"Agade, Zanku, release him."
After confirming Zhang Chen's identity, the Emperor ordered the two generals standing behind Zhang Chen to withdraw the great blades from his neck. At the same time, the spiritual chains binding Zhang Chen's body automatically retracted into the palace walls.
"You have already received the inheritance of Soul Devourer. Why have you come here? Are you attempting to challenge this Emperor's authority?"
The Emperor's voice caused the entire imperial palace to tremble. However, to Zhang Chen, whose Devour Consciousness had reached completion, the so-called imperial palace before him, the dead souls of soldiers around him, and the Emperor's skeletal remains upon the throne were all merely manifestations of the visual distortions caused by an immensely powerful consciousness influencing both him and Yu Ming.
Just as the Emperor had said, his dynasty, which had endured for countless ages, had been destroyed by Azathoth. He himself had already suffered the complete annihilation of both body and soul during that crushing defeat.
As for why his consciousness remained here, Zhang Chen guessed that for someone at the Emperor's level, separating consciousness entirely from flesh and soul was an effortless task.
Before his body and soul had been annihilated, he had separated his consciousness and fled into the Underworld, where it was protected by the entire Underworld Consciousness. At the same time, he had used preparations left behind long ago to conceal the dynasty's most important accumulations beneath Spirit Mountain Pool, ensuring that the legacy of the former Underworld Envoys would not completely vanish.
"Senior Emperor, there has been a misunderstanding. Our original purpose in coming here was to kill Azathoth completely. I brought this man here, and I can confirm that he is not Azathoth, because I have seen the true body of the Chaos Primordial Core. However, I