Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

The emperor returned to the low couch and sat down, picked up his teacup, his gaze falling on the tea leaves floating in the cup, and slowly spoke:

"Invincible, shouldn't the elders of the Dongfang family have mentioned the events of a hundred years ago to you?"

Dongfang Wudi nodded: "The elders of the clan have mentioned it many times. That year, the late Emperor Qin Batian was on an inspection tour when he was ambushed by the Underworld Palace, the White Lotus Sect, and dozens of Grandmasters of unknown origin. My grandfather and Eunuch Fu died in battle, and the late Emperor was seriously injured."

"That's not all."

The emperor's voice deepened, "You should know that when the late emperor was alive, he was known as the 'Number One Person in the Eastern Continent,' the strongest being in the entire Eastern Continent. He was exceptionally talented, rose to fame at a young age, became a Grandmaster at thirty, and stood on the threshold of Great Grandmaster at forty. By the time he was one hundred, he had defeated all opponents in the Eastern Continent, truly invincible under heaven."

Dongfang Wudi remained silent. Of course he knew all this.

During the reign of the late Emperor Qin Batian, the Xuantian Dynasty's iron cavalry swept across the Eastern Continent, and all directions submitted to the emperor, with all nations paying tribute.

The barbarian tribes were driven back to the harsh, desolate north, and all the major sects submitted to the emperor, while powerful clans dared not defy imperial authority. In that era, imperial power reached an unprecedented peak, rivaling the golden age at the founding of the dynasty.

"But precisely because of this, he has touched upon the interests of too many people."

The emperor put down his teacup, his voice tinged with bitterness: "The major sects, powerful families, demonic forces... even some within the royal family, do not want to see a dynasty that is too powerful. So, they have united."

"During that tour a hundred years ago, the late emperor traveled in secret and didn't bring many people with him. He only brought your grandfather, Dongfang Xiong—the Marquis of Weeping Blood at the time—and Eunuch Fu. Just the three of them."

Dongfang Wudi clenched his fist.

He learned of the ferocity of the ambush from his family elders. More than a hundred grandmasters had laid an ambush in a secluded valley, attacking from both the front and rear, surrounding the area on all sides.

Those grandmasters came from various forces, including the Underworld Emperor of the Underworld Palace and his subordinates, the White Lotus Sect Leader and his left and right protectors, and many other masked and mysterious powerhouses whose identities remain unknown to this day.

"The late emperor was unparalleled in combat prowess. Facing the encirclement of more than a hundred grandmasters, he fought his way out of the encirclement."

The emperor's voice was calm, but Dongfang Wudi could hear the shock within it. "In that battle, more than twenty Grandmasters of the enemy died, and the rest were all seriously injured. The Underworld Emperor personally took action. He was the only person in the Eastern Continent who could contend with the late emperor. The two were known as the 'Twin Emperors of the Eastern Continent'."

The two emperors of the Eastern Continent—Qin Batian and the Underworld Emperor—one representing imperial power and the other representing the demonic path, are the two most powerful beings in the entire Eastern Continent.

"If it weren't for the Underworld Emperor, the late Emperor wouldn't have been so badly injured. But even the Underworld Emperor paid a heavy price."

The emperor paused for a moment: "After the late emperor fled back to the palace, he was seriously injured and fell into a coma. When the news spread, a storm was brewing throughout the Eastern Continent. The barbarians gathered a large army on the border, the various sects of the demonic path were restless, the righteous sects had an ambiguous attitude, the powerful families were secretly colluding, and the vassal kings in various places began to watch... Everyone was waiting for him to die so that they could divide up the Xuan Tian Dynasty."

At this point, a glint of light flashed in the emperor's eyes, a light that was almost one of worship.

"It was at this moment that he broke out of the royal family's territory."

"Lu the Demon God," Dongfang Wudi whispered.

"Yes, Demon God Lü."

The emperor took a deep breath:

"You should have heard from the elders of the Dongfang family that Lu Moshen was the late emperor's adopted son. But privately, many people say that he was the late emperor's biological son—because the late emperor treated him so well. Not only did he pass on all the royal family's secret martial arts techniques to him, but he also gave him the clan's secret realm, which was originally reserved for the next emperor. That kind of favoritism didn't even match the treatment given to the crown prince."

