Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 354 I will not die!

Hearing Feng Qi dare to invoke the emperor's name to intimidate him.

"Hehehehe."

Peng Lie suddenly let out a chilling low laugh.

The laughter started softly, then gradually grew manic, echoing throughout the hall and causing dust to fall from the beams and pillars.

It was like the screams of demons seeping from the depths of the eighteenth level of hell, echoing and repeating in the ornately decorated hall.

His withered fingers slowly stroked the jade pendant at his waist, his age-spotted face twitched, and the murderous intent surging in his cloudy eyes almost solidified.

"Feng Qi, what a fine third-rank bodyguard captain personally appointed by His Majesty."

Peng Lie spoke in a drawn-out tone, each word clear and distinct.

The next moment, crimson energy, as if alive, coursed around him, and the air crackled with fiery explosions.

"Back in the day, if it weren't for the fact that I saw you still had some backbone, I would have fed you to the wild dogs long ago!"

Before he finished speaking, Peng Lie's terrifying aura suddenly surged several times over.

"boom--!"

A fiery dragon, carrying an intense heat, tore through the void, causing the floor tiles to shatter wherever it passed.

Feng Qi had no time to react. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming heavily against the dragon pillar.

The silver armor on his upper body melted into molten iron under the high temperature and slid down his bloodied and mangled body.

It slammed to the ground with a crackling sound, and the smell of burning flesh mixed with the stench of blood instantly filled the air.

"Ahhh!" Feng Qi rolled around on the ground frantically, trying to lessen the pain.

Peng Lie ignored it, took a step forward, and the blue bricks shattered. The pressure formed by the crimson energy made the legs of the dozen or so guards outside the hall go weak.

"interesting!"

Peng Lie abruptly stopped laughing, his face instantly turning ashen.

Crimson energy surged suddenly, transforming into fiery serpents that coiled around Shang Fengqi's body. "Speak! Who gave you the audacity to betray the Crown Prince and my Peng family?!"

"ah--!!"

A piercing scream echoed throughout the hall.

The acrid smell of burning flesh from the crimson energy filled the air, and Feng Qi's remaining silver armor on his lower body was burned red-hot, seared into his flesh.

But what enraged Peng Lie even more was...

When the Crown Prince was in danger, this head guard, who should have sought help immediately, didn't mention the Peng family at all!

This is blatant betrayal!
Feng Qi, that ingrate, actually betrayed His Highness the Crown Prince and the Peng family!

Feng Qi huddled among the rubble, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, when he suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh: "Hahaha, you old bastard!"

"You have times when you're afraid?"

He propped up his bloodied palm, with charred flesh still embedded in his fingernails.

"That person's name... Do you really think you can handle the pressure?"

"I'm willing to tell you!" Feng Qi suddenly grinned maliciously, his bloodstained teeth looking particularly chilling in the firelight.

"You old fool, do you dare listen to this?!"

Just then, a cool breeze swept by outside the hall, causing Peng Lie's wide-open pupils to shrink instantly.

In a daze, a scene suddenly appeared in his mind.

In the Forbidden City, where officials paid homage, the figure on the dragon throne slowly rose, his bright yellow dragon robe trailing behind the jade steps.

The emperor, high above all others, had eyes that seemed to pierce through time and space, pinning him to the spot.

The emperor, with his expressionless face, had eyes that looked down upon all living beings, so cold that Peng Lie felt a chill in his heart.

"I see. Is that what that person meant?"

Peng Lie's voice became eerily calm, and the crimson energy gathered in his palm emitted a strange buzzing sound, even causing the dragon reliefs on the beams and pillars to begin to shed powder.

Throughout the entire Wenjing Dynasty, whose name could this Duke of Wu not bear to hear?
Who else could it be but that emperor who ruled the Wenjing Dynasty?
"It seems that all these years, I have been too soft-hearted towards you lowly bastards."

In an instant, the crimson energy erupted like a volcano!
The entire hall trembled violently, glazed tiles fell in pieces, and the exquisite sandalwood beams and pillars groaned under the strain.

Flames swept up the curtains, turning the magnificent palace into a living hell.

Only Peng Lie's scarlet eyes flickered in the firelight, like a ghost from hell.

Under the blazing sun, the intense heat made the square in front of the palace scorching hot.

On the bluestone slab, a fine layer of cremated remains trembled slightly in the heat.

It was occasionally swept up by the scorching whirlwind, shimmering with tiny specks of light under the blinding sunlight.

Peng Lie stood with his hands behind his back under the blazing sun, his black python robe fluttering in the hot wind.

He squinted and looked into the hall, the wrinkles on his face appearing particularly deep in the bright light: "Xuan'er, your grandfather has already dealt with these traitors in the Eastern Palace for you."

"Within three days, my grandfather will transfer some loyal men from the Peng family. They are all skilled warriors who have followed me in battle for many years."

