"ignition--!!!"
The hysterical roar of Regent Xiao Yuan, like the final howl of a dying beast, echoed with despair in the Taihe Hall, which was filled with blood and slaughter.
As he gave the order, a resolute madness flashed in the eyes of several assassins who had been lurking in the corners of the hall, disguised as ordinary eunuchs. They stopped fighting and instead pounced on the nearest golden dragon pillars.
They took out the tinderboxes they had prepared beforehand, blew on them, and then, without hesitation, pressed them against the seemingly ordinary decorative brocades on the pillars that were actually already soaked in tung oil!
"No! Stop them!"
One of the royal guards noticed their intentions, shouted sharply, and leaped forward.
However, it was too late.
"call--!"
In an instant, the dry, oily brocade, as if it had met its nemesis, burst into a bright orange flame!
The flames, like venomous snakes with life, climbed rapidly upwards along the brocade at a speed visible to the naked eye and terrifying to behold, instantly leaping up to the top of the palace, which was several meters high!
"boom!"
On the roof, the "oil-soaked hemp" cleverly arranged between the beams and the interlayers, when it comes into contact with the flame, is like an explosive that is instantly activated!
The towering flames, like a flood bursting its banks, suddenly erupted from the roof of the palace and then spread wildly in all directions!
All of this happened so fast!
It was so fast that no one had time to react!
Within a few breaths, the fire, which was originally just a localized burning, turned into an unstoppable sea of fire with the terrifying help of tung oil!
The carved beams and painted rafters crackled and popped in the flames; the magnificent palace lanterns melted and fell under the high temperature; and the precious silk curtains instantly transformed into dancing fire butterflies!
The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony, this magnificent palace symbolizing the highest power of the Great Liang Dynasty, was transformed in an instant into a huge and ornate... burning cage!
"Ah—! Fire!"
"Run!"
"The door! The door is locked! We can't get out!"
Panic, like a plague, spread among the people.
Whether it was the loyal imperial guards protecting their lord, the stubborn rebels, or the unarmed civil and military officials, at this moment, facing the indiscriminate attack of the raging flames that could devour everything, they all showed the same expression on their faces—extreme fear!
The battlefield, where swords clashed and blood clashed, became meaningless at this moment.
In the face of the inferno of death, everyone became an equal sacrifice, destined to be offered up.
Thick smoke billowed, instantly filling the entire hall. The choking smoke relentlessly assaulted everyone's mouths and noses, robbing them of their breath, causing them to cough violently and tear up uncontrollably.
Flames soared into the sky, and the scorching waves, like an invisible behemoth, seared the skin of everyone, as if trying to evaporate their flesh and blood.
Everyone was trapped in this enormous, burning inferno!
In the center of this hell on earth, Regent Xiao Yuan spread his arms wide and laughed wildly at the sky.
His robes were ablaze; his hair danced wildly in the heat. Bathed in flames, he appeared mad, like a fire king rising from hell.
The screams and wails around him transformed into the most beautiful symphony in his ears.
He looked at Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan, who were also surrounded by flames and thick smoke on the high throne platform, and a smile full of extreme vengeful pleasure appeared on his face.
"Xiao Che! Lin Wanwan!"
His laughter, amidst the crackling of the flames, sounded so manic and distorted.
"Hahaha! Did you win? No, you didn't!"
"Even if I don't get this empire, you... won't leave here alive!"
"Let this palace, and all these civil and military officials, become our common tomb!"
"On the road to the underworld, with you, my subjects, by my side, I... am not alone! Hahahaha!"
His maniacal laughter echoed within the burning palace, filled with the madness and ecstasy of mutual destruction.
On the high throne, Xiao Che held Lin Wanwan tightly behind him, shielding her from most of the heatwave with his own body. His long sword was already sheathed, and he was now warily scanning his surroundings, searching for a possible escape route.
"Cough, cough..." Lin Wanwan coughed violently, choked by the thick smoke, tears streaming down her face. She stared at the apocalyptic scene before her, her heart filled with shock. She had foreseen everything, but she hadn't anticipated Xiao Yuan's madness reaching this level!
"Don't be afraid." Xiao Che's voice rang in her ears, as steady as ever, as if the raging fire could not shake him in the slightest.
However, at that moment, a tooth-grinding, unbearable groan came from above them.
"Creak—!"
The two of them suddenly looked up!
Directly above their heads, a massive main beam, thick enough to require two people to encircle, was already charred black from the raging flames. Finally, it succumbed to its own weight, and with a chilling cracking sound, it crashed down with immense force, splintering countless burning wood fragments and sparks, directly onto Lin Wanwan, who was being protected behind Xiao Che!
The massive, burning beam rapidly magnified in Lin Wanwan's pupils!
The shadow of death loomed over her at that moment!
"Wanwan!"
Xiao Che's pupils constricted sharply! An unprecedented and extreme fear instantly gripped his heart! Without thinking, he tried to push Lin Wanwan away!
However, the beam was falling too fast! And with burning obstacles all around, there was absolutely no way to avoid it!
At this moment, time seemed to stand still once again.
Lin Wanwan could even clearly see that in the place above Xiao Che's head, which only she could see, all the images and all the words shattered in that instant!
Instead, there was a huge, cracked pattern that represented extreme fear!
That was the first and only time she saw such pure...fear in his emojis!
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