You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"I am very curious."

"The palace is heavily guarded. How will you take me hostage and rescue You Yunji?"

"Don't tell me you used your despicable seductive arts to bewitch me."

"You should know very well that your seductive arts can only have a slight influence and cannot control me."

What Lu Zuo was referring to was himself before he had mastered the Nine Yang Return to Origin Technique.

Even then, Su Yanzhi's seductive skills were still limited in their control.

"A slight influence will suffice."

"Oh? Why?"

Su Yanzhi: "I only need to ask His Majesty to move me to Jiangyun Palace, and then I can use the underground waterways of Jiangyun Palace to transport His Majesty out of the palace."

Underground sewer?

Good thing!

This is fantastic news!

With this secret passage, I can avoid everyone's surveillance, leave the palace at night incognito, and do many other things!

Lu Zuo's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Is this true?"

Su Yanzhi nodded: "Back then, the Great Chen Dynasty conscripted hundreds of thousands of laborers to build the imperial palace."

"But in the end, fewer than 100,000 survived. Does Your Majesty know why?"

Lu Zuo thought for a moment and said, "It must be because the foreman was too harsh on the laborers in order to speed up the progress, which led to so many deaths and injuries."

"That's right."

"But that's not entirely true either."

"Those laborers, though of humble origin and lowly blood, are not fools."

"When they were building the underground drainage system, they secretly left a hidden door leading outside Jiankang City, which allowed some of them to escape successfully."

"And that secret door is located in the Crimson Cloud Palace."

After a pause, Su Yanzhi continued, "I also happened to meet a conscript who had escaped from the labor camp years ago, which sparked my interest in entering the palace."

Lu Zuo then asked, "You just said it was for self-preservation."

"But what does this self-rescue have to do with rescuing You Yunji?"

"Sigh..." Su Yanzhi sighed softly, "Your Majesty, could you please release my pressure points first?"

Her martial arts skills are far inferior to mine, so it's no problem to undo the moves.

bang bang...

Lu made a sword-like gesture with his left hand and tapped her a few times.

"what……"

Su Yanzhi was finally free and let out a comfortable hum.

She propped herself up on the couch with one hand, slowly rising to her feet. The thin gauze slipped down her shoulders a little more, revealing a small patch of her jade-like neck and shoulders. Then she raised her hands slightly and stretched in a very slow and soft yawn.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Su Yanzhi rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snow-white jade arms, on which dark red lines gradually appeared.

The lines are divided into nine, extending downwards from the shoulders, looking somewhat like tangled thorns.

"This is the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Pattern, also known as the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Seal."

"Every ghost in the City of a Hundred Ghosts has been branded with this mark by the King of the Underworld."

Anger, tinged with fear, flashed across Su Yanzhi's face: "The Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Seal will cause us immense suffering every July 15th!"

"That feeling is a hundred times more painful than being thrown into the eighteenth level of hell!"

Lu Zuo understood and said, "So, rescuing the Underworld Emperor is to resolve this annual suffering?"

Su Yanzhi nodded: "The only way to resolve the pain is for the Underworld Emperor to implant a new Nine Nether Soul Devouring Seal at a fixed time every year."

"Not only that, without a new Soul Devouring Seal, my cultivation level will decline day by day."

"Otherwise..."

"With Your Majesty's power, it is not I, the Red-Clad Ghost Maiden, who is being restrained today!"

Lu Zuo neither confirmed nor cared about this statement. He continued, "You just used the word 'we,' so you're not the only one involved in this plan, are you?"

Su Yanzhi's heart skipped a beat!

She thought about it and realized that she had indeed "slipped up her tongue"!

Even I myself hadn't realized that this tyrannical ruler possessed such keen insight.

Is he the licentious and immoral Chen Shubao?

"No……"

Su Yanzhi, of course, wouldn't admit it, shaking her head and saying, "I mean, all the people still alive in the City of a Hundred Ghosts..."

"Don't try to fool me with this nonsense!"

Lu Zuo abruptly interrupted her with a cold shout.

In an instant!

Su Yanzhi's breath hitched!

An indescribable sense of oppression emanated from Lu Zuo's body, a majestic and imposing aura, as heavy and profound as a mountain, making people feel extremely suffocated and unable to breathe.

She felt a shiver run through her body, as if her heart was being gripped tightly, and every breath became incredibly difficult.

Is it the imperial majesty of the supreme emperor described in the Imperial Scripture?

poof...

Su Yanzhi finally succumbed to the oppressive force and knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat: "I'll talk, I'll talk..."

"Those involved in this plan also include the Judge of Yin and Yang, the Soul-Reaping Ghost, and the Night Wanderer."

"They were all waiting outside the palace."

One of the greatest advantages of the Emperor's Majesty is that it has a strong deterrent effect on those whose cultivation level is significantly lower than his own!

but……

That's all.

If the strength difference is not significant, or even greater than one's own, then it is completely useless.

"How strong are they?"

"He's not much taller than me, after all, the Underworld Emperor has been captured for over twenty years."

"During this period, the strength of all the demons has dropped significantly, and some have even fallen to the level of ordinary people."

Lu Zuo felt slightly relieved and asked, "Are there any experts guarding the imperial tomb?"

"Of course!"

"Not only does he exist, but he is also the most powerful martial artist of the Southern Chen royal family!"

