Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 669 What will you use to kill me?
Emperor Taizu's Mausoleum.

Ruins of the ancestral hall.

The biting autumn north wind swept across the collapsed palace, howling like a mournful cry.

Smoke and dust filled the air, mingling with withered leaves, forming a chaotic curtain that surged violently across the ruins of the mausoleum area.

At the heart of these ruins, a huge, irregular hole tears open the ground that was once paved with dragon-patterned gold bricks, its dark depths seemingly a gateway to the netherworld.

The terrifying power that had been so violent earlier, enough to easily obliterate Liang Jin's full-force attack, roared out from this bottomless darkness!

At this moment, by looking down along the rough and broken edge of the cave entrance, one can vaguely discern that there is a neatly polished stone staircase sloping downwards!

It appears and disappears in the thick shadows, stretching into the unfathomable depths of the abyss!
There……

This is the forbidden underground palace that should have remained silent for eternity, enshrining the spirit of the founding emperor!

The true... final resting place of the founding emperor!
Emperor Zhao Yu finally escaped from the brink of death. His obese body trembled violently, and a hoarse laugh, a mixture of relief and immense ecstasy, burst from his throat:
"Hahahaha!"

"Did you see that?! Did you all see that?!"

He patted his equally disheveled son Zhao Hongyi's shoulder forcefully, spitting as he spoke with great emotion:

"May our ancestors protect us! May our great ancestor manifest his power!"

"Our Zhao family is ordained by Heaven! How can we allow a traitor to shake our resolve! Heaven bless the Great Qian! Heaven bless my son Hongyi!!"

His face, contorted with fear, was now filled with a hysterical, excited glow.

Almost at the same time as Zhao Yu roared—

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Three figures tore through the sand and landed heavily in front of Zhao Yu and his son at an astonishing speed, spreading out in a fan shape like three indestructible dikes!

Wang Jin, First Guardian of Righteousness, Yan Tingfeng!

Their auras were as steady as an abyss, their eyes as firm as iron, and the surging, powerful energy around them formed an invisible barrier, firmly locking onto the solitary figure standing like a towering mountain at the center of the storm—

Liang Jin!

However, the doubt and uncertainty in the eyes of these three top experts did not completely fall on Liang Jin.

Their gazes were filled with an indescribable solemnity, fixed intently on the black hole at the point of collapse that was swallowing up light!

The earth's power that had just erupted, enough to change the color of the heavens and the earth, and the emperor's earth-shattering words of "the Emperor Taizu's manifestation," both exuded a chilling and eerie aura!

Wang Jin's face remained calm and composed, but a mysterious light flickered deep within his cloudy old eyes, as if he already knew the truth beneath the underground palace.

The First Guardian's weathered face was now filled with astonishment and immense confusion. His clenched fists were so tight that his knuckles turned white, and his eyes darted back and forth between the collapsed ground and Liang Jin.

Yan Tingfeng frowned deeply, his usual ethereal demeanor vanished without a trace, and his fingertips under his sleeves unconsciously twirled mysterious hand seals, as if guarding against an unknown threat from the depths of darkness.

Before they figured out the true origins of that underground power, even these powerful figures who dominated the world dared not make the slightest move!
Zhao Yu's laughter was accompanied by heavy breathing after venting his emotions.

Despite the lingering weakness and excruciating pain in his legs, he struggled and, almost using both hands and feet, got up with his son's help!

His obese body straightened up, and his head suddenly rose high!

At this moment, a vanity and rage, almost instinctive and primal, from the depths of his blood reignited in him, dispelling the fear of near death and allowing him to regain his arrogant and domineering demeanor as the supreme ruler.

He extended a finger, trembling slightly with excitement, and pointed it at Liang Jin, whose hair was whipping wildly in the wind and whose clothes were fluttering. His voice was soaring with excitement that it was almost shrill:
"Liang Jin! You arrogant and ignorant scoundrel!"

"Do you really think... anyone can sit on the Great Dragon Throne?!"

