Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse - Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Battle of Qingzhou! The Fall of the Demon Sect’s Giant!

“Oh! To dare say such words to me—Lin Lei, it seems the cards in your hand are not insignificant!”

Xue Wuyan’s face was full of disdain. He casually smiled, completely indifferent.

“You’re seeking death!”

Lin Lei gritted his teeth, suddenly shifting his gaze to the surrounding void, shouting:

“Everyone, show yourselves!”

“Today, we shall join forces and kill the Left Prime Minister of Great Zhou right here!”

“Hehe, rest assured, Lord Lin. With us here, you will be fine.”

Just then, ripples suddenly appeared in the void, accompanied by a cold, sinister laugh echoing through the grand hall.

In the next moment—

Boom!

Dozens of figures with cold expressions and terrifying auras, clad in black robes, appeared out of thin air behind Lin Lei. These black-robed figures exuded a chilling presence, with the weakest among them being at the level of great expert.

Especially the leading black-robed elder, whose robe fluttered in the air as Demon might surged around him. His presence was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.

“Blood Poison Demon Lord!”

“So it’s true, Lin Lei of the Qingzhou Prefecture—you’re already secretly in league with the powerful members of the Demon Sect.”

“Fortunately, His Majesty discovered this in time. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Xue Wuyan’s eyes narrowed as he carefully observed the dozens of black-robed figures that had appeared, silently contemplating. He was well aware of these people’s backgrounds.

These dozens of powerful figures were notorious across the Shen Zhou, infamous criminals wanted by all major forces, cultivators of the Demon Sect.

Among them, the Blood Poison Demon Lord was a prominent figure within the sect, a pinnacle great-power cultivator with a terrifying strength.

As the group of Demon Sect experts appeared before their eyes, the officials of Qingzhou looked on in shock, utterly dumbfounded.

They had never imagined that Lin Lei, the governor of Qingzhou, would dare collude with such figures from the Demon Sect. It was utterly reckless, as if he had a death wish.

According to the laws of Great Zhou, any official found conspiring with the Demon Sect would be treated as a traitor, punished by having their entire family and clan executed.

“Prime Minister, do you regret this now?”

Lin Lei laughed heartily, his tone dripping with mockery.

“If the Left Prime Minister had given me some face earlier, I wouldn’t have been forced to reveal my cards.”

“None of you here today will leave alive.”

A sinister expression clouded Lin Lei’s face as murderous intent filled the air, his cold and merciless voice echoing throughout the grand hall.

Upon hearing this, the officials of Qingzhou paled, instantly realizing Lin Lei’s intentions. He planned to silence everyone, even killing the Left Prime Minister.

Thinking of this, the officials swiftly distanced themselves from Lin Lei and rushed to the Prime Minister’s side.

Watching this unfold, Xue Wuyan frowned but ignored the officials, his eyes flickering with calculation as he focused on Lin Lei. He then spoke meaningfully:

“So, your trump card is these dozens of Demon Sect powerhouses?”

“Of course! Just these dozens of great powers are enough to kill you, old fool.” Lin Lei said confidently.

Not only did he have the backing of the Blood Poison Demon Lord, a pinnacle great-expert, but also several dozen other powerful members of the Demon Sect.

With so many strong individuals, even if the Left Prime Minister had exceptional skills, escaping would be nearly impossible.

“Lin Lei, do you not realize that His Majesty has long been aware of your secret dealings with the Demon Sect? He was simply waiting for you all to show yourselves so he could capture you in one fell swoop.”

“Seal the void. Kill all the Demon Sect members here, no exceptions.”

As Xue Wuyan’s words fell, the entire world seemed to freeze.

A golden barrier suddenly materialized, extending through the sky and completely sealing the void.

In the next moment, countless cold and powerful figures clad in black robes, filled with murderous intent, emerged from the void.

One!

Two!

Three!

…

The sky became densely packed with black-robed figures—hundreds of them.

Witnessing this scene, Lin Lei and the dozens of Demon Sect great powers were utterly shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.

Hundreds of black-robed figures—what was even more crucial was that the weakest among them was a great expert.

