Taiyi Dao Fruit-Chapter 1100 - 326: Within Zhenze, the Emperor Descends (Part 2)

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"Boom!"

Thunder roared continuously in the sky, ribbons of silver-white lightning flashing through the marshes.

In a place called "Zhenze," the marshland was shrouded in gloom, where strange leafless ancient trees were rooted in the water, their roots occasionally sparking with electricity where they touched the water.

Deafening sounds filled every inch of space, and sometimes you could even see visible sound waves.

Deep within this marshland, heavenly thunder struck the ground, electric flashes ran swiftly, converging into streams that flowed like water, forming a silver-blue lake.

The Thunder Water formed a lake, and this place could be called a Thunder Pool. Even before the End of Dharma, there were few places with such creations. More often, such marvels were man-made.

Another Xuanwu King stood by the lake, dressed in dark robes, middle-aged in appearance, ignoring the electric flashes on the ground. He stretched out his hands, and snake-like black energy extended from his ten fingers, falling into the Thunder Pool.

Beside him was a short, black-faced elder, also dressed in dark robes, surrounded by a Qi Mechanism that turned into black clouds. This individual was likely Elder Da Kun in human form.

At this moment, the Qi Mechanism surged around Xuanwu King. Although his face appeared calm, his mind was already stirred and had not settled for a long time. The black energy extending from his ten fingers twisted like snakes, colliding with the Thunder Pool's water and triggering one thunder light after another.

"Elder Brother."

Elder Da Kun appeared older than Xuanwu King, yet he addressed him as Elder Brother and was quite respectful.

A thunderous roar from the distant sky shook the earth, drowning out even the thunder within Zhenze. The chaotic Qi Mechanism turned into a storm, expanding in all directions. Elder Da Kun, adept at Qi Dao, naturally sensed the anomaly and immediately said, "Has there been a change?"

"Princess Ji Lingguang has appeared," Xuanwu King deeply responded.

Elder Da Kun was startled with fright.

He knew what kind of enemy the Princess was facing, and if she could return safely, then...

Elder Da Kun's expression changed dramatically immediately.

"We must quickly retrieve the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit. We've been tricked," Xuanwu King said solemnly, "If we can't retrieve the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit in half a quarter of an hour, we must withdraw."

Decisive action was necessary. Even if it meant missing the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit, they had no choice.

The Heavenly Monarch had calculated against them.

He seemed to tell them the location of the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit and promised that once they entered the scene and confronted the imperial army, he would hand over the Sealing Technique to them. However, in reality, even with the technique, it would still take considerable time to extract the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit.

Zhang Zhixuan's strength was not comparable to Xuanwu King, nor was he superior in terms of sealing and array formations, but his sealing technique here was indeed extremely clever.

It made use of the area's unique characteristics, ensuring the seal was constantly replenished by heavenly thunder, requiring no maintenance, and would even grow stronger over time.

Moreover, because the sealing utilized the power of the Thunder Pool, even knowing the Sealing Technique, one would still need to forcibly pull out the Dao Fruit from the bottom of the Thunder Pool, which would take considerable time.

This time was deliberately used for delay.

This was the Heavenly Monarch's scheme, attempting to have the Dragon Palace and court fight to the death.

And Emperor Jiang of the court seemed to see through the Heavenly Monarch's scheme but did not intervene. Before the imperial army marched towards Thunder Marsh, he even staged a "backyard on fire" performance.

Initially, Xuanwu King wasn't sure if the opponent was acting. Sometimes, he really wondered if the Emperor Jiang was truly becoming smug after gaining power, making mistakes common to young people, causing a favorable situation to take a sharp turn.

But now it seemed the opponent had clearly set a trap waiting to ambush someone.

As for who might be ambushed...

Xuanwu King had roughly guessed the answer.

With thoughts racing in his mind, Xuanwu King sped up his actions. The black energy began to move like flood dragons, colliding further with the Thunder Water, intensifying the thunder light and causing it to look ready to erupt.

There was still time.

Just a short moment more, and he could forcibly extract the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit.

Although the opposing side knew the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit was in Zhenze, they might not be able to find it directly. The vast expanse of Zhenze covered the most area in the southern marshlands. Inside, the crossfire of thunder light and reverberating thunder affected even the Divine Thought of third-rank strong people due to the environment.

There was enough time...

This thought had just flashed in his mind when Xuanwu King suddenly turned his head, twisting almost 180 degrees like a prowling wolf, staring directly at the sky not far behind.

There, a golden dragon shadow soared into the sky, like a beacon pointing the way.

"Taiping Sect, Primordial Lord Rain Master!" Xuanwu King pronounced coldly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Taiping Sect had already been annihilated, even the Sect Hierarch Zhang Zhixuan was dead, but not all of Taiping Sect's top officials were wiped out. One of the top officials was the very person who previously staged the "backyard on fire" act—Primordial Lord Rain Master.

She was aware of this location, and she had silently infiltrated nearby, directing their target to others.

The special environment of Zhenze prevented others from sweeping this area, and it also kept Xuanwu King and Elder Da Kun from detecting the approach of a third party in time. The close relationship between the Primordial Lord Rain Master and someone else became an obstacle to Xuanwu King's early perception.

The "backyard on fire" was indeed a well-played act.

"I'll go deal with her."

Elder Da Kun said, already swelling in form, about to transform into his Jiao Demon King body to attack the Primordial Lord Rain Master.

But before he could fully manifest his form, a change occurred.

The thunder that had persisted for years in Zhenze suddenly fell silent, as if it were abruptly isolated to another world, becoming incomparably distant.

An immensely powerful presence suddenly captured Xuanwu King and Elder Da Kun's perception, drawing their attention.

They then saw the figure dressed in imperial ceremonial robes adorned with twelve symbols, as if the Emperor naturally belonged in that place.

His black hair danced in the wind, his gaze as tangible as substance, bringing an intangible weight upon the two.

"Emperor Jiang..."

Xuanwu King said solemnly, "The Heavenly Monarch is using both sides."

The Heavenly Monarch deliberately orchestrated this situation, setting the court and the Dragon Palace against each other while he waited patiently for the outcome.

If Jiang Li and the two engaged in combat, regardless of victory or defeat, the Heavenly Monarch would seize the opportunity to deal with Jiang Li.

Acting now would undoubtedly create an opportunity for the Heavenly Monarch.

However, Jiang Li seemed indifferent to the matter.

He looked at Xuanwu King and Elder Da Kun, speaking calmly, "Where is the Thunder Ancestor Dao Fruit?"

The tone of entitlement and the unmoved resolve indicated that a confrontation was inevitable.