Undying Life

Chapter 851: The Turning Point

"Kill me?" Zhong Shan's eyes turned icy.

Not far away, a look of fear instantly appeared on Sima Sanliang's face. The power of the sword strike just now was still vivid in his memory.

Wasn't this Dazheng Sacred King supposed to wield a blade? Rumor had it that his divine weapon, blessed by the heavens, was a sword. But what was that sword intent just now? It was terrifying!

Is this the aura of an imitation of the Immortal Slaying Sword? Yes, it was indeed an imitation of the Immortal Slaying Sword. Sima Sanliang had seen it before; or rather, a high-ranking expert in the Sima family had once refined imitations of the four Immortal Slaying Swords.

It was that kind of aura, but it felt even more majestic than the one from the Sima family expert.

Impossible, Sima Sanliang immediately shook his head. In Qingqiu, no one's imitation of the Immortal Slaying Sword could surpass that expert.

The outcome was decided in one move.

The moment Sima Sanliang's sword shattered, he knew he was defeated. Even with a sneak attack, he couldn't match Zhong Shan in front of him. Wasn't Zhong Shan sealed by Sima Zongheng? How was he unharmed?

To go out would mean death; fighting Zhong Shan would also mean death.

With a fierce look in his eyes, Sima Sanliang quickly swallowed a golden pill.

It was the Great Immortal Protective Pill, a gift from that lady.

The Great Immortal Protective Pill was a celestial-grade elixir. Consuming it would make the body as sturdy as a celestial artifact for an hour, greatly boosting one's potential and increasing strength tenfold.

Zhong Shan had no sympathy for those who came to assassinate him. He could immediately gauge Sima Sanliang's strength with one test.

Stepping forward, Zhong Shan struck Sima Sanliang's chest with a palm.

At that moment, the Great Immortal Protective Pill took effect in Sima Sanliang's body. His skin turned a golden hue under the powerful medicinal effect.

"Clang!" The strike pushed Sima Sanliang back five zhang.

But he was not killed by Zhong Shan's strike.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan was slightly surprised.

This palm strike, even if it didn't kill Sima Sanliang, should have sent him flying a hundred zhang. After all, Sima Sanliang's cultivation was only at the peak of Earth Immortal.

Although Zhong Shan did not use the Heaven-Opening Palm, the effect shouldn't have been so weak.

That pill he swallowed?

To verify this, Zhong Shan's figure flickered and instantly disappeared from in front of Sima Sanliang, reappearing behind him and striking his back with another palm.

Sima Sanliang was horrified to find that even after swallowing the golden pill, he was still no match for Zhong Shan.

"Impossible, how can this be?" Sima Sanliang cried out in terror.

Even with his strength increased tenfold by the Great Immortal Protective Pill, he still couldn't withstand Zhong Shan's continuous attacks?

A palm strike landed on Sima Sanliang's back, causing him to stagger. Yet, he was still unharmed.

"What kind of pill is this?" Zhong Shan asked in amazement.

Why would Sima Sanliang respond to Zhong Shan? He drew a large blade and slashed at Zhong Shan. Unfortunately, if the sword couldn't harm Zhong Shan, how could a blade?

Zhong Shan struck Sima Sanliang several more times in different places, but to no avail.

Sima Sanliang's defense was truly impregnable.

After a short bout, Zhong Shan's patience wore thin. As he kicked Sima Sanliang away, his right palm began to emit a faint silver glow, with wisps of white mist spreading. Zhong Shan was preparing to use the Heaven-Opening Palm.

At that moment, Zhong Shan paused, sensing another figure rapidly approaching from afar.

The speed was astonishing, and in a flash, the figure was close.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound echoed as Sima Sanliang was sent flying by a fierce slap.

It was the Nine-Tailed Princess? Zhong Shan immediately recognized her. That enchanting charm could only belong to her in Qingqiu.

"To hit someone, you have to aim for the face; it's more satisfying that way, don't you know?" The Nine-Tailed Princess scolded Zhong Shan.

"Uh?" Zhong Shan was a bit confused.

"I saw it just now. That sword strike of yours was indeed impressive, but why didn't you use it again?" the Nine-Tailed Princess asked.

Zhong Shan frowned slightly and didn't reply.

"I know. It's because he's Sima Sanliang. When you first arrived in Qingqiu, he humiliated you harshly, then tried to harm you by hiring people. Now, he's personally attacking you. You want to vent your anger but not kill him too quickly, so you're taking your time to humiliate him thoroughly, hitting him continuously," the Nine-Tailed Princess said smugly.

Listening to this reasoning, Zhong Shan felt a bit strange. He wasn't that petty; if not for wanting to test the pill's effects, he would have slapped Sima Sanliang to death long ago.

But since the Nine-Tailed Princess had provided a convenient excuse, Zhong Shan nodded in agreement. At the same time, a thought flashed through his mind, his eyes brightening slightly.

Zhong Shan didn't want to remain restricted. As a hostage, he naturally lacked freedom. He devised a plan to place himself in the spotlight, under the watchful eyes of many, while gaining enough freedom to act as he pleased.

He decided to provoke a group and then ally with another group, letting the opposing factions fight while he maneuvered freely.

The first step was causing a commotion in Qingqiu's prison, ensuring Sima Sanliang would suffer and anger Sima Zongheng. The second step was to humiliate Sima Qianjun harshly.

