Shen Shihuang slowly approached Poison Rakshasa. When he reached him, he bent down and looked at him. "Dou Wang?"
By now, even Poison Rakshasa could understand what was going on.
This young man before him was someone he couldn't possibly defeat. No—he hadn't even seen how the other man had struck.
A terrifying thought
rose in his mind.
A Dou Huang expert!
Only a Dou Huang expert could leave him in such a sorry state.
Poison Rakshasa crawled to Shen Shihuang's feet and clung to his leg. "My lord, I know I was wrong. Please spare my life. I was the one who failed to recognize you."
Shen Shihuang kicked Poison Rakshasa away.
Then he casually straightened his clothes. "I'll give you a chance. Make your move."
"Let's see just how capable a Dou Wang from the Cloud-Out Empire is."
At that,
Poison Rakshasa's expression changed, and his eyes filled with venom.
"I'm a member of the Imperial Family of the Cloud-Out Empire. If you—"
Before Poison Rakshasa could finish, Shen Shihuang blurred in front of him, raised his hand, and swung.
Smack!!
A slap landed across Poison Rakshasa's face, sending him flying.
"If you don't fight, you die."
"Choose one."
Shen Shihuang shook out his hand and said coolly.
Poison Rakshasa got back to his feet. He looked at the young man before him, who seemed a little frail. His face was paler than an ordinary person's, and his eyes were sharply defined, the whites and blacks distinct. The black in particular seemed to contain some ultimate power. Even one casual glance made him feel weak.
Three thousand strands of long hair fell naturally down his back, held in place only by a faint red cord.
"Who exactly are you?"
"There's no one like you in the Jia Ma Empire."
The more Poison Rakshasa looked at him, the more unfamiliar he seemed. There was absolutely no one in the Jia Ma Empire with such bearing.
Shen Shihuang sighed.
"If you won't make a move, then I will."
Poison Rakshasa held out a hand.
"Wait!"
"I'll fight!"
Poison Rakshasa's eyes flickered. A pair of purple-black Dou Qi Wings unfurled behind him, revealing the full aura of a Dou Wang. At that moment, the powerful figures throughout the imperial capital all sensed the Dou Wang aura coming from this direction.
The imperial palace.
"A Dou Wang expert?"
A Hemp-Robed Elder suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the outskirts of the imperial capital.
"Alas!"
"With the Alchemist Conference drawing near, things are getting busier by the day. Now even a Dou Wang expert has appeared."
The Hemp-Robed Elder had no choice. He turned and disappeared.
A Dou Wang expert was beyond the people below to handle.
In the peach grove.
Shen Shihuang watched Poison Rakshasa, a hint of interest in his eyes.
But what happened next
left both Shen Shihuang and Ya Fei dumbfounded.
Poison Rakshasa turned and beat his Dou Qi Wings, darting rapidly into the distance.
Watching Poison Rakshasa about to disappear, Shen Shihuang turned and asked, "Ya Fei, did he just run away?"
Ya Fei's lips twitched.
It was obvious!
"I think so."
Shen Shihuang sighed. "What's there to run from? I only wanted to get a feel for a Dou Wang's strength. He's really not cooperating."
"Ya Fei, do you think he deserves to die?"
For a moment, Ya Fei didn't understand what Shen Shihuang meant.
She didn't answer.
"Alas!"
Shen Shihuang sighed. "I'll take care of him for you. When you find what I'm looking for, just give me a discount."
Ya Fei hadn't yet processed what Shen Shihuang had said. She looked at him, her eyes wide with shock.
"He..."
"He actually..."
Shen Shihuang stepped into the air and pursued Poison Rakshasa. Ya Fei clearly saw that he had no Dou Qi Wings on his back.
"Is he actually a Dou Zong expert?"
Ya Fei had never seen a Dou Zong expert, but she knew a few things about them. To fly through the air, a Dou Wang had to form Dou Qi Wings. Only upon reaching Dou Zong could one walk through the sky.
