Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"Boom!"

A dull yet domineering sonic boom, like the thunder of a god, suddenly exploded at the top of the sky above the Tang Empire. It was the sound of air being forcibly pushed out and torn apart. A huge, dark shadow, like the cloak of death cast from the abyss, swept past the magnificent eaves and roof ridges of Chang'an City with a suffocating sense of oppression.

On Suzaku Avenue, the once bustling crowd fell into a deathly silence in that instant.

On the millions of faces turned upwards, the anxious expressions instantly froze into a near-divine fervor. They gazed at the black sword tearing through the clouds, feeling the tremors beneath their feet. It was not a natural disaster; it was the return of the Tang Dynasty's Crown Prince, a pillar of strength in everyone's hearts.

The atmosphere on both sides of the backup runway at Chang'an Civil Aerospace Airport was extremely tense.

The wind was strong, whipping up the weeds beside the airport runway and ruffling the robes of the gaunt and withered officials.

Fang Xuanling stared intently at the horizon, his eyes, usually brimming with calculation and refinement, now bloodshot like spiderwebs. His lips were cracked and peeling, the result of a full day and night without food or water. Beside him, Changsun Wuji, usually so meticulous about his appearance, now looked rather disheveled. His elegant official robes were stained with dust, and his legs trembled slightly from kneeling for so long.

However, when the black supersonic plane appeared on the runway at the end of their sight, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of these old ministers.

It's the frantic urge of a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood before sinking, an extreme thirst for redemption.

The plane's gleaming silver landing gear screeched against the concrete, two plumes of white smoke billowing up behind the tires. In the single second that the cabin door slowly descended, the camera seemed to slow down a hundredfold. Fang Xuanling's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He saw a cold light gleaming through the crack in the door, and a pair of black leather boots steadily stepping onto the gangway.

Li Chengqian came out.

At that moment, the originally noisy wind seemed to be forcibly suppressed by some heavy magnetic field.

He wore a jet-black bulletproof trench coat, the top button of which was fastened tightly to the last button. The black hem billowed violently in the lingering sea breeze, making a sharp, rustling sound. He didn't look at the kneeling officials on either side of him, nor did he cast even a single extra glance at them.

That face, which should have been adorned with a lazy smile, was now as cold as a block of ice that would never melt.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you back to the capital to help put out the fire!"

Fang Xuanling's voice trembled slightly, echoing across the empty airport.

Immediately afterwards, a sea of ​​black heads on both sides of the runway slammed heavily to the ground. These were thousands of Tang Dynasty officials who had once argued fiercely in the court over a few taels of silver in taxes, but now, before this figure in black, they were as meek as lambs to the slaughter.

Li Chengqian remained silent.

He stepped onto the metal gangway with steady strides, each step producing a muffled "clang, clang, clang." Each sound seemed to precisely punctuate the rhythm of the ministers' heartbeats. This deathly silence was more chilling to the bone than any angry roar.

Behind him followed Wu Meiniang, who also had a solemn expression, and Xu Xiao, who stood like an iron tower, his entire body covered in nano armor radiating a cold, eerie blue light.

"Xu Xiao."

Li Chengqian walked to the end of the runway and stopped in front of the special hovercraft, his voice hoarse.

"Your subordinate is here!"

Xu Xiao took a step forward, his heavy metal combat boots creating a dent in the ground.

"Clear the way. To Taiji Palace. Anyone who gets in our way, kill them."

Those six simple words instantly brought the temperature on both sides of the track down to freezing. Changsun Wuji's eye twitched violently. He keenly sensed that the Crown Prince's return to the capital this time was not a soothing remedy, but a deadly blade.

The convoy, like a black lightning bolt, passed through the Vermilion Bird Gate and headed straight for the depths of the palace.

The outer perimeter of Taiji Palace.

