Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

The North, an ice city blanketed in snow.

"Has the army been fully mobilized?"

Lang Xiao stroked a jet-black steel sword, his fingers lightly flicking the blade, producing a clear, ringing sound.

The North was cold, and the youngest duke, dressed in layers of fluffy noble fur, appeared even more imposing and tall. His gaze as he looked at the sword in his hand was sharp, as if he were looking forward to the upcoming war.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the assembly is complete." The officer in front of him placed one hand on his chest and respectfully reported, "The 800,000-strong army of extraordinary beings in the Northern Territory is ready to serve you at any time, Your Excellency."

"Very good." Lang Xiao smiled. "You can go now."

The officer withdrew.

Lang Xiao picked up his steel sword and continued to twirl it in his hand.

"It seems you are prepared to pay the price for this war, Duke Wolffly."

A strange, demonic sound rang out.

Lang Xiao's expression changed, and he gripped his steel sword, turning around abruptly: "Who goes there?!"

The masked man slowly walked out.

"It's you?"

Lang Xiao's expression changed. He recognized the man as the same guy from the Dark City press conference and immediately became alert.

He then looked around and was astonished to find that five other mysterious men in black robes wearing masks of different colors had appeared around him and surrounded him!

Lang Xiao found it unbelievable.

'How can it be? ’

'This is his territory. Even a Saint Realm expert couldn't bypass all the guards outside without a sound!'

'When were these people...?'

"...Is there something you need?" Lang Xiao asked, forcing himself to speak.

"Don't you know what's going on with us, Duke of the North?" The masked man said calmly, "An army of 800,000... Your North has mobilized almost its entire army, hasn't it? Do you want to completely crush the South?"

Lang Xiao's cheek twitched slightly.

He didn't know how the news was leaked; how could the Ye family have gotten the information so quickly!

As Lang Xiao looked at the six men in black robes, an invisible sense of oppression enveloped him!

He recalled the press conference in Dark City that day, where those six men in black robes easily killed several werewolf warriors at the Apocalypse Realm...

A good man does not suffer from immediate losses!

"I can explain this."

Lang Xiao took a step back, trying to keep his back against the wall to avoid being completely surrounded: "This is an imperial edict issued by His Majesty the Emperor. I am just following orders, but I don't actually want to start a war. I think we can sit down and have a good talk, or I can contact Ye Ge now and have a good talk with him."

"Oh, no need." The masked man's voice was devoid of emotion: "Duke Wolffly has cooperated with the royal family many times before, suppressing our Ye family both openly and secretly. Our Ye family's business has been hindered at every turn in the northern region, which must have been at your behest, Duke Wolffly, right?"

Lang Xiao: "......"

“So, we don’t trust you,” the masked man said slowly. “It’s probably easier to kill you than to talk to you.”

"!" Lang Xiao gasped.

"Guards! Protectors!! There's an assassin!!!"

Wolf Xiao suddenly shouted loudly.

Unfortunately, no one responded to him.

A soundproof barrier has been erected around him, so even if he screams himself hoarse, no one will come to his rescue.

"Zheng!"

The masked man drew his Shadow Moon Straight Blade, the jet-black blade transforming into a cold gleam as it slashed straight at Lang Xiao's face!

Ye Ge knew very well who could be won over and who needed to be eliminated.

As for Lang Xiao, who had a grudge against the Ye family in the past, he absolutely cannot be allowed to live and must be eliminated completely!

"Ding!"

Lang Xiao raised his sword to parry, and the two weapons clashed and remained locked in a stalemate. The powerful clash of their soul forces stirred up a chilling gust of wind!

Lang Xiao gripped the sword hilt with both hands and unleashed all the soul energy he possessed as a Heavenly Revelation Realm expert.

Snow-white soul power swirled around him.

A thick layer of snow-white frost quickly formed on the surrounding floor.

"Fifth-tier martial art - Heavenly Frost Dawn Break!"

With a roar, Lang Xiao swung his sword to deflect the Shadow Moon Blade, the sword in his hand radiating an astonishing chill as he simultaneously slashed open the black-masked man's body.

