Chapter 679: Chapter 680: Rebel
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Screams and wails echoed throughout the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, and the faces of the civil and military officials were instantly stricken with horror, some of them staring blankly outside.

Heads were tossed high into the air, blood sprayed on the spot—that was the severed heads of the Imperial City guards, all martial artists of the Qi Cultivation and Spirit Refining realm, but now they were being slaughtered like chopping vegetables.

Dazzling flashes of cold steel burst forth, bright swords raised, pointing from afar to the young Emperor seated on the throne.

“Listen well, the current Prime Minister brings chaos to the Imperial Court, endangering the lives of the people, while the young Emperor indulges in pleasures, neglectful of state affairs day after day, incompetent and unwise. Today, the Chen Family acts as Heaven’s will, establishing a new king to restore a just world!”

Troops after troops poured into the hall from outside, clad in silver helmets and armor, radiating formidable presence. Leading them was no other than Chen Dian, the Family Head of the Chen Family.

He had brought all of the Chen Family’s loyal warriors today—martial artists of the Qi Cultivation and Spirit Refining Great Perfection Realm—easily crushing the Imperial City’s defense forces.

Over the past few months, he had been using incomplete Spirit Realm Techniques from the borderlands to train his fighters, forcibly pushing their realms to this level, a force not to be underestimated anywhere.

“Guards, protect the Emperor!”

The young Emperor screamed in fright, facing such a scene for the first time in his life; he couldn’t believe someone would rebel at this time!

“Chen Dian, you have some nerve to plot against the Emperor!”

“Showing contempt for the royal majesty, such monstrous defiance. Do you wish to bear the infamy of regicide?”

“The Chen Family intends to rebel, what are you waiting for? Arrest them at once!”

“Who would have thought, the Chen Family actually harboring traitorous intentions!”

“The Chen Family has always enjoyed the Emperor’s trust, who could imagine they harbored malicious intent, with such rampant ambition. However, rashly intruding into the grand hall of the Imperial Palace is truly unwise, for the Emperor’s imperial guards and the hidden experts of the Imperial Palace are all masters of the Refinement Void Realm, not opponents that ordinary people can compare with.”

“With the main force of the Chen Family away at the borderlands, one wonders where they get such audacity!”

“With so many imperial guards and experts at hand, Chen Dian, you are surely doomed today!”

The panic-stricken voice of the young Emperor shook the gathered civil and military officials back to their senses, and they moved in a fluster to the corners of the walls, directing the imperial guards to step forward and retaliate.

“Hahaha, to kill me, you cowards are not worthy! The world should be governed by a wise and capable ruler. Incompetent Emperor, you are not fit for the throne!”

Chen Dian laughed heartily, swinging his great sword, as his loyal warriors swarmed forward, intent on chopping the young Emperor and Prime Minister Zhang Liang into mincemeat.

“Dare to plot against the Emperor, kill them!”

The leader of the guards strode forward, his long sword sweeping through the air, its blade qi slashing, with a single move bisecting several Chen Family soldiers clad in silver helmets and armor. He was a master of the Refinement Void Realm, an ordinary martial artist no match for him.

The remaining guards each used their techniques, with swords and blades crisscrossing, turning the grand hall of the Imperial Palace into a scene of devastation in an instant. The loyalists of the Chen Family fell one after another, calming the minds of the civil and military officials.

“Fear not, Your Majesty, we are all here today, and Chen Dian dares to behave so recklessly, he will surely not leave here alive!”

A few eunuchs reassured the young Emperor in front of the hall, helping to steady his heart.

Upon reflection, his side’s strength was not weak—with the palace experts and the imperial guards, there were more than a dozen formidable Refinement Void Realm masters.

What’s more, within the royal family, they had the Grand Emperor as their trump card. His presence alone was enough to put down all rebellions.

“Prime Minister, if Chen Dian dares to barge into the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, he must have something to rely on. Take my Jade Pendant at once to the inner palace and ask the Grand Emperor to take action and quell this rebellion!”

The Emperor took out a small jade token and said to Zhang Liang at his side; the situation was too chaotic for him to dare to run around by himself.

“By your command!”

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Zhang Liang took the Jade Pendant, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. In his view, as long as the Grand Emperor was around, the likes of Chen Dian posed no threat whatsoever. The young Emperor was indeed too timid.

“Kill them, take the dog Emperor’s head, today, I, Chen Dian, am the new king!”

Chen Dian said indifferently with a wave of his hand, his eyes devoid of any ripples, his face full of confidence.

Outside the hall, a large number of silver-clad assassins poured in continuously, no matter how many the elite guards at the entrance killed, the gathering of assassins inside the hall just kept growing.

“To hell with this, how many assassins has he brought with him!”

“How are we supposed to kill them all?”

A few guards and eunuchs, after fighting for a while, realized something was wrong. There must already be hundreds of corpses on the ground, yet the number of people inside the great hall had not diminished at all; on the contrary, it was increasing.

Instead, their Inner Strength was being depleted at a terrifyingly rapid rate. They were only ordinary Refinement Void warriors, with limited Inner Strength. Facing this unending phalanx, no matter how skilled they were, they would eventually become weakened. Moreover, they had no idea how many more martial artists were prepared to storm in from outside the hall.

“Eunuchs, protect the Emperor first and leave. We will cover the rear!”

The captain of the guards bellowed, but before he could finish, a severed head was tossed at his feet—that of another imperial guard.

Chen Dian was now stepping on the corpse, swinging his blade wildly as he advanced. The several guards were suddenly under immense pressure, struggling to defend themselves. In a moment of weakness, they were riddled with gaps, and the surrounding assassins saw the opportunity to swarm in, their blades hacking chaotically, turning the guards into a wasp’s nest.

The previously imposing imperial guards, wielding their blades majestically before the Emperor, were now like helpless children as their heads were easily slashed off, blood spilling everywhere in a gruesomely gory scene.

Chen Dian, who had once been a veteran commander guarding the frontier, was stronger by far than these palace-nurtured experts. Combined with the relentless assassins around him who feared no death, it didn’t take much effort to eliminate the group of guards, leaving only the captain as the lone commander.

The remaining few palace experts flashed a look of terror in their eyes, realizing that if they continued like this, they too would have no choice but death. Now was not the time to show loyalty; their own lives were what mattered most. They had many more years of luxury to enjoy and countless amounts of gold and treasures to spend; there was no need to die alongside this useless Emperor.

“Lord Chen, we surrender!”

“Lord Chen’s guidance is profound, his soldiers devoted and fearless in the face of death. We admire you and if you would take us in, in the days to come, we will spare no effort in serving you!”

“Indeed, we have long despised this useless Emperor. It’s a good thing he’s dead!”

Before Chen Dian could even make his next move, several palace experts dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.

“Beasts, fed by the Emperor and tasked with loyalty, the Imperial Court has raised you all these years, only to end up with a pack of ingrates!”

The captain of the guards was seething with rage, his eyes nearly bursting, wishing he could immediately execute these treacherous eunuchs.

“They have surrendered. What about you?”

Chen Dian asked the captain with a smile.

“Hmph, expecting me to surrender is a dream. If you want to touch the Emperor, you’ll have to step over my dead body!”

The captain of the guards shouted angrily, swiftly cutting down several assassins nearby.

But just as the words left his mouth, he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He looked down to see eyes wide with shock.

At that moment, a palm had pierced through his chest, and he could even see his own heart still beating in the palm of that hand.

He turned his head stiffly to see a eunuch wiping the blood off his palm with an expression of disgust:

“Now that you’re dead, Lord Chen can step over your corpse.”