Chapter 123: Emperor Liu Xie
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Outside Weiyang Palace.
The Xiliang troops had been completely annihilated, yet not a single person on the Han side could bring themselves to smile.
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan silently returned to the ranks of the assembled ministers. The private soldiers of their three factions also dispersed to either side, leaving the center of the formation to the Imperial Feathered Forest Guards.
They were preserving their strength.
The movements of Cao, Liu, and Sun drew strange looks from many of the old ministers.
In the end, however, no one condemned them.
After all, the battle was not over.
Dong Zhuo was more powerful and terrifying than ever, and the Han Dynasty was more in need of unity than at any time before.
“Liu Xie!”
“I will give you one chance!”
“Abdicate, and I will guarantee you wealth and honor for the rest of your life.”
“As for the civil and military officials—anyone willing to pledge allegiance to me will be forgiven for all past offenses!”
Dong Zhuo’s voice boomed like a war drum, shaking the hearts of all who heard it.
Liu Xie said nothing. He merely stared at Dong Zhuo in silence.
Nor did any of the Han officials behind him step forward to pledge allegiance to Dong Zhuo.
Liu Xie held the First Emperor’s Sword level before him, while the Twelve Golden Men stood at the very front.
“Have you got nothing new?” Dong Zhuo sneered.
He raised his hand and slashed out with one claw. His sharp fingernails had already grown more than a dozen meters long!
The Twelve Golden Men were his target.
Clang!
The shrill sound of metal striking stone rang out.
The Twelve Golden Men took the blow head-on. Their bodies, far tougher than flesh, were nevertheless torn open by a savage gash.
The Golden Man that suffered the heaviest damage was nearly ripped in two.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Dong Zhuo was thoroughly pleased with the result.
He grinned ferociously. “Perhaps I do not need to change the dynasty at all. If I devour the entire Han Dynasty, I may even ascend to immortality on the spot!”
Liu Xie said in a low voice, “Would the immortal realms ever tolerate an evil fiend like you?”
A mass of thunderclouds suddenly gathered in the sky. The imperial robes upon Liu Xie’s body snapped wildly in the fierce wind.
He raised his sword toward the heavens, and the thunderclouds immediately answered with a deafening roar.
The heavens were actually responding to the Han Emperor?
Watching the scene, Fan Li exclaimed in surprise, “Could it be that technique?”
He recalled the ultimate move Liu Xie had failed to unleash in Lu City.
A bolt of lightning descended from the thunderclouds and struck the blade of the First Emperor’s Sword. The weapon seemed wrapped in a garment of lightning, while Liu Xie himself remained completely unharmed.
At that moment, the tiny Liu Xie shone even more brilliantly than the giant-like Dong Zhuo!
“Myriad Thunder True Dragon Slash!”
With a furious roar, Liu Xie leaped into the air and struck at Dong Zhuo.
He was as small as a moth flying into a flame, yet he carried an aura as heavy as a mountain.
“If your imperial father had successfully used this technique, could he have killed Dong Zhuo?” Fan Li asked softly.
Princess Changle furrowed her brows but did not answer.
The answer was revealed soon enough.
Liu Xie successfully unleashed the Myriad Thunder True Dragon Slash!
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Using the First Emperor’s Sword as a conduit, ten thousand bolts of lightning descended from the firmament. They gathered into the sword intent of a dragon and crashed down upon Dong Zhuo’s enormous, cumbersome body.
Dong Zhuo let out a terrible howl!
A great deal of black energy poured from the wound, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.
Dong Zhuo’s massive body swayed, but he remained standing.
“Is that thing even human anymore?” Fan Li asked in astonishment.
The power of the Myriad Thunder True Dragon Slash surpassed even Fan Li’s imagination.
This was Liu Xie’s strongest attack, yet it had merely wounded Dong Zhuo?
Princess Changle slowly shook her head.
Dong Zhuo had probably ceased to be human.
“Even an insect dares struggle at the brink of death!” Dong Zhuo roared in pain as he counterattacked.
He spat out a huge mass of black energy, which surged toward the Han Emperor.
Liu Xie tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
By taking the initiative and confronting Dong Zhuo, he had drawn too close—close enough to throw himself into a trap.
In the blink of an eye, Liu Xie was swallowed by the black energy, and no one could tell whether he was alive or dead.
“Your Majesty!”
