Chapter 541

Great Hong Imperial Palace, outside Lanxin Hall.

Prince Shou, Yang Shao, the Second Prince, and the eleven high-ranking officials who were waiting for an audience with the Emperor were the first to sense the anomaly and rush out.

But the moment they rushed out of Lanxin Hall, Prince Shou, Yang Shao, and the eleven high-ranking officials were dumbfounded.

Star Domain Gate.

Outside Lanxin Hall, a Star Domain Gate had appeared out of thin air.

Such Star Domain star gates, aside from appearing randomly during the star tide every three years, rarely appeared in the current era.

Of course, it was only "rarely."

Occasionally, in extremely individual cases, they would appear, but for a star gate to appear directly inside the Imperial Palace was truly the first time in history.

However, Prince Shou, Yang Shao, and the eleven high-ranking officials were dumbfounded not because of this reason.

It was because among the hundreds of alien races rushing out from this Star Domain star gate, there were seven Eighth Tier alien races!

Eighth Tier Star Domain!

This was actually a star gate to an Eighth Tier Star Domain; this was why they were dumbfounded.

Eighth Tier Star Domains existed in historical records, but very few people had seen them; they were equivalent to legends.

Never did they expect that today, an Eighth Tier Star Domain star gate would appear directly in the Imperial Palace.

The moment Prince Shou, Yang Shao, and the eleven high-ranking officials rushed out, the hundreds of alien races surging out from the star gate were like beasts that had seen flesh, swarming forward.

Prince Shou, Yang Shao, himself only had a cultivation of the Sixth Tier, Ninth Layer peak, and the strongest among the eleven high-ranking officials was only at the late-stage Seventh Tier; how could they be the opponents of hundreds of alien races whose minimum cultivation was Seventh Tier?

Without hesitation, Prince Shou, Yang Shao, and the group of high-ranking officials turned and fled.

This was the Imperial Palace, the core capital of Great Hong; not only were there experts like clouds, but the most powerful Lord Tianyang Star Palace in this world, as long as they were notified, could arrive within thirty to fifty breaths.

By then, this group of damned alien races would surely be annihilated.

Now, what they needed was to delay time.

For a time, various life-saving treasures were used one after another.

Prince Shou, Yang Shao, even took out a life-saving space-shifting emblem at the first opportunity; this was a Sixth Tier supreme-grade space-shifting life-saving emblem personally bestowed upon him by the Lord Tianyang Tianyang Xingjun.

But just as he was about to use it, a majestic, invisible fluctuation rippled out, and for a time, it actually made it impossible for him to activate the space-shifting emblem.

In that split second of delay, Prince Shou, Yang Shao, was already caught in the hands of an Eighth Tier alien race; with a tear, he was ripped into several pieces. The moment the rain of blood fell, this Eighth Tier alien race was already chewing on the flesh and blood of Prince Shou, Yang Shao.

As for the primordial spirit that had just escaped, it was blasted to pieces by the star technique of another alien race.

The encounter of the other eleven high-ranking officials was similar to that of Prince Shou, Yang Shao. They wanted to use their life-saving treasures, only to find that the life-saving space-shifting emblems could not be used.

Those who were quick-witted, before they died, cast their gaze toward the core palace of the Imperial Palace.

Alien races could not perform this kind of star power vibration specifically for restricting space-shifting.

He had already thought of a certain conspiracy, but it was too late.

The next instant, he became food for the alien races rushing out from the Eighth Tier Star Domain.

At the same time, streams of light flew up from all directions of the Imperial Palace, and arrays rose up in all directions.

Within the same time, in the Lezheng Hall two thousand meters away, the Great Hong Emperor and the Inner Court Grand Steward, Wei Zhong, looked toward the direction of Lanxin Pavilion.

"They shouldn't be able to last more than two breaths, right?"

"Should be."

"Within the Eighth Tier Star Domain, the Sect Master actually sent out seven Eighth Tier experts and over a hundred Seventh Tier experts at will; the power the Sect Master controls is truly extraordinary.

It seems that my decision not to evacuate through the passage arranged by the Sect Master was correct," the Great Hong Emperor said.

