Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 304

Donghuang reacted quickly, a layer of blue mist rising from his body and disappearing on the spot, retreating several feet away to avoid the combined attack: such a swift reaction could only be achieved if he was in a defensive state from the beginning.

"Like the light?"

"So they really are from the Taoist Heavenly Sect~"

The River God and Mountain Demon, who had almost succeeded, turned grim and, with one sentence from each of them, directly exposed the fake Emperor Donghuang's identity.

"Hmph!" Seeing that her identity had been exposed, Xiaomeng simply stopped hiding it, let out a cold snort in her original voice, and did not dwell on how she was exposed. She turned around and left immediately.

Although the River God and Mountain Spirit did not receive a real 'guest,' they were unwilling to let Xiaomeng, who had come uninvited, go. The two of them immediately chased after her.

Once the three had all left, the open doors and passageways of the Crescent Moon Palace fell silent again... until the undisguised clatter of footsteps began to sound.

Lu Wei deliberately made a sound with his feet and stopped at the entrance of the Crescent Moon Palace.

Looking at the empty astrological table in front of him, he was not in a hurry to go in. Instead, he turned his head to look at the corner on the right, where a tall figure shrouded in a black and gold robe had been there since before Xiaomeng and Hebo Mountain Ghost left.

"Even my most trusted subordinates couldn't sense my presence, but you only felt it once and remembered it. No wonder you became the youngest leader of the Farmer's Clan in history."

Donghuang remained motionless, and thus began to converse with Lu Wei across a distance of five or six zhang.

Curiosity and boastfulness were infused into his voice, making the Yin-Yang School leader seem to be the same age as Lu Wei.

"I heard from the Moon Goddess that you are the longest-reigning leader of the Yin-Yang School. I suppose my achievements are not worthy of such praise from Your Majesty the Eastern Emperor." The opponent was stalling for time, but coincidentally, Lu Wei wanted to do the same.

"Oh? I thought she was so eager to replace me that she wouldn't speak well of me to you. It seems that's not the case." Donghuang actually smiled. Even though his true appearance was obscured by a cloak, one could vaguely sense that he seemed to be recalling something.

This is a major taboo, especially when facing an enemy like Lu Wei, who is by no means a gentleman.

"To make my three most trusted subordinates harbor rebellious thoughts, I, the leader, am far inferior to Lu Xiaokui."

“That’s natural, after all, you’ve just lived a little longer.” Lu Wei nodded in agreement: “I gave them a glimmer of hope, something you couldn’t give them even if you lived another hundred years.”

"I see." Donghuang was not annoyed, but rather became more interested: "As things have developed to this point, although we haven't had a detailed conversation, we roughly understand each other's character and can be considered confidants. Can you tell me how you managed to be so special?"

"Based on your past experiences and judgments, I initially suspected that you had already deciphered the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions of the Wei Kingdom, but later I came to believe that you had received guidance from a true immortal."

Donghuang sighed deeply and kept rambling on, "Or are you like the figures in ancient mythology, a so-called reincarnation of an immortal?"

"Has Your Excellency Donghuang ever seen a real immortal?" Lu Wei smiled and brushed off the question from the Yin-Yang School leader, but this question was a complete denial of all the speculations he had made.

Donghuang understood, and though he felt a pang of disappointment, he nodded: "It's not just me."

"Oh? May I ask what you mean?"

"Naturally, we're both stalling for time, so this topic is the best and least boring thing to talk about."

Donghuang gave Lu Wei a deep look. Both of them were very confident in their backup plans, but they didn't know who would regret it in the end: "The reason why Ying Zheng, such a wise and ambitious ruler, would believe in the story of the overseas immortal mountains and pay the price of the mirage is naturally because the story of immortality has happened, or at least immortality has happened."

"Is it the legend of a soldier who was killed on the battlefield but was resurrected by a magical herb?" Lu Wei believed he wouldn't regret it, so he continued decisively.

According to local legends in Sanghai, after an unknown and brutal war, the wilderness was littered with corpses.

