The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System Chapter 506 Emperor (01)
Previously on The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System...
At the outset, the capital of the Rose Empire buzzed with vibrant energy.
The tale of the heroes' triumphant debut mission ignited like a blaze, filling the streets with joyous festivities among the populace.
However, a peculiar observation soon caught attention.
Not one of the five heroes had made a public appearance.
Neither Lucien nor Aeryn, nor Celestial, nor Sapphire. Even the enigmatic outsider remained unseen.
A hush had fallen over everything, including the church itself.
Numerous inquiries surfaced only to be brushed aside, heightening the unease gripping the imperial city's residents even more.
The emperor commanded the cleanup of the area, offered reparations to the bereaved families, and afterward, an eerie quiet prevailed.
This pattern held true for the Blue Tower and the elves too, despite their exceptional talents involved in the operation.
Not a word escaped about the whereabouts or status of the selected heroes.
As he strolled through the capital, aura concealed and form enveloped in swirling shadows, Qingyi had taken note of the unfolding circumstances.
"Looks like I've stirred up a real storm for them," the striking youth laughed softly. "Sapphire, Margareth, what's keeping you here still?" he inquired.
"I only need to grab a few things from the Red Tower," Margareth replied, with Sapphire echoing the sentiment right after.
She had left behind plenty of her cherished possessions and wasn't about to abandon them.
"Alright," Qingyi agreed, channeling his spatial Qi.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the bustling avenues, materializing within one of the towering magical spires dominating the imperial skyline.
This was the Red Tower, under the command of the empire's premier sorcerer and home to countless apprentices.
It boasted over a hundred levels, twisting into a labyrinth of corridors and stairwells.
Though the pupils were gifted, not a soul detected Qingyi, shielded as he was by the Qi of shadows.
Locating Margareth's long-sealed chamber proved straightforward.
Inside, she gathered volumes of texts, notes from her studies, and intimate keepsakes before retreating back into the mental realm.
Shutting his eyes, Qingyi heeded Sapphire's guidance and then blinked out of sight once more.
He rematerialized in the Blue Tower, right at the base of a grand set of steps.
"Simply ascend... my quarters are on the penultimate level."
In utter silence, Qingyi complied, weaving past numerous scholars until he arrived at the second-to-last floor.
One more flight up, and he'd confront the Blue Tower's archmage, a formidable legend spanning more than twenty millennia.
Though intrigued, Qingyi held back his curiosity, slipping into Sapphire's
chamber.
He'd scarcely crossed the threshold when he halted abruptly, the entrance sealing shut in his wake.
Sapphire materialized at his side, her gaze locking onto a figure perched upon her bed.
Tall and imposing, with sinewy build straining his garments, the man's visage lay obscured beneath a bronze mask etched with cryptic symbols.
"Father..." She breathed, gripping Qingyi's robes tightly.
What in the world was he doing in there?
"The mission succeeded..." The emperor rose, advancing on Sapphire, who shrank back behind Qingyi.
The pair now faced off directly.
Qingyi's icy violet gaze met the emperor's intense, unfathomable azure stare.
"Do you understand my reason for being here?" The emperor whispered, addressing
his daughter, yet his eyes never left Qingyi's.
He unleashed a sliver of his aura, potent enough to squash the youth flat like an insect.
Much to his astonishment, Qingyi stood unmoved, utterly unshaken. How immensely had this lad grown in mere moments?
Under the mask, the emperor's expression shifted, and he intensified the pressure, gradually unleashing more of his aura.
"If you're seeking death, old timer, say it straight. For my wife's sake, I'll grant you a swift end, but if you persist..." Qingyi snarled, summoning the flames of Primordial Chaos. "I could arrange some suffering for you."
At once, the emperor retreated a pace, as those eerie gray blazes began devouring his mana.
He hesitated briefly, odd snaps echoing from within his mask before erupting into hearty guffaws.
"Impressive, lad..." The emperor pivoted away from Qingyi.
He strode to one of the scarce openings in his daughter's space, gazing down
upon the sprawling city.
From the wretched shanties to the opulent palace that was his domain.
Each inhabitant, every devoted sentinel, every foe of the throne.
He perceived and sensed them all vividly.
A mere gesture from him, and they'd perish en masse.
"Such a pity... that you carry this repulsive aura." The
emperor whirled back, fixing Qingyi with a frosty glare.
He sensed it clearly, woven into the young man's very essence—an aura etched indelibly in his memory.
A sinister force that had inflicted endless torment upon his subjects.
Qingyi recoiled a step, aware of his grave error.
Encounters between masters always imprinted traces of aura, lingering unless purged or masked.
For a figure like the emperor—a twelfth-ring powerhouse and among the continent's elite—detecting it was effortless as inhaling. "Khaedryss... the immortal-slayer and empire-reaver... I'll never erase the memory of her consuming my father... I was merely a child, yet it haunts me. Your eyes and horns mirror hers exactly..."
"Father... stop!" Sapphire cried out, yanking at Qingyi's robes. Before her words fully faded, she was whisked away to the world of
the mind.
The final sensation she registered was her father's aura detonating.
Down at the tower's foot, countless citizens tilted their heads skyward, their intrigue swiftly morphing into dread.
The whole second-to-last level of the Blue Tower detonated, swallowed
by an inferno's embrace.
A silhouette emerged from the blaze, arms folded, hurtling through an eruption toward the barrier.
"Blast, that geezer packs a punch..."
Qingyi grinned as his back slammed into the capital's outer barrier.
He tore through scores of meters of iron and stone, burrowing onward for miles.
"You doddering fool, what do you think you're doing in my tower?" Yet another twelfth-ring aura erupted fiercely.
An elder clad in azure robes manifested next to the emperor.
Qingyi observed the duo from a distance.
He prepared to charge forward and gauge his enhanced strength when an abrupt chill seized him.
Why did such an odd energy emanate from the emperor's mana?
No... that wasn't untainted mana.
Qingyi clenched his jaw and activated his draconic eyes.
With the emperor's power flowing unbound, the truth dawned.
That was... Qi?
Did the emperor possess a Dantian?