Superhumans of the Dome City-Chapter 1419 - 22: Approaching
"It’s terrifying to think about," said the Hidden Law Master. "I just wanted to test your attitude, but I didn’t expect it to prompt the kings to intervene personally. The Silent King wants to take this opportunity to persuade allies, while King Pingdeng stands on the opposite side. Those young people have been given too much attention, as if they were chosen early on to be future kings."
He looked up, gazing at the man on the throne: "And what would you do if Gongsun Ce didn’t succeed? Step in personally to stop Yan Qi from achieving his path? Destroy a large number of humans to forcibly reverse time? Or continue to sit here and watch, as long as the ’human side’ is strong enough?"
Emperor Chong Xiao did not respond, meeting the Hidden Law Master’s gaze with his night-like eyes. This rebel, who had stirred up trouble at the lantern festival, now stood openly in the palace hall, unconcerned for his safety. What stood in the palace was merely an information projection, not even Emperor Chong Xiao could harm his true form.
This awkward situation resembled the emperor’s own life, possessing unparalleled authority, possessing the ultimate realm, yet for decades never stepping out of the palace, ruling his realm from the tomb-like Taiqing Palace like a ghost, a sad plight that invited sympathy.
"I still remember what you were like as a child," said the Hidden Law Master. "At 10, you were the most mischievous child in Divine Capital City, refusing to read the classics and loving novels and stories, fooling your tutors to engage in cricket fighting. At 13, you ran rampant with a group of followers in Divine Capital City, wearing masks as rangers to punish evil and promote good; at 15, you secretly escaped from Divine Capital and joined the army, leading elite soldiers to raid and capture a rebel camp, earning great merit. You and your men drank and feasted by the campfire, everyone said you would become a great general one day, and you said a great general wasn’t impressive enough, that being a lone adversary of ten thousand would bring peace to the world and end all warfare...
Then at 18, you learned the truth about the throne, a man of strong character weeping bitterly in front of his parents, like a feeble child."
"It’s all in the past," Emperor Chong Xiao slowly closed his eyes.
"Yes, it’s all in the past," the Hidden Law Master nodded. "In just 27 years, you’ve become the mighty ruler of the Empire, using the methods you once despised and hated to protect this battered planet. You repeat to your son the words your father once told you, you make your ministers endure the suffering countless others have suffered before. The Empire progresses through cycles of reincarnation, two thousand years, burning eternal light with bones and blood."
"I didn’t intend to come out, but now I really want to ask you face to face. Is it worth it?" he asked, "You strive generation after generation to maintain a world without kings, yet you yourselves are the ’kings’ causing turmoil and conflict. Haven’t your son’s tears affected you at all?"
Emperor Chong Xiao kept his eyes closed, saying nothing, not even asking who this person was. The Hidden Law Master sighed, turned around with disgust.
"I don’t understand Lingyang’s thoughts back then, I’ve seen enough in these 1997 years. It’s all about killing a few to save many, all about preserving the present... Since the great calamity is but a few years away, I might as well step in myself. Be an eternal emperor, eradicate all sorrow."
The sound of footsteps gradually faded, the Hidden Law Master headed towards the hall exit. His heart harbored a grievance, he thought this person was beyond saving, just like all emperors before, devoid of human emotions. You can’t communicate with machines, you can only find a way to crush it, defeat it.
The Hidden Law Master suddenly stopped, standing in front of the palace gate. He realized there was a flaw in his assumptions; Emperor Chong Xiao was not an emotionless person. Just minutes before, he had angrily scolded his son; a machine wouldn’t engage in such inefficient actions. So why was he so calm at this moment?
When does a person remain so composed?
"No!" The Hidden Law Master suddenly turned around, "You are—"
A flash of pale light expanded in his eyes, completely obscuring his vision. A moment later, the sound of footsteps completely vanished from within the palace.
The emperor still sat on the throne, silence enveloped Taiqing Palace.
·
"So, the point of divergence in history is whether Yan Qi understood the Leisure Cage?" Qin Qianbai asked.
"I fear that as early as thirteen years ago, Yan Qi had already created the realm," Gongsun Ce’s expression was complicated. "So when he encountered this matter—I don’t even need to deduce to know it’s a trap laid by the Hidden Law Master—he shouldn’t have been so impulsive now..."
"Still quite impulsive," Qin Qianbai shook her head. "Back then, he gave us quite a fright."
"Don’t hold it against him, he was young then," Gongsun Ce chuckled helplessly. He took out the rabbit pointer and waved it, only a third of the distance remained in the right direction.
"Is it Qin Ming?" he asked.
"Yes, on the next night," Qin Qianbai said. "Ah Ce, you don’t need to do anything."
Her voice was calm, as if discussing something unrelated to herself.
"No one died, nothing important was destroyed, it was just that Qin Ming made his own choice. Therefore, Ah Ce doesn’t need to do anything, just watch from the sidelines."
Gongsun Ce met her gaze for a few seconds, exhaling a breath of stale air.
"A bit dispiriting," he scratched his head. "Finally traveled to the past, thinking I could accomplish some world-shaking task like defeating the great demon king, only to find my task is to assist the hero in self-sealing, ensuring the demon head successfully enters demonic... Indescribably awkward."
"Isn’t the work of the Universe Patrol Department like this?" Qin Qianbai tilted her head. "Think about it positively, bear with it and you can come back. Then, no matter who comes to cause trouble, you can go all out to handle it."
