“We won,” Huan Yuanzi exhaled heavily. Although he hadn’t been the one fighting, his fate was intricately tied to Yang Hao’s. “But we’re still doomed.”
Huan Yuanzi’s words felt like a cold, hard judgment, sending a jolt through Yang Hao, who was gravely injured. “Why?” Yang Hao asked.
“Just look around you…” Huan Yuanzi said despairingly. “Unless you still have some inner energy left to escape, we’re finished.”
Even without the reminder, Yang Hao had already taken in the scene. During his life-and-death duel with Jin De, the commotion had drawn the royal guards. Now, at least thousands of soldiers surrounded him, all clad in the distinctive uniforms of the Royal Guard of Remon Star, clearly not members of Jin De’s swordsman group.
But even so, Yang Hao was in serious trouble. After all, he had sneaked into the palace to steal and had killed the deputy leader of the swordsman group—each of these offenses alone was enough to cost him his life.
Even worse, Yang Hao had completely exhausted his inner energy during the fight. Now, even a lowly guard with only second-tier combat ability could easily capture him.
Before long, Yang Hao’s vision blurred, and he passed out completely.
Yang Hao was unfortunate, yet also fortunate.
He was unfortunate because he had fallen into the hands of the Remon Star Royal Guard. Anyone from Remon Star knew that the Royal Guard were the most loyal warriors of the royal family—cold-blooded executioners who would mercilessly kill anyone who dared to offend the emperor.
But he was lucky too, for he hadn’t been captured by Jin De’s swordsman group, or else he probably would have died immediately. Although the Royal Guard were ruthless, they still obeyed the emperor’s commands. Anyone they captured would be sentenced by Emperor Danzhen of Remon Star.
Therefore, when Yang Hao awoke again, he had already had his wounds dressed and was temporarily out of danger. His unconsciousness had been due to excessive depletion of inner energy and blood loss. After taking the Black Gold Marrow-Replacement Pill, his body had undergone a transformation, gaining extraordinary blood regeneration and wound-healing abilities. Thus, Yang Hao treated his unconsciousness like a mere nap, and upon waking, he had recovered somewhat.
“Where am I?” Yang Hao opened his eyes, but the intense light forced him to shut them again immediately.
It was eerily silent all around—so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed absent. Yet Yang Hao’s keen senses told him that within just dozens of steps, there were at least hundreds of people standing.
In other words, these hundreds of people were standing here without making even the slightest sound.
What kind of solemn place was this, capable of making people hold their breath in fear?
After a while, Yang Hao gradually adjusted to the brightness and slowly opened his eyes. Golden brilliance instantly flooded his vision.
In this world, there were indeed many magnificent and dazzling buildings—for instance, the Diamond House of the Lingfei Star Sea, which was famous throughout the universe for its luxury. But the structure before Yang Hao was hundreds of times more extravagant.
These two could hardly be compared. Judging from the current sight, that Diamond House was clearly the product of a nouveau riche—vulgar and nauseating.
The building before him, however, was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring. A structure capable of suddenly evoking profound reverence—that was its essence.
Yang Hao was now inside a palace—an enormous one. Its walls towered like cliffs, and intricately carved pillars stood in rows like soldiers, stretching outward on both sides. The palace was divided into three levels. The lowest level was a wide platform where hundreds of guards and royal officials stood solemnly, eyes fixed on Yang Hao.
Yang Hao was lying on a step of the second level, about three meters above the lowest level, giving him an almost commanding view of the crowd below. Above him was the topmost level. If this palace was like a towering mountain, then the top level was its peak, where a solitary chair sat. It seemed to be made of black jade—spacious yet cold, exuding a sense of aloofness. The chair bore no gold or gemstones, as if its occupant had no need for such precious metals to enhance his majesty.
“Who are you? And why are you here?” A voice fell like it had been dropped from the heavens.
Yang Hao strained his eyes to see the figure seated high on the throne, but the person’s face seemed shrouded in a halo of light. He could only hear the aged, somewhat familiar voice, but could not make out the face.
“I’d like to know that myself,” Yang Hao, aching all over, sat cross-legged without a care for the solemnity of the place. If his body felt uncomfortable, he’d sit however was most comfortable.
“This is My palace,” the voice carried an indescribable familiarity. “And yet you sneaked in and killed one of My top swordsmen.”
A chill ran through Yang Hao. Suddenly, he understood where he was. Who else could reside in such a magnificent palace and command from the highest seat like a god, if not the supreme Emperor Danzhen of Remon Star?
“Well…” Yang Hao scratched his head. “Actually, I just took a wrong turn. The moonlight was nice tonight, so I went out for a walk, and somehow ended up here.”
“A wrong turn?” Emperor Danzhen mused. “Hmm… General Long…”
His voice was deep yet clear enough to travel the tens of meters separating the levels, reaching the ears of the royal officials below. A general of the Royal Guard stepped forward, pale-faced and respectful. “Your Majesty, tonight there were 1,200 guards on duty. Neither the 200 hidden sentries nor the 500 visible guards reported anyone entering the palace.”
This answer seemed expected, and Emperor Danzhen continued, satisfied. “It seems you didn’t just ‘take a wrong turn.’ In this world, I doubt anyone could casually stroll past My defensive posts.”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Hao feigned a sigh. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. Actually, I had made a secret arrangement with Jin De to have a fair duel in the palace tonight, so I sneaked in.”
“Jin De, the deputy commander of the Royal Swordsman Corps?” A hint of amusement entered Emperor Danzhen’s voice. “He’s one of the top swordsmen. You must have quite the nerve to challenge him. Why duel him?”
“For a woman, of course!” Yang Hao now lied effortlessly—clearly, Huan Yuanzi’s teachings had paid off. “I’m young, handsome, and charming, so all the beautiful girls from Lingfei Star Sea adore Me. One of Jin De’s old flames even broke up with him for Me, so he flew into a rage and challenged Me to a duel.”
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