After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

The imperial palace, the imperial court.

The old emperor was leaning back on his dragon throne, one hand supporting his chin, listening to the eloquent words of his sycophantic ministers below.

"Your Majesty's virtue extends to all people and benevolence to the four seas; you are a sage ruler unprecedented in history! Now, with the protection of the Imperial Preceptor, the dynasty's reign is long and prosperous, all thanks to Your Majesty's diligence in governing and love for the people, which has moved Heaven!"

The sycophant spoke with such sincerity that his spittle seemed to fly right onto the emperor's desk.

The old emperor was overjoyed to hear this, and his tense expression relaxed, his eyes and brows showing obvious pleasure.

The officials in the palace could not bear to look at it.

Several senior officials had livid faces and clenched their teeth, wishing they could tear the mouth of that treacherous minister apart.

Many of them were truly loyal ministers who wanted to advise the emperor to stay away from these treacherous people, but the old emperor was easily swayed by their words. He would demote anyone who offered honest advice that was unpleasant to hear, and reward anyone who flattered him the most.

Having come to this point, they have no choice but to suffer in silence.

Just as the old emperor was laughing heartily, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

The laughter sound stuck in his throat, turning into a heart-wrenching cough.

He suddenly clutched his chest, a metallic taste rising in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Blood splattered on the imperial desk, staining the mountain of memorials piled up red.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty has vomited blood!"

The hall instantly descended into chaos.

The personal eunuch screamed and rushed forward, his voice piercing the air: "Help! Protect the Emperor! Someone is framing His Majesty! Quickly summon the imperial physician—"

But before the guards could rush in, an even more horrifying scene unfolded.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the old emperor's body deteriorated at a visible rate.

His hair, which looked like it had just been dyed black, turned gray inch by inch from the roots, and then turned snow-white in the blink of an eye.

The skin on my face looked like the peel of an orange that had been dried out, wrinkled and sagging in patches.

In just a few breaths, the emperor who had been so energetic just moments before had become a withered, emaciated old man, slumped on the dragon throne, barely breathing.

The hall was completely silent.

One minister's legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

Is this something that can be achieved by administering medication?

They looked as if something had forcibly sucked away their life force.

The old eunuch, embracing the emperor, wept uncontrollably. Suddenly remembering something, he cried out in a shrill voice, "Grand Tutor Wen! Where is Grand Tutor Wen? Come quickly to the emperor's rescue!"

Among the crowd, the head of the Wen family had already strode out.

In the past six months, thanks to his relationship with the Imperial Advisor, he has risen rapidly through the ranks and now holds a firm foothold in the court, enjoying a superior position.

He strode up the imperial steps, squatted down, grasped the old emperor's wrist, and tentatively channeled his spiritual energy into his body.

Upon this investigation, the Wen family head's expression instantly changed.

The old emperor's meridians were empty, his internal organs were completely devoid of life, and he was like a piece of rotten wood that looked relatively intact on the outside but was hollowed out by termites long ago.

What hope is there? It's clearly just a walking corpse.

Seeing that he remained silent, the eunuch cried out anxiously, "Grand Tutor, what's wrong with His Majesty? Please save him!"

The head of the Wen family remained silent for a long while, then slowly released his grip, straightened up, and said in a hoarse voice, "His Majesty has lost all life force... there is no way to save him."

"What?!"

The ministers were in uproar.

Some people stood frozen in shock, some covered their faces and wept, while others had shifty eyes and were already plotting something.

Footsteps and the clanging of weapons could be faintly heard outside the hall; it was unclear whether they were guards or someone else.

Suddenly, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, the old emperor on the dragon throne moved his chapped lips twice, and two tears rolled down his cloudy eyes.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only managed to utter a muffled sound before his head lolled to the side and he fell silent.

The old eunuch knelt on the ground, prostrate at the emperor's feet, and cried so hard he almost passed out.

A chill ran through the Wen family head's heart.

The old emperor's life is hanging by a thread by the imperial advisor. Even if he were to die, it shouldn't be at this time.

The dragon vein hasn't been devoured yet. If the old emperor dies at this time, a new dragon prince will surely ascend to the throne, and the dragon vein will surely be injected with new fortune. Wouldn't their plan be in vain?

wrong!

The old emperor died at this time, which means that the imperial advisor also met with misfortune.

His expression changed drastically, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Without time to think, he took advantage of the chaos in the hall to quietly take a step back, trying to slip away.

Just then, the palace doors were suddenly pushed open from the outside.

"Don't move!"

Luo Yiyan took the lead and stepped into the hall, followed by a dozen or so Tianheng Sect disciples, each holding a long sword and exuding a murderous aura.

The imperial guards outside the palace were lying scattered on the ground, clearly having been taken down.

One of the ministers cried out in alarm, "Who are you? How dare you trespass on royal property!"

Luo Yiyan raised his hand, revealing the token of the Tianheng Sect, and declared firmly, "I am Luo Yiyan, a disciple of the Tianheng Sect. Your Imperial Preceptor has been discovered to be an evil cultivator who set up an altar outside the city to worship the heavens and mislead the people. He has now been killed."

"We are here to arrest accomplices of heretical cultivators. All unrelated persons, please make way immediately to avoid accidental injury!"

These words shocked the entire hall.

"What? The Imperial Preceptor is a heretical cultivator?"

"What? The Imperial Advisor is dead?"

"What? There are accomplices of hereine cultivators?"

Luo Yiyan: "..." Wasn't he clear enough just now? Why do these people have so many questions?

His gaze swept quickly across the people in the hall, and he soon locked onto the figure that was sneaking towards the side door.

Luo Yiyan's eyes sharpened, and she pointed directly at the Wen family head, "It's him! Grab him, don't let him get away!"

The disciples behind him swarmed forward, their swords flashing like lightning, instantly surrounding the Wen family head in the center.

The Wen family head's face darkened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

He originally wanted to pretend to be a loyal and virtuous person and get away with it, but after hearing what Luo Yiyan said, he knew that they had enough evidence.

If he were taken back by them, given what he had done, he would surely die.

"Youngster, you'd better see if you have the ability to capture me!"

He suddenly roared, his spiritual energy surging, which shook away several longswords in front of him.

Several disciples were caught off guard and were pushed backward by the shockwave.

Taking advantage of the situation, the head of the Wen family drew a short, jet-black blade from his sleeve. Several strange dark red patterns were wrapped around the blade, which gleamed ominously in the candlelight of the hall.

"An evil weapon!" Luo Yiyan's pupils contracted, and he drew his sword, stepping forward. "Form the array!"

The disciples quickly dispersed, each taking their place, their sword tips all pointing at the Wen family head.

It was clear that the head of the family had made preparations in advance.

With a flick of the black blade, a black mist carrying a sweet, fishy smell spread in all directions.

The candlelight in the hall was extinguished by the black mist, and most of it was immediately put out, making the light suddenly dim and the atmosphere even more sinister.

"Retreat! This fog is poisonous!" Luo Yiyan shouted, holding his breath and channeling his spiritual power into his sword, causing the blade to glow with a dazzling golden light.

Several disciples with lower cultivation levels felt dizzy and staggered as they retreated out of the hall.

The ministers then hurriedly scattered, scrambling and crawling out of the palace.

Some tripped over the threshold, some didn't dare turn back to pick up their hats after they fell off, and some were so scared that their legs went weak and they had to be dragged out by their companions.

The old eunuch was also swept away by the crowd, amidst cries, screams, and the clashing of weapons, all mixed together in complete chaos.