Chapter 52: Inviting the Emperor, Beyond Question

Lanzhou Prefecture, Fortune Inn.

Zhu Houzhao was examining the investigative reports compiled by the Jinyiwei and the West Depot regarding Lanzhou when he suddenly felt a jolt in his chest. Raising his head, he noticed the candle flame inside the lamp shade flickering erratically without any wind.

"Your Majesty!"

The dark shadow that had been guarding him stumbled into the room. The once formidable and influential Director of the West Depot now had a face as pale as paper. "O... Outside..."

Zhu Houzhao frowned. "What is there to be so flustered about?"

Before his voice trailed off, an oppressive and terrifying aura suddenly enveloped the entire Fortune Inn. Zhu Houzhao felt his breath catch in his throat, as if an invisible mountain were pressing down upon his shoulders.

A dreadful conjecture rose in the depths of Zhu Houzhao's mind: "Such terrifying momentum... could it be..."

Accompanied by a deafening crash—

He watched in utter horror as the roof of the Fortune Inn directly blew off, instantly pulverized into countless flying wood splinters that scattered like blooming fireworks.

He raised his head, and the sight before his eyes made his pupils sharply contract.

Above the inn, dozens of figures stood suspended in mid-air. At the very front was Changsun Wangqing, clad in profound dark armor. Wielding a saber and shield, she radiated an awe-inspiring might that shook the world; her black iron armor and that fierce Mo blade shone dazzlingly in the night sky.

Standing right behind her was Yang Ning, the Heavenly Lance of the Tiance Mansion, pointing his long spear toward the void and causing it to tremble.

Behind them, dozens of Grand Masters of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm unreservedly unleashed their terrifying auras. The winds and clouds churned turbulently across the firmament, causing the entire Fortune Inn—nay, the entire Lanzhou Prefecture—to tremble.

Zhu Houzhao's voice trembled. "Th... This is..."

He had never witnessed such a formidable array. Even back when he was still an infant, when the Demonic Swordmaster broke into the Great Ming realm under the guise of seeking a single defeat to challenge the world and wreaked havoc in the Forbidden City, the gathering of all the world's powerheads did not amount to even a tenth of this overwhelming shock.

"Pfft!"

The dark shadow coughed up a heavy mouthful of blood, his complexion turning as pale as white paper.

The pressure the Emperor felt was not even a tenth of his own. The aura traction of several Terrestrial Immortals and dozens of peers in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm pressed down abruptly like a collapsing firmament.

Even a veteran Heavenly Phenomenon expert like him coughed blood on the spot.

"Your Majesty, be careful. They are all Grand Masters of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, and... pfft... Terrestrial Immortals." With every few words the dark shadow uttered, he spewed another mouthful of blood, a chilling sight to Zhu Houzhao.

What shocked Zhu Houzhao even more were his words.

"All... all of them are Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters and Terrestrial Immortals?!" Zhu Houzhao's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. Under the bright moonlight, he could see clearly that those figures stepping on the void numbered at least thirty and above.

Yet Wang Zhi was telling him that these people were entirely composed of Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters and Terrestrial Immortals?

Impossible!!

Zhu Houzhao's first thought was that this was utterly impossible.

Throughout the entire Great Ming, the number of Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters combined openly across the imperial court and the pugilistic world did not equal what was before his eyes. Even with heaven-reaching abilities, Prince Su could not possibly have cultivated or rallied so many peerless powerhouses in just a few short years!

Most crucially, he saw it clearly: the leader was a woman.

She was not Prince Su Zhu Jinzhen, whom he had expected!

However, reality gave Zhu Houzhao no room for evasion.

Changsun Wangqing stepped down through the void, every step causing ripples to spread across space as if she were treading upon an invisible staircase. She landed before Zhu Houzhao and cupped her fists slightly. "Your Majesty, His Highness invites you to the Tiance Mansion for a chat."

Her tone was respectful yet carried an unquestionable dominance.

