"You... aren't you... a cripple?"
BANG!
The last figure fell.
Before the doors of the Imperial Study.
Su Chen crushed the skull of this Third Grade Demon Ghost, took the Asura Ghost Face from its head, and put it on his own. Then, he slowly knocked on the door of the Imperial Study.
"Is Your Majesty inside?"
The Black Abyss Demon Ghosts tempered their bodies with Demon Monster Essence Blood. They walked a path that sacrificed their lifespan for rapid cultivation speed and were controlled by the Black Abyss Sect Leader. His three thousand Demon Ghosts could match ten thousand of the Imperial Capital's Killing Martial Guard.
Three thousand Demon Ghosts and ten thousand Killing Martial Guards could even stand against a First-Grade Minor Grandmaster.
And yet.
The three hundred Demon Ghosts besieging the building, along with their leader, a Third Grade Asura Ghost, could have briefly held their own against even a weaker Second Grade expert. Yet, in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, they had all fallen completely silent.
'Could the intruder be a Second Grade expert?'
'But aren't all the Second Grade experts in the Imperial Palace cautiously watching from the sidelines?'
Inside the Imperial Study.
Dugu Yue was terrified beyond measure.
Even through the door, she could sense the immense power of the person outside.
"Xuu Le, Commander Dugu, open the door."
At the head of the room, where Emperor Jianwu would normally review his memorials, Dugu Yue adjusted the Phoenix Crown on her head and spoke slowly.
"Your Majesty!"
Xuu Le, the Vice Chief Steward of the Secret Guard, and the Imperial Guard Commander, who was also a Third Grade expert, both paled and opened their mouths to dissuade her.
"Open the door!"
Dugu Yue repeated, her voice heavy.
The door opened.
Su Chen, wearing the Asura Ghost Face, walked in.
In an instant.
Inside the Imperial Study, the two Third Grade experts, along with the remaining Hidden Guard and Imperial Guard, all drew their blades. They formed a protective wall in front of Dugu Yue, their expressions so grave they hardly dared to breathe.
'This was the man before them, the one who had annihilated three hundred Demon Ghosts in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.'
'Even if he wasn't a Second Grade expert.'
'He was definitely a top figure among the Third Grade.'
"Who are you?"
"The world's Martial Arts List has the First-Grade Earth List with ten positions, the Second-Grade Profound List with thirty, and the Third-Grade Yellow List with one hundred. These lists catalogue the strongest individuals of their respective realms."
"To slaughter three hundred Demon Ghosts in the span of a tea break... are you an expert from the Profound List, or one of the top three luminaries on the Yellow List?"
"The first on the Yellow List is the Little Daoist Monarch of the Celestial Master's Mansion. The second is far away with the border army. The third is indeed in the Imperial City, but he would never protect me, for he is a traitor from the Eastern Depot. So, who are you?"
Dugu Yue questioned him, composed and unruffled even in the face of death.
'The concept for the world's Martial Arts List had been my idea.'
'But this is the first time I've heard that the Martial Arts List is further divided into three separate lists.'
'Before his rebellion, Zhang Gui truly did serve the Royal Race with all his heart.'
It was just a pity.
'Only one could survive: the Royal Race or Zhang Gui.'
'I hope it will be Zhang Gui.'
"I'm not here for you!"
"I'm here for *her*!"
With that said.
Su Chen attacked directly. His figure darted forward like a startled swan, leaping past Dugu Yue toward someone behind her.
"Insolence!"
Dugu Yue roared in fury.
In that instant.
Xuu Le, the Vice Chief Steward of the Secret Guard, and Dugu Sha, the Imperial Guard Commander, attacked simultaneously from the left and right. One struck with a palm that glowed an eerie blue-black, while the other's blade danced with wild Gang Qi.
'He's not a Second Grade!'
'Just a mere Third Grade in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, and not even at the peak.'
'We can kill him!'
'We are two Peak Third Grade experts! One at Gang Condensation, the other at Bone Marrow Cleansing...'
The two were ecstatic.
'Their opponent is only at the entry-level of the Third Grade.'
'He must be exhausted after that bloody battle against three hundred Demon Ghosts. We might even be able to take his head directly! And even if we can't win, dragging it out for half a double-hour will be easy.'
Even Dugu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
'Phew!'
'So he's just a mere entry-level Third Grade...'
'As long as he's not a Second Grade, it's fine.'
In the next instant.
Dugu Yue's eyes widened abruptly.
"This has nothing to do with you!"
BAM!
The next moment.
The two Peak Third Grade experts—one a Vice Chief Steward, the other a Commander—were sent flying by a mere flick of the mysterious man's finger. A terrifying sonic boom erupted as they were smashed violently against the wall, their life or death unknown.
