A Family of Hopeless Romantics, Except for the Evil Little Junior Brother-Chapter 229: Underestimated You

Zhang Haoran walked alongside Shi Hao around the Dragon Vein.

Although it was called a Dragon Vein, in truth, it was more like a vague, ethereal presence.

Invisible and untouchable, yet undeniably real.

Stabilized by a certain kind of formation.

“Hmm... hmm, not bad...”

Even though Shi Hao knew this was just a routine inspection, he still checked carefully.

After all, if anything went wrong, it could literally cost heads to roll.

“I'll report to His Majesty that you all are faithfully performing your duties.”

Shi Hao was happy to do this kind of icing-on-the-cake reporting.

Zhang Haoran nodded. “Thank you for your support, Sir.”

“Sir.”

“Hmm?”

“For my sake, could I ask you to take a short rest over there?”

“Hmm?” Shi Hao looked puzzled.

Zhang Haoran said, “Just a short break will do.”

Shi Hao was even more confused.

“Rest from what?” Shi Hao still didn’t get it.

Zhang Haoran drew his sword.

Shi Hao’s expression shifted. “You... what are you doing?”

“Sir, don’t get agitated. I just want to check if this sword is still sharp.”

As he spoke, Zhang Haoran stabbed the sword into the ground.

The sword began to disintegrate.

Anyone entering the Dragon Vein had to undergo the strictest of inspections.

Only approved items could be brought inside.

During the inspection earlier, even Shi Hao’s underwear had been checked.

The swords were all standard-issue artifacts.

And now, Zhang Haoran’s artifact was rapidly collapsing.

Hidden inside the sword—more precisely, inside the hilt—was a postnatal spiritual treasure from Mount Shushan.

The Azure Lotus Banner.

It had once been used by Master Lingxu during the destruction of the Asura Hall.

He’d used it to teleport the Mount Shushan disciples directly into the main hall of the Asura Hall.

As long as the banner was in place within a Shushan teleportation array,

anyone could instantly travel to wherever the Azure Lotus Banner was located.

Li Xuanxiao waved the banner.

At the same time, the teleportation array in Mount Shushan, thousands of miles away, activated.

A black-robed figure stood at the heart of the formation.

With a flash of brilliance from the array,

the person suddenly appeared right beside Li Xuanxiao.

The black robe was thrown back—it was none other than Liu Qiushui.

Shi Hao stared in shock at the scene.

An inside job!?

What were they trying to do?

Steal the Dragon Vein of Daxia!?

No, even if a cultivator in the Tribulation Stage came alone,

even if the Dragon Vein had no protection at all, the most they could do was damage it slightly.

And their own fortune would suffer heavily for harming the imperial fate.

No matter what methods a Tribulation Stage cultivator used, they couldn’t completely destroy the Dragon Vein.

Let alone cultivators below that stage.

To fully destroy a Dragon Vein was almost impossible—like reaching for the heavens.

Moreover, if the Dragon Vein were damaged,

someone in the capital would definitely sense it, and the guards outside weren’t just for show.

Unless...

Unless the one stealing the Dragon Vein already knew the exact heart incantations to control it.

And such incantations were only known to the current Emperor of Daxia.

Back then, during the chaos under heaven, the old emperor had taken advantage of the situation.

He’d used the Myriad Soul Banner to reap lives across the realm.

He’d allied with Liu Qiushui, originally intending to use her to harm his own daughter and spark war between two nations.

But when the plan failed, he had no choice but to go along with Liu Qiushui’s scheme instead.

Stealing half the Dragon Vein would still cause turmoil in Daxia.

At that time, the old emperor had passed the complex and cryptic method for stealing the Dragon Vein, along with the incantations, to Liu Qiushui.

If not for Li Xuanxiao’s preparations back then,

several Mount Shushan cultivators in the Tribulation Stage wouldn’t have been able to intercept and disrupt Liu Qiushui’s plan. freewёbnoνel-com

In the process, they even killed one of the Asura Hall’s guardian elders and captured the other, locking them in the Demon Suppression Tower.

And now, after all that, the karmic boomerang had come back to stab the old emperor himself.

Li Xuanxiao indeed had no way to directly deal with the Dragon Vein.

He couldn’t just bring the entire Mount Shushan Sword Formation over.

Cutting the Dragon Vein was obviously not a viable option either.

Once it’s cut, there's no turning back.

Only devastation and death would follow.

Which left just one option...

“Come on...”

Shi Hao had just started to turn and flee, but before he could even make a sound,

Zhang Haoran chopped him on the neck and knocked him out cold.

Liu Qiushui gave Zhang Haoran a glance.

Zhang Haoran nodded slightly at her. “By order of my master, Zhenren Jia, I am here to assist Your Excellency.”

Liu Qiushui gave him a meaningful look and smiled faintly.

She said nothing more.

She repeated the same method—just as she’d done last time.

This blood gourd, crafted by the old emperor and Liu Qiushui, began madly absorbing dragon energy.

Within moments, the Dragon Vein let out a sorrowful wail!

Like a crying child.

As the weeping echoed, the capital of Daxia began to tremble violently.

Zhang Haoran activated his Spirit Eyes.

Through the Spirit Eyes, he could see the golden glow of the Dragon Vein rapidly dimming.

The once rock-solid golden lines that formed the fate of the empire began to crack.

The fractures spread like spiderwebs...

The sound shook the entire capital.

At this moment, the old emperor was not in Daxia’s capital.

He’d only left behind a false body.

Daxia’s chief consecrator was away at the border between Daxia and Dazui.

The old eunuch who always served the emperor closely was still in the capital.

Other than him, there were many other powerful cultivators in the capital.

“.........”

In the deep palace, the old emperor's expression changed.

He could feel it most directly—

The Dragon Vein!?

This was his true plan.

“Liu Qiushui!!”

The old emperor instantly realized what was happening.

He cursed his own stupidity for not seeing it sooner.

Wait—how did Li Xuanxiao bring Liu Qiushui into the capital?

No matter how well Liu Qiushui concealed her aura, someone as powerful as her,

there was no way the capital’s formations, the old emperor himself, or the many experts in the city could have failed to detect her...

“Hurry! Protect the Dragon Vein!”

The old emperor roared in fury.

This wasn’t the time to think about the how.

The Dragon Vein might take damage, but it absolutely couldn’t happen at this critical moment.

“............”

Meanwhile, at Shencao Mountain.

The ancient battlefield.

There, the Sword Spirit, Di Nü Feng, and Elder Sun suddenly felt the pressure against them lessen significantly.

Blood trickled from the corner of the old emperor’s mouth.

The three looked puzzled—because they knew they hadn’t even landed a real hit.

Their opponent was simply too powerful. At this rate,

they’d be the ones to die!

Three against one, and still getting beaten down!

The old emperor wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes twitching.

He had indeed been outmaneuvered...

Li Xuanxiao!

More troublesome than he’d ever imagined.

It seemed the man had been laying this plan for far more than just a few years.

“I underestimated you.”

The old emperor’s voice boomed like a bell.

Even Li Xuanxiao outside the palace heard it loud and clear.

Yet, Li Xuanxiao’s face remained dark and serious.

“..........”

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