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Not only can I not evacuate through the passage arranged by the Sect Master, but after leaving this time, I must break through to the Ninth Tier before returning to the Blood God Sect. Fortunately, the resources for breaking through to the Ninth Tier have been accumulated over these years through the Thousand Star Token."

"Your Majesty has a keen eye."

Just as he finished speaking, the Grand Steward, Wei Zhong, suddenly said, "Your Majesty, it should be about time over there."

"Good, it is time for us to appear! I will strike; you just watch the progress."

"Understood."

The next instant, the Great Hong Emperor's sorrowful roar appeared above the entire Imperial Palace: "Shao'er!"

"Damned alien races, return my son's life!"

When the terrifying crimson starlight and the roar echoed over the Great Hong Imperial Palace, the Great Hong Emperor had already activated the National Dao Artifact, the Flame Dragon Axe, and charged toward the group of Eighth Tier alien races.

With one swing of the axe, amidst the dragon's roar, the Flame Dragon Axe was like a fire dragon, flashing past in an instant, and in an instant, blood rained from the sky.

With one swing, he actually split an early-stage Eighth Tier alien race into pieces.

The next moment, a group of Eighth Tier and Seventh Tier alien races swarmed toward the Great Hong Emperor, engaging in a bloody battle on the spot.

At the same time, four Eighth Tier experts from inside and outside the palace also rushed over to support.

These were all the Eighth Tier experts in Langle City of Great Hong.

There were also over thirty Seventh Tier experts who rushed into the Great Hong Imperial Palace without hesitation, engaging in a bloody battle with the Eighth Tier alien races.

But the situation was much more severe than imagined.

After the Great Hong Emperor killed an Eighth Tier alien race, he fell into a bloody predicament.

And from this Eighth Tier Star Domain star gate that had appeared suddenly, Seventh Tier experts were emerging one after another, continuously.

Alien races were killed one by one, but their numbers were increasing. The elite of Great Hong also began to suffer casualties.

As for the initial eleven high-ranking officials, they had long since been reduced to bones and dust.

Many Fifth and Sixth Tier Imperial Guards began to form formations and join the battle, and arrays in all directions began to activate.

Including the Star-Slaying Divine Crossbows.

But these killing weapons for city defense needed time to activate; just injecting star power to activate them took at least a hundred breaths at the fastest.

Time!

Time was what was most lacking now.

Thirty breaths had passed, and for some unknown reason, the reinforcements from the Lord Tianyang Star Palace had not yet arrived!

"Why have the Star Palace reinforcements not yet arrived?" The Great Hong Emperor, fighting in blood, roared loudly. The roar not only spread throughout the entire Imperial Palace but even echoed throughout the entire Langle City.

In an instant, the Great Hong soldiers and civilians who were watching the battle but unable to participate felt this question arise in their hearts.

Why had the Star Palace experts not come to support?

The Lord Tianyang Star Palace received the offerings of the Great Hong people; why did reinforcements not arrive at the critical moment?

Many quick-witted nobles and commoners had already begun to imagine and associate.

In an instant, conspiracies filled the entire Great Hong capital, Langle City.

Another ten breaths passed, and the Great Hong Emperor, fighting in blood, had been injured and vomited blood repeatedly; over a hundred Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Tier Imperial Guards had already died in battle, and there were even more wounded.

"Hurry and urge them, quickly ask the Star Palace to come and help!" The Great Hong Emperor's roar echoed throughout Langle City once again.

The Great Hong Emperor, Yang Yun, had extremely high prestige in the hearts of the Great Hong people.

At this moment, with the Emperor repeatedly calling for help, large numbers of wandering knights and loose cultivators above the Fifth Tier in Langle City rushed toward the Imperial Palace, roaring that they wanted to enter the palace to join the battle, but they were blocked by the palace array.

"Your Majesty, we want to join the battle!"

"Your Majesty, we want to protect Great Hong!"

"Your Majesty, please let us join the battle..."

Thousands of loose cultivators and wandering knights gathered from all directions in a short time, but most were Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Tier; Seventh Tier experts were rare.

"Protecting Great Hong is everyone's responsibility! Let them join the battle!" the Great Hong Emperor's voice echoed.

