Heaven's Punishment (Part One)

"I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you..." The Dragon Binding Rope and the Rainbow Skirt and Feather Robe were both destroyed by Zhuge Xiang. At this moment, the Great Tang Emperor's anger was beyond measure.

You must know, those were all Half-Immortal Artifact, surpassing even Twelfth-Rank Lingbao. Even as the Great Tang, I only possessed a few of them, and yet Zhuge Xiang destroyed two of them in one go?

"Forget it, forget it. You are the ruler of a country. To lose your composure over a mere two Half-Immortal Artifacts would make you a laughingstock." However, Zhuge Xiang remained unperturbed by the Great Tang Emperor's furious expression, waving his hand dismissively.

As he spoke, seemingly afraid that the Great Tang Emperor wouldn't be satisfied, Zhuge Xiang patted his forehead, as if he had just remembered something, and said, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, of the Three Great Half-Immortal Artifact of the Great Tang Dynasty, your Demon Mirror is hidden in the Ancestral Temple, guarded by a Jiao Dragon. I've also gotten my hands on that Demon Mirror."

"You..." Upon hearing this, the Great Tang Emperor froze, his index finger trembling as he pointed at Zhuge Xiang. His aura became chaotic, and then, he frantically slashed down at Zhuge Xiang with his Great Tang Emperor Son of Heaven Sword, shouting maniacally, "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

The saying goes, "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." Looking at the Great Tang Emperor, who had completely gone berserk, although his attack power had increased, his attacks were completely chaotic and without any strategy. Zhuge Xiang smiled.

It wasn't that the Great Tang Emperor lacked composure; the shock was simply too great. In the Cultivation World, who could remain calm after having three Half-Immortal Artifact destroyed or stolen in one fell swoop?

He nimbly dodged the Great Tang Emperor's sword. Although the Son of Heaven Sword was powerful, in Zhuge Xiang's eyes, the Great Tang Emperor's swordsmanship was quite amateurish. With a flick of his wrist, he seized an opening in his opponent's Sea Calming Divine Needle, and the incredibly heavy iron rod slammed heavily into the Great Tang Emperor's Son of Heaven Sword...

With a clang, the incredibly powerful force sent the Great Tang Emperor flying again. However, National Fortune Protection, the Great Tang Emperor was not going to die. At least within the Great Tang Dynasty, unless a true Immortal Buddhas descended to earth, no one could kill him.

"With your appearance, you actually dare to use a sword? If it were me, I would have thrown the sword aside long ago..." After the Sea Calming Divine Needle and unreasonable blow that sent the Great Tang Emperor Knockback, Zhuge Xiang continued to mock him as much as he could.

To be honest, Zhuge Xiang also had his eye on the Son of Heaven Sword in the hands of the Great Tang Emperor. It was the Sea Calming Divine Needle that could destroy Half-Immortal Artifact, and it had even shattered the Rainbow Skirt and Feather Robe.

However, this Son of Heaven Sword clashed with his own Sea Calming Divine Needle several times without being damaged, which shows how extraordinary the Son of Heaven Sword is.

"Hmph! As the Great Tang Emperor, it is by fate that even if I don't understand Swordsmanship at all, this Son of Heaven Sword recognizes me as its master. So what if your Swordsmanship is good? This Son of Heaven Sword will not recognize you!" The Great Tang Emperor said sternly in response to Zhuge Xiang's words, retorting sarcastically.

"Heh heh, Great Tang Emperor, the Demon Mirror will soon be in my hands. Do you think you'll still be the Great Tang Emperor?" Zhuge Xiang sneered repeatedly at the Great Tang Emperor's words.

Zhuge Xiang's words caused the Great Tang Emperor's face to stiffen slightly, and a look of shock flashed deep in his eyes. However, he pretended to be calm, as if he did not understand Zhuge Xiang's words, and said, "What do you mean by that? The Demon Mirror can reveal all the Yaomo Ghosts and Monsters in the world, but I am a human. How can the Demon Mirror be useful to me?"

"Haha, whether it works or not, I'll find out when I take a picture..." Zhuge Xiang said with a smile upon hearing the Great Tang Emperor's obviously evasive words.

"You... what exactly do you know?" Seeing Zhuge Xiang's expression, the Great Tang Emperor knew that he couldn't get away with it. His expression finally changed, and he stared intently at Zhuge Xiang, asking in a deep voice.

"What do you think I should know?" Zhuge Xiang asked, staring at the Great Tang Emperor with a half-smile.

Looking at Zhuge Xiang, the Great Tang Emperor had a very ugly expression. The Great Tang Emperor originally wanted to kill Zhuge Xiang to silence him because he had discovered the body of his elder brother, who was the true emperor of Great Tang, in the Great Qin Empire.

However, only now did the Great Tang Emperor realize that Zhuge Xiang knew far more than he had imagined.

"Could it be? That so-called Golden Body Bodhisattva is also in cahoots with you?" Zhuge Xiang, having learned of the Demon Mirror's function and considering the Golden Body Bodhisattva's determination to exchange for the Demon Mirror, finally understood and asked the Great Tang Emperor.