"No one other than the emperor himself may enter."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't have wanted to take His Majesty hostage."

Lu Zuo withdrew his oppressive aura and said, "I can help you."

"what?"

Su Yanzhi slowly raised her head, her face filled with astonishment: "How could Your Majesty...?"

She couldn't understand why the emperor would help her, a remnant of the Hundred Ghosts City.

Not killing me is already an act of divine mercy!

"Firstly, I utterly detest this method of controlling others."

"What I want to help you with is not to rescue the Underworld Emperor, but to completely dissolve the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Seal through him."

"Secondly, I need manpower."

"The condition for helping you is that you serve me."

Can the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Seal be completely neutralized?

You Wuji has already become a prisoner, so it's not impossible for the emperor to do it!

But the problem is...

He might also obtain the "Nine Nether Soul Devouring Technique" and firmly control himself and others!

For the emperor, this was probably the best choice.

"I know you don't trust me."

"But you should also understand that you have no other choice."

Su Yanzhi nodded. Her attempts to seduce and kidnap the emperor had failed, and her strength was declining day by day. She was no match for this tyrannical emperor at all.

and……

His own life was in his hands!

If he wanted to kill, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger; one order and everyone would be dead!

"it is good."

"I am willing to pledge my loyalty to Your Majesty, and I only ask that Your Majesty fulfill your promise and help us escape from this sea of ​​suffering."

"Of course." Lu Zuo smiled, leaned down, and pinched Su Yanzhi's chin: "However..."

"Tonight I need your help in my cultivation."

Su Yanzhi was somewhat confused. "If you want my body, then you should have my body. What are you talking about helping you with your cultivation?"

"Your Majesty, I obey."

She responded sweetly, slowly stood up, hooked her fingertips on the thin veil on her shoulder, and gently pulled it down.

Lu Zuo then instructed, "Use your seductive skills."

……

The next day, early in the morning.

[Missed the morning court session; internal strength +3.]

[Enchanted by beautiful women, physique +2.]

[Abandoning official duties, bonus reward: Swordsmanship +2, Lifespan +5.]

[Excessive indulgence, bonus: Internal Energy +1.]

[Digging your own grave, bonus reward: Charm +3.]

"really……"

"The attribute of seductive arts is that it can only be triggered when interacting with a woman you know is dangerous, and when she uses her seductive arts."

"And excessive indulgence..."

"It probably extracts the cultivation level from the target, and when it has no more cultivation techniques to improve, it will be converted into other attributes."

The more Lu Zuo understands about the talent's functions and trigger conditions, the better he can utilize this tool.

It seems Zhang Lihua uses her seductive arts on me every day...

She truly lives up to her reputation as a demoness from the Yin Gui Sect!

After pondering for a while, Lu Zuo looked at Su Yanzhi, who was still fast asleep beside him, her face full of fatigue and exhaustion, and began to think about it again.

"While the Underworld Emperor You Wuji is very intriguing, we cannot go to the imperial mausoleum yet!"

Lu Zuo guessed that since the Chen imperial family attached great importance to this matter, and only emperors of past dynasties were allowed to enter, it was because of this.

Perhaps the experts inside the underground palace have some method of verification to determine whether the target is the emperor himself.

His reason for thinking this way was entirely influenced by some novels, movies, and TV series he had read on Earth.

But we must be wary!

Even if he was just overthinking it, Lu Zuo wouldn't dare take the risk!

"Let's go to Shen Luoyan first and see if we can get a few cultivation techniques."

Although Su Yanzhi was unlikely to lie under the intimidating presence of the emperor, Lu Zuo still couldn't fully trust her.

If those Yin-Yang Judges are very powerful, I might find myself in a passive position.

First, get the cultivation technique, and become stronger through Zhang Lihua before meeting with the people of Hundred Ghosts City.

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo stood up, dressed neatly, and left Yuhua Palace.

After he left the palace, Su Yanzhi slowly woke up. Looking at the empty bed, she murmured, "You..."

"Will it ultimately save us?"

"Is it a hell even more terrifying than the Underworld?"

……

In Jiankang City, at a certain residence.

"So much time has passed, and that tyrant still hasn't kept his promise."

"Is he lying to me?"

In the bedroom, Lu Shiyu, sitting opposite Shen Luoyan, shook his head: "I don't think so."

"Based on these days of observation, it can be confirmed that Chen Shubao has been sidelined by powerful ministers and is a puppet emperor."

He desperately needs manpower!

"I think it will probably be a long time before he fulfills his promise."

Shen Luoyan frowned: "Then I'll just have to continue being his mouthpiece?"

"It's up to you."

"If we insist on this, then we'll stay with that tyrant."

With a soft creak, the door was pushed open.

Lu Zuo walked in from outside.

This time, however, Lu Shiyu and Shen Luoyan did not hear any sound...

The two looked at each other, then stared blankly at him.

"OK."

Lu Zuo glanced at the man and guessed he was from the Hundred Trades Gang. He half-jokingly said, "Shen Luoyan, how dare you cheat on me behind my back?"

Shen Luoyan blushed and gave him a flirtatious glance.

Lu Shiyu stood up from his seat, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lu Shiyu, leader of the Hundred Trades Gang, greets Your Majesty the Emperor."