Chapter 473

Chapter 473: The Demon Lair Dismantles the Nine Cauldrons

Wu Zhao walked gracefully with her son in her arms. The phrase "Your Highness governs the state" sounded impressive, but in reality, it was no different from imprisonment.

She understood clearly that as long as the Summer Emperor remained in power, he would tightly hold onto his authority. His decision to lead the charge personally was driven by a desire for revenge, alongside creating a historical record to make up for the lack of achievements over the past three hundred years.

At this moment, while others showed loyalty to the Summer Emperor, Wu Zhao also needed to demonstrate her allegiance to the prince. She encouraged her man not to think aimlessly, reminding him that what is his belongs to him, and what is not should not be forced.

“My beloved, let me see Hong’er!” The prince embraced his son, a smile spreading across his face.

“Your Highness seems distracted,” Wu Zhao said as she picked up a plan the prince had written, exclaiming in shock, “Who told you to write this? It’s simply outrageous!”

“This…” The prince hesitated.

“Does the prince wish for the royal family to rush the progress on the royal tomb? Do you want us all to live too well?” Wu Zhao clenched her fist, speaking coldly, “There’s no need to investigate further; they are all enemies. Not a single official is trustworthy, and even the so-called confidants are not reliable.”

The prince broke out in a sweat, realizing his foolishness as he said, “I indeed lost my focus, but not to such a foolish extent. Someone secretly used magic to cloud my mind bit by bit. I shouldn’t even have entered the imperial study; I should have been waiting in the side hall for the royal edict. Thankfully, my beloved’s words struck the heart of the matter and brought me back to my senses.”

Wu Zhao sighed, “It’s too late! Just sending someone to relay that Your Highness inquired about the royal tomb’s progress will create a storm, with no escape. The best course of action now is for you to quickly unite all available forces. Publicly submit a joint petition stating that you are not as brave as Thirteenth Brother in martial arts and not as virtuous as Eighteenth Brother in literature, requesting the Emperor to relieve you of your duties as crown prince. Meanwhile, prepare quietly; if the Emperor suffers a defeat or something unexpected occurs on this campaign, be ready to respond.”

“What if my father places the blame on me?”

“Your Highness!” Wu Zhao, feeling frustrated with his lack of resolution, urged calmly, “If you do nothing and wait for the ones stirring up trouble to strike, your father will blame you just the same. Only through action will you demonstrate the demeanor of a future ruler, instilling fear in your brothers.”

The prince clenched his fists, “Indeed, these brothers and their royal uncles are pushing too hard.”

Meanwhile, Li Hui stood outside the battlefield, gazing at the demon lair, increasingly sensing something was amiss. The golden thunder repeatedly struck down without encountering the expected resistance.

Such a formidable demon sect could not possibly stand strong without a treasured protective item, or perhaps they were hiding powerful beings from the Traveling Realm. It was impossible that the thunder raged while their resistance was almost nonexistent.

“Not good, it’s a trap!” Li Hui and Zhao Yuxi exclaimed in unison, hurriedly retreating, but they were a moment too late. Suddenly, a heavy black curtain enveloped the battlefield from above.

“Burrow into the ground!” Li Hui’s form quickly dove towards the ground and disappeared.

His Ideal Body melded with the elemental energies, and with his profound qi aiding in his escape, he moved rapidly through the void. However, today’s danger was immense; the Yin Moon Dynasty had allied with the demon lair to obliterate the ancestors in the Profound Law stage summoned by the Summer Emperor, sealing off all escape routes. It was truly a case of having no way up to heaven and no door down to earth.

Soon, Li Hui retreated, but there was no way out. Without a second thought, he burrowed toward the demon lair.

The palace above had already sensed the anomaly and ceased their attacks.

Li Hui remained clear-headed. The demon lair was the stronghold of demon cultivators, and it surely had tight defenses. Even if most were destroyed by thunder, the remaining formations would be enough for him to hide temporarily.

