Li Yuanli's pupils contracted, and his right hand, which was holding a sword, trembled.
Following their brief clash, a crimson line of blood appeared on his right forearm. However, simultaneously, his True Essence surged within him, restoring circulation with its immense energy.
"This sealing power is a one-time use!"
His gaze sharpened as he swiftly retreated.
Activating his talisman, the wound on his arm healed rapidly. Li Yuanli's expression grew grave. The fact that the opponent's sealing ability could even seal True Essence indicated that their energy levels were comparable.
"So, this is the Zanpakutō of this realm?" Li Yuanli remarked coolly, flicking his sword to point directly at King Chengdui.
"Impressive. I didn't expect you to have gathered so much information in such a short time!" King Chengdui raised an eyebrow and leveled his polearm-like ice blade parallel to his shoulder, its point aimed at Li Yuanli. He grinned menacingly.
"But how do you plan to break my ability?"
Li Yuanli's gaze remained calm; his usual arrogance and restlessness were now completely absent.
Having arrived alone in this world, he had been cautious and careful these past few days. As the esteemed Headmaster of the Magnificent Qin Faction, he wielded substantial authority, and his refined aura had long since solidified.
"You need close combat. Then simply not approaching me will suffice!"
The longsword instantly shifted its stance, positioning itself before him with its tip pointing skyward in an eerie posture.
"Not approach!"
"Hahaha! What's stopping this king from charging straight at you?"
King Chengdui roared with laughter, his form twisting once more as he prepared to lunge forward.
But at that moment, Li Yuanli formed a hand seal.
"Myriad Swords Art!"
Instantly, a radiant wheel of swords materialized before him, from which countless sword artifacts erupted and hurtled directly towards King Chengdui.
The latter's expression flashed with surprise as he slowed his rapid steps abruptly. His blade danced, forming a barrier that shattered every Sword Artifact that came near.
Seeing that the Myriad Sword Art was utterly ineffective, Li Yuanli's gaze deepened with solemnity.
"Heavenly Sword Form!"
With a twist of his body, he fused with the longsword before him, transforming into a colossal blade. The sword swelled to nearly three hundred meters in length and instantly pierced towards King Chengdui. Its immense power shattered countless buildings and pulverised several streets in its wake.
"Hahaha, excellent! Truly excellent! Such power excites this king!" King Chengdui roared with laughter as his pitch-black Zanpakutō clashed with the Heavenly Sword.
"But still... it's not enough!"
With a mighty bellow, he swung his Zanpakutō again.
Bang!
The blade struck the edge of the Heavenly Sword in an instant, halting its momentum and sending it flying.
"Have you forgotten? This is the World of Gods! And my current identity is that of a Shinigami!"
Roaring like a madman, King Chengdui plunged his black blade into the ground, black light gathering in his right hand.
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep. Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!!"
"Hadō Ninety-Three! Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)!"
The incantation was chanted rapidly and with primal madness as it erupted from King Chengdui's throat. He aimed his right hand at Li Yuanli.
Buzzing, humming!
The void itself began to tremble. Pitch-black light instantly engulfed Li Yuanli's vision as he stared in shock.
Boom!
A towering, jet-black coffin materialized... solemn, heavy, and sorrowful; its presence sent chills down one's spine.
In that moment, Li Yuanli could see nothing but darkness.
"What is this?!"
King Chengdui roared with laughter. Yanking his Zanpakutō from the ground, he swung it in wide arcs and charged forward again.
"I don't even need Bankai to deal with you!"
He took massive strides and broke into a sprint. The landscape blurred past him as he ran, rushing backwards in a distorted blur.
"A Level 5 Starlight civilization is worlds apart from Level 7! You'll never understand this transcendent power, this qualitative leap!"
His crazed words pierced the coffin and reached Li Yuanli's ears. His gaze turned grave as he felt immense pressure.
Ch-ch-ch!
In an instant, the tip of the blade struck the black coffin, emitting a piercing sound and arcs of black electricity.
Not only had King Chengdui imprisoned Li Yuanli, he now intended to pierce through the coffin with him.
Zz-z-z-z!
Electrical sparks erupted in all directions. Trapped inside the coffin, Li Yuanli swung his Zanpakutō frantically, but the blade could not breach the barrier. Fine beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.
This madman exuded an overwhelming sense of danger!
It felt as if death awaited him that day.
"When people from this world die, their souls are transported to the Soul Society!"
