Simulated immortality allows me to calculate talent stats.

The throne, the most revered place in the mortal realm.

[An indescribable and ominous sign for old age.]

A deathly silence fell.

The end of the black taboo "has" also ends your silent process.

[You, relying on the throne, reached out and touched it with great interest.]

[Feel its texture.]

After all, such opportunities are rare.

The black hands within Emperor Xuanwu's eye sockets swirled and intertwined, seemingly gazing at you with complex emotions.

"You have no desire for the throne whatsoever?"

【"Um?"】

You looked up, seemingly lost in thought.

He tilted his head slightly.

A smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "So you're eyeing it? If you stand up now, I'll sit down right now for you to see."

[Click click click...]

The Xuanwu Emperor's head opened and closed, his teeth clashing, producing a series of jade-like sounds.

He seemed to be laughing with unusual gusto.

Even the black hand in its eye socket swayed like seaweed.

The curve of your lips gradually faded, replaced by a cold, stern expression.

[Now that the pleasantries are over, it's time to find out the answer.]

"And you? A beautiful woman who brought ruin to the empress, defying fate and defying destiny, you even wanted me to die in Taiyuan, and now you've made yourself into this wretched state..."

"What was the purpose?"

The Xuanwu Emperor's clattering teeth snapped shut again.

The black hand in the eye socket tensed, then abruptly withdrew.

"Wen Yu, what you see of the human world is merely the tip of the iceberg..."

"You cannot imagine what I see, nor can you understand the unease and fear in my heart."

[The emperor who wields imperial power and looks down upon the mortal realm.]

[He actually said he felt uneasy and fearful.]

This is truly absurd and bizarre.

But you know he's telling the truth.

Unease and fear propelled him as he tried to escape the indescribable situation.

What is that?

"What is that?"

[Please voice your doubts.]

[Click.]

The Xuanwu Emperor clenched his teeth, even though there was no flesh left.

You could almost feel a hint of expectation in his smile.

"I...present myself to you..."

[The imperial authority permeated the air, washing away the sticky, moist, and bizarre quality from his voice.]

Just like when we first met.

[Majestic and dignified, with the imperial title in his mouth, he exuded an unquestionable air of submission from all living beings.]

As he finished speaking...

The surrounding darkness was impenetrable, churning violently.

[Like a whirlpool, they converged behind the throne.]

[A bizarre and destructive force, blurring consciousness and raging rampage.]

You resisted with absolutely unwavering will.

He turned around, supporting himself on the throne, and looked back.

A dark vortex, shrouded in an unpredictable and gloomy aura, obliterates space and eliminates dimensions.

【final……】

[A gateway to an unspeakable place has been torn open.]

Your heterochromatic eyes widened.

That was a scene beyond description.

[Endless darkness, a magnificent purple like the universe, adorned with bizarre and dazzling stars.]

Confusion, bewilderment, mystery, treachery, the unknown...

Time and space lose their meaning here; dimensions are infinitely folded and disordered.

[All thought processes and concepts have been erased.]

[The end and the beginning.]

[They meet here.]

[Just by observing the projection of the Xuanwu Emperor, your soul felt as if it had frozen.]

You suddenly sense something.

This mystery seems familiar.

【Boom! 】

The sound of metal striking a jade chime resonated.

That indescribable land vanished, the vortex of darkness dissipated, and Taiyuan was sealed once more.

[You finally put an end to the shock in your heart.]

[His expression was cold and aloof, his brows furrowed as if lifting a veil of mist, revealing an unknown danger.]

Did you introduce the crisis, or was the crisis already in place?

This is your primary focus.

[The place we witnessed earlier was actually a result of Emperor Xuanwu colluding with others in his scheme.]

[Or perhaps it was a crisis that already existed, and he was trying his best to avert it.]

"Both are true, or neither are true."

The Xuanwu Emperor gave you a vague and contradictory answer.

His voice, seemingly weakened by his previous wielding of imperial power, carried an even stronger sense of eeriness and absurdity.

He continued, "When I became aware of it, 'it' was already there. It tried to resist, but later discovered..."

"Crisis can also be an opportunity."

"Therefore, I borrowed it to counter the arrival of the real enemy."

"The real enemy?"

You have heard that the Xuanwu Emperor will reveal the hidden secrets of this world to you.

"Wen Yu, I have said before that I respect you because you possess thoughts that do not belong to this world."

"But... you still see this world through a fog, like looking at flowers through mist, or gazing at the moon's reflection in water."

"I respect your perseverance and fearlessness."

"But in the grand scheme of things, you will ultimately only become dust in the winds of time."

You ignored the Xuanwu Emperor's definition of you.

Seize this rare opportunity to uncover more intelligence.

"Who is the enemy?"

Faced with this question, Emperor Xuanwu's previous desire to confide in someone abruptly ceased.

But you laughed.

[It seems we've grasped a possible approach.]

The answer doesn't need to be given directly by the other party, because any subtle reaction points in the right direction.

【world.】

[It is a place surrounded and bound by the existence of the high heavens, the rules of the human emperor, and the indescribable.]

The Xuanwu Emperor said you were looking at flowers through a fog.

What lies hidden behind that fog?

You're very curious, so you decide to go and see for yourself...

This conversation on the throne is drawing to a close.

[You, leaning on the throne, having just killed your lord, rose unsteadily.]

That look of someone who could be walking towards the end of their life at any moment.

Even the Xuanwu Emperor couldn't help but want to reach out and help you up.

Clearly, his expression of respect for you was not unfounded.

Your eyes droop, your gaze fixed on Emperor Xuanwu.

"Did you succeed?"

Your response was silence.

"If I had died in Taiyuan, would you have been able to succeed?"

The black hand in Emperor Xuanwu's eye socket swayed wildly, but still offered no answer.

A faint smile involuntarily appeared on your lips.

[Another question was asked.]

"If we could do it all over again... could we possibly fight back if we joined forces?"

This time, the Xuanwu Emperor looked up and met your gaze.

The dark hand in the eye socket, tangled and chaotic, eventually settles into stillness.

"Defying fate may reverse and overturn destiny, but... it's not enough."

The curve of your smile gradually widened.

[Once again, information was obtained through probing.]

[Not enough means it's useful, but lacks concentration.]

Moreover, Emperor Xuanwu previously orchestrated the Battle of Zhongting, intending for you to die in Taiyuan.

[Perhaps it was an attempt to defy fate and resist the inexplicable sealing of Taiyuan.]

【Do not! 】

This is contradictory.

Your thoughts drifted.

Emperor Xuanwu, regarding this indescribable situation, frankly stated that both crisis and opportunity coexist.

Ultimately, they chose to succumb to despair in order to gain the opportunity to confront the true enemy.

That which defies destiny is not meant to reverse or overturn the ineffable.

What is that used for?

Suddenly, what came to mind?

[His heterochromatic eyes gleamed with a mysterious light.]

【imperial power!】