108: Chapter 108 Don't make your Uncle Zhou laugh.

Two figures made a decision at the exact same instant.

The Minister of Revenue dodged to the left, and the Imperial Guards circled to the right, the two exchanging an extremely brief glance the moment Emperor Zhou Weixi blocked their path at the hall entrance.

The mental telepathy between the parasitized individuals made them change their target.

The Emperor was alone.

Without the Imperial Guards to protect the carriage, without any offerings accompanying him, a Mortal without even a shred of spiritual power, just standing there wearing that black Dragon robe.

Therefore, they lunged forward at the same time.

The Minister of Revenue formed claws with the five fingers of his right hand, aiming straight for Emperor Zhou Weixi's throat, while the Imperial Guard cut in from the side, attempting to grab Emperor Zhou Weixi's right shoulder. Moving with extreme speed, the explosive force of the Fourth Realm Cultivator blasted two extremely fine spiritual power cracks onto the cyan-gold bricks at the entrance of the hall.

Xie Feng stood in the center of the hall without moving.

He even moved the still-hissing Shaggai Insect in his hand aside slightly to avoid blocking his view of the show.

The Hedonistic Faction Shaggai Insect in his mind rolled over at the bottom wall of his lateral ventricle, comfortably curling up deep within the choroid plexus, and sent out a wave of extremely satisfied mental fluctuations: "Your human imperial palace is so much fun. It's much more interesting than the altars on our side."

Xie Feng scorched it with a trace of Cthugha's heat to make it shut up, but as a result, this damned insect cried out again.

The court ministers silently began to pray for these two people.

Are you kidding?

Xie Feng knew this damned Emperor's abilities all too well. Every time he went to the warm chamber, even the mouth of Ygolonac in his hand wouldn't move—did the two of you Shaggai Insects really think you could capture Emperor Zhou Weixi inside the imperial palace?

Stop kidding, you're making Uncle Zhou laugh.

Emperor Zhou Weixi did not dodge.

He didn't even pull his hands out of his sleeves, merely turning his head slightly to glance at the Imperial Guard, leaving behind a look that said, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The Dragon robe flashed, and the jade pendant glowed brightly.

Emperor Zhou Weixi had so many Magic Treasures on him that they were like LED lights, stacked with layer upon layer of shields to the point where even Xie Feng couldn't clearly see Emperor Zhou Weixi's face.

A deep, steady dark golden light barrier silently descended from the exact center of the Hall of Supreme Harmony's dome, reaching the ultimate limit of speed and precision, unfolding just one foot in front of Emperor Zhou Weixi.

That was the City-Protecting Great Array.

An old man dressed in embroidery of Qilin patterns appeared, tightly clamping onto the necks of the two people, instantly sealing off their spiritual power.

The two of them crashed to the ground, lying motionless like dead dogs.

Xie Feng felt that the aura on this old man was very familiar.

A Ninth Realm Great Cultivator.

Emperor Zhou Weixi pulled his hands out of his sleeves and looked down at the two people on the ground.

"I am standing right here, and you're actually trying to capture me?"

Duke Yong had already retreated back to the head of the military officials' ranks, and as he slid his half-drawn sword back into its scabbard, it emitted an exceptionally crisp metallic friction sound.

His expression didn't change much, though he shook his head ever so slightly.

This old Duke had attended court alongside Emperor Zhou Weixi for decades, witnessing this kind of scene more than once with his own eyes.

There were always one or two muddle-headed people who thought this Mortal Emperor could be held hostage. As for the last person who thought that way, let alone grass growing on his grave, he didn't even have a grave left.

His entire family was wiped out by the Ministry of Punishments using a Nine-Clan Stripping Technique.

The imperial offering guards took turns on duty across the imperial capital day in and day out for decades, and the array foundations of the city-protecting array in the Hall of Supreme Harmony were personally carved by a great Cultivator during the founding of the state, updated from generation to generation.

Furthermore, the secret arts on Emperor Zhou Weixi were ones you hadn't even heard of, and such endlessly sinister secret arts were countless.

Didn't you see that even Nyarlathotep didn't openly trip up Xie Feng inside the imperial palace?

The Master of the Nine Provinces—the weight of these four words was something you could weigh for yourself.

"Minister Xie, please trouble yourself to pull those insects out without harming the two of them."

"OK."

