The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

"You know in your heart who the late emperor wanted to pass the throne to before he passed away thirty years ago."

"It was your mother who colluded with her relatives to forge an imperial edict, causing the death of the real crown prince, and then put you on the throne."

"If it weren't for my daughter's sake, I wouldn't recognize you, you dog emperor."

"But your biggest mistake was betraying my daughter, and indirectly causing her death!"

"Over the years, Li'er hasn't been happy in your royal family. How could I, as her maternal grandfather, possibly see the last trace of my precious daughter's bloodline suffer mistreatment in your household!"

"Today, we'll settle both our old and new scores!"

At this point, the Prince of Zhenbei, holding Xiao Wu's head, exerted a slight force, and the immense true energy of the peak Golden Core Realm directly pierced through Xiao Wu's skull!

With a soft sound, Xiao Wu's skull shattered!

His eyes widened suddenly, and mouthfuls of blood gushed from his mouth. His body slumped limply onto the golden bricks of the Zichen Palace.

The blood slowly seeped out, staining the golden ground red.

However, just as Xiao Wu collapsed!

A vast, ocean-like pressure, seemingly capable of suppressing heaven and earth, suddenly erupted from the depths of the palace!

The pressure was so strong that the entire Zichen Palace trembled violently!

This caused all the civil and military officials in the hall to kneel down, prostrate on the ground, their bodies trembling!

The Prince of Zhenbei's body suddenly stiffened, and his expression changed drastically!

This oppressive force, which rendered him utterly incapable of any resistance, was beyond the realm of the Golden Core stage!

Instead...

Nascent Soul Realm!

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the air above the dragon throne in the Zichen Palace, and an extremely aged figure slowly emerged from the void.

After the figure was fully revealed, everyone realized that it was an elderly man with a hunched back.

The old man exuded an extremely peaceful aura, to the point that people doubted whether the immense pressure they had just witnessed truly originated from him.

There was no emotion in those cloudy eyes; they simply stared silently at Xiao Wu lying in a pool of blood, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Xiao Yuli's expression also became serious. She knew that there was a Nascent Soul Ancestor in the royal family who had been in seclusion for many years and did not concern himself with worldly affairs.

But she never expected that today's events would alarm this ancestor!

If the patriarch were to make a move, everyone here today would die!

Below the Nascent Soul stage, all are but ants!

Even the Zhenbei King, who inspires fear in countless people, is nothing more than a large ant in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator, easily destroyed with a flick of the finger!

The old man's gaze fell on Xiao Yuli's slightly protruding belly, and a very faint ripple suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"I am Xiao Cangyun. Are you a descendant of my Xiao family?"

Upon hearing this question, Xiao Yuli's heart tightened, and she immediately bowed and said, "Junior Xiao Yuli greets Ancestor!"

"Today's events have disturbed the patriarch's peaceful cultivation; this junior is extremely apprehensive!"

"You have seized power today. Is it you who sits on this throne, or is it the father of the child in your womb who ascends the throne?"

Xiao Yuli's mind raced. She seemed to understand why the ancestor had this idea. It was nothing more than his concern about the leakage of imperial power!

"Reporting to Ancestor! The throne can only belong to the Xiao family. I will first ascend the throne to stabilize the regime, and then pass the throne to the child in my womb!"

Hearing this unwavering answer, Xiao Cangyun's tense face suddenly broke into a smile, and the oppressive atmosphere instantly eased: "You little girl, you've got quite the nerve. Plotting to seize power is something only men do throughout history."

"Fine, since you have the blood of the Xiao family, let this matter be considered an internal dispute within the Xiao family."

"Let's leave it at that for today. To prevent certain individuals from taking advantage of the chaos, we'll announce to the public that the current emperor has died suddenly, and the Ninth Princess has ascended the throne!"

"Remember your words: the Xiao family's throne must never fall into the hands of others!"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the hall instantly understood!

This lofty Nascent Soul Ancestor is clearly biased towards protecting Xiao Yuli!

This is because she is a royal princess, with the blood of the Xiao family flowing through her veins, and the unborn child in her womb is the legitimate heir of the Xiao family!

The huge weight that had been hanging over Xiao Yuli's heart lifted with a thud. Overjoyed, she wept and bowed deeply once more: "This junior thanks the Ancestor for upholding justice!"

"You're welcome."

Xiao Cangyun's gaze fell on her lower abdomen again, his tone softening almost imperceptibly, "The child in your womb has extraordinary innate talent and a unique destiny."

"After he is born, I will personally take him as my disciple and teach him myself."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuli froze on the spot, then was completely overwhelmed with immense joy!

A Nascent Soul Realm elder personally promised to guide and raise her child, which means that her child has already won at the starting line even before birth!

No parent doesn't want their child to have a better future.

Even before the child in her womb is born, love has already begun.

Xiao Cangyun glanced indifferently at the assembled officials, a jade seal appeared out of thin air in his palm, and then imprinted it onto a blank imperial edict.

There were no words on this imperial edict, only a red jade seal mark!

"Take this imperial edict. If anyone within the Great Yan territory disrespects your status, show it to them."

"If he's still not convinced, I'll personally teach him a lesson."

Upon seeing the imperial edict, Xiao Yuli, disregarding her pregnancy, insisted on kneeling to receive it!

The difference between having this imperial edict and not having it is enormous!

This is the certification of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and also the most authoritative certification of the Great Yan Royal Family!

By possessing this imperial edict, one's legitimate status is confirmed!

As for the so-called plot to seize power, that's utter nonsense!

He ascended the throne only after the death of the previous emperor. Anyone who said something wrong is disrupting the court and should be executed according to the law!

The officials, both civil and military, wisely kept silent, pretending they hadn't witnessed the bloody scene.

With everything settled, Xiao Cangyun naturally wouldn't linger here.

Even though Nascent Soul cultivators have relatively long lifespans, they still dedicate more time to cultivation.

Not long after Xiao Cangyun left, five streaks of light pierced the sky and headed straight for the palace!

Outside the Zichen Palace, five figures descended from the sky; they were Song Ziwei and four other governors of the Jingyao Division!

As soon as the five entered the Zichen Palace, they saw civil and military officials kneeling on the ground.

And on the golden dragon throne sat a woman.

A woman they knew all too well, the Ninth Princess, Xiao Yuli!

Song Ziwei's pupils suddenly contracted!

Not only him, but the other four people's expressions also changed drastically!

They had considered that it might be a prince, but they never imagined it might be a princess!

Could it be that the Great Yan Dynasty is really about to welcome its first female emperor in history?

"Your Highness, where is His Majesty?!"

Song Ziwei was the first to regain consciousness. Although the bloodstains and corpses in the Zichen Palace had been dealt with, the strong stench of blood in the air lingered.

A bad feeling was already creeping into the hearts of the five people.