Book 3: Chapter 133: Hanba’s Poison

“Continue!”

The combination of the ritual array and the Life Ender Saber was invincible. However, it was uncertain how long it could last. After all, it was limited by the number of spirit stones, despite the large numbers.

The gale kept blowing. In the blink of an eye, two-thirds of the locusts had already been consumed. Nothing remained of them. The surviving locusts could not flee, either.

“Gu Hai, you bastard! Let me out!” the Fire Locust Deity roared while glaring.

However, Gu Hai ignored the Fire Locust Deity, focusing on consuming the other locusts. The Fire Locust Deity tried to charge over several times, but Gu Hai used the ritual array to send him off in another direction. The Fire Locust Deity could neither flee nor attack.

Despite Gu Hai reaching the Golden Core Realm’s ninth layer, vast energy continued to pour into his body. He gritted his teeth as he suppressed this berserk energy.

The locust spirits started to fear and plead for mercy. However, how could Gu Hai listen to them? Did they give the citizens a chance to plead for mercy when they wanted to eat everyone in the city?

Consume. Consume. Consume.

After one day and one night, Gu Hai finally consumed all of the locusts save for the Fire Locust Deity, who was on the verge of mental collapse.

“No! No! My fire locust race!” the Fire Locust Deity cried out in despair.

In just one day and one night, my entire race aside from myself got exterminated? Thoroughly exterminated?

Boom!

Gu Hai withdrew the black energy and bone blades around himself. Now, his clothes had thousands of holes in them.

However, no one in Foundation Deity City laughed at him. Instead, they showed boundless reverence.

“Many thanks, Mister Gu!”

“All destroyed! They are all destroyed!”

“Long live Mister Gu! Long live the Han Royal Dynasty!”

Now, the citizens of this city acknowledged Gu Hai.

When Huangfu Chaoge bequeathed the nation to Gu Hai, the citizens had felt reluctant. Now, all reluctance was gone. Hope filled their hearts. Perhaps we will have more stability and bliss by joining the Han Royal Dynasty. This is because we will have a strong emperor soon.

Blargh!

Gu Hai’s face flushed red, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. He had gathered too much energy in his body, a nearly unbearable amount.

“Huh? You are injured?” The Fire Locust Deity immediately showed a fierce expression.

“Haha! The spirit stones in the ritual array must be spent. I’ll let you have its final strike!” Gu Hai sneered.

Gu Hai waved.

Buzz!

Clouds and fog suddenly gathered, birthing a new cloud beast. Before this cloud beast appeared, a horrifying storm of sword qi manifested.

A sword conception came out of nowhere, and the swords of the Foundation Deity City citizens promptly trembled gently.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Ten thousand swords hummed as one, welcoming that impending cloud beast.

“What a strong sword conception!”

“I can’t control my sword. What is that sword conception?”

“What is Mister Gu summoning?”

Countless citizens revealed shocked expressions.

The eyes of the generals who had taken part in the battle with the Heptagold Sect immediately lit up.

“The Sword Devil, Dugu Qiubai?” someone cried out in wild joy.

“Dugu Qiubai?” The Fire Locust Deity’s expression changed. After all, some information had spread from the Heptagold Sect.

The Fire Locust Deity was only in the peak Nascent Soul Realm. Previously, the sword-toothed tiger had gathered the power of all the Heptagold Sect’s citizens, attaining the power of a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. However, the sword-toothed tiger had still been no match for Dugu Qiubai. What more the Fire Locust Deity?

Crack! Crack!

The surrounding foggy ritual array started crumbling. Clearly, the spirit stones had reached their limit and would be drained soon.

The Fire Locust Deity turned around, wanting to flee.

Buzz!

Gu Hai stepped onto the cloud beast and appeared before the Fire Locust Deity nearly instantaneously. Then, a powerful sword conception rushed out towards the Fire Locust Deity.

Seeing that he could not flee, the Fire Locust Deity turned enraged, his figure trembling. Then, he transformed into a thirty-meter-long locust. Divine Energy poured out of its forehead, forming red flames.

“Hah! Infinite Divine Energy, Fire Cloud Divine Palm!” the Fire Locust Deity shouted.

Suddenly, huge palms of flames manifested from boundless Divine Energy rained down towards Gu Hai.

These palms seemed to cover the sky, intent on destroying Gu Hai along with Dugu Qiubai.

“Dugu’s Nine Swords, Palm Breaking Stance!”

Boom!

Thousands upon thousands of golden sword qi appeared around Dugu Qiubai and stabbed the ten thousand manifested palms.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ten thousand manifested palms exploded nearly instantly. However, still more sword qi flew at the Fire Locust Deity.

“Roar!”

The Fire Locust Deity roared as red flames covered it, forming a Divine Energy barrier. This managed to block the incoming sword qi with much difficulty.

As the spirit stones drained, the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Ritual Array crumbled further. It looked like it would break soon.

Dugu Qiubai’s figure turned blurry, on the verge of scattering.

“Gu Hai, your ritual array is at its limit!” the Fire Locust Deity said with some excitement amid its horror.

“A great sword with no edge. No techniques work against absolute strength!” Dugu Qiubai snorted coldly.

Buzz!

The sword qi in the sky suddenly coalesced into a colossal, black-iron great sword that rushed at the Fire Locust Deity.

“Roar!”

The Fire Locust Deity roared as it frantically poured out Divine Energy, making the Divine Energy flames around it grow ten times larger.

