Chapter 683: This Thing Is Edible?

“Roar…”

The insect let out a hoarse roar, like that of a beast. Its upper shell was exceptionally vibrant, and even its lower body wasn't particularly disgusting, appearing somewhat translucent. Its four wings were especially magnificent. In Ji Yuan's hand, it still seemed to struggle.

“Sizzle…”

A flash of purple lightning passed through it, and the strange insect trembled, its struggles significantly subsiding.

Inside the Golden Palace, everyone except for the Immortal Masters—from officials to eunuchs, palace maids, and concubines—appeared extremely panicked.

“Your Majesty!” “What is this?”

“It came out of His Majesty's body…”

“It looks terrifying…”

As Ji Yuan clutched the Insect Emperor, the restraints on Emperor Zuyue instantly vanished. He slumped onto the dragon throne, drenched in sweat and feeling utterly weak, yet still instinctively reaching out towards Ji Yuan.

“Give it back to me! Give it back, give it back! This is my immortal medicine, it's my immortal medicine, immortal medicine... Guards, protect me, protect me!”

“Your Majesty!” “Quickly summon the imperial physicians, summon them!”

Several eunuchs rushed to support the emperor, preventing him from falling off the dragon throne. While cautiously observing Ji Yuan, they also instructed others to summon the imperial physicians.

“Guards... Retrieve my immortal medicine…”

The emperor's voice was urgent and weak. The moment the Insect Emperor left his body, his face turned pale, and he felt utterly weak, finding it difficult to breathe. After forcing out a few more shouts, he fainted.

“Protect the Emperor and escort him away, protect the Emperor! You, and you, quickly!”

The eunuchs' power was entirely dependent on the emperor. The old eunuch, clearly far more loyal than the Immortal Masters in the hall, directed the other younger eunuchs to carry the emperor. Under the vigilant escort of a group of guards, they cautiously departed the Golden Palace.

Ji Yuan, holding the Insect Emperor, silently watched the emperor and his entourage retreat. Once the emperor left, most of the guards inside the palace also withdrew from the Golden Palace. However, outside the palace, the sounds of armor and weapons grew louder and more numerous, indicating that a considerable number of imperial guards had surrounded the Golden Palace.

Everyone else had left, but the so-called Immortal Masters in the hall could not, or rather, dared not leave. The newcomer showed no visible divine power, yet was clearly not an ordinary mortal; their cultivation was immeasurably high. The intent of an immortal sword permeated the entire hall, its sharp essence making them feel a subtle tingling sensation on their skin and in their minds. It was as if moving even slightly would result in being struck by a sword, and no one dared to take that gamble at this moment.

Ji Yuan looked at the surrounding so-called Immortal Masters and asked with a smile.

“Since you are all subjects of Zuyue, are you not afraid that if something truly happens to your Emperor, it might affect the destiny of Zuyue and, consequently, your cultivation?”

“Sir, you jest. How could the destiny of Zuyue be affected by the life or death of just one emperor? If we defeat Dazhen, we will turn from decline to prosperity; if we lose, all will be over.”

That made sense. Ji Yuan even felt that the emperor, by remaining in power, was more of a hindrance. Without saying anything further, Ji Yuan put the Insect Emperor into his sleeve. He turned and walked towards the exit of the Golden Palace, with Min Xian and Jin Jia following him.

Before Ji Yuan had taken two steps, a rapid “thud-thud-thud” sound of footsteps accompanied by sporadic metallic clanking came from outside the hall. Squads of imperial guards, shoulder to shoulder, surged into the Golden Palace, with more imperial guards entering from the rear.

Weapons stood like a forest, and shields formed a wall, with arrows in the rear already notched. The imperial guards nervously watched the three individuals in front of the Golden Palace. Their wary gazes were not only on Ji Yuan, but many also looked at the dozen or so Zuyue Immortal Masters on one side of the hall.

Outside the Golden Palace, countless dense footsteps also echoed, clearly indicating a triple-layered encirclement. These imperial guards had witnessed the terror of the Immortal Masters. The three individuals before them were clearly not mortals either. Comfort had dulled their spirits; they had long been lax in training and lacked the ferocity of seasoned battlefield soldiers, feeling no confidence in encircling immortals or demons.

“Heh heh, what, do you intend to keep me here?”

Ji Yuan smiled. He could have simply vanished and left, but after glancing back at the dozen or so so-called Immortal Masters, he looked at Jin Jia standing beside him.

Sensing Ji Yuan's gaze, the silent Jin Jia took three steps forward. With his characteristic cold gaze, he looked straight ahead, not even acknowledging any of the imperial guards. He slowly raised his right arm, and then, without any warning, he suddenly bent his knees, swung his fist, and slammed it into the ground.

A tremendous “boom” echoed.

The next moment.

The ground of the Golden Palace seemed to ripple with a bright yellow wave, like a colossal stone dropped into a still lake. In an instant, the ripples spread out, and for a moment, the Golden Palace, both inside and out, shook violently.

Rumble, rumble, rumble…

“Ah…” “Thump…” “Clang, clatter…”

“Crash…” “Look out…”

“Ouch…” “Be careful…”

Chaos erupted everywhere, inside and out. The clatter of weapons and armor hitting the ground mingled with panicked screams. Even the dozen or so Immortal Masters in the Golden Palace struggled to stand firm; despite casting spells to stabilize themselves, they still swayed and lost their balance.

The tremors were extremely violent, but they came and went quickly. In just four or five breaths, everything quieted down. Jin Jia slowly stood up, and the Golden Palace ground where he had struck remained completely unharmed.