"You murdered the late emperor by taking advantage of his illness and temporary absence from the palace!"

His chest heaved violently, and every word seemed to be squeezed out through clenched teeth:
"I, the Emperor! Considering that you once served me like a dog or a horse, have not yet punished you for your regicide and rebellion!"

"You...you actually dare to go even further! To attempt to sever the Zhao family's dragon vein and cut off the bloodline of our imperial heirs...this is an outrageous act of treason!!"

"you--"

"You idiot! You have no guts! You're a coward!!!"

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky!
hum!
Wang Jin remained indifferent, his gaunt face unmoved.

But both Shou Zheng and Yan Tingfeng were shocked!
It turns out that the late emperor's death was not due to a serious illness as rumored.

Instead... he died from murder!

The murderer is Liang Jin?!

The first one, Shouzheng, was particularly shocked.

His eyes, which were filled with the marks of time, suddenly widened, and an unbelievable, furious rage, powerful enough to melt gold and break iron, burst forth from the depths of his pupils!

His fist clenched, veins bulging on his hands, and his powerful, unparalleled inner energy surged and overflowed uncontrollably like a runaway furnace!

Commander of the Imperial Guards! Protecting the palace is his sacred duty!
When he learned that the late emperor had died from such a petty assassination attempt rather than from illness, the overwhelming shame and anger almost set him ablaze!

But his furious aura, like a thunderclap held back, remained frozen in his heart!

However, he did not take action because he was unaware of the mastermind behind Liang Jin's regicide.

Liang Jin was originally just a lowly soldier in the Imperial Guard; he had absolutely no reason to commit regicide.

He must have been instructed by someone!
After the late emperor was murdered, the biggest beneficiary was...

The answer was already in the heart of the first person to uphold justice.

Who else could it be but the new emperor who has ascended the throne, weeping and shouting "The Great Ancestor has appeared!"?

This caused First Guardian to grit his teeth and endure the pain, but ultimately he was unable to lash out.

"Kill this beast!!!"

Zhao Hongyi's scream, like the mournful cry of a night owl, instantly shattered the eerie balance of the standoff!
He too struggled to his feet, the thick, foul-smelling filth soaking through the hem of his magnificent princely robe, emitting a stench.

Extreme fear is followed by a complete and frenzied rebound!
His once handsome face was now twisted and contorted like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at Liang Jin, as if he wanted to devour him alive!
"I will have him torn to pieces! His bones crushed and scattered to the winds!!!"

He roared hoarsely, completely disregarding his composure:
"She was just a lowly palace maid! Killing her is nothing! She's worthless! You traitor, how dare you defy the imperial majesty for her sake... You! You!! You deserve to die!!!"

Thinking that he, a prince and the future emperor, had just knelt down and begged for life before such a lowly warrior.

The immense shame transformed into a raging inferno, tormenting his internal organs!

Now, with the protection of three top experts from the imperial court and the safeguarding power within the underground palace, Zhao Hongyi has nothing to fear!

He abruptly turned to the three people blocking his way, his voice shrill and inhuman, filled with naked threat and madness:
"Eunuch Wang! First Commander! Sect Leader Yan! What are you all standing there for?!"

"My Zhao family has nurtured these scholars for a thousand days! Now we must use them for this one! Quickly tear this traitor to pieces for me, the prince!!!"

His irrational roar and commanding tone were full of arrogance and disrespect towards a second-rank martial artist.

This prompted Yan Tingfeng, whose expression was already unfriendly, to let out a cold sneer. A chilling indifference flashed across Wang Jin's cloudy eyes, while the First Guardian remained silent with a sullen face.

A fierce wind howled, whipping up dust that battered the only figure standing tall amidst the ruins—Liang Jin.

A strong wind tugged at his slightly tattered robes, making them flutter loudly.

His brows were furrowed like sharp blades, and his eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on the unfathomable entrance to the underground palace. His handsome face was now filled with an icy coldness and vigilance.