Zhu Houzhao's face turned livid. "Are you people planning to rebel?"

He did intend to see Zhu Jinzhen, yes, but certainly not in this manner, nor should it have been like this.

Yang Ning vibrated his long spear, and a spear beam soared into the sky, tearing a massive fissure across the clouds. "Your Majesty exaggerates. It is merely that His Highness believes some matters are better clarified face-to-face."

Wang Zhi tried to step forward to protect the Emperor, but an invisible surge of energy forced him back several steps, causing him to spew a mouthful of blood. A Grand Master of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm was as insignificant as an ant before Terrestrial Immortals.

Changsun Wangqing and Yang Ning could not even be bothered to spare him a second glance.

With a livid expression, Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice, "What if I refuse?"

Changsun Wangqing shook her head indifferently, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We act upon orders. Whether you are willing or not, you will return with us to meet His Highness."

"Audacious! Do you still see Us in your eyes?"

"You jest again."

A playful smile surfaced on Yang Ning's face as he corrected Zhu Houzhao's phrasing.

"His Imperial Majesty issued an imperial decree to inspect the Nine Frontiers, yet he has not yet departed the capital."

"You are Zhu Shou, and you are only Zhu Shou."

Was there an Emperor before them?

If anything went wrong, there was merely a spy named Zhu Shou; how could there be any talk of an Emperor or rebellion?

Zhu Houzhao glanced around and found that the Jinyiwei, the Six Doors, and the hidden dragon guard experts tasked with protecting his safety had all vanished without a trace.

Only then did he realize that before absolute strength, so-called imperial power and the experts in his eyes were nothing more than a joke.

"Good... A fine Prince Su..." Zhu Houzhao gritted his teeth. "I want to see what exactly he wishes to do!"

Changsun Wangqing smiled faintly and stepped aside to clear the path. "Your Majesty, please."

Dozens of Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters simultaneously unleashed their auras, shattering the clouds above Lanzhou Prefecture into dust and deterring any petty villains lurking in the shadows from daring to show their heads.

Several Terrestrial Immortals traveling alongside a swarm of Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters—

What lingering ghosts and monsters would dare jump out to court death?

Let alone approaching to spy, as long as they dared to make the slightest unauthorized move, a thunderous strike would greet them.

Zhu Houzhao's fists clenched tightly beneath his sleeves, his fingernails digging into his palms. At this moment, he deeply understood what helplessness truly meant.

Facing these people dispatched by Zhu Jinzhen, let alone an emperor like him, even Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong during the peak eras of Great Ming would likely be powerless to resist.

"Bring him along as well."

Changsun Wangqing did not turn back, merely offering a brief instruction. Several figures descended from the sky without a word, sealing Wang Zhi's meridian pathways, Qi channels, and Dantian elixir field before hauling him up and speeding away in the direction of Jiayu Pass.

...

It was not until a full half-hour after Changsun Wangqing and her party had departed—

The commoners near the Fortune Inn and the various martial arts experts who had gathered here by chance finally regained a chance to breathe.

"Too terrifying."

"Walking on empty air, changing the hue of heaven and earth at will."

"Those people were actually all Grand Masters who had stepped into the Heavenly Phenomenon realm?"

"A single spear thrust pierced the firmament, seemingly tearing through the bright moon itself. Is that kind of strength really achievable by mere Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters? I reckon they must be..."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Indeed, if they were all Terrestrial Immortals, then this world and all the nations under heaven would not just be undergoing a change of dynasties—it would be a total collapse of the heavens and earth."

The martial artists exchanged stunned glances, whispering animatedly among themselves.

This was destined to be a scene they would never forget in this lifetime.

The sight of immortals descending en masse, treading across the void, altering the colors of heaven and earth with a single thought, and suppressing a region of a hundred miles with their mere presence left these so-called martial arts experts unable to raise their heads or even move.

Such a spectacle and experience would be hard for them to forget, even if they tried.