Chapter 839: Ghost Dungeon

“Huh? A damn fatty like you dares to glare at me?” He Li didn’t like it at all when he saw how Zhao Ruizhi looked at him. Normally, he always had to suffer under Lu Xiao and Wei Pingyang’s pressure, and today, he couldn’t even teach that brat Zu An a lesson. He was already filled with resentment. Even if I can’t deal with them, that doesn’t mean I can’t deal with a damn fatty like you!

Zhao Ruizhi said coldly, “The fact you were able to live for so long is a miracle in itself.” He wasn’t in a rush to chase after Zu An. Either way, the two of them wouldn’t be able to leave the range of his divine will.

“You dare speak to this old one like this? Do you think you’re the emperor or something?” He Li felt a strange lack of confidence under the other party’s disdainful look. But it was precisely that fear that made him feel even worse. He was actually scared of this stupid fatty? If Lu Xiao and the others learned of this, how would he even survive in King Qi Manor in the future? Wouldn’t they make fun of him every day?

He became angrier and angrier as he had those thoughts. He walked over and sent a palm flying at the fatty’s face, yelling, “Here’s the face you want!”

“…Huh?” He Li was shocked to discover that his neck was already in the crown prince’s hands. Then, the crown prince lifted his body up. His legs flailed around, but his toes couldn’t even touch the floor.

He Li wanted to scare the crown prince with his cultivation, but as soon as he gathered his strength, it was scattered by a mysterious force. Suddenly, he felt weaker than if he had spent three days and three nights at a brothel.

The other experts from King Qi Manor also sensed that something was off. They all drew their blades and charged over.

But Zhao Ruizhi only gave them a cold look. An incomparable power rippled out from him, and the deathsworn soldiers felt all of their courage disappear. One after another, they all knelt down, shaking in fear.

“This aura… You’re the emperor!” He Li was at the peak of the ninth rank, after all, so he was full of experience. He quickly realized what was going on. He was so scared tears began to flow. “Your majesty, this petty one deserves death! I didn’t mean to offend your majesty; I’m willing to serve you! From today on, I’ll be willing to do anything for you… Your majesty, please give me a chance, your majesty…” There wasn’t a trace of arrogance left in his voice as he begged and pleaded.

Normally, he wouldn’t dare to oppose the emperor. The only reason he usually acted the way he did was because King Qi had been shielding him from above. He had never had to face the emperor himself, and had instead only faced only his subordinates, whom he obviously didn’t have to fear at all. Only now that he faced the emperor did he learn true despair.

“You deserve ten thousand deaths for your crimes!” Zhao Ruizhi exclaimed coldly. Just as he was about to kill He Li, the earth rumbled. The ground beneath them began to rise and fall like waves, and no one could stand steadily.

A rumble came from underground. In the distant forest, waves of deep and mysterious cries emerged, as if some kind of demonic creature were crying out.

“Huh?” Zhao Ruizhi exclaimed, having floated into the air ahead of time. King Qi’s men lay collapsed all over the ground. He flew higher into the air and looked into the distance, muttering to himself, “The space here is starting to become unstable. Something isn’t right with this dungeon.”

Zhao Ruizhi retracted his gaze. He saw that He Li, who was still in his hands, was already so terrified that his face was completely pale, his body limp like soggy noodles. He suddenly frowned, because he could smell urine. He gave He Li’s wet pants a look and an expression of revulsion flashed through his eyes. “Disgusting!”

Zhao Ruizhi threw He Li to the ground. He Li felt only happiness, rather than anger. He continued to kowtow on the ground. “Thank you, your majesty, for not killing me! Thank you, your majesty!”

The other deathsworn soldiers also began to plead for their lives. Even though they had all been strictly trained, any desire to fight had already been completely crushed by the emperor’s terrifying presence. They no longer had any desire to resist.

Zhao Ruizhi said indifferently, “Something big is about to happen in this dungeon, and you all might be of some use. All of you had better prove your value.”

“Of course! Absolutely!” He Li’s entire body was shaking as he sighed in relief.

“Where is Wei Pingyang?” Zhao Ruizhi asked.

