"Kill the fiends!"
"Deploy the Law Artifacts! Don't let a single fiend escape!"
"Death to all who trespass in the imperial palace!"
Furious shouts rose one after another all around him, and dazzling Law Techniques, more brilliant than fireworks, bloomed in the air in succession.
Su Mu stared blankly at the scene before him. Was I dreaming? Or had I transmigrated?
He instinctively looked down at his body and received a fright. His body was actually somewhat insubstantial, like a soul.
He cautiously pinched himself again. Though he had become something like a soul, the sensation of pain still registered with unmistakable clarity in his mind.
I'm done for. What was going on?
Su Mu grew frantic. This place was so dangerous. He wanted to go back to Earth.
Just a moment earlier, he had watched a small azure sword sweep around a vicious-looking old man ahead of him, sending the old man's head straight off his shoulders.
The sight had not frightened Su Mu, but it had made him keenly aware of the grave danger.
This place was dangerous, especially since he did not feel as though he was dreaming.
Su Mu had barely moved when a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck nearby. It exploded, and the shock knocked him unconscious.
The battle in the imperial palace continued. The two sides formed two clearly distinct factions. The faction in striking clothing mostly used broad, sweeping Law Techniques.
The other faction's clothing had no particular distinguishing features, but wisps of what looked like black mist rose from each of them, wrapping them tightly.
"You have nowhere left to run! Surrender!"
The invaders retreated steadily. With a furious roar, another long-bearded general entered the fray and casually wiped out several of them.
"When we came here, we never intended to leave alive!"
At those words, a strange figure in the distance, with an adult's body topped by what looked like an infant's head, let out a bizarre laugh that filled those who heard it with unease.
"Great Liang's ritual failed today, and its national fortune has diminished. Your eldest princess may possess astonishing talent, but without the protection of national fortune and auspicious beasts, let's see how she survives this heavenly tribulation!"
The voice coming from the strange figure with the infant-like head was extremely shrill, grating on the listeners' nerves.
Hearing those words, everyone surrounding them in battle burned with fury. But before they could act, unmistakable fluctuations surged from the black-clad figures, who promptly exploded with thunderous booms.
Fortunately, a nearby general reacted extremely quickly, and the soldiers under his command formed an array to withstand the force of the self-detonations.
With all the enemies wiped out, everyone's face was as dark as still water, without the slightest trace of joy.
Su Mu had only been knocked unconscious for a short while and soon woke up.
Looking at these people, Su Mu trembled with apprehension. He could not understand how he had ended up in a place like this when he had been perfectly fine on Earth.
"Your Highness..."
The generals and court officials nearby turned toward the eldest princess, their voices carrying a hint of something difficult to put into words.
Beside them stood a woman in purple robes and a thin veil. There was not the slightest ripple in her starry eyes as she merely waved her delicate hand. "None of you can be blamed for what happened today. If I truly cannot survive this tribulation, then my luck is simply poor."
"But now that our national fortune has diminished, I fear those around Great Liang will begin stirring, and fiends will rise everywhere. I'm sorry for the trouble this will cause all of you in the days ahead."
The eldest princess's voice was cold and clear. Perhaps that was simply her usual manner, for no one around her showed any dissatisfaction. They merely answered in unison.
Standing to one side and listening to their conversation, Su Mu felt rather puzzled.
Their language clearly was not one he knew, yet he understood it.
His puzzlement did not last long, however, and worry took its place. These people looked a little better than the earlier group.
The problem was, who knew whether they were hostile toward him?
At that thought, Su Mu looked around, trying to get a sense of his surroundings.
But his movement immediately drew everyone's attention. They were all immortal cultivators, and having just fought a great battle, they were paying extremely close attention to everything around them.
Su Mu had merely turned his head, yet everyone's eyes instantly fixed on him in unison.
In that instant, Su Mu felt unparalleled pressure. With all those eyes fixed on him, he felt as though he might dissolve at any moment.
"Enough. He's only an incomplete soul body. Keep staring at him like that, and he'll dissipate within a few moments."
Seeing this, an old man in court robes frowned and spoke.
"Hmph! What should have been a perfectly proper sacrificial ritual was sabotaged by fiends, and we summoned this useless thing instead. Though he's only an incomplete soul body, we can judge the man himself from it. He's inferior to even an ordinary commoner of Great Liang. What's the use of keeping a soul body like this? We might as well destroy him outright!"
"Exactly. This man's soul body is weaker than even a three-year-old child of Great Liang. I truly cannot see any use in keeping such a fellow. Even if we don't destroy this soul body, it won't hold out for long before collapsing on its own. We might as well destroy it outright!"
Everyone around him voiced their opinions, and Su Mu's heart jolted as he listened.
A soul body? Was I only a soul body now? Did that mean a soul?
From what they were saying, was I an incomplete soul, too? What on earth was going on?
Still, he had more or less figured out one thing: he had been perfectly fine on Earth, and their ritual was probably what had brought him here.
So I hadn't done anything at all, and disaster had fallen on me out of nowhere?
It looked like I didn't have much time left to live, either.
For a moment, Su Mu felt utterly lost.
"Keep this soul body for now."
The eldest princess cast an indifferent glance at Su Mu with her starry eyes, then left after those words.
At that, everyone present exchanged looks, unable to understand why the eldest princess wanted to keep such a useless soul body.
It was not even a complete soul body, and the soul body itself was absurdly weak. They truly could not think of any reason to keep one like this.
But the eldest princess had spoken, after all, and they did not dare disobey. Several people who looked like maids soon stepped forward, laid their hands on Su Mu's shoulders, and led him away.
Su Mu looked down at his feet. They were so insubstantial that he looked just like a ghost.
No, I shouldn't say "like." I was a ghost...
"Miss, what is this place?"
After hesitating, Su Mu cautiously questioned the women beside him who looked like maids.
Now that he knew he seemingly did not have long to live, he still did not want to give up just like that. He wanted to struggle a little longer.
But the maids beside him did not even intend to glance at Su Mu, much less answer him.
For some reason, Su Mu could clearly sense that these maids seemed to regard him just as the people earlier had, with disdain and a measure of dissatisfaction.
Was the disdain probably because his soul body was so weak?
Compared with the people here, who could actually fly and use such dazzling Law Techniques, Su Mu felt that his weakness was understandable.
As for their dissatisfaction, their ritual had probably failed, and they had extended the blame to him.
This book should be getting a Sanjiang recommendation today, so I expect quite a few more readers will arrive. I'd like to say a few words in my own defense here and hopefully persuade a few more readers to stay...
The early parts might really be poison to some readers, but I feel it should be all right if you stick it out until later.
There will definitely be readers who call this book utterly toxic after reading it. That's inevitable.
I hope everyone can be a little gentler. If you really find it unbearable, it's fine to leave a few angry comments in the review section. If you think one isn't enough and want to post several, that's fine too. Some readers have already done that anyway.
After this book goes premium, I probably won't restrict comments based on fan points either, so I still hope everyone can be a little more forgiving.
May 23