Chapter 643: Demon God Fetus (1/2)

The Exalted Immortal Reaper was a sword that severed the soul without harming the body. Exalted Celestial Emperor Zhao Luo possessed a powerful soul protected by the heavenly mandate, so the soul seed wouldn’t be able to take root in his nascent spirit unless his soul was first cut down by the Exalted Immortal Reaper.

The jade-colored blade ran fifteen meters long, its scintillating finish making for an impressive weapon. Imbued with a unique killing intent, it shone painfully bright as Zhao Qin made a decisive swing, swinging at the celestial emperor’s head with the sword’s energy.

Hum.

Emerald fire flared to life on the celestial emperor—the Exalted Immortal Reaper’s soul fire. It was a flame that would scatter the soul of even an origin dao immortal.

“Wait, what is this?!” Zhao Qin jumped back with the weapon in hand, his smugness fading away and shock creeping into his eyes.

His quarry was completely unfazed and remained staring fixedly at Zhao Qin and the others with a death glare. Slowly, the celestial emperor rose menacingly to his feet. The soul fire enveloping him dissipated, as did the critical injuries he’d suffered earlier.

A ripped and tattered humanoid-shaped talisman slipped out of his clothes and hit the ground in pieces.

“A Substitute Talisman Puppet… That’s a legendary talisman that was long lost even in the primordial world of immortals!” blurted Qi Hai, who’d been watching the scene play out from the sidelines.

As its name indicated, a Substitute Talisman Puppet took the place of its owner and suffered all damage in their stead, effectively granting them another life. It did have its limits, however. The talisman puppet would cease functioning once the damage it’d taken exceeded the capacity of the puppet.

It hadn’t been damaged beyond its capacity until the Exalted Immortal Reaper’s attack, which would’ve killed the celestial emperor. The invaluable treasure was thus destroyed, and there was no need for the celestial emperor to further keep up the pretense.

A dull Exalted Chart came back to life and soared through the air to hover over Zhao Luo’s head, throwing out bright radiance.

“Zhao Luo… You!” Color drained from Zhao Qin’s face to see the celestial emperor return to peak condition.

“You planned this… you planned all of this! You allowed yourself to be injured during Zhao Wushuang’s tribulation to lure us out!” Luo Ying’s complexion matched his co-conspirator’s.

With the Substitute Talisman Puppet, Zhao Luo hadn’t actually been injured by the tribulation beast, but he’d used the Exalted Chart to paint the appearance of a gravely wounded celestial emperor.

These usurpers wouldn’t have dared make their move if the celestial emperor hadn’t been heavily injured during Zhao Wushuang’s tribulation. Now, it turned out that all of them had fallen straight into his trap.

“It was just a gamble, one made with considerable risk. Simple bait for the ill-intentioned.” Zhao Luo considered the ten immortals with a frosty expression. “I’d always considered you my confidants, but it seems all of you betrayed me a long time ago.”

The Exalted Chart above his head shone with increasing brilliance as it revolved around him, imparting a uniquely imposing and sacred air to the man.

“Your Majesty!” Luo Ying dropped to his knees and kowtowed furiously into the floor, dull thuds echoing throughout the cavern. “Mercy, Your Majesty! This lowly one was swayed by Zhao Qin’s lies and almost committed a grave mistake. Please show mercy, Your Majesty!”

Lip curled, Zhao Luo turned to Zhao Qin.

“You truly are the greatest disciple the sect has fostered, Zhao Luo. Your shrewdness exceeds mine, this old man admits defeat!” Zhao Qin narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw.

Boom!

His head exploded violently, reducing both his nascent spirit and damaged origin dao fruit to powder.

“What about the rest of you?” Zhao Chong turned to the eight remaining immortals. “Do you wish to follow that old man in death?”

The eight dao immortals fell to their knees and begged, “We swear fealty to Your Majesty!”

Other than the two immortals from the Exalted Immortal Sect, the rest were elites from various peak factions in Exalted Major. Their fate was not only theirs, but also tied to the survival of their factions.

“Good.” The celestial emperor nodded and sent nine talismans into Luo Ying and the other eight dao immortals.

“Puppet talismans...” The would-be rebels despaired as the talismans melded with the depths of their nascent spirits. They dared not show any resistance, lest they, their bloodlines, and even their clans be erased by their liege.

The man had only just taken the throne and ascended to origin dao realm. He hadn’t had the opportunity to establish his authority yet and was undoubtedly looking for prime opportunities to do so.

“You’ve been awfully calm during this time.” The Exalted celestial emperor turned to Lu Yun. “Weren’t you worried that We would’ve stood by and done nothing?”

Lu Yun spread out his hands and shrugged. “I wouldn’t have come to your Exalted Major if I was scared.”

The celestial emperor smiled in lieu of a response. There was certainly a reason for Lu Yun’s confidence. Someone who could emerge intact from the cursed manor wouldn’t have fallen for these men’s plot.