SEC Chapter 183 One palm strike shatters the Empress's trump card! Can you come with me now?
Chapter 183 One palm strike shatters the Empress's trump card! Can you come with me now?
Qin Mu raised his eyes and looked at the ten-zhang-tall phantom.
The moon-white robe remained completely still under the oppressive aura of the terrestrial immortal; not even the hem of the robe fluttered.
He stood there quietly, like an unmoving reef, unshaken by the raging waves.
"As expected of the founding emperor of the Li Yang Dynasty."
He spoke softly, his tone sincere, like an expert appraising a masterpiece: "Indeed, it has quite a style."
He paused, his gaze falling on the imposing face of the phantom, and added:
"This is the first time I've ever seen a land-based immortal from three hundred years ago."
His tone lacked fear, solemnity, and even the caution one would expect when facing a powerful figure.
There is only one kind of curiosity.
It was as if he were facing not the remnant soul of a terrestrial immortal, capable of crushing a Celestial Realm expert, but a beautiful sculpture in a museum.
Looking at his reaction, Zhao Qingxue felt an indescribable sense of absurdity welling up inside her.
She knew that Qin Mu might be very strong.
But she never imagined—
He dared to confront the immortals on land like this.
That's a terrestrial deity!
For three hundred years, the entire continent of China has existed only in legendary realms!
Even if it is just a remnant soul formed from essence, energy, and spirit, and even if it can only last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it is still a genuine existence that once created the world and stood at the pinnacle of martial arts!
But the way Qin Mu looked at him was as if he were looking at...
An interesting toy.
Zhao Qingxue stopped thinking about it.
She raised her hand, pointed at Qin Mu, and her voice was as cold as an imperial edict:
"Your Majesty, execute this madman."
The phantom moved.
He lowered his eyes and looked at the moon-white figure three zhang away.
His gaze was majestic, cold, and devoid of any emotion, like a god looking down upon ants.
Then, he slowly raised his hand.
His movements were slow, as if every joint was bearing a tremendous weight.
He opened his palm.
Palms down.
Facing Qin Mu.
next moment--
The void collapsed.
There were no signs, no prelude.
Within three zhang of Qin Mu, the air suddenly solidified, like frozen amber.
That invisible pressure comes from all directions, penetrating everywhere, leaving no escape.
The ground began to crack, and the bluestone slabs, like fragile biscuits, were crushed piece by piece by an unseen giant hand, turning into dust.
That is the "domain" of terrestrial immortals.
In the Celestial Realm, martial artists can "borrow" the power of heaven and earth to summon wind and thunder, and command clouds and rain.
Once a martial artist reaches the realm of terrestrial immortals, they no longer "borrow" the power of heaven and earth.
Because they themselves are heaven and earth.
Before them, there are no "rules," only "will."
They wished for the mountain to collapse, and it collapsed.
They wished for the sea to dry up, and the sea dried up.
In their eyes, the universe and all things are nothing more than clay that can be molded at will.
At this moment, the will of the illusory figure of the Great Ancestor is—
Suppression.
Suppress this ant in the dust.
Zhao Qingxue stared intently at Qin Mu, at the collapsing space, at the moon-white figure about to be crushed into mincemeat.
Her heart almost stopped beating at that moment.
Then--
She saw it.
Under that terrifying pressure, enough to crush metal and equivalent to the weight of a mountain.
Qin Mu made a move.
He raised his hand.
His movements were slower and more casual than the phantom of Emperor Taizu, as if he were merely reaching out to brush away a tiny speck of dust from his sleeve.
He waved his hand gently.
There was no fluctuation of true qi.
There is no resonance between heaven and earth.
There wasn't even any martial arts aura that could be displayed.
It was just a gentle wave.
Then, the three-zhang-tall, incomparably majestic phantom, a terrestrial immortal formed three hundred years ago, appeared.
Like smoke scattered by a strong wind.
Start with your fingers.
Inch by inch.
It collapsed.
The illusory form disintegrates into translucent mist, then disintegrates into almost nonexistent specks of light, and finally even the specks of light vanish into the air.
The whole process took less than three breaths.
The phantom of the founding emperor maintained that posture of looking down on ants until his death.
His stern face still bore traces of the cold indifference he displayed during the suppression.
Then, he disappeared.
It's as if it never existed.
Qin Mu withdrew his hand and gently patted away non-existent dust from his sleeve.
He looked up and gazed at Zhao Qingxue.
Under the moonlight, his face remained calm, and the corners of his mouth still held that ambiguous smile.
It was as if the last blow had not annihilated the remnant soul of a terrestrial immortal from three hundred years ago.