“This humble one took different paths to chase our targets in different directions. He should be chasing after the others from the Eastern Palace right now.” He Li had wanted to reply that he didn’t know, but he feared that would make him seem useless, so he quickly changed what he wanted to say. He threw a bit of dirt at Wei Pingyang too, so later on, that guy might not even be able to change sides.

Zhao Ruizhi closed his eyes and his divine will spread outward.

He Li felt as if something swept past his soul. While he felt nervous, he also felt admiration. King Qi had always said that the entire imperial palace was under the emperor’s divine will; that if something happened, it would be hard to escape his detection. Everyone had disapproved of that back then, but now, he understood what King Qi had been saying. Sigh, even though King Qi is formidable, he’s still lacking compared to the emperor.

He didn’t dare ask why the crown prince had become the emperor. He knew that the less he knew, the more chances he had of staying alive. But he also knew that King Qi’s great plan had actually completely been within the emperor’s control. Defeat was already inevitable. Changing sides now had been a sensible decision.

A while later, Zhao Ruizhi opened his eyes, saying, “I don’t sense the auras of any other master rank cultivators. Wei Pingyang is probably dead.”

“Dead?” He Li was stunned. Who else in this dungeon could kill the master ranked Wei Pingyang? “Don’t tell me it was Zu An? That brat really is a bit scary.”

Zhao Ruizhi gave He Li a cold look, and he felt goosebumps cover his body. This damn mouth of mine! Zu An just left with the crown princess, yet I’m praising him right now? Am I tired of living? He quickly changed his tone. “That little bastard is full of schemes. Wei Pingyang probably fell prey to one of his plots.” Is the crown princess the emperor’s daughter-in-law or woman? The royal family really is getting messed up now…

Zhao Ruizhi harrumphed and pointed to the west. “All of you are to chase in that direction and capture Zu An. Contact me as soon as there are any developments.”

“Understood!” He Li was overjoyed. The fact that he had received a mission meant that he could remain alive for a while longer. He quickly brought his subordinates toward the forest.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He suddenly thought of something after taking a few steps, however. Why had his majesty only asked about Wei Pingyang and not Lu Xiao?

Unless…

He couldn’t help but turn around when he had that thought.

He only saw Zhao Ruizhi standing with his hands behind him, somewhat absentmindedly staring at the distant mountain. He didn’t dare to stare at the emperor for too long and quickly left.

Zhao Ruizhi stood there while feeling all kinds of emotions. After enjoying his great status for so long, he felt it was beneath him to do something like capturing someone himself. Furthermore, he had a more pressing issue. There had already been strange occurrences in the dungeon several times. When he recalled how the beasts in the dungeon all seemed to have become stronger than they should have been, he immediately realized that the world was changing.

“A ghost dungeon?” His eyes shone brilliantly. He stared into the sky, seeing ki surging there. Some buildings that were entirely different from what he was used to were barely visible in the distance, as if they were just a mirage.

The so-called ‘ghost dungeons’ manifested when two dungeons ended up intersecting spatially due to various coincidences. Normally, only a single dungeon would appear, but during certain times, when special conditions were met, another hidden dungeon might appear in place of the main dungeon. However, it wouldn’t remain for long. If this chance were missed, it might be a few centuries or even millennia before another ghost dungeon would appear next.

Even with the knowledge and experiences of an emperor, he had only seen something similar in an ancient record. Such a dungeon signified tremendous opportunities.

It was a concept that was easy to understand. Most dungeons had already been explored many times. If there were any treasures or inheritances inside, they would have already been taken out. A dungeon that appeared once every few thousand years signified an entirely new, mysterious, and dangerous world, but also one full of opportunities.

With the emperor’s cultivation, he didn’t actually need any inheritances or opportunities. However, there was something he still wanted, which was eternal life. This possession was something he had done because he had no choice. If one had a chance, who wouldn’t want their original body to continue living forever?

This kind of ghost dungeon that only existed in legends could very well possess the secrets to immortality.

Could it be that this world understands this emperor’s ambitions, that it decided to give me this chance? Ha ha ha, the strong are blessed after all! Zhao Ruizhi’s eyes began to burn fiercely when he had those thoughts.