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

Stab it!

A burst of high-voltage sparks dripped from the dragon's mouth.

Like a miniature bomb, it landed on the priceless pure gold-rimmed dragon table in front of Li Shimin.

boom--

The hard golden nanmu dragon table shattered instantly.

The sawdust was carbonized by the high temperature, turning into a sky full of black dust.

The molten gold splashed everywhere in the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin felt a cool sensation on his cheek.

A flying splinter of wood grazed his right cheek.

It left a thin, long, bloody gash.

Hot blood flowed out.

The smell of blood filled my nostrils.

This is the cyber-Tang emperor who spends most of his time sitting in the deep palace, relying on gene serums and expensive skincare products to prolong his life.

The moment I smelled the blood.

The savage, bloodthirsty nature of a battle-hardened general, suppressed for decades, was evident in his eyes.

It was completely ignited.

"Protect the Emperor!"

Wang De scrambled forward, trying to shield the emperor.

"Get out of my way!"

Li Shimin pushed the old eunuch away.

He didn't even glance at the broken holographic control console that was already emitting black smoke.

At times like these, electronic junk that requires fingerprint authentication or retinal scanning is rendered useless.

It's not even as good as a fire poker.

He turned around abruptly.

He slapped the dragon's eye relief on the base of the dragon throne.

Click.

A hidden physical compartment, concealed for thirty years, popped up.

There are no complicated passwords, and no system authorization.

A knife lay in the hidden compartment.

An ancient cold weapon without any quantum chip or plasma oscillating blade.

The blade was dark black, and there were even several chipped nicks on the edge.

That was the Tian Ce sword he used when leading the Xuanjia Army into battle before the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.

Made of pure stainless steel.

In this cyberpunk era where even robot vacuums are equipped with AI assistance, this knife is like a piece of raw scrap metal.

But now, this piece of scrap metal is the emperor's only trump card.

With a clanging sound.

Li Shimin drew his sword.

The blade's spine rubbed against the metal scabbard's mouth, producing a crisp ringing sound.

This sound is more invigorating than any electronic alarm.

overhead.

A foul stench filled the air.

The dragon's gaping maw, covered in high-voltage needles, emanated a destructive pressure of computational power, and had already reached three feet above their heads.

A massive shadow completely enveloped Li Shimin.

The blue arcs of electricity leaping on the electrocautery needle even singed the white hair on the top of his head.

"When I was conquering the world, you were still nursing in your mother's womb!"

Li Shimin let out a loud shout.

This sound was not the majesty of an emperor, but the roar of a desperate fugitive on the battlefield.

He suddenly exerted force with both legs.

Thigh muscle bulge.

The bright yellow casual clothes embroidered with golden dragons could not withstand such explosive power.

With a "hissing" sound.

The fabric at the cuffs and shoulders ripped open, revealing the lean yet still muscular body underneath.

Li Shimin did not retreat.

He leaped into the air.

He faced the enormous maw of the dragon, a maw large enough to grind him into mincemeat.

Grip the hilt of the Tian Ce sword firmly with both hands.

Unreasonably, he slashed upwards with a single, powerful blow.

when!

A deafening metallic clang echoed through the Taiji Hall.

The sound wave knocked several imperial guards to the ground.

The Tian Ce Dao was made of fine steel with many nicks and chips.

It struck precisely on a black titanium alloy scale on the dragon's upper jaw.

This is the purest form of physical collision.

There is no code-based settlement, and no shield to offset it.

It's like metal clashing head-on.

A blinding orange-red spark exploded in mid-air.

It was like a giant firework display in the main hall.

The dragon's metal chin, made of high-voltage cables and titanium alloy.

Surprisingly, this primitive and brutal slash sent it flying upwards.

The gaping maw that was about to bite off Li Shimin's neck veered off course.

Take a bite.

It bit into a nearby white marble dragon pillar and crushed it.

But the physical reaction force is terrifying.

Li Shimin felt as if his arms had been struck by a heavy hammer weighing ten thousand pounds.

The Heavenly Strategy Blade almost slipped from my hand and flew away.

The skin at the base of his thumb instantly split open, and fresh blood flowed down the hilt of the knife, sticky and slippery.

His body lost its balance in mid-air.

He was blasted away like a cannonball.

It rolled three times on the ground before finally stopping when it crashed into the corner of the Taiji Hall.

A long trail of blood was left on the floor tiles.

"Cough cough..."

Li Shimin clutched his chest and coughed violently.

It feels like all my internal organs have shifted.

A metallic, sweet taste filled my throat.

He leaned on his Heavenly Strategy Blade and stood up unsteadily.

The long steel sword had been slightly bent by the cutting.

"Pooh."

Li Shimin turned his head to the side and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

He extended his blood-stained thumb and wiped his mouth.

His eyes were fixed on the metal dragon that was shaking its head, preparing to launch a second attack.

"A bunch of dirty code that's been dead for hundreds of years."

He grinned, revealing a sinister sneer.

"How dare you touch my dragon throne?"

"Do you really think the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were easily intimidated?"

The dragon was enraged.

It let out a long howl, shaking off the few remaining glazed tiles from the dome.

Its enormous body circled once in mid-air.

Black and red light swirled wildly on the scales, then pounced on Li Shimin in the corner once more.

"Protect His Majesty!"

Several imperial guards struggled to their feet, trying to block them.

The shockwave from the dragon's attack sent them flying, crashing heavily outside the hall.

Li Shimin took a deep breath.

He gripped the bent Tian Ce sword tightly once more.

He knew he couldn't withstand a second blow.

But he has no intention of backing down.

At this critical moment.

"Clang!"

A deep, muffled thud came from the other side of the hall.

Li Shimin caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was Fang Xuanling.

This was the most steady and reliable old civil official of the Tang Dynasty.

This prime minister was so afraid of hurting his voice that he would even speak loudly.

At this moment, his head was covered with messy white hair.

His eyes were bloodshot, like an angry old lion.

He had no knife in his hand.

But he somehow picked up a large, pure gold incense burner used for burning sandalwood.

The incense burner weighed several dozen kilograms and was attached to a thick, long bronze base.

It looks like a strange, heavy cleaver.

"You old scoundrels! Give me back the peace and tranquility of the Tang Dynasty!"

Fang Xuanling roared in a broken voice.

It wasn't just him.

In a corner of the main hall.

Those civil and military officials who were just moments ago trembling with fear and weeping bitterly.

At this critical juncture of life and death.

Watching the emperor lead the hand-to-hand combat.

Their inherent arrogance, the kind that had driven them to conquer the world alongside Li Shimin, was forced out.

The Minister of War removed a hardwood bolt from the main hall's door frame.

Several elderly imperial censors held up a broken white marble railing.

Some people even brought bronze chimes used for decoration in the Taiji Hall.

There are no high-tech weapons.

Without the computing power of the Tian Shu system.

These are the old bones of the core of the highest power in the Tang Dynasty.

With red eyes.

He wielded any physical heavy object that could be used as a weapon.

Like a group of the most primitive savages.

Roaring.

Facing the colossal black titanium dragon, representing the highest level of pollution in the cyber network.

They engaged in the most primitive and brutal hand-to-hand combat.