The Winding Path to Seclusion

Zhang Xuezhou's loud shout was not to encourage himself to attack, but to announce the start of the battle.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was a step too slow, and the new emperor's attack came without delay.

As the Sky Shuttle plunged into the ground, his body was already floating in the air. He used the Dongqie Magic Sword as his starting stance, emitting a blinding white light, and then he used the Vertical Sword Technique to strike and fall.

"Good heavens, you're all alone!"

Zhang Xuezhou's Sky Shuttle almost fell into the air, but he quickly grabbed it and pulled the spirit wood staff on his back into his hand.

The Emperor's signature golden robe was undoubtedly a very good indication, and the fact that a cultivator with such characteristics appeared in a desolate and wild region like Kunlun Sacred Land made his identity obvious without even thinking about it.

But Zhang Xuezhou never imagined that Donghua would appear alone in the ruins of the Kunlun Secret Realm.

Once Kunlun and Lingxiao merged, it was impossible for a large group of cultivators to suddenly emerge from this secret place. Zhang Xuezhou launched the attack without hesitation for even a second.

But he never uttered the words "Donghua" throughout the entire process.

"You heartless bastard, are you determined to get back at me for the rest of your life?"

Zhang Xuezhou harbored deep resentment, and Donghua was no different.

He dodged and weaved through the new emperor's swordsmanship. The emperor's physical body was not only incredibly strong, but his muscles also reacted at a top-notch speed.

The new emperor's sword strikes attempted to lock Donghua several times, but failed.

Having just broken through the range of the sword's aura, Donghua couldn't help but curse as he leaped and bounded.

But as soon as his gaze swept over Zhang Xuezhou holding the spirit wood staff and raising it, fear immediately appeared in Donghua's eyes, and he could no longer care about uttering curses.

"Bang!"

A cracking sound rang out, and a piece of willow wood as thick as an arm fell to the ground. Donghua appeared dozens of feet away, still shaken.

"Damn your mother!"

Without turning his head, Donghua cursed angrily and then ignored the crowd behind him, choosing to run away immediately.

"Stop right there!"

Zhang Xuezhou shouted loudly.

He rarely used the spiritwood staff, and this strike, landing on the puppet provided by the Willow God, left him somewhat resentful.

"You think I'll just stand there because you tell me to? I'm not that stupid!"

Donghua shouted, and after running only a few dozen feet, he leaped into the dense tree roots, which immediately concealed his figure.

In just a few flashes, Donghua had vanished.

"Willow Goddess, where did your secluded path technique send the Emperor?"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan shouted loudly. Even though he had never met Donghua, he could tell that something was wrong with the Emperor.

No matter how well you hide it in ordinary times, your true nature will inevitably be revealed when faced with life and death.

Especially since Zhang Xuezhou launched the attack without any warning, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt that the Emperor might have encountered some unknown problems.

With a flick of his sleeve, the tree roots blocking his path were swept away and sent more than ten meters away. Many of the tree roots rolled and jumped on the ground like dead snakes, creating an extremely eerie scene.

"I am your corpse collector, I know your origins, don't make me go underground to find your original body," said Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

"Zhenyuan, are you going to become a traitor to Kunlun?"

A dull thud echoed from beneath the uneven ground.

As Divine Lord Zhenyuan said, the Willow God's origins are indeed underground, not a tree on the ground.

"If something happens to the Emperor, and you remain so stubborn, conservative, and unable to discern the truth, then you will be the traitors!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, and only continued his reprimand after receiving confirmation.

At the same time, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, realizing that Zhang Xuezhou hadn't said anything about the Emperor before, and had only suddenly launched his attack when he found an opportunity.

If it weren't for their mutual understanding, Divine Lord Zhenyuan would indeed have found it difficult to adapt to this sudden change in style after leaving Kunlun.

"Zhenyuan, are you going to become a traitor to Kunlun?"

