Chapter 1725: Wedding Dress Secret Technique

Just a moment ago, Zhao Hao had seemed utterly desperate, even bidding against King Qi to win over Zu An and his companions. Yet, in an instant, the situation reversed.

Zu An didn't even have time to react, as Ruhua reacted faster than him. With a loud roar, he charged towards the opponent like a cannonball. He had always worried Zhao Hao might have another trick up his sleeve, but he never expected it to be this. How could he stand by and watch the opponent turn the tables?

Just then, Zhao Hao flicked his sleeve, and a delicate imperial seal flew out. Nine flying dragons were carved around its body. The next second, the dragons seemed to come alive, swirling around the seal. A mighty imperial aura emanated, causing an involuntary sense of awe and worship to rise in everyone.

"A divine-tier weapon!"

"The Human Emperor Seal!"

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen's expressions subtly changed as they simultaneously recognized the item.

As the strongest person in the world and the emperor of the empire, Zhao Hao possessed countless treasures. Naturally, he also owned divine artifacts.

However, he was simply too powerful. He could suppress the world's strongest individuals with a mere flick of his hand, making it unnecessary to use divine artifacts. Over time, people had forgotten the existence of those divine artifacts.

At this moment, the Human Emperor Seal spun and struck towards Ruhua, unleashing a vast and weighty aura.

Even Zu An and his companions, who were not the target and stood far away, could feel an overwhelming pressure. It was as if the sky had collapsed in that instant.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue swiftly moved to protect the people around them. Qiu Honglei and Xie Daoyun, whose cultivation was slightly lower, felt a little better only then.

Facing the Human Emperor Seal, Ruhua dared not take it head-on. Instead, he chanted a Buddhist prayer, and a miniature brass bell appeared above his head, glowing with rays of Buddhist light. Deep, mysterious chants echoed from it.

The Buddhist light, inscribed with scriptures, unfurled, forming the spectral image of a giant bell, which blocked the incoming Human Emperor Seal.

*Clang!*

A profound, distant bell sound rang out. The entire Golden Summit seemed to be swept by a hurricane, and wherever it passed, not a blade of grass remained.

Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing hastily raised their unique magical artifacts to defend themselves. Then their bodies trembled, and they fainted immediately. They had been secretly recuperating their vital energy during this period, having finally recovered a bit of strength, but in that instant, it all came to naught.

Guan Chouhai had just slowly regained consciousness, only to be met head-on by the terrifying sound wave. In a hurry, he raised his Twin Vajra Bracelets to block it. However, the powerful shockwave caused the bracelets to rebound and strike his forehead. With a crisp bang, he fainted once more, foaming at the mouth, his limbs involuntarily twitching a few times. If he hadn't been an earth-element practitioner, naturally skilled in defense, that blow would have been enough to shatter his head like a watermelon.

The Human Emperor Seal and the Pure Brahma Bell, two divine artifacts, grappled with each other. Ruhua was unable to move an inch, able only to control the Pure Brahma Bell to resist the Human Emperor Seal's assault.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hao held onto King Qi's Yang Spirit phantom, a cruel smile on his face. "My foolish brother," he sneered, "I know you've always resented me, thinking you could easily replace me if our positions were swapped. But alas, in my eyes, you're merely a clown. Everything is within my grasp."

At this moment, King Qi's Yang Spirit twisted horribly, seemingly wanting to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.

Zhao Hao, however, seemed to have guessed his thoughts. He smiled and said, "You must be wondering why, despite being an Earth Immortal, you have no resistance before me?"

He paused, then continued, "You consider your talent unmatched, yet for years you couldn't break through to Earth Immortal from Grandmaster. So, I arranged a fortunate encounter for you, allowing you to obtain some cultivation techniques. As soon as you cultivated, you felt you could break through to Earth Immortal, so you invested more and more effort into studying them."

"Unfortunately, you never imagined that all of this was arranged by me. The cultivation technique's original name is the 'Wedding Gown Secret Art.' As the name suggests, cultivating this art is to prepare a 'wedding gown' for others. This art has the characteristic of a greater entity absorbing a lesser one. So, if I were to face other normal Earth Immortals, it would indeed be difficult to deal with them. But against you, once I activate it, you will have no power to resist."

