373: Xuan'er, the person in the palace is not your father!

Chapter 367: Lu Xuan, that person in the palace is not your Imperial Father!

Lu Xuyang writhed on the ground like a dead dog, his two legs completely twisted and deformed, and his luxurious dark yellow python robe soaked in blood.

Lu Xuan put away his Dragon Tail Whip, his eyes as cold as ice.

When he turned to walk towards the Sky Prison, the originally arrogant Imperial Guards uniformly made way, not daring to even breathe loudly.

And on the ground, Lu Xuyang, twitching, had more than just pain in his eyes… it was an indescribable fear.

He finally realized that the one he had provoked was no longer the foolish and lustful Crown Prince he once knew…

“Grandmother, please rise.”

Lu Xuan lightly flicked the sleeve of his crimson-purple dragon robe, and a soft golden stream of light rippled out like gentle water.

Peng Old Madam felt a warm power gently lift her up.

All the Peng Family members behind her also stood up involuntarily.

Chen Denglou and the other generals then awoke as if from a dream, hastily kneeling on one knee, the clanging of their armor echoing: “Your humble general greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

The sound waves shook the heavens, but Lu Xuan merely waved his hand casually.

His gaze, like lightning, swept over the kneeling Imperial Guards, finally landing on the dark entrance of the Sky Prison.

“Lead the way.”

“I want to see…”

Lu Xuan’s voice was light, yet it made everyone’s heart clench: “What great crime did Grandfather commit to warrant Imperial Father being so… ostentatious.”

As the last word fell, the heavy iron gate of the Sky Prison in front suddenly opened with a “boom.”

It was as if even this gloomy prison was submitting to the Crown Prince of the Wenjing Dynasty…

Upon seeing this, Chen Denglou’s burly body trembled, and the color instantly drained from his old face beneath his golden visor.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s simple words seemed to contain supreme pressure, making him, an old veteran of many battles, involuntarily straighten his back.

“Your humble general… obeys!”

Chen Denglou responded with a trembling voice, his golden combat boots clanging as they clicked together.

Chen Denglou took a deep breath, and as he turned to lead the way, his golden armor plates clanged crisply.

He knew better than anyone—this action of his was tantamount to openly defying the imperial decree!

But facing this Crown Prince, who had suddenly displayed heaven-defying Martial Dao cultivation, he couldn't even muster a hint of resistance.

“Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, please follow your humble general…”

Chen Denglou’s voice was respectful, almost reverent.

He carefully lagged half a step behind, his back bent into a humble arc.

This subtle change in posture caused everyone present to tremble in their hearts.

One must know that just half an hour ago, this iron-blooded general was strictly enforcing His Majesty’s prohibition!

Lu Xuan stepped forward with an indifferent expression; the patrolling jailers and soldiers had already knelt on the ground, not daring to even lift their heads.

Throughout the land, the only one who could make soldiers willingly defy the Emperor’s command was probably this unfathomable Crown Prince…

Peng Old Madam’s cloudy eyes immediately misted over the moment she saw Lu Xuan.

Her wrinkled hands tightly clutched her clothes; this old woman, who had experienced much hardship, now resembled a helpless child, tears rolling down her deeply lined cheeks.

“Xuan’er…”

She tremblingly called out this affectionate address, her voice so choked that it was almost inaudible.

The Peng Family members behind her also had red eyes—they had experienced too much despair in these past days.

When Grandfather Peng Lie was suddenly thrown into the Sky Prison, the first person they thought of was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who carried the Peng Family bloodline.

But who would have thought…

“Xuan Ge, we couldn’t even enter the palace gates!”

The Peng Family’s eldest son clenched his fists, making cracking sounds, his eyes bloodshot, “Those damned Imperial Guards said something about not having His Majesty’s imperial decree…”

Let alone entering the East Palace!

The Peng Family’s daughters-in-law were also sobbing, and the infants in their arms, seemingly sensing their mothers’ sorrow, also began to cry.

Peng Old Madam recalled those humiliating days—they knelt outside the palace gates daily, yet couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince’s clothes.

The cold, hard swords and spears of the Imperial Guards, the towering shadows of the palace walls, and the mocking gazes of the officials… everything was like an inescapable nightmare.

Only now, looking at her grandson, who was as reliable as a mountain, did Peng Old Madam finally dare to cry out loud.

All the grievances, fears, and despair poured out with her tears.

She tremblingly reached out, wanting to touch Lu Xuan’s clothes, yet fearing it was all an illusion…

A faint golden light flickered in Lu Xuan’s eyes as he gently held his grandmother’s withered hand.

The warm touch made Peng Old Madam tremble—it was real!

Her grandson, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xuan’er, had truly come!

Just as Lu Xuan and his party were about to step into the deepest part of the Sky Prison, a fawning conversation drifted from the end of the dark passage.

