I... Lost...

Within the Imperial City,

Beneath the Still Abyss Hall.

With his white hair, hunched body, withered skin, and gaunt face, Liang Emperor sat on a dragon throne.

His breathing was very weak.

He looked very pale and listless.

His body was like an old, dilapidated waterwheel, on the verge of falling apart.

Every breath, every word, every movement was incredibly difficult and excruciatingly painful.

He's dying.

His life was about to end.

But his normally cloudy and dull eyes were now frighteningly bright.

In the dimly lit underground palace,

It radiated a murderous, predatory light.

He could have lived a little longer, but the humiliation and coercion he suffered from the Immortal and that rebellious woman caused him to waste two Immortal Elixir.

He couldn't wait any longer.

He feared that if he didn't act now, he would never have another chance.

The previous explosion was far more powerful than he had anticipated.

Even the Imperial Palace, far away from Jade Spring Mountain, felt the intense tremor.

It is conceivable that

The palaces and villas on Jade Spring Mountain have probably been razed to the ground.

Such a massive explosion would surely have affected even the Immortal in heaven.

Even if they are lucky enough to survive,

He still has a backup plan.

The Divine Pivot Battalion's tens of thousands of elite troops will launch a siege on Jade Spring Mountain.

Even if Immortal is incredibly powerful and capable of slaughtering thousands of Thunderclap Battalion, could they possibly wipe out tens of thousands of Divine Pivot Battalion while severely injured?

Even if the Immortals had wiped out tens of thousands of elite troops from the Divine Pivot Battalion.

He still had a backup plan.

Mu Jingyuan, who was stationed in Yunnan, was leading Royalist Army 50,000 to come to the aid of the emperor and was already on his way to the Capital.

Even a large number of ants can kill an elephant.

Since 10,000 men are not enough to deal with the Immortals, then use 50,000 or 100,000.

He simply couldn't believe that he couldn't kill Immortal even in this way.

He wanted the Immortals to know.

Emperors cannot be humiliated, monarchs cannot be deceived.

This world will always belong to Xiao Chengqian, not to be a plaything or a puppet in the hands of some Immortal.

They can play whenever they want, flaunt their misdeeds, and bully others at will.

Xiao Chengqian also had backbone and dignity.

"Can this underground palace truly guarantee my safety?"

Liang Emperor raised his eyes,

He asked in a low, hoarse voice.

Standing beneath the dragon throne was Pei Jingxuan, the Bureau Chief the Directorate of Heavenly Observations.

Whether it was good luck or accurate calculation, he managed to escape the Pacification Investigation Office's search and even hide Imperial Palace.

"Your His Majesty, the main building material for the underground palace of the Still Abyss Hall is granite boulders, with glutinous rice, lime, and iron mortar poured into the crevices. The outer layer is made of rammed earth, and the wall interlayers and the inner layer of the dome are inlaid with thick black iron plates, which were then poured with molten iron."

"Your Majesty, I have studied the supernatural Divine Ability of Immortals. Although that purple qi Immortal Sword can fly, it cannot burrow underground. Although the Prince Ning's Residence was razed to the ground by the Immortal Sword power could only sink the ground by five feet."

"This underground palace is five zhang above the ground, and the massive stone and iron plates used on each level are all five chi thick together, and they fit together perfectly as one."

"Even if the Immortals possess great Divine Ability and their Immortal Swords are incomparably sharp, they cannot shake this impregnable and unbreakable underground palace."

"The underground palace contains enough food and water for everyone for two months, and the only exit to the outside is sealed with a stone gate weighing ten thousand pounds. It can only be opened from the inside using a mechanism, and no one from the outside can enter."

"Once the Duke of Qian's Royalist Army arrives, His Majesty will be able to eliminate the traitors, restore order, and regain control of the country. At that time, all those who have wreaked havoc on the court will be brought to justice, the court will be restored to order, and the land of Great Liang will return to stability."

Pei Jingxuan answered with complete confidence.

"Then I can rest assured."

Liang Emperor spoke with difficulty, then, as if remembering something, added another sentence.

"Rest assured, as long as this succeeds, I will fulfill all my promises to you."

Within this underground palace,

Not only him and Pei Jingxuan, but also more than a thousand imperial guards who were loyal to him.

Now, besides these people,

He trusted no one within the palace.

Those eunuchs and palace maids probably couldn't wait for him to die so they could gleefully welcome that rebellious daughter Xiao Zhaohuang, into the palace.

As for the concubines, imperial grandsons, and princesses in the harem, he didn't bring any of them in.

The underground palace was built too hastily, and the time was too tight. There was simply no room for more people. The guards could protect his safety, but those other people would only be a burden and were of no use.

If he obtains the Immortal's elixir, he will be able to live forever.

At that time, he could marry as many concubines as he wanted, and have as many princes and princesses as he wanted.

As an emperor,

One must never be indecisive or act on emotion.

With the prospect of ruling the country and achieving immortality before them, all notions of kinship, ethics, and morality could be disregarded.

"His Majesty, I humbly thank you for your great kindness! I will do my utmost and serve you to the death, and I will never fail your expectations."

Pei Jingxuan and the imperial guards all knelt down to express their gratitude.

Then,

The dimly lit underground palace fell completely silent once again.

Everyone is waiting.

Were the Immortals already killed?

Will the enraged Eldest Princess lead her troops into the Imperial City and storm the underground palace?

The army led by the Duke of Qian to rescue the emperor arrived.

Waiting is agonizing.

This wait, filled with uncertainty, felt like an eternity.

Suddenly,

The underground palace was trembling slightly.

It was as if a vast army was galloping through the Imperial City.

Everyone immediately tensed up, their palms sweating.

Liang Emperor slowly opened his cloudy, dim eyes again. His face, withered like old tree bark, appeared calm and composed, but only he knew what he was thinking.

"Your His Majesty, rest assured, the underground palace is fortified with iron walls and is indestructible."

Pei Jingxuan comforted him, his voice trembling.

Liang Emperor gave him a deep look.

Suddenly, I began to doubt his earlier confidence.

But things have come to this point.

Thinking about it any further is pointless.

After he made up his mind and took action,

The outcome will be either you die or I die.

There were no other options.

The tremors from the underground palace grew louder and louder.

It was much louder than the explosion that came from the direction of Jade Spring Mountain earlier.

Everyone was tense.

Everyone was uneasy.

Everyone is waiting again.

Was it the Eldest Princess's rebellious army that came to the Imperial City, or the Immortal Sword that descended from the heavens?

But soon,

They found out.

Because the dimly lit underground palace was suddenly enveloped in purple light,

Countless bolts of lightning crackled and danced overhead, producing a chilling and terrifying sound.

Everyone's bodies froze.

Then they all raised their incredulous eyes.

All I could see was the dome above my head.

Lord Pei had just confidently guaranteed that the underground palace was impregnable and indestructible.

A terrifying giant sword, interwoven with purple light and lightning, appeared.

They crawled directly into the underground palace, which was constructed from massive granite rocks and thick slabs of black iron.

Before anyone could even react,

The purple Immortal Sword descended from the sky, crashing down with overwhelming force.

Liang Emperor's murky eyes, reflecting a purple light, should have been filled with resentment and anger.

At this moment, however, I felt calm and at peace.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he were using the last of his strength to weakly utter three words.

"I... have lost..."