But what had just happened was no illusion. Dust was still falling uniformly from palaces throughout the imperial complex, and all the imperial guards surrounding the Golden Palace were lying on the ground, disoriented and weak.

Ji Yuan looked at Jin Jia's right arm, which had revealed golden scales and was now slowly reverting to its normal appearance as Jin Jia stood up. Ji Yuan nodded and praised him.

“Excellent. Your control over your strength is superb, and you've made progress!”

After saying this, Ji Yuan stepped forward again, with Min Xian and Jin Jia following closely. They stepped over the fallen imperial guards, leisurely walking out of the Golden Palace, and then ascended into the sky on the wind.

After Ji Yuan left, the dozen or so Immortal Masters, whose feet were still tingling, looked at the fallen imperial guards. It was a while before they confirmed Ji Yuan had truly departed; only then did they dare to start discussing with worried expressions.

“Could this person also be a powerful ally of Dazhen?” “If he is with Dazhen, how can we possibly win?”

“Indeed, this Mr. Ji seems to be an extraordinary sword immortal! The spiritual power of that sword artifact is truly terrifying!”

The demon who had dared to speak with Ji Yuan earlier shook his head.

“You all need not worry. How could this gentleman be a subject of Dazhen? Having already achieved the Dao, why would he seek it? Furthermore, if he were a subject of Dazhen, would we still be alive right now?”

“You know him?” “Who is this person?”

The demon grinned.

“Didn't Daoist Min Xian say it? It's Mr. Ji. His cultivation is so profound that we cannot afford to provoke him. Knowing that much is enough. Gentlemen, I shall take my leave first!”

With that, the demon transformed into a wisp of demonic energy and escaped towards the back of the Golden Palace. The other cultivators exchanged glances. After looking towards the outside of the hall, they also departed. As for the imperial guards scattered on the ground, slowly staggering to their feet, no one paid them any mind.

Ji Yuan traveled by wind. A little over fifteen minutes after leaving Datongdu, he once again took out the Insect Emperor in the sky. Struck by purple lightning, the insect now appeared somewhat listless.

“Sir, this insect is the source of that insect art. If this insect dies, all other insects will perish, and the insect art will collapse on its own.”

Min Xian said this from the side. Ji Yuan glanced at him but said nothing more. Purple lightning flickered in his left hand, making the Insect Emperor crackle with electricity.

“Roar... roar... Click, click, click... click, click, click... roar…”

The previously listless Insect Emperor began to struggle violently again under the threat of death. It even continuously tried to attack Ji Yuan's fingers with its mouthparts and limbs. Its ferocity and strength mildly surprised Ji Yuan; if he hadn't borrowed from the old beggar's Mountain-Suppressing Pinch Finger technique to restrain the Insect Emperor, he truly wouldn't have been able to hold it so effortlessly in another situation.

“Wait!”

A low, solemn voice suddenly appeared, making Ji Yuan pause his actions. It also slightly stunned Min Xian, who was watching intently from the side. He looked around but didn't see Jin Jia speaking. And since it was stopping Ji Yuan, it certainly couldn't be Ji Yuan speaking to himself, yet there was no one else within sight.

Ji Yuan frowned. With a flick of his sleeve, a scroll flew out and landed in his right hand. Then, with a flick of his right hand, the scroll unfurled, revealing the silent painting of the Xiezhi upon it.

“Xiezhi, do you have something to say?”

As Ji Yuan spoke, his gaze swept towards Min Xian. Could this person have dared to deceive him, and was killing the Insect Emperor the wrong solution? Ji Yuan had intuitively felt that this should be the correct solution, or at least one of them.

Although Ji Yuan's use of lightning in his palm to strike the insect was still merely an attempt, Xiezhi speaking up at this moment couldn't help but make Ji Yuan ponder further.

Xiezhi's voice was as solemn as ever; it didn't comment on any insect art solutions.

“Ji Yuan, since you intend to kill this Golden-Armored Flying Gadfly, why not give it to me for a snack? This creature tastes excellent. Those with four wings are already quite rare. Killing it directly would be a waste.”

The Xiezhi in the painting was not lively at the moment, but its mouth opened and closed, emitting a sound.

“This thing tastes good?”

Ji Yuan looked at the Insect Emperor in his hand with surprise. How could something that looked like this be tasty?

“You can try it yourself. If you eat it yourself, I won't ask for it.”

Xiezhi was not at all overbearing, and Ji Yuan waved his hand repeatedly upon hearing this.

“No need, no need. Since you want to eat it, it's yours. Open wide.”

As Ji Yuan spoke, he directly tossed the Insect Emperor towards the painting, but he deliberately did not channel any magic power into it. As a result, a patch of black fire suddenly ignited around the mouth of the Xiezhi in the painting. Just as the Insect Emperor approached the scroll, struggling to flap its wings, a mouth filled with sharp teeth inside bit onto it and dragged it back into the painting.

“Crunch, crunch... Munch, munch, munch…”

The sound was as if something crispy was being eaten, and it sounded incredibly delicious. Ji Yuan found it amusing, but Min Xian, standing by, felt a chill run down his spine, and goosebumps rose on his skin.

The Insect Emperor, refined by his master, was as hard as vajra. It was actually eaten so casually, and by a painting? Not even a ripple was created, and there was no expected counter-reaction at all?

Min Xian's panicked expression caught Ji Yuan's attention. Ji Yuan's ancient eyes remained calm as he looked at Min Xian with a half-smile, making Min Xian's hair stand on end.