Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

"Why."

Lu Chen stared blankly westward, in the direction he should have been heading.

Even from this distance, he could still feel the terrifying energy bursts there. One can imagine what would have happened to him if he had taken that path.

Since he was heading east, then heading west is the correct direction.
"Cangming Saint King, why are you tampering with my understanding?"

As he murmured, a complex expression gradually appeared on his face.

Clearly, his perception has been greatly altered; otherwise, he wouldn't have believed from the beginning that he was traveling westward.

The only people who could influence his perception even with the support of numerous magical treasures could be Chai Hongyu, Cang Yue, and Cangming Saint King.

Neither Chai Hongyu nor Cang Yue had any motive to harm him.

Furthermore, the only one who could act against him and change his perception right under Chai Hongyu's nose was the Cangming Saint King.

In other words, even if Cang Yue and Chai Hongyu wanted to do something to her for some reason, they would never escape the perception of the Cangming Saint King.

There's no need to guess; it must have been the Holy King Cangming himself who took action.

With the strength of the strongest in the world, he could cast spells without anyone noticing. Moreover, he initially said that the west was the safest place, but now the west is a hellish scene.

On the contrary, the journey to the east was fraught with danger but ultimately safe, with only evil soldiers blocking the way.

It seems that the Cangming Saint King was convinced from the beginning that the east was the way out. As long as he headed east, he would have a chance to escape. Otherwise, he would not have used such methods to make him head east.

He didn't know why the Holy King Cangming did this, but this choice completely disrupted his plans and intentions.

A moment later, Lu Chen frowned, his mind racing.

The deed is done, and the reasons are no longer important. What we need to think about now is how to deal with it.

Although once the Illusionary Spirit Array and the Spirit Pivot are widely adopted, even without relying on the Cangming Saint King, the court's current resources will eventually be sufficient to quell the rebellion, but...
That's for later.

At this stage, the imperial court absolutely cannot do without the deterrent power of the Cangming Sage King.

The Illusionary Spirit Array and the Spirit Pivot still need improvement. Although the initial version was usable, the consumption was too great. Now, only half of the country remains, and the court, which has almost completely lost the support of the rentier class, can hardly sustain itself.

The main reason he was willing to die for the Holy King of Cangming was this.

According to the divination results from Fu Xian, the western route is an absolute dead end, and even a holy king is very likely to perish there. The current commotion in the west clearly proves this point.

If the Holy King of Cangming dies here, then the imperial court...
Upon realizing this, his brows furrowed even deeper.

With the Holy King in power, he is still able to suppress all sides, preventing anyone in the court or among the people from harboring any dissent and thus maintaining the Empress's rule.

Once the Holy King loses his absolute authority, it's hard to say whether the Empress can maintain control of the court. At that time, the flame of revival that the Great Xia Dynasty has just ignited will probably be completely extinguished.

All his previous efforts, the contributions of the civil and military officials around him, and the newly effective policies will all be ruined in an instant, resulting in a complete failure.

Those people who erected longevity tablets for him and only recently began to enjoy a better life will once again return to the despair of two years ago.

click
Lu Chen's knuckles made a crisp sound, but he was clenching his fists unconsciously, his fingertips digging deep into his palms without him even realizing it.

"grown ups."

The adjutant beside him noticed his unusual expression and asked him with a worried look.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?"

Lu Chen shook his head, not revealing the truth, but instead said, "It's nothing, don't worry about it. You all come with me to destroy the core of the formation."

Regardless, the things that need to be done still need to be done.

Upon hearing this, the deputy general had some doubts, after all, Lu Chen's preoccupied appearance was too obvious.

The fact that such an important person is so worried is obviously no small matter.

But since Lu Shaobao had given the order, they had no time to think about it.

So he nodded and replied emphatically, "Yes!"

The soldiers quickened their pace and rushed towards the center of the formation not far away.

Although Lu Chen was also galloping on his horse, he looked absent-minded.

How to do?
According to the divination chart, he could only ensure the safety of the Cangming Holy King by traveling westward, but now it was too late for him to turn back immediately.

Everything seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Fu Xuan had clearly said that as long as he was determined to go west, the outcome would inevitably be his death and the Holy King's survival.