Lu Xuan stood in the shadows of the palace gate, dappled light and shadow dancing on his handsome face.

His casual gaze, however, was directed towards a certain spot outside the palace walls.

Lu Xuan wasn't particularly interested in these trivial matters.

He has more important things to do now.

“Grandfather has come at just the right time.”

Lu Xuan suddenly spoke up, "Grandson has a thorny matter to attend to..."

Upon hearing this, Peng Lie, the grandmaster who struck fear into the hearts of countless people, now had eyes full of affection: "Xuan'er, please speak freely."

The cicadas' chirping suddenly stopped at noon, and the sweltering heat rising from the square distorted the outline of the distant palace.

The figures of an old man and a young boy cast two dark silhouettes on the scorching stone ground.

"There was a woman..."

Lu Xuan's voice suddenly turned cold as he pulled a pink silk handkerchief from his sleeve.

"I need to find out exactly where she comes from!"

The silk handkerchief fell to the ground under the scorching sun, and the double lotus pattern embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief was covered with ashes the moment it touched the ground.

Peng Lie's pupils suddenly contracted.

"West City, Xianxian Tower."

Lu Xuan used the tip of his shoe to roll over the silk handkerchief, leaving a jet-black footprint on the snow-white silk surface.

“Last night, this woman left this thing, which caused me to be affected by yin energy.”

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from Peng Lie's body, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet cracked with a spiderweb-like pattern: "Xuan'er means..."

His voice trembled, and his white beard moved without wind. "Besides the traitors in the Eastern Palace, is someone else plotting against you?"

The cicadas' chirping stopped abruptly at noon.

The imperial guards who had rushed to the square all took a half step back in unison, the clanging of their armor particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

The head of the Imperial Guards had beads of sweat on his forehead, which glistened in the blazing sun.

"Your Excellency, Duke..."

The guard stepped forward with a stiff upper lip, the sword at his waist swaying with his trembling hands.

He stared at the ashes scattered on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, his voice filled with uncertainty and fear.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has learned of the news and is in the Weiji Hall..."

Before he could finish speaking, an invisible pressure suddenly descended.

The sergeant's knees buckled uncontrollably, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

The dozens of imperial guards behind him turned pale, their spears clattering to the ground.

Lu Xuan slowly stepped forward, standing right on the guard captain's face, looking down at him from above.

Did I, the Crown Prince, grant you permission to speak?

Lu Xuan's voice was very soft, yet it made all the Imperial Guards present feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The guard's Adam's apple bobbed, but he dared not utter another sound. "Get out!"

Peng Lie stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the trembling Imperial Guards, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

If it weren't for his status as Duke Wu and the emperor's father-in-law, these imperial guards would probably have already used the forbidden weapons in the imperial city's grand formation.

Those three seemingly casual words caused the burly guard captain to kneel down with a thud.

"Go back and report to His Majesty."

Lu Xuan's voice struck the hearts of the Imperial Guards like a death knell.

“Just say that it was I, the Crown Prince, who invited my maternal grandfather to the palace.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the taut shoulders of the Imperial Guard Captain collapsed, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his chainmail, trickling down his spine.

He fell to his knees with a thud, the bronze knee pads striking the scorching bluestone slab with a dull thud, his forehead slamming heavily against the ground, almost denting the slab.

"Your humble servant obeys! I kneel in gratitude for Your Highness's grace!"

The Imperial Guard Commander's trembling voice carried a strange joy at surviving a calamity.

The square fell into dead silence, broken only by the heavy breathing that rose and fell.

The terrifying scene of Peng Lie breaking the ban with martial arts is still vivid in my mind.

As members of the Imperial Guards, they were guilty of dereliction of duty for letting Peng Lie in.

Therefore, the commander of the Imperial Guards thought he was going to lose his head for this crime of usurpation.

But to his surprise, he finally received this life-saving word from His Highness the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's edict was a death-exempt token that could reverse the course of events.

The system of the crown prince overseeing the country during the Wen and Jing dynasties lasted for a century, and the gold seal and purple ribbon were never just for show.

In the imperial court, the Crown Prince's imperial edicts could cause even a high-ranking official to lose his post overnight.

Even the rise and fall of powerful families is merely reflected in the Crown Prince's brushstrokes and the joys and sorrows in his eyes and brows.

The guard secretly looked up and saw Lu Xuan standing straight as a sword under the blazing sun, his hands behind his back.

On the purple-gold dragon robe, a five-clawed dragon embroidered with gold thread surges in the heat.

The dragon's scales shimmered with a cold light, as if they were about to burst through the fabric and transform into its true form, soaring through the heavens.

"Your Highness, I take my leave!"

Before the Imperial Guard Commander had finished speaking, he had already scrambled to his feet from the scorching hot bluestone slab.

