Chapter 183: Alone to Meet the King

"He, is that really Long Kun?"

The five or six hundred students who had gathered to watch knew the academy's most useless tutor inside out. Witnessing Long Kun, now seemingly reborn from fire, striking fiercely in all directions, all the students were completely stunned.

"My heavens, the ugly duckling has truly become a phoenix!""Good thing I never offended him before, otherwise..."

The students had no idea about the Dragon Vault. They had simply come to watch the spectacle. Some initially intended to offer support, but seeing Long Kun and his three companions act with such overwhelming power, they all abandoned that notion.

Long Kun himself never imagined that his long-cherished wish to clear his name of being useless would finally come true!

At that moment, Xu Yang, the formidable figure, moved at his absolute fastest, a speed more terrifying than the legendary demonic beast, the Kun Peng. In mere blinks of an eye, he had already surged into the imperial palace of the Yuanyang Empire.

The moment he landed, he headed directly for the main hall. He paid no mind to the various powerhouses who had followed his aura and were now surrounding him; more and more people arrived, yet Xu Yang's steps never faltered.

"I don't want to kill anyone. Let me see Yuan Haotian. Get out of my way," Xu Yang declared as he advanced. He truly wished to avoid bloodshed, but unfortunately, thoughtless cultivators kept rushing forward, one after another, only to end up lying at his feet.

"How audacious! Stealing the Dragon Vault and then daring to swagger into the imperial palace—you're asking for death!!"Xu Yang sighed.

With a mere wave of Xu Yang's hand, the several peak Cavern Heaven realm experts who had been shouting the loudest were sent flying en masse, like dumplings falling into a pot.

Such power far exceeded their comprehension. Many soldiers around him began to hesitate, realizing that more numbers would only mean more corpses, serving no other purpose.

"What should we do?""Don't act rashly. Let the elders' hall handle this."

The soldiers finally became wise, watching Xu Yang stroll through the palace with a leisurely, unhurried air, as if he were simply browsing a market.

"Yuan Haotian, do you still want your empire? Get out here!"

Growing impatient, Xu Yang suddenly ascended into the air, unleashing a powerful spiritual pressure that swept through every corner of the entire palace, intending to force Yuan Haotian out.

Soon, within a secluded side hall in a corner, the auras of numerous powerful cultivators began to fluctuate. Xu Yang naturally deduced that this was where Yuan Haotian was hiding.

Whoosh! He descended like a phantom. Simultaneously, more than twenty peak Cavern Heaven realm experts formed a formation in the courtyard. Yuan Haotian finally emerged from the inner hall, his dragon robe accentuating his majestic aura.

Behind him, on his left and right, were two individuals, both at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Yuan Haotian himself was at the Grand Completion of the Nascent Soul realm, a true top-tier powerhouse capable of supporting an entire region.

Naturally, an empire established for ten thousand years would undoubtedly have even stronger, "living fossil" level experts. They would not easily reveal themselves unless it was a matter of life or death for the empire. Their appearance would signal the empire playing its ultimate trump card, often hinting at even greater underlying risks.

"Who exactly are you!"

Yuan Haotian's expression was grim. As a regional powerhouse himself, he wasn't necessarily afraid of Xu Yang. However, the loss of the empire's Dragon Vein was a matter of immense gravity.

"Do you want to talk to me?"

"Bah! What are you, to be worthy of speaking with our Emperor?"

The one who spoke was the peak Nascent Soul realm expert standing to Yuan Haotian's left. Previously, Xu Yang would have had to exert himself to fight him, but now...

"Kill!"

With that single word, the left half of the Limitless Desolation Heaven transformed into an eerie, elongated blade, imperceptible to the eye. It shot forth instantly under the starry night, piercing through the peak Nascent Soul realm elder before everyone's astonished gaze.

"No..."

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the mist of blood, unable to utter another word.

"I'll reiterate one last time: I am not here to kill. The matter of the Dragon Vault has occurred, and a proper solution must be found. Yuan Haotian, you only need to answer me: do you still want this empire?"

As the emperor of an empire, Yuan Haotian had completely lost face. Xu Yang's approach was akin to being lectured while trampled upon, and his imperial dignity had vanished entirely.

"Everyone, stand down."

"Your Majesty!"

As soon as Yuan Haotian's command was given, the surrounding powerhouses hesitated for a moment.

"Do you not understand my words? Or are you suggesting that all of you together could kill this man?"

All the powerhouses lowered their heads in deep shame, then willingly moved to the sides.

From hysterically trying to kill Xu Yang moments before to now willingly making way for him, all this happened within just a few minutes.

Xu Yang was satisfied with their posture. He strode swiftly into the hall, leaving only him and Yuan Haotian inside, with no one else present.

"You yourselves know how your Yuanyang Empire rose to prominence; I don't need to elaborate. The Dragon Vault you've guarded for ten thousand years is, in fact, the inherited treasure of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty."

"How do you know that!"

Yuan Haotian was greatly astonished. This was a major royal secret passed down through generations of the Yuanyang Empire. While the world knew of the Dragon Vein beneath the empire, the specifics concerning the Ancient Desolation lineage were rarely mentioned anymore, as too many years had passed.

"That's no longer important. The Imperial Mausoleum has completely collapsed. What I can tell you is that the Dragon Vein's legacy has been taken by the direct descendant of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty's bloodline. However, she has decided not to take any action against your Yuanyang Empire. This empire is still yours, but if you wish to retain it, you will need to rely on something else."

Though Yuan Haotian felt utterly helpless, he also knew that this day would come sooner or later; it just happened to be during his generation.

"Very well, this is fate. Ten thousand years ago, the underground Dragon Vein emitted true dragon energy, helping my Yuan family ancestors break through to the Divine Transformation realm and decisively lead the army to conquer this empire. Now that the Dragon Vein is gone, I have nothing to say. However, sir, the Yuanyang Empire is now on the brink of collapse. Without the support of the Dragon Vein, how am I to protect this territory?"

Xu Yang chuckled, "That will depend on your own capabilities."

"Hahaha..."

Yuan Haotian's face was filled with despair. Gone was his imperial aura; he slumped to the ground like a disheartened, dejected youth.

"Depend on my capabilities? I inherited the throne when I was thirteen. No one knows what I've been through all these years... The court is already unstable and turbulent. I've poured my heart and soul into governance to achieve this era of peace and prosperity. Now, all of it is on the verge of collapse... Not to mention the power struggles among factions within the court, the various branches of the Elders' Hall harboring ulterior motives, and the Northern Jin kingdoms, supported by the Four Great Sects led by the Three Thousand Sword Sect, are stirring restlessly! Once the news of the Dragon Vein's collapse spreads, panic will grip my court, and external threats will surely invade! My death, Yuan Haotian's death, is insignificant, but who will protect the people of this empire?"