I Have A Martial Dao World

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Flaying is a very cruel form of torture. It was used on favored consorts by Empress Dowager Lü of the Han Dynasty and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, to name but a few.

This Consort Li was once a beloved consort of the late emperor, possessed of all his favor. Her descent into such a state need not be elaborated upon—it was clearly the handiwork of the present Empress Dowager!

Here in the Otherworld, flaying involves an additional process—using seven iron nails, or rather, "rolling pins resembling screw nails," they pierce and screw them into seven vital acupoints such as "Tanzhong" and "Qi Sea."

With her entire body sealed, no matter how capable she was, she could not exercise her abilities.

Consort Li's body displayed seven rust-stained marks, which had fused indiscernibly with her flesh.

Upon seeing such a ghastly sight, the Straw Man, bearing Kotaro Komura's mind, spoke:

[I have had the fortune to study that none who were flayed in the history of your country have lived past a year. Even those in the Innate Realm, once subjected to such torture, would die in spirit if not in body. Consort Li merely underwent Blood-Exchange, yet she persevered for 30 years]

Your journey continues with empire

Consort Li, gasping like a broken bellows, coldly laughed without a word.

Kotaro Komura continued, [The driving force behind your endurance must be "hatred," isn't it? A grudge so deep that not even the waters of the Yangtze River could wash it away.

A beauty like none other, "pure and ethereal as a light cloud shielding the moon, fluttering like returning snow driven by the wind," surely harbors immeasurable hatred after being reduced to this state...]

"Noisy Wa People!" Consort Li interrupted, her voice like tearing through rags, her throat clearly ruined by poison.

"That demoness is gathering the Power of Collective Will for Divine Manifestation!?"

Consort Li opened her Heavenly Eye and immediately saw the "Tide of Wishes" above her head, like a vast ocean.

She immediately understood the situation at hand and the meaning behind the Wa man's words and let out a ghastly, screeching laugh:

"I have finally waited long enough! Demoness! After thirty years of torment, today you will pay for everything!"

Consort Li laughed, the disgusting sores on her body trembling lightly, then, with a loud shout, "Go!"

A streak of light burst forth from her forehead, revealing none other than a beautifully attired palace beauty. This was "Soul Manifestation," a skill only possessed by those in the out-of-body state!

Although this departing soul appeared ethereal, her beautiful features were still discernible, exactly those of Consort Li.

Kotaro Komura, his voice clearly tinged with fear, exclaimed: [Hatred materialized into substance...]

The beautiful Consort Li's "seven orifices" flowed ceaselessly with ink-like, filthy blood, looking more like a "vengeful ghost" than anything else!

Kotaro Komura subconsciously whispered, [You could use my talisman...]

"There's no need for such trouble," Consort Li interrupted again, staring over with her terrifying, blood-stained eyes: "There are better ways."

[Wait a moment, I...]

Consort Li couldn't care less about Kotaro Komura's babbling. With a light inhale, her divine soul sucked away and devoured a ghostly human shadow from the Straw Man.

With this nourishment, Consort Li's soul became much more solid, looking less insubstantial.

Following that, her divine soul soared up and flew towards the sky, higher and farther away.

As Consort Li took one last glance at this world, she disappeared with a menacing laugh.

