Chapter 289: Chapter 286: The Fear of Being Dominated by the Pig Emperor

Three hundred li east of the Mountain and Sea Empire Imperial City stood a low, ruined temple.

A middle-aged man with a pale, gaunt face was covered in blood. His left arm was severed at the shoulder, the wound stretching down to his ribs, a gruesome and horrifying sight.

"Damn it! I, Shi Hao, swear I’m not human if I don’t get revenge for this!"

This was the same middle-aged man whose arm had been severed by Li Shimu.

He had fled to this place and, with great difficulty, managed to dispel the Power of Fortune lingering on his wound, finally stabilizing his condition.

Shi Hao raised his remaining arm, gently touched the point between his eyebrows, and used a Secret Technique to contact his Young Master.

"What is it?"

Once the connection was made, an extremely impatient young voice came from the other end, accompanied by the sound of a woman’s playful laughter—a sound both unfamiliar and yet all too familiar.

Shi Hao knew his master’s temper well, so he kept it brief and recounted what had happened.

"Young Master, the Mountain and Sea Empire’s actions are a direct provocation against our Hall of Envoys! They deserve a thousand deaths! I believe we should unleash apocalyptic retribution upon them as a warning to all others!"

"Absolutely not!" the young voice shot back.

Shi Hao was stunned. ’That’s not like the Young Master at all.’

As if sensing Shi Hao’s confusion, the young voice, with uncharacteristic patience, explained, "The Saint Ancestor has issued a sudden decree. For the time being, the use of power at or above the Immortal Level is forbidden in the Mortal District."

"According to you, the Emperor of the Mountain and Sea Empire can use the Power of Fortune to drastically increase his Cultivation. Without Immortal Level martial power to suppress him, ’apocalyptic retribution’ is nothing but a joke."

"The Mountain and Sea Empire provoked us like this, and we’re just going to let it go?" Shi Hao asked, looking at his severed arm with indignation.

"What’s the rush? My brother and I will arrive in two days. When the time comes, we’ll naturally get justice for you."

Shi Hao was overjoyed. "Thank you, Young Master," he said quickly.

"Alright, just focus on recovering. We’ll discuss everything else when we arrive!"

...

Deep beneath a barren mountain within the Wolf Fang Sect’s territory, Li Yuanhao and the Pig Emperor sat face-to-face on a large rock, bored out of their minds.

A hundred zhang away from them was a stone door, entirely grayish-white and ancient in appearance.

The stone door was immense, over thirty zhang high and about twenty zhang wide.

Wisps of black gas occasionally drifted from its surface, radiating an oppressive chill.

This was the entrance to the Ancient Ruins, and the black gas was the same Extremely Yin Energy that had once harmed him.

Under the Pig Emperor’s guidance, Li Yuanhao had followed Mo Qi’s main body and smoothly passed through a treacherous area composed entirely of Extremely Yin Energy to arrive here.

Just as they were about to enter the Ancient Ruins, something had happened with the External Incarnation in the Imperial City.

So, the main body had told Li Yuanhao and the Pig Emperor to wait here while he took Yan through the Teleportation Array Within the Pass to the Imperial City.

"OINK. Nephew," the Pig Emperor said suddenly with a yawn, "since you’re the Young Prince of the Kaosan, you must be a master of both books and blades, right?"

Being called "nephew" by a pig sounded incredibly strange to Li Yuanhao.

But out of respect for Mo Qi, he simply nodded. "I know a little."

"Just a little?" The Pig Emperor sighed in disappointment.

Li Yuanhao was speechless.

’I am the great Young Prince of the Kaosan! Zither, Go, calligraphy, painting—am I not the best among my peers in all of them? Have you never heard of humility?!’

After his disappointment, the Pig Emperor was suddenly filled with immense enthusiasm.

"Nephew, how can someone so young lack cultural refinement? How about this: I will compose a poem for you. Appreciate it well, and try to glean some knowledge and sentiment from it. What do you say?"

Li Yuanhao: "..."

’Knowledge? Sentiment?’

’For real?’

