Chapter Sixty-Five: Palace Intrusion

Half an hour later, Shen Yueru tried to get up. Just as she was about to dress herself, Tang Xiaotian grabbed her hand. "Messenger Tang, what are you doing?"

"You've only served for half an hour and you want to get dressed already? Don't you want me to help you anymore?"

"But you just said..."

Tang Xiaotian interrupted her, grinning, "I said one night, not just once. You misunderstood. A beauty like you, I don't want to let go so easily."

Shen Yueru put down the clothes she was about to wear and let Tang Xiaotian take advantage of her naked body. Clutching the bedsheet tightly, tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

Yun Chuxue heard everything clearly from outside the window. She felt sorry for Shen Yueru. If it weren't for the fear of revealing her identity, she would have rushed in and beaten Tang Xiaotian to a pulp. Shen Yueru was the younger sister of her former best friend, Shen Xinyue, who died because of her. Before her death, Shen Xinyue often mentioned Shen Yueru and entrusted Yun Chuxue with the task of protecting her, which Yun Chuxue promised to fulfill.

In the dark corner of the room, a figure in black also witnessed Tang Xiaotian's actions towards Shen Yueru. Clenching his fists, he pondered his next move.

Throughout the night, Yun Chuxue's head was ringing with moans of lust. The next morning, Tang Xiaotian dressed himself with satisfaction and left the room, taking the letter and another person with him.

Shen Yueru's face was pale. Holding her clothes, she cursed fiercely, "I swear, one day I'll make you wish you were dead."

She struggled to put on her clothes, finding it difficult even to walk, and left the room with a pained expression, leaning against the wall for support.

Yun Chuxue was about to leave when Mo Xian hurriedly reminded her, "Yun Chuxue, don't go out, there's someone."

Before she could react, a figure in black emerged from the room, snorted coldly, and disappeared in an instant.

Yun Chuxue breathed a sigh of relief. "This person's strength is at least at the peak of the Spiritual God realm or... even higher. Fortunately, they didn't notice me."

After a moment, Yun Chuxue quietly left and returned to the palace.

Upon returning, she informed Luoyang that Tang Xiaotian was the highest-ranking disciple of the Demon Cult in the Western Cloud Empire, which shocked Luoyang.

"Bam!" Luoyang slammed his hand on the table, breaking it in half. "Tang Xiaotian is so audacious. If it weren't for me back then, he would have been nothing but a beggar. He thought stepping into the Spiritual God realm made him invincible. There's more than one peak Spiritual God in our Western Cloud Empire, hmph."

There was anger in Luoyang's tone, fueled by the betrayal of someone he trusted, someone who sought to usurp his position. It was like having a piece of his heart torn out.

The Western Cloud Empire had four cities: Qingyun City, which was under the jurisdiction of the Ling Division, and the rest—Luoyang City, Xilu City, and Liuying City—belonged to the Western Cloud Empire itself. While it only had four cities, the Western Cloud Empire's territory was the largest on the mainland. Though each city's strength was immeasurable, its military might was unimaginable. Despite being the ruler of the empire, Luoyang's internal power had been divided among his sons, and his own influence was dwindling.

"Tang Xiaotian himself is a mid-stage Spiritual God realm powerhouse. If he uses dark arts, his strength can reach the peak of the Spiritual God realm. Does the Western Cloud Empire not have peak Spiritual Gods?" Yun Chuxue was puzzled.

"Of course we do." Luoyang appeared confident. He clapped his hands and said, "Come in."

"What?" Yun Chuxue turned to look back, and there was a slender figure of a woman in black sitting there. Yun Chuxue hadn't noticed her at all. She was playing with a dagger in her hand, exuding a disdainful aura. "Yun Chuxue, peak of the Spiritual Sage realm."

"How do you know? You're... you're the Poison Scorpion Woman," Yun Chuxue was shocked. She had seen the ranking of the mainland's top experts, and the Poison Scorpion Woman ranked third, known for her divine dark attributes.

"If it weren't for you knowing His Majesty, you would have died the first time you killed a prince of the Western Cloud Empire," the Poison Scorpion Woman said matter-of-factly, as she had the strength to back up her words then and now.

"Alright, now is not the time for idle chatter." Then she turned to Yun Chuxue and said, "Yun Chuxue, what are the odds of you winning against Tang Xiaotian?"

