Chapter 218: Lan Ze's Perspective (Part III)

Lan Ze followed Sang Yan into the Huangting smoothly, only to discover that the entire Huangting was surrounded inside and out by guards in various uniforms; this operation involved at least 6 member states joining forces, finally conquering the Ausilan ruled by Laiboli.

A commander saw Sang Yan and hurried over, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

"I heard you and the Sun of Ausilan are old acquaintances; look at this situation—" The commander covered his mouth with his hand and whispered something to Sang Yan. Sang Yan nodded and said calmly, "Leave it to me to handle."

Lan Ze stood to the side, caring only about when he could see Sui Sui; his heart was already burning with anxiety, though it did not show on his face. Thus, he did not hear what they were discussing and simply followed behind Sang Yan into a grand Dian.

He was very familiar with this place; it was where his father discussed matters with the council every day. When he was young, he would even be held on his father's lap while listening to his father handle state affairs.

"Why come here? Shouldn't we be going to the top floor of the ancient castle?"

No sooner had Lan Ze finished speaking than he noticed an empty wine bottle rolling down the steps beside the high throne, making a clinking sound.

He 'looked' in that direction and saw a disheveled man leaning crookedly against the throne, his eyes bloodshot, his appearance decadent and haggard—it was none other than Laiboli.

Lan Ze was startled.

He had previously only heard Sang Yan say that he was crazy and had assumed it was sarcasm; now, seeing his mental state, it was indeed somewhat abnormal.

Laiboli lay on the ground with his head hanging over the steps and his legs draped unceremoniously over the throne, staring straight at them like a hanging man.

The Laiboli of this moment no longer possessed that elegant and refined air of nobility from before. At times he was like a child, hiding away and refusing to see anyone; at other times he was like a tyrant, executing innocent servants. Occasionally, there were quiet moments, which were when he entered the top floor.

He would still put on the most magnificent clothes, shave his beard, and clean himself up before going to see her.

Then, every night, he would be tormented by headaches into a disheveled vengeful spirit, living one day at a time.

"What are you here for?" Laiboli grabbed a wine bottle and threw it at Sang Yan. "How many times have I said it? She will wake up when she wants to wake up. You are all too annoying, always coming to disturb her."

Sang Yan did not argue with him; he sighed softly and said, "They have broken in. If you surrender, you can survive."

"Hahahahahaha!" Laiboli laughed maniacally. "Do you really think I'm stupid? What would I keep this life for? To let them insult and torture me?"

Over these years, he had offended too many people.

At first, those countries were fearful of his mad behavior, but later they slowly united, turning the anger of having their homelands destroyed into the motivation to strike back. Yet Laiboli seemed to have found amusement in it, becoming even more excited. He killed more and more people, and the smoke of war grew ever thicker.

Sang Yan asked indifferently, "Why did you have to end up like this? Back then, when Ausilan and the Freedom Alliance joined forces, you and Sikesaisi were invincible and undefeated. You could have directly declared independence from the Federation and no longer be controlled by others, closing your doors to live your own lives in peace. Why did you have to go from bad to worse?"

". Yeah, hahaha, why indeed?" Laiboli turned over weakly, leaning against the throne like a puddle of mud. He pointed to the location of his heart and said, "Probably because it hurts here, so I wanted to make others hurt too."

Laiboli hugged his head and laughed, not even realizing when tears began to stream down his face.

He stood up unsteadily and spread his arms, looking around the magnificent Dian. "What is the use of all this? Without her, what is the use of me conquering all this! Let them kill me!"

A flash of pity crossed Sang Yan's eyes, but in the end, he said nothing more. Lan Ze had been unusually silent since just now. He had once used Precognition to see Laiboli's ending; he was supposed to have become the most outstanding Sun in the history of the Ausilan Empire, and like the second Sun, Laiboli was impeccable in his achievements, yet criticized by later generations for his private affairs because he had imprisoned Qiao Suisui in the top floor of the ancient castle. In the end, the two had a falling out, Sui Sui still left him, and Laiboli was filled with agony. This was why he had warned him back then—that no result was the best result. He had hoped he wouldn't force Sui Sui and take things to the extreme.

But now... it was different, everything was different. It wasn't just Laiboli; Sikesaisi was too. He was supposed to be the glory of the entire family, taking over the Sikesaisi Family, becoming an unshakable Duke of Ausilan, and officially inheriting his talent after mating with Sui Sui. But he had died alone in a bathtub in the Biegong. Everything was in chaos!

Lan Ze was restless; he did not wait for Sang Yan and turned directly to head for the ancient castle.

He had to see Sui Sui immediately.

The top floor.

Within this magnificent palace, whether it was the resplendent hall or the exquisite and elegant inner chamber, it was filled with an atmosphere of harmony and tranquility. There was no noise or strife here, only peace and quiet. Every corner was meticulously arranged and decorated, highlighting the nobility and elegance of the palace, completely severed from the outside world, as if it were a man-made Peach Blossom Spring.

The Dian was empty; Lan Ze walked silently on the carpet, the surroundings so quiet he could only hear his own heartbeat.

Even though he knew he was about to see her, he still couldn't help but feel a touch of trepidation.

Lan Ze walked into the deepest part of the Dian and saw a huge rectangular crystal coffin amidst the gauze curtains.

The temperature here was extremely low, but for some unknown reason, the technology used prevented everything from freezing or frosting over; everything was as usual.

He stepped onto the platform, approached slowly, and looked into the crystal coffin. He saw the young girl sleeping peacefully on a comfortable red velvet cushion, her black hair covering the pillow. Her face was stunningly beautiful, with fair skin, rosy lips, and long eyelashes like a feather fan; she was very serene, at peace with the world.

No matter who looked at her, she was just a sleeping girl. No one would believe that the owner of this body had been gone for ten years.

Lan Ze's eyes reddened with emotion. He wanted to reach out and touch her hand, but the next second, a flash of silver light appeared, and fangs and a blood-red tongue flicked out, intimidating anyone from coming close.

"It's you?"

Lan Ze quickly regained his composure. He saw a silver King Cobra slither out of the crystal coffin, transforming upon hitting the ground into a silver-haired man with a bare chest.

On his left chest was a silver scale that had long since lost its original luster. The area around that scale had formed an incredibly ugly scab, and in some places, there was even raw, ferocious-looking flesh that had just grown in, glowing red.

"I'll keep it brief: don't let Sang Yan take Sui Sui away," Lan Ze said urgently.

He saw Zongfang's pair of silver pupils staring at him with numbness and indifference, showing no reaction, and frowned again: "He wants to lay Sui Sui to rest in the earth; you cannot let him do that."

Finally, the man in front of him had a reaction.

He seemed to recall something and asked Lan Ze in a hoarse, dry voice that had not spoken for a long time: "What month is it?"

(End of chapter)