Just then, a flock of birds flew in from the sea, circling the battlefield with mournful cries. One of the birds, overcome with grief, dropped the magical herb it was clutching in its claws. It landed in the hand of a soldier whose heart had been pierced. Almost instantly, the soldier, who had appeared dead, began to move, gripping the herb tightly. A few breaths later, he came back to life...

The magical herb that flew like a bird was said by some to have come from a fairy mountain overseas.

“That’s right, it’s not just a legend.” The old monster Donghuang volunteered to testify for the legend: “I have personally seen the soldier who came back from the dead, and I have also studied his body.”

"It seems that the immortal herb can only revive the dead, but cannot give him enough power to protect himself." Lu Wei's expression remained unchanged. Since he was able to come to this world, he naturally would not resist immortals, but he would not actively pursue them either.

"Perhaps the immortals thought so too, which is why this soldier was taken away by the immortals and disappeared from the Yin-Yang School's headquarters." Donghuang's tone was a little excited as he completed the sequel to the legend: "It is because of this real example that you should understand that what the mirage seeks is not complete illusion."

“Lu Wei, even if you deny it, I can see that you at least have clues about immortals. Cooperate with our Yin-Yang School, and we can find those three overseas immortal mountains together!”

As he spoke, the leader of the Yin-Yang School extended his palm to him.

"Oh~" Lu Wei lowered his head and thought for a moment: "Do you think someone who can save the lives of millions of people single-handedly in the future can be considered an immortal?"

"Who is he?" Donghuang asked solemnly.

"I!"

The chivalrous leader smiled and pointed to his face...

Chapter 368 Mirage Illusion

Even if immortals truly exist, we live in an era ruled by men. Although Lu Wei never considered himself a good person, the anti-Qin cause he would lead next would surely save more lives.

From this perspective, he is much more useful than immortals who only offer things like longevity and wishes.

Donghuang remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You should maintain awe towards 'immortals'."

"If Your Excellency Donghuang were to speak to me in your true self, perhaps I would respect you more."

Shaking his head and smiling, Lu Wei sensed the growing fragrance emanating from the wallpaper in the corridor. Knowing that Donghuang's arrangements here were almost complete, he took the initiative to expose and mock the other party's cowardly behavior.

“Lu Xiaokui is exceptionally talented and powerful. I really didn’t dare to get so close to you without adequate preparation.” Donghuang calmly stated the reality, his aura gradually dissipating: “However, rather than calling this cowardice, I prefer to see it as self-awareness.”

"I hope that next time we meet, you can find a better excuse for yourself."

Lu Wei didn't move, just watched from a distance as the aura of the Eastern Emperor under the black and gold cloak dissipated faster and faster. This made the latter sigh slightly. When the aura completely disappeared and the mechanical puppet wearing the cloak fell down, the cloud of Yin-Yang magic smoke that erupted from the cloak did not play its intended role, only affecting a patch of air in the corridor.

At the same time, the entire corridor and the empty Crescent Moon Palace in front of Lu Wei began to change on their own. The combination of domineering mechanical arts and Yin-Yang illusions suddenly transformed the scene before him in multiple senses:

Despite not moving his feet, Lu Wei somehow found himself on the astrological platform inside the Crescent Moon Palace, having been transported from outside the palace. The original entrance had been replaced by an iron wall, turning the entire Crescent Moon Palace into a prison with no exit.

With materials prepared in advance, the Yin-Yang Illusion Technique should have been able to achieve more, but the more complex the effect, the more flaws it often has. Therefore, in order to deal with Lu Wei to the greatest extent possible, Donghuang only chose the single method of 'imprisonment'.

Lu Wei was certain that his true location was still at the entrance of the Crescent Moon Palace without any change: at the beginning of the illusion, there were indeed gears of the mechanism under his feet turning, but that turning was just some spinning motions in place. However, this motion was enhanced by the illusion, making it easy for people to mistakenly believe that they had been taken a long distance away.

"The illusion personally prepared by Donghuang can indeed affect me." Lu Wei was not worried at all about his mind being affected. He turned his head to examine his surroundings in detail, ignoring the diagram of the mechanism with light above his head, and turned to walk towards the edge of the astrological platform without hesitation.

