Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

The coal ball floated in the air without moving, showing no fear, and just stood there watching Xuan Lin stride closer.

Xuan Lin had only taken two steps forward when the main hall door was suddenly slammed open. The eunuch who rushed in tripped and fell face-first into the palace.

Xuan Lin frowned upon seeing this. Before he could speak, the old eunuch shrieked, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened... General Qi... General Qi has rebelled! Leader Mu Yuyuan is on her way to provide support, and he... he has also fallen into a trap and been captured alive!"

Xuan Lin felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His ears were ringing, and he couldn't hear clearly: "...What?"

"Your Majesty...you must leave quickly...the city gates have been breached, and the army of Sheng Kingdom has already broken through the palace guards and is heading this way!"

The eunuch's voice was hysterical, filled with an obvious tremor. Xuan Lin stared blankly ahead. The palace servants who had been guarding the main hall had long since packed their belongings and fled, leaving Xuan Lin alone in the vast palace.

Xuan Lin's face contorted with rage. He shoved everything off the table and roared, "Get out! Get out! Impossible! This is impossible!"

"The border wasn't breached yesterday, how could the Sheng army have reached the capital today?!" Xuan Lin muttered to himself. He staggered, then suddenly seemed to remember something, abruptly looking up at the sky, "It's you again—"

Xuan Lin grabbed the coal ball and slammed it to the ground. High-intensity electric current emanated from the coal ball, shocking half of Xuan Lin's body until he almost lost consciousness.

Xuan Lin cried out in pain as he tripped over the memorial on the ground and his forehead hit the armrest of the dragon throne.

"Luo Yuxuan." Three Chinese characters slowly appeared on the coal briquette panel. Its voice was mechanical and flat, without a trace of extra emotion, "You've gone too far."

Xuan Lin fell to the ground, and the clamor of soldiers fighting outside drifted in. The sounds poured into Xuan Lin's ears layer by layer, but he seemed not to hear them at all, only staring blankly at the coal ball.

"……What did you say?"

The coal ball didn't say anything more.

“Luo Yuxuan…haha…” Xuan Lin seemed to have been touched on a nerve. He lowered his head and suddenly chuckled softly, “You still remember my name is Luo Yuxuan? I thought you had long forgotten me.”

Xuan Lin stood up, leaning on the table for support. The sounds of clashing weapons outside grew increasingly intense, but he paid no heed. He simply clung tightly to the coal ball's body, his eyes bloodshot and menacing.

"What kind of hellhole did you bring me to?! Tell me, what kind of hellhole did you bring me to?! You left me here all alone, do you know how I've survived these past few years?!"

Luo Yuxuan was not an ancient person. He lived in a technologically advanced metropolis. Although he was not a very wealthy man in his lifetime, he had some money and bought a house in the city center.

He was diligent and hardworking in his previous life, but ultimately died from overwork.

The coal ball brought him into this world. It said it would bring Luo Yuxuan to the pinnacle of his life, it said it would transform Luo Yuxuan into an outstanding individual.

But the result?

Luo Yuxuan had only been here for two or three days when Meiqiu abandoned him. He was illiterate and didn't know anyone. Sometimes he couldn't understand the language spoken by the ancients, and he only dared to stay in his own palace all day.

Xuan Lin's body still contained accumulated death energy, and Luo Yuxuan suffered from illness day and night after entering this body.

The empress wasn't his, nor were his subordinates. The situation in Yue Kingdom was turbulent, and Luo Yuxuan was forced to assume Xuan Lin's identity to deal with the eunuchs. He even faced assassination attempts and his life hung by a thread.

But how did the people around him treat him? Empress Zhaoxian was suspicious of him, and the others were full of scheming, all eager to seize the throne from him.

...Who can help him?

Luo Yuxuan lived in constant fear. After falling into a coma due to a serious illness and then waking up, he saw the person who treated him by his bedside.

He wore a long white jade robe, his skin as white as porcelain. He lowered his gaze to treat Luo Yuxuan's wounds; perhaps from days of exhaustion, there were dark circles under his eyes. Unaware of this, his fingertips lingered on Luo Yuxuan's wrist for a moment before withdrawing, the remaining warmth spreading deeper and deeper into Luo Yuxuan's arm.

"Your Majesty, you're awake?" Upon seeing Luo Yuxuan awaken, the man smiled at him. His thin lips curved slightly, and his eyes sparkled with light.

That scene remained etched in Luo Yuxuan's memory for many years.

If Lan Yu weren't the male lead, Luo Yuxuan might have tried to love him too.

But he happens to be the male lead, and Xuan Lin's lifeless body can only be completely healed by drinking his blood.

They ended up in this predicament because they were never meant to be. The world has isolated them, and Luo Yuxuan has to find a way to survive.

"What kind of hellhole is this?" A mocking laugh came from inside the coal ball.

"Luo Yuxuan, in this godforsaken place, you became emperor without lifting a finger. You live in luxury, enjoying the worship of thousands. I told you everything about this world, and what did you do then? You dare say that what you did to Lan Yu was all forced upon you?!"

"Isn't that right?!" Luo Yuxuan's temples bulged with veins. "Isn't this your fault?! You're the one who ruined me! It's all because of you!"

The coal briquette, crackling with electricity, knocked Luo Yuxuan away and floated into the air, muttering to itself, "Yes...yes...I was wrong..."

"It's all because of me... so I have to correct my mistakes."

Luo Yuxuan scoffed, "What? You want to eliminate me? Let me tell you, I didn't violate any rules, you can't eliminate me!"

The coal stared at it without reacting.

The noise outside grew louder and louder, and soldiers had already rushed into the main hall.

Upon seeing this, Luo Yuxuan immediately changed direction. Xuan Lin had previously built an escape tunnel, so he pressed the hidden button behind the dragon throne and ran straight to the secret passage.

"You can't kill me...you can't kill me...I am the emperor..."

A hidden door in the wall had been moved back, revealing a gap in the secret passage. Luo Yuxuan strode towards it, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead, before suddenly stopping in front of the door.

"...Lanyu?"

Shen Yu was still wearing the palace maid's clothes he had borrowed while hiding. He held a sword in one hand, as if he had been waiting for Xuan Lin for a long time: "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Luo Yuxuan's lips turned white, and his pupils reflected Shen Yu's beautiful face. In a split second or two of mental struggle, he immediately fled in another direction.

"no no……"

The palace has more than one exit; there are many other paths for him.

The folds of Luo Yuxuan's imperial robes were wrinkled, and his crown had long since been tossed aside. His vision was blurry; the light and shadow on the coal ball mingled with purple, and various faces flashed before him, making it almost impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality.

“Xuan Lin… Luo Yuxuan… Xuan Lin…”

Luo Yuxuan staggered forward, the sound of an arrow piercing the air buzzing in his ears for a moment, and he was immediately thrown to the ground of the palace.

The long arrow pierced his chest, and Luo Yuxuan collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. He raised his head, only to find his vision blurred, and the faces of the people entering the hall gradually became indistinct.

“Lan Yu…” Luo Yuxuan chuckled softly, his eyes widening as he tried to make out the figure of the person holding the longbow.

A face as white as jade, phoenix eyes. Strands of jet-black hair catch the eye, thin lips speak softly.

That was the same expression Luo Yuxuan had first seen.

Luo Yuxuan seemed to be trying hard to recall the past, but when he looked to the side, he was startled by the raised scar on the right cheek that looked like a ghost.