Chapter 320: 320. Let it go and give up completely

When Du Ruxue stayed behind to stop General Yaksha, Emperor George dragged his daughter towards the secret passages of the underground city to escape.

Qiao Sen, being pulled along by her mother, could only ask with a worried face, “Mother, will Aunt Du be alright?”

A flash of pain crossed Emperor George’s face, but he remained calm and said, “She’ll be fine. As long as we leave safely, she will escape too.”

Qiao Sen didn’t notice Emperor George’s feigned calmness. There had been so many unexpected events today, happening one after another, that it was hard for her little heart to bear it all.

The key issue was that Qiao Sen knew nothing, filled with confusion about it all.

Du Ruxue refused to elaborate, so Qiao Sen had to suppress her doubts within, finally unable to contain herself at this moment: “Mother, what exactly is going on here? Why are you hiding underground, and why is the True Mother God Sect targeting our Qiao family…”

Qiao Sen blurted out all her doubts in one breath, feeling her chest lighten a bit.

While they ran, Emperor George replied to Qiao Sen’s questions: “Our ancestors of the Zhao family were the famous Blood God of hundreds of years ago. They passed down this Blood God Mask to me, along with the underground city and the Blood God Array. The True Mother God Sect’s target is the Blood God Mask. I sensed the danger and hid underground, for our Qiao family inherited the Zhao family’s bloodline, thus making us the target of the True Mother God Sect…”

The underground city and Blood God Mask, and the Blood God Array, are only known to the emperors of Chu Kingdom throughout the ages, including the relationship between the Blood God Mask and the Qiao family, and the functions of the Blood God Array, etc.

The Blood God Mask was crafted by the Blood God. Anyone who wears it will be turned into a Blood God Soldier, gaining immense power and the Undying Body, but will also become a slave to the Blood God.

If the Blood God’s descendant wears the mask, something truly terrifying will happen. So both the ancestors of the Zhao and Qiao families left behind ancestral instructions forbidding their descendants from wearing the mask.

Of course, not everything left by the Blood God is to trap his descendants. For instance, the stele in the center of the underground city, whose inscription is said to contain an earth-shattering Divine Skill. Understanding and learning it would allow one to dominate the Cultivation World.

Every emperor has memorized the inscription on the stele by heart, but till now, none have learned any Divine Skill,

Last year, Emperor George discovered someone secretly entering the underground city. She and Du Ruxue waited and finally caught General Yaksha attempting to steal the Blood God Mask.

Du Ruxue was unable to defeat General Yaksha. In the end, it was Emperor George who managed to drive her away using the Blood God Array.

General Yaksha threatened Emperor George to hand over the Blood God Mask, or she would massacre the entire capital, dooming Chu Kingdom.

But Emperor George, being a smart person, didn’t believe General Yaksha’s lies. She counter-threatened that any reckless action would result in the destruction of the Blood God Mask.

Particularly regarding her daughter Qiao Sen, Emperor George knew how closely tied the Blood God Mask was to the Qiao family. General Yaksha’s target wasn’t just the mask; it was also the mother and daughter.

Thus, Emperor George warned General Yaksha, if anything happened to Qiao Sen or if she disappeared, she would destroy the mask, ensuring mutual destruction.

From that day on, Emperor George never left the underground city, relying on Du Ruxue to deliver food and drink, while the court affairs were maintained by her substitute.

Unexpectedly, the substitute was soon poisoned by Di Ao. It turned out General Yaksha, hindered by the Blood God Array and unable to use violence, had secretly supported Di Ao to usurp the throne, planning to disband the entire Blood God Array from the roots.

Emperor George watched with anxiety and fear, signaling through the substitute for Qiao Sen to seek aid from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Upon Qiao Sen’s return to the capital, every move she made was daily reported by Du Ruxue to Emperor George.

Recently, upon hearing Qiao Sen had defeated Di Ao, Emperor George felt both relieved and worried. Di Ao’s failure suggested a high chance of General Yaksha overturning the situation.

And tonight’s upheaval validated Emperor George’s concerns.

General Yaksha, having wasted so much time and effort, had undergone significant mental changes.

Previously, she feared Emperor George would destroy the mask, preventing any rash actions. Now, maybe adopting a mindset of reckless abandon, either outcome wouldn’t matter.

Qiao Sen never imagined that the Qiao family would have such a rich history, let alone being linked to the Blood God of centuries ago.

Yet she didn’t blame her mother for not telling her earlier; with how unreliable she was before, learning early would only result in disaster.

The mother and daughter finally escaped the underground city, reaching the secret passage leading outside.

Upon entering the passage, they walked forward for a short distance before encountering a fork in the path.

The fork divided into three routes: one leading to the Imperial Palace, one to the capital, and the last one leading outside the capital.

By the time they reached here, Emperor George was already exhausted, her legs weak.

Most notably, the Blood God Mask on her chest, though not heavy, burdened her with a growing exhaustion, pressing down to the point of near suffocation.

“Mother, let me carry you.”

Seeing Emperor George so fatigued, Qiao Sen voluntarily squatted in front of her.

Emperor George nodded and was about to lean onto her daughter’s back when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure bursting from the dim corner of the passage.

The person brandished a longsword, slashing at the crouched Qiao Sen.

“Watch out!”

Emperor George quickly pushed her daughter aside.

The attacker missed and immediately turned the longsword upon Emperor George.

The sword tip pierced the Blood God Mask in Emperor George’s bosom, passing right through the eye socket and into her body.

With a flick of the wrist, the opponent used the longsword to extract the Blood God Mask from Emperor George, with the mask stained by Emperor George’s fresh blood.

“Ah–”

Emperor George let out a cry of pain, falling back.

“Mother!”

Qiao Sen hurriedly rushed to support Emperor George, pressing against her wound, while looking up at the attacker.

By the light of the fluorescent stones embedded in the passage walls, Qiao Sen clearly saw the face of the attacker, filled with shock and anger, she shouted, “Di Ao!!”

“That’s right, it’s me.”

Di Ao wore a satisfied smile of having repaid a great grudge: “You didn’t expect to see me here, did you, Qiao Sen?”

After being defeated by Qiao Sen during the handover ceremony in front of all officials, Di Ao had sworn revenge. Unexpectedly, the day had come so swiftly.

“Is this the Blood God Mask?”

Di Ao slowly removed the Blood God Mask from the longsword, a look of obsession in her eyes.

“Your Qiao family isn’t the only one who knows about this treasure. The fools at the True Mother God Sect thought my goal was to be emperor, never realizing that I, their manipulated puppet, shared the same target as them. Now this treasure is in my hands, making their half a year’s effort amount to nothing, fit only to eat dirt, hahahahaha!”

Di Ao couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

She initially only sought money, sneaking into the Di family’s Book Collection Pavilion to steal books for sale.

Instead, she discovered an old book in a hidden compartment, recording the life of some ancestor of the Di family.