The tyrannical father was so intimidated when his own daughter was found during the raid.

Inside the Taiji Hall, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air once more, and palace maids carried delicacies as they moved among the tables.

The disastrous defeat of the Central Plains delegation made the rulers and ministers of the Great Abyss Kingdom proud, and the atmosphere in the main hall was extremely enthusiastic.

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

The atmosphere at the head of the military officers' quarters was chillingly cold.

The pure gold wine bottle was deformed by Lin Zhenxiong's grip.

The sharp metal edge pierced his palm.

Crimson blood mixed with cool liquor dripped from between his fingers and onto the food counter.

Lin Zhenxiong seemed to feel no pain, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at his trusted assassin disguised as a eunuch.

"Say it again..."

His voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth.

A hoarse, desperate voice.

"Ten cartloads of gunpowder from Black Wind Stronghold, and several thousand kilograms of refined iron, all gone?"

The trusted henchmen trembled like leaves, their heads hitting the ground, not daring to lift them.

"Reporting to...Reporting to my lord, it's empty, completely empty!"

"When my men went to investigate, not even a single barrel of gunpowder remained."

"Those top assassins from the Blood Droplets, they've vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead!"

hum.

Lin Zhenxiong felt a roar in his head and his vision went black.

Gone!

It's all gone!

That was the money he emptied his family's coffers and even sent his niece to the palace to collect money, just to barely scrape together the military equipment for his rebellion!

Gunpowder was his confidence in using it to blow up the Taiji Palace and wipe out the entire Dayuan royal family.

The refined iron was the unparalleled weapon he used to arm the army outside the city.

Now not even a trace remains, it's all vanished!

Lin Zhenxiong's chest heaved violently, and his breathing was heavy, like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.

Who did it?

Could it be that the emperor has noticed something?

impossible!

How could someone have taken him down so easily when he was so secretive?

But at this point, it's pointless to investigate who did it.

The scheme was exposed.

Open the bow without turning back the arrow.

An army of 100,000 men has been assembled outside the city.

If we don't make a move tonight, tomorrow will be the day his entire Lin family is executed!

Lin Zhenxiong suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment as he looked at the platform.

On the pure steel dragon throne, Su Zhen held a wine glass, watching the song and dance performance in the center of the hall with a smile.

To Lin Zhenxiong, that smile was full of mockery and provocation.

Su Zhen... Do you think that just because you cut off my arms supply, I can't do anything to you?

Lin Zhenxiong roared inwardly.

The muscles in his face twitched with extreme anger.

"Since you've forced my hand, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Desperate, Lin Zhenxiong decides to unleash another trump card he has hidden in the palace ahead of schedule!

His gaze passed over the main hall and landed on the wide square outside the Taiji Hall.

Several days earlier, he had forcibly added a team to the palace's program under the pretext of celebrating the emperor's birthday.

A folk lion dance troupe called "Hundred Lions Celebrating Longevity".

On the surface, the team consists of five hundred burly acrobats.

They wore festive lion dance costumes and held up majestic lion heads, hoping for good luck.

But in reality, these 500 men were all elite heavy infantrymen secretly trained by Lin Zhenxiong!

Every lion dancer is a warrior with the strength of an ox.

Beneath the large, heavy lion dance costume lies an indestructible suit of steel armor!

The lion heads they held were also made of pure iron, concealing deadly mechanisms and sharp blades.

This is Lin Zhenxiong's real trump card!

Originally, he planned to wait for the gunpowder outside the city to explode, causing chaos in the Taiji Palace, before sending in these five hundred heavily armored soldiers to clean up the mess.

But now, with no gunpowder left and no external support, plans can't keep up with changes, leaving him with no choice but to gamble everything!

The song and dance ended.

Lin Zhenxiong took a deep breath to suppress his panic.

He stood up and strode to the center of the hall.

"His Majesty!"

Lin Zhenxiong cupped his hands in greeting, his voice booming and drowning out the music playing in the main hall.

"Today, on this Mid-Autumn Festival, and also as our Great Yuan overpowers the Central Plains, showcasing our national power, it is truly a double celebration!"

"This old minister specially sought out a lion dance troupe of a hundred lions to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday, hoping to add to the festivities."

Su Zhen looked down at him, a cold glint in his eyes.

That old fox! My precious daughter has taken all the weapons, and he can still laugh?

It seems they have a backup plan.

"The General is very kind. Let them come in."

"Wait!"

Lin Zhenxiong looked up, his eyes filled with madness.

"Your Majesty, the tradition of a hundred lions celebrating a birthday is to absorb the dragon's aura."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to allow these five hundred auspicious lions to dance their way along the red carpet in front of the main hall into the Taiji Hall!"

"The performance must be done close to the dragon throne to truly showcase the majestic power of our Great Abyss's True Dragon Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside the Taiji Hall changed.

Performing close to the dragon throne?

