Facing the world-shaking sword that was about to pierce his Sea of Spiritual Consciousness, Honored One Jia Huming did not panic.
Instead, he immediately extracted his Spiritual Soul from his consciousness sea.
As long as his Spiritual Soul remained, he hadn’t lost!
The Spiritual Soul, carrying most of Jia Huming’s Cultivation Base, left his body and fled toward the sky with all its might.
He shouted, “Your Majesty, save me!”
The Spiritual Soul flew extremely fast, far exceeding the speed of a Cultivator in physical form.
In the blink of an eye, Jia Huming approached the clouds.
Unfortunately, before he could wait for rescue from the Great Sima Nation, his Spiritual Soul suddenly froze, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.
He watched helplessly as the sky grew further away, and his Spiritual Soul flew backward toward where it had come from, out of his control.
He turned his head and saw Jiang Ke’er holding the Gourd, its mouth pointed right at him.
From inside the Gourd’s mouth, Jia Huming could see the crimson Fire of Sin. Just a single glance made his entire Spiritual Soul tremble with terror.
He didn’t know what kind of things were stored in that Gourd, but he would rather die than be touched by even a spark of that fire! Instinct told him that once he entered that Gourd, his existence would truly be worse than death!
Unfortunately, that was not for him to decide.
No one could escape the judgment of the Yama Kings. This was a trial that every living being must go through. The Wheel of Reincarnation was gone, but the Queen of the Earth remained.
“No, no, please… Your Majesty, save me! Help! Don’t…”
The Spiritual Soul slowly sank into the Gourd. Jia Huming begged piteously; he could already feel the scorching temperature inside.
Jiang Ke’er looked at him coldly and asked, “If I had begged for mercy back then, would you have spared me?”
Jia Huming froze for a moment.
“I would! I definitely would have spared you! Please, just let me go!” He wailed with snot and tears streaming down his face.
“Too fake.”
Jiang Ke’er shook her head and pulled the last trace of Jia Huming’s Divine Sense into the Hell Gourd, then plugged it shut.
She had thought a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard would have some spine, or at least be able to die quietly and firmly…
Perhaps the fear that Avici Hell brought to a Spiritual Soul was too overwhelming.
Even a battle-hardened man like Jia Huming couldn’t maintain any dignity.
Re-hanging the Gourd, Jiang Ke’er looked up at the sky. “We won. It’s time to send us back.”
This was the most miserable moment of Emperor Jing’s life.
He cared about his reputation more than anything.
He hoped to be known as a wise ruler for all eternity, leaving a legacy for 100 generations. Nothing pained him more than seeing his reputation tarnished.
But this time, Jiang Ke’er had smashed his reputation to pieces.
Even the public image he had spent a lifetime building through his achievements was not enough to offset the damage done today.
“Heh.”
Looking at Si Lian nearby, Emperor Jing gave a cold laugh. “Shut down the Celestial Monitoring Instrument.”
The official nearby responsible for controlling the Celestial Monitoring Instrument opened his mouth in shock.
Terrified, he said, “If we shut down the Celestial Monitoring Instrument, they will never be able to return… Their inability to return is a small matter, but your reputation…”
“What use do I have for a reputation anymore?” Emperor Jing strode to the official’s side, snatched the control Jade Crystal from his hand, and smashed it viciously onto the ground with a loud crack!
As the Jade Crystal shattered, the illusion of the Different Space in the sky instantly vanished, returning to the blue sky of Shenzhou… The passage was closed.
Si Lian reached out her hand, feeling the strength drain from her body. The hope that had just been ignited was extinguished in an instant.
“Open the passage.” Yiqin stepped forward to protect Si Lian. She looked at Emperor Jing and said coldly, “Let them come back.”
“How dare you! To speak to the Supreme Emperor with such disrespect, does your Taiming Sect intend to rebel?” Several members of the Imperial Guard immediately drew their swords and pointed them at Yiqin.
