Chapter 759 - 762 - Ambition [Second Update]
「One day later, on an island in the Azure Empire.」
The Emperor and Zhan Sha were strolling together through a garden.
"Great General, do you think Wu Tian will accept your Challenge Letter?" the Emperor asked, stroking his beard. He was old in age but young at heart.
He had immense confidence in Zhan Sha. In a battle of armies, Wu Tian stands no chance against Zhan Sha. Zhan Sha is a true Great General. Under his training, even the weak can become strong. His army is invincible.
"If he refuses my Challenge Letter, we’ll spread the word and ruin his reputation. We’ll let everyone know he dares not face me in battle. But if he accepts..." Zhan Sha sneered, "heh, then on the battlefield, I will show him that he is merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot, hopelessly overestimating his own strength."
"Exactly. Either way, he is bound to lose." The Azure Emperor nodded. The venomous jellyfish and the fierce crabs were leading their clans to pledge allegiance to Wu Tian. They were currently in the process of relocating, but their vast numbers made the journey slow.
The Azure Emperor couldn’t understand it. Why would they call Wu Tian ’master’? According to my information, he’s only about twenty years old. Could he truly possess some extraordinary quality?
"Dian She still hasn’t returned. Could something have happened?" he asked worriedly, a new thought occurring to him.
"He’ll be fine," Zhan Sha replied, shaking his head. As the two walked out of the garden and onto a street, he said confidently, "Under my guidance, he is no longer the Dian She who could be defeated by anyone. Him being bullied? Heh, it’s more likely he’s the one bullying others."
Seeing Zhan Sha’s confidence, the Azure Emperor smiled. Just as he was about to ask about new battlefield tactics, he saw someone with a grotesquely swollen head, looking like a pig demon, staggering toward them.
"Who are you?" the Azure Emperor cried out in alarm. "Guards!"
Zhan Sha stepped forward, shielding the Emperor behind him.
"Great General, it’s me... D-don’t you recognize me?" the newcomer wailed, dropping to his knees.
"You are... I have no dealings with pig demons," Zhan Sha said, scrutinizing the man. He had no memory of any such acquaintance.
"I’m Dian She, Great General..." the pig-faced man wailed, his sobs growing louder. He was heartbroken. Even the Great General is calling me a pig demon.
"Dian She?" Startled, Zhan Sha took a closer look. It really was Dian She. "You... how did you end up like this?" he asked in astonishment.
The Azure Emperor, whose cultivation was limited, asked in confusion, "So your true form isn’t an electric serpent? Is it an electrified pig?"
"No!" Tears streamed down Dian She’s face. "I am an electric serpent! I look like this... because I was beaten until I swelled up."
"What?" Zhan Sha’s anger flared. He clenched his fists, his Spiritual Power surging and making the air tremble. "Did that Wu Tian dare to disregard his status and attack you?"
In Zhan Sha’s view, he and Wu Tian were equals. Dian She, however, was his subordinate. They were not on the same level. Yet Wu Tian had beaten Dian She? That was simply outrageous.
"No... no, Wu Tian never made a move," Dian She said awkwardly.
"Wu Tian didn’t act?" Zhan Sha fell into deep thought. He had thoroughly investigated all the notable figures in the Xiuyuan Realm, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Was it some King or Sect Leader who attacked you? Fine! You’re only nineteen, and they must be in their forties at least, right? Your own seniors, bullying someone younger... What nerve! Truly, what incredible nerve they have!" The more he spoke, the angrier he became, unable to stand the thought of outsiders being so shameless as to use their age to claim victory over the young.
"No... that’s not it." Dian She grew even more embarrassed, but he finally confessed, "Actually, the one who defeated me... was a nobody."
"A nobody?" Zhan Sha repeated, taken aback.
"She... she’s only four years old. A child." Dian She felt utterly humiliated and hung his head, not daring to look at Zhan Sha.
"You mean... you were beaten like this by a four-year-old child? Are you... are you sure you’re not joking with me?" Zhan Sha roared. What kind of fucking joke is this? A four-year-old child? How powerful could she possibly be? And you’re telling me you were defeated by her? It was my training that brought you this far! Does this mean a general I painstakingly trained can’t even defeat a child? Gods! Is it your face you’re losing, or mine?! Zhan Sha was so furious he was at a loss for words.
"Great General, it’s... it’s because she has a Supreme Treasure," Dian She said, quickly shifting the blame. He had to make Zhan Sha understand that it wasn’t that he was inferior to a child, but that he had lost because he lacked a Supreme Treasure.
"A Supreme Treasure? Yes, that must be it." Hearing this, Zhan Sha’s expression finally eased. He breathed a sigh of relief. If the General he had painstakingly trained truly couldn’t defeat a four-year-old child, he would have felt like ramming his own head into a wall.
Initially, Zhan Sha hadn’t considered Wu Tian a worthy opponent. But if someone at Wu Tian’s side possessed a Supreme Treasure, then Wu Tian surely had one as well.
"Rest assured, I will give you a Supreme Treasure as well," Zhan Sha declared with a wave of his hand. "Remember, in a few days, on the battlefield, you will take this Supreme Treasure and face that person again. If you lose this time... heh, then you deserve to die! Tell me, are you confident?"
Thinking back, that inexplicable pressure I felt facing the little girl... it wasn’t from a Supreme Treasure, was it? It was from the little girl herself. That means even if I get a Supreme Treasure and fight her again... won’t the result be the same?
But Dian She didn’t dare tell Zhan Sha that he believed he would be no match for a four-year-old, even with a Supreme Treasure. "I... I am confident," he said immediately.
"Good." Zhan Sha nodded and chuckled. "This Great General has a whip in the armory. It moves like a serpent, perfect for you. Go and retrieve it later."
"Yes, sir," Dian She replied before departing.
"By the way, Emperor, have you discovered the cause of the great chaos on the continent?" Zhan Sha suddenly asked the Azure Emperor. He couldn’t help himself; there had never been an opportunity to ask before.
For the longest time, there had only been minor skirmishes on the continent. But now, all Three Realms were in turmoil. What was the reason for this?
"Rest assured, I have already sent someone to investigate," the Azure Emperor said.
Previous emperors had sought an opportunity but had never found one. As sea creatures who had become demons, they knew that if they invaded the continent, the Three Realms would unite against them, ensuring the Azure Empire’s defeat. Thus, the Azure Empire had waited for generations, watching emperor after emperor die without seeing a chance. Now, his time had come. But he also found the situation suspicious, which was why he had ordered a thorough investigation.
"Emperor." A Seahorse General strode forward. He was the very man the Azure Emperor had dispatched to gather intelligence.
"Speak. Have you uncovered anything?" the Emperor asked.