Five hundred burly men charged before the emperor?

This is so against the rules!

The commander of the Imperial Guards, who was in charge of the escort, sensed that something was wrong.

While inspecting outside the palace, he felt that the lion dance troupe was eerie.

Although those people were dressed in lion dance costumes, their steps were unusually heavy, each step making a dull echo on the paving stones.

That's not the weight an ordinary juggler should have!

Moreover, those people's eyes held a strong murderous intent!

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt on one knee and loudly protested.

"These 500 people are of unknown origin and are unusually robust."

"If we let them get close to the dragon throne, and they startle the emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that the lion dance troupe perform only at the edge of the square, and absolutely must not step onto the red carpet of the Taiji Hall!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenxiong flew into a rage.

He pointed at the commander of the Imperial Guards and shouted at him.

"How dare you! What do you know, you brute!"

"A hundred lions celebrating a birthday is an auspicious omen; the closer they are to the dragon throne, the more prosperous the nation's fortune will be!"

"What are your true intentions in obstructing and undermining the nation's destiny?"

"Does the Commander intend to curse His Majesty, and curse my Great Abyss?!"

With such a huge accusation pinned on him, the Imperial Guard Commander was immediately covered in sweat and speechless.

The civil officials inside the hall also began to whisper among themselves.

Su Zhen sat on the dragon throne, his eyes turning cold.

You, Lin Zhenxiong!

Even on the verge of death, you still dare to be so arrogant in front of me!

Do you really think I wouldn't dare to execute you on the spot?

Su Zhen's hand reached for the Longquan sword at his waist.

As soon as he draws his sword, the hidden Dragon Guards will immediately hack Lin Zhenxiong to death with a flurry of blows.

Even if there are 100,000 troops outside the city, we will use this old thief as a sacrifice to the flag today!

Just as Su Zhen was about to lose his temper.

At the critical moment.

Having just settled Xuanbing Stone at the Cold Palace Arsenal, Su Yaoyao slipped back quietly.

The little girl was agile and climbed back to her little golden throne.

She glanced at Lin Zhenxiong, who stood arrogantly in the center of the hall.

I glanced again at the lion dance teams that had already lined up in formation on the square outside the palace.

Su Yaoyao's eyes lit up instantly.

Excitement exploded in Su Zhen's mind.

Wow! Heavy infantry engaging in indoor assassinations?!

This old Deng is truly a talent!

Five hundred heavily armored tin cans are going to walk the red carpet and get close to the dragon throne?

Su Yaoyao rubbed her hands together frantically in her mind.

I was so excited I wanted to dance with joy.

[That's fantastic! I was just worrying about that.]

[My newly developed field magic might not conduct electricity as well if an ordinary person steps on it.]

[But what if they were heavily armored infantrymen wearing dozens of kilograms of pure iron armor... the image would be... well, you get the idea!]

Su Yaoyao laughed inwardly and secretly pulled out a small metal remote control from her sleeve.

Come on, come on, let the storm rage on!

[Perfect timing to try out my super-effective nano lubricant and microcurrent electrostatic plate!]

[A cure for all kinds of stubbornness!]

Hearing the rapid-fire thoughts, Su Zhen stopped touching the hilt of his sword.

All the anger and murderous intent in his heart vanished like smoke.

Field magic?

Nano lubricant?

Although he couldn't understand these strange words, Su Zhen knew that this was definitely another trick his daughter had come up with.

Since my precious daughter wants to play, I have to give her that face!

Su Zhen took a deep breath and loosened his grip on the sword hilt.

The gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a kind and gentle fatherly smile.

"Commander, step back. Do not be rude."

Su Zhen waved his hand dismissively, his tone surprisingly tolerant.

"The General is also thinking of the fate of our Great Yuan. His loyalty is as clear as day."

The commander of the Imperial Guards was stunned and couldn't believe it.

Lin Zhenxiong was secretly delighted, cursing Su Zhen as a foolish ruler who only knew how to indulge in pleasure.

"Issue my decree!"

Su Zhen pointed to the red carpet outside the main hall and announced in a loud voice.

"Granted! Five hundred auspicious lions, enter the hall immediately to perform!"

"Not only do you want to walk the red carpet, but you also need to be as close to me as possible. Don't be shy!"

Lin Zhenxiong was overjoyed, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes.

Su Zhen, you asked for this!

If five hundred heavily armored assassins get close, even if you are a grandmaster, you will be chopped into mincemeat today!

Lin Zhenxiong turned around triumphantly, preparing to go outside the hall to issue orders.

His mind was filled with images of a successful rebellion, and his steps became lighter.

However, he did not see it.

Su Yaoyao, sitting on the small golden throne next to the dragon throne, secretly gave a hand gesture to Crown Prince Su Jin, who was standing below.

The brother and sister exchanged a knowing, kind look.

Get ready to add some extra flair to the glamorous red carpet.