"I see……"

Liang Jin's voice, deep yet clear, pierced through the chaos, drowning out the wind:
"This forbidden palace of the founding emperor... actually harbors such a malevolent star!"

The words have not yet been spoken!

Liang Jin swiftly pressed his right hand against his chest!
"laugh!"

A barely audible sound!

He crushed a heart-shaped ice crystal, which was filled with extreme cold, in his palm!

hum!
An invisible and intangible chill, yet capable of penetrating to the bone marrow in an instant, burst forth from him like a glacier bursting its banks!
It instantly enveloped the core of the entire mausoleum ruins!
The air temperature plummeted!

The biting cold caused both Zhao Hongyi, who was cursing loudly, and Zhao Yu, who was panting, to simultaneously shiver violently, as if their bodies had been pierced by ice spikes!
"Oh no! It's that kind of sorcery again!!"

Wang Jin's cold voice suddenly rose in pitch! It was filled with urgency!

Yan Tingfeng also shouted sternly:
"Stop him!! Protect His Majesty!!"

late!

"Thump—thump—thump—thump—!!"

It was as if countless silent giant drums were simultaneously struck by an invisible demonic hand!

A rapid, terrifying, and completely uncontrollable heartbeat suddenly exploded in everyone's chest!

Zhao Yu and Zhao Hongyi were the first to be hit! The excruciating pain felt like a hammer pounding into their chests!
"Pfft! Pfft!"

The two men simultaneously coughed up two mouthfuls of scalding blood!

Like mud stripped of all its support, he clutched his chest and let out a shrill scream before collapsing to the ground in agony!
Heavenly Tribulation!
It has come again!

Liang Jin's heart, which was far more resilient and strong than that of an ordinary person, was pounding wildly!

Every powerful strike was connected to the fragile pulse of everyone present!
Even though Wang Jin, Di Yi Shou Zheng, and Yan Ting Feng possessed extraordinary cultivation and profound inner strength, their faces turned deathly pale! Their breathing instantly became sluggish and disordered!
Surges of intense, spasmodic pain originating from the heart, along with the accompanying sluggishness, were frantically eroding the flow of energy in their meridians!
His astonishing cultivation level was being suppressed by at least 50% by this strange and inexplicable connection!

As long as their physical bodies are not stronger than Liang Jin's, they will continue to suffer the suppression of the Heavenly Tribulation!
however!
Liang Jin's tightly furrowed brows did not relax at all!
His gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on the deep entrance to the underground palace on the ground!

"Why... is there no response?!"

He could clearly sense that the power of the Heavenly Tribulation was like an invisible spider web, firmly pulling Wang Jin, Zhao Yu, Zhao Hongyi and everyone else in its path!

however!
Beneath that deep, seemingly endless staircase...

That dark area, symbolizing the final resting place of the founding emperor...

But it was a...

A chilling silence... a deathly stillness!

No response!

No pulse!

as……

There is only eternal ice and decaying bones there!
There wasn't... any heart that was beating!

So……

That chilling chuckle that almost froze the soul! That devastating, unparalleled blow! That heart-stopping gaze…

From what existence do they all come?!

"Immediately evacuate the Emperor and princes from this place!!"

Wang Jin endured the throbbing pain in his chest and the sluggish flow of true qi in his meridians, and roared hoarsely!

He knew better than anyone how strange and difficult the Heavenly Tribulation was!

Ordinary people like Zhao Yu and Zhao Hongyi would die from their frantically beating hearts if they stayed within the range of the calamity's power for even a moment longer!

He exchanged a resolute glance with First Guardian and Yan Tingfeng, and the three of them simultaneously unleashed their potential, their inner energy surging forth.

Just as he was about to bend down and grab the Zhao father and son, who were writhing and convulsing on the ground in pain, he forcefully broke through the eerie shroud of the Heavenly Tribulation!
"Walk?!"

Liang Jin's voice, as cold as the wind from the deepest hell, rang out the moment the three of them raised their qi!

hula-

His figure had already moved!

