Chapter 799
Zhu Chong 8: The Emperor is yours, and the world is yours too.
Ok?
Seeing that Zhu Chongba's slap hadn't landed, Chen Jie was stunned. They were already facing a life-or-death situation, so why were you holding back? Chen Jie had already prepared to take the full force of the storm, even though he was confident that he wouldn't die from Zhu Chongba's slap.
Because he was already prepared to squeeze out all the power in his body and activate the Yang Qiankun Great Technique to dodge the fatal blow from Zhu Chongba's palm strike.
However, doing so would drain the little essence and blood in his body. Even if he survived by chance, it would be delayed for an unknown period of time before he could advance further and enter the realm of a terrestrial immortal.
You might miss this promotion opportunity for the rest of your life.
This is the legendary saying that a small difference can lead to a huge difference. The difference between the fifth level of the Fusion God Realm and the Land Immortal Realm may seem like a thin sheet of paper, but in reality, the gap between them may be an insurmountable chasm.
However, Zhu Chongba stopped, hovering above Chen Jie's head without striking him.
"Zhu Chongba!"
Chen Jie looked at Zhu Chongba with a face full of astonishment, not understanding why he would do such a thing. Could he really hold back in a life-or-death struggle?
Zhu Chongba had already suffered internal injuries from Chen Jie's "Regretful Dragon" strike. Under the invasion of the palm force, his fragile spleen burst first, followed by his liver, which was shattered with countless cracks.
Liver blood gushed out along the cracks, the stomach was shattered, and the strong gastric acid inside flowed back into the abdomen, burning all the organs. With such injuries, even a god could not save Zhu Chongba.
"Zhu Chongba!"
Chen Jie didn't understand why Zhu Chongba was holding back. He tried to grab him, but saw that Zhu Chongba could no longer support his body.
He slowly fell down, like an empty sack of grain, slamming softly and without any cushioning onto the rocks.
He tried to brace himself with his hands, but his arms went limp halfway up. His fingers spasmed open, then curled up weakly, his nails scratching shallow white marks on the stone surface, before finally coming to rest.
His vision began to blur, and he knew he was about to die.
"Cough cough..."
A violent cough, accompanied by blood containing dark red fragments of internal organs, gushed uncontrollably from his mouth and nose, flowing down his chin, forming a small stream on the side of his neck, seeping into his collar, and staining the stone surface beneath him red. With each breath, his breath grew weaker, and his vision darkened.
"Zhu Chongba, you cannot die!"
Just as his consciousness was rapidly fading, suddenly a pair of hands pressed against his chest, and then a breath of life, like a gentle spring breeze, slowly entered his body.
Slowly, his vision cleared, and he saw Chen Jie lying in front of him, his hands pressed against his chest. Emerald green life force emerged from Chen Jie's body and flowed into his.
Chen Jiu Si tried to save him, but it was no use. His injuries were beyond saving, and Chen Jie was also on his deathbed. The little bit of life force he had managed to squeeze out could hardly save himself!
"Cough cough... Chen Jiu Si, don't waste your energy, you can't save me, cough cough..."
Zhu Chongba's chest heaved as he coughed and vomited blood incessantly.
Chen Jie looked at Zhu Chongba and said, "How will you know if you don't try?"
"So what are you after?"
Zhu Chongba spoke again: "We fought here to determine a winner and a loser, and now you want to save me? What are you after?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhu Chongba and said, "Then what are you after? Why didn't you strike with the last palm!"
As Chen Jie spoke, he continuously channeled the life force in his hands into his body.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba smiled wryly and said, "I can't continue filming!"
"You and I have no enmity, we are even friends. Our battle is ordained by Heaven. Heaven only needs one person to lead the Han people to drive out the Tartars and restore China!"
"I was too slow just now. You shattered my internal organs with one palm strike, and I was doomed. That one strike meant I lost. So what was the point of my palm strike?"
"Revenge? How narrow-minded. I, Zhu Chongba, am not such a narrow-minded person."
"I can't continue filming, because one of us is destined to represent the Han people and overthrow that tyrannical emperor. I am doomed to die. I cannot extinguish the hope of the Han people. Even if I cannot become the emperor of the Han people, I cannot become the gravedigger of the Han people!"
"So I didn't strike you with that palm, not because of you, Chen Jiu Si, but because I, Zhu Chong Ba, have to give an explanation to all the Han people under heaven."
As Zhu Chongba spoke, Chen Jie frowned and looked rather grim.
Seeing Chen Jie's expression, Zhu Chongba couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Of course, I also have my own selfish motives!"
Zhu Chongba said, looking at Chen Jie, "I just wanted to see you looking so miserable, hahaha..."
"So, Chen Jiu Si, are you not so happy now that you've beaten me?"
