Chapter 26: Who is he?

“You... aren't you... a cripple?”

*Bang!*

The last figure collapsed.

In front of the Imperial Study.

Su Chen crushed the skull of this Third-Rank Demon-Ghost, stripped the Asura Ghost mask from the man's face, placed it upon his own, and slowly knocked on the door of the Imperial Study.

“Is His Majesty in?”

The Black Abyss Demon-Ghost Sect, which utilized the path of tempering the body with demonic essence and sacrificing lifespan for rapid cultivation, was controlled by the Sect Leader. Their three thousand Demon-Ghosts were said to be equal to ten thousand Martial Killing Guards of the Imperial Capital.

Three thousand Demon-Ghosts and ten thousand Martial Killing Guards could contend even with a First-Rank Grandmaster.

And yet.

The three hundred Demon-Ghosts besieging the room outside, including their leader, the Third-Rank Asura Ghost—who could briefly hold off even a weaker Second-Rank—had been rendered completely silent in the time it took to drink a single cup of tea.

Could the newcomer be a Second-Rank expert?

But were the Second-Ranks in the Imperial Palace not all watching from the sidelines to preserve their lives?

Inside the Imperial Study.

Dugu Yue was terrified to the extreme.

Even through the door, she could sense the opponent's overwhelming strength.

“Xu Le, Commander Dugu, open the door.”

At the head of the room, where Emperor Jianwu reviewed memorials, Dugu Yue adjusted her phoenix crown and spoke slowly.

“Your Highness!”

Xu Le, the Deputy Chief of the Secret Guards, and Dugu Sha, a fellow Third-Rank Imperial Guard Commander, both paled and moved to intercede.

“Open the door!”

Dugu Yue commanded heavily.

The door opened.

Wearing the Asura mask, Su Chen walked in.

In an instant.

The two Third-Ranks in the study, along with the remaining Secret Guards and Imperial Troops, drew their blades to protect Dugu Yue. Their expressions were solemn, and they did not even dare to breathe heavily.

This was the man who had annihilated three hundred Demon-Ghosts in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Even if he wasn't a Second-Rank.

He was undoubtedly a formidable figure among the Third-Ranks.

“Who are you?”

“The World Martial Rankings consist of the top ten First-Rank Earth Rankings, the top thirty Second-Rank Profound Rankings, and the top hundred Third-Rank Yellow Rankings, respectively housing the strongest individuals of each realm in this era...”

“To slaughter three hundred Demon-Ghosts in a single cup of tea... are you a Profound Ranking expert, or a legendary figure among the top three of the Yellow Rankings?”

“The first of the Yellow Rankings is the Young Daoist of the Celestial Master Mansion; the second is far away in the border armies; the third is someone from the Imperial City, but he could not protect me because he is a traitor of the Eastern Depot. So, who exactly are you?”

Dugu Yue questioned him; even facing life or death, she remained composed.

The concept of the World Martial Rankings had been proposed by Su Chen.

But this was the first time Su Chen realized the rankings were subdivided into three tiers.

Before the rebellion, Zhang Gui had truly served the Imperial Family with all his heart and soul.

It was a pity.

Between the Imperial Family and Zhang Gui, only one could live.

Su Chen hoped it would be Zhang Gui.

“I am not looking for you!”

“I am looking for her!”

With that.

Su Chen struck directly. His figure blurred like a startled swan, leaping toward the space behind Dugu Yue.

“Presumptuous!”

Dugu Yue was enraged.

In an instant.

Deputy Chief Xu Le and Imperial Commander Dugu Sha charged from both sides. One struck with a palm glowing with a dark cyan hue, while the other's blade danced with wild astral qi.

“He’s not a Second-Rank!”

“Just a minor Third-Rank Marrow-Cleansing stage, not even at the peak.”

“He can be killed!”

“We are two peak Third-Ranks—one with Astral Condensation, one with Marrow Cleansing...”

The two were ecstatic.

The opponent was merely at the early stage of the Third-Rank.

Having just fought a bloody battle against three hundred Demon-Ghosts, he must be exhausted. They might even be able to take his head directly. Even if they couldn't win, stalling him for half an hour would be easy.

Even Dugu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

*Phew!*

*So he is just a mere early Third-Rank...*

*As long as he isn't a Second-Rank.*

In the next heartbeat.

Dugu Yue’s eyes widened violently.

“This has nothing to do with you!”

*Boom!*

In the next moment.

The two peak Third-Ranks—the Deputy Chief and the Commander—were both sent flying by a single flick of the finger from the mysterious man in the Asura mask. They crashed violently into the wall with terrifying sonic booms, their fates unknown.