"Indeed, the Golden Body Bodhisattva had planned this with me long ago. Otherwise, why do you think he insisted on having the Demon Mirror?" Zhuge Xiang smiled. Now that things had come to this, and the Demon Mirror was in his hands, Zhuge Xiang wasn't afraid to tell him.

"Alright, you do know more than I imagined, but unfortunately, you still have to die here today. Although that Golden Body Bodhisattva is powerful, he is no match for Wu Yazi and Chen Yaojin. After they kill that Golden Body Bodhisattva, do you think you can still escape?" The Great Tang Emperor calmed down and spoke to Zhuge Xiang.

The destruction of the Half-Immortal Artifact was indeed infuriating, but compared to the exposure of his identity, the two Half-Immortal Artifacts were not worth dwelling on...

"Hehe, too bad, you still underestimated me. Did you think that the only expert I brought was the Golden Body Bodhisattva? You're waiting for those two old guys to help you, but I want to say that who knows who will come down then?" Zhuge Xiang chuckled at the Great Tang Emperor's confident demeanor.

"You..." These words made the Great Tang Emperor's expression change, but then he relaxed and shook his head, saying, "Playing hard to get. There are only a handful of experts at this level in the entire country. Do you think they're like cabbages on the roadside? You think you can just find them whenever you want? Two of them, no less?"

"If not, why hasn't anyone come down to help you for so long? Does it really take two people to suppress a Golden Body Bodhisattva?" Zhuge Xiang asked with a smile.

"This..." The Great Tang Emperor's expression changed. He then sprang into action, parting the lava and flying towards the ground, determined to confirm whether Zhuge Xiang's words were true.

However, if the Great Tang Emperor wanted to fly up there, would Zhuge Xiang allow him to?

How could that be? This lava poses no threat to Zhuge Xiang, and the Little Fire Phoenix thrives in it, its strength enhanced to a certain extent. As for the Great Tang Emperor, without his Rainbow Skirt and Feather Robe, even with the National Fortune on his side, the lava makes him feel uncomfortable. How could Zhuge Xiang let him leave such a favorable fighting environment?

Chirp!!!

With a sharp cry, the Little Fire Phoenix flapped its wings within the lava and pounced towards Zhuge Xiang, transforming into a stream of light and merging into Zhuge Xiang's body.

Devourer's Treasure!

Relying on this Skill, Zhuge Xiang and the Little Fire Phoenix merged into one, and he himself possessed all the talents and abilities of the Fire Phoenix. A pair of crimson wings slowly vibrated behind Zhuge Xiang.

"This feeling is wonderful..." Zhuge Xiang stretched his body and opened his arms, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by lava, his crimson wings vibrating slowly in the lava.

With the amplification of the Little Fire Phoenix's power, Zhuge Xiang became even stronger. Coupled with the amplification from the lava environment, Zhuge Xiang's strength increased by more than just one level.

Sensing the Phoenix aura behind him growing incredibly powerful, the Great Tang Emperor turned around and witnessed Zhuge Xiang devouring the Little Fire Phoenix and gaining the Phoenix's Innate Ability. He was horrified.

Zhuge Xiang's power was already difficult for him to resist, and now, with the enhancement of the Phoenix's power, wouldn't he be even more formidable in this lava?

"Escape? Do you think you can escape?" Zhuge Xiang smiled as he watched the Great Tang Emperor flee towards the ground. The Phoenix Feathers on his back fluttered, and he moved with incredible speed, like a fish in water.

Instead of hindering Zhuge Xiang's movement, all the lava became an aid, allowing him to reach an extremely fast speed.

Call out!

Zhuge Xiang's body transformed into a crimson streak, slicing through the lava and quickly catching up to the Great Tang Emperor. Zhuge Xiang stretched out his palm and grabbed directly at the Great Tang Emperor. Faintly, the sound of Feng Ming could be heard as he gripped the Great Tang Emperor's shoulder like a phoenix claw.

With a forceful pull, Zhuge Xiang dragged the Great Tang Emperor, who was flying towards the ground, back into the depths of the lava. The crimson Phoenix Feathers vibrated in the lava, and the familiar feeling of blood ties made Zhuge Xiang enjoy the sensation of swimming freely in the lava.

"Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry to leave? This lava is quite a lot of fun," Zhuge Xiang said, looking at the Great Tang Emperor with a half-smile. Although the Great Tang Emperor's cultivation was much higher than Zhuge Xiang's, Zhuge Xiang's strength completely overwhelmed his opponent in this lava.

"Your Majesty, you'd better stay put. I have no time to waste with you," Zhuge Xiang said, holding the 13,500-jin (approximately 6,750 kg) Sea Calming Divine Needle -Sea Calming Divine Needle Stabilizing Needle and pressing it down on the Great Tang Emperor, rendering him unable to move.

Although he was stronger than his opponent, with the National Fortune Protection, he was destined not to be able to kill him. Therefore, Zhuge Xiang simply stopped wasting his energy and just kept him in check.

After a short while, the lava broke open, and the Demon Clone rushed into the underground lava. In its hand, what else could it be but a demon-revealing Demon Mirror?

"I've got the Demon Mirror. Now, it's ready to use..." The Demon Clone avatar tossed the Demon Mirror to the True Body, uttered these words, and then vanished into black Demonic Qi. (To be continued...)