“My Taiming Sect has no intention of rebelling,” Yiqin said, struggling to suppress her anger.
“But you just shut my little Disciple outside. If you don’t let her back… then what if we do rebel?”
Emperor Jing narrowed his eyes, looking at the woman before him with murderous intent.
He said icily, “Yiqin, you have a lot of nerve.”
“A Sect is a place for mutual support. If I cannot protect a Disciple of my Sect, what point is there to its existence?” Yiqin raised her Peach Blossom Staff.
Emperor Jing looked at her mockingly.
“Unfortunately, you are merely a Medical Cultivator… Men! Do it! Apprehend them all!”
Boom—
Yiqin suddenly raised her hand and slammed the Peach Blossom Staff heavily into the ground.
The Spiritual Power aura of a peak Honored One swept across the entire field like a tidal wave!
Watching the ground split apart in an instant, with lava faintly erupting from the viewing area, everyone around widened their eyes.
They stared at the Medical Cultivator Yiqin in stunned silence.
Damn! Since when did a Medical Cultivator have such terrifying destructive power?
This didn’t feel like a fantasy world at all!
For tens of thousands of years, Medical Cultivators had always been those who benefited others but were weak and powerless themselves.
They were targets for bullying who had to rely on the strong to survive! But… the rules seemed to have completely collapsed with Yiqin!
Even more terrifying, as Yiqin made her move, all the Medical Cultivator Disciples from Lingyin Valley beside her drew their swords and weapons.
Amidst the fragrant scent and dancing elegance, they were filled with a sharp, murderous edge! They didn’t look like people who would let themselves be slaughtered at all!
Yiqin met Emperor Jing’s gaze without a hint of fear.
She said coldly, “I will say it once more. Qing Yi is a Disciple of my Lingyin Valley, and the other members of the Bagpipe Squad are also Disciples of my Taiming Sect. If you continue to be stubborn and refuse to let them return… you are forcing the Taiming Sect to join the side of the Demon Race.”
Emperor Jing laughed.
He laughed maniacally, no longer needing to care about his image.
He said, “Pardon my bluntness, but what kind of thing is your Taiming Sect? In the vast lands of Shenzhou, there are eighty or even 100 Sects stronger than yours. Rebellion? Are you even worthy?”
“We aren’t worthy, unless you want the medical level of Shenzhou to regress by 8,000 years.”
Facing the encirclement of Emperor Jing’s guards, Yiqin and the surrounding Disciples of Lingyin Valley did not retreat a single step, keeping Si Lian protected in the center.
“Get out! Shenzhou has no need for Medical Cultivators!” Emperor Jing roared in fury.
“You said it yourself.” Yiqin looked at Emperor Jing with pity, as if she were looking at a fool rather than the ruler of a nation.
The moment Emperor Jing spoke, even the last trace of her respect for imperial power vanished…
She only felt that the man before her was an ignorant madman.
“Get out.”
Emperor Jing spoke coldly again. “While I still don’t want to kill you, you may leave.”
Seeing that Emperor Jing was completely stubborn and that no amount of words would make him release Jiang Ke’er, Yiqin felt a sense of powerlessness.
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t!” The official in charge of the Celestial Monitoring Instrument hurriedly leaned into Emperor Jing’s ear in a panic and whispered,
“The Celestial Monitoring Instrument was just completed, and the previous waves of scouts who returned from the Different Space are all suffering from severe illnesses of unknown origin. Even the few Danxiu who were treating them have been infected… To offend the largest Medical Cultivator Sect in Shenzhou at such a critical moment is truly unwise!”
*Slap!*
Emperor Jing slapped the official’s face hard. He laughed with disdain and madness.
“If the Medical Cultivators are gone, aren’t there still Danxiu? My Great Sima Nation is full of talent. Would the fate of our national affairs be swayed by a few mere Medical Cultivators? What a joke!”
“From this day forward, I will erase Medical Cultivators from the history of Shenzhou!”