*Strike while the iron is hot.*
Sensing Shen Zhao's grave injuries, Darba decisively moved to eliminate both him and Song Yanran, the two greatest threats to his plans.
"You go first, I'll hold him off!" Song Yanran declared, stepping in front of Shen Zhao to create an opportunity for his escape.
"Neither of you will leave here alive today!" Darba roared, his palm strike aimed at Song Yanran's vital points with devastating force.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
At the critical moment, Azure Dragon channeled all his spiritual energy into a protective barrier before Song Yanran.
However, his barrier shattered under Darba's ferocious assault. A single palm strike sent him flying backward, his bones cracking.
"Stop!" Song Yanran and Vermilion Bird cried out simultaneously, launching their most powerful attacks at Darba.
Yet Darba's defensive aura proved impenetrable. Both their ultimate techniques were repelled, sending them crashing to the ground.
"Empress, accept your doom," Darba declared, his advantage absolute as he raised his palm to strike Song Yanran's head.
"Retreat!"
At that critical moment, Shen Zhao's furious roar froze Darba's hand mid-strike.
In that instant, Shen Zhao surged forward, unleashing a flurry of strikes.
Darba, caught off guard, parried while retreating, buying Song Yanran and Vermilion Bird a precious moment to escape.
After a clash of palms, Shen Zhao retreated three steps, facing Darba in close-quarters confrontation.
Song Yanran tried to intervene again, but Shen Zhao warned, "You'll only be a burden in your current state. Focus on detoxifying first. I'll handle him."
"But your injuries..."
"Do as I say!"
Shen Zhao's stern command sent a tremor through Song Yanran. She immediately withdrew to begin the detoxification process.
Her current condition offered no advantage in the fight; her priority was to purge the Seven-Star Begonia poison from her body.
Darba clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking audibly. His cold, unwavering gaze fixed on Shen Zhao.
Yet Shen Zhao remained composed, radiating unwavering confidence against this Emperor Realm powerhouse.
"How long do you think you can hold out?"
"Long enough to see you start your feast."
"Arrogant fool!"
Darba formed hand seals, instantly summoning a connection between heaven and earth, stirring wind and clouds.
A torrent of Primordial Force surged into his body.
"Void Treasury?"
Shen Zhao frowned.
"It seems Zen Master Shangzhi holds you in high regard, entrusting you with such a secret technique of the Buddhist Sect."
"Your knowledge astonishes me. Pity, for today you are destined to walk the path of reincarnation."
"Is that so?"
Shen Zhao halted. Instantly, the Southern Brightness Departing Fire blazed forth, forming a majestic azure lotus of flame that radiated holy radiance across heaven and earth.
"What technique is this?"
"The Great Brahma Holy Fire—a technique I created myself. Today, I'll test it on you."
"A mere trick!"
"Let's settle this with one strike."
The Void Treasury seal was completed.
Suddenly, Buddhist chants echoed across the land as a Thousand-Handed Tathagata Treasure Manifestation erupted from Darba's body, transforming into a golden colossus hundreds of feet tall, its feet planted on the desolate plains.
"I won't waste any more time with you. Let this one strike send you to the afterlife."
In the next moment, the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Manifestation ascended into the void.
Simultaneously, the earth trembled violently as a mountain range thousands of feet high erupted beneath Darba's feet, its peak reaching the heavens. The mountain fused with the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Manifestation, creating a vision akin to a Buddha descending upon the world.
"Vajra Dharma Aspect—Tathagata World-Honored One—Mahāpramāṇa!"
Darba unleashed his ultimate technique, seeking to end the confrontation swiftly.
The Dao-infused laws released by the Great Emperor's cultivation shook the heavens and earth for a hundred li.
Residents in the distance witnessed the Buddha's Dharma Manifestation in the sky and immediately began prostrating in worship.
Shen Zhao took a deep breath, concentrating all the True Qi stored in his dantian into the Southern Brightness Departing Fire.
Instantly, the Holy Flame blazed fiercely, forming a golden lotus that enveloped his body.
"Go!"
Darba struck downward with his palm. Behind him, the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Treasure Manifestation moved in unison, its thousand Buddha's Hands descending like a mountain range toward Shen Zhao's head.