“Grandfather, this is aged Huadiao wine our boss specially brought for you…”

“And this freshly braised beef, please try it while it’s hot, old sir…”

Several jailers were seen bowing, carefully passing food boxes into a specially made cell.

Their faces were plastered with ingratiating smiles, completely different from their usual fierce demeanor.

“You’ve been thoughtful.”

Peng Lie’s hoarse but still robust voice came from the cell, “Tell your warden, if this old man can get out alive one day…”

Peng Lie’s calloused fingers gently caressed the brocade cushion the jailer had just brought, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

If not for the lingering prestige of his good grandson, the Crown Prince, who in this dark prison would remember him, “Grandfather”?

“Grandfather, this is freshly brewed Cloud Mist Tea…”

“Old sir, try if this goose-down quilt is warm enough?”

The jailers’ fawning voices rose and fell, forming a stark contrast to the usual screams and wails in the Sky Prison.

Peng Lie knew clearly in his heart—these normally fierce wardens were so attentive now simply because they feared his grandson, the Crown Prince of the Wenjing Dynasty.

“Hmph…”

The old general snorted softly, his gaze piercing through the narrow air vent of the cell, as if he could see the direction of the Imperial Palace.

He understood these people’s intentions too well: as long as the Crown Prince didn’t fall, they wouldn’t dare to completely wipe out the Peng Family.

After all, no one knew who would sit on the dragon throne tomorrow…

Just then, a series of clear footsteps came from outside the prison passage, and all the jailers suddenly stiffened.

They turned back in horror, only to find a crimson-purple figure at the end of the passage, appearing out of nowhere.

The five-clawed golden dragon on his robe, illuminated by the torchlight, was coldly staring at them.

“His… His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”

The leading jailer’s knees went weak, and the food box in his hand clattered to the ground.

The fragrant braised beef and fine wine spilled everywhere, steaming on the cold ground.

Inside the cell, Peng Lie heard this and suddenly looked up, his chains rattling. When he saw who had come through the bars,

This unyielding Martial Dao Grandmaster suddenly had red eyes: “Xuan… Xuan’er?”

This call instantly softened Lu Xuan’s cold gaze.

He slowly stepped forward; with each step he took, the jailers trembled and recoiled a step, finally collapsing to the ground.

“Grandfather…”

Lu Xuan’s voice was very soft, yet it made Peng Lie tremble all over.

Peng Lie’s bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at his grandson, then he suddenly laughed up at the sky: “Good! Good! Grandfather knew… you would definitely come!”

Memories flooded back like a tide, and Peng Lie’s wrinkled eye corners twitched slightly.

That day had been an ordinary day until a secret imperial decree suddenly came from the palace.

Peng Lie, relying on his peak Martial Dao Grandmaster cultivation and his status as the Grandfather, didn’t think much of it and stepped into the palace gates without hesitation.

Could that ruthless Emperor really devour me, his old father-in-law?

But as Peng Lie had just stepped onto the jade steps of the Purple Gold Hall, an unprecedented chill instantly shot from the soles of his feet straight to his head!

Emperor Zhenwu, seated in the hall, his once familiar face, was now twisted beyond human recognition.

Bluish-black blood vessels writhed beneath his pale skin, and his eyes constantly gleamed with an eerie, phosphorescent green.

“Your… Majesty?”

Peng Lie’s Gale Force instantly stagnated; his peak Martial Dao Grandmaster cultivation melted like ice and snow before this chilling aura.

He tried to raise his hand, but found his fingers stiff as iron; he tried to circulate the incomparably fiery Gale Force within his body, but all his meridians seemed to be frozen by ten thousand years of ice.

“Peng Lie, you old scoundrel…”

Emperor Zhenwu on the dragon throne let out a non-human roar at that moment, and his withered, claw-like hand grabbed through the air.

Peng Lie felt a sharp pain in his chest; his lifelong supreme Gale Force was forcibly frozen.

In an instant, he went from a lofty Martial Dao Grandmaster to a useless person, worse than a mortal.

“Boom!”

When Peng Lie fell heavily outside the hall, the last thing he saw was Emperor Zhenwu’s inhuman, sinister grin…

Peng Lie’s pupils suddenly constricted; that sentence from his memory, like a poisoned ice pick, pierced his heart again!

“Peng Lie, remember this for Us.”

Emperor Zhenwu slowly rose from the dragon throne; each step he took caused the temperature in the hall to plummet.

His pale fingers squeezed Peng Lie’s throat, his voice sounding as if from the Nine Nether Hells.

“As long as We live for one day, there can only be one will in this world…”

“And that is Ours!”

“This is the true Supreme Sovereign, the Lord of All Under Heaven!”

The last four words exploded like thunder, making Peng Lie’s eardrums bleed.

Emperor Zhenwu’s hand tightened further, his nails already digging into Peng Lie’s flesh: “Peng Lie, you and the Peng Family have crossed the line.”