As he spoke, countless lines of brilliant light gathered from King Qi's Yang Spirit to his head, then flowed into Zhao Hao's body along his hand.

Zhao Hao's aura grew increasingly powerful, his entire presence gradually ascending to its peak.

Perhaps due to the depletion of his Yang Spirit, King Qi's physical body also became incredibly withered. His once plump and upright figure now resembled a mummified corpse.

King Qi understood everything. He knew he had lost completely.

A hint of despair flashed in his eyes. However, he was, after all, a formidable figure of his generation. Knowing that this situation meant certain death, his Yang Spirit suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of light. He chose to self-destruct his Yang Spirit!

He was, after all, one of the top experts in this world, with countless secret techniques at his disposal. Choosing to self-destruct at such a moment, even Zhao Hao couldn't stop it.

*Boom!*

The destructive power of an Earth Immortal's soul exploding was immense. Zhao Hao's expression changed slightly as he hastily recalled the Human Emperor Seal to block in front of him.

It was unclear what his reasoning was, but Ruhua activated the Pure Brahma Bell to protect the others in the vicinity. This prevented Guan Chouhai and the others from foolishly losing their lives while unconscious.

At this moment, the civil and military officials on the mountainside looked up at the summit in horror, wondering what kind of explosion could generate such power.

Then, an official from King Qi's faction couldn't help but say, "With such terrifying power, going up there would be nothing but suicide for us."

His words quickly gained approval from many. "Indeed," they said, "Earth Immortal-level battles are not for mortals like us to participate in."

At this, Murong Tong angrily exclaimed, "What nonsense are you spouting? The imperial court has fostered talents for years, and now is precisely when we are needed to contribute to the court. How can you cower at the critical moment?"

Murong Qinghe chimed in, "Exactly! Even if we can't directly participate, such a large number of masters, when united, should not be underestimated. Moreover, the army from down the mountain will arrive soon. With the army formations' enhancement then, what good would even an Earth Immortal be?!"

She understood why her grandfather was so resolute. If something truly happened to the emperor, perhaps it wouldn't be a big deal for other civil and military officials. But as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, her grandfather inherently bore the responsibility of protecting the emperor's safety. He would surely be implicated afterward. At best, he would be demoted or dismissed; at worst, his entire clan would be executed!

Furthermore, given the Murong clan's long-standing principles, now was not the time to retreat.

Hearing this, Meng Yi nodded and said, "Indeed, with His Majesty in danger, we should assist even more."

At the same time, he secretly communicated with Bi Qi and other core members of the Imperial Faction. Since King Qi had gone missing, everyone guessed he was currently on the Golden Summit, so they secretly began to control the officials of King Qi's faction.

King Qi's faction had long since lost the prestige it held in previous years. It was evident that the Imperial Faction held the advantage among those who followed for the Fengshan Ceremony this time.

Most of King Qi's faction officials likely had the same suspicion, and they were all heavy-hearted.

King Qi had only revealed such important matters to a few participants. Most of his faction were unaware, and at this moment, they were all in utter panic.

Soon, the civil and military officials reached a consensus: they would ascend as quickly as possible to assist the emperor.

At this time, the siege cannons of the army from down the mountain were also brought up. Murong Tong personally took Murong Qinghe to deploy them, striving to blast open the mountain-protecting formation in the shortest possible time.

On the Golden Summit, as the light and dust dispersed, a crater several tens of meters deep appeared. This was despite most of King Qi's soul having already been absorbed, a testament to the immense destructive power of an Earth Immortal's self-destruction.

On the Human Emperor Seal, the nine flying dragons shimmered. Zhao Hao held it in his hand, revealing his form. Aside from some charring on his clothes, he was unharmed by the explosion.

He looked at the deep crater on the ground, his expression somewhat melancholic. "Not without tenacity," he mused, "no wonder he could contend with Us for so many years."

Ruhua now knew that nothing could be salvaged, so he didn't rush to attack. Instead, he looked at Zhao Hao with puzzlement. "Since Your Majesty could suppress King Qi like this," he asked, "why didn't you just use this 'Wedding Gown Secret Art' on him from the very beginning?"

Zhao Hao gave a cold laugh. "If not for this," he said, "how could I have lured out someone like you, lurking in the shadows?"

He paused, then looked towards Zu An in the distance. "And certain ambitious schemers as well?"