Chapter 1830 - 1411: Forgiveness, Unrealistic!
A man who has already made two consecutive mistakes, yet still wishes to beg for a third chance—at that point it is no longer mere wishful thinking, but sheer stupidity, stupidity beyond redemption.
Fortunately, Jiang Dali would never stumble twice over the same mistake. He had always been a decisive, efficient man—what he said, he did; his word was law.
There was another person just like him.
That person was Qin Shi Huang.
If one were to speak of Qin Shi Huang’s once-sigh‑worthy past, it too would be full of twists and strangeness. Once, he was not a decisive, efficient man at all, but even somewhat hesitant and indecisive—indeed... he could not even be said to have been entirely himself, merely a plaything in others’ hands, a foppish wastrel who only seemed to bask in glory and splendor.
But from the moment he truly bore the name Ying Zheng, he changed. He became someone who inspired awe in all around him, became ruthless and iron‑blooded, his word unchallengeable.
From the moment he became Qin Shi Huang, he never again did a single thing wrong. Even that one, sole moment of softness in his heart back then cannot truly be called a mistake.
And that single moment of softness was also his last. That kind of softness he would never again reserve for any other person.
Thus... within Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum today, the atmosphere hung heavy and solemn.
The dreadful pressure emanating from Qin Shi Huang’s body was vast and terrifying; under the convergence of Dragon Energy it was like a blazing, resplendent prison, suppressing the entire tomb, forcing the countless Terracotta Army figures all to submit and kneel upon the ground.
He was already weighing a decision—to eradicate Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali.
At the very least, to ensure the man could no longer hinder him in anything.
And once the man could no longer hinder him, then in all this world, those who could stop him from slaying dragons in the vassal states would be reduced to but half a man—that half‑dead old turtle, who might not even dare to strike out knowing certain death awaited.
In that case, unless the Holy Dynasty Regent King personally descended upon the vassal states, no one would be able to stop his plan to once more revive and walk out of the Imperial Mausoleum.
Yet he knew full well that, constrained by certain deepest secrets of this heaven and earth, unless the Emperor emerged from seclusion, the Holy Dynasty Regent King could never possibly come in person to the vassal states, and would even be compelled to restrict the Holy Dynasty’s people from engaging in too many activities within the vassal states.
So long as the Regent King did not personally come, then with only a single Divine Fragment, he still could not prevent him from doing certain things. This was also why, earlier, even under Li Guang’s and the Regent King’s Divine Fragment’s attempts to stop him, Qin Shi Huang yet had strength to spare to strike at the Azure Dragon.
"A pity... every man must prepare for himself a final line of retreat. Perhaps you will never walk to that step, but you must first be prepared... Jiang Dali, you are precisely the sort who has never left yourself any retreat, yet you dare to choose to oppose Us. What a pity..."
From the Dragon Throne within the deeply solemn tomb came a soft sigh. Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng had already made up his mind; he lifted his hand.
’Ka, ka, ka——’
From the shadowed corridor behind him, a figure like a clay statue slowly stepped out. This figure was vastly different from the other Terracotta Army clad in armor and bearing weapons—he wore a scholar’s robe, clearly a strategist who plotted and advised.
As he walked forth at this moment, the clay‑like surface that had emitted faint sounds as he moved gradually vanished; his entire person returned to the skin tone of a living man. Upon his face seemed to be fixed a motionless smile—perhaps it was simply the amicable, joyful upward curve of his lips, yet upon closer scrutiny one would discover that his smile held no warmth whatsoever, like a dummy whose very expression had lost all feeling.
"Li Si!"
Qin Shi Huang spoke in a low voice.
"This lowly subject is present!"
The scholar cupped his hands together, bowing deeply. Before this Eternal Emperor, he enjoyed the privilege of audience without kneeling—he was none other than the strategist Li Si.
"Transmit Our decree: accept the cooperation with the Four Great Families. But... they must assist Us in accomplishing one task—a task... that they too will most assuredly be delighted to undertake."
The smile on Li Si’s face turned even colder as he calmly received the order. "This lowly subject receives the decree!"
Once Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali was removed, Qin Shi Huang’s plan to slay dragons and then walk out of the tomb would proceed with far greater ease and smoothness.
Moreover, the moment the Black Wind Village Chief fell, all the Abnormal People resources he had cultivated and controlled would likewise be fully absorbed by the Qin State. In this Dragon Slayer operation, the Abnormal People had already demonstrated to the utmost the tremendous value they possessed.
Does an Emperor need friends?
No!
Since they could not be friends, they might attempt to serve as monarch and subject.
But alas, some men are born with unyielding bones, refusing to bend beneath another.
Since even monarch‑subject is impossible, then there is no need for any relationship at all.
These two words, "forgiveness," at certain times, are wholly impractical.
The distinction between enemy and friend is precisely like that between life and death.
However, even Qin Shi Huang, before he had truly walked out of the tomb, did not possess absolute certainty that he could kill Black Wind Village Chief Jiang Dali from afar—such a man, already the strongest peak expert beneath the Breakthrough Realm.
Thus, he still needed to cooperate with the families.
The weapon in the families’ hands—strong as Ying Zheng was, even he had to acknowledge its might. It was, after all, the very weapon that once drove Dharma into madness and death.
The only pity was that this weapon was difficult to move, bearing immense and deadly limitations.
Only the families could develop and harness that weapon from its original level of power to the point where it could now influence the entire world. This was likely also the reason that Dharma had quailed after foreseeing the future.
Even Qin Shi Huang himself, having truly witnessed the power gathered by the Abnormal People in this operation, had undergone a subtle change in attitude from his initial utter disdain...
...
Humans are a peculiar kind of creature.
People will often search for or fight over some thing for bizarre, inexplicable reasons, even at the cost of their lives.