Dongfang Wudi nodded. He naturally knew all this. Lu Moshen's martial arts talent was nothing short of monstrous—a Xiantian at fifteen, a Grandmaster at eighteen, and a Great Grandmaster at twenty! A Great Grandmaster at twenty was an extremely rare feat in the history of the Eastern Continent.

He was an unparalleled expert personally trained by the late emperor, and also the person the late emperor trusted most.

"After the late emperor fell into a coma, Lü Moshen sat by the emperor's bedside for three days and three nights. No one knew what he was thinking, and no one dared to ask him. Three days later, he walked out of the palace, carrying a large halberd, and left the imperial city alone."

That great halberd was said to be a heavy halberd made of black iron, weighing ten thousand catties. Its entire body was as black as ink, and its tip was double-edged, one side capable of slaying immortals and the other of vanquishing demons. It was a weapon specially commissioned by the late emperor to be forged for the demon god Lü, and it was named "Po Jun" (破军).

"His first stop was the Underworld Palace." The emperor's voice gradually became deep and powerful. "The Underworld Palace is the number one sect in the demonic path, with a history of hundreds of thousands of years. Its profound foundation is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The entire Underworld Palace covers a thousand miles, with layered palaces, dense mountain-protecting formations, and tens of thousands of demonic disciples guarding it. But Lu the Demon God, alone, with only a halberd, forcefully broke in."

Dongfang Wudi held his breath and concentrated.

"In that battle, all four deputy hall masters of the Underworld Palace were killed, and three grandmaster elders were killed by him with a single halberd in front of the hall. The Underworld Emperor was seriously injured and only escaped with his life by using a secret technique. The entire Underworld Palace was reduced to ruins by the Demon God Lü, and the ancestral temple of the demonic path, which had been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years, was turned into scorched earth overnight."

The emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip, seemingly trying to calm himself.

Dongfang Wudi couldn't help but ask, "How could one person... possibly do that? The protective array of the Underworld Palace is said to have been set up by powerful figures in ancient times, and even grandmasters couldn't break through it."

The emperor glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that held an indescribable meaning:

"So he is the Demon God Lü."

Dongfang Wudi was stunned.

Yes, that's why he is the Demon God Lü. No further reason is needed. When a person's power transcends common sense and understanding, then their name itself is the answer.

"Half a month later, the White Lotus Sect's headquarters was destroyed by him alone with a single halberd." The emperor continued, "The White Lotus Sect leader—a peerless expert at the peak of the Grandmaster level—was reduced to a bloody mist by him, along with his altar, leaving not even a corpse behind."

"In half a month, we destroyed two major demonic ancestral courts," Dongfang Wudi murmured.

"This is just the beginning." The emperor stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to a mountain range in the central part of the Eastern Continent.

"A month later, Wanfo Temple issued a statement saying that it would hold a martial arts conference to elect a martial arts alliance leader. Everyone with eyes could see that this was an attempt to unite the major forces to take action against the Xuantian Dynasty."

"Wanfo Temple is the foremost righteous sect, with a history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, far predating the imperial dynasty. The temple is filled with countless masters, and Abbot Kongwen is a Grandmaster at the peak of his realm, rumored to have already touched the threshold of that level. If they were to take the lead, the righteous and demonic paths would join forces, and the imperial dynasty would be in grave danger."

The emperor's fingertips tapped lightly on the map, the "tap-tap" sound particularly clear in the silent hall.

"Guess what the Demon God Lü did?"

Dongfang Wudi's Adam's apple bobbed: "He... went to Wanfo Temple?"

"On that day, Demon God Lü walked alone up Mount Wanfo."

The emperor turned around, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "No one knows what happened on Mount Wanfo. But on that day, strange phenomena shook the heavens and the earth—a colossal Buddha, hundreds of feet tall, stood in the air, radiating golden light; phantoms of demons from the netherworld blotted out the sun, howling like ghosts. The Buddha's light and demonic flames rose alternately, and the entire Mount Wanfo trembled. The people at the foot of the mountain could only watch from afar; no one dared to approach."