Where the sword blade struck, the air seemed to freeze, sending countless shards of ice flying.

The black-masked man's body, however, turned into a wisp of ethereal black mist with a "bang" the moment it was struck by the greatsword, and dissipated into the air.

Lang Xiao was stunned for a moment.

At that moment, two cold glints flashed from his left and right sides simultaneously!

The red-masked man and the white-masked man attacked from both sides simultaneously!

Seeing this, Lang Xiao quickly swung his sword to block again.

Both parries were somewhat awkward and forced. He barely managed to block the attack from the white-masked man on the right with his longsword, but he was an inch too slow to deflect the attack from the red-masked man on the left.

The sharp dagger pierced through his steel armor, which was enhanced with talismans, in an instant, leaving a sharp gash in his abdomen. Blood gushed out from the gash, the hot blood steaming in the cold air.

"Ah!" Lang Xiao let out a miserable cry, gritted his teeth, and knelt down on the ground.

He could feel that the sword had pierced through his spleen!

However, the next wave of attacks arrived immediately.

The yellow-masked man gripped his broadsword with both hands and swung it with a terrifying "whoosh" as it slashed horizontally across Lang Xiao's chest.

With a clang, Lang Xiao's breastplate shattered on the spot, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mist. He was also sent flying backward by the force of the broadsword.

As his body flew through the air, two serrated chain swords swung over, one wrapping around his legs and the other around his neck.

The two chain swords were pulled forcefully to both sides...

"Shua——!!!"

The shadow on the ground showed that Lang Xiao's body looked like a piece of meat torn apart and hung on a butcher's hook...

A bloody rain splashed all over the ground...

......

That night, it wasn't just the three dukes.

The five great generals of the empire: He Jin, Lian Peng, Sun Yi, Tian Wu, and Zhao Wuming.

Each of them was visited one by one by six masked men in black robes...

None of the five generals survived.

They were all killed!

......

That very night, the Qin Empire had silently undergone a complete transformation.

But Long Hai himself was completely unaware of this.

Long Hai led his entourage deep underground into the palace.

Before him stood a massive stone gate cast in bronze, its surface adorned with ancient murals and inscriptions, clearly dating back to a very long time.

Despite the passage of many years, these carved murals remain completely intact, showing no signs of corrosion, which is truly remarkable.

Carved at the very top of the stone gate is a lifelike image of a green dragon! The dragon's head is in the middle of the stone gate, while its body meanders and coils across the entire stone gate, as if it were alive.

The Azure Dragon's body is engraved with seven stars, and its eyes are two azure gems that remain flawless and radiate brilliant light even today, as if watching over everyone who comes here.

Long Hai's eyes gleamed with surprise: "Azure Dragon, I was right..."

The priestess Ji Lian, dressed in pure white, followed slowly behind him, her head slightly raised as she gazed at the towering stone gate before her.

“Priestess Ji Lian,” Long Hai glanced back and asked, “In your opinion, is this door the true entrance to the underground palace?”

Ji Lian calmly replied, "Yes."

Long Hai grinned.

Ji Lian then said, "However, I do not recommend opening this door."

Long Hai raised an eyebrow: "Why is that?"

Ji Lian said, "No one has ever entered the mausoleum of the First Emperor. Legend has it that the remains and soul of the ancient sacred beast are buried deep in the underground palace, buried in the same place as the First Emperor's remains. Since the First Emperor hid the entrance so well, he probably did not want future generations to open it easily. If we enter now without permission, we may suffer a great disaster."

Long Hai said, "Legend? Don't you possess great prophetic abilities? Can't you foresee what's inside this imperial mausoleum?"

Ji Lian shook her head slightly: "My divine magic lost its effect after entering this underground palace."

"Oh?" Long Hai was even more curious: "Even divine power will lose its effect?"

"Yes."

“But then again, you still don’t know what’s in this underground palace.” Long Hai looked up at the majestic and imposing azure dragon pattern on the stone wall: “My father had many legendary treasures that were astonishing, including some of them of red or even gold quality. But after he passed away, I couldn’t find a single one in his residence.”

Long Hai believed that these legendary treasures must have been buried in the imperial mausoleum along with his father!