Zhao Yuxi yelled angrily, “The shameless Yin Moon Dynasty uses the demon lair as a trap. There wasn’t even a hint before! If the Summer Emperor had gone to Zhuang Mountain first, wouldn’t it have harmed me? And how many disciples have died at the demon lair’s periphery? That is no lie; they probably had no idea.”

“Stop whining!”

Li Hui seized Zhao Yuxi’s spectral form and entered the formation, activating dozens of black rings that spun around them like layered saws, ready to shred intruders.

Suddenly, their figures faded as they passed into the next layer of the formation.

Zhao Yuxi was astonished and thought, “No wonder my illusionary formations didn’t work against him. Who is this kid? He moves through formations as if it’s a leisurely stroll. This is the demon lair, the site of the magic palace since ancient times; one can only imagine how many great formations are arranged here.”

After the golden thunder’s destruction, the remaining formations were formidable.

Li Hui continued moving, retrieving the Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword and flinging out its shadow. Suddenly, his heart raced as he quickly headed toward a certain location.

His form penetrated through the formation, finally entering a Bagua Hall. Before him rose nine large cauldrons, glowing red and making bubbling sounds.

Zhao Yuxi shouted in despair, “Damn it, the demon lair is truly willing to go to such extremes, intending to blow up their own lair! The surrounding area will undoubtedly collapse within a thousand miles, and even the heavens above won’t be spared. This is an extinction of the dry and preservation of the magic cauldrons. I don’t know how many years the great masters of the demon lair have infused into these cauldrons with demonic flames and blood, and when these nine cauldrons erupt together, even the ancestors in the Profound Law stage will suffer.”

Li Hui reached out and with his matured profound qi, the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique reached a high-level Dao technique stage, ready to transform into Dao arts. At that moment, he unleashed a tremendous force.

“Boom, boom, boom…” He forcefully clawed at the nine cauldrons, pulling away clumps of red light the size of basins.

Moments later, the nine cauldrons went “puff, puff,” their walls becoming mottled. The feet of three cauldrons turned into scraps, leaving Zhao Yuxi stunned.

Li Hui secretly sighed in relief, thinking, “These are spirit treasure-level magical items, perfect for increasing talisman power. As for the accumulated demonic flames and blood inside the cauldrons, careful handling can enhance the Bull Demon King Talisman.”

“Puff, puff, puff!”

With strange noises, a bizarre scene unfolded. The nine cauldrons became smooth, and thousands of winding claw marks appeared on their bodies. Upon closer inspection, these claw marks resembled handprints and looked like runes from talismans.

Li Hui’s expertise in talisman methods grew more profound; he actually began to use the nine cauldrons as talisman decrees to write with.

At that moment, the demonic flames and blood inside the cauldrons boiled violently but did not explode. The demonic flames and blood flowed along the symbols, gathering into a magnificent sound of flowing water, instead of the previous bubbling sound.

“It’s done, go!” After the loud boom, a Bull Demon appeared in the center of the nine cauldrons, joyfully letting out a roar and opening its mouth wide to inhale.

The cauldrons that should have exploded did not, sending the demon cultivators of the demon lair into a panic. Seeing that the golden palace above was about to break through their obstacles, they had to take action, shouting, “Attack!”

The Yin Moon Dynasty’s forces awaited the explosion, but they were met with silence, neither left nor right receiving any result.

With no choice, after the demon lair launched its offensive, the Yin Moon army entered the heavy black curtain. This darkness did not permit exiting; once inside, it would be a battle of life and death, and only at the last moment could one retreat.

The ground and sky erupted into battle, obscuring the light of the sun and moon. Meanwhile, the demon lair deployed powerful magic puppets to return to their lair and investigate why the nine cauldrons had not exploded.

Li Hui kept busy. The towering Bai Ze emerged from behind him, slamming down on the ground with a loud “bang,” causing thousands of small, red-beaked Chach birds to spring forth, twittering as they flew in all directions.