161: Xian Ni

The morning light of the Imperial Capital had not yet fully broken through the clouds, but the Hall of Mental Cultivation was already filled with a dense, misty atmosphere.

A few days of "private consultations" had given this palace, which was originally filled with solemn imperial majesty, an indescribable, lingering air of decadence. Behind the bright yellow gauze curtains, the Empress was lying prone on the Dragon Bed; her originally pale and cold body, under the kneading of Lin Chen's fingertips filled with Chaos Dragon Qi, took on a near-ripe shade of light peach.

"Lin Chen... gentler..."

The Empress bit her red lips; her voice was no longer the majestic and cold tone from the Golden Throne Room, but instead carried a hint of post-coital laziness and a greedy dependence on the warmth of Lin Chen's palm. She turned her head, the complex emotions in her Phoenix eyes rapidly transforming—from the initial killing intent and shame to the current blurriness and a sliver of adoration she didn't even dare to admit to herself.

In this country where women were superior, she never thought that her heart, frozen by power, would be shattered in the most overbearing and direct way by a man, and then injected with a warm current called "submission."

Lin Chen was about to tease her with a few words, his fingertips having just touched the core of the Empress's stunningly curved lower back, when his expression suddenly changed.

"Boom—!"

A terrifying aura that did not belong to this world pressed down from the heavens. The entire Imperial Capital's defensive formation let out an overburdened wail at that moment, before shattering like a mirror.

"Empress, the time has come. Scram out here and receive the decree!"

An extremely arrogant voice pierced through layers of palace walls, reaching the Hall of Mental Cultivation directly.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He casually grabbed a silk robe to cover the Empress's delicate body. In a flash, the two of them appeared on the hundred-zhang square in front of the Weiyang Palace.

A hideous crack opened in the sky, and endless golden light poured down from it. A man dressed in white as pure as snow stood with his hands behind his back, stepping on auspicious clouds. He was exceptionally handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but deep in those eyes was an absolute arrogance that viewed all living beings as ants. Behind him, a squad of heavenly soldiers clad in golden armor, all with auras above the Undergoing Tribulation stage, stood like divine statues, sealing off the entire palace.

"Upper Realm Immortal Envoy, Xiao Tiance?" The Empress's face turned pale, and she subconsciously leaned toward Lin Chen, her voice trembling.

Xiao Tiance looked down at this Empress who held supreme power in the Great Qian, a sneer playing on his lips as if he were playing with a toy: "Empress, it seems you've been an emperor in the Lower Realm for too long and have forgotten your duty. The ten-thousand-year birthday of a great figure from the Upper Realm is approaching, and they've specifically requested a 'Famous Vessel.' Your True Dragon Primordial Yin, cultivated through the Nine-Turn Dragon God Technique, has been raised quite well; it's perfect to be used as a celebratory gift for the great figure. Come with me."

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing a fine piece of porcelain or even livestock waiting to be sold.

"I am the monarch of a nation, the lord of Great Qian!" The Empress felt the warm power coming from Lin Chen's palm, and a surge of unprecedented rebellion rose in her heart. Her Phoenix eyes flared with anger, "I am not goods for your trade!"

"Dignity? Ants of the Lower Realm, do you even deserve to talk about dignity?"

Xiao Tiance sneered disdainfully and grabbed at the air. An Immortal-Binding Rope, engraved with dark-golden runes, shot through the air. Its speed was so fast that even light and shadow could not capture it, and it instantly bound the Empress tightly.

The chain was extremely thin yet incredibly sinister; with every inch it tightened, a Restriction pierced into her flesh. The Empress let out a soft moan as her originally high curves were deeply constricted by the chain. Her dragon robe split open, and she was humiliatingly tied to the nearby coiled dragon pillar. Her picturesque face twisted in pain, evoking a sickening sense of brutal beauty.

"Hmm?" Xiao Tiance's gaze finally moved to Lin Chen, who was standing to the side, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Why is there still a man here? He actually has a hint of the Ancestral Dragon's scent... He looks a bit familiar, like some remnant of a race that was wiped out."

He had no interest in delving into the identity of a man from the Lower Realm; in his eyes, the men here were not even as good as a dog from the Upper Realm.

"Since you've spoiled this Young Master's mood, I'll just kill you as I please."

Xiao Tiance pointed his fingers like a sword and waved them casually.

An extremely brilliant True Immortal Sword Qi whistled out. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Void Realm collapsed inch by inch. That deathly power, sufficient to erase the entire palace, slashed straight toward Lin Chen's head!

"Lin Chen! Run!" The Empress was trapped on the pillar, screaming with her eyes nearly splitting open.

Lin Chen stood still, not even lifting an eyelid. He was waiting, waiting for the moment the Sword Qi drew near to completely trigger the long-dormant killing nature within him... "Die, ant." Xiao Tiance turned around, not even bothering to look at the result; he was tired of seeing the image of such ants turning to ashes under his Sword Qi.

However, the expected sound of an explosion did not ring out.

"Is that it? The 'sword' of an Immortal Envoy is as soft as those castrated eunuchs."

Lin Chen's voice, full of sarcasm, rang out clearly on the deathly silent square.

Lin Chen had raised his hand at some unknown point, and with two fingers, he had actually clamped down firmly on that True Immortal Sword Qi which was capable of severing mountains and rivers! The Sword Qi struggled frantically between his fingers but could not advance even an inch.

"You—!" Xiao Tiance turned his head sharply, his pupils shrinking to the size of needles.

"An Immortal Envoy, are you?" Lin Chen casually crushed the Sword Qi, his figure vanishing from the spot like a ghost.

In the next second, he appeared directly beside the coiled dragon pillar where the Empress was bound. His palm stroked the Empress's face, which was trembling from pain, and a chilling ferocity flashed in his eyes.

"You laid hands on my woman and even want to give her to someone else as a 'gift'?"

Lin Chen's voice was extremely low, yet it sounded like a demonic incantation from the netherworld. With a casual tug, the Immortal-Binding Rope, which even a Peak Integration Stage cultivator could not break free from, shattered in his hand like rotten wood.

The Empress collapsed into Lin Chen's arms, tears finally streaming down her face. This salvation in the midst of despair caused her dependence on Lin Chen to instantly reach its Peak.

"Lin Lang... save me..."

Lin Chen pressed her against the pillar; his movements were not gentle, even carrying a strong sense of punishment and possessiveness. He directly tore away the obstructive fragments of red silk, his large hand overbearingly covering her heaving body, which had become exceptionally sensitive due to the Restrictions.

"Watch."

Lin Chen leaned down and bit hard on the Empress's tear-stained earlobe. Amidst that tearing pain, he whispered: "Watch how I crush these high-and-mighty 'Immortals' one by one beneath your feet."

And in mid-air, an utterly enraged Xiao Tiance was bearing down with overwhelming killing intent.