"Real battle with sword and spear is much more satisfying than this troublesome work," Gongsun Ce waved his hand. "Get some sleep. It’s snowing in Divine Capital City."
The screen flickered, and the image of the gray-haired youth disappeared in the distance. Qin Qianbai averted her gaze. Outside the window, it was snowing heavily, and the snow-covered city was dotted with lights here and there. The Divine Capital City was also shrouded in snow now, and even in the warm room, one could faintly feel the chill.
Qiluo popped out from the screen: "Alandia and Shiyu Ling said they are preparing to detach from the skill soon. Once Gongsun Ce sends a signal from over there, we can pull him back."
Qin Qianbai nodded: "What did Uncle Liu say?"
"Mr. Liu Zhongwu said it’s good that everything is going smoothly... but I feel like he’s a bit disappointed." Qiluo frowned, "What exactly are they thinking? They want Gongsun Ce to do something but won’t say anything. Without any intelligence, there’s nothing he can do."
"That’s how big figures are, they find it hard to express themselves."
"You’re becoming a big figure too." Qiluo poked Qin Qianbai’s cheek, "Wash up and go to bed early! Gongsun Ce would be sad to find his little wife staying up late."
"Even if all three wives are staying up, it doesn’t matter to add me to the mix." Qin Qianbai said.
In the modern Divine Capital City, it was one o’clock in the morning, and none of the big figures in the city were asleep. Shiyu Ling, the main force in checking space-time erosion, was working overtime, while Qin Qianbai and Qiluo were both responsible for guarding the city. Meanwhile, Alandia’s physical body far away in the Capital City of the Skies had taken over global defense duties, acting as the command center.
What they hadn’t told Gongsun Ce was that the situation in the Real World was worsening. In just over a month, the global giant dragon alerts had reached more than 70 cases a day. Conventional forces of each country couldn’t handle such dense crises, and official Creation Realm Level forces had to each lead their forces to plan their respective areas of jurisdiction. Otherwise, the increasingly frequent dragon phenomena will inevitably appear in large batches one day.
"I’m doing well here on Zero Island." Mo Yuankai said over the communication, "Don’t worry about the other regions. Everyone knows the Empire is the key now, keep it up."
He led a group of superpower users to Zero Island, guarding this nation without Creator Realm Mages. Mo Yuankai said many people sensed a familiar atmosphere, as if something major was about to happen, like the Kingdom four years ago.
Will they repeat the same mistake again? No one knew the answer to this question. Qin Qianbai hoped not, and thus she was constantly pondering. They needed to prevent not only natural disasters but also man-made calamities.
She walked out of the warm room and stepped into the silver-white Qin family courtyard. The girl removed her hairpin, transforming it into the Wanhua long blade. The green blade light was clear and smooth like water, drawing perfect arcs in the night sky. Snowflakes passed through the green without a scratch, as if both the person and blade were shadows from a memory, however deep and enigmatic they might be, they wouldn’t touch the reality of the night.
After finishing the sword dance, the woman stood with the blade. A faint explosion sounded in the silent night, and suddenly the world turned snow-white. Every snowflake was split into two at the same time, the doubled snowflakes tumbling in the air like a wild white ocean.
"How is it?" Qin Qianbai tilted her head.
In a corner of the courtyard, there was an old TV set, and a scruffy man on the TV was drinking. Klein put down the bottle and gave a thumbs-up.
"Not bad, showing progress, your talent is exceptional. The move from ’now’ to ’future’ using blade techniques instead of the chess formation was flawless in both concept and execution. I can give you full marks!" Klein turned his thumb down, "But unfortunately, it’s not enough to win."
"Not even with full marks?"
"No chance of winning!" Klein chuckled twice, "If Qin Ming only had influence over three eras, I wouldn’t mind placing a big bet on you. But Qin Ming also has the Paradise of Non-Heaven. Even if you consider it as a 1+1, you still need to find a way to deal with another ’1’. That’s something you can’t solve, understand? Your uncle’s limits are beyond anything you’ve encountered."
"Hmm..." Qin Qianbai raised her head, looking at the snowflakes in the sky, "If I could break through limits with willpower and determination..."
"Good, you brought up persistence, which I appreciate the most in youth!" Klein said, "But think clearly, little girl. Pushing yourself to break through limits again requires even stronger determination than in Meteor City. Simply wanting to win isn’t enough; you must have a killer instinct! A killer intent! Just like your little darling, who would drag someone into hell even if he had to burn himself to ashes countless times. Only such deep-seated hatred can make you surpass Asura."
The old man shrugged his shoulders: "Do you have it?"
"No," Qin Qianbai replied, "After all, he’s my uncle; I can’t conjure a killer instinct against him."
"Then you’ve finally hit your limits yourself," the champion laughed gleefully, "As an elder, here’s my advice: if you can’t win by force, use your clever little brain to think of another way."
"Is there really a way to win without being able to defeat?"
"How would I know? I’ve always won by beating!"
The old TV was turned off by the other side, and the union champion left in a carefree manner. This irresponsible guy managed to maintain the aura of a life coach even after spouting nonsense, no wonder he could stay secure in the presidency.
Qin Qianbai stood in the snow with the blade. She thought of the most commonly used foolish method but couldn’t come up with a good idea. Instead, she let her mind go blank, gazing at the snow-covered Divine Capital City.
In a daze, she remembered a morning thirteen years ago when Qin Ming stood alone in the courtyard, with snowflakes falling on his blue clothes. He stood alone in a pure white world, looking very cold and lonely.
