Slugterran Saviours

Chapter 41

Author's Note: sooooo i got a disclaimer: i know next to nothing when it comes to chinese, so what you see here is all google translate, so if it isn't accurate i apologize in advance! and sorry if this is shit, i legit only have time when its 1-5am in the morning, because the rest of the time is filled with a lot of bullshit

The Emperor sat on his throne, seething with anger.

Where could he have missed? He had the whole world in his grasp, he held every single state and every single country and continent in the palm of his callused hands, each piece of land unable to slip through his fingers. He had no foes and no opposition, there was nothing stopping him from obtaining the immortality he sought for, for the power he could finally achieve. Yang Xiao Long, his only opponent in his quest for immortality and infinite power, was long dead from their battle at the Yellow Mountain, at the Bridge of Immortality. She could not have survived that fall, even someone with her semblance could never survive that fall. And none of her maidens could have saved her, they couldn't even stand after he was done with them. No matter how many hits she could take, no matter how much stronger she could become. And he knew she was dead, and that he stood unopposed. He saw her aura shatter before she fell, he saw the auras of her maidens shatter into pieces before they retreated, never to be seen again.

But yet, there was a hidden land beyond his reach.

He had heard the tales. He had heard tales of a secret land where strange, magical creatures had multitudes and all sorts of powers beyond his imagination and how they were plentiful in this land, of a land without a sky, where the waters shimmered and glowed and were so clear you could see every single sea creature, plants which glowed with magic that had healing properties. He had heard of great engineers that made animals out of steel and the energies that resided there and how they were truly alive, that they obeyed their masters and their masters only. He heard that he could achieve the Elixir of Immortality there, that the land he had long searched for had the very cure for the sickness that plagued his family. He didn't have much time left. He saw the signs of the sickness that plagued him start to take over his body. He felt the fatigue that weighed down his own parents and brothers, he saw the whites in his eyes yellowing. He couldn't even use his chopsticks today when he sat down to have his lunch. He could feel himself deteriorating, his body was failing right in front of his eyes. This was the only cure he had, and it could be in this land.

And its location slipped from his fingers every single time.

He yelled out of frustration as he slammed his fists into the table, his immense strength nearly breaking the table into two. The various tokens used to mark down certain territories of interest jumped from the table due to the impact, scattering all over the ground, rolling away from him and down the steps of the wooden platform where he, the table and the throne had been sitting on. The ink bottles set on nearby trays falling down, its pitch black contents spilling and emptying out the shell that held it, the ink spilling onto the tray, not one drop making it onto the wooden platform.

He took in angered, ragged breaths as his anger died down, his hands shaking when he unclenched them from his fists, blood leaking down from blood red crescents in the flesh of his palms. He heard a clutter of arrows fall to the ground behind him, and he swiftly whipped his head around to look at it, thankful when he saw that the fire dust in the arrowheads was inactivated and harmless, his Jian sword leaning against the arm of his throne, unaffected. He let himself relax before he tensed up slightly at the chronic pain in his side, his jaw clenching.

"爸爸?(Father?)" A small, timid voice called, and the Emperor recognized the voice immediately. He turned around to see a girl clad in lavender, loose-fitting, silk robes that swept the ground, her raven black hair disarray and messy. Her eyes were filled with agony as she clutched her side, her teeth gritted as she withheld the pain that stabbed her side. The Emperor's eyes widened as he quickly rushed to his daughter's side, his eyes wide with concern and worry. He recognized her pain himself as he guided her to the nearest chair and she sat down, doubled over from the pain that he experienced when he was her age. He didn't have much time left. She didn't have much time left.