!" the Jin Emperor snorted again, and Zhong Shan suddenly found himself in a different location, atop a volcano.
Zhong Shan stopped in his tracks, bewildered, looking across the volcano at the Jin Emperor. The Jin Emperor's seal had vanished, and he looked coldly at Zhong Shan.
An illusion? Zhong Shan's heart tightened.
"Where is this?" Zhong Shan called out to the Jin Emperor across the way.
"This is the mental world, a realm only those at the Emperor Realm can control. Little one, your strength is lacking, but your artifact is quite powerful to be able to seal my body," the Jin Emperor replied coldly.
"So, I'm in your mental world?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes.
Meanwhile, in reality, Mr. Corpse saw Zhong Shan and the Jin Emperor standing motionless, staring at each other, unblinking.
Mr. Corpse didn't intervene because he knew he couldn't help. The Jin Emperor had drawn Zhong Shan into his mental world. If the Jin Emperor died, Zhong Shan could be in serious trouble as well.
Frowning, Mr. Corpse decided to move towards the evil fruit, leaving Zhong Shan to his fate. If Zhong Shan couldn't survive this trial, he wasn't worth following.
From a distance, Bei Qingsi, who was supposedly sealed, suddenly blinked. Her eyes showed a flash of concern. If Mr. Corpse had seen this, he would have been shocked. How was it possible? Zhong Shan's seal was supposed to bind both body and spirit, even the Jin Emperor's body couldn't move. How could Bei Qingsi blink?
In the mental world of the Jin Emperor, Zhong Shan and the Jin Emperor stood across a volcano, coldly watching each other. Below them, rolling magma seemed ready to erupt at any moment.