"Gasp!"
Ya Fei sucked in a breath, and even her chest rose and fell.
"So Elder Hai was wrong after all. This lord isn't just a Dou Huang expert!"
"He's a Dou Zong expert!"
Dou Huang and Dou Zong differed by only one character, but the significance of that difference put them in entirely different leagues.
It could be said that
Shen Shihuang alone, standing here, was the most powerful force in the Jia Ma Empire, with the greatest say in anything!!
Without question!
As long as he wished.
"You two, pretend you didn't see anything today. Understand?" Ya Fei said coldly to the two maids.
This news
absolutely could not get out. If it did, first, it might affect his mood. From what she could tell, he didn't seem to want his strength exposed. Second, it might draw the other families closer.
If they could earn the friendship of a Dou Zong expert, the benefits to the Mittel Family would be beyond imagination.
"A Dou Zong expert!"
A trace of ambition appeared in Ya Fei's eyes. Her family hoped she would marry into another family...
Thud!
A few breaths later,
a corpse landed in front of Ya Fei. She looked down and saw that it was Poison Rakshasa.
At the sight of the corpse, Ya Fei took a few steps back. Shen Shihuang was sitting in the chair; she didn't know when he had appeared. "Ya Fei, do you think I'll get into trouble for killing him?"
Ya Fei immediately smiled brightly.
She refilled Shen Shihuang's cup. "My lord, you jest. If you want to make a move, who would dare say otherwise?"
Shen Shihuang slowly sipped his wine.
"You don't have to keep calling me 'my lord.' It sounds too distant."
"I have a name."
Ya Fei naturally knew Shen Shihuang's name.
But now,
he was a Dou Zong expert!
She didn't dare address him by name.
"Just call me Shihuang," Shen Shihuang said. He had barely set down his cup when he added, "Someone else is here."
Ya Fei looked at him doubtfully.
Then she saw a Hemp-Robed Elder appear in the air, a pair of earth-colored Dou Qi Wings behind him.
"The Imperial Family's guardian."
"Jia Xingtian, Elder Jia?"
Ya Fei naturally knew him.
"Oh, so it's Miss Ya Fei of the Mittel Family." Jia Xingtian saw Ya Fei and smiled.
But when he saw Poison Rakshasa on the ground, his expression changed slightly.
"Poison Rakshasa is dead?"
Jia Xingtian was somewhat shocked. Poison Rakshasa was a Dou Wang, so how had he died just like that?
Ya Fei said calmly, "He offended someone he shouldn't have. Naturally, he died."
Ya Fei continued pouring wine for Shen Shihuang.
"Shihuang, this wine isn't the finest, but it's still good. Once you finish it, I'll bring you some more."
Shen Shihuang looked up at Jia Xingtian in the air.
"I've heard you're the Jia Ma Empire's guardian."
"You're quite strong. I killed him. What? Are you going to avenge him?"
As he spoke, a black flame appeared at Shen Shihuang's fingertip. Poison Rakshasa's body was instantly burned to nothing, without even leaving ashes.
Seeing this,
Jia Xingtian trembled all over. That flame just now had made him feel the taste of death.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
Shen Shihuang said, "Shen Shihuang."
"Just a passerby."
Jia Xingtian's aura had barely emerged when Shen Shihuang glanced at him.
Bang!!
Jia Xingtian's body shot backward, terror in his eyes.
"A Dou Zong... expert?"
Looking at Shen Shihuang, Jia Xingtian's expression grew even more shocked. "A Dou Zong expert this young?"
"If you need anything, just ask. Whatever the Mittel Family can do, my Imperial Family can do as well." Jia Xingtian glanced at Ya Fei and cupped his hands. "If you have time, please come to the imperial palace for tea and a chat."
Shen Shihuang nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"For now, I just want some peace and quiet. Is that all right?"
Jia Xingtian replied, "As you wish, sir. I'll take my leave!"