This set him against the Sima family.

Since the Sima family was already his enemy, Zhong Shan didn't hold back. Offending one faction meant he had to ally with another. Frequent clashes between the two would allow him to gain increasing freedom within their conflicts.

The Nine-Tailed Princess in front of him was an obvious target for alliance. Their previous encounter during the game with Sima Qianjun had already hinted at this possibility.

Seeing Zhong Shan's nod, the Nine-Tailed Princess grew even more smug.

"Slap!" The Nine-Tailed Princess moved like a ghost, her speed overwhelming even Zhong Shan.

With another fierce slap, the Nine-Tailed Princess struck Sima Sanliang's face.

Sima Sanliang was left dizzy and disoriented.

"See? This is the pinnacle of humiliation. If you're going to hit someone, you have to hit the face!" The Nine-Tailed Princess exclaimed excitedly.

Sima Sanliang's body might have been strengthened, but his true strength hadn't reached the celestial level. How could he be a match for Zhong Shan and the Nine-Tailed Princess?

Moreover, he didn't dare to offend the Nine-Tailed Princess. Sima Sanliang could only endure the slaps, unable and unwilling to retaliate.

"My Sima family will not let you off easily. Killing the Third Young Master means certain death for you. My Sima family will wipe out your family, slaughter your descendants, and enslave your wives and daughters, making them lifelong slaves of the Sima family!" Sima Sanliang shouted venomously.

"Boom!" Zhong Shan kicked him.

Sima Sanliang fell to the ground, and Zhong Shan stepped on his face.

"I was going to give you a quick death, but your mouth is too foul!" Zhong Shan said coldly.

The sounds of the battle had finally drawn a large number of guards. Generally, the guards wouldn't interfere with the affairs of the hostage residence, but since the Nine-Tailed Princess had entered, the guards rushed in fearing something might happen.

Fortunately, the Nine-Tailed Princess was unharmed. However, the two figures at the foot of the mountain looked very peculiar. One person was entirely golden, while the other had his foot on the first person's face, rendering him immobile.

"Princess!" the guards greeted respectfully.

But the Nine-Tailed Princess paid them no mind. Her eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "I've realized that merely slapping someone's face isn't the pinnacle of humiliation. Stepping on their face is much more impactful!"

The guards recognized Zhong Shan, the ill-fated Sacred King, and Sima Sanliang.

As Zhong Shan stood there, foot planted firmly on Sima Sanliang's face, the Nine-Tailed Princess suddenly hopped over, exclaiming excitedly, "Let me try!"

She pushed Zhong Shan aside and stepped down hard.

"Princess, what are you doing?" one of the guards asked, puzzled.

"He humiliated my guest, which means he humiliated me. I must return the favor. Hold him down, don't let him move!" the Nine-Tailed Princess ordered.

"Yes, Princess!" The guards, speechless, rushed forward to hold Sima Sanliang down, allowing the Nine-Tailed Princess to step on him repeatedly.

Zhong Shan stood aside, speechless. Despite his disdain for Sima Sanliang, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for him. This was truly a miserable fate.

After she had her fill of stomping, the Nine-Tailed Princess walked over, satisfied. By this time, the effects of the elixir had worn off, and Sima Sanliang was weakly taken away by the guards.

"Zhong Shan, pack your things and come with me!" the Nine-Tailed Princess said directly.

"Uh?" Zhong Shan was puzzled.

"I've already spoken to the Sacred King. You will be my retainer," the Nine-Tailed Princess said bluntly.

"A retainer?" Zhong Shan asked, still confused.

"Yes, as my retainer, you won't have to live like a prisoner here anymore. Follow me, and if you prove yourself capable, I can even help you accumulate merit points," the Nine-Tailed Princess explained with a smile.

"Accumulate merit points? What do you mean?"

"You don't know? Well, you just came out of the Small Thousand World, so it makes sense. Accumulating merit points means that when you contribute enough to the Taichu Sacred Court, you can be allowed to return for a thousand years!" the Nine-Tailed Princess explained.

"Oh? How much merit is needed?" Zhong Shan's interest was piqued.

Return? Return to Dazheng?

"A Celestial Emperor needs to accumulate the merits of a marquis. A Sacred Emperor needs the merits of a duke. For you, a Sacred King, it should be the merits of a prince," the Nine-Tailed Princess thought aloud.

"The merits of a prince?" Zhong Shan was speechless.

In Taichu, besides the Taichu Sacred King, the title of prince was only held by the three elusive Heavenly Kings. No one else had ever earned it.

"Are you coming or not?" the Nine-Tailed Princess asked.

"Coming!" Zhong Shan immediately replied.

In an instant, Zhong Shan weighed the pros and cons. Becoming a retainer would grant him greater freedom, and he was extremely curious about the Nine-Tailed Princess's identity.

He was a Sacred King, a highly sensitive person. Constant surveillance was expected. Why did the Taichu Sacred King allow the Nine-Tailed Princess such freedom? Her authority was exceedingly vast. Who exactly was she?

Meanwhile, in a private residence in Qingqiu, Sima Zongheng and Sima Qianjun were playing chess.

"Second Uncle, look, this is the move Zhong Shan used to humiliate me!" Sima Qianjun said angrily.

"Zhong Shan practices the path of an emperor. To think he has such skill in chess as well?" Sima Zongheng said in a sinister tone, studying Zhong Shan's layout.