Soul Emperor Awakening

With a single, domineering strike from Tuo Shengfeng, the battle was finally over. Everyone except for the Sect Leader had died here. The ground was covered in blood—a truly gory scene.

At that moment, the disciples with lower Cultivation levels emerged. Their expressions changed the moment they saw the scene, and they couldn't help but sigh. Nine powerhouses at the Core Formation Stage had fallen here. To think that such revered experts of the Core Formation Stage could die just like that.

The same went for the Spirit Pill Stage powerhouses. They died in the blink of an eye, as fragile as tofu, shattering with ease.

This was to be expected. Battles between high-level cultivators were always like this. They were just like battles between cultivators at an Ordinary Level, with the sole difference being the sheer scale of the collateral damage. The area in front of the Core Hall, once a dense forest, was now completely barren and pockmarked with countless massive craters.

This was the aftermath of a battle between those with high Cultivation. Any low-level cultivator caught in the crossfire would be killed or grievously injured.

"Is it finally over...?" Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. His role had merely been to run interference, but it had completely changed the tide of battle. The mental toll was immense, leaving him utterly exhausted.

'I have to admit, the Spirit God Technique was a huge help,' he thought. 'Without it, I really couldn't have made much of a difference in this battle.'

He held no advantage whatsoever unless he was facing a powerhouse at the Spirit Pill Stage.

"Yes, it's over for now. Leave the rest to us. We're going to personally march on the Divine Seal Sect and raze it to the ground!" Qing Deyun's fighting spirit was far from extinguished. Without even pausing to rest, he and the other Elders consumed Recovery Elixirs and immediately headed for the Divine Seal Sect.

The Divine Seal Sect was as good as destroyed. Without its top powerhouses, it stood no chance against Qingcheng Mansion! The others didn't need to go; they would be of little use. They could just stay here and rest.

Those who remained stayed behind at Qingcheng Mansion to await news while they recovered and treated their injuries. A great weight had been lifted from their shoulders, but only half of it. The other half still rested with the Royal Family.

As long as Xu Qianlong was alive, this was not over. However, the Royal Family was now utterly isolated. After sending so many powerhouses to their deaths, their forces were dwindling. It was possible that only Xu Qianlong himself remained.

It seemed Xu Qianlong had no choice but to wait for death.

「Within the Royal Court.」

"What? You're telling me the Divine Seal Sect has been annihilated!" Xu Qianlong's hand, which had been resting on his jade throne, tightened its grip, crushing the armrest to dust. His face was a mask of shock. "So many powerhouses, all dead? How is that possible!"

"Great Emperor, Lin Xuan found reinforcements from god-knows-where. They were incredibly powerful. Our forces were completely overwhelmed..." The messenger knelt on the ground, his head bowed, not daring to look at Xu Qianlong, terrified of meeting his dreadful gaze.

"Useless! All of you are useless!" Xu Qianlong furiously slammed his hand on the chair, and the force of the blow instantly turned the entire thing to dust.

He rose to his feet, his expression dark and uncertain. The news had shaken him deeply. He had sent so many powerhouses to capture Lin Xuan, only for them all to be wiped out. 'Useless trash!' he thought.

"So they're on their way here now?" Xu Qianlong asked, his voice grave.

"Yes. According to our latest reports, they are already heading this way at high speed," the subordinate reported.

"So they're coming for me..." Xu Qianlong's gaze turned frigid, his eyes flashing scarlet. He spoke in a low, dangerous voice, "Do they really think that by destroying the Divine Seal Sect, they can destroy me? What a foolish delusion!"

He suddenly waved his hand. A red light flared from his palm, yanking the reporting guard toward him.

"Ngh... mmph..." The guard's face turned beet-red. He tried to speak, but couldn't form a single word. A band of red light had wrapped around his neck, making it hard to breathe, let alone talk.

"Absorb!"

Xu Qianlong grunted, the red light in his eyes flaring. In the blink of an eye, the guard enveloped in the crimson glow shriveled into a desiccated corpse. Simultaneously, a surge of red light flowed into Xu Qianlong's body, and the color of his skin became slightly more ruddy.

If Lin Xuan and his group had been there, they would have been utterly astonished. The aged Xu Qianlong from before was gone. In his place stood a man who looked to be in his late twenties. Where was the old man with one foot in the grave? In terms of aura, he had reached the absolute zenith—a Peak of Core Formation Stage Powerhouse!

He was now just one step away from breaking through to the Void Spirit Stage Cultivation—a level he had coveted his entire life.

THUD!

Xu Qianlong tossed the desiccated corpse aside. The red glow in his eyes flickered as the surrounding eunuchs trembled, not daring to make a single sound for fear they would be next.

"Come, if you have the guts! I happen to be in need of more... refined blood. The more, the merrier!" Xu Qianlong let out a wild laugh, then turned and strode into the depths of the palace. As he did, a thick, coppery stench of blood billowed out from the entrance.

...

Two days had passed by the time Xu Qianlong received the news. By then, Lin Xuan and his party had long since departed from Qingcheng Mansion and were rapidly advancing on the Imperial Palace. They didn't sneak into the Imperial Capital; they marched openly, swiftly eliminating any spies they encountered along the way.

The Royal Family's forces were all but depleted; it was impossible to know how many powerhouses they had left. But no matter the number, they were hopelessly outmatched by this monstrously powerful group of invaders.

When they arrived at the Imperial City, they found the once-bustling metropolis completely deserted and eerily desolate. No one dared to remain. With a great war on the horizon and Xu Qianlong's tyrannical rule—during which anyone with a hint of talent was seized—the people had fled.

Who would dare to stay? The people had long since fled in a panic. The only ones who remained were a few of his most die-hard loyalists.

"The Imperial Capital is so desolate. It's completely different from how I remember it..." Lin Xuan sighed. 'To think that Xu Qianlong would commit such utterly depraved acts just for the sake of his own breakthrough.'

"Indeed. But it is all ending now. This dynasty is finished, completely and utterly!" A cold glint flashed in Qing Deyun's eyes. "The Royal Family is supposed to be the bastion of the entire Empire. If other Empires were to attack now, we would be in grave danger."

Xu Qianlong cared only for himself, with no regard for the Empire. What use was there in keeping such a man alive?

As the group entered the Imperial Palace, they were immediately assaulted by the thick stench of blood. In truth, they didn't even need their sense of smell; a sea of corpses lay before them, all of whom had met a miserable end.

In the vast area before them, there was not a single living soul. There was only the stench of blood and cold, lifeless bodies.

The victims were men and women, old and young alike. All of them were desiccated husks, drained of their very life. It took but a single glance for them to know: Xu Qianlong had done this. Only his horrific Demon Technique could achieve such a result.

"Xu Qianlong, it seems your time is up! I will end you today and deliver Heaven's justice!" A chill went through Lin Xuan's heart as he surveyed the countless bodies. Among them were the small, frail corpses of children. To think he would drain even them... How could Lin Xuan not be filled with rage!

The Imperial Palace had truly become a river of blood.