83: Chapter 83 A Shocking Change in Tianyu City: The Dragon Guards Appear!

The day after Lu Tiancheng left the Great Qian Imperial Palace.

On the vast grassland leading from the Imperial Study's secret passage, atop two stone pillars that reached into the clouds, two figures—one clad in black and one in white—simultaneously opened their eyes.

"Tiancheng has been gone for a whole day," the old man in white robes spoke slowly. "Given his strength, he shouldn't have encountered any problems. Why hasn't he returned yet?"

The old man in black robes couldn't help but frown. "Big Brother, do you think something might have actually happened to him?"

"Perhaps I should go out and check. At this critical time, we cannot afford for any accidents to happen." The old man in black robes rose slowly, and the space around him began to distort slightly.

"Hmm, it would be good for you to go." The old man in white robes nodded slightly, only saying, "If you truly encounter something difficult to resolve, return quickly."

"Very well." As soon as the old man in black robes finished speaking, his figure transformed into a streak of black light, appearing in the sky outside the palace in an instant.

He stood in mid-air, his black robes motionless in the wind, his gaze overlooking the endless expanse of Tianyu City.

Afterward, he muttered a few words in a language that could not be understood.

A golden thread suddenly appeared from within his hair and slowly drifted in front of him.

"Go!"

With a thought, the golden thread flew rapidly toward the location of the Duke Zhen Mansion.

Seeing this, the old man in black robes also quickly followed.

However, after circling for a few moments above the ruins of the Duke Zhen Mansion, the golden thread turned directly and flew rapidly toward the outside of the city.

The old man in black robes did not hesitate, transforming into black light to follow closely.

The golden thread moved at an extremely high speed, skimming over wilderness and mountain ridges, finally stopping above the valley where Xia Jin and Lu Tiancheng had previously fought.

"Hmm? Could Tiancheng be here?" A flash of doubt crossed the eyes of the old man in black robes as he looked down.

The valley, originally shrouded in mist, was now nothing but scorched earth. Large swathes of mountain forest had been razed to the ground by a terrifying force.

On the ground, there appeared a massive, bottomless crater over ten zhang in diameter.

"This is... the power of thunder? How overbearing!" The old man in black robes floated down to the edge of the large crater. He slowly crouched down, his gaze fixed intently on a metal fragment embedded in the soil at the crater's edge, where electric arcs occasionally flickered across its surface. His pupils couldn't help but constrict.

"To be able to manipulate the power of thunder, even within the Land Immortal Realm, very few people can accomplish this!" A vague sense of foreboding grew in his heart.

The old man in black robes extended his withered right hand and pressed it against the ground. Ripples spread out from his palm in all directions.

After a few moments, the ripples slowly retracted.

The old man in black robes abruptly withdrew his palm, his expression, previously only shocked, instantly turning grim.

"Tiancheng... has actually died?!" He stood up slowly, the heaven-shaking murderous intent directly churning the dark clouds above, causing them to roll outward like a vortex.

"Who exactly has the strength to kill Tiancheng? In the entire Central Region, although those two stubborn old Taoists from the Lieyang Dynasty could defeat Tiancheng, it would be absolutely impossible for them to keep him here. Besides, this is only a few hundred miles from Tianyu City. Even if he encountered both of them working together, he would have had enough strength to hold out until he returned to Tianyu City to call for reinforcements!"

"I must return immediately to inform Big Brother and make preparations early!" The old man in black robes swept a glance around, and his figure instantly vanished from the valley.

...

And just one hour after he vanished,

deep within the Great Qian Imperial Palace,

hundreds of figures dressed in dark black robes and wearing ghost-face masks walked directly out of the Great Qian Imperial Palace.

The Dragon Guard, the most elite and mysterious existence of the Great Qian Dynasty. Even the previous Great Qian Emperor, Emperor Lu Hao, only knew of their existence.

And the only ones who could truly command them were the original Lu Tiancheng and those two existences in the Land Immortal Realm.

...

Inside the Crown Prince's Mansion at this moment, the original great hall had been renovated, and a dragon throne, identical to the one in the Imperial Study, had been placed upon a high platform.

Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou, dressed in his own imitation dragon robes, sat grandly upon that dragon throne, his face filled with triumph.

"Your Majesty!" A general with a full, bushy beard was the first to cup his fists, looking at Lu Chenzhou and saying, "Now that the old emperor has vanished without a trace, the entire imperial court is without a leader; this is a heaven-sent opportunity! With the military power you hold, Your Majesty, you only need to give the order, and the one hundred thousand troops of the 'Black Cloud' and 'Gale' armies stationed three hundred miles outside Tianyu City can arrive at the city gates within a day and take control of the entire Tianyu City!"

Another general with somewhat prominent cheekbones also took a step forward: "General Li is right! The Imperial Guards within the palace are under our command; when the time comes, we will coordinate from within and without, and your ascension to the throne, Your Majesty, will be just around the corner!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Hearing the flattery of his subordinates, Lu Chenzhou couldn't help but laugh loudly: "All you generals are my trusted ministers. Once I truly secure this empire, you will all be credited with founding the new dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"What? A mere Crown Prince, and you have already started playing the role of Emperor?"

A mocking laugh came from outside.

Immediately following this, with a loud "Boom," the two palace doors were kicked off their hinges and smashed into the two pillars in front of Lu Chenzhou!

"Who goes there!?"

Seven figures dressed in dark black robes and wearing ghost-face masks were seen slowly stepping into the hall from the darkness.

The leader sneered as he looked at the so-called 'Dragon Throne' where Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou sat.

"Insolence!"

"Insolence!"

The five generals in the hall simultaneously drew the sabers at their waists, blocking the path between those people and Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou. Lu Chenzhou's face on the dragon throne turned livid, his eyes staring gloomily at the newcomers.

"Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou has secretly colluded with people from the Lieyang Dynasty, privately mobilized border troops, plotted treason, and disrupted the imperial order. According to the Great Qian Ancestral Law, you are to be thrown into the celestial prison immediately, awaiting trial and execution!"

The leading Dragon Guard pointed at Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou, then waved his hand, signaling him to come down.

"What kind of things are you! How dare you... you hidden-headed, tail-concealing things, try to command me?" Lu Chenzhou slowly stood up from the dragon throne. "Kill them!"

"Understood!" The five generals, already unable to restrain themselves, charged toward the seven Dragon Guards from different directions like five tigers released from their cages!

"A bunch of idiots!!" A flash of murderous intent crossed the eyes of the leading Dragon Guard, and his right hand, gripping his long saber, moved slightly.

A bright blade light flashed and vanished.

Fast! Indescribably fast!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Five slight slicing sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

The next moment, five heads fell neatly onto the ground.

Five kills!?

"Mere trash at the first level of the Xiaoyao Heavenly Realm dare to make a move in front of this captain!?"

Lu Chenzhou's eyes narrowed; he had not expected that these five generals under his command could not even last a single round against the opponent.

"Do you want to come with me obediently, or are you prepared for me to break your legs and drag you away by force!?" The captain of the Dragon Guards picked up a piece of cloth from the ground, wiping the blood from his long saber while looking at Crown Prince Lu Chenzhou with a half-smile.

"Hmph! Do you really think you've got me cornered? You two! Make your move!" Lu Chenzhou suddenly shouted fiercely toward the massive screen behind the dragon throne.

Almost at the same moment his voice fell.

"Clang!" "Clang!"

Two sword rings suddenly sounded from behind him!