Chapter Ninety-Nine: Those Who Stand in My Way Die (Final)-Infinite Immortal(His given name was Qi, and his courtesy name was Fangyuan.)

If Misaka Mikoto were to come to this world, she probably would not possess power on this level. In other words, was it combat strength at the Core Formation stage? Still, since it was borrowed power, it was enough to put up a fight.

...

Inside the inner palace, the young emperor on the throne asked the minister he trusted most, somewhat fearfully, whether General Bude could stop that rebel.

Your Majesty, General Bude is one of the two strongest people in the Empire, alongside General Esdeath. I am sure General Bude will very soon destroy the traitor. Please rest easy, Your Majesty, said the broad, bloated minister with a smile as he bit into raw meat.

Mm. I also believe General Bude can kill the rebel. I shall go and relieve myself first; please wait a moment, Minister.

Go ahead.

After arriving at the lavatory, the young emperor peered cautiously around before stepping inside. Yet there was another figure standing there, dazed and vacant.

The young emperor did not scream, nor was he shocked. Instead, he broke into a childlike smile and hurried over. Tatsumi, you must hide well and not be found, or else you will be captured.

...

The battle at the gates of the imperial capital had lasted a quarter of an hour. Neither the ground nor the walls retained any trace of their former grandeur and dignity; all that remained was ruin, pitted and broken, battered beyond recognition.

During that quarter of an hour, Qi first tried close combat, then ranged spinning attacks, and later even attempted to create poisonous gas or ozone-like corrosion to erode his opponent's body. Yet every one of those tactics was utterly neutralized by the other's lightning.

Although the Imperial Armament had fixed the strength of his lightning, over the course of decades his control of it and his adaptability were no weaker than those of an ordinary cultivator with a lightning spiritual root. No matter what strange move his opponent devised, he could answer with lightning, and do so with perfect ease.

The result of the battle was that Qi was blackened all over, and his diamond armor had been repaired more than ten times. General Bude, meanwhile, was somewhat short of breath, with several cuts on his body, though all were only minor wounds.

Qi instinctively summoned the Qi Codex, hoping to replenish his spiritual power. The Codex appeared, but informed him that it could not be used. Only then did he remember.

It was not that he had truly forgotten; he had simply become too absorbed in the battle, and the action came out of habit.

Before the duel with General Bude, the warm-up fights had consumed less spiritual power than he had been able to recover, which was why he had managed to sustain such a high-intensity battle for a quarter of an hour. But by now his spiritual power was down to less than twenty percent, and the chance of defeating General Bude was not great. So Qi decided to change tactics.

General Bude, I have greatly enjoyed today's battle. But I already made bold claims earlier. If I were to withdraw here, I would lose face before those below, so next I shall have to resort to certain methods, said Qi. Though his face was scorched black, and the monkey mask had already turned to ash, no one could make out his features.

I will not let you pass through this gate unless you step over my corpse, General Bude said, steadfastly holding his post.

Then I won't pass through. I, Old Sun, am off!

Qi leapt high into the air, somersaulting several times before vaulting into the imperial capital.

General Bude's lightning came after him, only to be blocked by Qi in kind with lightning of his own. Using lightning here consumed far more than in ordinary combat, and unless it was absolutely necessary, he would not use it lightly.

The instant he landed, he began sprinting at full speed in search of the minister and the young emperor. The palace was filled with guards; even if none of them were on the level of General Bude, there were still one or two Imperial Armament users among them. Qi did not want to be delayed, so he sprang into the air, flying over the crowd, and used his astonishing hearing to locate the area with the greatest number of concealed protectors.

Thunder crashed down from the low-hanging storm clouds. Qi blocked it once more, but his spiritual power was draining too quickly. He would have to end this swiftly.

He had not entered through the main gate, but had smashed straight through the roof and plunged inside.

There, surrounded by many guards and several Imperial Armament users, stood two figures. He knew at once that he had found his targets: a child in imperial robes, and a stout, bloated middle-aged man who looked unmistakably like a villain.

Get out of my way. Anyone who stands in my path dies!

Qi roared, launching himself upward. The diamond staff in his hand transformed into a sky-piercing pillar, then came crashing down with the force of heaven and earth splitting apart.

Protect His Majesty!

Protect the Emperor and the Minister!

Imperial Armament: Guardian Spirit!

Earth's Mercy!

A layer of white light shielded the two figures at the center, and then a thick stone wall rose up as well, blocking both Qi's sight and his attack.

Break for me!

With his roar, the sky-piercing pillar crashed down. Even the sturdy stone wall could not withstand it for an instant, and was pulverized to dust. Yet the pillar itself came to a halt, failing to strike anyone. At the very moment the stone shattered, it was stopped by that thin white barrier.

Beside the minister stood two people, one pale-faced and the other struggling desperately to endure. Their movements made it clear that both were Imperial Armament users.

Kill!

With his advance blocked, Qi was instantly met by a ferocious counterattack from the final line of defenders. Even with the diamond armor protecting him, he was forced back several steps. That retreat meant that he no longer had any chance of killing his target this time.

Boom!

Bold fool, leave your life behind!

General Bude had already charged in. Enraged, he threw himself at Qi the moment he saw him, and endless thunder followed in his wake.

That is enough for today. But I should leave some sort of mark before I go.

Qi sprang upward, landing atop the roof pierced by the great hole. He drew in a breath, puffed out his cheeks, and spat forth a streak of dark-blue flame. The fire spread in an instant, igniting the cloth and timber within the building.

Whoosh.

The sound was not Qi flying away, but the sound of the diamond staff, now transformed into a towering pillar, being driven savagely into the shattered roof.

Hahaha, I, Old Sun, am leaving!

Die!

At the final moment, General Bude unleashed his full power in one last strike, hitting the youth who was fleeing through the air with his spiritual power exhausted. Under that blow, the young man's right arm was blown clean off and fell away. Cradling his ruined body, the youth staggered, then toppled headlong to the ground.

...

Your Majesty, are you injured? asked the minister, chewing on raw meat with an indifferent expression. By now they had escaped the sea of fire beneath the protection of the white barrier.

I-I am fine. It is just that this rebel... he was too strong. What if he comes again next time? The young emperor's face was filled with fear.

Your humble servant arrived late to protect Your Majesty and allowed you to be frightened. It is truly a crime worthy of death. In the end, the rebel had his right arm broken by this minister and fell from the sky. He is likely already dead. He can never disturb Your Majesty again.

Seeing General Bude kneel on both knees and request punishment, the young emperor hurriedly said, Since General Bude has severely wounded, or perhaps even killed, that man, then I am reassured. Had the General not held that rebel back for so long this time, I fear my personal guards would already have been defeated. In the future as well, I ask that General continue to safeguard my imperial capital.

A fellow immortal asked what this book is about, and what kind of readers it is meant for. The title itself can express my intention: a fusion of limitless flow and cultivation. Since I am a beginner, my writing is not very good, and some readers may not be used to it. Still, recently I feel I have improved somewhat. I ask all fellow immortals to patiently accompany Fangyuan and Infinite Immortal as they go on together. Thank you.