The next instant, these Great Hong loose cultivators and wandering knights rushed into the Imperial Palace.

But the battle situation inside the palace also became incomparably intense at this moment.

An Eighth Tier alien race, leading several Seventh Tier experts, broke through the blockade and rushed into the crowd of Fifth and Sixth Tier Imperial Guards, beginning to wreak havoc; in an instant, casualties increased sharply. The wandering knights who had just rushed in bore the brunt, and with a flash of starlight, dozens were slashed in two.

Seventh and Eighth Tier experts could no longer be described as crushing those below the Sixth Tier.

This scene made the Great Hong Emperor's eyes split with rage.

"Star Palace experts, why are you still not coming?" The Great Hong Emperor roared, his gaze looking toward the star gate from which Seventh Tier alien races were still emerging continuously, and a look of determination suddenly surged in his eyes.

"Even if I die today, I cannot let the Eighth Tier alien army rush into our Great Hong's Langle City!"

Amidst the roar, the Great Hong Emperor, Yang Yun, had a suit of starlight-shining precious armor appear on his body, and he activated the National Dao Artifact, the Flame Dragon Axe, once again, totally disregarding the attacks of those alien races, roaring as he charged toward the Star Domain Gate in mid-air.

The National Dao Artifact, the Flame Dragon Axe, had already slashed toward the Star Domain Gate.

The Great Hong Emperor's goal was also very clear.

It was to forcibly destroy this Star Domain Gate; not only could this trap these alien races here, but it could also forcibly close the star gate, making it impossible for alien reinforcements to come out.

An Eighth Tier Star Domain was truly too terrifying!

Without the support of the Star Palace, relying on the power of Langle City, and with the event happening so suddenly, they simply could not hold on!

With just one axe, the Star Domain star gate showed cracks!

"Your Majesty, this old servant comes to assist you!"

Amidst the sharp whistle, the Inner Court Grand Steward, Wei Zhong, also rushed up regardless of life or death; the cracks in the star gate began to increase rapidly.

This scene made the Seventh and Eighth Tier alien races who had rushed out see it, and they were terrified!

If the star gate were destroyed, their retreat would be cut off; the subsequent situation would be closing the door to beat the dog, and not one of them would survive.

In the first instance, amidst the roars of the Eighth Tier alien races, the group of alien races turned back and killed toward the star gate.

At the same time, the other three Great Hong Eighth Tier experts also wanted to help the Great Hong Emperor, but they were blocked by the alien races.

In an instant, the Great Hong Emperor and Wei Zhong fell into the heavy encirclement of the alien races.

"I will destroy this star gate even if I have to sacrifice this life."

Amidst the roar, the Great Hong Emperor, Yang Yun, slashed out with his axe again, regardless of everything, letting the attacks of the Eighth Tier alien races fall upon him.

The star gate showed huge cracks, but the Great Hong Emperor also let out a muffled groan, as one of his legs had been slashed off under the full-force attack of the alien races.

"Your Majesty!"

The group of Imperial Guards and wandering knights participating in the battle looked at this scene, their chests feeling like they were about to explode.

Their own Emperor was fighting in blood in the front, his leg was gone, and they couldn't even rush to the front to help!

Many brave Great Hong men felt their hearts breaking, cursing themselves for being useless!

Cursing themselves for why they hadn't cultivated bitterly before!

After today, many young bitter-cultivating experts were born, but that is a story for later!

No one noticed that when that severed leg flew away, it disappeared.

"Shatter for me!" the Great Hong Emperor roared, slashing out with his axe again.

Boom!

Starlight shot in all directions, and the star gate collapsed by half, but the price was that the Great Hong Emperor's other leg also flew away.

The group of alien races, terrified, turned back one after another; some cowardly alien races had already returned to the Star Domain.

But more were besieging the Great Hong Emperor; if it weren't for Wei Zhong, this Eighth Tier expert, protecting him with his life, and the precious armor on the Great Hong Emperor being extremely miraculous, the Great Hong Emperor would have fallen long ago!

"Why is the Star Palace still not coming!"

