World's First Traitor System (382)

Chapter 382 - A Glimmer of Hope from Heaven

Wu Zhao!

Wu Zetian!

It was her!

The shock reverberated through Fan Li, leaving him speechless. It was undoubtedly her voice, the same one he had heard on the day the Heavenly Gate opened.

“Such power, from a mere fragmented soul? Perhaps Wu Zetian's achievements in life truly surpassed both Li Yu and Shi Jingtang? The Southern Tang occupied Hongzhou in the Great Ming, the Later Jin held Xiongzhou in the Great Chu, yet Wu Zhao remained hidden within the Southern Ridge Mountains. This wasn’t a sign of weakness, but a strategic maneuver for her resurrection!”

Countless questions swirled within him, now beginning to unravel with the appearance of Wu Zhao’s fragmented soul. The most pressing question, however, was what Princess Chang Le intended to do. Trapped within the formation, what could she possibly accomplish? He glanced at her. She stared at the Great Zhou dragon soul with an unsettling excitement.

"Subjects of Great Zhou, welcome His Majesty!" Shangguan Wan’er’s clear voice rang out.

The dragon soul danced and writhed, and the wordless stele pulsed with radiant light.

So, the stele was a spirit treasure as well, or at least an integral component of the formation!

Suddenly, a powerful force tugged at Fan Li. Despite his resistance, something within him, like an unseen thread, was being drawn towards the sky. He looked up and saw the dragon soul open its massive jaws and began sucking at the four of them!

He felt himself aging, his skin withering and drying, his life force draining away. The other three suffered the same fate.

"Ah... the mortal realm... beautiful mortal realm..."

Wu Zetian’s voice echoed, a strange mixture of ecstasy and a low moan.

With a Herculean effort, Fan Li looked up and saw the Great Zhou dragon soul transforming, shedding its draconic form, shifting into a human shape. A misty, translucent figure hovered in the air, the outline of a woman. A breathtakingly beautiful woman, with the imperious gaze of an Emperor. Clad in dragon robes and a jeweled crown, as she fully materialized, tears streamed down Shangguan Wan’er’s face. The one hundred thousand Great Zhou soldiers erupted in a deafening chorus of adoration.

“Long live the Holy Emperor!”

“Long live the Holy Emperor!”

“Long live the Holy Emperor!”

Fan Li knew that when their “wine, sex, wealth, and power” were fully drained, the moment of Wu Zhao’s resurrection would arrive, and they, the four sacrifices, would perish.

Wu Zetian’s form solidified. Her skin, white as jade, her hair, black as night, her golden dragon robes shimmered in the sunlight. She appeared almost indistinguishable from a living being, no longer a hollow, ethereal spirit.

Was the Great Sage Emperor Zetian of Great Zhou truly about to be resurrected?

Then, the unexpected happened. Two streams of energy flowed out of Wu Zetian's form, like a river reversing its course, surging back into Fan Li and Qing Qiu. The change was so swift that neither Shangguan Wan’er nor the Great Zhou army could react. In an instant, Fan Li’s youth was restored. Qing Qiu, too, regained her former beauty.

The transformation was due to the Substitute Dolls. The Four Exceptional Individuals Formation, attempting to siphon their destiny through mere clones, was doomed to fail!

"What?! I… What's this? Wan'er, where did you find ‘Power’ and ‘Sex’?”

Wu Zetian’s form flickered, becoming translucent once more. She trembled in the air, her beautiful face contorted in anger and fear.

“Your Majesty?!”

Shangguan Wan’er was stunned. Fan Li and Qing Qiu’s defiance was clearly beyond her calculations. Trapped within the formation, occupying the positions of “Power” and “Sex,” she was powerless to act without disrupting the resurrection ritual. But how could she interrupt it? If Wu Zetian's fragmented soul suffered further damage, they might have to wait another year, until the next Double Ninth Festival!

The one hundred thousand Great Zhou soldiers, like their Chancellor, could only watch helplessly.

“‘Power’ and ‘Sex’ seek to escape? I forbid it! To sacrifice yourselves for my return is your honor!”

The suction intensified, Fan Li felt his very soul being drawn out. Yet, he remained passive. The Substitute Dolls, mere reflections in water, could not be harmed, no matter how Wu Zetian attacked. Her efforts were futile.

“Futile? How can this be?” Almost all of their stolen essence flowed back, Wu Zetian’s form flickered, fading from its near-corporeal state.

“Impossible! Heaven granted me a glimmer of hope, a chance to be reborn. Heaven gave me this opportunity. I will live! I will live!” Her voice became increasingly frantic.

Fan Li had done almost nothing, his victory was effortless. Looking up at Wu Zetian, he felt a flicker of pity. A great Empress, reduced to this, her composure shattered by the fear of death. Survival, it seemed, was the ultimate goal of all living beings.

“Your Majesty!” Shangguan Wan’er suddenly cried out.

Someone within the formation had defied their assigned position, charging towards Wu Zetian’s ethereal form. By the time Shangguan Wan’er reacted, it was too late.

“Chang Le, what is she doing?!” Fan Li watched in astonishment as Princess Chang Le soared upwards, colliding with Wu Zetian's image. The two figures, one ethereal, one corporeal, merged, becoming indistinguishable.

“Insolent! Who are you? What are you doing?!”

Princess Chang Le didn’t speak. She drew a sword and plunged it into Wu Zetian’s chest. As the blade pierced, Fan Li recognized it – the Emperor Qin’s Sword!

“Protect His Majesty!”

Shangguan Wan’er screamed. She wanted to attack, but the two figures were too intertwined. She hesitated. The delay, a mere breath or two, was fatal.

Twelve golden figures materialized, blocking her path. Fan Li was stunned. Chang Le had refined the Terracotta Army, transforming them into portable treasures! Though no match for Shangguan Wan’er, they could momentarily impede her.

After a brief but brutal clash, three of the golden figures were damaged, but the Chancellor was held at bay. Princess Chang Le and Wu Zetian now faced each other, one on one.

“My soul… damaged? A mortal blade… harming me? This is… the Emperor’s Sword? No! The scent of Qin Shi Huang… What is your connection to him? I never offended him! Why does he seek to harm me?!”

The spectral form was pierced, no blood flowed, but the image flickered, fading further.

“Wu Zetian, your era is over.” Princess Chang Le’s voice was devoid of warmth, yet filled with an imperial arrogance that mirrored Wu Zetian’s own. “You haven’t even realized. It is I who will replace you. Qin Shi Huang has nothing to do with this.”

“Impossible! Heaven promised me a chance to be reborn. I will return! I will!”

Princess Chang Le smiled. “Rebirth takes many forms. For example…” She opened her mouth and inhaled sharply. Wu Zetian’s weakened, fragmented soul was swallowed whole.