SSS-level catastrophe? That's my wife!

At the southernmost tip of Ming City, the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range lies like an ancient dragon stretching across the heavens and earth.

The dragon's spine pierces the sky, and clouds surge among the rugged peaks.

The dragon's belly conceals a bottomless abyss, into which mountain winds whip up pebbles that plunge in, swallowing even the echoes.

The cliff face, resembling dragon scales, is covered with dark brown cracks, each one like the folds of a sleeping dragon.

The dragon's tail disappeared into the misty swamp, the chilling air deep in the mountains was bone-chilling, and the underground palace beneath the dragon's spine was cold and desolate all year round, with even the air seemingly frozen into ice.

At this moment, two powerful and intimidating figures were heading deeper into the underground palace.

The gray-robed guards along the way held their breath and remained silent, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords tightly, not daring to utter a sound.

The oppressive aura emanating from those two men was like an invisible mountain, pressing down on their backs until they stiffened, and they dared not even lift their eyes half an inch upwards.

Upon reaching the deepest point, the colossal bronze gate burst open with a deafening roar.

The two stepped heavily inside, and the surrounding chill instantly intensified.

A figure sat upright on the throne, emanating an invisible pressure that felt like an impenetrable net, making one's chest feel heavy.

The two immediately bowed their heads, concealing their auras to the extreme, and said in unison in a deep voice, "Greetings, Sword Master."

On the throne, the man slowly raised his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and uttered only three words: "Found it?"

The man on the left spoke first, bowing his head even lower: "Your Excellency, traces of the Red King's remaining forces have been found in the three main cities of Zhenbei City, Yu City, and Luonan City, but it is still uncertain whether the Red King is still alive."

"Moreover, her forces seemed to have received word of the recent unification, and their traces have completely disappeared, leaving not even a single clue."

"Unification disappears? Ha..."

The Sword Master sneered, his voice filled with piercing disdain: "Besides herself, who else could command those mutants at the same time?"

"Zuo Yan, you have half a month to go. During this period, you can mobilize any of the Kingdom's Awakened Ones and you must find the location where the Red King is hiding."

"If she were alive, she would certainly be one of the variables in the future."

The Sword Master's voice suddenly turned cold and stern, "This time, I will personally lead the army to annihilate the Red King and all his forces, leaving no one alive."

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Zuo Yan replied, bowing his head.

The Sword Master raised his eyes and glanced at the two of them, then said in a deep voice, "Yes, go."

"Your Excellency, I have another matter to report." The man on the right stepped forward, his voice filled with cautious respect.

"Speak." The Sword Master's voice was flat, yet it made You Zheng's back tense instantly.

Youzheng paused, then lowered his head and said, "My lord, after the Black King's death, those S-rank and above mutants under her command who had already submitted to the kingdom..."

"They all died last night, and our three secret outposts were also destroyed at the same time."

"Could it be that those remnants intervened to achieve something like this?"

He paused, then added, forcing himself to speak, "Or perhaps... Black King, she..."

"Absolutely impossible."

The Sword Master's deep voice abruptly interrupted him, his oppressive aura crashing down like a tidal wave: "If the Black King is still alive, why did she wait months before taking action?"

"If she were still alive, why do you think those mutants would submit to the kingdom?"

He looked up at Youzheng, who felt an extremely terrifying pressure suddenly lock onto him, and cold sweat instantly poured out of his forehead, his back was already soaked.

"Those mutants, once they're dead, they're dead. My original intention was to extract their last bit of value; I never intended to give them a way out."

"As for those strongholds, destroying even a few or dozens is insignificant."

The Sword Master looked directly at You Zheng with calm eyes: "You Zheng, I have been letting you investigate for more than 20 years."

"The remnants of those fire-elemental awakened individuals have already openly declared war on the kingdom, but what have you done? Over 20 years of investigation, and all you've got is a 'nothing unusual' report?"

"Great, that's really great."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying aura of the early eighth-level realm erupted from his body and swept outwards!

The stone walls of the underground palace trembled, and dust fell in a flurry. Under this oppressive force, the two of them couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Youzheng knelt down on one knee with a "plop," his voice filled with barely concealed fear: "Your Excellency, I know my crime!"

The oppressive aura vanished in an instant.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief; their backs were soaked with cold sweat, and their breathing became rapid.

"Let's put aside the matter of the remnants for now; they are hidden in the world and are not easy to find anyway."

"During this time, you and Zuo Yan will search for the Red King's whereabouts in these three main cities with all your might."

The Sword Master tapped his fingertips on the armrest, making a cold, hard "tap, tap" sound. When he looked at the two of them, his voice was unusually gentle: "Zuo Yan, You Zheng, in this world, only the two of you are my true confidants. Do not disappoint me again."

After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

The two replied respectfully in unison, "Yes, Your Excellency!"

After the two left, the man on the throne curled up a disdainful smile.

That smile carried an arrogant disdain for everything, as if all things in the world were under his control.

"Red King, your life is already on a countdown." He muttered to himself, his eyes flashing even colder.

"And those remnants from back then..." His voice held a hint of amusement, "No matter how much you've secretly amassed power over the past 20 years, in my eyes you're still nothing but ants, utterly insignificant."

On the other side of the underground palace.

The gray-robed figure with the missing arm stood with his head bowed, his voice tinged with respectful probing: "Your Majesty, who were those two just now...?"

The Azure King stared at the two figures gradually blurring in the distance and said in a deep voice, "These two men are no weaker than me; they are that man's right and left arms."

The Right Protector's pupils constricted sharply, and he said in disbelief, "My lord, is the kingdom's power... really this terrifying?"

A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes. Why would someone with such combat power hide like a rat in the underground palace of the mountain?

"I cannot fathom what the Sword Master intends to do."

The Green King chuckled, and as he turned around, a gust of cold wind rose from his robes. "So be it. Now that he has taken over the kingdom in the shadows, it's not bad for us to be able to relax."

The Right Protector followed closely behind, finally unable to resist asking in a soft voice, "My lord, that Sword Master is the only eighth-tier Awakened in this world, and under his command... including you, there are a total of seven seventh-tier high-level cultivators!"

"With such power united, what remnants or the Red King could they possibly wipe out with a wave of the hand?"

"Why must we continue to hide away in such a stifling way?"

The Green King paused slightly, chuckled, and continued striding away without turning his head, saying, "Who knows? Maybe he's done too many wicked things and is afraid of being struck by lightning."

The Right Protector froze on the spot, as if he had heard a fairy tale.