This green smoke represented Albert’s Supreme Realm cultivation being corroded by the power of the Forbidden Magic Stone, directly disintegrating and melting away like ice.

Seeing this scene, the surrounding crowd couldn’t help but secretly sigh with emotion.

The King of the South, Albert, as a high-ranking regional official coupled with his identity as an imperial relative, was equivalent to the local emperor of the Southern Region.

Originally, he already possessed supreme glory and honor, enough to enjoy endlessly for his entire life. Yet he just had to covet the imperial throne, raising an army to rebel, and ultimately ended up with such a fate.

Looking at Albert, whose body twitched for a while before directly passing out, Alex couldn’t help but sigh slightly, muttering to himself.

"People of the world bitterly cling to their love for fame and glory, only to fear that fame and glory will not reach the end."

...

Nova committed suicide, and Albert was thrown into the grand prison. This farce of usurping power and the throne ended with the complete and total victory of Alex’s royal rescue alliance.

Alex, Alistair, and Malakai led the elders of their respective clans to Aurelia and knelt on one knee in unison. "We greet Her Majesty the Empress!"

Aurelia forced a smile and nodded weakly.

Selene beside her spoke up. "Her Majesty the Empress is currently suffering from a severe illness and her mind is exhausted. She needs to return and rest as soon as possible."

"She asked me to convey to the three Saint Lords: not only did you save her life today, but you also saved the tens of millions of subjects of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty. This favor, she will never forget for all eternity."

"Once Her Majesty the Empress recovers and is fully healed, she will naturally invite the three Saint Lords here for a banquet and properly thank you for your merits today."

Seeing this, Alistair and Malakai secretly sneered coldly in their hearts. Originally, hearing the rumors in the world saying that the Heavenly Flame Empress’s illness was terminal, they didn’t quite believe it.

Seeing it with their own eyes today, they finally knew the truth.

How was Aurelia merely terminally ill? In their eyes, she was practically left with only a single breath. Even how many more days she could live was a question.

Alistair and Malakai both couldn’t help but feel a sense of mockery arise secretly in their hearts. How could this Albert and Nova be so stupid? How could they be so impatient?

Aurelia was already sick to this extent. How many days did she have left to live? Since she was unmarried and had no children, once she died of illness,

Albert as the King of the South could naturally step forward to compete for the imperial throne.

Yet this mother and son were so impatient, insisting on subjecting Aurelia to capital punishment and making the matter public to the world. Ending up with one dead and one crippled could be considered a fitting reward for their stupidity.

Alex smiled faintly, just about to nod and agree. Suddenly, the system’s notification sound rang in his ears.

[Congratulations to the host for completely subduing the female lead! The Chosen One’s luck drops by 25,000. Obtained 50,000 Providence Points!]

Hearing this notification, Alex couldn’t help but freeze entirely.

What is this? He clearly didn’t intentionally do anything. How did he just get 50,000 Providence Points out of nowhere?

Alex carefully cast a glance at Aurelia. He discovered that she was also looking back at him. Although at this moment her aura was extremely weak, almost gasping for breath, her eyes were filled with intense gratitude, as well as an unspoken, tender affection. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Catching the sentiment in her gaze, Alex’s heart instantly shivered.

This woman has taken a liking to me? The dignified Heavenly Flame Empress has taken a liking to me, the master of a Saint Lineage family? What kind of melodramatic plot is this?

But on second thought, Alex felt relieved.

In the original novel, Aurelia fell for Knox, a poor boy with neither ability nor background, merely because of the kindness of a single bowl of porridge.

And right now, he had also saved her once, a genuine rescue of her life right from under the blade. Coupled with the strength he just displayed and the fact that he sat upon a massive Hale family, he was absolutely a strong, rich, and handsome catch.

It was perfectly reasonable for Aurelia to fall for him.

Thinking of this, Alex pondered briefly. He instantly abandoned the thought of directly taking his leave, smiling faintly as he said. "Princess Selene’s words sound like an excuse to me."

"With Her Majesty the Empress’s illness having reached this stage, not to mention a full recovery, whether she can even survive this tribulation is a question. How can we speak of inviting us to drink and thanking us for our merits?"

As soon as these words came out, Selene’s eyes instantly revealed a vigilant hostility. Meanwhile, Cedric, Lara, and the others couldn’t help but feel secretly shocked.

Although these words also represented the true thoughts in their hearts, even if they firmly believed Aurelia’s illness was terminal, it couldn’t actually be spoken out loud.

After all, Aurelia was a dignified peak Supreme Realm powerhouse, and she commanded the thirty thousand Mahayana Realm experts of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty.

A starved camel is ultimately still bigger than a horse. As long as Aurelia was still alive, even if she only had a single breath left, the forces she commanded were far beyond what a certain Saint Lineage family could contend with alone.

For a time, Alistair and the others couldn’t help but start guessing secretly.

For Alex to straightforwardly say these words, was he planning to directly tear off all pretenses with Aurelia? He had already annihilated Nova and Albert, taking care of the most troublesome opponents.

And he had won enough prestige and glory for himself.

Does he confidently believe that such a sickly Heavenly Flame Empress can no longer compare to his weight in the minds of the masses? Is that why he’s directly opening the skylight to speak plain words, planning to depose Aurelia and claim the title of the ruler of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty for himself?