The atmosphere had become incredibly tense, almost to the point of drawing swords. The commander of the Imperial Guards guarding the Imperial Study was sweating profusely. He was acting on His Majesty's death order—to seal off the palace and lock it, forbidding anyone from approaching. But as he looked at the billowing dust rising in the distance, at the fluttering banner of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, his fingers gripping his sword clenched into a frenzy.

"Halt! His Majesty has decreed that the Taiji Palace is a place of great importance..."

The commander's words were abruptly cut off in his throat before he could finish speaking.

Three thousand Snow Dragon Riders, like a white flood, instantly completed their encirclement amidst the roar of their engines. Their thick nano-armor reflected a dazzling metallic luster.

Xu Xiao rolled out of the car, his burly body carrying a despairing stench of blood. He didn't waste any words, not even exchanging glances, but simply pressed the energy core at his waist.

"Buzz—"

Dozens of high-frequency vibrating battle blades simultaneously sprang from the dragon riders' hands, the air around the blade edges visibly distorted by the high-frequency vibrations. The deep whistling sound, like countless bees frantically flapping their wings, made the eardrums of the surrounding imperial guards ache and their hearts pound with fear.

The commander of the Imperial Guards instinctively took a step back.

He saw Xu Xiao's tiger-like eyes, filled with murderous intent. In those eyes, he saw no pity for his colleagues, only the utter destruction of those who stood in his way.

"Get out of the way."

Xu Xiao's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable sense of absolute command.

"Commander Xu, this humble general... this humble general is carrying out the Emperor's orders, it is his duty!" The commander gritted his teeth, the horizontal sword in his hand still trembling slightly.

Xu Xiao sneered, his thick, large hand clenching tightly.

Before anyone could react, Xu Xiao moved. His towering frame unleashed an astonishing speed that seemed completely incongruous with its size.

He did not draw his sword.

He simply turned to the side, gathered his strength, and his right fist, accompanied by a piercing shriek, slammed into the center of the rosewood palace door, which was reinforced with an alloy frame.

"Boom!"

That was a desperate scream, a mixture of breaking wood and twisting metal.

The palace gate, weighing a thousand pounds, crumbled like paper from the center under Xu Xiao's powerful punch. Countless tiny wood chips mixed with flying copper nails shot out in all directions. The once tightly sealed door hinges snapped under the violent impact, emitting a teeth-grinding scream.

The entire door collapsed amidst billowing smoke and dust, crashing heavily onto the floor tiles inside the hall and kicking up dust three feet high.

The Imperial Guards stood frozen in place, their weapons slipping from their hands. This blatant use of force completely shattered their last shred of courage to hold on.

Li Chengqian stood at the forefront of the smoke and dust.

He raised his hand expressionlessly, scattering the fine dust in front of him. His dark eyes pierced through the palace's gloom, fixing intently on the figure sitting in the center of the ruins.

He didn't stop at all.

He trod upon the shattered fragments of the palace gate, his feet making a harsh, scraping sound. His leather boots crushed an expensive, intricately carved piece of wood, producing a crisp cracking sound. In the eerily silent hall, every step felt like a countdown to some kind of judgment.

He entered the Imperial Study.

The solemnity of the past is gone.

The ground was littered with fragments of electronic screens, and the air was thick with the smell of burning. Amidst this industrial ruin, Li Shimin sat on a pile of unfinished memorials, wearing a loose-fitting undershirt and with disheveled hair.

He was holding a stick that he had somehow gotten his hands on, and he was aimlessly scribbling on the ground.

When Li Chengqian's boots stopped in front of him, Li Shimin slowly raised his head.

That was once a face brimming with ambition. Now, however, those eyes were filled with spiderweb-like bloodshot veins, revealing an almost obsessive fanaticism and a violent, self-destructive rage.

Li Chengqian remained expressionless, his gaze meeting Li Chengqian's in mid-air.

In this cramped and oppressive space, the father and son's breathing mingled together, heavy like two ferocious beasts facing off.

Li Chengqian strode into the dimly lit imperial study, stepping on splinters of wood, and was met with a pair of bloodshot, furious eyes.