Chapter 1197: Imperial Mark
Proofreader : Papatonks
All heads turned to where the wind blew, on edge. Even the old man was cautious, taking back his foot.
When all dust cleared, they saw a thin man holding a barely alive Chu Qingcheng.
The men in black gasped.
[He saved her from under Clan Head's nose without any of us noticing anything...]
"He's a true expert!"
The old man's eyes shone, his voice low, "At least it makes my trip worthwhile knowing there's someone that can take me on."
Zhuo Fan traced Chu Qingcheng's unconscious face, looking dark as he turned to the rest, "Geezer, you must be rushing to die going after her."
"Humph, pretentious fool, at least you have skill to save someone from my attack. Though having an unconscious girl weighing you down won't be of much help..."
Whoosh~
The old man looked smug with his smile, but then he heard whistling sword waves, instantly ripping apart ten Spirit Kings.
[So fast!]
Everyone gasped in fright. The old man froze as well, unable to believe what he saw.
[How is his sword energy so fast that I couldn't even see it? It's beyond even Sword Emperor Ao Changtian's Imperial Sword Winds!]
"W-what the hell are you?"
The old man finally revealed fear in his voice for the first time.
Zhuo Fan grinned, with the ex-leader in black exclaiming, "Now I get it! Clan Head, he had to be the one who struck us before, not the girl. He's the monster!"
Bam!
His head got split in two like a melon.
Zhuo Fan smiled, "Who sent you and why?"
They all gulped, the only sound in the deathly silence. The other men were horrified, glancing at the Clan Head for any signs of what to do.
The old man was sweating now, thinking of a way out. Zhuo Fan shook his head, "Since you can't even answer, I have no further use for you."
"Heaven Sealing Sword Art, Space Seal!"
Zhuo Fan flicked his hand and the space took on a cold glint, with all of the others stuck in place.
[W-what is this? A Spirit King?]
Their hearts jumped in their chests. The elder looked grave, barely budging even as an Emperor. With his movement slowed down so much, he began to feel the danger.
[He's no average Spirit King to be able to freeze fellow Spirit Kings and even an Emperor.]
[Just what is he? Why haven't I heard of anyone like him in all my years in Sacred Domain?]
Zhuo Fan grinned, "Well, feel like talking now? You can opt for silence, but there'll be nothing left of any of you to even bury you. Who was it that said she's weighing me down? I don't even need to go all out against the likes of you, ha-ha-ha..."
Zhuo Fan drew out two fingers, the air warping from the violent forces gathering at the tips.
"Wait!"
The old man shouted in a panic, "I'll talk! I don't think sir is from Ruby Cloud Sect, nor do I know why you got involved in this, but I don't think you'll tell me either way. But still, no one wants to butt in the issues of the Eight Emperors, I reckon."
Zhuo Fan nodded.
The old man looked relieved at his attitude, "We are under the Demonic Emperor, tasked to go after the Ruby Cloud Sect disciples and get the Purple Gold Glazed Cup. The treasure auction in Mist City has a map of the Nether Sea that everyone wants, it points the way to the Nether Sovereign's home, with the promise of becoming a Sovereign, or at least a Saint. By taking the Ruby Cloud Sect's treasure, it could no longer participate in the bidding, giving us one less opponent to worry about."
"Oh, pretty much what I figured as well."
Zhuo Fan nodded, flicking his hand, letting the violent energy expand everywhere. The frozen people evaporated on contact. Fifty experts died just like that.
The old man cried in anger, "W-what are you doing? I told you everything so why..."
"You did, but I don't recall ever saying I'll let you go."
With a sinister smile, Zhuo Fan said, "You hurt Qingcheng and expect to live? Ha!"
The old man ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "This is absurd! I didn't want to get involved with you for fear of suffering pointless casualties. Did you really think that an Emperor like me would be scared of a mere Spirit King?"
Boom!
The old man shook and flew out of the frozen space. He started making signs and golden lights spilled out of him, "Imperial Mark, Ghost Skeleton!"
Whoosh~
The golden lights exploded in intensity and a skeleton hundreds of meters big appeared around him. The golden lights focused then and took the form of a four-sided seal high in the sky, encompassing the old man and the skeleton.
Zhuo Fan watched it all with a cold eye and a smirk.
This was a skill particular to Emperors, using one's soul and control of space to form the Imperial Mark, unstoppable and disregarding all spacial laws. Once the seal fell, the land would break along with any Spirit King that tried fighting it. The soul's character would also be shown its full potential inside the Imperial Mark as well.
The old man's soul was a ghost skeleton, of yin in nature, making the attack have an even harsher effect on souls.
The moment the golden seal appeared, spilling light everywhere, Zhuo Fan shook as he heard howls of wraiths within his mind. It dazed him for a moment, with his body wobbling.
"Humph, nothing but a Spirit King. You can control space, but can you take on the Imperial Heavenly Brilliance?"
The old man was out for blood, shouting as the golden seal came down on top of Zhuo Fan, "Rotten cretin, I'll make mincemeat out of you, now while your mind is hazy!"
Apocalyptic thunderflame!
Zhuo Fan's left eye flared with black flames, while deep in his soul, thunderflames sparked to life.
The golden glow met with a sudden blackness, erasing it and making Zhuo Fan's eyes shine.
Looking up at the incoming golden seal, Zhuo Fan grinned. His right eye shone in two golden halos, "Humph, the Imperial Mark might be unstoppable, but even it will suffer before my thunderflame."
"Divine Eye of the Void 2nd stage, Thunderflame Void Annihilation!"
Whoosh!
A dreadful black beam of flame shot at the golden seal.
The old man cried out, "What is that?"
Boom!
The black flames smashed into the seal and availed itself of the Void Annihilation's power to enter the newly formed half a meter wide and hundreds of meters long hole.
The old man spurted blood and paled, proving that the Imperial Mark and he were connected, making him suffer when it was damaged.
What was worse, the black thunderflames didn't rest with only punching a hole in the seal, eating away at the remains as well.
"Aah!"
With an unearthly howl, the man screamed from having his very soul eaten away. The pain had to be excruciating, enough to make one go insane.
He was constantly pleading for mercy, yet Zhuo Fan just stood to the side and watched as the seal was burned to nothing. The old man wailed in pain down to his last breath, his face twisted and horrible.
It was a testament to a most gruesome death no one would wish upon anyone.
"I didn't use the Decimating Sword Art on you as well because I needed your body intact."
Zhuo Fan walked over to the twisted body, chuckling. He hooked his finger and a head landed in his palm...