Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Looking at the madman so close to him, who had the same face as his wife but whose expression was almost distorted, Shen Lang felt no emotion whatsoever.

Instead, she felt a strong sense of nausea and wanted to raise her hand and slap her.

"Um……"

The Celestial Venerable took a deep breath, licked the blood from his lips, and slowly reached out to touch Shen Lang's cheek.

Shen Lang took a step back, instantly thwarting the Celestial Venerable's intentions.

Why are you avoiding me?

"Is it because you are dissatisfied with my good looks?"

The Celestial Venerable was curious about Shen Lang's behavior, and his hand, which was held in mid-air, never fell down.

Shen Lang did not answer, but simply shook his head, his eyes showing a calm understanding.

"presumptuous!"

The Celestial Venerable seemed to be enraged by Shen Lang's attitude, and took another half step closer to Shen Lang, as if to grab his neck.

Shen Lang instinctively put his hands behind his waist, trying to pull out a dagger to fight back.

But upon touching it, he realized that the dagger had not been removed after it was plunged into Loulan's body that night.

Just as the Celestial Venerable's blood-red hand was about to grab his throat, Shen Lang stepped on the wind and quickly retreated three steps away.

"Hahaha."

Unexpectedly, the Celestial Venerable, having failed, let out a ferocious laugh.

"What superb skills! No wonder he is the husband of the Empress of Great Chu, the mighty Shen Lang who commands respect throughout the north and south!"

Xue Wuying hurriedly said, "Heavenly Venerable, Shen Lang was wronged by the Empress of Great Chu, and he has come to join us in resisting this time."

As he spoke, he gave Shen Lang a meaningful smile.

"Ah."

The Celestial Venerable responded, completely ignoring Xue Wuying's words. He simply kept casting greedy glances at Shen Lang, as if admiring a long-awaited toy.

After a brief moment of silence, she turned around and went straight back to the dragon throne.

"Tell me, how do you plan to start this uprising?"

Qi Yinshang hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, the generals in various parts of the North are quite dissatisfied with the court's reforms, saying that the Empress's actions are perverse and reactionary."

We must not allow her to continue her reckless behavior. We are willing to obey the Heavenly Venerable's orders, cross the river together, storm the capital, and welcome the Heavenly Venerable to the throne.

Shen Lang was startled upon hearing this.

If warlords in various parts of the north were to rise up, it would surely lead to widespread suffering and death.

This is also a drawback of the new law, which seriously infringes on the interests of the conservative forces, making a backlash inevitable.

What was unexpected was how quickly the reversal happened, as if it had been premeditated.

The warlords in the north, excluding the border troops of Bingzhou, could easily muster 600,000 troops to launch a rebellion in the shortest possible time.

We must find a way to break this deadlock before the situation gets out of control and minimize the losses to an acceptable level.

Shen Lang quickly began to review more than a dozen plans in his mind.

Divide, sow discord, win over, launch a full-scale attack, and sweep through...

Which plan is most beneficial to me?

"Are the generals in the north truly willing to acknowledge me as emperor, or are they merely forced by circumstances?"

The Heavenly Venerable's words echoed coldly in the hall.

At this moment, Bai Tianyu of Xuantian Sect stood up and said, "Heavenly Venerable, regardless of what the generals of the Northern Lands may think, the most urgent task is..."

The first step is to dethrone the Empress of Great Chu. The court and sects should cooperate closely, not be enemies.

I believe that once the Heavenly Venerable ascends the throne and restores the ancestral system, the generals from all regions will certainly give you their full support.

"Ha ha……"

The Celestial Venerable gently patted the head beside the dragon throne with his jade hand, letting out a cruel laugh.

"I am not worried that these good-for-nothings may have any other intentions, nor do I care whether I can become the emperor of the Great Chu."

I simply want to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me. Jiang Mengxuan stole the throne that rightfully belonged to me, and I should take it back.

What belongs to me, I may not need, but I cannot steal!

A gust of cold wind followed the Heavenly Venerable's words, emanating from his body and causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.

"The Immortal Realm?"

Shen Lang frowned, not expecting that this Celestial Venerable's cultivation level was so high.

Judging from the true essence she just released, she is at least in the late stage of the Immortal Realm.

tricky!

"The Heavenly Venerable's succession to the throne was in accordance with the will of Heaven. The Empress of Great Chu is ungrateful and cannot be compared with the Heavenly Venerable."