"But I wonder if outsiders experience the same fate?"
"Let's put you to the test! Such thrilling, insane experiments are simply too entertaining!"
Wuahahaha!
The eerie laughter grew louder and clearer. Li Yuanli's pupils constricted as he saw a hole rip through the black coffin at terrifying speed; the blade hurtled straight towards him.
Swish!
A black light bloomed, and Li Yuanli braced himself to evade it. At that very moment, King Chengdui roared from outside:
"Divide! Roar! Hiss! Bloom! Ying Cheng!"
Inside the black coffin, Li Yuanli's pupils constricted.
Suddenly, he saw the sharp, elongated black blade split into countless smaller blades that pierced him with a resonant hum.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Li Yuanli's entire body convulsed in the blink of an eye. Nineteen gaping wounds ripped through his flesh, blood gushing forth.
The black coffin vanished instantly. King Chengdui stood grinning savagely, holding Ying Cheng, his eyes burning with manic intensity as he glared at Li Yuanli.
"Just how many abilities does your Zanpakutō possess?" Li Yuanli asked through gritted teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"In this realm, Shinigami can only manifest one Ability in their Shikai. But I, this king, possess three!" King Chengdui laughed wildly.
"Quite the surprise, isn't it?"
"You should be grateful you didn't witness my Bankai. That would have plunged you into true despair!"
With those words, he slowly withdrew his longsword from Li Yuanli's abdomen. Crimson blood gushed forth, staining the ground a horrifying red.
"Let this king see if the souls of outsiders truly return to the Soul Society upon death!"
King Chengdui turned and strode away amidst a burst of mocking laughter.
After he departed, Li Yuanli leaned heavily on his sword with one hand, his face slick with sweat. He struggled to stay on his feet, knowing he couldn't hold out much longer. The blade had pierced his Dantian, disrupting his True Essence and draining his life force rapidly.
Time seemed to blur. His vision began to fade.
"What rotten luck this time!"
His eyes gradually closed and he collapsed softly to the ground.
"I really shouldn't have agreed to that man's request..."
He murmured these words aloud, yet he felt no regret. Though their time together had been brief and his allegiance had been forced, Li Yuanli had genuinely admired the man.
In the same world, under the same circumstances, the other party always handled things far better than he ever could.
Furthermore, the other party had the audacity to make all their resources available to him and demonstrate their unwavering trust by entrusting Princess Xiyao to his care, which was a testament to their extraordinary magnanimity. This kind of leadership compelled Li Yuanli to submit willingly and accept his subordinate position unreservedly.
Although he often joked about rebellion and treason, he had actually grown to cherish this newfound sense of security and the comfort of having someone to rely on. His current life was immeasurably better than his previous struggles for self-sufficiency.
"If only I could accompany you to witness the future kingdom's prosperity and might!"
"But... it seems my time as a Royal Subject is drawing to a close!"
Li Yuanli could clearly feel his life force draining away. He was growing increasingly weak, and a numbing sensation was creeping through his body to the point where even twitching a finger had become an ordeal.
The pool of blood on the ground deepened. Li Yuanli felt cold, a bone-chilling cold that struck him like the sudden onset of winter's deepest freeze.
"Am I reaching my end?"
His eyes gradually lost their luster as he lay motionless on the ground, utterly still.
"Then, I shall withdraw, Your Majesty!"
"If possible, Your Majesty, please do not come to this world!"
Darkness, thick and endless, swept over Li Yuanli's heart. He fell asleep in the street, his eyes closed as if he would never open them again. Meanwhile, on a neighboring street, a Shinigami patrolling in sunglasses suddenly shuddered.
"Something's happening over there!"
The Shinigami quickly sprinted towards the disturbance.
When he saw Li Yuanli lying in the street, the shinigami's expression changed drastically.
"Yuanli!!"
...
Qin Dynasty, Imperial Palace
Seated regally on the Dragon Throne, Qin Yi was listening to his ministers report on resource preparations and construction progress across various worlds when he suddenly became alert.
He suddenly stood up from the throne, startling the ministers who looked at each other in confusion.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Qin Yi didn't answer, his expression darkening considerably.
He had heard Li Yuanli's final two sentences, and they were crystal clear.
They had been transmitted directly into his mind through the King's Strength, instantly alerting him to the seriousness of the situation.