’A Pig Demon can compose poetry?’

’It would be a lie to say he wasn’t the least bit curious.’

"Then I’ll have to trouble you," Li Yuanhao said, a little expectant.

If he had known that the bloodcurdling screams he’d once heard Within the Pass, including the Old Tomb Digger’s pathetic and dispirited state, were all caused by the Pig Emperor reciting poetry, he might not have experienced the terror of being dominated by the pig that was to follow.

Seeing Li Yuanhao agree, the Pig Emperor shot to his hind feet, his expression triumphant.

"AHEM, AHEM!"

The Pig Emperor cleared his throat with great ceremony, then gazed up at the distant stone door at a forty-five-degree angle. His pupils dilated and his gaze went unfocused as he feigned a look of deep emotion.

"Aaaah~" came a pig’s squeal.

Li Yuanhao shuddered violently, as if he’d just sat bare-assed on thousand-year-old ice. An intense chill shot up his spine straight into his brain, covering his entire body in goosebumps.

"A stone door, so very white!"

CRACK!

A bolt of lightning flashed through Li Yuanhao’s Sea of Consciousness, shattering his thoughts.

’White and so white, oh, white and so white, the stone door is white and so white!’

The Pig Emperor’s voice looped endlessly in his ears like some demonic, repetitive chant, striking directly at his very soul.

"One man and one pig stand upright!"

PFFT—

Li Yuanhao sprayed a mouthful of blood and fell stiffly to the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably.

’What happened to the promised knowledge and sentiment?’

’This is it?’

"You are ugly, I’m a handsome sight! The tall, handsome Pig Emperor is loved with all their might!"

’Oh god, just kill me!’

Li Yuanhao was having a complete mental breakdown.

He was screaming, he was roaring, but the Demon Sound filled his ears, leaving his limbs powerless. All he could do was spasm instinctively.

Blood mixed with white foam streamed from his mouth.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

’Li Yuanhao had always considered himself a fearless man.’

’To avoid tarnishing my golden reputation as the "Young Prince of the Kaosan," I endured countless hardships, pressures, tortures, and an inhuman Cultivation process.’

’I don’t even fear death, so what in this world could possibly defeat me?’

At this very moment, the Pig Emperor was showing him with his actions: yes, there was!

’Uncle, what kind of monster are you raising? Help! Help me!’

The Pig Emperor, however, was completely immersed in his own masterpiece.

"Heavens, all four lines rhyme! I truly am a genius!" The Pig Emperor’s mouth twisted into a wide grin.

"While I’m feeling poetic, I must compose another!"

Hearing this, Li Yuanhao, still lying on the ground, felt his mind go completely blank.

’Oh, good heavens, you’re going to be the death of me!’

’No!’

’I don’t want to hear it!’

’Someone! Anyone!’

’Just put me out of my misery with a single palm strike!’

Li Yuanhao’s will to die was intense.

He mustered what little strength he had, dragged his body over to the rock, and began bashing his head against it.

’Even if it doesn’t kill me, please, just let it knock me unconscious!’

"Nephew, don’t get so excited!" The Pig Emperor saw this and quickly pulled him aside.

"I know, I know. My poetry’s Mental Realm is so profound that it’s easy for someone with your lack of cultural refinement to feel inferior. But don’t give up! There’s still hope for you."

Li Yuanhao: "..."

’A stone door, so very white! One man and one pig stand upright!’

’You are ugly, I’m a handsome sight! The tall, handsome Pig Emperor is loved with all their might!’

’This piece of crap has a profound Mental Realm?’

’Where do you get this confidence?’

’Inferior, my ass!’

"Hey, hey, hey, what’s with that look? Don’t you believe my words? Don’t you believe I can give you a chance? How about this: I will grant you special permission to follow me closely. From now on, you will always be by my side, listening to my teachings and comprehending the deep meaning within my verses. How does that sound?"

Li Yuanhao’s expression was completely vacant.

’Where does your Mysterious Confidence come from?’

’Motherfucker!’

’If I could still stand, I’d skin you alive and make a pair of pigskin shoes!’