Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

"Elder Situ, you are mistaken!" In the dead silence, Consort De's clear voice rang out first. Though a woman, she showed no fear, raising her head to retort, "The loss of cities in the North is primarily due to your son, General Situ Sheng's, mismanagement and reckless advance, which allowed the barbarian and Northern Desert allied forces to take advantage. This is the fault of the general; how can it be attributed to His Majesty?"

"Absurd!" Situ Sheng laughed in fury, his voice echoing through the palace. "The Northern Desert has suddenly rebelled, and the imperial reinforcements have been slow to arrive, leaving our isolated army surrounded! Is this a failure of my command, or is it that someone in the court is obstructing us and deliberately delaying military operations? Your Majesty, do you truly have no idea?"

"General Situ," Xiao Anran, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his tone calm yet each word clear, "Why the Northern Desert suddenly rebelled may be unknown to outsiders, but as the Emperor's brother-in-law, do you truly not know the reasons? Consort Rong died 'accidentally' in the palace back then, and the Northern Desert royal family repeatedly requested to renew the marriage alliance but were resolutely refused... Have you forgotten the grudges between us?"

Upon hearing this, many high-ranking officials in the hall subtly changed their expressions. The death of Consort Rong of the Northern Desert was already a deeply taboo secret in the palace. Xiao Anran's revisiting of this old matter, though not explicitly stated, pointed directly at the Empress and the Situ family—it was precisely because the Empress and Consort Rong had repeatedly clashed that Consort Rong ultimately died of "accidental" poisoning.

"Princess Anran!" Situ Lie, his beard and hair bristling, shouted sternly, "Stop making baseless accusations! The Northern Desert rebellion stems from the court's long-standing disregard for the border tribes, and even more so from the humiliation of refusing a marriage proposal years ago! If the Northern Desert's request to renew the marriage alliance had been granted back then, how could this calamity have occurred today? Isn't this all due to the arrogance of the royal family?!"

"Enough!" Xiao Anxun finally spoke again, his voice icy and chilling, displaying his imperial majesty. "Wei Zhongxian, I order you to immediately seize Situ Lie! I want to see who dares to stop me today!"

"This old servant... obeys the decree." Wei Zhongxian's scalp tingled, but he dared not hesitate any longer. He had no choice but to steel himself, secretly channel his true energy, and approach Situ Lie step by step.

Upon seeing this, Situ Jing's eyes flashed with a cold light. He realized that Wei Zhongxian, that old fox, was still wavering, neither daring to disobey the imperial decree nor truly break ties with the Situ family. Since that's the case—

"Eunuch Wei, this matter is none of your concern. You may leave."

Before he could finish speaking, Situ Jing's figure flashed forward like a ghost!

With just two strides, he was already in front of Wei Zhongxian, his withered hand gripping his clothes like an iron clamp. Wei Zhongxian's true energy surged instinctively in an attempt to resist, but the moment it touched Situ Jing's palm, it vanished like a mud ox sinking into the sea—the Grandmaster's control over power had reached a state of perfection.

With a flick of his arm, Situ Jing sent Wei Zhongxian flying backward like a kite with a broken string, through the palace gate, and onto the plaza outside the palace, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Clearly, Situ Jing held back. Otherwise, that throw would have been enough to break Wei Zhongxian's bones. And Wei Zhongxian didn't really fight back desperately either, going with the flow, thus avoiding a fight to the death with Situ Jing on the spot, and also fulfilling his duty to the emperor.

"Protect the Emperor!"

Xiao Anxun no longer placed his hopes on Wei Zhongxian and gave a stern order. In an instant, five powerful auras erupted from different directions within the hall, and five Grandmaster-level experts from the Xiao royal family flashed out, firmly protecting the emperor in the center.

Immediately afterward, five more figures stepped forward—Li Lianying, two Imperial Guard commanders, and two elders of the imperial clan. A total of ten Grandmasters, their auras combined, stood like an impenetrable wall between the three members of the Situ family and the throne.

Although they had noticed Situ Jing's strange behavior and his return to his prime, the Xiao imperial family had no way out. The Situ family openly launched an attack during the sacrificial ceremony, directly accusing the emperor of being "muddled and immoral" and demanding that he be "arrested and punished"—this was blatant treason!

