359: Chapter 347: She for the King 359: Chapter 347: She for the King He seemed impatient to continue this tedious conversation and farce with her, even though Si Li was the first great female monarch born above the Mortal World of Jiuzhou during her life, and after death, she belonged to the Corpse Demon Clan with the best Talent and bloodline closest to ancient and mysterious beings. But in his eyes, she still appeared young. He was one of the first Ancient Gods born between heaven and earth, predating even Jiang Chen in history; this royal woman who had lived for nine thousand years was indeed frightening to others. Yet before him, she was just a fly hitting a barrier, insignificant on this tiny globe. The clouds of Sky Cloud churned, and thunder roared with a downpour! From the Four Seas, a sword emerged behind the Emperor, with giant water wings unfurling, a monstrous wave rising from Si Li’s feet, transforming an invisible colossal ocean into layers that surged across the sky. This giant ocean was not ethereal; each drop of water was transformed from the Emperor’s Spiritual Power. Only a thin line separated the sky from the ocean. And within this line, was the unvanishing form of Si Li in her blood-red King’s Robe. Water is the essence of the Earth, and Heaven is the source of all waters. That was the purest and most terrifying might of heaven and earth. Between the water and the sky, how could one possibly hold open this piece of heaven and earth? Her blood garments fluttered, and her silver armor gleamed. Against the backdrop of heaven and earth, the dark female monarch seemed so minute. Unlike her narrow, crimson lips, her skin was nearly transparently white, devoid of any blood color, gaunt and brittle as thin ice clinging to the side of a sunken boat, quietly shattering into the water at the slightest touch of an oar. As the Emperor acted, he didn’t forget to cast a curtain of water over the city, hinting at his intention to shower all with such blessings, sheltering all the cultivators and citizens within. How could the cultivators in the city resist this majestic power of a monarch? They knelt down in submission. In the moment she resisted the Emperor’s unifying strike of the Four Seas, Si Li noticed his leisurely act of distraction in protection and the curve of her lips deepened, her eyes growing colder and more merciless. She raised her arms, and the rain-soaked sleeves formed a vast light shadow in her palm, which sliced through her hand as a blade of light; grasping her fresh blood from space, a formidable aura leaked through her fingertips, filling the space between all the waters of heaven and earth! At this point, the water’s intent thrived, but all else withered. A blood-red spear emerged from a seam in heaven and earth, its crimson glory trailing a long line through the oppressive pre-dawn night, the spear cry bursting from the sea. It was the delicate hand of a woman playing coyly with the clouds, yet her spear-wielding conveyed an overwhelming arrogance! The thin line where water touched the sky was pried open by her spear, as if a young world was splitting open at its genesis. The Four Seas trembled into rain! A world-shattering downpour, like the fist of the gods, heavily pounded the City Protection Barrier over Xianling City, splashing countless reflective ripples. The City Protection Barrier that the Emperor had personally cast held only for an instant before it suddenly collapsed. Heaven washed the city with rain; each droplet was a punch! Those within the Barrier once shed by the Emperor held the attitude of aloof observers, smug and self-satisfied. After all, to be protected by a Barrier personally cast by the Emperor was a great honor in itself. But who would have thought that with just one spear strike, the Corpse Demon could shatter the Emperor’s aquatic power? Merely with the lingering force of the rain, she caused the Barrier to disintegrate into disgrace! Seeing the massive rain pouring down, everyone’s faces turned pale! Even the Emperor’s water Curtain Barrier collapsed outright, so how could they, with their mortal flesh, withstand such power! Upon the faces of the two young masters from the Fang Family, there was utter stillness! Some of the elder members remaining in the Wandao Immortal Alliance within the city were so stifled that their faces turned red, their palms falling weakly over their spiritual minds. Hugging the thought that, even if they had to explode their physical bodies, they must protect their souls in this Death Realm for a chance of the afterlife. The city was in turmoil as if the end of times could descend at any moment. Amongst the intricacies of autumnal blooms, the female official Qing Xuan used silver shears to trim the excess branches and leaves. She looked up at the sky and whispered, “Isn’t Your Majesty going to take action? If this continues, everyone will die.” The Empress was leisurely peeling a grape: “What’s the rush? Wait till I finish my grapes.” The heavy rain fell, but when it hit the intricate streets and alleys, aside from the loud noises, the city remained the same, the rain was still the same, and the people were still the same. The rain pattered against the heavy eaves, the water intent profound. This ancient city naturally embraced the baptism of wind and rain. People were slow to regain their senses, shocked as they watched the battle above. Qing Xuan wordlessly closed the window, saying, “Had Your Majesty known all along that she had no intention of harming the people in the city?” The Empress smiled faintly, “Not that she had no intention, but rather she had no concern at all.” “I don’t understand,” said Qing Xuan. “This young girl is a born ruler and warrior; the arrogance ingrained in her bones makes her battle intent pure, which stems from her purpose—and the Emperor is her purpose for this battle. She wouldn’t expend her energy on anything beyond her goal.” Qing Xuan’s expression was complicated: “Then does that mean… The Empress scoffed lightly: “Being distracted to protect others is to humiliate oneself; he is underestimating his opponent, as well as himself. A true King stands fiercely proud; how could he afford to look forward and back, displaying such petty tricks on the battlefield to highlight his stature? A King should be more obstinate than anyone else. Looking back is no different from exposing one’s fatal nape to the enemy’s blade.” Qing Xuan found it unbelievable: “Does Your Majesty mean the Emperor could actually lose?” “What nonsense are you talking about? Just as Qing Xuan let out a sigh of relief, the Empress’s tranquil, night-like eyes revealed an indolent fatigue, she laughed and said, “But if it weren’t me, isn’t it only natural for him to be defeated?” Qing Xuan became agitated, “A member of the Corpse Demon Clan, and not the Corpse Demon Emperor herself—Your Majesty, aren’t you praising her a bit too highly?” “That is, after all, a God from the same era as you.” The Empress, ruler of the Kunlun Ruins, did not possess the power of divination, but as one of the ancient deities, she naturally had the ability to see her words come true. Put simply, it’s like a jinx. When good things don’t come true, the bad ones do. And so, atop the city walls, as the Empress had said, it was only natural for the Emperor to be defeated and fall. The confrontation was brief. The Emperor landed on the city wall, yet without any sign of distress, no different in composure from when he had arrived. Yet on his brocade boots, there now appeared a faint white crack. His body was unharmed, his Spiritual Power was still robust and strong. If this had been a fight to the death, it would hardly count as a decisive victory; it was merely a test of strength. But this did not change the shock of the people nor their overturned perceptions of a deity. Si Li still stood beneath the vast sky, while the Emperor’s feet had landed within Immortal City. The difference in stature was clear at a glance. The Cultivators within the city watched carefully and clearly. The Princess of the Corpse Demon Clan’s spear was like a dragon, and its landing was like a dragon crashing into Heavenly Mountain, pressing the Emperor down with a spear into Immortal City of the Mortal World. How fierce and relentless she was! The Emperor swallowed the rising taste of blood nonchalantly, his expression cold, but inside, a storm raged!