There were no stairs here; the stairs to the astrological platform were on the other side. So, normally, Lu Wei should have fallen because he missed a step. But in reality, he just stood there in mid-air, continuing to move forward step by step.

As they approached the edge of the Crescent Moon Palace, Lu Wei stopped and looked up at the bat mural high above: it depicted a scene of bats hunting under the moonlight, a very ordinary scene.

There are three murals on the four walls of the Crescent Moon Palace, depicting bats, wolves, and owls, located in the north, south, and west directions. The only missing direction is where the original palace gate was. These three creatures are all related to the moon and are symbols of the Crescent Moon Palace, so they should not be a point of suspicion.

However, Lu Wei drew his sword without hesitation and slashed directly at the bat mural. The sword energy passed through the wall with a clanging metallic sound. Under this sharp noise, the scenery in front of Lord Xia Kui changed rapidly once again, like the tide receding... Donghuang's illusion was thus easily dispelled.

After the bat mural disappeared, what was revealed was indeed the real star map, but it had been damaged by Lu Wei's sword energy attack. Lu Wei's footsteps had led him into the real Crescent Moon Palace, and the sword energy of that strike had accurately hit the center of the star map: only with such precision could the illusion be so easily dispelled.

The star map in the Crescent Moon Palace is the core of this prison illusion. It is with the help of it and drugs that Donghuang was able to seemingly flawlessly set up an illusion on Lu Wei.

Turning his head towards the direction of the palace gate, the bat pattern carved on the gate was very eye-catching, while the location of the bat mural that Lu Wei saw in the illusion was empty in reality.

Clearly, even though the illusion had invaded Lu Wei's brain, it wasn't deep enough. As long as one can keep their mind clear within a shallow layer of illusion, the illusion still has huge flaws.

Donghuang didn't think that this illusion alone could completely trap Lu Wei, but he certainly didn't expect that the illusion would be broken so quickly.

Furthermore, Lu Wei was placed in the Crescent Moon Palace, the room that originally belonged to the Moon Goddess.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword and continued the destruction. The mechanical star chart above the astrological table completely collapsed, and a small box hidden inside its center fell to the ground with a thud...

With a whoosh, the box lid popped open automatically, and a cool, ethereal aura of a dragon soared out with lightning speed and vanished, leaving only a teardrop-shaped forehead ornament inside...

Inside the Cherry Blossom Prison, the return of the Dragon's Qi caused the Moon Goddess, who was meditating with her eyes closed, to momentarily freeze, and she suddenly opened her eyes.

This change was also noticed by Dongjun Yanfei, who was standing nearby. She opened her eyes and asked solemnly, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the preparations I made in the Crescent Moon Palace were triggered." The Moon Goddess calmed herself down by forming hand seals and adjusting her breathing, and replied with a complicated expression.

"Oh?" Yan Fei asked thoughtfully, "Can we prepare to go out now?"

"Perhaps." Closing her eyes again, the Moon Goddess accelerated her internal energy cultivation: Compared to receiving rescue, this Soul Dragon's Wandering would definitely not escape the Eastern Emperor's notice; it's more likely that Cherry Blossom Prison will become a trap... a trap targeting both sides!

In the Moon Palace, the real Donghuang Taiyi did indeed sense the Soul Dragon's Wandering, but he still had no interest in interfering, even though the Moon Goddess and Dongjun had escaped from the Cherry Prison on their own.

The illusions in the Crescent Moon Palace are arranged using a mechanical star map, and the entire mirage can actually be seen as another mechanical star map.

He is manipulating the entire mirage to become part of the illusion, using this large ship as the core to create an illusion array that is absolutely impossible to destroy!

Therefore, in reality, Donghuang needed even more time than Lu Wei had imagined. After all, the entire power of this grand formation was consumed by his Yin-Yang techniques alone, and he couldn't activate it all the time. Only after confirming that the target had taken the bait would he activate its power...

In the Crescent Moon Palace, Lu Wei picked up the forehead ornament belonging to the Moon Goddess. He thought that the Eastern Emperor's second method would arrive soon, but after waiting for a long time, there was no trace of it, which made Lord Xia Kui have some guesses.