Two peak Third-Ranks could not withstand a casual finger flick from this early Third-Rank. Only now did Dugu Yue understand why the three hundred Demon-Ghosts had collapsed and died so instantly.

This Third-Rank was not a Second-Rank, yet he was superior to one!

“Is this the 'Thundering Body Tempering'? Is this the 'Thunderous Force' that only those with a foundation above the Thirty Thunder Sounds can master?”

“Is 'Thundering Body Tempering' a classic from the Martial Pavilion?”

“Who are you?”

“Someone from the Palace!”

“Protect me so I can find the two Princes and Princesses and ensure our escape from the palace. The Dugu family will be eternally grateful! If my son ascends the throne, you will be a hero of the rising dragon. As for the Heavenly Martial Treasury, you can have whatever you desire...”

Dugu Yue spoke hurriedly.

However.

Su Chen remained unmoved.

“My life is at an end.”

Dugu Yue closed her eyes.

A long time passed.

There was no movement.

When she opened her eyes, she found that the terrifying Third-Rank in the Asura mask was standing before the Empress Dowager, who was being supported by Princess Yunyang. Only then did he speak in a low voice.

“Consort Zhang, is Emperor Jianwu truly your son, the Fifth Prince?”

Nine years since entering the palace.

This was the second time Su Chen had seen Consort Zhang.

The last time was in the Cold Palace.

When the two princes in white dragon robes rebelled, Consort Zhang had lost her power and gone mad.

The second time was now, where she held the status of the Emperor's biological mother and Empress Dowager of the nation.

“Jianwu is my son.”

“I do not know what you are doing...”

Empress Dowager Zhang’s eyes trembled, and she closed them.

“Is that so?”

Su Chen gave the Empress Dowager a deep look, then turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.

Empress Dugu was stunned. She looked at Su Chen and, disregarding her status, asked urgently.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Such slander! Are you also a traitor seeking to shake the foundations of our Great Liang? When the Empress Dowager's legitimate son, Emperor Jianwu, returned, he underwent the blood test in the Heavenly Martial Tower; he possesses the true Imperial bloodline!”

Su Chen, who was about to leave, slowed his pace slightly. His thoughts drifted back eight years to the first year of the Heavenly Chaos, a year where three emperors changed in a single year. He had personally witnessed the terrifying scene of the Martial Killing Guards hacking down the two princes.

At the time, he thought some mysterious technique had saved the Fifth Prince.

But thinking about it now, perhaps it wasn't.

“Perhaps, the current Emperor Jianwu... is not Emperor Jianwu...”

Su Chen left.

“Slanderous words!”

Dugu Yue cursed.

Only Empress Dowager Zhang sat slumped on the floor, her eyes filled with agony.

“Go!”

“While these three hundred Demon-Ghosts are dead, we must fight our way out of the palace. The current leader of the Martial Killing Guards is my father, the Head of the Dugu Family. As long as we break out, we will surely be safe.”

Dugu Yue rallied the remaining Third-Ranks and, under the protection of the Secret Guards and Imperial Troops, fought their way toward the palace gates.

Not long after.

A figure drifted toward them.

It was Su Chen, who had returned.

This time, Su Chen had a clear destination. He went directly to the seat in the Imperial Study and struck downward with a punch, revealing a dark, descending staircase leading underground.

“There really is something strange here.”

“The Imperial Study truly holds a hidden world.”

“The Golden Throne Hall is for attending court, so why stay in the Imperial Study year-round? Are there really that many memorials to review?”

Su Chen sped downward.

He wanted to see for himself what he suspected.

Finally.

He reached the end.

It was a massive underground ice cavern, one that had clearly existed for more than thirty or fifty years.

Three!

No!

Four corpses were revealed before Su Chen.

Three corpses dressed in white dragon robes—one had been decapitated, and all three were missing their hearts and livers. Beside them was a corpse dressed in bright yellow imperial robes, also disemboweled.

Su Chen did not recognize the decapitated one.

But he recognized the other three.

Eight years ago.

During the year of the Heavenly Chaos, when the second son fought for the throne, the two who died were the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince, slain by the Martial Killing Guards! And there was the deposed Emperor, the Seventh Prince, who had gained the throne through a stroke of luck during that chaotic year.

“So, is this the First Prince, who was decapitated during the palace coup years ago?”

The Fifth Prince's corpse was here.

All four sons of the Heavenly Martial lineage were here.

Then, who was the man currently sitting on the throne as Emperor Jianwu?

(End of Chapter)