"Traitors and villains, kill them without mercy!" Xiao Anxun said each word slowly and deliberately, his killing intent boiling.

Upon receiving the order, the ten grandmasters moved in unison, each displaying their unique skills, and swept towards Situ Jing, Situ Lie, and Situ Sheng!

The battle erupted in an instant!

Situ Jing let out a long laugh, and suddenly a blazing, almost tangible, crimson flame rose from his body—that was the "Innate True Fire" that only a Grandmaster at the peak could manifest! At the same time, a vast and boundless divine pressure spread out, filling the entire hall.

He seemed to transform into a fiery war god, every inch of his skin radiating terrifying power. Facing the encirclement of ten grandmasters, he neither dodged nor evaded, but instead raised his right foot and stomped heavily on the ground!

"boom--!"

The entire Fengtian Hall trembled violently! Centered on the spot where he landed, the incredibly hard lapis lazuli ground shattered and collapsed like a spider web, and a visible ring of air burst out violently, forcing the first few grandmasters who rushed over to retreat several steps!

Outside the palace square, Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly.

"This is the power of a Grandmaster at full strength... truly terrifying."

Suddenly, several large holes burst open in the dome of the Fengtian Hall, and figures wreathed in various colors of true energy soared into the sky, engaging in fierce combat high above! The sounds of explosions, the clang of metal on metal, and angry shouts and screams filled the air. The violent energy aftershocks spread like ripples, causing the ground of the plaza below to tremble and dust to fall from the distant palace walls.

Many officials, members of the royal family, and even ordinary people from afar stared in disbelief at the battle scene in the sky that was beyond human imagination, completely bewildered—how could the sacrificial ceremony suddenly turn into a battlefield of carnage?

Before long, the sound of wind breaking rang out one after another. Seven or eight figures rushed in from outside the palace and joined the battle—all of them were grandmasters invited by the Situ family to assist in the fight, most of whom came from the Duanmu family.

The Xiao royal family also received reinforcements. Five Grandmasters led dozens of Innate Realm experts, three of whom were dressed in the attire of the Heavenly Martial Sect, and two were commanders of the Sharp and Resilient Battalion. At this point, the Xiao royal family's Grandmasters numbered fifteen, and their Innate Realm experts exceeded one hundred!

On the Situ family's side, besides Grandmaster Situ Jing, there were also Grandmasters Situ Lie and Situ Sheng, plus ten other Grandmasters invited to assist in the fight, bringing the total to thirteen.

The Xiao royal family originally planned to use five grandmasters to hold off Situ Jing, while the remaining ten would deal with the other twelve grandmasters of the Situ family. Although they were slightly outnumbered, they were not without the ability to fight back, thanks to their advantageous location and their willingness to fight to the death.

However, the reality is—

Just as the five Xiao Clan Grandmasters surrounded Situ Jing, before they could even form a combined attack formation, Situ Jing let out a long roar. Crimson true fire surged like an angry dragon, causing all five of them to experience a surge of qi and blood, and their formation instantly broke apart!

In the other battle groups, although the Xiao family's grandmaster fought bravely, the helpers invited by the Situ family were clearly ruthless characters, displaying their experience and viciousness from the very first exchange. Furthermore, several of the Situ family's innate realm assassins risked their lives to exchange for injuries, holding off the Xiao family's innate realm members and creating opportunities for their own grandmasters to fight.

The battle had barely begun when the Xiao royal family was plunged into a bitter struggle!

Situ Jing still hadn't seen Xiao Yuanhou appear by this point, and the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished—that old ghost was indeed dead!

He was greatly encouraged and his attacks became even more ferocious.

Outside the hall, those who were timid and lacked martial arts skills had already scattered and taken cover. Only the bold or those with cultivation remained in place, watching the battle with bated breath.

Su Mu naturally did not dodge. He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and composed, as if the battle in the air that would determine the fate of the empire had nothing to do with him.

"Let's wait and see. Since the Xiao royal family dares to accept the challenge, they must have some confidence. Perhaps... I won't need to take action."

His gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping over every detail of the battlefield.

At that moment, a clear shout rang out!