181: Chapter 181 What? You're saying the Human Emperor is a noob?

A coffin?

Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan frowned deeply. He was no fool; whatever Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng was willing to risk everything for, even going so far as to use demon blood as a bargaining chip just to transport it, was absolutely no small matter.

What use could a coffin have? What was inside it?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant.

Was it some kind of powerful ancient Magic Treasure? Or some terrifying entity that had been sealed away?

"What is in the coffin?"

Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's voice was filled with unquestionable authority.

He had to get to the bottom of this; otherwise, he would rather give up that drop of demon blood than get himself dragged into an unknown, massive whirlpool.

"Heh, Left Prime Minister, too much curiosity is not a good thing." Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng's projection flickered, appearing somewhat unstable. "You only need to know that this item is enough to turn the entire Great Xia Imperial Capital upside down, enough to make the high and mighty Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan... pay a heavy price!"

His words were filled with deep-seated hatred; clearly, the crushing defeat in the Northern Territory had driven him completely insane.

Turn the Imperial Capital upside down? Make the Human Emperor pay a price?

Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's heart skipped a beat.

What bold words!

Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan was a true Yuan Emperor powerhouse, an existence standing at the Peak of this world.

What could possibly threaten him?

Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng's words did not put him at ease; instead, they made him even more vigilant.

The risk of this matter far exceeded his imagination.

"Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng, do you take me for a three-year-old child?" Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan coldly snorted. "If you don't explain things clearly, this deal is off. Your drop of demon blood is good, but my life, Ming Shiyuan's life, is worth more."

He made a gesture as if to cut off the contact; this was a negotiation tactic. He wanted to force Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng to reveal more information.

Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng seemed to see through his intention. He was silent for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice: "It wouldn't hurt to tell you. Inside... is a complete Devil Emperor body."

What?!

Even with Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's deep cunning, upon hearing this, he couldn't help but gasp, his expression changing drastically.

A Devil Emperor body! And a complete one at that!

He knew better than anyone what this meant.

The incident at the Phoenix Ruins had long spread among the higher-ups; a single drop of demon blood, diluted countless times, was enough to corrupt the will of an Emperor-level Phoenix, causing it to fall and become a Demon Phoenix.

A complete Devil Emperor body—how terrifying would the demonic source and corrupting power contained within it be?

Once this thing erupted in the Imperial Capital, let alone turning it upside down, the entire Imperial Capital would likely turn into a demon Realm!

The Human Emperor, being the first to bear the brunt, would inevitably suffer the most violent impact.

"You are insane!" Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan growled. "Do you know the consequences if this thing gets out of control? The entire Great Xia, perhaps even the entire Human Race, could be doomed because of it!"

He, Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan, only wanted to seize power, not destroy the entire Great Xia!

"Of course I know!" Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng laughed madly. "That is exactly the day I want to see! If Great Xia is destroyed and the Human Race is wiped out, that would be the perfect funeral for my Myriad Beast Pavilion! Ling Tian, Xia Youchu, Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing, President Li Changfeng... everyone must die!"

Watching the crazed Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng, Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's heart sank. This madman was beyond saving.

But... the temptation of that drop of demon blood was like an invisible hand, tightly gripping his heart.

Peak Quasi-Emperor; he had been stuck at this Realm for three hundred years.

After three hundred years of bitter cultivation, he had touched that barrier, but he had never been able to break through it.

He could feel his vitality slowly slipping away; if there was no opportunity for a Breakthrough, he only had at most two hundred years of Lifespan left.

In two hundred years, he would be just like those old geezers he looked down upon, turning into a handful of dust.

He was not resigned to that!

He wanted to hold power over the court, he wanted to be above ten thousand people, he wanted... eternal life!

And this drop of demon blood was his only hope.

"How can I be guaranteed that you will give me the demon blood after the deed is done? You are currently just a projection, and I don't even know where you are." Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan forced himself to calm down and began to consider the details of the transaction.

"Rest assured, the person behind me is far more powerful than you can imagine." Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng's tone contained a hint of reverence. "This drop of demon blood was bestowed by that Lord. As long as you complete the task, that Lord will naturally deliver it to you in person. What makes you think I am able to communicate with you safely?"