"You've caused me so much suffering, so I won't let you enjoy being an emperor comfortably. I'll make you remember your throne and that I'll always show you mercy in that last slap."
"And this favor, I'll make sure you can never repay it, I'll make you feel disgusted for the rest of your life, hahaha... Just thinking about it makes me so happy! Cough cough..."
As Zhu Chongba spoke, he vomited even more blood.
Chen Jiu Si's face turned ugly as he said, "Shut up! If you laugh again, you'll die right now and you won't see the painful look on my face!"
"If you want to enjoy the feeling of messing with me a little longer, then shut up. After all, once you shut up, the whole world will be mine!"
Chen Jie spoke fiercely, trying to emphasize that he would be the only emperor in the world from now on, hoping to provoke Zhu Chongba and regain the face he had been humiliated by.
Zhu Chongba stopped laughing after hearing Chen Jie's words. He had indeed disgusted Chen Jie, but his empire was gone. He had experienced so many life-and-death crises and hardships in his life, and in the end, he had lost to Chen Jie. He was so unwilling to accept it.
and also!
Thinking of this, Zhu Chongba looked towards Hongdu, feeling sorry for his Xiuying sister, who might never see him return in this lifetime!
"Your Su girl is so lucky!"
Zhu Chongba suddenly spoke up.
Chen Jie stared at Zhu Chongba in surprise. Zhu Chongba asked, "Do you have any wine?"
Chen Jie looked at Zhu Chongba and said, "Who would risk their life while carrying alcohol?" With that, Chen Jie opened his storage ring and took out a small jar of strong liquor.
"Hehe, I knew you had it. The last time we drank it was several years ago outside the capital city."
Several years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Taking the wine jar, Zhu Chongba smelled it and exclaimed, "It smells wonderful!"
Chen Jie said, "Besides drinking, don't you want to ask me for anything? Like treating your Xiuying and Zhu Biao well."
Zhu Chongba said, "You want to repay the favor I gave you for that slap earlier? I won't fall for it, because if I don't ask you for anything, you'll owe me even more. You're a good person at heart, you wouldn't do anything that goes against morality and reason..." Chen Jie didn't say anything after hearing this. At this moment, Zhu Chongba leaned forward to drink the wine from the wine jar, but he stopped halfway through his movement. The wine was right at his lips but he couldn't drink it.
Looking at Zhu Chongba like this, Chen Jie couldn't help but sigh: "You left so easily, leaving all these troubles to me."
As Chen Jie was thinking, he suddenly saw the sky begin to rumble and shake. In the clouds, there seemed to be a dragon-shaped shadow moving. After a while, the shadow suddenly disappeared. The next moment, Chen Jie suddenly felt a mysterious power pouring directly into his body from the sky.
Immediately afterwards, he realized that the aura of the human emperor on his body had become extremely strong, and that the last layer of paper between him and the terrestrial immortal was about to be broken.
Chen Jie sensed that he now felt as if he had stepped over an insurmountable chasm. The chasm was right in front of him, and he could cross it at any time. However, Chen Jie's current state was not very good. Forcibly entering the realm of a terrestrial immortal might affect the upper limit of his strength.
Therefore, Chen Jie needs to go back and adjust himself to his best condition so that he can try to break through the last barrier, enter the pinnacle of power in this world, and enter the realm of terrestrial immortals!
Chen Jie estimated that he should be able to adjust his condition in half a month to a month. At the same time, he would be more familiar with the power of the Human Emperor, which would help him raise his upper limit after entering the realm of a terrestrial immortal.
It's important to know that there are significant differences between different terrestrial immortals, such as Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa.
Besides the possible differences in their understanding, their own state is also very important. For example, that Confucian and Taoist immortal who only cultivated the Tao and not the physical body was unable to withstand the powerful force of the immortal and withered away in a day.
Therefore, breaking through to the level of a terrestrial immortal is a technical skill that cannot be rushed. Chen Jie is not in a hurry at all. The powerful enemy has been eliminated, and the terrestrial immortal in the north does not dare to easily go south. It is a good time for him to consolidate his territory, integrate his forces, and accumulate strength for the northern expedition. Moreover, he also needs to deal with the mess left by Zhu Chongba.
As Chen Jie pondered this, he slowly rose to his feet, his strength gradually returning. With the power of the Human Emperor entering his body, his Four Seasons Celestial Phenomenon Technique absorbed external energy even faster. At this moment, Chen Jie picked up the Shennong Staff from the ground, which had been greatly damaged in the battle.
Therefore, it appeared as an ordinary wooden stick. When Chen Jie held it in his hand, it quickly turned into light and entered Chen Jie's body, forming a leaf mark on Chen Jie's arm.
After sensing that the Shennong Staff had returned to its place, Chen Jie turned around and picked up the Xuanyuan Sword, which symbolized the power of the human emperor, from the ground.