The Great Hong Emperor, who had lost an arm, cried out in sorrow again, his back—one-armed, holding the National Dao Artifact, the Flame Dragon Axe, facing the star gate of the Eighth Tier Star Domain—was incomparably tragic!

And this scene, because it was in mid-air, was seen by countless Great Hong citizens!

He slashed at the star gate with his axe, and the star gate collapsed a little more, but under heavy injury, an alien race sneaked an attack from behind, and the terrifying star power blasted onto the Great Hong Emperor, actually blasting the Great Hong Emperor directly into the star gate.

"The Fourth Prince Zi Jian can inherit the great throne..."

The Great Hong Emperor's sorrowful roar became a swan song in an instant.

"Your Majesty!"

The Inner Court Grand Steward, Wei Zhong, cried out in misery and threw himself into the star gate of the Eighth Tier Star Domain.

Amidst the crisscrossing starlight, no one noticed the anomaly at this time.

The figure of the Inner Court Grand Steward, Wei Zhong, throwing himself into the star gate of the Eighth Tier Star Domain, had already turned into a drop of blood and shattered when he threw himself in.

Substitute Blood Puppet Secret Technique.

As for his true body, no one knew where it had disappeared to.

When the Great Hong Emperor fell into the star gate, it was the same!

It was just that no one discovered it.

Even if someone noticed, it was just a drop of blood; in such an incomparably chaotic situation, who would dare to associate, who would dare to suspect?

"Your Majesty!"

In an instant, sorrowful cries rang out throughout the entire Great Hong Imperial Palace.

Many low-tier Imperial Guards, and the wandering knights who had rushed in, looked at this scene, collapsed on the ground on the spot, and roared in sorrow, tears streaming down like a spring!

Also because of the Great Hong Emperor's desperate attack, the star gate of the Eighth Tier Star Domain collapsed by half and had now begun to disintegrate naturally.

Seeing this, the group of alien races who had rushed out turned into starlight one after another, flashing back to the Star Domain like lightning.

If the star gate were damaged and closed, and they were trapped there, they would truly have no way out.

The remaining Eighth Tier experts ran the fastest, followed by the Seventh Tier experts.

But only less than two-thirds of the Seventh Tier experts ran away.

The other one-third were slashed to death on the spot by the angry Great Hong elite.

The moment all the alien races were killed, this Eighth Tier Star Domain star gate collapsed completely!

But the Great Hong elite did not have a shred of joy from victory!

Because their Emperor, their respectable and brave Emperor, had died in battle to protect the people of Langle City!

He had died heroically!

All the Great Hong elite were listless, as if their backbones had been pulled out.

A few breaths later, a voice suddenly rang out in the crowd.

"Why have the Star Palace experts not come yet?"

In an instant, this was like a spark that ignited everything, instantly exploding everyone's emotions.

"Why have the Star Palace experts not come yet?"

"Conspiracy!"

"Is the Star Palace trying to kill the Emperor?"

"How could the Star Palace do this?"

"Lord Tianyang Tianyang Xingjun, why?"

Roar after roar echoed continuously, growing stronger and stronger, finally turning into a sea-like roar of anger within Great Hong's Langle City; even the commoners who didn't know the truth were swept into it!

And at the same time, in another corner of the Imperial Palace, a space transmission array had just finished activating. The moment the spatial fluctuation rose, the Great Hong Emperor, Yang Yun, was using the Star-Healing Emblem to reconnect his fresh severed limbs with the help of Wei Zhong and two others!

The severed limbs that had been deliberately slashed off earlier had all been recovered by Wei Zhong, and at this moment, they were being reconnected using the "Great Method of Reconnecting Severed Limbs" at the first opportunity.

The moment the severed limbs were barely connected, this space array had completed its activation.

Amidst the flashing starlight, the four disappeared instantly.

Ten breaths after the four disappeared, death squads appeared and completely destroyed this space array.

At the same time, inside the Eighth Tier Star Domain, looking at the gradually closing star gate, the Blood God Sect Master, wearing a blood crown, suddenly showed a look of surprise. "They actually didn't come?"

"What a pity..."

"Since that is the case, then I, too, should appear in the world; otherwise, I might be beaten to the punch by this fellow."

(End of Chapter)