A fierce wind swept through, tearing apart the dust and sand that filled the sky!

Bring the exquisite lightness skill of "Walking in the Wind and Shadows" to its ultimate level!
He transformed into a blurry shadow, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing killing intent, and furiously pounced on the defensive line formed by Wang Jin and the other two!

Clear goals —

Close combat! A fight to the death!
Only by compressing the distance between them to the extreme, forcing them into close combat!

Only then can the terrifying brute force contained in his indestructible dragon arm be exerted to the maximum extent!
Only close-quarters combat! The destructive aftershocks that sweep outwards will be the invisible blade that crushes the fragile bodies of Zhao Yu and his son!

Liang Jin was not capable of killing three top-tier masters.

But killing Zhao Yu and Zhao Hongyi would be a piece of cake!
Even though they had three top-tier experts protecting them!
Killing one person is enough!

Wang Jin instantly understood Liang Jin's intentions!

That reckless madness caused a genuine flicker of emotion to appear on his withered, bark-like old face for the first time!

"Stop him!!! We must not let him get near the Holy Body!!"

The shrill scream carried an unprecedented urgency!

He made a decisive move! Ignoring the excruciating pain, he forcefully circulated his terrifying, magma-like inner energy!
He suddenly reached out, and with a skillful force, he wrapped his hand around Zhao Yu's obese body, while the First Guardian grabbed Zhao Hongyi's shoulder almost simultaneously!

"rise!"

The two shouted in unison! A tremendous force erupted!
Zhao Yu and his son were like two heavy cannonballs, thrown violently into the wide open space of the cemetery behind them with an attitude almost like throwing stones!
They hoped that a few minor injuries would give them a chance to escape the eye of this terrifying storm of fighting!
at the same time!

Wang Jin, First Guardian, and Yan Tingfeng!

Despite being suppressed by the Heavenly Tribulation, there was no room for hesitation!
Facing Liang Jin charging towards them, they neither dodged nor avoided him! They charged straight at him!

There is no turning back! We have no choice but to fight!
A terrifying storm of energy formed instantly!

It looks like the two sides are about to have a real showdown!

Just as this earth-shattering collision was about to erupt—

A kind of instinct originating from the deepest part of the soul, devoid of logic and purely driven by instinct...

Extremely terrifying!!!

It struck the nerves of every top expert present like an electric current!

Danger!

A deadly danger capable of annihilating one's soul!
It's coming!
Liang Jin's forward momentum abruptly halted! His pupils contracted violently to the size of pinpoints!
This feeling!
It's underground!
It's that desolate underground palace!
"coming!"

Liang Jin's voice was low and suppressed, like the low growl of a wounded wild beast!

“BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

A deafening roar, deeper and heavier than before, as if the heart of the earth had shattered!

The mountains throughout the entire Taizu Mausoleum area trembled!

immediately!

Horrifying! Evil! It seemed to be a condensation of billions of years of ghostly stench and endless despair and resentment!
one more time!
From that bottomless black hole!

Like the world-destroying breath of the Nine Netherworld Demon Lord!
It burst forth with a roar!
This time! It didn't bombard the ground!
The viscous, shadowy power gathered wildly in the void tens of feet above the ground! A sizzling sound, as if even space itself was being corroded, sent chills down one's spine!
In an instant!
A thing that blots out the sky...

It was formed purely from that viscous, pitch-black energy that exuded endless decay and a chilling deathly aura...

A giant demonic hand!

It appeared prominently beneath the sky!
Its five fingers are spread wide, each joint as thick as the gnarled roots of an ancient tree! The lines on its palm are bizarrely twisted, like branding marks formed from solidified lava from hell! It carries an absolute will to crush time and space and annihilate life!

A merciless clutche! Under the horrified, stunned gazes of everyone!

Carrying the force of collapsing mountains! Destroying peaks! Splitting the earth! Sinking stars...

The power to destroy the world!