The emperor's voice suddenly became very soft, as if he were talking to himself: "Half a day later, the strange phenomenon disappeared. The Demon God Lü descended the mountain, his body covered in blood—it was unclear whether it was his own or someone else's."

"The following day, Wanfo Temple issued a statement canceling the martial arts tournament and closing its gates for ten years. At the same time, they donated the temple's most precious treasure, the 'Bodhi Sacred Heart Pill,' to heal the late emperor's injuries."

Dongfang Wudi took a deep breath and felt a tightness in his chest.

One man, one halberd, suppressing the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple. What kind of spirit? What kind of strength?

He couldn't imagine it.

That was a power beyond the comprehension of mortals. Just as ants cannot understand why eagles can soar through the heavens, mortals cannot understand why demons can fight against hundreds single-handedly.

"The entire Eastern Continent was silent." The emperor's voice was soft, but it seemed to carry immense power. "Those restless vassal kings immediately withdrew their claws, powerful families submitted petitions to express their loyalty, and major sects sent envoys to the capital to pay tribute... Demon God Lü suppressed the entire martial world with his own strength."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But the late emperor's injuries were too severe. The Bodhi Sacred Heart Pill could only prolong his life, not cure him. Half a year later, the late emperor still passed away."

Dongfang Wudi looked at the emperor. Finally, a trace of undisguised sorrow appeared on the emperor's face.

"On the day of the late emperor's funeral, the entire imperial city was draped in white banners, and the people wept as they saw him off. Lü Moshen stood before the coffin, expressionless, without shedding a single tear. After the funeral, he went to the imperial mausoleum alone, where he sat and guarded it, never again concerning himself with worldly affairs."

"He sat there for a hundred years."

A long silence fell over the hall.

Outside the window, dusk deepened, and the last rays of the setting sun squeezed through the cracks in the palace door, casting a thin band of light across the bluestone floor. The band of light extended precisely to the hanging portrait of Qin Batian, landing on his eyes that looked down upon the common people.

Dongfang Wudi suddenly thought of a question.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, what exactly is the cultivation level of Demon God Lü?"

The emperor remained silent.

He turned to look out the window. In the twilight, the outline of the imperial city gradually blurred, and the distant palace complex resembled a sleeping behemoth lying on the vast earth.

After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke.

"Nobody knows."

His voice was very low, so low it sounded like he was talking to himself: "A hundred years ago, he was twenty years old, a Grandmaster. He killed seven Grandmaster elders in the Underworld Palace and severely injured the Underworld Emperor. He killed the White Lotus Sect Leader, a peak Grandmaster, with a single palm strike. What he did at the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple... remains unknown to this day."

"After that day, Master Kongwen went into seclusion for ten years, and Wanfo Temple closed its gates for ten years. Some say that Master Kongwen touched that realm, just one step away, but was knocked back by Lu Moshen with a single palm strike. Others say that Lu Moshen on Wanfo Mountain showed the entire Wanfo Temple what 'true terror' really meant."

The emperor turned around and looked at Dongfang Wudi.

"You ask me what realm he's at? I can only tell you—at twenty years old, the Demon God Lü was able to suppress the entire Eastern Continent single-handedly. So what realm will he be at when he's one hundred and twenty?"

Dongfang Wudi felt a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly understood why the Demon God Lü had been guarding the imperial mausoleum for a hundred years.

He is not trying to escape the world.

He was telling the entire Eastern Continent—the late emperor's coffin is here, and anyone who dares to harm the dynasty will have to step over my corpse.

For a hundred years, no one has dared to.

Dongfang Wudi looked out the window. The world outside the imperial city was vast and boundless, the martial world was deep and profound, sects stood in great numbers, aristocratic families were entrenched, and the demonic path was lurking.

But in the face of that imperial mausoleum, everything else seemed insignificant.

Because a demon god sits there.

A demon god who made the entire Eastern Continent bow down for a hundred years and dare not make any rash moves.