Chapter 157: Esdeath's Departure and the Final Battle-Infinite Immortal(His given name was Qi, and his courtesy name was Fangyuan.)

"I am taking away my bloodline. She is my child."

The domineering voice, reminiscent of Esdeath's, was unapologetically self-willed and brooked no compromise.

"Sigh—then we must fight. Meiling, I leave this to you. If you cannot match them, I will teleport you away."

Qi's body tensed; the moment he sensed the situation was beyond hope, he would decisively use Shan, the Dimension Formation, to make a hasty escape.

"Wait." Esdeath stopped Qi's movement. "If I go with you, will I become stronger?"

Her gaze seemed to lock directly onto the Super Danger Beast.

"Naturally, my child. Right now, you rely entirely on your own manipulation of ice. As long as you truly master the power of your bloodline, you will be at least ten times stronger than you are now," the Super Danger Beast said with absolute confidence, much like Esdeath's own habitual self-assurance.

Esdeath smiled with satisfaction.

"How very interesting. Then how long will it take for me to return?"

She fixed her eyes on Qi, but Qi dared not meet her burning gaze.

"Return for what? Cultivate alongside me, and I will lead you to break through this world and enter a far vaster realm. That is the place that suits us."

"I have fallen in love with him, hopelessly so. If I cannot return within three years, I am not going," Esdeath said firmly.

Even as she uttered words of confession, she showed not a trace of bashfulness.

Yet Qi was left burning with awkward embarrassment; this was hardly the first time Esdeath had confessed her love publicly.

"Him? Once you inherit my bloodline, your lifespan will no longer be comparable to that of mere humans. A hundred years from now, he will turn to dust, while the deeper your love, the greater your agony. A short pain is better than a long one. Leaving now is the wisest choice."

The Super Danger Beast fixed its gaze upon Qi. Already burdened with immense pressure, Qi now found the situation utterly excruciating.

"That is my affair. I only ask you this: can I return within three years?"

Esdeath pulled Qi into a tight embrace, shielding him from the beast's line of sight.

"That depends entirely on your talent! In the ancestral memories of our Slaughter Turtle clan, even the youngest to truly master their own bloodline were over a hundred years old. How long do you suppose it will take you?"

"Hmph... Who do you think you are speaking to? I, Esdeath, am not someone ordinary mortals can compare to. Three years means three years. Kai Tian, three years from now I will come to defeat you, and do not forget our agreement when that time arrives."

Showing her most beautiful and confident smile, Esdeath let go of Qi and leaped toward the Super Danger Beast.

"As expected of one capable of integrating the bloodline of my Slaughter Turtle clan. My child, I believe you can do it."

Glancing briefly at Hong Meiling, the Super Danger Beast caught Esdeath, turned, and departed, lacking even the slightest inclination to spare Qi another look.

***

"Three years from now, if I do not see you, a crazed me might just destroy this world, including Night Raid. So do not attempt to hide from me, do not leave, and above all, do not let me hear news of your death."

The voice carried far; even a thousand zhang away, Qi could clearly hear every single word.

Since Esdeath had chosen this path, he, as an outsider, naturally had no right to interfere. However, expecting him to wait in this world for three years was entirely out of the question. He only hoped that upon his return, this world would not be left in complete ruins.

"There goes one of my sparring partners. Good guy Qi, I'm hungry."

Hong Meiling clutched her stomach and looked at him with pleading eyes. To her, Esdeath's departure merely meant the loss of an inconsequential opponent.

***

"Your Majesty, Xiseikan and the Horn Fortress have both fallen. The Imperial Capital is completely surrounded."

A soldier reported the direst of news.

"How can this be? I clearly contacted the various prefects in the south beforehand and made them promises; they agreed to help me fend off the advance of the Revolutionary Army. Why has it still come to this end?"

The young Emperor muttered to himself, his expression turning panicked.

"General Bude is missing, and now General Esdeath has gone missing as well. How are we supposed to fend off the enemy's attack?"

"The legendary ultimate Teigu will surely annihilate all enemies. I trust Your Majesty has made preparations long ago."

"Why haven't we seen the Prime Minister lately? In such a moment of crisis, where on earth has he run off to?"

***

Watching the chaotic, completely undisciplined senior officials bickering below, the young Emperor could not help but sigh.

"What are you sighing for? After dragging things out for so long, we meet again."

Suddenly, a voice cut through the clamor, plunging the noisy imperial court into absolute silence.

The young Emperor immediately stood up. "You're the fellow who fought his way right up to me last time."

Qi walked in through the main gates with a smile. "With no Bude to block me, I come and go through the Imperial Capital as I please. With no Esdeath in the city, I am invincible and unchecked. Though I don't know your exact identity, you have no chance of turning the tables now."

"Hmph, that remains to be seen. I still have my final trump card unused; even against you, I am certain I can send you to your grave."

The young Emperor sat back down on his throne, looking down from on high at Qi below.

A diamond flying dagger had already shot right toward the young Emperor, who only reacted after the blade was deflected away.

With an annoyed, cold laugh, he sneered, "Spare yourself the useless attacks. Having activated the ultimate Teigu, I cannot be struck by external assaults."

"Tch, it really exists? What a troublesome fellow. Can't you just obediently die and serve the people?" Qi curled his lip.

"It's called the ultimate Teigu, but I wonder if it's even more formidable than Esdeath's ice manipulation."

"Meiling, come and meet an old friend." Qi called out toward the outside.

With a crash, a large hole was smashed through the roof, and Hong Meiling descended lightly to the ground.

"You really did hoodwink her away, didn't you? I actually thought you wouldn't even know her."

The young Emperor gritted his teeth, his expression contorted with bitter hatred.

"Enough idle chatter. Meiling, the battle is about to begin."

"I am the Emperor of the Empire! Descend, power of the supreme!" the young Emperor shouted loudly.

Immediately, the entire imperial capital began to shake and collapse.

"Let's head outside first."

Breaching the roof, Qi took Hong Meiling and flew up into the air.

Down below in the capital, an unimaginably colossal figure slowly straightened up to a height of five hundred meters. Even the Revolutionary Army stationed outside the Imperial Capital could now see its towering form.

"This is the power of a god. Accept the judgment of the gods!"

The young Emperor's voice echoed mightily across the land, followed without the slightest warning by an immediate strike.

A thick, blindingly red beam of light swept across in a straight line, as fast as a laser. Caught in its path with no time to react, Qi and Hong Meiling were instantly engulfed by it.

As the beam dissipated, Qi appeared in the air, holding a diamond shield aloft. He glanced toward where Hong Meiling had been.

She was nowhere to be seen. Qi froze for a moment, scanning his surroundings, but could not spot her figure. Given her strength, it was utterly impossible for her to be completely obliterated by a single attack; he would sooner believe the reverse.

Yet the reality was that Hong Meiling had genuinely vanished without a trace beneath that beam of light. With a dark expression, Qi demanded, "Did you pull some trick?"