The wind swept over the tiny figure standing tall in the raging storm—Liang Jin!
The speed at which that giant hand slammed down!

fast!
Speed ​​beyond thought! Speed ​​beyond sight!
Almost there... in the instant the shadow of the demonic hand descended! The air around Liang Jin didn't even have time to escape; under this immense pressure, the air directly transformed from a gaseous state into a plasma state!
The area around Liang Jin instantly transformed into a high-temperature hell!
In particular, the space around his body seemed to be completely frozen! An invisible, powerful force formed an unseen cage!
Like tiny insects solidified in pine resin!
There's no way to avoid it, no way to escape it!
We have no choice but to face the catastrophic disaster that is about to fall from the sky!

A chill that seemed to freeze one's very soul instantly seized Liang Jin's heart!

"Can't stop it..."

The thought was as clear as a sharp blade scraping across my heart!
The shadow of death has never been so close!

The level of power contained within that demonic hand...

It far surpasses the strength of a second-rank expert!

It far surpasses the giant python on Dragon Transformation Island!
That is……

Mortals! Absolutely! Unable to withstand!...a divine and demonic attack!!

"Roar--!!!!!"

A desperate roar erupted from Liang Jin's throat, like a trapped beast on the verge of death, a desperate cry for his life!

Like a lone wolf in dire straits uttering its final, mournful cry to the heavens!
His eyes instantly turned blood red!

The muscles and bones throughout his body erupted with deafening crackling sounds!

The two dragon arms suddenly expanded by a large circle, and the dark golden scales released an eerie and ferocious light under the pressure of impending death!

All will! All beliefs! All obsession with Xiaolian's blood feud! At this moment, they transformed into a wildfire that consumed everything!

He disregarded everything! He compressed and condensed all his cultivation and the primordial power contained within his Divine Dragon Arm onto those two fists!
Twin fists! Like two world-destroying crossbows piercing the sky, threatening to shoot down stars!

With unyielding spirit! With madness!

Facing the deafening roar that blotted out the sky...

Hand of Destruction!!!

It slammed down hard!

"BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Time and space seemed to be forcibly shattered at that moment!

There was no buffer! No entanglement! Only the purest, most violent, most primal... clash of forces!
Like fragile glass suddenly crashing into an ancient rock!
Liang Jin's powerful arms, capable of easily piercing through heavy steel armor, touched that enormous black palm—solid as a solid object, radiating an aura of endless death and decay!
"Sizzle—snap!!!"

The teeth-grinding cracking and tearing sounds were like a sudden, continuous burst of dense rain!
Under irresistible pressure, Liang Jin's bones and muscles disintegrated inch by inch at a visible speed, exploding into countless droplets of blood and bone fragments!
Severe pain!

The excruciating pain, enough to annihilate the soul, instantly overwhelmed the entire body!
That black demonic hand was only stopped by a fraction of a millisecond of this desperate attack...

immediately……

It crushed ants with absolute power!
It crashed down with a bang!

"Bang—!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A deafening roar that shook the heavens and nearly shattered the entire imperial mausoleum's geological features!
Its terrifying power was truly like the sky collapsing and the earth sinking, and the Milky Way falling!

The earth undulated and collapsed violently like ocean waves!
On the ground...

In an instant, an incomparably clear and deep imprint was left...

A huge... palm-print shaped crater!

An indescribable shockwave! Like a million volcanoes erupting simultaneously!!! Exploding in all directions!!!

"Pfft—Pfft—Pfft—!!!"

Even if the destructive target of that earth-shattering palm strike was entirely focused on Liang Jin alone!
This was merely the energy storm unleashed by the remnants of that cataclysmic collision...

It was like millions of invisible hammers slamming down on the protective auras of Wang Jin, the First Guardian, and Yan Tingfeng, three of the world's top experts!

The three of them felt a burst of golden light before their eyes! Their internal organs felt as if they had been hammered a thousand times by a giant god!
Three uncontrollable jets of blood gushed out! His body, like a tattered piece of cotton in a raging wind, was violently flung dozens of feet away without any resistance! He crashed utterly and pathetically into the rubble and debris in the distance!
What earth-shattering power this palm strike possessed!