“Protect the Emperor!”
The old Han ministers cried out in alarm, but none of them could do anything.
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan wore grave expressions. Their fortunes were bound together in this battle, and none of them wished to see the Han Emperor die.
Yet before the three could make a move, a figure burst from the black energy and staggered back into their ranks.
It was Liu Xie.
Using the First Emperor’s Sword to force open a path, he had barely managed to escape alive.
“His Majesty is back!”
“His Majesty is truly mighty… Ah!?”
The old ministers were just about to praise him when they saw how wretched the Han Emperor looked.
The Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Robe was riddled with holes. His arms and lower legs were exposed, covered in countless hideous wounds.
Every patch of injured flesh looked as though it had been gnawed upon, or scarred by fire.
“Your Majesty, your imperial countenance!” The old minister Lu Zhi cried out in shock.
Liu Xie’s appearance had once been extraordinary.
He had possessed a dignified bearing, handsome features, and an air of refined elegance.
But now, the entire right half of his face seemed to have been torn open, exposing the bones and muscles beneath, with blood continuously seeping from the wounds.
“It really… hurts,” Liu Xie said slowly, almost as if mocking himself.
“It hurts so much that I am nearly crying…”
The old ministers were stunned. They could not understand why their Emperor would say such dispiriting words.
Yet Liu Xie continued, “I was weak from childhood. I feared pain, feared powerful ministers, and feared death…”
“Your Majesty!”
Lu Zhi dropped heavily to both knees and repeatedly struck his forehead against the ground.
“It is all because we are incompetent, unable to protect Your Majesty. I deserve death ten thousand times over!”
Liu Xie merely shook his head.
He gazed at Lu Zhi and the other old ministers with extraordinary gentleness. Even when his eyes passed over Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, they remained gentle.
“Only today have I realized…”
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“That after the pain passes, it can still be endured.”
“Now, I am no longer so afraid of pain.”
With that, he forced a faint smile at his loyal ministers.
Even so, Liu Xie’s smile was almost impossible to look upon in his present state.
“Dong Zhuo.” Liu Xie raised his head and looked at his gigantic foe. “I can still fight. Shall we continue?”
Dong Zhuo did not answer.
His bloodshot eyes glared viciously at Liu Xie.
Yet beneath the viciousness, there was also a trace of hesitation.
Everything taking place within Chang’an was visible even in the imperial palace of the Great Ming.
There was no longer any sign of Dong Zhuo’s gigantic body in the eyes of the Jiajing Emperor.
He saw only Liu Xie.
“Dong Zhuo, why have you not attacked? Are you afraid as well?” Liu Xie gripped the First Emperor’s Sword and took a step forward.
“Afraid?”
Dong Zhuo seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world.
“You are indeed tenacious! More tenacious than I imagined!”
“But I can become even stronger!”
“As long as I devour everyone in Chang’an, along with the ministers behind you…”
He stopped before finishing the sentence.
Because the Han Emperor, Liu Xie, was shaking his head at Dong Zhuo.
“I forbid it.”
“What did you say?” Dong Zhuo snarled. “You forbid it? What gives you the right? With your pitiful cultivation, how could you possibly have the qualifications to stop me?”
Liu Xie did not grow angry. Instead, an expression of complete sincerity appeared on his face.
“Because I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Han, and it is my duty to protect the people and subjects of the Great Han. Therefore, I forbid it.”
“This is my… destiny as the Son of Heaven.”
At that moment, Liu Xie’s mind had never been clearer.
It was as though he had suddenly understood countless truths and grasped the meaning of life.
Above all, he had finally understood the meaning of those two words:
Son of Heaven.
Liu Xie took another step forward.
Countless strands of white light gathered toward him from Chang’an and even from throughout the territory of the Great Han.
The white radiance drifted like silk and down.
Liu Xie did not notice it, but he could feel his body growing lighter and his strength growing greater.
Even each step he took seemed to carry him farther than the one before.
When Liu Xie finally stopped before Dong Zhuo, he discovered in astonishment that he was looking directly into Dong Zhuo’s eyes.
Within Chang’an, another gigantic figure had appeared.
And in the imperial palace of the Great Ming, the voice of the Jiajing Emperor echoed forth.
“Han Emperor Liu Xie, you are now worthy of calling yourself the Son of Heaven…”
End of Chapter