"Since the priest cannot know what is inside, it means you don't know what dangers lie within either, right?" Long Hai asked again.

Ji Lian paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."

"In my opinion, anything of value comes with risk when you try to get it." Long Hai sneered. "Back then, I wasn't favored by my father. He wouldn't tell me any secrets except my elder brother. His imperial mausoleum was secretly built over three hundred years, and it's said that the investment was even greater than the construction of the Great Wall! You can imagine that this is definitely not an ordinary mausoleum. But every time I ask about the imperial mausoleum, even just mentioning it briefly, he scolds me with a stern face."

Ji Lian: "..."

“My dear father… what are you hiding from me? Today I can finally find out.”

"Somebody come!"

Long Hai raised his hand and pointed at the stone door: "Open this stone door for me, but absolutely do not damage the dragon carving on it!"

"This is!"

Several earth-elemental extraordinary beings stepped forward, clasped their hands together, and began to cast spells.

"Second-tier magic - Earth Flow!"

Ji Lian watched silently from the side, without saying anything more.

About half an hour later.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The massive stone gate slowly opened.

Dirt and dust seeped out from the cracks in the door like mist.

The eyes of the Azure Dragon on the stone gate resembled jade, or perhaps they were not ordinary jade; even in the darkest underground place, they still shimmered with a blue light.

Long Hai narrowed his eyes: "I didn't expect it to be this easy?"

Inside the door was clearly a huge, dark underground space. After the dust settled, it was clear from the outside that there was a large hall inside, with a tall and imposing stone statue of a soldier at the entrance.

The terracotta warrior statue is three meters tall, clad in heavy black armor, and holds a four-meter-long halberd in its right hand. It faces the stone gate entrance, like a guardian deity stationed here.

Long Hai hesitated for a moment.

My father is always careful and cautious in his actions.

He has invested so many years in this place, especially since he has dedicated so many years to it.

It is absolutely fraught with danger.

Long Hai turned his head and looked at the more than one hundred soldiers and guards following behind him.

"You guys, go in and take a look first."

He casually pointed to a few guards.

"...Yes." The guards went inside as ordered.

Several guards braced themselves and cautiously entered the underground palace.

As soon as they took the first step, the entire underground palace began to shake violently.

From the depths of the underground palace, a deafening and soul-chilling dragon roar suddenly resounded!

Everyone was startled and panicked, not knowing what had happened.

Long Hai staggered a few steps, nearly falling while leaning against the wall, and couldn't help but curse, "These idiots, what mechanism did they trigger!"

"boom!"

The heavily armored stone statue warrior suddenly came to life!

It happened almost without warning.

The heavily armored mercenary warrior swiftly swung his halberd, unleashing a sweeping attack that could shatter a thousand troops!

The upper and lower bodies of those guards were instantly and neatly sliced ​​apart horizontally! As easily as tofu being cut open!

Screams filled the air, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere!

A lot of bits of meat splattered onto Long Hai and the others!

"boom!"

The mercenary heavy armor warrior swung his long halberd in a spin, then stomped his heavy armor boots on the ground, and his entire massive body leaped high into the air!

Long Hai's eyes widened, his dilated pupils reflecting the image of heavily armored mercenaries raising their long halberds and slashing at him head-on...

......

A distant land of foreign tribes.

An unnamed fortress.

"Lord Night Owl! There is a letter for you!"

A soldier jogged up and handed him a letter.

"Oh?" Night Owl took the letter and saw the Night family crest printed on the seal.

It was clearly a letter from Yege.

This place is far from human territory, and there are no human signal base stations, so there is no signal from the watches. Intelligence can only be transmitted through the Dragonhawk Messenger.

And since Night Owl left eight years ago, he naturally didn't install the Deep Blue system.

Night Owl tore open the letter, spread out the paper, smoothed out the creases, quickly glanced at the contents, and then smiled.

"Hey... I see, so this kid is going to marry Long Ying."

After reading it, the owl turned to the back of the letter.

After reading the contents on the back, the smile in Night Owl's eyes gradually faded, and his expression became serious, more serious and earnest than ever before.

"The Azure Dragon..."