He rushed to the corridor and, after turning left and right, found Shao Siming leaning against a corner in a daze.

As a confidante of the Moon Goddess, Shao Siming was not imprisoned by Donghuang. This may be because Shao Siming's strength is limited, and leaving her outside will not have a great impact. On the contrary, it can make Lu Wei lower his guard after boarding the ship. In any case, another attribute of this result is that Lu Wei has an additional subordinate that he can use on the Mirage.

"Take them to Lord Yunzhong's Cloud Pavilion."

Taking out the letter and blueprints that Donghuang had sent through Shao Siming while impersonating the Moon Goddess, Lu Wei solemnly gave the order.

The letters and drawings contained Donghuang's own Yin-Yang tracking techniques. It was because of these two pieces of paper that Donghuang was able to confirm when Lu Wei boarded the ship and roughly where he would be in the mirage after boarding.

During the brief skirmish at Crescent Moon Pavilion, Lu Wei made Donghuang confirm that he still had both items on him. Now, he can use this to launch a surprise attack!

Shao Siming calmly accepted the prop representing danger and silently nodded to indicate that she understood.

The girl is far less powerful than Lu Wei, but she is likely to fall into a trap prepared by Donghuang for Lu Wei...

Watching her departing figure, Lu Wei turned around and rushed towards the place he had agreed to meet with Xiao Meng: Xiao Meng had taken away He Bo and Shan Gui, the two most trusted confidants of the Eastern Emperor, and now was the opportunity to kill them first!

By gradually weakening Donghuang's power, no matter what preparations Donghuang is making, he will not achieve final victory alone.

Chapter 369 Nine-Headed Magatama

The internal strength of Hebo and Shangui was at least an order of magnitude weaker than Xiaomeng's, and given their advanced age, they were no match for Xiaomeng in a normal fight.

However, the elders of the Yin-Yang family practiced a certain secret technique, which allowed them to unleash power beyond their own limits when working together, thus giving them the strength to fight against Xiaomeng.

Moreover, Xiaomeng had been in seclusion for ten years and lacked sufficient experience in fighting enemies. However, even so, Hebo and Shangui were still being suppressed by their opponents.

As a true genius who defeated six elders of the Heavenly Sect with swordsmanship shortly after entering the Taoist school at the age of eight, Xiaomeng's experience had limited limitations: the individual strength of the River God and Mountain Ghost after their aging was only at the level of the five elders of the Yin-Yang School, and the combined strength of the two of them was at most equal to one of the Sun, Moon and Stars.

Even with their combined internal energy, they couldn't match their opponent's. The two Yin-Yang masters, suppressed by the pressure, immediately regretted their actions: The enemy had already fled; why had they been so eager to gain merit just because the young girl was young...?

If this continues, the elderly couple will eventually run out of internal energy.

This idea was completely unnecessary, because the two of them couldn't even wait until their inner energy was exhausted. The intense killing intent behind them made them feel like they had thorns in their backs and sweat on their foreheads. Under the double lock of the sky and earth losing color and the new killing intent, Hebo and Shangui were careless and Xiaomeng found an opportunity to kill them one after the other by Qiuli.

Xiaomeng killed them swiftly, giving the elderly couple from the Yin-Yang School no chance to say their last words, thus making the death quick and decisive.

She certainly had the ability to defeat her opponent, but this time it was Lu Wei who helped her with air pressure.

With the battle interrupted, Xiaomeng knew this was not the time to dwell on the matter, so she deftly sheathed her sword and asked decisively, "Has Donghuang made a move?"

Lu Wei nodded: "He sent a mechanical puppet to lure me into a trap, and he himself should still be in the Moon Palace."

“Let’s charge in,” Xiaomeng said coldly. “Without the Sun, Moon and Stars, the Yin-Yang School is no match for the Heavenly Sect and is not a threat. Launching a surprise attack now will catch them off guard.”

“I sent Shao Siming to Yunxiao Pavilion with those two tokens. Judging from the current situation, Donghuang is likely activating a large formation. Now is indeed the time for a surprise attack.”