Hahaha

Night fell, and the imperial palace was brightly lit.

Inside the Main Hall, everything was resplendent and magnificent.

A red carpet stretched across the center, where a troupe of dancers moved gracefully to the music, their long sleeves fluttering like wings.

On either side sat several sandalwood tables, where various princes, their guests, and trusted confidants were seated.

Before them lay a glittering array of fine wines and delicacies. The atmosphere seemed lively, but in reality, everyone harbored their own schemes, their eyes meeting with hidden hostility.

The emperor sat high upon his dragon throne, clad in bright yellow robes that could not hide his sallow, haggard face.

His eyes were sunken and his breath was weak; he truly looked like a man with one foot in the grave.

His clouded gaze swept over the princes below, whose expressions varied wildly, yet deep in his eyes, there was only numbness.

This empire...

Supported by cultivators in their struggle for power, it had long since rotted to the core.

Even those lofty sects had forcibly held the Sect Dao Conference within the Tianlan Kingdom, demanding the imperial family provide money, labor, and resources.

Had they not even blatantly demanded "facilitation fees"?

Fine, let them fight until there was a result.

This crumbling kingdom—whoever wanted it could have it.

"Let the music play, and let the dance continue," the emperor said, waving his hand dismissively.

........

Fang Xuan did not sit in the guest area beside Chen Fan. Instead, he leaned casually against a coiling dragon pillar at the edge of the hall, cradling his black sword wrapped in white cloth.

His eyes were half-closed, appearing utterly uninterested in the facade of peace or the surging undercurrents before him.

His eccentric posture naturally caught the attention of certain people.

The fourth prince, Chen Luo, who possessed an overtly shrewd appearance, had long found his third brother, Chen Fan, eyesore.

Seeing that Chen Fan seemed much more confident recently and had even brought such a strange, sword-cradling guest, his heart grew even more resentful.

He glanced sideways at Fang Xuan and intentionally raised his voice, speaking to Chen Fan with a mocking tone. "Third Imperial Brother, this guest you brought certainly has quite the attitude. To attend upon the sovereign in this hall while still clutching a sword... I fear it is quite contrary to etiquette."

He pointedly emphasized the word "guest."

Leaning against the pillar, Fang Xuan heard the words and cast a casual glance over.

Chen Fan pushed back firmly. "And what if it is?"

"Hmph!" Beside Chen Luo, a middle-aged monk dressed in Daoist robes with a goatee let out a cold snort, releasing the spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Though he did not target everyone directly, that intentional intimidation still caused the mortal dancers and musicians to tremble with fear.

The dance steps immediately faltered, and the music went out of tune.

The emperor frowned but said nothing.

A trace of smugness gradually appeared on the Foundation Establishment monk's face.

At that moment, the fingers Fang Xuan used to hold his sword twitched slightly.

A wave of pressure rose to meet the monk's.

The smugness on the monk's face froze instantly, turning into pure horror.

He felt an indescribable, terrifying spiritual pressure lock onto him.

It was as if he were being stared down by some ancient, ferocious beast; the blood in his body felt like it was about to freeze solid.

His legs began to shake uncontrollably, and cold sweat drenched his forehead in an instant.

He could not utter another word. His face was as pale as paper, and he dared not make even the slightest movement.

The fourth prince was also startled. He looked with uncertainty at his suddenly silenced guest, then at Fang Xuan, who was still leaning against the pillar as if he had done nothing at all.

Chen Fan, however, felt completely at ease. He even had the leisure to lift his wine cup and take a sip.

With Brother Xuan here, everything was stable!

The emperor took all of this in. His clouded eyes flickered, resting on Fang Xuan for a moment before slowly moving away.

The atmosphere in the hall became even more stifling. Although the music and dance resumed, the flavor of the evening had completely changed...

Ning Xian was not in the hall. She was outside, handling the palace enshrined experts who might interfere, according to the plan.

She was ensuring that Chen Fan's overt uprising could smoothly take control of the entire palace.

Fang Xuan only needed to stay here to suppress the scene and ensure that none of the core figures in the hall could escape.

......

Time passed bit by bit.

Finally, a eunuch rushed into the hall, crawling and stumbling. His face was ghostly pale, and his voice was shrill and trembling.

