Volume 8: The Jianghu Chapter 381 The Last Son
Hearing these words, the emperor gnashed his teeth in hatred. He was so angry that blood rushed to his throat. He screamed, "You... who are you?"
The mysterious man thought it over again and again, hesitated for a moment, and then said calmly as if he had just made up his mind: "I am just a nobody, Wu Ming."
The emperor struggled to get up, but he was hit by a surging force like a tidal wave. He was immediately severely injured and fell to the ground helplessly.
At this time, the attendant took out a box from somewhere, walked up to the emperor with a smile, and took out the things inside.
It was a pitch-black iron shell, hollow inside, as big as a head, with several holes on it, corresponding to the eyes, nose, and mouth. There was also a spring on one side for opening and closing.
Before the emperor could resist, the iron shell was already put on his head.
The emperor's face was ashen, and he cursed with his last remaining strength: "You traitors...you will not die a good death..."
Wu Ming said softly, "Don't worry, I won't kill you... You all can go down as well, and take him with you."
"yes!"
Upon hearing this, all the ministers and officials in the hall jumped into action, their figures moving like ghosts. In just a few blinks of an eye, they all disappeared into the night and disappeared without a trace.
The attendant asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, why not kill him? Otherwise, it will be a hazard sooner or later."
Wu Ming seemed quite satisfied with the title of "Emperor" and said gently, "There's no need to rush. This person still has value."
Finally, Wu Ming changed the subject and said thoughtfully, "Are you saying that the Tianxia Alliance has disappeared?"
"Indeed." The attendant did not dare to neglect the matter and quickly responded, "Except for Peacock Villa and Xue Family Manor, all the elite disciples of the Tianxia Alliance disappeared within a few days. No trace has been found."
Wu Ming sat lazily on the dragon chair, propping himself up and asking curiously, "Where are all these people going?"
The attendant's eyes rolled. "Perhaps he has retreated into the city, or hidden in the mountains, or perhaps he has already left the Central Plains martial arts world."
Wu Ming's eyes flickered. "Are you talking about the Jinpeng Dynasty?"
The attendant nodded and said, "After all, another member of the Shangguan family took the remnants of the Money Gang to the Jinpeng Dynasty. No one knows what that person has been doing for so many years."
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the palace, "The Jinpeng Dynasty has been controlled by Shangguan Xian'er."
"oh?"
Wu Ming raised his eyelids and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a young man who looked mature at the bottom of the stairs, carrying a sword and a knife, walking into the room.
The man walked into the hall, knelt on one knee, lowered his brows and said, "Dugu Yihe greets the emperor!"
The attendant laughed and said, "Your Majesty, this is an old official of the Jinpeng Dynasty, and also one of our recruited spies."
Wu Ming said with a half-smile, "So, does Li Muchan have ambitions to rule the world?"
Dugu Yihe said meaningfully, "A few days ago, I saw a young man on the bank of the Yangtze River. He is the heir of the Tianji Stick and Mingyu Gong."
Seeing that his words were full of hidden meaning, Wu Ming pondered and said, "Go on."
Dugu Yihe took a deep breath, his eyes flickering, and he spoke in a strange, hoarse voice, "Half a year ago, I received a letter from outside the Central Plains. It contained a portrait of a person."
Wu Ming seemed to be interested. "Whose portrait?"
Dugu Yihe raised his head and said in a quiet voice, "A portrait of a young man from the Jinpeng Dynasty."
Upon hearing this answer, Wu Ming didn't rush to ask further questions. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and after a few moments of contemplation, his expression gradually changed. "Could it be that the portrait is related to the young man you saw by the river?"
Dugu Yihe whispered, "I don't know... but I always feel that the two of them are somewhat similar, very similar."
The attendant was somewhat confused and asked doubtfully, "Could that young man by the river be Li Muchan's son? But that painting...hiss..."
Suddenly, this person seemed to have a sudden realization. He shuddered and stared at Dugu Yihe intently. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Who is that painting...?"
Dugu Yihe's voice was trembling. "He is the current crown prince of the Jinpeng Dynasty."
In an instant, the Fengtian Hall was dead silent, with only the flickering flames of the lamps illuminating the three faces in an especially strange way.
Wu Ming couldn't help but take a deep breath at this moment. His expression became particularly stiff, neither crying nor laughing, neither happy nor angry, just like a clay statue.
After a long moment, the attendant swallowed hard and said cautiously, "One is Li Xiyi, and the other is Shangguan Shisan. Could it be that Li Muchan has a third son? I only know that he has a daughter who has yet to show up."
Wu Ming asked, "Who gave birth to Li Muchan's daughter?"
The attendant quickly responded, "It is said that it is Pharmacist Li's child."
