The smile on "Emperor Chu's" face widened, but just as he reached out to grab Tang Nian's neck, a blinding light flashed, and "Emperor Chu" was thrown away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, all the stone bricks in front of the palace were seen to have been lifted up, and the "Emperor of Chu" lay on a pile of broken stone bricks.
In front of Tang Nian stood a little boy who looked only five or six years old and was wearing a black cloak.
"Why are you here?" Tang Nian wasn't particularly wary of the boy who suddenly appeared.
"I'm here to save you. If I hadn't come, you would have died."
The boy had a stern face, displaying a composure beyond his years, and as he spoke, he glanced at Lou Mu, who hadn't caught up yet.
The "Emperor of Chu" seemed oblivious to pain, standing up in a strange posture and stiffly waving his arms as if trying to attack Tang Nian again.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the boy instantly summoned two men in black robes, kneeling on one knee in the open space. Each man held a heavy iron chain in his hand, and they cast no shadows in the bright candlelight.
"Your Highness."
The surrounding air turned cold and damp, and even the air they breathed out was filled with white mist. The ministers couldn't help but wrap their clothes tighter around themselves.
“Take him away.”
"yes."
The two ghost messengers stood up and stepped forward at the same time. "Emperor Chu" seemed to sense the danger and quickly turned around and ran backward on all fours.
A ghost messenger swung out an iron chain and tied it around the little ghost's neck. With a gentle tug, he pulled it off Emperor Chu's body. Gone was its previous arrogant demeanor; its tongue lolled out, its eyes rolled back, and it remained motionless.
The other person's chain pierced directly through the Chu Emperor's body, but strangely, there were no wounds or blood flowing out.
The other end of the chain entered the Chu Emperor's body, but did not penetrate; however, it could be seen that the exposed chain was getting shorter and shorter.
Suddenly, the ghost pulled hard, and a piercing scream came from Emperor Chu's body, and his head showed a terrified expression.
Tang Nian's face scrunched up as she gently covered her ears.
As the chain was pulled further outward, black mist appeared on it.
With a "poof," a black soul was pulled out of the iron chain.
The moment it was pulled out, a cloud of black mist erupted from Emperor Chu's body. No, it couldn't be called mist; Tang Nian could clearly feel the dense ghostly energy and malice within the thick fog.
The boy stared at the elusive, slowly dissipating black mist, his face turning extremely pale.
Lou Mu looked up at the sky, which was obscured by a thick black fog, and murmured, "So this is what it means when Mars guards the heart..."
Countless ghosts and monsters will be released into the human world, and chaos will ensue.
After the fog dissipated, the head withered instantly, turning into a small ball of flesh that fell to the ground.
The moment it hit the ground, the ball of flesh vanished without a trace.
At the same time, the Chu Emperor's body became shriveled, just like he had treated those common people. It looked as if all his internal organs had disappeared, and it was as if even his corpse would dissipate in the wind if touched.
After the two ghost messengers and the little ghost disappeared from the spot, the boy who summoned the ghost messengers was still there, and everyone was still trembling and dared not go forward.
Without the Chu Emperor, the Imperial Guards standing in the distance were at a loss, yet they still raised their bows and arrows at everyone.
"Father is dead. Do you intend to kill me as well?" Chu Yanjun stepped forward and said coldly.
The Forbidden Forest Guards looked at each other, hesitated, put down their bows and swords, and knelt on the ground.
They were all guards directly under the Chu Emperor, but now that the Chu Emperor is dead, and the eldest and second princes are still imprisoned in the imperial prison, they can only obey the third prince.
The ministers, their faces pale, watched this scene with varying expressions, especially those of the eldest and second princes. They never expected that this game of chess, which involved gambling with the fate of the world, would end like this.
The eldest and second princes plotted a rebellion and will be dealt with accordingly. Meanwhile, the Chu Emperor was seduced by a sorcerer and possessed by a demon. The third prince's actions were merely acting on behalf of Heaven to seize the throne, which was perfectly legitimate.
But these were all seasoned veterans of the officialdom, how could they not know the secrets behind it? They were all secretly observing the Grand Secretary Lou Mu, who was making waves in the court.
How could they not see through what just happened?
Lou Mu, however, seemed oblivious to everything, remaining ramrod straight and gazing solemnly at the horizon.
Just as Tang Nian was about to speak, she heard a voice from beside her.
"Take me to see that damned Taoist Master you mentioned."
In the silent palace, the boy's voice was exceptionally loud, reminding everyone that the culprit who had brought the Chu Emperor to such a state was still in the palace.
However, no one dared to step forward.
Tang Nian looked down and saw the boy raising his hands, wanting her to hug him. She sighed and said, "Your Highness, you're so old already, stop pretending. Also, be polite."
Even so, she still bent down and picked up the boy.
Tang Nian and Lou Mu exchanged a glance, and Lou Mu stepped forward and spoke to Chu Yanjun about something.
The matter was already settled, and Tang Nian didn't want to pay any more attention to the intricacies of the court. She weighed the boy in her hand and asked, "Did your father really release you from the underworld?"
That's right, this child is Yama's own son, the little prince of the underworld, and also Tang Nian's person in the underworld, no, her ghost lineage.
The message was sent to him.
"Senior sister, if it weren't for me, would you still be here holding me and talking to me?" The little prince snorted in dissatisfaction.
Who would have thought that Tang Nian, as Xiang Liu, would actually be fellow disciples of the King of Hell's son?
Tang Nian's magical arts were all taught to her by Yama's wife when she was alive. Before the Xiangliu clan was sealed in the forbidden area, Tang Nian often sneaked into the underworld.
They kept it a secret very well; even the gods didn't know about their past.
However, Tang Nian was very curious as to why the little prince still looked only five or six years old after all these years.
Every time this matter is brought up, the young prince always makes up various excuses to avoid it. Being playful, he would rather be reported by Tang Nian and locked up than tell the truth.
Tang Nian once asked her master out of curiosity, but her master said it was the little prince's heart ailment, and that he would naturally grow up when the heart ailment was resolved.
The master wanted to take his master on a trip to see the sights, but the young prince had to be trained to become the next King of Hell. However, the young prince would sneak off to the human world whenever he had the chance.
That's why the King of Hell issued a stay-at-home order.
The boy's cool expression paired with his chubby little face was so cute that Tang Nian couldn't resist reaching out and pinching his cheek.
“If what you wrote in your letter is true, there will be great upheavals in both the human world and the underworld. If my father finds out, it will be a huge problem. That’s why I sneaked out to see how things are going. It seems that you still have a lot to do, Senior Sister.”
The young prince knows Tang Nian's current situation, so asking Tang Nian for help is the most appropriate thing to do.
However, Tang Nian always felt that the young prince was gloating.
However, given that this situation could cause turmoil in both realms, Tang Nian couldn't wait to ask, "So what exactly is going on?"
"I'll have to go and see for myself to know."
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