Chapter 27 - Pill Emperor Palace? The Power Behind Gu Changsheng?
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, within the imperial palace,
At the Martial Arts Arena!
Civil and military officials of the court were gathered together, discussing who would emerge victorious in this great battle.
Gu Changsheng and Empress Dowager sat at the high seats of the Martial Arts Arena in silence.
The Martial Arts Arena was a platform specially built by the Great Zhou Dynasty for royal family members to spar and enhance their skills.
Now, it was being used to determine the winner of the duel between Lu Tao and Liu Yu.
At this time, Lu Tao, the deputy commander of the City Defense Force, stood behind Gu Changsheng, his face full of worry. He said anxiously:
“Your Majesty, General Liu Yu of the Great Zhou Army is far superior in cultivation compared to me.”
“In this duel, I have no chance of winning and fear that I will disappoint Your Majesty’s expectations.”
Lu Tao frowned deeply, clenching his fists tightly, his expression extremely grim.
He desperately wanted to win this battle, but with his level of cultivation, he was no match for Liu Yu.
“Commander Lu, why worry?”
“I dared to agree to this duel because I have faith in you.”
“This pill is called the ‘Breakthrough Pill.’ It will allow your cultivation to soar, breaking through your current limits.”
“By then, you and Liu Yu will be at the same level, and he will surely not be your opponent.”
Gu Changsheng spoke calmly, his expression serene. In his hand, a pill of deep purple-red color, emanating a medicinal fragrance, appeared out of thin air.
Lu Tao, full of doubt, reached out and took the pill from Gu Changsheng’s hand, unable to comprehend it.
His cultivation had been stuck at the seventh level of the Great Expert Realm for several years.
Ordinary rare herbs and elixirs had no effect on his cultivation.
Could this pill really help me break through?
How is that even possible?
Of course, Lu Tao trusted Gu Changsheng. There was no reason for him to be deceived.
Without any hesitation, Lu Tao swallowed the Breakthrough Pill.
As soon as the pill entered his stomach,
Lu Tao’s expression changed dramatically as he felt a surge of pure and terrifying energy flooding his body. His previously stagnant cultivation began to loosen.
His entire being seemed to be undergoing an unimaginable transformation.
In an instant, Lu Tao’s aura surged, skyrocketing as the roaring sound of power from within his body echoed like thunder, breaking through some unseen barrier.
In that moment, Lu Tao’s cultivation advanced directly to the eighth level of the Great Expert Realm.
“Hiss!”
“Did I really break through?”
Lu Tao, sensing his own cultivation with his mind, couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. His face was filled with shock as he exclaimed.
What kind of joke is this!
My cultivation, which had been stuck for years without progress, had just advanced because of a pill given by the Emperor?
It was simply unbelievable.
Lu Tao’s breakthrough to the eighth level of the Great Expert Realm naturally caused a commotion, drawing the attention of the entire court. Their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.
Especially Empress Dowager, who was seated close to Gu Changsheng. She had witnessed everything and was deeply shaken, her pupils contracting in shock.
What kind of pill had Gu Changsheng given Lu Tao?
It was capable of making someone at the Great Expert Realm break through instantly.
Even with my true identity as the Demon Empress,
I never heard of such a pill that could make someone break through so quickly.
“Empress Dowager, I have heard of a pill that can make someone break through from the seventh level of the Great Expert Realm.”
“However, such a pill is incredibly valuable, worth more than cities. Throughout all of Shen Zhou, only the Pill Emperor Palace possesses it.”
“For His Majesty to give such a rare pill, it is likely that he has a deep connection with the Pill Emperor Palace.”
Right Minister Liu Wu, his expression serious, stood beside the Empress Dowager and spoke in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager’s expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. Her gaze towards Gu Changsheng became filled with deep wariness.
The Pill Emperor Palace is a superpower in Shen Zhou, with immense wealth and influence spread across the entire region.
Even the Great Zhou Dynasty dare not offend the Pill Emperor Palace lightly.
This is because ninety percent of the alchemists in Shen Zhou came from the Pill Emperor Palace.
To offend the Pill Emperor Palace is to offend all the alchemists of Shen Zhou, a price no force could afford to pay.
The power of the Pill Emperor Palace is unfathomable.
If Gu Changsheng indeed had a relationship with the Pill Emperor Palace…
The Empress Dowager’s face darkened, her heart brimming with murderous intent.