Yun Chuxue pursed her lips. "If I advance to the Spiritual God realm and unleash my full strength, I have a hundred percent chance of winning."

"Although I don't know how you fell from your previous realm, as long as you advance to the Spiritual God realm, you have a complete chance of winning. Here's the deal. I have a secret chamber that can help you advance to the Spiritual God realm."

"Really?" Yun Chuxue was overjoyed but quickly suppressed her smile. "Old Lu, they'll soon take your throne. Do we have enough time?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty still has at least two late-stage Spiritual God realm powerhouses. With me and the other six Spiritual God realm powerhouses, we are not afraid. But the most important thing now is Liuying City and Xilu City. If they come, our chances of winning will be slim."

The Poison Scorpion Woman seemed a bit unsure of herself. After all, no matter how strong she was, once those early-stage Spiritual God realm practitioners used dark arts, their strength would definitely reach the peak of the Spiritual God realm or even the late-stage Spiritual God realm. Their strength was not to be underestimated.

"I'll go into seclusion first, Old Lu, take me to the secret chamber. If something happens, make sure to inform me. I want to personally slaughter those disciples of the Demon Cult."

"Okay."

Luoyang twisted a half-human, half-horse statue on the bookshelf with effort, and a stone door suddenly opened on the side of the study.

"Well, you old man, hiding out here." Yun Chuxue teased as she went in, and after she entered, Luoyang closed the door behind her. The design was clever, leaving no trace as if there had never been a door there.

Inside was a cultivation chamber. Yun Chuxue wasted no time and immediately began her meditation, preparing to break through to the Spiritual God realm.

Meanwhile, in Liuying City and Xilu City, troops had quietly begun to mobilize, aiming for Luoyang City. Their numbers had exceeded a million, and it wouldn't be long before they reached the city.

In Luoyang City, the city guards had already been replaced, and the entire city was descending into silence. Many merchants found the situation strange and felt that Luoyang City was about to change hands. They quietly left the city.

A month later, there were very few civilians and spirit masters left in Luoyang City, and an unprecedented silence hung over the city, unsettling Luoyang greatly.

At this moment, the Poison Scorpion Woman arrived. "Your Majesty, a scout reports that the forces from Liuying City and Xilu City have suddenly disappeared. I suspect they will soon be at our gates."

"What?" Luoyang angrily pointed outside. "Are they so impatient?"

Luoyang was anxious and hammered the table hard. "I bet the city guards in Luoyang City have also been replaced. Except for the Imperial Guards, we have no forces left to call upon."

The Poison Scorpion Woman remained silent. She rose slowly. "Your Majesty, as long as I'm here, they won't harm you in the slightest."

Luoyang shook his head helplessly. "If you get the chance, run..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" A soldier rushed into the study in a panic. Luoyang hurriedly asked, "What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"

"Your... Your Majesty, the lords of Liuying City and Xilu City, along with their respective armies, have surrounded Luoyang City. Their numbers exceed a million."

"What? Go, go, go! Quickly summon the commander of the Imperial Guards and the Prime Minister."

The sudden turn of events caught them off guard. "I didn't expect them to have been planning for so long. Our scouts were completely unaware of their movements when they mobilized."

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

Luoyang pondered for a moment and sighed bitterly. "Summon the Imperial Guards. I'll wait for them at the entrance to the palace. I'll be waiting for them."

"Yes."

Outside the palace, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards were on high alert in the square in front of the palace. Luoyang sat on the steps in front of the hall, holding the national sword. The Poison Scorpion Woman and Yu Xun stood by his side, while the commander of the Imperial Guards held his sword not far away, and the Royal Adviser stood behind Luoyang's right.

After a moment, the Second, Third, and Fifth Princes barged into the palace with a few small chests. They were clad in armor, leaving no survivors in their wake.

They soon surrounded the palace with their troops.

"Father, how have you been?" The Second Prince bowed respectfully.

The Third and Fifth Princes also nodded slightly in greeting.

Luoyang snorted coldly. "You audacious brats."

The Second Prince sneered. "Father, you're old. It's time to step down. We've brought you a few gifts."

With that, he instructed soldiers to throw several chests towards Luoyang. When the Imperial Guards inspected them, they found the heads of Luoyang's other sons and daughters inside.

Luoyang's eyes widened in fury, and he stood up with his sword. "You heartless bastards."

"Father, it's because you're too soft-hearted."