Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

"He's gone mad!" Tantai Zhou gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "That's the place where the founding emperor rose to power. Once the dragon vein is destroyed..."

"I'll take the Azure Phoenix Guards!" Qiao Jingjing had already summoned her spirit sword. "You stay behind to stabilize the court; we absolutely cannot let Prince Jing's men take advantage of the chaos..."

Suddenly, the imperial physician exclaimed, "His Majesty has awakened!" Everyone rushed to his side. Emperor Xuanjing weakly opened his eyes, his hands trembling as he grasped Tantai Zhou's wrist: "The...the edict of succession is...is..."

"Father, don't worry." Tantai Zhou, his eyes red, grasped the old man's withered hand. "Your son understands."

A guard rushed in, panicking, to report: "It's terrible! The commander guarding Xuanwu Gate has betrayed us and let in Northern Qi assassins!"

"The 300,000-strong army is a lie, but the fact remains that 3,000 elite assassins have infiltrated the capital." Tantai Ming's voice rang out from afar. "Seventh brother, do you think you've won? I knew Xiao Rui was unreliable. Look behind you—"

Emperor Xuanjing suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and the imperial physician cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty has been poisoned!"

Qiao Jingjing immediately took out the spiritual spring from her spatial storage, but was stopped by Prince Jing's guards.

Amidst the chaos, Tantai Ming's voice drifted from afar: "The antidote is in my hands. If you want it, bring the Tiger Tally to the Imperial Mausoleum at Lishan..."

Just as Tantai Zhou was about to give chase, a hail of rockets suddenly rained down from outside the palace walls. He had no choice but to turn around and protect everyone, watching helplessly as Tantai Ming disappeared into the smoke.

"Stop chasing." Xiao Ling suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, handing him half a tiger tally: "The Northern Qi border troops have retreated; this is a token of their withdrawal. But..." He looked north, his face filled with worry: "My elder brother... Xiao Rui has a backup plan."

Qiao Jingjing was treating Emperor Xuanjing's poison when she suddenly remembered something. She took out a bamboo scroll from her spatial storage: "This was found on Xiao Rui. It says on it, 'If things fail, open the Vermilion Bird Box'..."

"The Vermilion Bird Box?!" Princess Dongping suddenly shrieked, "That's my mother's keepsake, buried in the imperial mausoleum!"

Tantai Zhou and Qiao Jingjing exchanged a glance, simultaneously recalling Tantai Ming's final invitation. This was clearly a dead end—but if they didn't go...

"I'll go." Tantai Zhou grabbed his sword. "Jingjing, you stay..."

“Let’s go together.” Qiao Jingjing took out a set of silver soft armor from her space and handed it to him. “I have Xiao Rui’s jade pendant, which can open the underground palace’s mechanisms.” She then took out two spherical objects: “And this, the Thunderclap Bomb I borrowed from Zhuzhu.”

Tantai Zhou knew about Zhuzhu, but with Xiao Ling present, he couldn't say anything.

Looking at these unheard-of weapons, Xiao Ling suddenly laughed: "No wonder my elder brother lost. Your Highness, your confidante..." He glanced meaningfully at Qiao Jingjing's brocade pouch: "She's probably no ordinary person..."

Tantai Zhou glanced at him and said, "Now that your father has passed away, you can start preparing to take Dongping back to Northern Qi."

"Now is not the time. However, you promised..."

"I only promised to get you into that position. Whether you can hold your position or keep those old guys in check is your problem."

A deep, muffled bell tolled in the distance, a warning from the direction of the imperial tombs. Tantai Zhou fastened Qiao Jingjing's soft armor and whispered, "Are you afraid?"

Qiao Jingjing reached for the brocade pouch at her waist, inside which lay the Thunderclap Bomb she had just taken from her spatial storage: "They are the ones who should be afraid."

At the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum, a chilling wind howled.

Using Xiao Rui's jade pendant, Qiao Jingjing and Tantai Zhou successfully bypassed numerous traps and infiltrated the depths of the underground palace. On both sides of the passageway, eternal lamps burned dimly, illuminating the eerie runes on the walls.

“The Vermilion Bird Box is in the main burial chamber,” Qiao Jingjing whispered, “but Prince Jing must have set an ambush.”

Tantai Zhou gripped the crossbow tightly, his gaze cold and stern: "Whatever he wants to do, it must be settled today."

The two had just stepped into the main burial chamber when the stone door behind them slammed shut! Prince Jing, Tantai Ming's voice echoed from the darkness—

"Seventh Brother, you really came."

A sudden burst of light illuminated the altar, revealing Prince Jing standing with his hands behind his back, surrounded by dozens of elite guards. At the center of the altar lay a crimson box—the Vermilion Bird Box!

"Where is the antidote?" Tantai Zhou asked coldly.

Prince Jing chuckled, took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and shook it: "Here it is, but..." His eyes suddenly turned sinister, "...you must die first!"

Qiao Jingjing was prepared and suddenly threw out two thunderbolts!

"boom--!"

The explosion shook the underground palace, sending smoke and dust billowing everywhere. The assassins were thrown about, and Prince Jing was also thrown back several steps by the blast wave.

"Damn it!" he roared, and personally drew his sword to attack.

Tantai Zhou met the attack head-on, and the two clashed swords, sparks flying. Qiao Jingjing seized the opportunity to rush towards the Vermilion Bird Box, but the moment she touched it, a strange force instantly repelled her!

"Master, Fa Cai's head hurts so much!"

Qiao Jingjing immediately separated a portion of her consciousness back to her space, and saw Fa Cai clutching his head, struggling painfully on the sofa.

Qiao Jingjing suddenly clutched her head, feeling a sharp pain in her brain.

A voice of wealth echoed in her mind: "Master, I have a feeling that as long as I unlock this box, I will be able to regain my memories. However, this box is sealed, and a special method is needed to unlock it."

Qiao Jingjing endured the pain and focused on listening to Fa Cai explain the solution.

On the other side, Tantai Zhou and Prince Jing were locked in a fierce battle. Prince Jing's swordsmanship became increasingly sharp, and Tantai Zhou gradually found himself unable to defend himself.

Just as Prince Jing was about to stab Tantai Zhou with his sword, Qiao Jingjing suddenly shouted, "Watch out!" She took out a dagger from her spatial storage and threw it at Prince Jing.

The dagger struck Prince Jing's arm precisely, causing him to wince in pain and slow his attack.

Taking advantage of this break, Qiao Jingjing pressed several specific runes onto the Vermilion Bird Box, as Fa Cai had instructed.

The box did not respond.

Qiao Jingjing gritted her teeth and directly activated the space's devouring function!

"Break it for me!"

Golden light shone brightly from her palm, and the sealing runes on the Vermilion Bird Box shattered inch by inch! The moment the box lid popped open, a surge of black energy shot into the sky, which was actually... the sealed evil energy of the dragon vein.

Prince Jing laughed wildly: "Too late! The dragon vein is destroyed, and the world will be in chaos! Hahahaha, if I can't have it, no one else can."

However, Qiao Jingjing sneered: "Who says I can't stop it?"

She suddenly expanded the space completely, and golden light enveloped the entire underground palace like a giant net! The rampant evil energy was forcibly pulled into her space, and for a moment the barrier trembled slightly.

Qiao Jingjing had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained resolute.

Seeing this, Prince Jing finally panicked: "Impossible! How could you..."

"Tantai Ming." Tantai Zhou pierced his shoulder with a sword and said coldly, "Your scheme is broken."

Prince Jing staggered backward, then suddenly grinned maliciously: "So what? If I die, none of you will live either!"