Two Peak Third Grade experts, defeated by a casual finger flick from an entry-level Third Grade. Dugu Yue finally understood why the three hundred Demon Ghosts had been routed and utterly annihilated.
This Third Grade expert wasn't a Second Grade, but he was stronger than one!
"Is that Thunderbolt Body Refining? The Thunderbolt Force that can only be mastered by someone with a foundation of over thirty thunderclaps?"
"Isn't *Thunderbolt Body Refining* a manual from the Martial Pavilion?"
"Who are you?"
"You're from the Palace!"
"Help me find the two Princes and the Princess, and escort us out of the Palace! The Dugu Family will be eternally grateful! If my son ascends the throne, you will have the merit of backing a new dragon. The Tianwu Treasure Vault—whatever you want from it will be yours..."
Dugu Yue spoke in a rush.
However.
Su Chen remained unmoved.
'My life is over.'
Dugu Yue closed her eyes.
A long time passed, but nothing happened.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that the terrifying Third Grade expert in the Asura Ghost Face had been standing before the Empress Dowager, who was being supported by Princess Yunyang. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice faint.
"Noble Consort Zhang, is Emperor Jianwu truly your son, the Fifth Prince?"
「Nine years in the Palace.」
This was the second time Su Chen had seen Noble Consort Zhang.
The last time was in the Cold Palace.
The two Princes in White Dragon Robes had rebelled.
Noble Consort Zhang had lost power.
She was driven mad.
The second time was now, as the revered mother of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager of the nation.
"Emperor Jianwu is my son."
"I don't know what you are doing..."
Empress Dowager Zhang's gaze trembled, and she closed her eyes.
"Is that so?"
Su Chen gave Empress Dowager Zhang a deep look, then turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Empress Dugu was stunned. She looked at Su Chen and, forgetting her station, chased after him with urgent questions.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Spreading such vile rumors! Are you a traitor too, trying to destabilize the Great Liang Dynasty? The Empress Dowager's own son, Emperor Jianwu, had his blood verified in the Tianwu Tower upon his return. It was confirmed as the direct bloodline of the Royal Race."
Su Chen, who had been about to leave, slowed his pace. His thoughts drifted far away, as if returning to the Year of Tianluan eight years ago—a year that saw three different emperors. He had personally witnessed the scene: panicked Killing Martial Guards cutting down two princes.
At the time, he had assumed some Arcane Technique had been used to save the Fifth Prince.
But thinking about it now, perhaps that wasn't the case.
"Perhaps, the current Emperor Jianwu... is not Emperor Jianwu..."
Su Chen left.
"Vile rumors!"
Dugu Yue cursed angrily.
But Empress Dowager Zhang collapsed to the floor, her eyes filled with agony.
"Let's go!"
"While these three hundred Demon Ghosts are dead, we'll fight our way out of the Imperial Palace! The current Guard Master of the Killing Martial Guard is my father, the Dugu Family Head. As long as we break out, we'll be safe."
Dugu Yue revived the two Defender Third Grade experts. Protected by the Hidden Guard and the Imperial Guard, they began to fight their way out of the Imperial Palace.
「Not long after.」
A figure drifted back into the room.
It was none other than Su Chen, who had returned.
This time, Su Chen had a clear destination. He went directly to the chair in the Imperial Study, punched it, and revealed a dark stairway leading underground.
'Something is definitely strange here.'
'The Imperial Study really does hide a secret world.'
'He holds court in Jinluan Hall, so why does he spend all year in the Imperial Study? Are there really that many memorials to approve?'
Su Chen flew down the steps.
He had to see if his suspicions were true.
Finally.
He reached the end.
Here lay a massive underground ice cavern, one that had existed for far longer than thirty or fifty years.
Three bodies!
No!
Four corpses were laid out before Su Chen.
Three corpses were dressed in White Dragon Robes. One had been beheaded, and all three were missing their hearts and livers. There was also a corpse in a Bright Yellow Emperor's Robe, similarly disemboweled.
Su Chen didn't recognize the beheaded corpse.
But he recognized the other three.
From eight years ago.
The Second Prince and the Fifth Prince, who died at the hands of the Killing Martial Guard during the struggle for the throne in the Year of Tianluan. And the Deposed Emperor—the Seventh Prince—who had profited from the chaos of that same year to seize the throne.
'So, this must be the Eldest Prince, the one who was beheaded for an assassination attempt during the palace turmoil years ago?'
'The Fifth Prince's body is right here.'
'The Four Sons of Tianwu are all here.'
'Then who is the reigning Emperor Jianwu?'