Chapter 9

Liu Bian glanced over the loyal ministers below, his heroic spirit soaring as he said: "Good, good, good, you are all loyal subjects of the Emperor's Han Empire; with your aid, what do I have to fear from these treacherous villains!"

You, you all…… you all, you are truly excellent!!!

Dong Zhuo's face was full of disbelief, his chubby countenance showing ferociousness, killing intent raging wildly in his eyes. Evidently, the officials' choice was beyond his expectations, and he could not fathom how, in this situation, they dared to act—could they truly not fear extermination of their nine clans?

Liu Bian, you brat, you're asking for death! You worthless emperor, go die!

After seeing the officials' choice, Dong Zhuo went completely mad, speaking to Liu Bian with a face full of killing intent; then he drew his waist sword and swung it at Liu Bian.

Bold, Dong Zhuo, you're asking for death! Your Majesty, dodge quickly!!!

Quick, someone, protect the Emperor!

Everyone, follow This Official to protect the Emperor and kill these treacherous villains.

Upon seeing this perilous scene, all the ministers shouted angrily at Dong Zhuo.

Below the hall, those led by Lu Zhi and Yang Biao even more so swarmed toward Liu Bian on the high platform, attempting to stop Dong Zhuo's atrocities.

Hmph, Dong Zhuo, do you still think I am the same as before? Today I will show you just how powerful the Postnatal Seventh Layer's strength is; your counterattack, before absolute strength, appears utterly feeble.

Liu Bian watched Dong Zhuo dare to strike at him, coldly eyeing the killing intent approaching, the corner of his mouth lifting in a sneer.

He calmly gazed at the cold-light flashing blade lunging at him, his heart undisturbed. Because he clearly knew that with his Postnatal Seventh Layer strength, he was fully capable of handling this situation.

Hmph! Supreme Emperor Art, activate, Golden Dragon protecting the body!

Roar~

Liu Bian let out a loud shout, activating the Supreme Emperor Art; the internal energy long dormant in his dantian surged throughout his body, a Dragon Cry sounded, and immediately, amidst the shock of Dong Zhuo and the civil and military officials, a purple-gold nine-clawed golden dragon, sized to match him, coiled out from Liu Bian's body, its body tightly wrapping around him.

Ding—

Seeing Liu Bian's body burst forth a purple-gold divine dragon, Dong Zhuo was completely stunned, his longsword slipping from his hand without him realizing; the impact of Liu Bian's Golden Dragon protecting the body on him was intensely strong.

Dragon, it is a divine dragon, Your Majesty is the true dragon Son of Heaven...

Truly, Heaven blesses the Han, the true dragon Son of Heaven has descended, the Han is saved!!!

After seeing this, the officials below the hall were all stunned, standing frozen, mouths agape; once they reacted, they all showed ecstatic expressions—they had lived so long and never heard of anyone who could summon a Golden Dragon protecting the body; this is not what the legendary true dragon Son of Heaven is! This is truly a divine dragon!

How is it possible, this worthless emperor couldn't possibly be the true dragon Son of Heaven; it's over, everything is over, my life is finished!

In stark contrast to the officials' joy, Dong Zhuo, Li Ru, and others now felt ashen-hearted. They had originally planned everything, seeing their plan about to succeed, yet they did not expect such a variable at the critical moment.

Liu Bian possessed the Golden Dragon protecting the body, becoming the legendary true dragon Son of Heaven, which utterly shattered their hopes. This immense sense of disparity left Dong Zhuo barely able to bear it; he widened his eyes, incredulously watching everything unfold before him, his heart filled with despair and helplessness.

Meanwhile, Li Ru beside him turned as pale as paper, his body trembling incessantly. He knew that after this operation's failure, they would face what consequences. Once Liu Bian regained power, these rebels would surely receive severe punishment. Thinking of this, Li Ru couldn't help but feel a chill rise from his spine.

Fake, it's all fake, I don't believe this is real!

Dong Zhuo's face showed horror, he muttered to himself: 'This... how is possible!' Yet his body uncontrollably recoiled backward, his eyes having completely lost the will to fight. His only thought was to flee! Thus, without hesitation, he turned and rushed toward the grand hall's doors.

"You think you can run? Not that easy!" Liu Bian witnessed Dong Zhuo's action, the corner of his mouth slightly rose, revealing a hint of mockery. Immediately, he mobilized the internal energy in his dantian, imbuing it into his feet; with a light tap, his form instantly turned into a brilliant stream of light, speeding forth like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Dong Zhuo, blocking his path.

"Die for the Emperor!"

Liu Bian let out a violent shout, killing intent in his eyes like substance, his hand's internal energy circulated, he fiercely struck at Dong Zhuo.

Feeling the deadly palm strike coming at him, Dong Zhuo's fleeing steps involuntarily quickened a bit; he hurriedly opened his mouth and loudly shouted: 'Fengxian, where is my son Fengxian? Where is Hua Xiong? Come save me quickly!'

Bang!

Liu Bian's palm fiercely struck Dong Zhuo's chest; the overbearing internal energy instantly entered his body, his five viscera and six bowels were instantly shattered into pieces by this powerful internal force, his corpulent body flew backward instantly.

Thud!

Under the tremendous force, Dong Zhuo's body flew over ten meters before hitting the ground, instantly losing breath, his eyes wide open, the fear in them not yet faded. The civil and military officials below the hall were all stunned, mouths agape, completely dumbfounded.

"Your Majesty is mighty, traitor Dong Zhuo is dead; you had better surrender quickly, otherwise we will exterminate your nine clans!"

"Traitor Dong Zhuo is dead, you had better surrender quickly..."

While everyone was still immersed in the shock of Dong Zhuo's death, Cao Cao on the side of the grand hall was the first to react, loudly berating the Xiliang rebels. The awakened officials also followed suit, and everyone's morale instantly surged.

"Prime Minister... Prime Minister Sir is dead, what should we do?"

When the Xiliang troops saw Dong Zhuo personally slain by Liu Bian, their faith collapsed instantly; everyone nervously looked around at the officials and Liu Bian. They gripped their weapons tightly, bodies slightly trembling, eyes filled with fear and unease.

These soldiers had always followed Dong Zhuo as their leader; now they had lost their backbone, completely at a loss. They looked at Liu Bian and the officials in the hall, not knowing what to do, so they could only stand foolishly in place, awaiting the next orders.

"Li Ru, aren't you going to surrender?"

Liu Bian turned around, his voice stern as he questioned the frightened Li Ru. His gaze was like a torch, directly aimed at Li Ru, making the latter feel endless pressure. At this moment, Li Ru's face was ashen, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his lips kept trembling. His eyes were full of terror, as if he were seeing the end of the world. His legs went weak, barely able to support his own weight, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Liu Bian, I've done so much for you; if I surrender, will you spare me? If so, then I'd rather fight you to the death; within the imperial palace I still have thousands of my troops. Even if you have these old fogeys assisting you, no matter how strong your martial prowess, I don't believe you can stop my thousands of troops."

After Li Ru came to his senses, he let out a ferocious laugh while speaking to Liu Bian, and at the same time, his whole body charged toward the Xiliang soldiers.

Hearing Li Ru's seductive words, the originally fearful and uneasy Xiliang soldiers instantly filled with fighting spirit, their eyes toward the crowd brimming with killing intent.

"Since you all seek death wholeheartedly, then I shall grant you your wish!"