The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 842 A figure descends from the sky
"Your Highness, it's been a long time." The woman in red suddenly chuckled, her tone full of mockery and ridicule.

Zhu Di's pupils suddenly contracted; he recognized the voice—it was…

"Lü Zhi!" Zhu Di said through gritted teeth. He never expected that the woman he had killed with his own hands would reappear in front of him.

"That's right, it's me." Lü Zhi smiled, but her smile was full of sinister and viciousness. "You didn't expect that, did you? I'm back, and I'm even stronger than before."

Zhu Di was filled with anger and fear. He couldn't understand how Lü Zhi had been resurrected and how she had taken over Zhu Xiong Ying's body.

"What exactly do you want?" Zhu Di forced himself to calm down. He knew that now was not the time to panic.

Lü Zhi smiled contemptuously, "What do I want to do? Of course, I want to take back everything that belongs to me, and of course, I want you to pay the price!"

"You think you can take me on?" Zhu Di sneered. Although he was wary of Lü Zhi, he was not afraid of her.

"With me alone," Lü Zhi said firmly, her eyes filled with confidence, "you are no match for me now."

"Is that so? Then let's give it a try!" Zhu Di roared, his inner energy surging, ready to fight Lü Zhi to the death.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the palace, and then a group of soldiers rushed in and surrounded Zhu Di.

"Your Highness, you are surrounded! Surrender now!" the leading soldier shouted.

Zhu Di's face darkened. He hadn't expected that Empress Lü had been prepared all along and had laid an ambush with soldiers in advance.

"Hahaha..." Lü Zhi laughed loudly, her laughter filled with smugness and mockery. "Zhu Di, you've lost, you've lost completely!"

Zhu Di gritted his teeth, his heart filled with resentment and anger, but he knew that the situation was hopeless and he was powerless to reverse it.

Just then, a large hole suddenly appeared in the roof of the palace, and a figure descended from the sky, landing in front of Zhu Di.

"Who dares to touch my father!" The newcomer roared, his voice echoing across the surrounding area; it was Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi's appearance gave the previously despairing Zhu Di a glimmer of hope, and also introduced a twist to Lü Zhi's plans. The outcome of this power struggle remains to be seen…

Inside the palace, the air seemed to freeze, tense and ready to fight. Zhu Xiong Ying slowly stood up, his movements fluid and effortless, ignoring all pressure. His gaze was sharp as a knife, yet also held an exaggerated mockery, as if he were scrutinizing Lü Zhi as if she were a boring toy.

"Oh, isn't this the infamous Empress Lü from history?" Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly grinned, his words full of disdain and provocation. "I've heard you're ruthless and cruel, so what? You're just a dead person, so what if you're resurrected?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Zhi sneered, her eyes surging with murderous intent, and her red robes emanating a terrifying aura even without wind. "Boy, who are you? How dare you speak so presumptuously before me?"

"Who? You're someone even the underworld wouldn't tolerate. Shouldn't you at least find out who I am before you act so arrogantly?" Zhu Xiong Ying brushed non-existent dust off his shoulders, adopting a nonchalant air. "My name is Zhu Xiong Ying, the Divine Martial Emperor, descended from the Great Ming Taizu. Lü Zhi, why don't you kneel down and kowtow to confess your sins?" His tone suddenly rose, exuding domineering power, each word resounding like thunder, causing the palace to tremble slightly.

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

When Zhu Di heard the name "Zhu Xiong Ying," the blood drained from his face, his eyes widened like copper bells, and an indescribable complex emotion surged within him. He stared intently at the man before him, his mind racing, his initial shock fleeting, replaced by a complicated expression.

Zhu Gaochi instinctively gripped his long sword, its sharp edge gleaming coldly, and stared nervously at this "mysterious" "brother."

Lü Zhi instinctively felt uneasy, but she quickly suppressed her discomfort with a cold snort. "What kind of bullshit emperor is he? He's nothing but a boastful madman!" Red light condensed in her hand, transforming into several venomous snake-like energies that suddenly attacked Zhu Xiong Ying.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't even frown. Just as the energy was about to touch him, he put one hand behind his back and simply raised the other hand and waved it lightly. The several extremely strange black and red energy energies instantly turned into green smoke and disappeared without a trace.

"Lü Zhi, Lü Zhi, you dare to show off such a small trick before an expert?" Zhu Xiong Ying clicked his tongue and shook his head, seemingly feeling deep regret for her ignorance. "Let me tell you, I have even defeated the ghosts of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, let alone something as lowly as you."

"How dare you!" Lü Zhi was furious. Her body suddenly blazed with red light, clearly enraged. She then launched an even more ferocious attack on Zhu Xiong Ying.

"Tsk, that's too childish." Zhu Xiong Ying sighed softly, then his figure flashed, and he instantly transformed into a ghostly shadow, appearing behind Lü Zhi in the next moment.

Before Lü Zhi could react, Zhu Xiong Ying lightly tapped a precise acupoint on the back of her neck. In that instant, Lü Zhi froze, collapsing to the ground like a rag doll.

Zhu Xiong Ying flicked his long sleeves and casually tossed Lü Zhi aside, continuing to act nonchalantly, not even bothering to turn his head.

"Didn't I say that?" He turned to Zhu Di, his gaze carrying a hint of mockery and pressure. "Since I am the emperor of this dynasty, then—" He paused abruptly, then grinned again, slowly saying, "Father, aren't you going to thank me?"

Zhu Di's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He gritted his teeth and said, "Zhu Xiong Ying, don't be so presumptuous!"

"Insolence?" Zhu Xiong Ying patted Zhu Di's shoulder and pressed him down with a little force, causing the usually dignified Prince of Yan to bend his knees and almost kneel down.

But Zhu Xiong Ying didn't continue to exert himself; instead, he put on that enigmatic smile again. "Father, don't be angry. We're all family. I was just joking with you. You see, even if I were to become the Empress Dowager, I wouldn't mistreat you, right?"

Zhu Gaochi was so angry at this flippant remark that he almost choked. He knew he shouldn't have interrupted, but faced with such an arrogant cousin (or perhaps brother?), he couldn't help but advise, "Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for speaking like that?"

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately turned around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but he suppressed his anger and walked forward with great interest, patting Zhu Gao Chi's cheek, his tone extremely playful: "Divine retribution? If there is divine retribution, Zhu Xiong Ying will change the taboo on behalf of Heaven, how about it?"

The words had barely left her lips when a thunderous roar suddenly roused the palace. Zhu Xiong Ying's face revealed an even more smug and confident expression. Lü Zhi collapsed to the ground, her breath weak, and suddenly looked up at Zhu Xiong Ying's retreating figure, her gaze filled with a mixture of despair and misery.

(End of this chapter)