He didn't bother to straighten his crooked helmet, gave Lu Xuan a hasty salute, and as he turned around, the sword at his waist almost slipped off, making a crisp sound as it struck his armor.

The imperial guards behind them, like startled birds, pushed and shoved each other as they fled toward the palace gate.

The metal knee pads scraped against the stone slabs with a screeching sound, raising clouds of dust.

In the blink of an eye, the square, which had been tense, returned to silence.

These imperial guards soldiers had never been so disheveled before.

Normally, they wield long spears made of black iron, guarding the forbidden area of ​​the imperial city, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

But today, facing the surging crimson aura around Peng Lie, and the terrifying pressure that could scorch and distort the air, everyone trembled with fear.

If it weren't for waiting for Lu Xuan's golden words that could save their lives, who would be willing to stay in this dangerous place?
I recalled the horrifying scene just now when Peng Lie melted through the silver armor of the traitor with his bare hands.

Many of the Imperial Guards felt a chill run down their spines—before this Grandmaster, their flesh and blood were truly no different from suckling pigs waiting to be roasted.

Only after running wildly out of the East Palace gate and seeing the majestic city walls gradually receding into the distance did my tense nerves dare to relax slightly.

Several new recruits leaned against the corner of the wall, panting heavily. Large beads of sweat on their foreheads splattered onto the ground, quickly drying in the scorching heat.

"Let's go, Xuan'er!"

Peng Lie spoke again, and his crimson aura erupted from his body, causing the blue bricks beneath his feet to crack inch by inch.

The scorching sun gilded his silver hair crimson, and the surging ferocity in his eyes was like a flood about to burst its banks.
"Grandfather wants to see where this Xicheng Xianxianlou got its audacity."

"They actually plotted to murder the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of our Wenjing Dynasty!"

"These traitors, I think they're planning a rebellion!"

Peng Lie's roar shook the copper bells on the eaves, startling a large flock of birds into flight.

The imperial guards on duty in the distance felt an invisible pressure coming towards them, their legs went weak, and their spears almost slipped from their hands.

Before long, eight pure white Akhal-Teke horses neighed and trampled the palace road, pulling an extremely ornate gilded carriage, and galloped out.

As the wheels rolled over the white marble steps, a series of sparks flew up.

....
Inside the Imperial Palace.

The hall was filled with the fragrance of ambergris, but it could not conceal the stench of decay.

The Imperial Guard Commander, who had just been fleeing in a sorry state in the East Palace Square, was now prostrate on the cold jade steps.

With his forehead pressed against the floor tiles engraved with cloud and dragon patterns, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

"You mean, my crown prince wants you to come back?"

A hoarse, low voice drifted down from the ninth heavenly staircase, carrying the faint, weak breath characteristic of someone who has been ill for a long time.

The guard captain trembled violently, his fingertips digging deeply into his palms: "Your Majesty, it was His Highness the Crown Prince who said it."

"It was he who invited my father-in-law to the palace!"

This last sentence broke the stagnant atmosphere in the hall.

The Imperial Guard Commander felt a tightness in his throat, as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat.

"Hehe. Hehe."

In the silence, the sound of an old man's laughter echoed continuously within the hall.

After the laughter subsided.

The gilded dragon screen behind the dragon throne slowly parted to the sides, revealing the bright yellow dragon robe hem first.

The middle-aged emperor, around fifty years old, rose with the help of a jade armrest, the dragon patterns on his body faintly visible beneath the bright yellow silk.

As he strode forward, the hem of his dragon robe swept across the jade steps, yet it could not conceal his hunched posture.

Despite being in the prime of his life, his pale face was covered with a persistent dark aura, like a withered tree whose essence had been drained away by time.

The cloudy eyeballs in the sunken eye sockets made a grating, rustling sound when they moved.

He looked like a living dead who had crawled out of the underworld, leaving behind only the skin of an emperor.

"My Crown Prince."

"So you've learned to make decisions for me now."

"Cough cough."

The emperor suddenly coughed violently, and dark red blood foam seeped from between his fingers.

He looked down at the bloodstains on his palm and chuckled softly.

"Get out!"

The Imperial Guard Commander trembled violently, his forehead hitting the cold jade steps with a dull thud.

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Your humble servant kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!"

He scrambled to his feet, stumbling and disappearing outside the vermilion palace gates.

The palace fell silent again, with only the emperor's heavy breathing echoing beneath the empty dome.

He slowly turned around, his cloudy eyes fixed on the gilded dragon throne inlaid with a nine-clawed golden dragon.

"I will not die!"

The hoarse murmur was filled with a frenzied obsession.

That supreme imperial power was a treasure he had earned through twenty years of hard work; how could he easily hand it over to someone else?

A look of struggle surged across the emperor's face, eventually transforming into a chilling, sinister grin.

"I refuse to believe that I can't control that damned thing!"

(End of this chapter)