Chapter 57 - 54: Tonight, a Funeral for Great Liang
Chapter 57: Chapter 54: Tonight, a Funeral for Great Liang
So close.
He could have overthrown Great Liang and accomplished what even a man like his adoptive father, Zhang Gui, never could.
"Hahaha!"
"To stand at the peak of power, to stand above hundreds of millions, to make it so no one dares to bully or humiliate me, so that everyone knows the name Xu Xiaohan! This is my youthful spirit, the desire of my heart right now!"
"So what if you’re a Grandmaster?"
"It’s just death."
"What is there to fear?"
"Fight! Come and fight!"
Xu Han laughed wildly, casting aside all restraint. He began to burn his blood, qi, and True Essence, ready to charge toward Emperor Jianwu and erupt in the final, most brilliant radiance of his life.
"An ant dares to provoke a Grandmaster..."
The white-haired man in the Purple Robe sneered.
"A pity. He’s just at the Peak. Utterly useless."
A flicker of regret crossed the Little Emperor’s face.
As for Emperor Jianwu, though he was watching Xu Han, he never took him seriously. He merely crooked a finger casually and said flatly,
"Fine."
"We shall grant you death."
"Then come and claim it."
Just then, a trembling voice floated through the tense atmosphere.
"Um..."
The Peak First Grade powerhouse from Great Zhou appeared in the distance, looking terrified. He seemed on the verge of tears but couldn’t even cry. He didn’t want to be here, but he didn’t dare stay away.
He truly hadn’t expected the battle to end so quickly.
The brocade box in his hands had become a hot potato.
Before him was a Grandmaster.
But the one behind him was likely not much weaker than a Grandmaster either.
He really had no choice.
"Lord Xu, someone asked me to deliver something to you."
"Catch!"
His True Essence flared, and the Great Zhou First Grade cultivator tossed the brocade box toward Xu Han. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and scrambled away, practically crawling as he fled.
At first, no one paid any mind to this small interruption. Even as the brocade box landed in Xu Han’s hands, nothing changed.
A mere Peak First Grade with a severed arm, facing a Grandmaster—even an injured one. Could he really turn the tables?
Not unless he became a Grandmaster himself, but was that even possible?
’Master Su...’
Xu Han recognized the brocade box, his gaze turning complex.
’There was a time I hoped Master Su would collect my body for burial, just as he did for my adoptive father. But now... now I hope he doesn’t. It’s too dangerous...’
The next instant, Xu Han opened the brocade box.
A strange fragrance wafted out.
"Hm?!"
Emperor Jianwu’s expression changed.
"This is..."
The old man in the Purple Robe looked almost crazed.
"Ah! The Thousand-year-old Ginseng King! The last time one appeared was during the Great Yu Dynasty! If a First Grade cultivator consumes it, they have a seventy percent chance of reaching the Grandmaster Realm..."
"Seize it!"
The Little Emperor shrieked himself hoarse.
BOOM!
From the ruins, a black-robed figure shot out, trying to snatch it.
But faster than him was—
The old man in the Purple Robe.
And even faster still was the Grandmaster Demon Fiend, Emperor Jianwu himself.
"Hand it over!"
"Aaargh!"
"Hand over the Thousand-year-old Ginseng King!"
The three powerhouses present, their eyes blazing red, all went mad, lunging for the brocade box.
Inside the brocade box, a palm-sized ginseng lay quietly. It had a humanoid shape and pulsed gently up and down as if it were alive and breathing.
The Thousand-year-old Ginseng King was enough to drive any cultivator in the Human World insane, and Grandmasters were no exception, for it represented the greatest power in the mortal realm.
If a Grandmaster consumed it, they too could reach an even higher level.
’Master Su, so this was your gift... But why give it to me, to Han? It’s a waste of a Thousand-year-old Treasure Medicine King...’
Xu Han’s gaze trembled, and tears streamed down his face.
This was a Thousand-year-old Treasure Medicine King!
Second only to Immortal Dao Spirit Medicines, it was the most potent Treasure Medicine in the Human World.
A peerless opportunity to ascend directly to the Grandmaster realm!
Indeed. In this life of displacement and hardship, he had suffered endlessly. But in the end, looking back, the only one who had ever treated him best was Master Su.
Xu Han swallowed the Thousand-year-old Ginseng King!
"Aaargh!"
"Spit it out for this old man!" the old man in the Purple Robe roared.
The Little Emperor’s eyes bulged with fury, and Emperor Jianwu was also roaring himself hoarse.
"You ate Our Treasure Medicine! We will eat you!"
BOOM!
One Grandmaster and two Peak-level experts lunged at him.
’So... this is what it feels like to be a Grandmaster...’
At that moment, rolling crimson flames erupted from Xu Han’s body.
He had become a Grandmaster.
"A Grandmaster?!"
"You reached the Grandmaster Realm? How could you do it so fast!"
The Little Emperor had barely finished his terrified shout when—
BOOM!
—in that instant, the old man in the Purple Robe and the black-robed Corpse Refining expert were incinerated by the crimson flames, reduced to ash.
"I’m a Grandmaster too! Give me back my Treasure Medicine!"
Emperor Jianwu roared, his fury uncontrollable.
BOOM!
The two Grandmasters collided.
"Pfft!"
Emperor Jianwu crashed into the ruins, black Demon Blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The next moment, Xu Han, wreathed in blazing fire, became a streak of light. He rode the wind forward and threw a thousand punches in a single instant, filling the sky with afterimages as he relentlessly hammered Emperor Jianwu’s head.
’How can he be this strong?!’
Emperor Jianwu was terrified.
The Little Emperor was ecstatic.
’Lord Xu... he should... he’ll be on my side, right?’
’A Grandmaster!’
’Afterward,’
’Once we control the Immortal Treasure, I’m willing to share Great Liang with Uncle Xu!’
"Hahaha!"
"I understand now."
"You practice Zhang Gui’s Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique! Your Peak cultivation was gained by burning your own lifespan. Your foundation is unstable—you can’t possibly contain the power of a Grandmaster for long..."
"What? Are you trying to kill me quickly because you’re afraid I’ll take revenge on Su Chen?"
"You’re right."
"He actually gave the Thousand-year-old Ginseng King to a useless Castrated Dog like you, wasting it instead of offering it to Us! We will have him cut into a thousand pieces!"
Emperor Jianwu, his face covered in blood, roared ferociously. At that moment, he threw a punch, unleashing the same power that had obliterated the White-robed Chu Master.
BOOM!
Xu Han was sent flying.
His Grandmaster-level power deflated like a punctured ball, plummeting instantly.
Emperor Jianwu’s aura plummeted just as drastically.
"You made me pay such a heavy price!"
"You!"
"You will repay me with the medicinal blood in your veins!"
Emperor Jianwu advanced, his expression twisted.
’A Peak First Grade foundation gained by burning one’s lifespan... In the end, it’s just rootless Floating Duckweed...’
His Big Red Python Robe was soaked as he collapsed into a pool of blood. His Essence Qi scattered, and his full head of black hair rapidly turned a withered white. His features aged, and his flesh withered in an instant, just like Zhang Gui all those years ago.