Upon hearing this, Wu Ming closed his eyes and pondered for a full half cup of tea before he spoke slowly, "I remember that Miaojiang Gu magic uses the body as a cauldron. Pharmacist Li is not only proficient in the art of controlling Gu, but also adept at using the world's most unusual poisons. Such a person..."
Wu Ming stopped talking at that point and did not continue.
But the attendant's face was distorted and his body was trembling. He asked in fear, "Li Muchan has another child?"
Whether it is witchcraft or strange poison, if you want to fully control it, you must pay a price, not to mention practicing both at the same time.
Someone like Pharmacist Li is probably the most poisonous person in the world.
Such a person, a woman, would probably be different from ordinary women.
Can she give birth to children?
If Li Muchan's daughter was not born to Li Yaoshi, then she could only be Shangguan Xiaoxian's biological daughter.
In addition, the Shangguan family has always had twins from the same mother, so what if this time is no exception?
Therefore, there is a very scary and frightening possibility, that is, Li Muchan not only has a daughter who has never appeared, but also a son who is hidden.
Although this was just their guess, it was enough to make people's hearts tremble and their scalps tingle.
Because Li Muchan's last son is actually the crown prince of a country and has become the heir to the throne, which is no ordinary thing.
Compared with the Zhu family's empire, the Jinpeng Dynasty is naturally nothing, even insignificant. But if there is another Li Muchan behind the Jinpeng Dynasty, it will be able to dominate the north and look down on the world.
But now, Li Muchan's son has become the crown prince of the Jinpeng Dynasty, and the situation is very different.
The Tianxia Alliance belongs to Li Muchan, the Jinpeng Dynasty also belongs to Li Muchan, and it is very likely that his Li family will have an emperor in the near future.
If this is true, will he be able to rule the Central Plains?
Wu Ming stood up, his eyes filled with wonder. "It seems Li Muchan has been planning this for a long time. He's been waiting for an opportunity, waiting for a major upheaval in the martial arts world. Whether it's the emperor, me, or even someone else, as long as someone can stir up a catastrophe and attempt to challenge the Tianxia Alliance, he can take this step with justification."
"This move is brilliant!" Wu Ming laughed like a madman, "You can advance or retreat. It's both a backup plan and a killer move. If you retreat, you can leave a way out for the Tianxia Alliance; if you advance, the world will change hands and we'll march straight into the Central Plains."
However, after the laughter, Wu Ming suddenly seemed to realize something, jumped up, and rushed out of the hall.
But as soon as he stepped out of Fengtian Hall, his eyes suddenly widened, and the two people who were chasing him were also stunned where they were, their hands and feet cold, and their eyes full of horror.
The moonlight is like water, illuminating the earth.
By the moonlight, the three of them saw that in the open space in front of the palace, all the officials and ministers were standing motionless, like clay sculptures or wooden carvings standing in the night wind.
These people had already lost their breath and lost their lives silently.
Moreover, the emperor was missing.
Dugu Yihe was terrified and drew his sword as if facing a powerful enemy.
The attendant's face was also pale, and his eyes were full of despair.
There is only one possibility for such a mysterious and incredible method, and that is Li Muchan's arrival.
Facing this eternally undefeated martial arts legend, no one could remain unmoved and shocked.
"I know." The attendant suddenly said in a trembling voice, "I know where the elite troops of the Tianxia Alliance have gone. They still have one place to go, which is... the capital."
The huge imperial city was unusually quiet at this moment, as silent as death.
At this moment, between the jade buildings, a black shadow suddenly appeared from under the moon, descended from the sky, and finally landed on the open field.
Suddenly, an eagle's cry was heard in the sky, soaring straight into the sky.
The person who came was none other than Huo Tianying.
Wu Ming frowned slightly, "Why are you here?"
Huo Tianying looked solemn and expressionless as he said, "I found traces of the Tianxia Alliance, and they all pointed to the capital, so I rushed here overnight."
Although the two of them sounded unfamiliar, it was clear that this was not the first time they met.
Wu Ming heaved a long sigh upon hearing this, "Oh no!"
Huo Tianying glanced at the ministers and officials in front of him and asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
Wu Ming shook his head. "It's too late."
The attendant said in a tone that was almost like a groan: "Even if only a small number of the elite troops of the Tianxia Alliance sneaked into the capital, it would be enough to kill them."
The Tianxia Alliance dominates the martial arts world of the thirteen provinces, claiming to have 150,000 members, encompassing all walks of life and spread across the country. If they truly intend to attack the capital, it would be a devastating disaster.
Huo Tianying also reacted, his expression instantly becoming ugly, "Could it be that you deliberately lured me here?"
