Imminent

Originally, the golden-armored guards were no match for Jun Yuze, but Jun Yuze was ambushed and injured, and then Qing Shanyue relentlessly pursued him.

The golden-armored guards were numerous and powerful, and Jun Yuze had no choice but to hide from them to avoid being ambushed again by Qing Shanyue.

After Jun Yuze reacted, he fought with Qing Shanyue outside the courtyard.

Qing Shanyue was injured, and Jun Yuze, who usually seemed inconspicuous, was actually quite strong, just not as strong as Hua Fei.

Even now, despite being injured, he can still fight Qing Shan Yue to a standstill.

Ao Que's strength should not be underestimated. After facing Qi Shuyan head-on, Qi Shuyan was immediately at a disadvantage.

However, due to the presence of numerous golden-armored guards around him, Qi Shuyan was only able to barely control Ao Que.

Seeing that these golden-armored guards were disobeying his orders and instead turning against him, Ao Que broke down and shouted, "A bunch of traitors!"

At this moment, Mo Zuili used the spatial magic given to her by Qing Shanyue to teleport directly to the courtyard of the Dragon Palace's main hall through a spatial tunnel. She happened to hear Ao Que's angry roar of "traitor" outside the hall, and a smile appeared on her lips.

This power struggle is never about how strong the leaders at the top are, but rather whether they can control their own power.

Ao Lin's greatest reliance was his mother and the golden-armored guards behind her.

However, the problems with this unit are quite obvious.

The Golden Armor Guards are weak in actual combat. Leaders like Ao Que have always only come into contact with the highest-ranking members of the Golden Armor Guards. They have almost never had in-depth contact with the middle-ranking members, so they have no way of knowing their true loyalty.

While the higher-ups appear to control all the soldiers, they are actually just distributing orders to the middle ranks. The middle ranks then carry out these orders, leading the lower-level soldiers into battle.

If the middle-level officers are turned against their superiors, they could easily lead their soldiers to beat the higher-ups to death with sticks.

Lost in thought, Mo Zuili calmed herself down a bit, rubbed her throbbing head, and strode into the hall.

The hall was empty.

Mo Zuili looked around and found the inner room where the old Dragon Emperor was.

Pushing open the wooden door, the old Dragon Emperor was still lying half-dead on the bed, barely alive.

Hearing the commotion and sensing the unfamiliar presence, the old Dragon Emperor struggled to raise his eyes to look at Mo Zuili.

When he discovered that Mo Zuili was not a member of the Dragon Clan, a look of confusion flashed across his eyes. A moment later, as if he had suddenly realized something, a deep sense of terror appeared in his eyes.

Seeing the old Dragon Emperor's expression change drastically, Mo Zuili's lips curled into a playful smile.

Just as Qing Shanyue said, this old man was clearer than anyone else when it came to matters of life and death.

As for the future of the dragon clan and the infighting among their children, these things that seem like huge issues to outsiders are probably far less important to him than taking a breather.

After ascending to the throne, the Dragon Emperor will form a mysterious connection with the Dragon Jade Seal, the symbol of the Dragon Clan. Even if the jade seal is not with him, he can use this connection to suppress the bloodline of other Dragon Clan members.

The closer the bloodline of the dragon, the more it is suppressed.

Therefore, even though the old Dragon Emperor's children saw him as sickly and weak, barely breathing, none of them dared to harbor any ill intentions. Any slight disrespect would be tormented by his invisible pressure, causing them unbearable pain.

Mo Zuili gripped the Phoenix Flame Spear tightly, the tip scraping the ground with a piercing sound as she walked step by step toward the bed.

But I am different.

Mo Zuili has no dragon bloodline whatsoever; at most, she carries some aura of the Dragon Realm. The old Dragon Emperor's last trump card is nothing but a joke to her.

Mo Zuili chuckled inwardly as his gaze swept over the dense arrays and talismans surrounding the sleeping quarters.

Qing Shanyue underestimated how much the old man valued his life. Apart from the magic array, which of these talismans wasn't a priceless treasure?

Any rune related to lifespan requires countless rare and precious materials to forge.

If it weren't for Qing Shanyue deliberately creating chaos, even if the turmoil in the Demon Realm affected the Dragon Domain, this old thing could have easily survived for another ten or eight years with these methods.

The two stared at each other for a long time, neither of them speaking first.

After a while, Mo Zuili suddenly raised his hand, and the Phoenix Flame Spear swept out horizontally. With two crisp "crack" sounds, the two magic arrays beside the bed were destroyed.

The old dragon emperor suddenly struggled to sit up on the bed, his withered hands gripping the edge of the bed tightly, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

Mo Zuili ignored it and threw out another lightning talisman. With a loud bang, most of the talismans hanging above the old dragon emperor's bed were blown away.

The old Dragon Emperor was so anxious that he tried to activate his spatial power, but Mo Zuili easily dodged it by sidestepping.

"Save your breath." Mo Zuili weighed the spear in his hand and said casually, "You're barely surviving thanks to these magic arrays and talismans, and you still want to fight me?"

The old Dragon Emperor was speechless for a long time after hearing this.

Mo Zuili scoffed, "Take out the dragon-patterned jade seal. Once Qing Shanyue ascends to the Dragon Emperor's throne, perhaps she'll allow you to stay here and prolong your life. If..."

Before Mo Zuili could finish speaking, the old Dragon Emperor felt a metallic taste rise in his throat, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and roared hoarsely, "Don't even think about it!"

Mo Zuili paused, looking at the old dragon emperor's suddenly changed expression, and slowly added: "If you don't hand it over, then you can die today."

