My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The incredibly heavy bronze candlestick slammed solidly and without reservation into the junction of Li Chengqian's head and shoulder!

Although Li Chengqian's physical body is now as hard as black iron, ordinary swords and knives cannot harm him in the slightest.

but!

The person who smashed him was none other than the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty, whose body had been nourished by spiritual energy and who unleashed his full power in a fit of rage!

"Hmm!"

Li Chengqian let out a painful groan, his tall body swaying violently, but he did not loosen his grip on Li Tai's hands even slightly!

"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."

Li Tai, who was lying on the ground, originally thought he was already dead.

Sudden.

He felt a hot liquid, with a strong smell of blood, dripping onto his pale face, one drop after another.

Li Tai opened his eyes, trembling.

He witnessed a scene he would never forget, a scene that would send shivers down his spine.

The older brother who usually fought with him openly and secretly, and whom he regarded as a thorn in his side.

At this moment, it was like a towering mountain, blocking his way.

A shocking wound opened up on Li Chengqian's forehead. Crimson blood gushed out like a spring, instantly covering the Crown Prince's resolute face, dripping down his chin and onto Li Tai's face.

"Big...Big Brother?" Li Tai was completely stunned, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

He couldn't understand how Li Chengqian would rush out without hesitation and take the blow for him at the very moment when he had just tried to frame him, in a royal family where even fathers and sons would kill each other for the throne!

Clang!

The bronze candlestick in Li Shimin's hand fell to the ground.

Looking at the prince, whose head was covered in blood, the madness and rage in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by endless fear and regret.

"Chengqian! Chengqian!"

Li Shimin was terrified and rushed to check on Li Chengqian's injuries. "Quickly! Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!"

"Father... Your Majesty, I am fine. It's just a superficial injury; my bones are not broken."

Li Chengqian shook his slightly dizzy head and casually wiped the blood from his face.

The terrifying regenerative power of the "Diamond Body Technique" was already taking effect; although there was bleeding, it had not caused any fundamental damage.

He released Li Tai, who was protecting him.

Li Chengqian stood up and glanced at his younger brother, who had always wanted to bring him down, with a complicated expression.

Then.

Despite his head injury, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty knelt heavily before Li Shimin as if he were pushing a mountain of gold and a jade pillar overturning.

"Father! I dare to plead for Qingque! I beg you, Father, spare his life!"

Li Chengqian kowtowed heavily, the sound echoing within the Ganlu Hall.

"You...you're still going to plead for him?!"

Li Shimin was both angry and heartbroken. Pointing at Li Tai, he roared, "Chengqian! Do you know what this rebellious son has done?! He colluded with powerful families, trying to ruin Chen'er, trying to burn down the Prince's Mansion, trying to destroy the foundation of our Great Tang! He even wanted to get rid of you, his elder brother!"

"Your subject understands."

Li Chengqian took a deep breath, raised his blood-stained face, and his eyes were exceptionally firm.

"Qingque did indeed make a mistake, a huge one. But after all, he never experienced battle; he grew up in a study. He was blinded by the throne and used as a pawn by those treacherous and cunning aristocratic families!"

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai, who was still sitting on the ground in a daze, and spoke with the weight of an elder brother who was like a father to him.

"Most importantly... he's my younger brother, my own flesh and blood, born of the same mother!"

"The tragedy of the Xuanwu Gate Incident is one I do not wish to repeat in our generation. As the eldest brother, I am willing to take the punishment in his place, I only beg Father to spare his life!"

These words were heart-wrenching and piercing.

Not only did Li Shimin's eyes well up with tears, but even Li Junxian and the others kneeling beside him couldn't help but shed tears.

however.

Still reeling from the shock, Li Tai's fragile and twisted pride made it impossible for him to accept this outcome of being treated like a handout.

"I don't need you pretending to be a good person here!"

Li Tai suddenly started shouting like a madman, "Li Chengqian! You're just trying to show off your magnanimity in front of the Emperor! I don't appreciate it! Kill me if you want!"

"You beast! How dare you spew such filth!"

Li Shimin's anger, which had just subsided, was instantly reignited. "Today, I will personally chop you to pieces!"

As he spoke, Li Shimin turned around and reached for the Emperor's Sword hanging on the wall!

Seeing this, Li Chengqian knew that his father was truly determined to kill him today.

If this continues, Qingque will definitely be chopped up alive today!

"I'm so sorry, Father!"

Li Chengqian gritted his teeth.

He rushed forward in one stride, his large hand like an iron clamp, and grabbed Li Tai's wide belt.

Amidst Li Tai's terrified screams, this body-cultivation maniac lifted the over 200-pound Prince Wei with one hand, as if he were a little chubby chicken!

"Father! Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now!"

Li Chengqian, carrying Li Tai, turned and ran wildly out of the hall, shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran.

"Your Majesty, I will take him to my sixteenth brother right away! Let my sixteenth brother punish him! Father, please calm down and don't chase after him!"

"Whoosh—!"

All that could be heard was the sound of wind.

The Crown Prince, carrying the Prince of Wei, ran out of the Ganlu Palace in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the inner palace.

Li Shimin was left behind, carrying the Emperor's Sword and chasing after them outside. He stared in the direction where the two brats had disappeared, his beard bristling and eyes wide with rage.

"Treason! They are all traitors!"

Li Shimin fiercely shoved the sword back into its sheath, but as he turned away, a secret sense of satisfaction flashed in his furious eyes.

With a good elder brother like Chengqian protecting his brothers, the next generation of the Tang Dynasty will ultimately not follow in his footsteps.