Chapter Thirty-Two: Sage, How Heavy Is the Tripod?

Mise is the second-largest city in the 15th Administrative District and a world-renowned capital of fashion and design. The annual Mise Fashion Week is considered the premier event in the global fashion industry. Normally, it takes over an hour to drive from the city of Vina to Mise, but Caesar, a super-powered being of the Legend realm, had no need to follow the paths of mortals. He chose the most direct "shortcut": crossing the Peter Mountains to the west. This allowed him to bypass the detour and reach Mise as quickly as possible to teach a lesson to the bastard who dared to lay a hand on his sister.

Caesar moved through the forest at high speed, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. The warm morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves. Suddenly, his rapid strides came to a sharp halt, and he landed steadily on a thick tree branch.

It was too quiet! The entire mountain forest seemed to have been muted, deathly silent, with not even the sound of a bird or an insect to be heard.

Something was wrong! A chill went through Caesar’s heart, and his instinct was to pull back and retreat. At that very moment, the sound of air being torn apart erupted from both front and rear. Two figures, one tall and one short, blocked his path of retreat and advance.

"Caesar, I am Li Qingwan, Commander of the Second Legion," the petite figure ahead spoke in a voice that was crisp yet frigid. "You are currently suspected of involvement in a special case. Please cooperate and come with us for investigation."

Caesar looked at the young girl before him. Her fair, palm-sized face was as delicate as a doll’s, and she looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. Her stature was even more diminutive, resembling a child of eleven or twelve. Yet, the crisp gold army uniform she wore and the few but weighty medals on her chest silently proclaimed her status as a Legion Commander.

Caesar’s lips curled into an amused smile. "I have always been a law-abiding citizen. May I ask what the Commander wishes to investigate?"

His attitude confirmed to Li Qingwan instantly that this man was no good. She made a subtle, hidden gesture with her hand behind her back. Almost simultaneously, from the cloudless, azure sky, a blinding crimson beam descended. Like a blood-colored thunderbolt cast down by a furious Zeus, it carried a destructive aura, locking precisely onto the top of Caesar’s head.

The hair on the back of Caesar’s neck stood on end. His instincts as a Legend-level powerhouse urged him to dodge immediately. However, the tall, bulky figure behind him erupted with terrifying speed that defied his build. Like a gale-force wind rising from flat ground, Wang Hu appeared directly beneath Caesar, his thick right leg lashing out like a cannonball, kicking upward with immense force.

*Crack.*

The branch beneath Caesar snapped instantly. Wang Hu’s heavy, powerful kick connected solidly with the soles of Caesar’s feet. This massive thrust sent Caesar, who had been preparing to dodge, hurtling upward uncontrollably.

*Swoosh!*

The crimson beam, carrying a terrifying heat, bored down toward his scalp. The scorching waves of heat felt as if they would incinerate him into ash. At this critical juncture, the source energy within Caesar, refined to the extreme, surged out to barely protect his vitals. But the price was that his hair, his suit, and his shirt were instantly reduced to gray ash in the red light.

As the red light dissipated, the skin of his upper torso was exposed, scorched black. Yet, astonishingly, the charred flesh began to writhe at a speed visible to the naked eye, rapidly covering itself with a layer of brand-new, unblemished skin.

Seeing this eerie sight, Li Qingwan no longer had any doubts: this guy was a Fiend-kin.

"Fall into a stupor!" The six psychokinetic super-powered individuals lurking in the surrounding area raised their hands and shouted in unison. The sound waves, imbued with source energy, struck Caesar’s mind like invisible hammers. At the same time, after landing, Wang Hu stomped hard, his massive body acting like a compressed spring as he surged into the air again, his right fist gathering the force of wind and thunder as he smashed it toward Caesar.

Facing the pincer attack, Caesar did not even turn his head. A bizarre thing happened. A complete human form "peeled" itself off his back. With golden hair, blue eyes, handsome features, and a sturdy build, it was identical to Caesar himself. The moment this new "Caesar" appeared, he threw a punch without hesitation at the oncoming Wang Hu.