Amidst such terrifying power, a similarly deathly force rose from the ground beneath Zhao Yu and Zhao Hongyi, acting as a barrier and providing shelter for the father and son.

It allowed them, with their frailest bodies, to survive this destruction.

After one palm strike.

The entire ruined cemetery area...

It was as if the voice had been completely silenced at that moment.

It was as silent as an ancient graveyard!

Only the howling autumn wind remained, still blowing tirelessly, stirring up clouds of dust and fallen leaves, blurring everyone's vision.

a long time.

a long time.

"Cough...cough cough cough..."

A weak cough and wheezing sound, like a broken bellows being torn apart, rang out with difficulty.

Thick dust, mixed with bone fragments and large amounts of dried blood clots, surged violently a few times.

Wang Jin, Di Yishouzheng, and Yan Tingfeng struggled and barely managed to crawl out from under the thick layer of dust and broken bricks.

Their faces were ashen, blood was constantly oozing from their mouths, noses, and ears, and their breaths were extremely weak; they had clearly suffered severe injuries.

At this moment, the three powerful figures who stood at the pinnacle of martial arts in the Great Qian Dynasty no longer had their former majesty and confidence on their faces; only boundless fear and horror remained!
The power of that palm strike was like a nightmare, deeply imprinted into their souls!

Faced with such power, they couldn't even muster the thought of resistance; all that remained was the insignificance and trembling of ants before the might of heaven!
Resist? Only death awaits!
Just like Liang Jin!

The three of them involuntarily looked with a hint of fear towards the area where Liang Jin had been standing, where the smoke and dust had not yet dissipated.

On the ground, there was a huge, palm-shaped crater that sent chills down one's spine.

They breathed heavily, their eyes fixed on the enormous palm print crater.

The moment they saw the view at the bottom of the pit...

The pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints!
Even the pain all over his body was instantly frozen by the bone-chilling cold brought on by the scene before him... the terrifying sight!
Above the rubble and the filthy mixture of flesh and blood at the bottom of the pit...

There was a person lying there...

Do not!
It can only be considered as...

Half a person!
Liang Jin's...lower half of his body!

It has completely... disappeared!

Instead, there was a huge, sticky, scarlet stain of flesh, mixed with bone fragments and visceral pieces, deeply embedded in the rock strata at the bottom of the pit!
The remaining upper body... was like dough that had been completely crushed and kneaded by the most violent force!
The torso was twisted grotesquely at an unimaginable angle! The sternum was completely shattered!
His internal organs were severely damaged and compressed, and thick, fresh blood mixed with fragments of broken internal organs kept gushing out of his mouth and nose!

Only those two...

Once shining with majestic dragon might, unparalleled in the world...

Divine Dragon Arm!
It has miraculously maintained its relative integrity.

It possessed a strange, stubbornness that seemed to be draining away its last vestiges of life...

Holding it tightly...up to the sky!

as……

To those invincible gods and demons, a final...silent mockery!
"Hahaha! Good! Great!!"

Zhao Yu was bruised and battered, and one of his legs was unnaturally twisted.

But he ignored the excruciating pain and limped toward the edge of the enormous handprint, large enough to bury a colossus!

His obese body trembled with extreme excitement! He let out a near-manic laugh!

His son, Zhao Hongyi, followed closely behind. The filth in his crotch had long since dried and smelled bad, but it did not affect the complex ecstasy on his face, which was a mixture of resentment, distortion, and relief!

Zhao Yu looked down at the half-eaten figure at the bottom of the pit, its life hanging by a thread, his fat face filled with an arrogant control over life and death, his voice echoing through the ruins:

"Did you see that?! Liang Jin!!!"

"The might of the Great Ancestor! The glorious will of Heaven! How dare you, a lowly weed, provoke him?!"

"May our ancestors bless our Great Qian Dynasty! May they protect our Zhao family bloodline and ensure its continued inheritance of the dragon vein! May it last for thousands of generations! May it be eternally immortal!!"