Dugu Yihe was already dry-mouthed. He had never imagined that the power of a person and the influence of a gang could be so great, so great that it could change dynasties and turn the world upside down.
"What a clever escape! Now, all the forces in the martial arts world are busy fighting for the territory left by the Tianxia Alliance, but who could have imagined that this person would turn around and attack the capital? Not only did he catch us off guard, but once those martial arts forces have had enough, I'm afraid he'll be the fish on the chopping block too."
"He's already here."
"It's in the imperial city."
"Li Muchan!"
…
Several people looked around quickly.
"Bah!"
However, at this moment, in this terrifying oppression that made them almost draw their swords to commit suicide, the golden eagle on Huo Tianying's shoulder suddenly gleamed with a fierce light, its feathers stood up, and it stared at the Fengtian Hall behind everyone.
At the same time, a light cough was heard in the hall.
“Ahem…”
The cough frightened Dugu Yihe and the attendant so much that they almost cried out.
Without thinking, Wu Ming turned around and shot into the Fengtian Hall like an arrow.
Others followed closely behind.
The lights in the hall remained the same, but the expressions of several people had changed at the same time.
Especially Dugu Yihe and the attendant, their faces were ashen, their pupils were trembling wildly, and there were cold sweats on their foreheads, as if they had seen a ghost.
Under the light, one could see a person sitting motionless on the dragon throne.
It’s actually... the emperor.
The iron shell on his head was gone, and his eyes were burning with anger as he stared at the traitors below.
Looking at the fear and terror in these people's eyes, the emperor suddenly revealed a sneer of satisfaction on his face.
The attendant raised his voice and asked shrilly, "How...how did you escape?"
The emperor sneered repeatedly, his eyes showing anger and sadness, but more of it was murderous intent.
He didn't say anything, but suddenly countless footsteps were heard outside the Fengtian Palace, as dense as drumbeats, sonorous and powerful, as if a torrent was pouring in from the city gates.
The attendant looked back and was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground, his face pale.
But under the night sky, countless torches were held high, converging like a stream and appearing from all directions.
At the same time these people appeared, bloody heads were placed one by one in the open field.
Seeing this scene, Dugu Yihe and the attendant were immediately filled with despair, because these people were all masters who returned to the Central Plains from overseas with Wu Ming, and they were also the remnants of the forces under Zhu Da back then.
Now, they are all dead.
And he died without making any sound.
Wu Ming remained calm and said, "I am the Son of Heaven. Now that you have seen my presence, why don't you kneel down?"
But as soon as he said this, none of the imperial guards or soldiers from all directions moved.
The emperor's eyes struggled, as if he still held on to a last glimmer of hope. He shouted with all his strength, "Why don't you quickly execute these traitors? When will you do that?"
But strangely, no one responded.
At this moment, the emperor's expression was grim, and the last glimmer of hope in his eyes was extinguished. Then, with a hoarse voice and bloodshot eyes, he shouted outside the palace: "Didn't you say that you have no intention of ruling the country?"
"well!"
Suddenly, a sigh drifted in the night wind.
"That's right, I have no intention of ruling the world."
Under the bright moonlight, a figure appeared outside the Fengtian Palace.
The emperor asked angrily, "What are you doing now?"
The figure flashed by, like wind, fog, smoke and dust, as if falling from the sky. The moment he landed, his black clothes fluttered, and he turned into a man in black clothes and black hair, with a face as young as a teenager.
Li Muchan.
"I'm saving you."
He glanced at the furious emperor, then glanced at the several masters in the hall, and finally looked at the man who looked exactly like the emperor. He asked curiously, "Are you Wu Ming?"
Wu Ming said with a gentle smile, "Brother Li, it's been a long time since we last met. I hope you are doing well."
Li Muchan nodded slightly, looked him up and down, and said nothing more. Instead, he asked softly, "How confident are you?"
What are you sure about?
Of course, there is a certainty of winning him.
Wu Ming shook his head, "Less than 30%."
Li Muchan smiled, "30% is already a lot. In this vast world, if anyone can have a 10% chance of defeating me, they will be able to look down on the world and dominate the martial arts world."
If someone else said such words, it would probably be a great humiliation to them, but when they came out of Li Muchan's mouth, it seemed like a kind of honor.
Wu Ming's eyes suddenly fixed, "It seems you want to be the emperor?"
Li Muchan smiled faintly, his laughter was slightly crisp, as if he had never aged. "The Supreme Ruler? Is that precious? I said before, I have no intention of ruling the world."
"But," the smile in his eyes gradually faded, a few strands of white hair at his temples rose like white dragons, his eyelids drooped slightly, as if looking down from a great height, and he said lightly, "He can still be the emperor. I allow him to be the emperor!"
