An Unseen Opponent in Hiding

Perhaps it was the operation of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation by Divine Lord Zhenyuan that caused the earth's energy to surge, or perhaps it was the absorption by the Longevity Fruit Tree that stimulated the Empress Dowager buried under the Longevity Fruit Tree, thus bringing about her awakening.

The Empress Dowager's people are still buried underground, but the methods have already been used.

Zhang Xuezhou looked up and saw flames sweeping across the area, making it appear as if a sun was rising in the darkness of the combat zone.

"A contest of skill is a matter of life or death, kill me!"

The fiery bird let out a clear cry, which then transformed into the aged voice of the Empress Dowager.

"Either I kill your spirit, leaving your soul and body tainted with misfortune, inescapably collapsing!"

The Empress Dowager, transformed into a giant fiery bird, spread her wings, unleashing billowing flames that swept across the surroundings and swept through the dark areas.

"Dongfang Shuo, come out here!"

"You must exist here to take over my battle of destiny!"

"Come out!"

The Empress Dowager's request for death was a genuine one, but her brutal punishment was also a real threat.

Anyone who appears in this magical space will suffer the Empress Dowager's relentless attacks, regardless of the consequences.

But the one thing the Empress Dowager hadn't anticipated was her display of skill; she still hasn't found an opponent.

"Your body is surprisingly adept at concealment. You knew the dangers and harms of cultivation techniques from the very beginning, and you were afraid of clashing with other cultivators of cultivation techniques!"

"True strength cannot be achieved through concealment!"

"Come out!"

"You coward!"

The Empress Dowager was extremely furious.

The art of manipulation is an extremely esoteric art, with very few people able to practice it, and even fewer who achieve mastery.

This results in few people having experience in tactical combat.

The Empress Dowager knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou's ability to conceal himself in the darkness was merely a simple skill of invisibility.

But even with such a simple skill, she was unable to defeat her opponent.

No matter how many Technique Method one possesses, the means to engage in a contest of magical abilities are limited. Barriers that can usually be easily broken are now like insurmountable chasms.

The Empress Dowager, wreathed in flames, moved about, constantly observing every area she passed through and searching for any possible hiding place for Zhang Xuezhou.

After searching through area by area, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but start cursing.

This was not the kind of contest of skill she wanted, nor was it what she sought.

Given Zhang Xuezhou's skill in strategizing and competing, he has no chance of helping anyone; he can only be a spectator watching the show.

"Every cultivator possesses a unique skill, but overwhelming power is the best option!"

"In battles fought using magic, it's a matter of life or death; you can't win by simply concealing your body!"

"If you manage to break free of your physical strength, a powerful being can crush you with a single blow!"

Even if you develop something hidden to the extreme, it won't have much effect!

"Even if you can buy time by hiding, your real body still needs to eat and drink. You can't be like Liu An... You think you can use your Grain Avoidance ability to last for twelve days?"

Within the magical space, the Empress Dowager searched tirelessly, but she still couldn't find Zhang Xuezhou.

She shared her insights on sports and continuously criticized Zhang Xuezhou's choices.

But after saying a few sentences, the Empress Dowager suddenly remembered Zhang Xuezhou's Zhang Xuezhou, the duration of his illness, and his ability to Grain Avoidance Zhang Xuezhou.

Clearly, as long as he can conceal his presence during a contest of martial arts techniques, Zhang Xuezhou's physical body is not afraid of stalling for time; most people can't endure as much as Zhang Xuezhou.

This was an extremely rare type of opponent. The Empress Dowager had searched through numerous ancient books, but she had never heard of any emperor, empress, or prince who had developed in this way.

If Liu An, the King of Huainan, did not have the ability to investigate, the other side would also be dragged out for twelve days, or even longer, if they rashly initiated a war, until one of them suffered a physical problem in reality.

"You can stall, but Che'er can't hold out that long. He doesn't have your ability to hide, and even if he cultivates the Grain Avoidance Instruction, it won't help. You..."

Zhang Xuezhou had practiced manipulation techniques and even possessed abilities in them, which the Empress Dowager verified. However, the Empress Dowager was very disappointed by Zhang Xuezhou's manipulation abilities.

Zhang Xuezhou's technique combined with the Grain Avoidance Technique of physical cultivation was undoubtedly a way to protect himself.

But this is not a skill that can help the emperor. The emperor does not need such people. What he needs are brave warriors who can fight and charge.

This was far from what the Empress Dowager had imagined—that the emperor and his ministers would work together to fight Liu An, the King of Huainan.

"I've been buried in the ground, my body can barely breathe and won't last much longer. Once my body dies, my life force will disappear. While I still have a breath left, show yourself and kill me!"

Having figured out many things, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to resign herself to fate.

She no longer had the idea of putting Zhang Xuezhou's physical abilities to the test, which was different from her imagined dramatic collision that would end her life.

Life was coming to an end, but the way she died was quite different from what the Empress Dowager had imagined.

For some reason, the Empress Dowager always felt somewhat resentful.

She had clearly let go of everything and was willing to give away her last remaining abilities, but for some reason, she just felt a little uncomfortable.

"As long as you destroy my energy, you will reap the benefits of my energy's collapse!"

The Empress Dowager looked sincere and earnest, but there was still no abnormality in the space where she was in her magic.

It was as if in the dead of night in Chang'an City, only her spirit roamed in the darkness.

You don't believe me!

"Am I really that much to make you wary?"

"It won't do me any good to target you!"

As the chanting continued, the flames on the Empress Dowager's body, which had transformed into a large bird, gradually died down, and she swayed precariously like a candle.

Only then did she see a glimmer of white in the darkness.

A three-legged fish-dragon, whose body was almost as large as its own, appeared in the dark space of cultivation. Strands of golden light constantly wrapped around the fish-dragon's body, while a scorching and gentle light emerged from the fish-dragon's eyes.

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes wide and looked. When she locked her gaze on Zhang Xuezhou, she felt as if a sun had floated before her eyes, and at the same time, a bright moon had risen into the sky.

It's not surprising that Zhang Xuezhou transformed into a fish-dragon body. This is a form of dragon body that non-orthodox emperors cultivated and transformed into. It is almost impossible to achieve the golden dragon body without obtaining the orthodox imperial status.

But what struck the Empress Dowager as odd was Zhang Xuezhou's eyes.

"One eye is the sun, the other the moon—this is the demonic eye form of Zhu Jiuyin. How did you acquire such a destiny? With such powerful strength, why don't you confront me directly?"

The Empress Dowager was destined to have too many unanswered questions.

Zhang Xuezhou was too steady, concealing his movements until the moment her body was on the verge of collapse.

The other party did not covet the benefits of defeating her physical strength, nor did they allow her to harbor any hope of defeating Liu An, the King of King of Huainan.

Endless darkness descended upon her consciousness. The Empress Dowager, transformed into a fiery bird, struggled to raise her neck, spewing countless flames from her mouth. Another bead covered in flames rolled within the flames.

The moment the three-legged fish dragon's claws grasped the Flame Pearl, the Empress Dowager's Flame Bird's power collapsed and disintegrated.

Countless fiery rains fell, then vanished into endless darkness and turned into nothingness.