He roared, spittle flying everywhere:
"You traitorous madman! I have already bestowed upon you a high position and a bright future! Yet instead of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, you have committed the ten heinous crimes of regicide, bringing disaster to the country, and severing my imperial lineage!"

He pointed at Liang Jin, as if delivering a verdict:

"Heaven's justice is clear! Your evil deeds are beyond measure! Today's fate... does it make you feel remorseful... ashamed?!"

The bottom of the huge palm print pit.

Liang Jin... slowly...

With extreme difficulty... he raised his bloodied and mangled head.

Those eyes, once as sharp as stars, were now veiled by a deathly gray...

His mouth and nose were filled with murky blood foam.

"Ah……"

A faint, almost imperceptible breath, as if squeezed from the depths of a ruptured lung.

With blood and foam:
"really……"

"It hurts... ah..."

Each word seemed to have exhausted the last embers of life.

He really didn't expect it.

He calculated everything, outsmarting both the palace's experts and the capital's troops.

But the only thing they didn't consider was the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu!

This deep, dark tomb hides...

It's something that... has already surpassed the imagination of ordinary martial arts...

A being like a god or demon!!
That laughter...

That power...

That chilling gaze, so tangible it seemed to pierce the soul…

Could it be that the person inside is rumored to have died forty-five years ago...?

They should have turned into bones...

The founding emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!
Zhao Wuji! ???

But... how is that possible?!
Historical records indicate that Emperor Taizu was 75 years old when he passed away.

Now, a full forty-five years have passed since the death of the founding emperor!

If he's still alive... wouldn't he be 120 years old?!
Moreover, how could a person possibly live in a dark and sunless underground palace for a full forty-five years?!

That state was absolutely not that of a living person!
But that power... that consciousness... truly exists!
Is it some kind of...evil thing that exists between life and death?
Countless speculations flashed through his mind, which was on the verge of chaos, like streaks of lightning. There were too many mysteries and unanswered questions.

but now……

everything……

It's all meaningless now.

because……

He really... is about to die.

It wasn't just a fatal injury from having limbs shattered by a single blow!

There was also a pure annihilation power emanating from that black demonic hand!

Like a maggot clinging to a bone! Like a venomous flame that burns away all life!

It's coursing through his limbs and bones! It's rampaging through his shattered meridians! Destroying everything in its path!

Tear apart his last remaining...life force!
Liang Jin knew that his days were numbered.

The being in the underground palace clearly knew as well.

Therefore, after the attack, the depths of the underground palace returned to deathly silence, with no further movement.

Because of their disdain, there was no need to deliver a second blow!

That being... is too powerful.

So powerful... Liang Jin couldn't even withstand a palm strike he launched from a distance!

"Haha! Look at him! Look at this pathetic wretch of his!!"

Zhao Hongyi's extremely repulsive, sharp, and distorted tone exploded once again!

He clung to his father's shoulders, leaned halfway out, and vented his malice and twisted emotions of surviving a catastrophe at the bottom of the pit, at a face that appeared extremely calm due to excruciating pain and the approach of death!

"Liang—Jin!!!"

He screamed hysterically:
"Weren't you so arrogant just now?! Did you really want to kill me, the prince?!"

"Get up! Climb up and bite me! You piece of trash! You bastard!!"

He contorted his face and pointed at himself:

"Look! I, the prince, am standing right here! If you've got the guts, come at me right now and snap my neck!!"

"Come on, you piece of trash! Didn't you keep your word?!"

His sharp, piercing roar, mixed with Zhao Yu's heavy breathing, was like the most despicable noise polluting this cemetery where countless heroic souls were buried.

Wang Jin's face was ashen, and the First Guardian's eyes blazed with anger, which he suppressed. Yan Tingfeng turned his head away in disgust, unable to bear looking at those dying eyes and that nauseating shouting.

Although they were lackeys of the imperial court, their dignity as martial artists made them disdainful of echoing such shameless words.

