Volume 1, Chapter 138: Slaying the Han Emperor with a Sword
Lin Yu almost laughed. It seemed the Han Emperor still didn't know the Emperor's Sword had long been refined by Master Tripod and become part of his very bones. It was precisely because of his Saint Emperor Sword Body that he could master all sword intents, earning the title of "monstrous prodigy."
"So it is! I never expected the Emperor's Sword to choose a wretch like you. But after I kill you, I'll have plenty of time to subdue the sword and make it serve me!"
Seeing Lin Yu's silence, the Han Emperor grinned savagely, eyeing him triumphantly. "So what if you blocked one strike? I can unleash ten—no, a hundred such moves! As long as the Demon-Suppressing Array stands, my spiritual power is limitless!"
Lin Yu waved his hand, and the Windrider Sword settled into his grasp.
"Master Tripod, after I killed the First Prince, you absorbed his body, but the spiritual power hasn't been channeled to me yet, right?"
Lin Yu called out to Master Tripod in his mind. After slaying the First Prince, Master Tripod had devoured the headless corpse. Due to the urgent return to the imperial city, Lin Yu hadn't cultivated since, so the spiritual power from refining the First Prince—equivalent to a Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena warrior—remained stored in the God-Eating Tripod.
"Correct, lad. What's on your mind? This is spiritual power堪比 (comparable to) a Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena expert! Using it for cultivation could shorten your path to Void Transformation by years!"
Master Tripod was puzzled, unable to guess Lin Yu's plan.
"I need this power now!"
Lin Yu's expression was resolute. Though he'd blocked the Han Emperor's strike, he was nearing his limit. His cultivation was suppressed to Seventh Rank Myriad Phenomena by the array, while the emperor, boosted by the array, now held Void Transformation power. With this gap, even his Great Sun Demon-Slaying Sword might not kill the emperor. Thus, he had to borrow the Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena power stored with Master Tripod, erupting with Ninth Rank strength in an instant and combining it with the Great Sun Sword to deliver a killing blow.
"I understand. This power was yours to begin with. Use it as you see fit."
After a moment's silence, Master Tripod agreed.
"Then let's do this!"
Lin Yu smiled calmly, raising his head to face the Han Emperor, his eyes glinting with sharp killing intent.
"Little abomination, are you afraid? For the sake of our blood, I might spare you. Swear an oath to heaven to pledge loyalty to me—vow never to betray me in this life—and I'll let you live."
The Han Emperor looked at Lin Yu triumphantly, convinced his son was cornered.
"If not for the array, His Majesty might not have stood a chance. What a pity!"
"If the Third Prince loses, we're all dead!"
"I wonder what choice he'll make. Honestly, swearing loyalty to his father isn't unthinkable."
The ministers watched Lin Yu nervously. If he fought to the end, they might survive; if he submitted, they were doomed.
"Loyalty to you?" Lin Yu sneered in disdain. "A heartless, scheming wretch like you thinks you deserve my loyalty?"
"Fine. I offered you a way out, but you refuse. Don't blame me for forgetting father-son ties!"
Rage blazed in the Han Emperor's eyes. Thunder burst from his body again, and his form vanished in the flashing light.
Rumble!
The next instant, silver light flashed before Lin Yu, and the Han Emperor emerged from the thunder, slashing down with his sword. A relentless river of thunder surged toward Lin Yu.
"Master Tripod—now!"
Lin Yu gripped the Windrider Sword and shouted.
"Here it comes!"
Master Tripod roared, and狂暴的灵力 (violent spiritual power) flooded into Lin Yu's meridians like a山洪 (mountain torrent). In an instant, his strength broke through the array's suppression, soaring to Ninth Rank Myriad Phenomena. Scarlet flames blazed on the Windrider Sword, converging into golden fire that ignited like a sun on the blade.
"Kill!"
Lin Yu roared, swinging at the oncoming thunder river. In an instant, a dazzling golden sun rose from the sword edge. Sword qi crossed the sky like a blazing sun, annihilating thunder and shattering the river.
"What?!"
The Han Emperor gasped at Lin Yu's sudden Ninth Rank burst, then watched the thunder river disintegrate under the strike. Scorching golden sword qi bore down on him, leaving him exposed like prey in sunlight. He hastily raised his sword, conjuring silver thunder barriers.
Boom!
The golden qi pierced the barrier in one strike, then exploded, engulfing the emperor. The Han Emperor felt his dantian surge with pain, struck by qi, and was sent flying, crashing to the ground.
"His Majesty... He lost?"
Ministers stared at Lin Yu in disbelief. How could Lin Yu, three ranks below the emperor under the array, reverse the tide and win? Their faces lit with relief at cheating death.
Rumble!
The golden shield over the city rippled and faded, finally ceasing to function after Lin Yu crippled the emperor's cultivation.
"You little wretch! How dare you cripple my cultivation?!"
The Han Emperor staggered up, bloodied and萎靡 (listless), as if aged decades. The fearsome威压 (aura) he'd wielded was gone—Lin Yu's strike had destroyed his dantian, reducing him to a mortal.
"Silence!"
Lin Yu snorted. A wisp of sword qi from the Windrider Sword sliced through the emperor's knees. He stumbled and knelt before Lin Yu.
Lin Yu looked down coldly. "Where is my mother's grave?"
"You want to pay respects to that bitch Qu Lingxian? I'll never tell you!"
The Han Emperor, disheveled, grinned maniacally.
"Third Prince," the Chief Minister stepped forward. "After Consort Qu's death, His Majesty said he couldn't forget her and had her buried in Moonlight Palace, where she lived."
"Moonlight Palace." Lin Yu nodded to the minister, then grabbed the emperor's neck like a chicken and flew toward the harem.
"Let me down, you wretch! I am the Son of Heaven—how dare you insult me!"
The Han Emperor struggled and cursed as Lin Yu carried him.
Thud!
Lin Yu threw the emperor at the gate of a dilapidated palace, then landed behind him.