"Re... Report to His Majesty! It’s bad! It’s bad! The palace... the palace is surrounded by a great army! They are... they are troops flying the banner of 'cleansing the emperor’s side'!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except for the prepared Chen Fan and the indifferent Fang Xuan turned pale with shock!

"What?!"

"How bold! Who dares to stage an uprising?!"

"Imperial Father! Your son requests permission to immediately mobilize the palace guards to suppress the rebellion!"

Several princes stood up in a panic, some shouting in anger and others requesting orders, but their eyes instinctively darted toward the exit.

They then looked with doubt and fear at the still-seated emperor and at Chen Fan, whose expression was unnaturally calm.

Chen Luo suddenly pointed at Chen Fan and shouted harshly, "Third Brother! Is this your doing?! How dare you!"

Chen Fan set down his wine cup and slowly wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief before finally looking up at his younger brother.

"Now you know to call me Third Brother? What are you afraid of? I am just a waste, after all. But you... it seems you are even worse than a waste."

His tone was flat, but every word cut deep.

Meeting a benefactor and clinging tightly to their leg had truly been the best choice of his life.

Years of painstaking planning and living in constant fear were not worth a single chance encounter, a single decisive act of seeking refuge.

Hahaha, hahaha.

Hahaha.

Ugh—

Brother Xuan, I love you so much...

......

Chen Luo’s face turned beet red from being choked by those words. He was both shocked and furious. "You... you... Imperial Father is right here, yet you dare to besiege the palace! You are simply lawless! Your crime deserves death!"

The Foundation Establishment monk beside him, who had been frightened by Fang Xuan earlier, saw the situation rapidly deteriorating. He felt the urge to retreat and quietly shifted his foot back half a step, intending to slip away amidst the chaos.

But as soon as his foot moved—

"Poof!"

The monk's body suddenly stiffened. A massive impact of spiritual power directly crushed and killed him on the spot.

Fang Xuan was still cradling his sword, leaning against the pillar without even changing his posture. He spoke calmly, "No one leaves this place."

It was stated casually, yet it made everyone feel a bone-chilling cold!

To effortlessly... kill a Foundation Establishment monk?! What kind of cultivation was this?!

Chen Luo was scared out of his wits. His finger trembled as he pointed at Chen Fan. "You... you..."

Fang Xuan grew somewhat impatient. His gaze swept over the princes who were clamoring, trying to call for guards or attempting to rush out.

He frowned slightly.

Too noisy.

......

After several more sounds, the princes who had been shouting the loudest were struck as if by invisible sledgehammers.

They spat out blood and crashed heavily against the walls of the hall.

When they hit the ground, they were silent, their fates unknown.

Inside the Main Hall, it became instantly quiet.

One could hear a pin drop.

All the survivors, including the officials and imperial relatives who had been watching from the sidelines, looked at the youth leaning against the pillar in horror.

It was as if they were looking at a demon god descended upon the mortal world.

The emperor’s aged face finally showed signs of shock. He struggled to support himself on the armrests of the dragon throne and slowly stood up.

He did not look at his dead or injured sons. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Chen Fan, then with great difficulty, toward Fang Xuan.

Finally, this dying monarch actually bowed tremblingly toward Fang Xuan’s direction.

"Immortal Lord..." His voice was hoarse and dry.

"This throne... anyone can sit upon it. I only ask the Immortal Lord to remember the innocence of the common people and show some mercy to the subjects of Tianlan. Do not... let the fish in the pond suffer for the sins of others."

These words were equivalent to a tacit approval of Chen Fan's actions, and they completely shattered the final illusions and pride of certain people in the hall.

Even the emperor had bowed his head; what struggle did they have left?

The Prime Minister, an old official with white hair and beard, looked defeated.

Following beside him was the very daughter of the direct lineage who had once held a marriage contract with Chen Fan, only to aggressively break it off later.

Now, this Prime Minister’s daughter, who had once looked down on everyone, was as pale as paper.

She looked at Chen Fan, whose aura was now completely different and who held the power of life and death in his hands.

She gritted her teeth and spoke with a sense of shame, "Do with us as you please!"

Chen Fan only gave her a faint glance. His eyes were calm and indifferent, without hatred or joy, as if he were looking at an insignificant stranger.

He did not have the spare time for this now. Instead of wasting time on her, he would rather go warm some wine for Brother Xuan.

Brother Xuan had been standing there holding his sword for so long; he might be thirsty.