Qi Yinshang kept spouting flattering words, making the Heavenly Venerable beam with delight.

Chu Youwei and Qingxuan Daogu stared at that all-too-familiar face, but remained stunned for a long time.

She really looks like Jiang Mengxuan.

The Heavenly Venerable said, “In a few days, I will raise an army to cross the river, but before that, there is one more thing that needs to be taken care of.”

Suddenly, she changed the subject and looked at Xue Wuying: "Sect Leader Xue, I really want to know who was secretly plotting the destruction of the various sects in Liuzhou. Haven't you found out yet?"

Xue Wuying hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have no idea who did this."

He glanced at Shen Lang and continued, "However, not long after Shen Lang came to my Qingyi Sect for refuge..."

The imperial troops arrived suddenly; everything happened so unexpectedly that my Green Robe Sect was completely unprepared.

"Oh?"

The Celestial Venerable murmured softly, looking at Shen Lang: "Did you do it? If so, then admit it. I won't blame you, hehehe—"

Laughter brimming with murderous intent filled the entire hall, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe.

All eyes were once again focused on Shen Lang.

"Ah……"

After a long while, Shen Lang chuckled softly and shook his head.

"This is a clumsy attempt to frame someone; it's too low-level."

One sentence made Xue Wuying frown.

At this moment, Daoist Qingxuan spoke up: "Shen Lang, you'd better confess honestly before the Heavenly Venerable. Did you collude with the imperial court to harm my martial arts sects?"

Don't forget, everyone, it was Shen Lang who orchestrated the Heavenly Dao Sect's submission to the Great Chu Dynasty; he's the prime suspect.

Shen Lang countered, "So what?"

Qingxuan Daoist nun was furious: "You are utterly loyal to the Empress of Great Chu!"

How could she turn against you overnight without investigating? You must have secretly tipped her off.

"It must be you who caused such a great loss to our fellow Daoists in the South. Admit it now!"

"Where's the evidence?"

Shen Lang answered calmly, saying, "No matter how much you keep babbling on, I only have one sentence to say."

Chu Youwei couldn't help but say, "What a coincidence!"

Why did the sects across the south face a joint crackdown by government troops the moment you appeared in Liuzhou?

"Where's the evidence?"

Shen Lang was too lazy to even argue with people, and simply repeated what he had said before.

Upon seeing this, Bai Tianyu also spoke up: "Heavenly Venerable, back then my beloved disciple Mu Changge participated in the selection of a husband in the capital, but unexpectedly, he lost his life in the end."

An investigation has revealed that Shen Lang is also involved in this matter. Please, Heavenly Venerable, do not trust him; he might be a spy sent by the Empress.

The Celestial Venerable looked at Shen Lang: "Shen Lang, what do you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?" Shen Lang retorted. "It was I who suggested that the imperial court control the martial arts world, and now everyone in the martial arts world hates me to the core."

Any explanation is futile; just dump the blame on me directly.

Celestial Venerable: "You mean you're innocent?"

"Heh, I almost died at the Empress's hands. The sword was only three inches away from piercing my heart. Who can act so realistically?"

"This will not clear your name; you must provide more compelling evidence."

"There is evidence, but would you believe it?"

Shen Lang stared intently at the Heavenly Venerable, his gaze unwavering.

The Heavenly Venerable said, "Then take it out. As long as it satisfies me, I will spare your life."

"Thank you so much."

Shen Lang bowed slightly to the Heavenly Venerable in thanks.

Just as he stood up, he suddenly shifted his feet and used his ultimate movement technique to rush straight towards Xue Wuying.

"you……"

puff-

The moment Xue Wuying came to her senses, she felt a sharp pain in her neck.

When you touch it, it's covered in blood.

But Shen Lang, who was passing by him, was holding a bamboo slip in his hand.

Blood was still dripping from the tip of the bamboo slip.

"you--"

Before Xue Wuying could question him, Shen Lang spun around and slammed the bamboo slip into his chest.

"Uh--"

Xue Wuying's pupils dilated, and he was about to say something when Shen Lang grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him in front of him, and whispered in his ear.

"Let me tell you a secret: outside the Jinling Secret Realm, I also killed your fifteen disciples."

"You, it's you..."

puff……

Filled with endless shock and regret, Xue Wuying's body collapsed to the ground.

(Ten updates today)