Xie Feng stepped forward and yanked the two Shaggai Insects off the two unconscious people.

The two Shaggai Insects started barking fiercely right at Xie Feng's face, and Xie Feng roughly guessed what they were saying.

The one in his brain was currently exchanging curses with these two.

With a backhanded flip, he crushed these two Shaggai Insects to death. Xie Feng heard the faint sounds of armor clashing as the Imperial Guards were mobilized outside the hall, along with the muffled sounds of palace gates being closed one after another in the extreme distance.

Xie Feng silently counted the people still able to stand inside the hall in his heart, spreading out his spiritual power perception to sweep across the cranial outline of every single person.

Emperor Zhou Weixi was wearing his formal profound-black Dragon robe today, and the bead curtains hanging down from his twelve-tasseled crown obscured more than half of his face.

"The city-sealing decree was signed by me yesterday. From the moment the palace gates were locked, no one is allowed to enter or leave the imperial capital. The Imperial Guards outside the city are already guarding the zones I divided, with each zone additionally monitored by two unparasitized Imperial Guards. Once any abnormality is discovered, they are to be controlled on the spot, and resistors will be executed without mercy."

Hearing this, Xie Feng silently awarded Emperor Zhou Weixi an extra point in his mind.

This Mortal Emperor's brain truly ran at an incredible speed.

Ever since Xie Feng's report yesterday, Emperor Zhou Weixi had made arrangements overnight. Although the imperial family lacked the means to pull the Insects from Shaggai out of brains, they still had methods to detect Cthulhu-mythos entities.

Knowing that once the Shaggai Insects were dragged out during the morning court session, the remaining ones might become desperate and do something reckless, Emperor Zhou Weixi had left a backup plan in advance.

Screening the imperial court team, arranging for the Imperial Guards to leave the city, settling the common people by districts, and sealing the city to monitor for chaos.

Every step was in orderly arrangement.

Just as Xie Feng was thinking this, the golden bricks under his feet suddenly trembled.

The aura of Shituolin Swamp slowly seeped out through the golden bricks.

Emperor Zhou Weixi lowered his head to glance at the steps below the Dragon throne, then raised his head, his face showing no change whatsoever.

Before Xie Feng discovered the Insects from Shaggai, a portion of them had already sneaked into the Ministry of Works.

The Junior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works had been parasitized, so the subordinates beneath him certainly could not have escaped either.

The few locations where the Seal runes were previously inspected and found to be dimming were precisely the sections responsible by the Ministry of Works.

Xie Feng took a deep breath, finally understanding why the Seal was loosening precisely at this time.

He guessed it should be an arrangement by the Insects from Shaggai, but weren't they trying to capture him? Why would they go tamper with the Seal of Shituolin Swamp?

He had crushed two of them, but the one inside Fang Jian's head was still alive. Xie Feng directly began interrogating it.

Unfortunately, this damned insect's three mouths were truly stubborn; no matter how he beat it, it refused to talk. To top it off, the more it was beaten, the stiffer its mouth became.

"I really can't stand you perverts anymore!"

Xie Feng felt sick just holding this insect, and then the one inside Xie Feng's brain suddenly spoke:

"I can help you, but I have conditions."

"Spit it out if you have something to say!"

"I promise not to control your memories, and besides, I can't even control them—there seems to be something in your brain protecting you, but I need to be able to live here!"

Xie Feng was a bit dumbfounded upon hearing this. Was his brain really that attractive to Shaggai Insects?

"Why do you have to be inside my brain?"

"You're a lunatic! You pressure yourself every day, and your nerves are filled with self-blame, pain, and madness. If it weren't for that jade pendant on you, you would have gone crazy long ago. The suppressed negative emotions in your brain are simply immortal nectar! I have never found such a high-quality parasitic host!"

Xie Feng really wanted to strangle this damned insect to death, but he was afraid that after getting its satisfaction, it would lick his hand.

"Every day I only need to eat seventy percent of your emotions!"

Xie Feng disagreed. Although it sounded like a good thing, what if this bastard ate him into a puppet without any emotions? Wouldn't that be the end of him?

"Ten percent!"

"Impossible! Sixty percent!"

"Twenty percent! If you don't agree, there'll be nothing to eat!"

Xie Feng bargained with this scruffy dog in his brain for a long time, and finally the Shaggai Insect gritted its teeth and said:

"Deal!"