He simply swatted a fly that was disturbing his peaceful sleep in his own backyard.
"Your Majesty the Empress,"
Qin Mu's voice remained gentle, even tinged with apology, "I'm sorry I damaged your treasured possession."
He paused, his gaze falling on Zhao Qingxue's face, which had finally lost its composure.
"But this thing probably wouldn't be used more than a few times anyway."
"I'll destroy it for you, so you won't keep thinking about it later. You have to be strong yourself to succeed; external things are just that—external things, aren't they?"
His tone was so sincere it was almost earnest.
It was as if he were just a helpful friend who casually helped the other person get rid of an old item that they no longer needed.
Zhao Qingxue stood still, motionless.
She gazed at the empty void, at the air where the phantom of the founding emperor once stood, now only moonlight remained.
Her pupils lost focus.
Emperor Taizu's edict.
The most powerful trump card the Li Yang royal family has held for three hundred years.
A treasure powerful enough to turn the tide in a time of imperial crisis.
that's it……
That's all?
He was simply waved away by the other party.
Like brushing away dust.
Relaxed to the point of being almost casual.
It was so casual it bordered on mockery.
Zhao Qingxue slowly raised her eyes and looked at Qin Mu again.
This time, her eyes finally revealed emotions she had never shown to outsiders.
That was bewilderment.
It's unbelievable.
Even an empress who always had a firm grasp on the overall situation and could calculate everything flawlessly could not avoid wavering when faced with the absolute unknown.
"you……"
She spoke, her voice dry and hoarse, like the friction of sand and gravel.
He only uttered one word before pausing.
Because she didn't know what to ask.
who are you?
What level are you at?
Why do you possess such terrifying power?
you……
How much more are you hiding?
Countless questions churned in my mind, but in the end, I couldn't utter a single word.
Qin Mu looked at her quietly.
Looking at this Li Yang Empress, who ascended the throne as a woman, purged eight princes in five years, and became a powerful figure in the Eastern Continent.
Looking at the rare vulnerability and bewilderment on her face that she had never shown to anyone before.
Qin Mu smiled and then walked towards Zhao Qingxue.
step.
Two steps.
The distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) shrank to zero beneath his feet.
He stopped three steps in front of Zhao Qingxue.
Under the moonlight, the two were no more than an arm's length apart.
He could smell the faint, cool fragrance emanating from her, like plum blossoms after a snowfall.
She could sense the faint scent emanating from him, a blend of ambergris and moonlight.
Qin Mu leaned down slightly to meet Zhao Qingxue's gaze.
Zhao Qingxue's lips were pursed into a very thin line, and under the moonlight, her pale cherry-colored lips were almost completely devoid of color.
The roar of the Nu River seems to have faded into the distance.
The moonlight, like a thin veil, enveloped the cliffs and the river in a hazy, silvery white.
Zhao Qingxue stood still, her deep purple phoenix eyes fixed on the man three steps in front of her.
This was the first time she had seen Qin Mu so clearly from such close range.
It wasn't separated by the pearl and jade tassels of the twelve-tasseled flat crown, nor by the faint beaded curtain in the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, nor by the red silk and golden candles filling the hall during the grand wedding ceremony.
But it's this close.
She was so close that she could see the ink-black strands of hair at his temples, ruffled by the river breeze.
She was so close that she could smell the faint scent of ambergris on him.
He was born very well.
This was the first time Zhao Qingxue had truly examined Qin Mu's appearance.
Not the aloof, veiled emperor at the grand wedding ceremony.
He was not a powerful figure who could destroy the illusory image of the late emperor with a few words.
He was just a man.
A man standing right in front of her, his moon-white robe fluttering slightly in the river breeze.
His sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards towards his temples, but they didn't appear fierce. Instead, they seemed gentle because of his eyes, which always held a hint of a smile.
His nose was high and straight, casting a refined profile in the moonlight.
Zhao Qingxue suddenly realized that she had never understood this person.
Her wisdom, which she was so proud of, was like a sandcastle built by a child on the beach, vanishing in the face of his absolute power with a single wave.
The imperial edict that she regarded as her trump card was wiped out without leaving a trace with a casual wave of his hand.
The game she meticulously planned was, in fact, just a corner of his chessboard from the very beginning.
But he never made a move.
Just waiting.
Waiting for her to walk right into their trap.
Zhao Qingxue looked at the man three steps away, at the lazy and composed smile that never faded from his face.
Suddenly, she felt that all her planning, her meticulous steps, and her flawless strategies over the past five years had been a joke.
"How is it?"
Qin Mu's voice was very soft, with just the right amount of patience, as if he was really waiting for an answer.
"May I come with you now?"