As the repeated questioning came, Divine Lord Zhenyuan's expression inevitably darkened slightly.

"The Emperor said that the Willow Goddess is hard of hearing, often catching the first part of a sentence but not the second," Zhang Xuezhou said to Divine Lord Zhenyuan. "I happen to have learned some speaking skills; I can say a few words to him!"

Under the spell of the Demonic Sound Technique Transformation, Zhang Xuezhou's voice went from weak to strong, piercing through like a sharp sword.

"When the Emperor was traveling in spirit through the vast void, his body was inadvertently invaded by a demon, and he has been unable to return to his physical form ever since. You have accompanied the Emperor for a thousand years and have the most detailed records of him. You can use these records to compare with the person who left using your Technique Method Divine Ability to see if their words and actions are consistent with those recorded!"

Zhang Xuezhou's attack speed was already very fast, and the new emperor was even more tacit, cooperating with the attack without asking any questions.

If Donghua were to put up any resistance, the opponents would fall into their repeated doubles attacks. However, the opponents dodged without hesitation, and after making a clear judgment, they did not hesitate to use protective and escape methods.

Except for not calling upon 'Donghua' to command the Void Heaven Palace to suppress it, everything had achieved the best effect Zhang Xuezhou could.

He even encountered Donghua, who was alone, a chance meeting that Zhang Xuezhou found somewhat unbelievable.

If Zhang Xuezhou didn't seize this opportunity, he would feel he would be letting down his soaring luck.

Did you hear me clearly?

Zhang Xuezhou used his Demonic Sound Technique to question the emperor three times in a row, only stopping when the new emperor beside him began to cover his ears.

"You... you... you actually know my Achilles' heel..."

A faint response came from underground. Just as Zhang Xuezhou was slightly surprised, the ground suddenly cracked open, and hundreds or even thousands of tree roots, like earthworms turning over in the soil, kept jumping around in the mud.

"Liu Shen seems to be a little afraid of noise!"

What is this fatal weakness?

Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan exchanged a glance. When Zhang Xuezhou shouted and questioned again, the messy tree roots kept shifting, and had already built an underground passage that could accommodate them.

"It seems you've compared him to the Emperor in your memory and realized he's an imposter!"

Only the Emperor knows my Achilles' heel!

The voices underground grew fainter and fainter, as if they were driven to a mental breakdown by the penetrating power of Zhang Xuezhou's voice, and even abandoned the point-by-point examination.

"Can we get in?"

The new emperor looked at the underground passage formed by tree roots, then bent down and peered inside.

Everyone was skilled on the surface, but once underground, all their abilities became difficult to use. The new emperor felt that this kind of place was only suitable for the Holy Mother of Wudang.

"I'll go in and check the situation first. You guys stay here and block the entrance to prevent him from running away!"

The underground is not a good space for fighting. Once you go underground and are crushed by the soil, even the most skilled person will be restricted. If you are ambushed, it will be a disaster.

Zhang Xuezhou only dared to enter because he knew there were favored places within a 500-mile radius, which would allow him to escape quickly.

Be careful!

The new emperor gave him a word of advice, and Zhang Xuezhou nodded before picking up his spiritwood staff and bowing as he entered the tree root passage.

A sliver of light illuminated the passage, then receded into the distance, accompanied by the contraction of numerous tree roots, and the ground collapsed and filled in.

"This technique is too eerie and bizarre!"

The new emperor made a complaint, which drew several glances from Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

No matter how mysterious Kunlun's techniques are, they are useless; they cannot overcome skill with brute force.

His gaze swept over the longsword gripped in the new emperor's right hand. The sword was very clean, spotless, but a dark red mark remained on the ground where the tip pointed.

That is the Emperor's blood.

In just a brief encounter, His Majesty broke through the Emperor's physical defenses and caused injury.

This pleased Divine Lord Zhenyuan greatly, as he felt that the Sect Master Jieyin, who was skilled in defense, finally had a powerful offensive opponent.