*Boom!*

Roaring flames erupted from thin air, like a burst dam of molten lava, instantly sweeping through the space in front of him. The scorching heat, mixed with terrifying impact, slammed into Wang Hu, sending his massive body flying backward. The surrounding trees were instantly ignited, and the fallen leaves on the ground turned into a sea of fire, forcing the six psychokinetic super-powered individuals to retreat in a panic. Only the area where Caesar landed remained untouched by the flames.

Li Qingwan’s brow furrowed tightly. "You are an Alteration-type super-powered individual!"

"Correct." Caesar’s voice carried the composure of one in total control. His ability was named "The Self I Hypothesize"! At this moment, he hypothesized that he was a master of the Rheological-type at the peak of the Legend realm, and thus, a "Caesar" possessing the full strength of a peak Legend-level Rheological-type was created.

"Though I don't know what business you have with me," Caesar’s tone held a hint of impatience, "my time is precious. Settling things quickly is never a bad idea."

Before his words had even faded, an astonishing scene unfolded. From his back, as if copying and pasting, four more Caesars "peeled" out one after another: one of the Solidification-type, one of the Emission-type, one of the Psychokinetic-type, and one of the Manifestation-type. Together with the previous Rheological-type clone and his original body, six "Caesars," all radiating the aura of the peak Legend realm, stood before Li Qingwan and Wang Hu like cold statues.

The balance of numbers and strength had instantly reversed. Wang Hu felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head; his legs trembled violently, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. Caesar glanced at the pale-faced Wang Hu at the edge of the sea of fire, his tone mocking. "If you're scared, there's still time to run."

"Huff... huff..." Wang Hu breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead like a stream, yet his gaze remained unyieldingly firm. "Yeah... you're strong... strong enough to make my legs shake... but... this is my personal matter! I am the Captain of the Legion Commander's Honor Guard! My duty is to protect the Commander! I cannot let personal feelings interfere with public duty!"

Caesar smiled faintly. "Very well, then die here."

Li Qingwan’s eyes turned icy, her killing intent surging. Her petite frame seemed to transform into a blade about to be unsheathed, the very air around her chilling to the point that even the heat of the surrounding fire seemed to be suppressed.

Just as she was about to strike, a slender hand landed unexpectedly and gently on her petite shoulder. With combat instincts carved into her very bones, Li Qingwan’s slender waist twisted violently, and her right leg, moving like a steel whip with a sharp whistle through the air, flashed over her shoulder to kick fiercely behind her.

It was only when she saw that familiar face behind her that the lethal kick halted in mid-air at the very last second. She forcibly retracted her strength, dropping to one knee on the tree branch, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling. "Sage, I apologize profusely. Your subordinate should not have raised a hand against you!"

"If a dignified Imperial Legion Commander could not counterattack immediately when someone reached her back, that would be the only thing for which you would truly need to apologize to me." Bai Yujing smiled calmly, completely unbothered by the previous offense. His gaze moved past Li Qingwan, landing calmly on the six identical Caesars standing before the sea of fire.

He had been monitoring this capture operation the entire time from the main palace via satellite, precisely so he could provide support if any accidents occurred. The bizarre nature of this Caesar, capable of splitting into clones with different abilities, clearly exceeded the limits of what the combination of Li Qingwan and Wang Hu could handle.

Caesar looked at Bai Yujing, who had appeared on the treetop, stunned for a moment before laughing loudly. "Hahaha, I truly did not expect it! The famous Sage, actually standing before me in person so quickly!"

"Insolent!" Li Qingwan’s small face turned frosty instantly, her petite body erupting with even more terrifying killing intent, making the surrounding air seem as though it were freezing.

Ignoring Li Qingwan’s fury, Caesar stared fixedly at Bai Yujing. "Five thousand years ago, the Sage and the Fourteen Kings founded the Great Han Empire and ordered the casting of the Nine Cauldrons as the treasures of the state, placed in the Sacred Palace. I have always wanted to ask the Sage: how much does the cauldron weigh?"