Yet when that thing truly appears, people often fail to recognize it, even misidentify it as if they cannot see it at all.
In truth, across the long years of the past, Shaolin has not lacked high monks who opened Dharma’s Heart and found the Land of Catastrophe.
But those few high monks of old were precisely such mediocre men.
When they truly "saw" the catastrophe, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief, because what they took to be the "catastrophe" was the countless Mingyun Crystals in the ocean trench.
They believed that as long as they continued to safeguard Dharma’s Heart and keep sealing the trench that was nurturing "Ten Thousand Acre Yellow Crystal," then no one in the world would be able to use such immense Mingyun Crystal wealth to form a terrifying force capable of overturning the entire realm, even of igniting a new round of the Hundred Countries War.
As for attempting to forcibly destroy the "Ten Thousand Acre Yellow Crystal" within the trench, some had thought of it, but it was nearly impossible to do it perfectly.
As for the reason, perhaps only those who tried with their own hands truly understood.
...
Jiang Dali and the others split into two groups, riding two dragons to search across the vast East Sea. They combed through nearly twenty thousand nautical miles of sea territory, yet still had not located the precise position of the Land of Catastrophe.
But just when the search was making no progress at all, a small boat drifting over from the sea lit up a ray of hope for everyone.
The one who discovered the small boat was Xiao Sanxiao, who was riding the Demon Dragon and searching the sea with Hui Qi.
On the small boat lay an unconscious woman.
From the woman’s clothing and accessories, Hui Qi accurately judged that she was someone from the Sky Demon Sect.
The Sky Demon Sect was founded by Heavenly Demon Cang Qu, once a disciple of Moluo; it was the predecessor of the two paths and Six Sects of the Demon Sect, and in ages past was called the Holy Sect.
To suddenly find a disciple of the Sky Demon Sect on the boundless East Sea undoubtedly meant that the other side was very likely also here to seek the Land of Catastrophe. Now that she had fallen into a coma, it was highly likely that some incident had already occurred, perhaps connected to the Land of Catastrophe.
After sensing the fierce Qi Mechanism surge Xiao Sanxiao sent as a warning, Jiang Dali immediately drove the Azure Dragon to rush over and rendezvous with them.
"This woman’s current state is not right. It seems she’s encountered Primordial Spirit Possession—her condition is extremely dangerous."
Xiao Sanxiao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the unconscious woman on the boat, then swept his gaze toward Jiang Dali. "Right now we can only wait for her to wake up naturally, or we can forcefully push her spirit out of her body to dissolve the risk of body seizing, then question her in the spiritual state. But that requires a Primordial Spirit strange treasure as auxiliary, so this old man has been waiting for you to solve it."
Jiang Dali’s tiger eyes shone brilliantly as he locked onto the woman, sizing her up. He nodded slightly. "Alright! But right now, inside my Breaking Realm Pearl, your fine son’s Primordial Spirit is still in safekeeping. I’ll return your son’s Primordial Spirit to you first. You’d better keep it safe."
Xiao Sanxiao’s eyes flickered. Stroking his beard, he laughed. "Aren’t you afraid that once I get Xiao Jingtian’s Primordial Spirit back, I’ll refuse to teach you the Shattering Void Skill?"
Jiang Dali gave a cold, proud smile. "Does Senior really think that if you don’t transmit it, I still won’t be able to comprehend it?"
Hearing this, Xiao Sanxiao burst into loud laughter. Right then, a streak of red Dao light flashed in the air, and a strong Primordial Spirit Wave appeared at once. Xiao Jingtian’s still-slumbering Primordial Spirit was released by the Great Strength Fire Qilin Saber, like a cluster of bright yellow halo, drifting toward Xiao Sanxiao.
After finishing this, Jiang Dali suddenly spread his five fingers into a claw and sharply grasped toward the woman on the deck. In his eyes, Primordial Spirit Power abruptly turned into two vortices.
Spirit Cage!
A powerful vortex of spiritual Absorption Force suddenly came into being, making everyone around feel as if the surrounding space were collapsing, their bodies and even spirits nearly tilting, twisting, transforming into vortices, spinning in agonizing disorientation.
"What exquisite Primordial Spirit Martial Arts."
Xiao Sanxiao’s eyes revealed a trace of appreciation as he received Xiao Jingtian’s Primordial Spirit.
At that moment the air turned abruptly cold; the environment seemed to grow dim, as if a dense Demon Nature suddenly burst from the woman’s face, which had twisted into a ferocious mask, and transformed into two clumps of light.
One clump was extremely weak, shaped like the agonized face of a woman.
The other was grim and gray-black, its formless dark aura surging and churning. It suddenly devoured the woman’s face, erupting in a bone-chilling, terrifying, pure Demon Nature that made the surroundings feel like a plunge into an ice cave, as if the blood in everyone’s bodies were about to freeze.
"moro——"
A strange, horror-laden syllable, accompanied by chewing sounds, came from within the mist, making one’s hair stand on end.
Hui Qi jolted awake with a shudder, her eyes full of shock. "Moluo!"
"Hmph! What a big fat fish. Get in there for the village chief!"
Jiang Dali was not alarmed but delighted. The corner of his mouth went cold, and he gave the Great Strength Fire Qilin Saber in his hand a twist. The Breaking Realm Pearl at the hilt hummed and trembled, like a cat’s eye flashing with妖异 light, instantly drawing in and devouring Moluo’s Residual God Seed.
Almost at the same time, beams of Golden Light-like Primordial Spirit shot from his eyes, following his Primordial Spirit right into the Breaking Realm Pearl.
Moluo’s appearance now signaled that he was already much closer to finding the Land of Catastrophe...
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(There’ll be extra Chapters tonight! Asking for next month’s monthly ticket——)