Although Liang Jin is a traitor!

Yet, with his own strength and a third-rank body, he was actually able to fight his way to this place.

If it weren't for the demon-like being in the underground palace intervening, he probably would have really killed Zhao Hongyi!

Such an indomitable fighting spirit already makes him a worthy opponent.

Therefore, all three remained silent, which was also a sign of respect for their mortal enemy.

Liang Jin...

Eyes shrouded in gray...

Slowly... he lifted it up.

Eyes calm.

With a clarity that penetrates the surface and confronts the deep filth of the soul, it locked onto... Zhao Hongyi's face, distorted and deformed by extreme excitement and resentment.

then……

He grinned.

A bizarre smile played between his lips, stained with glaring blood...

Smile!

That smile was pale! Yet it carried an indescribable...exhilaration and...certainty!
"I said……"

The fragmented breath struggled to coalesce into a barely audible sound, which was swept away in all directions by the howling wind.

"today……"

Every word was crystal clear! It struck each and every one of them with immense weight!
"I will kill...you!"

Zhao Hongyi's ferocious expression froze abruptly, then erupted into an even more furious and unrestrained shriek:

"What are you going to use to kill?! Your rotting chunks of flesh on the ground?!"

"Come on! Kill me! I, the prince, am standing right here! Try and kill me!"

Then, Zhao Hongyi actually jumped into the deep pit.

Although he dared not get too close to Liang Jin, he still stood three zhang away and mocked him:

"Useless trash! Get up! Try and kill me with your eyes!"

"Come on—come and kill me!!!"

His maniacal laughter was like the dying cry of a night owl, filled with the madness of despair, and he was about to burst into curses again!

Just as he was laughing wildly!
Just when everyone thought this was just the last, powerless curse of a dying traitor!

"puff--!!!"

“Pfft——!!!”

Several strange, muffled sounds, like tearing open rags and inserting fresh pork, sent shivers down my spine and made my eardrums throb!

Without any warning!!!

From Zhao Hongyi's side and behind!
It suddenly erupted!

hum!
Time seemed to fly by—

Stagnation! Freezing! Congealing!

three...

Like a mysterious figure forcibly seeping from the thickest shadow of death!
Silent! Without a sound!
It was as if it appeared out of thin air!

Within that fraction of a millisecond! They appeared just half a step away from Zhao Hongyi on either side and behind him!
They were completely shrouded in black robes, their wide hoods hanging low, obscuring their faces! Leaving only a pure, unsettling darkness!

He was surrounded by an aura of deathly stillness that could only be found in the netherworld—pure, cold, and sticky!
Colder than the autumn wind! Colder than a grave!
Without any warning!

Not a trace of breath escaped!

Six hands emerged from the wide sleeves of the tattered black robe...

The skin had a sickly coldness! Like a corpse buried in a coffin for many years... a grayish-white, shriveled color!

The fingers were withered and thin! The nails were long and jagged! Like the claws of a wild beast!
The instant they became visible!
Without the slightest hesitation! Without the slightest delay!

Those six sharp claws, like withered trees!
It carries a pure, murderous intent that exists solely to reap lives!
It's like tearing apart rotten wood and decaying paper!
cruel!

Ruthless!!
Absolutely accurate!!!
It pierced through completely...

Zhao Hongyi's chest!

"Uh……"

Zhao Hongyi's arrogant and shrill laughter was suddenly choked by a huge, invisible iron clamp!
All that could escape from his throat was a gasp of extreme shock, fear, and disbelief!
The six dead-like hands were pulled out the instant they pierced in.

Each of the six sharp claws was gripping one of Zhao Hongyi's internal organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and spleen!

Zhao Hongyi's face, which was filled with resentment, was instantly swallowed up by a deathly despair and unspeakable pain!

The moment the six claws left his body, his body crumbled like a broken puppet stripped of all its support...

She collapsed softly onto the cold, blood-soaked earth at her feet...

(End of this chapter)