340: Clean up the trash

Liang Yun sensed the Powerhouses surrounding her, and an expression of disbelief immediately appeared on her face.

"Yun'er, it's the one behind the scenes who harmed you!"

The Noble Lady wailed loudly and threw herself into her daughter's arms, seemingly wanting to take a blade for her.

The Powerhouses, weapons in hand, slashed directly at the two of them. Streaks of fierce Spiritual Qi instantly caused Liang Yun's heart to turn to ash.

"If you were given a chance to start over, what would you choose?"

Li Haotian let out a long sigh.

With a light snap of his fingers, time instantly froze at that moment.

Li Haotian had only used a very minor Divine Ability of his; he could reverse or pause time for a short duration.

If he were to act, these people would die very easily, but he wanted to know what choice Liang Yun would make now.

"You... what did you do?"

Liang Yun looked at everything before her in stunned silence. Everyone within her sight was frozen; even the trees and various plants as far as she could see remained in the same positions, without the slightest movement.

The water droplets dripping from these people and the ripples still undulating on the lake's surface were also frozen in place, without any change.

Liang Yun rubbed her eyes carefully, and after confirming that everyone was indeed still, she turned to look at Li Haotian with a bewildered expression.

"How is this possible? How on earth did you do it?"

Liang Yun's voice was filled with shock.

Li Haotian did not offer any explanation.

"Time will be reversed to a moment ago. I really want to see what choice you will make. I won't intervene next time; if you die, then so be it."

After saying that, Li Haotian snapped his fingers again. Instantly, the assassins who had just rushed out all vanished back into the lake, and the Emperor changed from having his eyes closed to having them open, continuing to speak the words from before.

"Can you choose to stay?"

He looked at his daughter with a smile, showing none of the previous closed-eyed indifference toward her life or death.

Liang Yun's eyes were still full of shock. Just as she was feeling at a loss, she suddenly felt a numbing sensation on her scalp. This time, he had clearly stated he wouldn't intervene again. If she remained as indifferent as before, she would surely die.

Liang Yun took a deep breath, then lunged forward, pressing the Long Sword in her hand directly against the Emperor's throat.

"Father, I know your strength, but unfortunately, during this period, your daughter's Cultivation has also improved significantly. My Nirvana Peak strength is enough to kill you in an instant!"

Facing a life-or-death crisis, Liang Yun finally made the right choice. Although her Cultivation and Realm were at the Nirvana Peak, she would have certainly died just now when facing the coordinated attack of over a dozen Nirvana Realm Experts.

To fight above one's level, one needs Cultivation Techniques, Magic Treasures, and foundations—none can be missing. But she had nothing now, only her Cultivation Realm.

Therefore, given her current state, it was absolutely impossible for her to fight her way out of the encirclement.

Seeing that she had made the right choice, Li Haotian nodded in satisfaction, a smile appearing on his face.

"Daughter, what is the meaning of this? Why are you holding your Imperial Father hostage?"

The Emperor was clearly surprised, his mouth wide open. He didn't know how she had discovered they were about to act, but he still intended to play dumb and try to bluff his way through.

"You don't need to pretend anymore, Imperial Father. I know you've ambushed a large number of Powerhouses. The moment I answered that I was willing to go to the Immortal Sect, I would be the first one you'd kill."

Tears fell from Liang Yun's eyes; she looked quite aggrieved.

"Do you know, Imperial Father, how much your daughter respected you, how much I loved you? No matter how strong my Cultivation became, I never once thought about taking the throne. I know you favor Eldest Brother."

"I never intended to get involved in this kind of conflict; you forced me!"

"I could have clearly spent my life traveling and practicing outside. Even if I never returned to the Imperial Dynasty, I wouldn't have had any complaints. Yet you sent people to kill me time and time again."

Liang Yun bit her lip hard, her eyes revealing an unprecedented coldness.

"I never wanted to compete for or seize anything. This throne is nothing but a burden to me. Compared to the responsibilities of the throne, I would much rather roam freely among the hills and valleys."

"I didn't even need to come back for the Immortal Sect's test. It was your constant attempts to kill me that forced me to seek refuge within the Immortal Sect."

"Now that I've passed, you still view me as a threat and want to kill me so I can no longer challenge the throne. Your daughter never had such intentions; everything I'm doing now is because you forced me!"

Liang Yun roared hysterically. Hearing her words, the Emperor's expression became troubled.

"It seems you know everything. Your powerful Cultivation not only fails to put your Imperial Father at ease, but it also fails to reassure your Imperial Brother and the entire court of civil and military officials!"

"We didn't want to do this either, but a turbulent Imperial Dynasty cannot bring happiness to its people. We must have a stable dynasty with a single, clear heir."

The Emperor clearly had his own difficulties in doing all this. These were all his children, and seeing them kill each other naturally made him feel very distressed.

"Very good, very good. You've finally made the right choice."

In just a few breaths, Li Haotian had returned his spiritual power to its Peak.

The Divine Ability he used just now was a relatively major Spell; time for everyone within the entire imperial palace had been reversed by nearly thirty seconds.

This had consumed about a quarter of his power, which was now mostly recovered.

"I have actually been testing you all along. You can put down your sword now. Even without it, and without needing to hold your Imperial Father hostage, I can take you away from here safely."

Li Haotian's tone was quite calm as his gaze swept over everyone present.

"I am Li Haotian, the Lord of the Tianxuan Immortal Kingdom. If you are willing, you may become my Disciple now. From now on, follow me, and you will never lack food, drink, or an infinite supply of Cultivation resources."

Li Haotian's words instantly shocked everyone present.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he lightly flicked his finger. The figures in the water flew into the air and instantly turned into clouds of blood mist.

"I've cleared out this trash for you. As for the Crown Prince, you can choose to kill him or leave; it's all up to you."

As Li Haotian's voice fell, a figure appeared beside him. It was the Disciple responsible for the new recruitment, who was now the State Preceptor of this country.

"Disciple greets the Sect Master."

His appearance confirmed Li Haotian's identity.

"So, are you willing to become my Disciple?"