Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 703 - 352 Xu Fu
The decrepit old man, who seemed on the verge of death, simply caught the incoming treasured sword between two fingers. Despite the samurai's effort to wrest the sword free, he found those two aged fingers possessed the strength of a thousand catties, leaving the sword completely immobile.
The samurai sensed trouble, for this elder was actually a hidden master. Just then, the old man slightly moved his fingers, and the treasured sword immediately snapped in two, the tip flying backwards to slice the samurai's throat, blood gushing forth and quickly staining the room red.
The surrounding eunuchs, terrified by the bloody spectacle before them, screamed wretchedly and started running about like headless flies, only to discover an invisible barrier had somehow appeared, preventing them from leaving the room now awash in blood, regardless of how desperately they tried.
"Who exactly are you?" the Emperor asked, clutching his chest. The power of the sealed space was beyond his comprehension; it was no mere mortal's power.
"Who am I?" The old man suddenly showed a wistful expression, as if the question had triggered distant memories.
"Many years ago, I was known as Xu Fu," the old man said fondly, a name he hadn't used in many years.
"Xu Fu! Impossible, how could you possibly be Xu Fu." The Emperor cried out in terror, the name representing a nightmare within the Imperial Family. Countless years ago, the transition of The Dynasty and the propagation of the Imperial Family's heirs were all under the control of this demon-like figure.
The Imperial Family, no longer able to tolerate it, fought back, and after joining forces with all the powerful Onmyojis in the country, they successfully killed the shadow that had hung over their heads. This event, which had occurred nearly five hundred years ago, had long since become a tale passed down through generations.
"Heh, had it not been for me, your family wouldn't have survived to this day. But as the saying goes, 'persistence pays off.' I've finally waited until this day," Xu Fu said with a malicious grin on his aged face, looking at the Emperor as if he were a lamb awaiting slaughter.
That look instilled fear and humiliation in the ambitious Emperor, who gritted his teeth and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Xu Fu stared intently at the Emperor's body as if admiring a magnificent work of art. Upon hearing his question, he answered obliquely, "Want to know why your body has turned out like this?"
"It's your bloodline that is calling out, and it's the culmination of my many years of meticulous planning. For this day, I feigned death and have been lurking in the Imperial Palace. Your laughable ancestor actually used the bloodline as a threat against me, foolishly forgetting that without me, your family would have been nothing more than barbarians who ate their meat raw. It was I who brought you civilization and hope,"
"I bestowed upon you the world's most noble bloodline, allowing you to claim high status and call yourselves Emperors. And now it is time for you to repay me." The old man, smiling, moved closer to the Emperor, like an old dragon ready to harvest the ripe fruit.
The old man's hand slowly reached for the Emperor's forehead. The intense pain caused the inherently stoic Emperor to let out a piteous cry, but it was all in vain. Under the power of Xu Fu, the blood inside his body uncontrollably flowed from his orifices, gathering in Xu Fu's hand and gradually coalescing into a ruby, radiating with an eerie power.
"After all these years, only this much of the bloodline has been purified, damn it!" The old man cursed under his breath, unconcerned with the Emperor who now lay dying on the ground.
This Emperor, full of grand ambitions and ready to lead his nation to new heights through his efforts, could only watch helplessly as his blood was stolen. He knew that death was imminent, his heart filled with insurmountable regret and anger. He tried hard to keep his blood-filled eyes open, glaring fiercely at the gradually blurring figure.
"I will transform into a Ferocious Ghost, tear your body apart, and devour your soul so that you will never recover," the Emperor whispered the curse softly.
"You? Even if you became a Ferocious Ghost, it would merely mean I'd have to kill you once more, what a frog in a well," Xu Fu heard the emperor's soft murmur but disdainfully said that the so-called Ferocious Ghosts could only scare timid mortals. Should any of those ghosts fall into his hands, he had plenty of methods to deal with them.
As he spoke, the Emperor had already closed his eyes, never to make a sound again.
Xu Fu didn't care about the Emperor's death, to him, it was as if he had crushed an ant, utterly insignificant and unable to stir any emotion within him.
He closely examined the Ruby in his hands, the gemstone formed from congealed blood was crystal clear and emitted a red glow. If not for the blood-stained and eerie setting, it would have been an exquisitely beautiful piece of jewelry.
"Still not enough!" Xu Fu murmured softly to himself; the power from the bloodline contained within wasn't enough to open the gates to the Mausoleum, but he had been prepared for this day for far too long.
Xu Fu began to chant the Spell, holding the Ruby in his hand. As the Spell steadily spilled from his mouth, the luminance from the Ruby grew increasingly bright. Right after, it felt as though a powerful whirlwind had arisen within the entire Royal City, sweeping through the metropolis with an undetermined force. novelbuddy.cσ๓
The progeny of the Imperial Family had spread throughout the city over the years, many living indulgent and oblivious lives thanks to the grace of their ancestors. This was because, to threaten Xu Fu, a certain ancestor who opposed him chose to cut off his lineage. Once the news of Xu Fu's supposed death had spread, the surviving Imperial Family members prioritized propagation above all else.
Of course, this was something Xu Fu was pleased to see; otherwise, he would not have staged a feigned death so masterfully, and now the time had come for him to reap what he had sown.
In an instant, screams filled every corner of the city. Under the influence of this mysterious power, the blood from those of Imperial lineage uncontrollably began to leave their bodies.
Countless streams of blood converged toward the Imperial Palace, gradually flowing into the Ruby in Xu Fu's hands, making the already dazzling gemstone even more brilliant and eye-catching.
The once prosperous Capital City was instantaneously transformed into a deserted realm of horror, filled with the dead. Each had been drained of their blood, their faces twisted grotesquely as they lay on the ground. Just a second earlier, they were the descendants of the exalted Imperial Family; the next, they turned into terrifying corpses, silently resting in pools of their own blood, such was the fickleness of fate.
Xu Fu looked at the gemstone in his hand with satisfaction, feeling the power of the bloodline contained within, the power very familiar to him, prompting him to recall that once paramount Emperor.
"More than a thousand years, Your Majesty!" Xu Fu murmured to himself.
He looked up toward the sky; with the connection of the bloodline, it was as if he saw the Mausoleum that was hidden in a small world.