The Fire Locust Deity understood that it would be safe once it blocked this strike, as Gu Hai’s ritual array would collapse.

The black-iron great sword clashed with the Divine Energy flame barrier.

Boom!

When the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Ritual Array finally drained the last spirit stone, it exploded. Dugu Qiubai vanished as well.

However, the final strike from the black-iron great sword was too mighty.

When the black-iron great sword swung down, it instantly cut through the Divine Energy flames and the Fire Locust Deity’s body, pinning it to the ground.

Bang!

The Fire Locust Deity’s Divine Energy scattered.

When the ritual array disappeared, the black-iron great sword also disappeared. However, the Fire Locust Deity had no strength left. It now had a large hole in its abdomen as it lay in a pool of its blood.

“You!” The Fire Locust Deity looked at Gu Hai in despair.

Just a little more, and I could have escaped?

The Fire Locust Deity still stubbornly wanted to flee.

However, despite losing the ritual array, Gu Hai still had the crimson saber to increase his strength. He held the crimson saber and the bone saber as he landed on the Fire Locust Deity’s body, trampling on it.

The Fire Locust Deity could not move at all.

“No! It should not have turned out like this! No! His Majesty will not let you off!” the Fire Locust Deity roared in despair.

Gu Hai revealed a cold smile.

Gu Hai had exterminated the fire locust race and severely injured the Fire Locust Deity. The entire city was stunned upon seeing this scene. Not too long ago, everyone was already in despair.

The fire locust race ate anything. The citizens could not go out at all. Any reinforcements that came also got eaten. It looked like everyone would die to the locusts.

However, Gu Hai dealt with this situation that had plunged more than one hundred million people into despair.

We’re saved? Countless people started crying in joy.

Many experts ran chains through the Fire Locust Deity’s body and sealed its cultivation before bringing it into the city.

Gu Hai was a hero—a hero who saved the entire city.

“Many thanks, Mister Gu!”

“Many thanks, Mister Gu. Many thanks!”

While not to the extent of lining the streets in welcome, everyone showed a grateful expression, at the very least. That was sincere gratitude, an acknowledgment of Gu Hai. At this moment, the city’s citizens no longer rejected the Han Royal Dynasty and Gu Hai.

When Gu Hai entered the city, he felt everyone’s gratitude. However, he shook his head and said, “Everyone!”

All the grateful people in the vicinity quieted and looked at Gu Hai.

“It is not my—Gu Hai’s—effort alone that defeated the Fire Locust Deity. Without your selfless contribution of spirit stones for the ritual array, I could not have gained this victory. Hence, the one who defeated the Fire Locust Deity and the fire locust race is not me—Gu Hai—but everyone in this city. You all defeated the fire locust race with me. The ones you should thank are yourselves!” Gu Hai said with a carefree smile.

The moment Gu Hai said this, the countless citizens felt happy. Now, they gave Gu Hai even warmer looks.

“Mister Gu is very humble!”

“Mister Gu is easy to get along with!”

“Mister Gu does not claim credit at all. What an excellent character!”

As countless citizens praised Gu Hai, he brought the Fire Locust Deity to Huangfu Chaoge’s palace hall.

Huangfu Chaoge sat in the pool of ice like before. As he looked at Gu Hai, he said with a benevolent smile, “Mister Gu, in just a mere one day and one night, you have conquered the hearts of the citizens. It looks like I can rest assured.”

However, Gu Hai showed a solemn expression as he said, “I captured the Fire Locust Deity. How do we treat the fire poison in you?”

Huangfu Chaoge showed a faint bitter smile.

——

Outside, a group of Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty generals continuously pummeled the bound Fire Locust Deity.

“Speak! How do we treat the fire poison in His Majesty’s body?”

“Speak, or we will beat you to death!”

“Keep beating it up until it speaks!”

The Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty generals relentlessly tortured the Fire Locust Deity.

“Hehehehehe! Huangfu Chaoge? No one can save him, not even me. I might have administered the fire poison, but it is not mine. I am going to die anyway. I want Huangfu Chaoge to accompany me in death! Hahahaha!” the Fire Locust Deity laughed ferociously.

——

Inside the palace hall, Gu Hai’s face sank. He was about to go out and confront the Fire Locust Deity, but Huangfu Chaoge said with a bitter smile, “There’s no need to go. Mister Gu, it is right. This fire poison is no ordinary fire poison.”

“Oh?” Gu Hai looked at Huangfu Chaoge, feeling puzzled.

“While the Fire Locust Deity’s fire poison is strong, I can still shake it off. Even if I couldn’t previously, I had my nation’s blessings. I could have used them to force its poison out. However, that doesn’t work. I can only use this method to slow the spread of the fire poison. There is no treating this fire poison. Haha!” Huangfu Chaoge laughed bitterly.

“What fire poison is this?” Gu Hai asked, now bewildered.

“Hanba’s poison,” Huangfu Chaoge replied bitterly.

“Hanba?” Gu Hai frowned.

“Hanba, king of zombies. When Hanba appears, the land withers for five hundred kilometers around. Haha! The poison of Hanba, a zombie king? It is indeed tyrannical!” Huangfu Chaoge laughed bitterly.

[TL Note: Hanba is also a Chinese drought demon. However, it would be better to translate it as a name in this novel’s case.]

“So, there is no way to treat it?” Gu Hai said worriedly.

Huangfu Chaoge shook his head. “Mister Gu, the Fire Locust Deity has a fire deity. You had better think of how to subdue its fire deity.”

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