He didn't hesitate or waver at all, having already acted with the determination to die, but now, it was he heading east while the Cangming Saint King headed west to face certain death.
If the celestial divination chart goes wrong, can the dignified Director of the Celestial Secrets Bureau also make mistakes and be inaccurate in his calculations?

However, now is clearly not the time to dwell on the abilities of the runes.

Gradually, anxiety and impatience began to show on his face.

In the end how to do?
Are we just supposed to watch helplessly as things worsen, or pray that the Holy King of Cangming will defeat the enemy and break through the formation, leaving us safe and sound?

Having been in this world for over two years, this was the first time he had felt so flustered, unable to handle things with the same ease as before.

Until he was completely unaware that his soldiers had exhausted all their strength to completely destroy the eastern core of the Zhuxian Formation, he had not come up with any solutions, nor had he even noticed the actions of his soldiers.

After finishing his work, the deputy general walked towards Lu Chen, panting.

Lu Chen remained deep in thought, his worry evident on his face.

Seeing his reaction, the lieutenant hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and prepared to speak.

And at this moment——

Hua Hua Hua~~~
The previously peaceful surroundings were suddenly swept by an extremely strong wind without warning.

Immediately afterward, before the deputy general and the other soldiers could react, a special force hidden in the strong wind enveloped them all.

The next second, everyone felt everything go black, and their consciousness almost instantly vanished.

Pfft! !

As the strong wind swept through, many soldiers fell to the ground, but Lu Chen withstood it thanks to his extremely powerful protective magic weapon.

The sudden turn of events brought him back to his senses in an instant.

"what happened?"

He suddenly stood up, looked around solemnly, and drew the ultimate sword from his waist, which had no power from the First Emperor. In an instant, spiritual power flowed into his entire body.

Immediately afterward, the moment he was fully armed, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out in the air.

"Jie Jie"

The voice was like a ghost, and Lu Chen felt his soul tremble inexplicably, and an increasingly intense stinging sensation began to spread throughout his body.

"As expected of Young Master Lu, you certainly have many trump cards up your sleeve. Even my Soul-Seizing Wind couldn't harm you, but..."

As the voice rang out, the energy in the demonic wind began to rapidly gather, instantly condensing into a cloud of black mist that grew increasingly dense and eerie not far from Lu Chen.

"External forces are ultimately just external forces. A mere waste at the Third Realm is still an ant before me, even if he holds a celestial treasure."

The moment those words were spoken, the black mist suddenly transformed into a giant black dragon's head, which then opened its blood-red maw and plummeted toward Lu Chen's location, clearly intending to swallow him whole.

Hearing this, seeing this scene, and feeling the cold air in the air, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.

Sure enough, although the eastern front was relatively safer than the other three directions, it was not without danger; the trap had been set at the heart of the formation.

But what if we get killed here?
After receiving system compensation, I ascended directly to become a Celestial King. With the power of a Celestial King, who knows...
Upon realizing this, he showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

This should be the best ending, right?

He slowly raised his head, his gaze calmly fixed on the black dragon's head in mid-air, as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.

Seeing this, the shrill laughter in the air grew even louder.

At the same time, the roaring black dragon exuded terrifying pressure, constantly eroding Lu Chen's soul.

Lu Chen felt as if his body was filled with lead, completely unable to move. Then, his mind became increasingly heavy, and his consciousness gradually faded away.

Clearly, the opponent used the power of the Immortal Slaughtering Formation to suppress the protective magic treasures on his body, and that captivating secret technique affected his soul.

Swish! !
The sharp, ear-piercing sound of something cutting through the air grew ever closer, and Lu Chen could barely lift his eyes; he was utterly powerless to resist.

Just as this man, who posed a great threat to the lineage of cultivators and sages, was about to be swallowed by the black dragon, his slightly thin figure was about to be swallowed up.
The instant his consciousness plunged into complete darkness—

Ding!
The Sacred Jade at her waist suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

Immediately afterwards, the space around Lu Chen suddenly distorted violently, and a figure covered in blood appeared out of thin air behind him. (End of this chapter)