The person behind him? The Abyss Apostles!

This name appeared in Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's mind.

This gave him a whole new understanding of the strength of this organization.

It also made him make up his mind.

Wealth and glory are sought through danger!

"Fine, I agree." A flash of determination crossed Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan's eyes. "I will arrange the secret passages under the Imperial Capital. I need the specific time and the method for the rendezvous."

"Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan is indeed a smart man." Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng's projection revealed a satisfied smile. "At the hour of the Rat three days from now, someone will meet you at the mass grave thirty miles outside the West Gate of the Imperial Capital. You just need to open the secret passage from the mass grave to the Imperial Palace's underground palace before then. Remember, there must be no mistakes in this matter, otherwise, both you and I will die without a burial place."

"When I handle things, you can rest assured." Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan said coldly.

Pavilion Master Gongsun Sheng's projection nodded, then turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

The study returned to silence once again.

Left Prime Minister Ming Shiyuan looked at the empty space in front of him and slowly opened his palm. He felt as if he could already feel that cold, evil, yet infinitely powerful drop of demon blood right in his palm.

A cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

Human Emperor... it is time for someone else to sit in your seat.

...

On the other side, Ling Tian and Xia Youchu, led by Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing, had already arrived outside the Imperial Palace.

Unlike the bustle of the city outside, the first impression the Imperial Palace gave was one of solemnity and majesty. The towering palace walls isolated it from the clamor of the mundane world. Powerful and obscure auras, like a spiderweb, were spread across every corner of the Imperial Palace, monitoring everything.

Ling Tian could feel at least a dozen auras no weaker than Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing's lurking in the shadows.

And this was just the perimeter.

"Good grief, this Imperial Palace is even more exaggerated than the War Beast Association headquarters." Ling Tian muttered to Xia Youchu in his heart. "Just how many experts must there be here?"

"Great Xia's thousands of years of heritage are no small matter." Xia Youchu's tone was very calm, as if she were accustomed to all of this.

The three of them passed through layers of checkpoints and finally arrived in front of a magnificent palace.

"Zichen Hall."

Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing stopped in his tracks, his expression becoming incomparably respectful.

Ling Tian looked up and saw three large characters written in a bold, sweeping calligraphy above the palace gate. An invisible pressure radiated from those three characters, as if a supreme monarch were looking down upon them.

"Go on in. His Majesty the Human Emperor is waiting for you inside." A guard commander in golden armor stepped forward, bowed to Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing, and then looked at Ling Tian and Xia Youchu.

Ling Tian took a step, preparing to enter the palace gate.

Boom—!

An indescribably terrifying pressure, like a celestial river pouring down, instantly descended upon him!

This pressure was more than a thousand, ten thousand times stronger than Quasi-Emperor Bai Jing's Quasi-Emperor pressure!

Under this pressure, Ling Tian felt his massive, three-hundred-and-fifty-meter-tall body was as insignificant as dust.

The Yuan power within his body instantly solidified, and his bones groaned under the unbearable load, as if they would be crushed into powder the next second!

Yuan Emperor!

This was the pressure of a Yuan Emperor powerhouse!

Ling Tian was horrified; he desperately circulated the [Five Elements Destruction Furnace], mobilizing all his strength to resist.

The light on his Star Crystal Armor flickered uncertainly, emitting a series of cracking sounds.

"Hmph!"

A soft grunt sounded in Ling Tian's mind.

That terrifying pressure came quickly and left just as quickly, instantly disappearing without a trace.

Ling Tian gasped for breath, still shaken. In that instant just now, he had truly felt the threat of death.

"Poop-scooper, you were so strong in your past life, how exactly did you die?" Ling Tian couldn't help but ask Xia Youchu in his heart.

The Human Emperor's strength was simply unfathomable. Xia Youchu was stronger than him in her past life; how could she have fallen?

To his surprise, Xia Youchu curled her lip, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"Don't compare Li Xuanyuan, that noob, to me."