Especially the leader, whose overwhelming aura filled the sky, exuding an incomparably terrifying and fearsome presence.

It was clear that this was a pinnacle great expert.

“No! We’ve fallen into a trap!”

“Lin Lei, you’ve ruined us!”

The dozens of Demon Sect members burst out in furious curses.

Upon seeing this, they finally understood everything.

The Great Zhou Dynasty’s forces had set up a massive net in Qingzhou, waiting to capture them all in one go. And they had foolishly walked right into the trap.

The leader of the Demon Sect, the Blood Poison Demon Lord, was utterly horrified. As he gazed at the hundreds of black-robed figures in the sky, waves of terror surged in his heart.

Hundreds of Great Zhou’s great experts had appeared in Qingzhou.

Why hadn’t the Demon Empress informed him of this beforehand? Was she trying to get him killed?

Damn it!

Had he known earlier that Great Zhou had dispatched hundreds of great powers to quell the rebellion in Qingzhou, he would have hidden long ago. He certainly wouldn’t have shown up here seeking death.

But what puzzled the Blood Poison Demon Lord the most was that, despite his numerous encounters with Great Zhou’s experts, he found all of these black-robed figures to be completely unfamiliar. He didn’t know any of them.

“Left Prime Minister, we will retreat immediately and swear to never again be enemies of Great Zhou.”

“Spare our lives—what do you think?”

The Blood Poison Demon Lord spoke humbly, completely disregarding his dignity, as he begged for mercy.

What was dignity compared to survival?

As a prominent figure in the Demon Sect, a pinnacle great-expert, there was a chance he might one day break through to the Saint level. He certainly didn’t want to perish here in Qingzhou today.

“Blood Poison Demon Lord, why beg for mercy from Great Zhou’s forces? We should fight our way out.”

Upon hearing the Blood Poison Demon Lord’s offer of surrender, Lin Lei’s face changed drastically, and he hastily tried to dissuade him.

Lin Lei had already completely offended the Left Prime Minister and betrayed the Great Zhou Dynasty. Even if he surrendered, death was certain.

He could only urge the dozens of Demon Sect great powers to fight their way out, hoping for a slim chance of survival.

“You’re courting death! If not for you, I wouldn’t have fallen into this trap in the first place.”

The Blood Poison Demon Lord’s expression instantly twisted in fury.

If it weren’t for Lin Lei, how could I have fallen to such a state, humbly begging for mercy from Xue Wuyan?

Thinking of this, Blood Poison Demon Lord’s expression darkened, a cruel smile appearing on his face, his killing intent spreading all over. He stretched out a hand, shattering the heavens and earth, directly piercing through Lin Lei’s chest.

“You…”

Lin Lei’s pupils constricted, his gaze fierce as he looked at Blood Poison Demon Lord, his brilliance slowly fading from his eyes, his body collapsing directly to the ground.

Seeing this scene, the officials from Qingzhou were sweating profusely, their faces filled with terror, their hearts shivering with fear.

Lin Lei, the governor of Qingzhou, had fallen just like that!

“Minister Zuo, what are you considering?”

“Spare our lives, and we are willing to swear an oath to heaven that we will no longer be enemies of the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Blood Poison Demon Lord looked at the deceased Lin Lei, finally releasing his pent-up anger, and then humbly spoke to Xue Wuyan.

Hearing that Blood Poison Demon Lord was still begging for mercy,

Xue Wuyan wore a scornful expression and coldly retorted,

“You reckless fools have committed heinous acts, causing countless lives in Qingzhou to suffer and lie in a sea of corpses.”

“Wanting me to spare you? That’s just a pipe dream.”

“Kill all the members of the Demon Sect present!”

Xue Wuyan’s expression turned furious, his killing intent palpable, releasing an overwhelming aura as he stepped forward, engaging in battle with Blood Poison Demon Lord.

At the same time, in the sky, hundreds of figures in black robes stood in the void, their powerful aura unabashedly released, surging forward toward the dozens of Demon Sect powers present.

In an instant!