"Yuanli... something's happened!" Qin Yi took a deep breath and addressed the group of ministers in a heavy voice.
"Yuanli?"
"King Yuanli?!"
In an instant, shock rippled across the faces of everyone in the Imperial Palace.
Who was Li Yuanli? He was the Great Qin Nation's second-greatest expert and a king in his own right. Arguably, his survival rate was the highest of all Qin Nation citizens!
Not long ago, Qin Yi had dispatched him to the Shinigami World, and now to hear that something had happened to him!
"What's going on?" Gandalf asked gravely.
"He must have encountered an extremely dire situation," Qin Yi said grimly. "Otherwise, he would have at least sent back some information about the enemy!"
"The only message he managed to transmit was..." Qin Yi paused, gritting his teeth. "...that I must not go to that world!"
The entire Imperial Palace fell silent. If such a warning had been sent, just how dangerous could that unfamiliar world be?
Then they heard Qin Yi sigh deeply. "But how can I let those who struck him down escape?"
The ministers paled, and Gandalf hurried forward to dissuade him.
However, Qin Yi simply raised a hand, his eyes blazing with unwavering resolve and overwhelming rage.
"Silence!"
"Anyone who dares to obstruct me will be executed without exception!"
His icy gaze swept across the silent Imperial Palace.
"If I cannot avenge my royal subjects... if I dare not avenge them... I might as well die!"
His voice, brimming with boundless fury and resonating with a metallic force, reverberated through the palace, shaking its very foundations.
The ministers stood in hushed silence. In the blink of an eye, Qin Yi had strode out of the Imperial Palace.
"Chief Gandalf!"
The ministers, their faces taut with anxiety, hurried over to him and pleaded urgently.
They knew that only the most senior Chief Gandalf stood any chance of persuading the King to return. But, to their surprise, Gandalf sighed softly, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Most emperors are ruthless, treating their ministers like mere pawns on a chessboard. But alas, our King is not one of them! Since he seeks justice for his subordinate, why shouldn't we take the risk and stand by him?"
"Besides," Gandalf continued, "our King's capabilities are far from ordinary!"
Gandalf's words silenced the group of ministers, who then dispersed in thoughtful silence.
Qin Yi's life was undoubtedly inextricably linked to the fate of Qin's Nation and the ministers' own safety. Yet having such a compassionate king, who protected his subjects so fiercely, was also their blessing.
Today it was Yuanli, but what if it were them tomorrow? What outcome would they wish for then?
What harm could come from taking a risk alongside their King? After all, this nation was founded by him, wasn't it?
In the Imperial Concubine Palace, Inori gazed silently out of the window.
"That online boyfriend of yours has left already, huh?" Fu Hōhō said, holding a watering can, her accent thick with the sound of her native Sichuan.
"He left," Inori replied quietly, nodding. "He left decisively." Her face remained expressionless.
"Quite sentimental, isn't he?" Fu Hōhō remarked, nodding in approval.
After a long moment of silence, Inori slowly began to speak. "In truth, he's just a mortal man. The burden of being emperor is too much for him. There are too many things he can't bear to give up."
Fu Hōhō blinked in surprise.
Yan Lingji strolled over, giggling, and linked arms with Inori. "Speaking ill of our king behind his back isn't becoming of an imperial concubine, is it?"
Inori, with an expressionless face, gently pushed Yan Lingji's arm away. "That's precisely why I'm the Imperial Concubine and you're just a palace dancer!"
Yan Lingji froze, a flicker of resentment darkening her eyes.
The Imperial Concubine Palace was small, but its intricacies were gradually becoming apparent. Inori found life there lonely and monotonous.
But as long as her husband was around, the man who swore a blue streak while gaming, pulled exaggerated faces, and even found a gay lover through online dating, her heart felt content.
He might lack the regal bearing one would expect of a king, but she could clearly sense that he was her husband, her man.
"Survive... and come back," Inori murmured, her gaze fixed on the palace gates.
As emperor, he shouldn't risk venturing alone into unknown dangers for the sake of his subjects. He should temporarily withdraw to safety. But as a man, when his friend, brother, and comrade were harmed, he should be the first to stand up.
Inori understood perfectly.
At the Realm Gate, Qin Yi appeared calm, but his suppressed rage was palpable. With a resolute step, he entered.
"Shinigami! I will see what mysteries lie hidden within your world! And whoever dared to harm Yuanli, I will tear you limb from limb!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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