Hearing the deep male voice behind him, Xu Le sneered. He understood Elder Shi's purpose, but he had no interest in paying attention to it. He glanced at the burn mark on the middle section of his right index finger, which was slowly repairing itself with its powerful regenerative ability.
"I used five parts of my strength, but he only used two parts!"
Xu Le sat in the carriage with his eyes lowered. Bai Yue's strength was greater than he had imagined, even greater than that of the Sword Saint. It seemed that he had one foot in the door.
"hiss!"
The spirited horse neighed loudly, pulled the carriage, and drove away amidst Elder Shi's disappointed gaze.
Free novels, ad-free novel website, TXT downloads, please remember Ant Reading Network
------------
Chapter 254: Arrival in Beijing
Within the capital city, the divine power of the bull within Lie Ma had been withdrawn, and he returned to his original form, slowly walking through the streets.
Compared to other cities, the capital was much larger and more prosperous. The streets were filled with people dressed in fine clothes, and the vendors selling their wares had rosy complexions and relaxed smiles. There were hardly any beggars to be seen, creating a scene of great prosperity.
To see if a dynasty is prosperous, look at its capital. The capital is the political and economic center of a country. If even the people there cannot afford food and clothing, then the country is not far from its demise.
"Hiss~"
The spirited horse stopped in front of an inn, letting out a weary neigh. Although its body had been enhanced, it was still a mortal at heart, and prolonged high-intensity exercise was still too difficult for it.
Upon seeing the magnificent carriage, a servant approached with a fawning smile and respectfully asked Xu Le, who had just alighted, "Young master, would you like to stay the night or have a meal?"
Xu Le took out a piece of gold from his inner world and tossed it to the servant. Seeing his increasingly fawning smile and the servant bending at almost a ninety-degree angle, he casually said, "Stay for two days. Arrange a private room for me and bring me one of your best dishes!"
After saying that, Xu Le led Zhao Ling'er inside. The servant chuckled twice and instructed his companion to make arrangements for this patron. He then cautiously approached the spirited horse and said ingratiatingly, "Master Ma, please come with me to the stables for a meal!"
Money makes the world go round. Although Xu Le never said it outright, the servant had been around for so many years and had a keen eye for such things.
The spirited horse snorted, raised its head, and adopted an arrogant demeanor before following the servant into the stable.
Inside the private room, Xu Le sat at the table, looking through the half-open window at the sky above the clouds. To most people, the sky looked no different from the outside, but through Xu Le's Heavenly Eye, he could see a dense concentration of human power gathering, forming a sea of humanity that suppressed the capital city.
A golden dragon, faintly visible, danced in the air. After surveying the city, its eyes lowered, and it fell asleep in the sky.
Xu Le smiled slightly, showing no doubt about the power of the imperial authority. This was a world of immortals and heroes, where countless demons could slaughter mortals. Their demonic power was not something an ordinary army could handle. If the mortal forces represented by the emperor were unable to resist, wouldn't this world have been ruled by demons long ago?
Aside from the righteous sects led by Mount Shu, in this world of immortals and heroes, dynasties naturally possess extraordinary abilities as their foundation. Benevolence and righteousness are useless; only force can instill fear in demons.
However, the emperor of this world seems to have cultivated a technique to gather the fortune of humanity and created a huge array. He may not be able to live forever, but within the capital, even immortals might not be a match for the emperor.
However, every advantage has its disadvantages. Although the formation that gathers the fortune of humanity is powerful, if the emperor leaves the capital or the country declines and the fortune weakens, the power of the formation will be greatly reduced. This is why a large number of evil spirits and disasters appear at the end of every dynasty.
However, these things have little to do with Xu Le. No matter how good the imperial power in the human world is, after a hundred years it will be nothing but a skeleton buried in the yellow sand. Only eternity is worth pursuing.
Whoosh whoosh!
Several shadowy ninjas appeared in the private room, and one of them walked up to Xu Le to report on what he had investigated.
Xu Le nodded. He had previously sent out a large number of shadow ninjas to investigate and find the whereabouts of the spider demon. According to the plot, the spider demon should have appeared near the capital, but according to the shadow ninjas' search...
The cave where the spider demon was located was indeed found, but the spider demon was nowhere to be seen. Judging from the traces left in the cave, there had been no new traces for three or four days, so it can be inferred that it was probably doing something.
However, its nemesis, the Butterfly Demon, has shown signs of appearing. As long as the Butterfly Demon is there, there's no need to worry about the Spider Demon not appearing, and the Thunder Spirit Orb will also appear then.
Xu Le picked up his chopsticks and tasted the dishes at the inn. Although the taste was average, it was novel and some of the dishes were prepared in an interesting way, and they were edible.
Xu Le picked up a dried bamboo shoot, took a bite, and saw that it had absorbed the delicious flavor of the duck meat while stewing with it. It was very chewy. He then asked Zhao Ling'er, who was eating elegantly beside him, "How is it? Does it taste good?"
Zhao Ling'er wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and replied with a smile, "The taste is alright, but it's a little inferior to the Shadow Warrior's cooking!"
Knock knock knock!
There was a knock on the door, but Xu Le continued eating and ignored it. The knocking paused for a moment, and then he could faintly hear rapid breathing.
"interesting!"
Xu Le continued eating, and Ling'er, seeing that her husband didn't want to pay attention, naturally had no interest in acknowledging him either.
Knock knock knock!
"My name is Zhao Yi. May I ask if you may grant me an audience, sir?"
A clear voice came from outside the door, with a touch of feminine gentleness. Xu Le tapped the table lightly with his finger and said, "Come in!"
Creak!
The door slowly opened, and a woman dressed as a man with an almost otherworldly handsome face walked in. As for why she couldn't possibly be a man, that's because this isn't a domestic TV drama. When a woman dresses as a man, it's as if she's cast a spell, making others naturally think she's a man, especially the main characters, who are deeply influenced by the spell.
It's understandable that she doesn't have an Adam's apple, but she doesn't even wear a chest binder and they can't recognize her even though she's always in front of them. Is she blind or has a mental deficiency?
The woman dressed as a man walked in and noticed that Xu Le's gaze wasn't on her. She raised her eyebrows slightly but didn't say anything. She clasped her hands and said, "Zhao Yi greets the esteemed master!"
Xu Le poured himself a glass of fine wine, slowly drank it, and looked at the two guards following behind Zhao Yi, saying softly, "What brings you here?"
"His Majesty is celebrating his birthday and happens to know that the Master is coming, so he specially sent me to invite the Master to the banquet!"
The woman dressed as a man glanced at Zhao Ling'er, who looked like a fairy, and a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she became more charming and said with a seductive smile. Xu Le didn't react, but the two richly dressed people behind her looked infatuated.
Knock knock knock!
Xu Le tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. The soft tapping gradually changed, becoming louder with each tap, from a mosquito's hum at the beginning to a drumbeat later on, or even more like a symphony. The tapping sounds seemed to form a musical movement, and the three of them felt that the scenery in front of them had changed, as if they were in the middle of a battlefield.
"Kill them!"