The heavens shook and the earth cracked, the void collapsing.

The simultaneous release of energy from hundreds of powers was terrifying, as if the entire world was trembling and quaking.

Seeing this scene, the dozens of Demon Sect powers looked grim, steeling themselves as they prepared to fight their way out.

Boom!

In an instant, the hundreds of powers clashed with the dozens of strong Demon Sect members.

This was an unprecedented, earth-shattering battle.

The hundreds of powers fought among themselves in the heavens and earth, each movement carrying tremendous might.

“Damn it!”

“We can’t escape!”

The dozens of Demon Sect powers felt despair, blood dripping from their bodies, struggling to deal with the enemies around them.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had too many strong powers.

Hundreds of powers attacking simultaneously was akin to gods confronting gods, and Buddhas confronting Buddhas.

Their dozens of Demon Sect powers suffered heavy losses after just one exchange, with several powers falling.

If this battle continued, in just a few moments, we would all perish.

The fierce battle in the sky was still ongoing but was quickly nearing its end.

Boom!

Finally, accompanied by a thunderous explosion, the dozens of Demon Sect powers fell one after another.

Only the final powerful figure of the Demon Sect, Blood Poison Demon Lord, was still fighting against Minister Zuo Xue Wuyan.

“Minister Zuo of the Great Zhou, do you truly intend to kill us all?”

At this moment, Blood Poison Demon Lord stood in the void, his expression ferocious, covered in blood, with broken limbs, looking quite wretched.

“Hehe, Blood Poison Demon Lord.”

“When you were wreaking havoc in Qingzhou, wantonly slaughtering the creatures of my Great Zhou Dynasty, did you ever think about today’s outcome?”

Xue Wuyan’s expression was cold, standing in the void with his robe billowing, his gaze icy as he stared fixedly at Blood Poison Demon Lord.

Looking at this scene, Blood Poison Demon Lord felt his heart turn to ashes, coughing up blood from the corner of his mouth, his anger difficult to suppress.

He knew this time he was completely done for.

The powers sent by the Great Zhou Dynasty had exceeded his expectations.

Hundreds of experts, plus two peak great experts, were simply beyond his capability to contend with.

What puzzled him was, why the Demon Sect’s enchantress did not relay this news to him.

Otherwise, how could dozens of powerful Demon Sect members fall in Qingzhou?

“Since I cannot escape death today, I shall perish together with you!”

Blood Poison Demon Lord’s expression became mad, and he let out a long howl toward the sky. The aura that had previously diminished suddenly surged, becoming more terrifying than ever.

The next moment!

Blood Poison Demon Lord was enveloped in demonic energy, transforming into a ball of pitch-black flames, rushing directly towards Xue Wuyan.

Boom!

In an instant, a thunderous explosion rang out, deafening.

An unimaginable and overwhelming wave of destruction recklessly spread, tearing apart the entire heavens and earth.

Fortunately, at this crucial moment, the Qingzhou defensive array activated just in time. In the sky, a dazzling golden barrier appeared, blocking out the sun and suppressing the overwhelming wave of destruction.

Otherwise, under the self-detonation of a peak power, the entire Qingzhou would suffer a heavy blow.

With the fall of Blood Poison Demon Lord, the dozens of powerful members of the Demon Sect were completely annihilated.

The internal turmoil in Qingzhou was thoroughly quelled.

“Spread the news of the dozens of powerful members of the Demon Sect falling.”

“I want to see who else is fearless enough to continue causing chaos within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

“Also, immediately report what happened in Qingzhou back to the imperial city, informing His Majesty that the internal turmoil in Qingzhou has been resolved.”

“After we defeat the millions of savage beast troops, the turmoil in Qingzhou will be completely settled.”

At this moment, Xue Wuyan’s figure appeared, his gaze sharp as he scanned the dozens of surviving Qingzhou officials present, speaking coldly.

He indeed wanted to directly eradicate these officials.

But currently, Qingzhou still needed officials to stabilize the situation.

Once they repelled the millions of savage beast troops, it wouldn’t be too late to settle the scores.