Those eyes, glowing with an eerie green, were so close that Peng Lie could even see the non-human vertical pupils within them: “Confess your sins, and We can spare the Peng Family from death…”

“Otherwise…”

The unspoken words contained a threat more terrifying than death.

Peng Lie remembered to this day that when Emperor Zhenwu spoke, his mouth had split into a non-human arc.

That was simply not how wide a human mouth could open!

Recalling this, Peng Lie slammed his iron fist against the prison wall. His eyes were filled with monstrous rage.

That was not his son-in-law! And definitely not the Emperor of the Wenjing Dynasty!

Inside the cell, Peng Lie suddenly coughed violently, his chains rattling.

He stared fixedly at his visiting grandson, his eyes a mix of shock, anger, and fear: “Xuan’er… that is not your Imperial Father! Absolutely not!”

“You must not enter the palace!!!”

Peng Lie’s loss of composure startled everyone present.

Chen Denglou and the other generals immediately knelt down, their foreheads pressed firmly against the cold ground.

Such treasonous words, if they reached His Majesty’s ears… they simply couldn’t imagine the consequences!

“Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Your humble general heard nothing!”

Chen Denglou’s voice trembled, his old face beneath the golden visor ashen.

Lu Xuan, however, remained calm, merely raising his sleeve and waving it!

With a dragon’s roar, a golden dragon phantom emerged in response; wherever its dragon claws passed, the steel-forged cell door shattered like paper.

The shackles on Peng Lie’s body instantly turned to dust, leaving not a trace.

“Grandfather…”

Lu Xuan took a step forward to support the tottering old man, golden light flowing in his eyes: “Do you think, with how I am now… is there anything I would fear?”

This sentence was light, yet it made the temperature of the entire Sky Prison drop sharply.

The soldiers kneeling on the ground suddenly realized.

This Crown Prince before them seemed to have… transcended the realm of mortals!

Golden light flowed in Lu Xuan’s eyes; in fact, he had already seen through everything the moment he stepped into the Imperial City.

The ominous black clouds coiling above the Imperial Palace were invisible to ordinary people, but they could not escape his eyes.

The decaying aura emanating from “Emperor Zhenwu” was like a beacon in the night to Lu Xuan’s perception.

That was clearly a body already corroded by an evil entity!

“A ghostly thing close to a Terrestrial Immortal? Heh…” A cold sneer played on Lu Xuan’s lips.

If it had been him half a month ago, he might have been wary, but now…

Lu Xuan lightly clenched his fist; the golden dragon 紋 that appeared in his palm pulsed with world-destroying power.

Those sinister energies, which seemed terrifying to ordinary people, were merely nutrients awaiting harvest in his eyes.

“Grandson…”

Peng Lie keenly noticed Lu Xuan’s change; his withered hand suddenly clutched his sleeve, “Have you already reached this stage?”

“How is this possible!”

Lu Xuan did not answer, merely injecting a stream of pure golden Dragon Qi into Peng Lie’s body.

Peng Lie immediately felt a warm current surge through his body, and his frozen Gale Force instantly returned to its original state.

His body suddenly erupted with red-hot Gale Force, and a violent heatwave swept through the entire Sky Prison, illuminating the cold cells like a furnace.

Unable to control himself, Peng Lie roared up at the sky in front of everyone, his voice like a tiger’s roar, shaking the surrounding stone walls and causing dust to fall.

“Hahahaha—!”

Peng Lie laughed heartily, his grizzled hair and beard dancing wildly in the crimson Gale Force.

His cloudy old eyes were now shining brightly, and his wrinkled face regained color at a visible speed.

His withered body was like a dead tree coming back to life, muscles bulging again, stretching his ragged prison uniform taut.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Peng Lie said “good” three times, each resounding enough to shake the ground. He suddenly clenched his fist, and crimson Gale Force splattered between his fingers, transforming into fiery lotus flowers.

This old general, who once awed the frontier, had finally regained his peerless peak Martial Dao Grandmaster cultivation!

Chen Denglou and the others were already dumbfounded.

They had witnessed this old Grandfather transform from a dying prisoner to the formidable peak Martial Dao existence he once was in an instant!

“Grandfather, rest assured.”

Lu Xuan slowly turned to look in the direction of the Imperial Palace: “I have my own arrangements!”

“Xuan’er…”

Peng Lie suddenly sobered, his fiery Gale Force transforming into a crimson tiger coiling around him.

He looked solemnly towards the Imperial Palace, his eyes filled with surging battle intent: “This time, Grandfather will accompany you to kill our way in!”

As soon as his voice fell, the bluestone beneath Peng Lie’s feet exploded, and he himself shot towards the Sky Prison exit like an arrow from a bow.

Wherever he passed, the cell doors and iron bars melted into molten iron!