At this moment, the Xuanyuan Sword was dim and without luster, but the power within it had not been extinguished. It had only been defeated. After a while, the Xuanyuan Sword would still be the Xuanyuan Sword, and the number one sword in the world would still be the number one sword in the world.
Chen Jie looked at the Xuanyuan Sword, then held it in his hand. This sword was a trophy he had won after defeating Zhu Chongba, so naturally he had to carry it with him. Moreover, he would be the true emperor, the Human Emperor, so he decided that this sword would be his exclusive imperial sword from now on!
Thinking that Chen Jie should also take the Xuanyuan Sword, he then looked at the two fleets in the distance. This battle had been going on for long enough and it was time to end it.
Zhu Chongba is right. The Han people have already killed each other enough; they don't need any more.
Thinking this, Chen Jie looked at the fleet in the distance.
Zhang Dingbian, who had retreated ten miles away, stood on the flagship Desheng and watched the terrifying battle through his binoculars, which ended with Chen Jie's victory.
Zhu Chongba lay there, motionless.
The victor in this battle is our own Han King!
At that moment, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the binoculars. He grabbed the railing with both hands.
"The King of Han... has won." He murmured to himself, his voice devoid of joy or sorrow. After a moment, he put down his binoculars, drew his sword, and roared sharply, "All troops, listen up! Warships, advance! Support the King of Han! Ballista boats, blockade the lake! Anyone who dares to approach within three miles of Luoxingdun—kill them without mercy!"
"Understood!"
A deafening cheer erupted from the Han army ranks.
It was the ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe, the catharsis of victory in sight.
The Azure Dragon Army, the Buddha Army, and the Beggar Army—more than nine hundred remaining warships—raised their sails simultaneously, and the oarsmen shouted hoarse chants as they rowed desperately.
The fleet surged toward Falling Star Mound like a black tide.
The spray from the bow of the boat gleamed with an eerie dark red in the morning light—the lake water stained crimson by the bloody battles of yesterday, the day before, and the days before.
To the east, the Wu King's fleet was eerily silent.
On Xu Da's Dingyuan, all the generals, personal guards, and messengers froze in place, their eyes involuntarily drawn to Luoxingdun and the corpse lying on the hillside.
Their king has been defeated!
Xu Da gripped the gunwale, his fingernails digging deep into the iron-clad wood. He didn't take his binoculars—he didn't need them anymore. That distance, that posture, that completely still silhouette… He had fought for twenty years, seen too many dead people, and knew what it meant to be "completely dead."
"Commander..." the lieutenant's voice trembled, "...he should be promoted..."
"Shut up," Xu Da interrupted, his voice eerily calm. He closed his eyes, recalling the last words Zhu Yuanzhang had spoken to him the previous night:
"Tiande, if I lose tomorrow, you take the brothers and leave. Go back to Huaixi, go back to Jinling, go anywhere. This world... we will not fight for it anymore. But the sons of Huaixi must return home alive."
He knelt on one knee and kowtowed heavily, saying, "Your subject swears to protect the emperor and escort him back to the capital."
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, a laugh tinged with melancholy: "What if I can't go back?"
He didn't answer. He dared not think about it.
Now, there's no need to think about it anymore.
Xu Da opened his eyes, but there were no tears in them, only a cold, lifeless gray.
He slowly turned around, facing the generals behind him—Feng Sheng, Liao Yongzhong, Yu Tonghai, Zhu Wenzheng, Lan Yu, and Mu Ying—their eyes bloodshot, filled with despair, waiting for his command.
"Give the order to the entire army," he said, each word as if pulled from an ice cellar, "form a circular formation, retreat slowly to the southeast."
"The Commander-in-Chief?!" Lan Yu hissed, "His Excellency is still there! How can we let his corpse remain in the hands of that traitor Chen!"
"I said, slow down the retreat." Xu Da stared at Lan Yu, a chilling glint suddenly flashing in his gray eyes. "This is the superior's final military order. Are you going to disobey?"
Lan Yu opened her mouth, but ultimately lowered her head in dejection.
Liao Yongzhong slammed his fist into the mast, sending splinters flying. Feng Sheng turned his face away, his shoulders trembling.
But there was no further opposition.
The Wu King's fleet began to move, slowly retreating.
But just then, someone suddenly shouted, "You bunch of cowards, afraid of death, I'm not afraid. If you won't go and retrieve the body of the high-ranking official, I will."
"Where are the vanguard? Charge with me!"
"kill!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Da inwardly cried out in alarm. Turning his head, he saw Chang Yuchun boarding his Breaking Waves warship and heading towards Luoxingdun, where Zhang Dingbian's 240,000-strong army was located! (End of Chapter)