He was confident that this strike would bring ultimate peace, and nothing in the world could stop the rise of the Xiongnu Kingdom.
But just as his confidence reached its peak, the golden lotus erupted in a blinding flash. Simultaneously, a peerless palm strike transformed into a thousand-zhang-tall Buddha's Hand, hurtling back toward Darba.
*Boom!*
The two world-shattering forces collided. The heavens and earth darkened instantly, a thousand-zhang mountain range collapsed without mercy, and the ethereal Tathagata Treasure Manifestation in the void dissolved into dust, scattering with the wind.
Only a residual wave of azure flame swept across Darba's body.
The moment it landed, the earth trembled violently.
Darba stood motionless, palms pressed together in prayer.
His face was deathly pale, no longer flushed with its former arrogance.
After a long silence, he slowly asked, "You're not injured?"
Shen Zhao kept his back to Darba. "If I hadn't given you an opportunity, how could you have exposed yourself so quickly?"
"So, this was all your scheme? From the very beginning, you planned to force me out?"
"Unfortunately, you realized it too late."
"Tell me the truth!"
"The purpose of enduring three strikes from the Xiongnu King was the same as your murder of the Golden Sage Venerable—both were cut from the same cloth."
Darba's pupils constricted. "I understand now. No wonder your attacks carried a familiar Imperial Might. You were trying to absorb the Xiongnu King's Imperial Qi to forcibly enhance the Primordial Force in your Qi Sea!"
Shen Zhao smirked. "You're not as foolish as I thought, just a bit slow to react. Do you have any last words?"
Darba sighed deeply. "My own arrogance and delusion led to this defeat. I regret not heeding Zen Master Shangzhi's words."
Shen Zhao closed his eyes, remaining silent.
Darba nodded toward Shen Zhao. "Benefactor, I have but one request..."
"I implore you, benefactor, to spare the people of the Xiongnu Kingdom. They are merely innocent fools manipulated by imperial power."
"If you had known this would happen, why did you act in the first place?" Shen Zhao shook his head. "The grievances between the Xiongnu and the Dragon Han Celestial Dynasty are not my concern. I am here solely to prevent the Nine Netherworlds from manifesting."
"Very well. The fate of the Xiongnu people rests entirely on the Empress's whim. I shall not press further."
With that, Darba knelt cross-legged on the ground, clasped his hands together, and faced west.
"My lifelong obsession with power and reputation has ultimately led me to be tormented by karmic demons. May the World-Honored Tathagata hear my plea, and grant me an opportunity to repent in my next life. Amitabha Buddha."
After uttering the Buddhist chant, Darba breathed his last.
At that same moment, the heavens and earth once again displayed extraordinary phenomena.
The once clear sky suddenly flashed with lightning and thunder, and torrential rain poured down in an instant.
Across the Central Plains, mountain floods erupted, ravaging countless villages.
The natural disasters, triggered by the death of a Great Emperor, were destined to persist for some time.
In Yanhuang City, Xuan Hao Hongye's face paled as he witnessed the celestial phenomena, an ominous feeling stirring in his heart.
"Could this mean Darba has met his end? No, that's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Yet the unease only grew stronger, suffocating him with its weight.
Meanwhile, Song Yanran, utilizing the properties of the Seven-Colored Insect Gu, successfully neutralized the Seven-Star Begonia toxin.
The toxin had just been purged, and she would require time to recover her cultivation.
Shen Zhao then took the opportunity to reset the Azure Dragon's fractured bones.
Once everything was done, Shen Zhao finally exhaled in relief, leaning against the gatehouse and closing his eyes to rest.
After confirming the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird were unharmed, Song Yanran instructed them to continue monitoring the situation in Yanhuang City.
"Shen Zhao, thank you for your help. The rest is up to me."
"How do you plan to handle it?" Shen Zhao asked, his gaze fixed on Song Yanran.
Song Yanran froze, momentarily speechless.
This coup had been years in the making, leaving her utterly disheartened. Even if she fought her way back to the capital and reclaimed the throne, what would it truly change?
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)