The old Dragon Emperor's eyes blazed with fury, yet he gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

Mo Zuili seemed to suddenly remember something, and raised her hand to pat her forehead: "Oh right, I forgot to tell you, I have a good relationship with your third son, Qi Shuyan. His soul just returned to his body a while ago, and now he is on good terms with the priest's lineage."

Mo Zuili's gaze swept over the old Dragon Emperor's pale face, and she said with a smile, "Do you really think you need to get the jade seal to secure your throne? Actually, once you breathe your last, Qing Shanyue can still succeed to the throne after she has dealt with all those princes who dared to jump out and compete for the throne."

After Qing Shanyue ascended the throne, Qi Shuyan went to find the priest again; the priest's faction had plenty of ways to find the jade seal.

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Zuili gripped the Phoenix Flame Spear and thrust it straight at the old Dragon Emperor's shoulder.

"Ugh!"

The old dragon emperor convulsed in pain, his emaciated body curled up in a ball on the bed.

Mo Zuili drew her spear, feigning admiration for his distorted face, and said with feigned regret, "It's a pity that Qing Shanyue couldn't come in person. She begged me for days, saying that if you refused to cooperate, I had to send you on your final journey in agony. I absolutely cannot let you suffer."

As Mo Zuili spoke, the spear fell again, precisely piercing the old dragon emperor's hand joint.

While stirring the tip of the spear, Mo Zuili said casually, "You really are something. Dragons have long lifespans, and you've been living in the Dragon Realm since you ascended the throne. The Dragon Realm has spatial laws that slow down the flow of time. You've lived for thousands of years, how can you still not be satisfied?"

There are plenty of ways to prolong life, yet they choose this unorthodox path, plotting against their own descendants.

The old dragon emperor was in so much pain that his vision went black, and upon hearing Mo Zuili's last words, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

How could anyone possibly have discovered it?

As if she could read minds, Mo Zuili guessed what the old Dragon Emperor was thinking and continued, "You think you've covered your tracks perfectly? There are no secrets in this world. What do you think the other princes, who don't know anything about the Life Curse, will do to you if Qing Shanyue tells them?"

Qingshan Yue traveled extensively in his early years and gained a wide range of knowledge.

After being injured by Hua Fei, while searching for an antidote behind the scenes, she accidentally discovered the life-binding curse within her body.

This spell is extremely well-hidden; it's impossible to detect if you've never seen it before.

But Qing Shanyue had met him in her younger days.

The old dragon emperor had many children, partly because of his philandering in his youth, but more importantly, to prolong his life.

The old man cast a curse on all his direct blood relatives, wishing them dead.

The Life-Binding Curse will quietly drain the lifespan of the person to whom it is cast. The Old Dragon Emperor uses a magic array to convert this lifespan into his own.

This is also why the old Dragon Emperor, after falling seriously ill, confined all his children to the Dragon Realm.

Once you're far away from the curse, it becomes ineffective.

Mo Zuili drew his spear, and drops of blood from the spear tip splattered in an eerie red.

Seeing the old Dragon Emperor clench his teeth and remain silent, a trace of impatience flashed through Mo Zuili's heart, but his face still maintained that nonchalant expression.

He even curled his lips into a smile and said, "I promised Qing Shan Yue that I would make your departure very painful. But if you don't hand over the jade seal, I will have to extract your soul. The victims must know about the filthy things you've done. Then, whoever is angry can vent their anger on your remnant soul."

No sooner had the cheerful words fallen than Mo Zuili raised the Phoenix Flame Spear, its tip flashing with cold light, about to stab down again.

"No..." The old dragon emperor finally couldn't hold on any longer, and his hoarse plea for mercy rang out.

Mo Zuili's smile remained unchanged, but her fingertips paused slightly: "You've figured it out?"

The old Dragon Emperor, panting heavily, stretched out his withered fingers, trembling as he said, "I'll talk, I'll talk... I'll give you the jade seal, but it's not on me right now. I'll tell you its location..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Phoenix Flame Spear suddenly pierced the old Dragon Emperor's thigh.

"Hmph." Mo Zuili sneered, the tip of his spear spun a bloody hole in the flesh, and said, "Still can't figure out the situation? Do you really think Qing Shanyue doesn't know where the jade seal is?"

Mo Zuili pulled out the gun and stabbed it in another spot. Blood splattered on the brocade quilt, spreading a large patch of dark red: "If you refuse to hand it over, Qing Shanyue will have plenty of ways to get it out after you die."

Although Mo Zuili spoke with an air of confidence, her palms were already damp with sweat, and she could only suppress the turmoil in her voice.

Both she and Qing Shanyue were gambling.

Qing Shanyue said that given the old Dragon Emperor's suspicious nature, the Dragon Pattern Jade Seal could not possibly be hidden elsewhere. It must have been sealed on his body with a restriction, and he simply used spatial magic to conceal his whereabouts.

Mo Zuili didn't know if Qing Shanyue had a way out, but he did have one.

However, the Dragon Clan's move has now failed.

But the struggle for power has always been like this.

Mo Zuili took a deep breath, suppressing her throbbing temples.

Before I became a rich second-generation heir in modern times who did nothing but spend money, didn't I also go through countless games of chance?

The more critical the decision, the more courage is required to take a gamble.

Mo Zuili increased the force of the spear tip, looking at the old dragon emperor's face contorted in pain, and said lightly, "You said a dragon's soul can be divided into a maximum of several parts? You have quite a few children."

The old Dragon Emperor finally broke down, letting out a beast-like whimper, and said intermittently, "In...in my heart, use dragon scale blood...to break the seal."

Mo Zuili's eyes narrowed, and she abruptly pulled the spear tip away.