The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Ye Niannu hovered in mid-air above the imperial city, looking down over the entire city.

Flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke billowed.

The mythical beast rampaged through the streets and alleys, while the imperial guards and local protectors fought desperately to hold it back, and the people scattered and fled.

Ye Niannu is searching for deeper clues.

Her divine sense spread out, covering the entire imperial city, searching inch by inch.

Suddenly, her divine sense detected an extremely faint aura.

The aura was decaying and eerie, exactly like the malevolent energy within the body of the Turbulent Sea Dragon.

Ye Niannu suddenly opened her eyes and looked towards the southeast of the imperial city.

The sensor suddenly went dead!

The Zhennan Marquis's Mansion, a secret underground chamber.

The man in black robes stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the secret chamber, surrounded by a thick black mist.

The mist gathered from all directions, seeping into his body through the cracks in the sealed chamber.

With each surge of malevolent energy, his aura grew stronger.

His smile grew wider and wider.

almost.

He will soon be able to recover his full strength.

At that time, even Ye Niannu will not be a match for him.

The entire Great Qian Dynasty is his for the taking!

Imperial City, East Street.

The Second Prince, Murong Ye, rode a tall horse, followed by hundreds of black-clad guards, slowly making his way along the long street.

Instead of helping to suppress the spirit beasts, he bypassed the chaotic areas and headed straight for the palace.

"Your Highness, the main gate of the imperial city is just ahead."

A guard rode forward and reported in a low voice.

Murong Ye nodded, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"My brother should be busy dealing with those spirit beasts right now and has no time to spare."

"This is our opportunity."

He paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Pass down the order: everyone prepare yourselves and rush into the palace at my command."

"Whoever captures the Crown Prince alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and a noble title!"

The guards responded in unison, their expressions menacing.

Meanwhile, at the west gate of the imperial city.

The Third Prince, Murong Yu, also led a group of men, heading towards the palace via another route.

His team was more elite than Murong Ye's, consisting entirely of fourth-rank martial artists, well-equipped and highly trained.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince has already set off from East Street."

An aide stepped forward and whispered.

Murong Yu nodded, his expression calm and revealing no emotion.

"Let him go first, I'm not in a hurry."

He paused, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I'll clean up the mess after he and my brother are both badly injured."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

A hint of admiration flashed in the advisor's eyes, and he bowed and withdrew.

Murong Yu raised his head and looked towards the palace, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.

My dear elder brother, my second elder brother, I'm so sorry.

This empire of the Great Qian Dynasty, I am determined to possess it.

……

Murong Hao beheaded a third-grade spirit beast with a single sword stroke, his face splattered with blood.

His breathing was somewhat disordered, and his arms were trembling slightly. He had been fighting continuously for nearly an hour, and his physical strength was greatly depleted.

"Your Highness! There's something unusual happening on East Street!"

Gao Sheng stumbled over, his face deathly pale.

"The Second Prince led his men towards the palace; there were no fewer than a hundred of them, all elite troops!"

Murong Hao's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Murong Ye..."

He gritted his teeth, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"That bastard! The spirit beasts have gone berserk, the people are suffering, and instead of helping them, he's taking advantage of the chaos!"

"Your Highness, what should we do now?"

Gao Sheng was so anxious that he was covered in sweat.

Murong Hao remained silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked towards the direction of the palace.

"Return to the palace."

He gripped his longsword tightly, turned, and rushed towards the palace.

Luo Hanyi was slaying a spirit beast not far away when she saw Murong Hao leave. She was slightly taken aback, and then followed him.

"Your Highness, what has happened?"

"The second and third brothers took advantage of the chaos to force the emperor to abdicate."

Murong Hao's voice was icy, filled with barely suppressed rage.

Luo Hanyi's expression also darkened.

These two princes really don't know what's good for them.

Even if they seize the throne after the fall of the capital, what good will it do?

"Your Highness, I will accompany you."

Murong Hao glanced at her, nodded, and did not refuse.

The two of them sped off towards the palace, one after the other.

On the long street, the mythical beasts were still rampaging, and the people were still fleeing.

But nobody cared.

The game of power has never cared about the lives of ordinary people.

Above the imperial city.

Ye Niannu hovered in mid-air, her gaze fixed on the southeast direction, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The stench of decay grew stronger, as if something was awakening from underground.

She suddenly sensed many presences rushing towards her from the direction of the palace.

They are the men of the Second Prince and the Third Prince.

Ye Niannu's lips curled into a cold smile.

These people, instead of suppressing the rampaging spirit beasts, are preoccupied with infighting.

She shook her head, ignoring it, and with a flash, she sped off in the southeast direction.

That's where the real threat lies.

The emperor was at a crucial moment in his promotion to Grandmaster, completely unaware that the entire imperial city was in chaos.

The Marquis of Zhenbei's residence.

Wang Long stood on the courtyard wall, gazing at the entire imperial city.

Flames soared into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the roars and screams of spirit beasts rose and fell.

His fingers gripped the jade pendant given to him by Ye Niannu tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Sir, are we really not going to help?"

Murong Qing stood beside him, her small face full of worry.

"Need not."

Wang Long shook his head, his voice steady.

"Niannu told us not to leave the Marquis's residence."

"It's too dangerous outside. If we go out, we won't be able to help; instead, we'll just be a burden."

Murong Qing bit her lip. Although she was unwilling, she knew that Wang Long was right.

With only a late-stage third-rank cultivation level, going out to face those fourth- or fifth-rank spirit beasts would be tantamount to suicide.

Qin Minglan stood beside the stable, holding Taxue's neck, looking at the distant firelight, her almond-shaped eyes filled with anxiety.

"I hope my sister-in-law is alright..."

She muttered to herself, her voice trembling.

Wang Long jumped down from the courtyard wall, walked to her side, and gently patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, young lady. The madam is a seventh-rank martial artist; those spirit beasts can't harm her."

"Moreover, with His Highness the Crown Prince around, they can look after each other when they're together."

Qin Minglan nodded, took a deep breath, and suppressed her worries.

Ta Xue snorted and nuzzled her hand with her head, as if to comfort her.

Murong Qing also walked over, stood next to Qin Minglan, and reached out to hold her hand.

"Sister Qin, Madam Luo will be alright."

Qin Minglan glanced at her and forced a smile.

"Um……"

The three men stood beside the stable, none of them speaking.

A gentle breeze carried a strong, nauseating smell of blood and burnt flesh.

boom!

A loud bang came from the direction of the Marquis's mansion gate.

The entire vermilion gate was smashed to pieces by a tremendous force, with wood chips flying everywhere and dust billowing.

A black bear, over ten feet tall, rushed in from outside the door. Its body was covered in jet-black mane, its eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and saliva dripped from its mouth, emitting a nauseating stench.

It was none other than a fifth-grade spirit beast, the Ironback Demon Bear.

"roar--!"

The Iron-Backed Demon Bear roared to the sky, its voice shaking the surrounding area, causing the green bamboo in the courtyard to tremble and the tiles on the eaves to fall down with a clatter.

Wang Long's pupils shrank suddenly, and he quickly shielded Qin Minglan and Murong Qing behind him.

"Back off!"