Her divine soul, like a piece of paper thrown into blazing flames, turned into numerous dark ashes and merged into the "Tide of Wishes."

~~~~~~~~~

At that moment, on the Great Harmony Square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Empress Dowager's Divine Manifestation of the "Bodhisattva Form" had already taken shape up to the waist, radiant with the "Glorious Glassy Aura," spectacularly beautiful, compelling involuntary reverence.

The facial features of the Divine Form became increasingly distinct, especially the eyes, which were starting to appear. However, they looked somewhat… imperious and willful, exactly like the Empress Dowager herself.

This was not a significant issue. All humans, not being saints, have emotions and desires, so people didn't pay much attention to it.

Lu Yao watched very intently, casting Mind Force freely as if it cost him nothing, firmly imprinting every detail of the scene in his mind.

For ordinary people, witnessing Divine Manifestation was merely an exciting spectacle, but for someone practicing the Spirit Refinement of Divine Fetal Breathing like him, it held unmatched referential value!

When his own breakthrough came, it would reduce the difficulty manifold!

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No amount of money could buy a spectacle like this; without exaggeration, it was the greatest benefit Lu Yao had ever received!

At that moment, a disturbance arose from the ministers' procession; Kotaro Komura suddenly started bleeding from seven orifices. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover it up, declared that he had come down with a sudden illness, and took his leave.

The next second, Lu Yao sensed something terribly wrong with the "Tide of Wishes" in the heavens; it seemed as if something fatal had mixed in.

"There's an emotion... it's 'hatred'! Such intense hatred!"

How much can one hate another person?

To live a life worse than death for thirty years, just waiting for a chance to exact revenge even if it meant one's own physical and spiritual destruction!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Consort Li's Divine Soul shattered, turning her unquenchable hatred, which not even the entire waters of the Yangtze River could wash away, into the world's most venomous incense, blending into the "Tide of Wishes."

It was like a neurotoxin injected into the human body, taking effect instantly! The "Tide of Wishes" visibly turned pitch-black, as if ink had dropped into water, spreading rapidly.

The devout prayers of tens of thousands could not overcome the thirty-year hatred of a human turned into a beast!

The Empress Dowager, previously calm and collected, now had her facial features twisted in an instant. A myriad of voices echoed in her head, as if millions of people were simultaneously cursing and insulting her right by her ear:

"Witch! Die!"

"I want you to fall into the 18th layer of hell and never be reborn!"

"Shut up! All of you trash! How dare you make such a racket!" She slammed a fist into her own head and then shouted fiercely.

Meanwhile, she continued to recite prayers with a string of strange prayer beads in her hand. These beads were no ordinary object; each one was a relic of a high monk! This was the very reason the Empress Dowager could manifest the Bodhisattva form.

But all these were to no avail, as Consort Li's "hatred" had ignited the toxic incense in the wishes, setting it ablaze!

The cacophony in the Empress Dowager's head grew louder and more numerous, while the prayer beads twisted faster and faster.

Before long, the beads reached their limit and cracked, scattering across the floor. The relics of the high monks quickly turned black and crumbled into powder, vanishing into thin air.

The Empress Dowager was slightly taken aback, then snorted coldly, her face twisted with ferocity, but she continued to gather the power of wishes, unbothered.

She simply ordered in a calm tone, "Go and watch them closely!"

Li Jinying and An Dehai bowed and left.

~~~~~~~~~

The atmosphere in the Great Harmony Square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was lively as everyone admired the "Bodhisattva form" in the sky and envisioned a beautiful future.

But Lu Yao and other Spirit Refinement powerhouses were the first to sense that something was amiss.

As the wishes gradually gathered, the originally dignified and magnificent form of the Bodhisattva now bore a smiling yet not smiling expression, with its narrow eyes appearing particularly malevolent.

More and more people's expression grew grave, but Zhang Yunshu and Master Wu Jing still clung to a sliver of hope. Their initial demand wasn't high—just looking like a human would suffice.

But what followed shattered all hopes completely.

The "Bodhisattva form" of the Empress Dowager started with the "Glorious Glassy Aura" peeling off like wall paint, revealing a dull gray body.

Then, as the features of the face moved, they transformed into the vertical pupils of a reptile!

Finally, the lower half that manifested was full of countless transparent tentacles!!!

The once glorious and crystal-clear "Bodhisattva form" suddenly turned into a monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of an octopus!

The monster looked down upon the people below with a cruel and evil gaze, like a child gazing at ants, its face conveying mirth and viciousness!

"Heaven... Heavenly Demon Form!!!???"

Zhang Yunshu and Master Wu Jing exclaimed in unison!

The faces of high officials like Li Zhongtang and Imperial Teacher Weng appeared as if they were in deep mourning.

"It's the Empress Dowager... indeed it's the Empress Dowager!"