Chapter 446: Chapter 215: Corpse Summoning, Negotiation
Overall, however, the Sun Emperor, having summoned his true body, was a great deal stronger than before. Each of his attacks sent Li Changāan flying back, spitting blood.
Seeing that Li Changāan was at a slight disadvantage but showed no signs of collapsing, the Sun Emperor had no choice but to go for the kill. He began tearing off weathered, rotting chunks of his flesh and hurling them like cannonballs, attempting to erode and corrupt Li Changāan with Dark Energy.
But who was Li Changāan?
He was a Reincarnator!
And a Reincarnator who was extremely familiar with Dark Energy, at that.
Upon discovering his opponentās intent to use Dark Energy as a weapon, Li Changāan immediately used Incense to draw a Talismanic Array in the area around his feet.
This was an Array Li Changāan had copied back when the Immortal Palace Warship was soaring through the Star Sea. It possessed an extremely terrifying defensive capability.
Moreover, the current Immortal Realm was itself a massive Energy Gathering Array. Li Changāan only needed to alter a few symbols to replicate the Flying Shipās Shield Array with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy.
This Flying Ship Shield Array directly drew upon the Energy of the Immortal Realm to sustain itself. It didnāt even place any burden on Li Changāanās own body, yet it could continuously withstand incredibly terrifying attacks.
Although the Dark Energy blasts from the Sun Emperor could still erode and damage the Shield, they couldnāt endanger Li Changāanās life in the short term.
This scene was clearly far beyond the Sun Emperorās expectations.
After all, in his view, Dark Energy was practically unstoppable. Even the slightest touch would eventually turn its victim into a grotesque creature like himself, neither human nor ghost.
He never imagined that Li Changāan could actually use a Shield Array to temporarily resist the assault of Dark Energy. To him, it was no different from seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
If he was previously unsure of Li Changāanās origins, now he had several theories and answers.
The shock was so great that the Sun Emperor didnāt even continue his attack. Instead, he stopped and stared at the Energy Shield resisting the Dark Energy, his voice laced with suspicion and uncertainty. "What kind of technique is this? Who in the world are you? I think we can sit down and talk!"
Evidently, the Sun Emperor no longer saw Li Changāan as a so-called lowly insect. He was now willing to speak with him as an equal.
This was not just due to Li Changāanās strength, but also the technique he had just displayed.
He, too, was quite familiar with Dark Energy. It was precisely because of this familiarity that he knew just how terrifying it truly was.
Yet now, Li Changāan had blocked it with a single Shield.
It wasnāt a complete block, and the source of this Dark Energy was his own body rather than a true dark invasion. Even so, to be able to resist it for even a moment was an extraordinary feat. He even began to boldly speculate that there must be a high-level civilization backing Li Changāan!
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to have developed such a terrifying Array on his own.
However, while he was now willing to sit down and negotiate with Li Changāan, Li Changāan had no intention of negotiating with him. After all, from his perspective, there was absolutely no common ground for negotiation between them.
Seeming to sense Li Changāanās thoughts, the Sun Emperor hurriedly spoke again. "Donāt be hasty. Hear my offer first. Donāt you want this world? We can give it to you. As long as you tell me about that technique you just used, this entire land will be yours!"
Li Changāan was stunned for a moment. He hadnāt expected the other party to offer him the world right off the bat. He couldnāt help but sneer, "I can take what I want myself. Why would I need you to pretend to give it to me?"
Although his words were blunt, the Sun Emperor wasnāt angered in the slightest. As long as Li Changāan showed a willingness to negotiate, everything else could be discussed. What he feared was Li Changāan refusing to even give him the chance, which would force them into a mutually destructive struggle.
So, the Sun Emperor smiled. "With your current power, you can barely handle me alone, let alone the fact that mine is not the only body in this Celestial Realm. To think you can occupy this place without our permission is pure fantasy!"
Li Changāanās expression remained cold. Hearing this, he retorted sarcastically, "Then you might as well keep fighting, or just capture me and interrogate me. Why are you here wasting your breath with me?"
The Sun Emperor was choked speechless.
Clearly, he was not skilled at negotiation, nor did he have any experience negotiating with enemies. By comparison, he was much better at direct plunder, or simply wiping them out completely.
But the current situation was out of his hands. The other Emperors and Celestial Monarchs were all busy fighting the native army of the Magnetic Sea. He could only patiently try to persuade him again, "Thereās no point in this nonsense. Just say it. What do you want? As long as itās something we can give, everything is negotiable!"
Li Changāan sneered.
In truth, he had no intention of negotiating. He was only playing along to prepare for his next killing blow.
Even so, he realized he had still underestimated how alluring the Flying Shipās Shield Array was to the Sun Emperor.
The man had lived for so many years; logically, even if his true self were a pig, it would have become cunning with age.
But his own aggressive intent was so obvious, yet the Sun Emperor hadnāt noticed it at all. He was still desperately trying to negotiate.
This naturally gave Li Changāan his chance. He abruptly activated the Array at his feet. The Protective Shield from the Immortal Palaceās Flying Ship suddenly expanded, swallowing the nearby Sun Emperor in one go.
One must understand that the Immortal Palaceās mastery of Arrays was terrifyingly profound. The Arrays inscribed on an Immortal Ship capable of navigating the Star Sea were the most advanced and powerful in the Immortal Palaceās arsenal. How could they possibly have only a simple defensive effect?
In fact, the Protective Shield could be used not only for defense but also for offense. Itās just that its offensive application was rather clumsy compared to its defensive one, making it difficult to hit a moving target.
But now, with the Sun Emperor having willingly stopped to negotiate, it presented Li Changāan with a perfect opportunity.
Due to the Fusion with his true body, the Sun Emperorās mind was not actually clear.
Therefore, he completely failed to notice that Li Changāan was deceiving him with words.
Caught completely off guard, he was instantly enveloped and devoured by the Protective Shield. The intense pressure from all directions caused his body to crack and shatter, inch by inch. His already severely decayed flesh began to flake off madly, as if being peeled away layer by layer.
He wanted to roar, to fight Li Changāan to the death, but why would Li Changāan play by the rules of martial honor at a time like this? A massive amount of Soul Fire surged from Li Changāanās body as if it were free, completely engulfing the Emperor.
Even so, it was difficult to kill him quickly with Soul Fire alone. So, Li Changāan simply used Guiding to channel the vast Incense of the Immortal Realm to ignite the Dark Energy already present on the Emperorās body. This strike hit the Sun Emperorās vital point. In the span of just a few breaths, the Sun Emperor completely vanished into smoke and dust.
The Soul Fire burned away, leaving behind a large mass of pure Energy. However, Li Changāan didnāt dare to absorb it rashly. After all, the Sun Emperorās body contained so much Dark Energy; who knew if any of it remained within the purified Energy.
He didnāt want to lose a great deal for a small gain. So, he simply used an Array to envelop the residual Energy, planning to absorb it only after studying it thoroughly and confirming it was safe.
With the Sun Emperor dead, the massive, zombie-like tide of rioting creatures below finally came to a halt. All the lucky survivors looked at one another, their faces a mixture of relief at having survived the disaster and the dazed feeling of being reborn.
Looking out, one could see that half of the entire Celestial Realm had been reduced to ruins by the battle between Li Changāan and the Sun Emperor. While the other half wasnāt as severely damaged, there were basically no intact buildings left, a testament to just how fierce the fight had been.
When they finally came to their senses, the members of the Celestial Realm expeditionary force slowly looked up. Upon seeing Li Changāan leisurely return to their line of sight, everyone couldnāt help but cheer loudly.
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