It seemed she would have to eliminate Gu Changsheng at any cost.
Suddenly, Gu Changsheng felt a chill down his spine, sensing the killing intent emanating from the Empress Dowager. He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
The Empress Dowager truly lived up to her reputation as the Demon Empress, ruthless and filled with such intense killing intent.
Gu Changsheng had no idea that by casually giving out a Breakthrough Pill,
He had caused the Empress Dowager and the Right Minister to overthink and tie the matter to the Pill Emperor Palace.
In reality, Gu Changsheng had only ever heard of the Pill Emperor Palace in passing and had no actual connection to it.
At that moment, a tall and imposing young general dressed in black armor appeared in the Martial Arts Arena with a defiant expression.
“Liu Yu greets the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty!”
The young general respectfully cupped his fists and bowed slightly to the Empress Dowager seated at the high platform.
However, when saluting Gu Changsheng, his attitude was perfunctory and lacked proper respect.
Seeing this, Gu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed, suppressing his anger but saying nothing.
At the same time, a light screen appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Liu Yu] [Title: General of Great Zhou Zhongwu Army] [Cultivation: Great Expert Realm, Eighth Level] [Loyalty: 10]A loyalty value of 10.
This Liu Yu clearly has no respect for me as the Emperor of Great Zhou.
It seemed Gu Changsheng would have to find a way to get rid of Liu Yu and weaken the power in the Empress Dowager’s hands.
But this matter could not be rushed.
I will have to plan carefully!
As Gu Changsheng pondered, Lu Tao suddenly appeared in the Martial Arts Arena, confronting Liu Yu. The two stood off against each other, swords drawn and tense.
Seeing this, Gu Changsheng remained calm and spoke with a commanding voice that echoed across the arena:
“Begin!”
“Today, the winner between the two of you will become the commander of the City Defense Force!”
As soon as the words fell, in the Martial Arts Arena, Lu Tao and Liu Yu stood suspended in the air, their cold gazes locked in confrontation.
In an instant, two overwhelming and terrifying auras erupted in the sky, colliding with each other with an immense force that covered the heavens.
The civil and military officials watching turned pale, their scalps tingling. They quickly distanced themselves from the Martial Arts Arena.
They knew all too well that a battle between Great Experts could level mountains with a single move.
Aside from the military generals, most of the officials were civil servants with uneven cultivation, unable to withstand the might of two supreme Great Experts clashing.
Luckily, in the next moment, a dazzling golden barrier appeared above the Martial Arts Arena, stretching between heaven and earth, isolating the energy of the two battling Great Experts.
The officials’ complexions gradually recovered as they focused their full attention on the battle.
They knew this duel was of great importance, tied to the struggle between the Empress Dowager and the new Emperor.
If the Empress Dowager won, she would regain control over the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the City Defense Force, and the new Emperor would never rise again.
But if Gu Changsheng won, he would gain command of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the City Defense Force and would finally have the strength to challenge the Empress Dowager.
As time passed, the court officials watching the battle grew increasingly tense.
At this very moment, in the Martial Arts Arena.
Lu Tao and Liu Yu, both supreme Great Experts, fought with no reservations. Armed with Great Expert artifacts, they clashed with earth-shattering momentum, their killing intent blotting out the sky.
Watching the battle between the two, Gu Changsheng’s expression turned serious, his heart slightly shaken.
He hadn’t expected that a battle between Great Experts would carry such an awe-inspiring might with every move.
Then, what level of strength must a Half-Saint or a Saint possess?
However, Gu Changsheng was not discouraged.
He also had confidence.
It wouldn’t be long before his own cultivation would reach an unimaginable height, and breaking through to the Saint level wouldn’t be a problem.
“How is this possible?”
“Is Liu Yu losing ground?”
Suddenly, Empress Dowager, seeing that Liu Yu was nearly defeated and about to be knocked off the platform by Lu Tao, rose from her seat in astonishment.
Her elegant and composed face was now full of shock and disbelief.
This scene also shook the civil and military officials watching the battle, as their faces changed in astonishment.
They couldn’t believe that Lu Tao had gained the upper hand.
Wasn’t Lu Tao’s cultivation much weaker than Liu Yu’s?
When had Lu Tao become so powerful?
Suddenly, at this moment, watching the martial arts field, Liu Yu was almost defeated by Lu Tao and fell off the stage.
Empress Dowager’s face grew darker, and her gaze filled with increasing killing intent.