Chapter 040: An Ancient Taboo

Li Longji, seeing Chen Xuanli slow to act, slammed the armrest of his dragon throne and bellowed, "Chen Xuanli, what are you dallying for? Are you defying my command?"

Chen Xuanli quickly knelt. "Your servant would not dare, Your servant would not dare."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Yang Guozhong crawled forward on his knees, shouting, "Your servant has not deceived you, Your Majesty! Every word I spoke is true, Your Majesty!"

Li Longji said calmly, "Chen Xuanli, why haven't you acted?"

Chen Xuanli had no choice but to rise and walk toward Yang Guozhong.

Just then, a soft voice rang out. "Hold."

Chen Xuanli halted and looked up. A man in robes entered from a side hall, saying slowly, "Commander Chen, wait."

Chen Xuanli was taken aback. Li Longji barked, "Chen Xuanli, whose subject are you? Or has my command lost its power? Kill Yang Guozhong at once!"

Helpless, Chen Xuanli drew his longsword.

The man who had rushed in, seeing no other option, flicked his wrist and sent a yellow paper flying. The paper transformed into a flying knife, striking Chen Xuanli's sword and knocking it from his hand.

The sword spun in the air several times before its sharp tip embedded itself in a pillar of the hall, the hilt trembling.

Li Longji flew into a rage, turning to the man and saying, "Huang He, are you rebelling?"

The newcomer was none other than the Great Tang's foremost illusionist, Huang He.

Huang He performed a leisurely bow and said, "Your Majesty, calm your anger. I, a commoner, will now dispel the illusion for Your Majesty."

Chen Xuanli was stunned.

Yang Guozhong looked up at Huang He in disbelief. "Master Huang He, are you saying His Majesty... His Majesty is under a spell?"

Huang He nodded and said calmly, "When His Majesty met An Lushan's gaze earlier, he inadvertently fell under An Lushan's illusion. Now he is under An Lushan's control."

At these words, the hall erupted in uproar.

All the civil and military officials were shaken; most stared at the smiling Wang Bo with horrified eyes.

Only then did Yang Guozhong understand why the emperor had suddenly wanted to kill him. He turned and roared at Wang Bo, "An Lushan, how dare you cast a spell on His Majesty! This is treason! Chen Xuanli, what are you waiting for? Kill An Lushan at once and break the spell on His Majesty!"

Chen Xuanli nodded, drew a subordinate's sword, and thrust it at Wang Bo without hesitation.

Wang Bo raised his hand and slapped. An invisible force pierced the air, struck Chen Xuanli in the chest, and sent him flying more than ten meters, slamming into the wall like a painting hanging there, never falling.

Wang Bo said with a smile, "Yang Guozhong, don't slander me. You say I cast a spell on the Son of Heaven. Then tell me, what spell did I cast?"

Huang He walked up to Li Longji, touched his finger to Li Longji's brow, and said, "An Lushan, let the emperor himself tell you what spell you cast."

At Huang He's touch, Li Longji's mind seemed to explode. He instantly broke free from Wang Bo's hypnosis, regained himself, and recalling what he had just done, broke out in a cold sweat.

But what followed was unimaginable rage.

As the Son of Heaven, he had not been treated this way in a long time.

He was the emperor, the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, the sovereign above all others. He ruled the four seas, supremely honored. He possessed the wealth of the world and had a consort as beautiful as a celestial maiden.

He was once the happiest man under heaven, able to command the world and everyone in it.

The ultimate joy—that was his happiness.

But now, he had been controlled by another, nearly reduced to a prisoner, losing this boundless pleasure. How could Li Longji not be enraged?

"An Lushan!!!" Li Longji roared in fury. "Guards! Arrest An Lushan for me! I will have him cut into a thousand pieces and torn apart by five horses!"

The doors of the Hall of Great Governance burst open, and the Imperial Guard surged in like a tidal wave.

The civil and military officials quickly parted to both sides, clearing the hall.

The Imperial Guard surrounded Wang Bo.

Li Longji shouted furiously, "Kill him! Kill him for me!"

Just as the Imperial Guard were about to act, a sharp cry rang out. Qin Liangyu, wielding a white-tasseled spear, charged in through the main gate of the Hall of Great Governance. Wherever she passed, men and horses were thrown into disarray; none could withstand her for a single exchange.

Even the well-trained Imperial Guard were like children before her. Every soldier who crossed blades with Qin Liangyu was sent flying by her spear.

But Qin Liangyu did not kill.

After all, she was not a murderous maniac.

The reason she had killed at An Lushan's mansion earlier was that her opponent was An Lushan, the instigator of the An-Shi Rebellion, the culprit behind the deaths of tens of millions.

Thus Qin Liangyu could strike without hesitation, because in her view, she was saving lives.

But this time, Qin Liangyu's enemies were not butchers or murderers, but the army protecting the emperor. So she adopted a method of injuring without killing.

In moments, she had cut through the Imperial Guard and arrived at Wang Bo's side.

"How did it come to this?" Qin Liangyu asked in surprise.

Wang Bo countered, "Where is Lord Baal?"

Qin Liangyu said, "Just now, he vanished. He may have entered another space."

Wang Bo let out an "oh." It seemed Baal had broken the space magic. Thinking that the other was now holding off Mephisto, Wang Bo felt considerably relieved.

Meanwhile, Li Longji was furious to the extreme, his face red, as if ready to devour someone. "Kill! Kill them both for me!"

The Imperial Guard charged again.

Qin Liangyu wielded her white-tasseled spear, magical power steaming. With a sweep of her spear, she knocked a group of soldiers to the ground.

To be honest, when a powerful being like a Heroic Spirit faced ordinary soldiers, it was like playing Dynasty Warriors. Under Qin Liangyu's protection, the Imperial Guard's repeated charges were all beaten back.

Wang Bo looked calmly at Li Longji. Li Longji's heart leaped in alarm, and he was about to dodge when Huang He stepped forward, blocking Wang Bo's gaze and shielding Li Longji behind him.

Wang Bo shifted his gaze to Huang He. "I hear you are the Great Tang's foremost illusion master?"

"A mere empty reputation," Huang He said modestly.

"To be able to break my hypnosis, you are quite good." Wang Bo's tone was appreciative.

Huang He clasped his hands and bowed. "Though I do not know where General An learned his arts, casting a spell on the Son of Heaven is an ancient taboo. I humbly beg General An to desist."

Wang Bo said, "The ancient taboo you speak of is probably fear that the emperor, being petty, will take revenge on you."

Huang He was momentarily speechless.

"It seems I am right," Wang Bo sneered.