Chapter 59: Descent of Divine Empyrean, Confrontation from the Eight Folk Kings!

"No!"
"Don't!!!"

Seeing the aura around Shen Lang grow increasingly violent and realizing what he was about to do, Nalan Yanran panicked instantly.

Shadow, standing nearby, grabbed Nalan Yanran abruptly and said with a solemn tone, "It's too late!"

Boom!

The moment her voice fell, Shen Lang's body burst into a mist of blood right before everyone's eyes.

As this scene unfolded, the entire world seemed to fall silent for a single moment.

Even Zhou Botong and the Divine Lord Xiaotian were frozen in place, staring at the continuously falling blood mist, finding it utterly incredible.

Especially Divine Lord Xiaotian, who simply could not believe that the self-proclaimed destined monarch who had been boasting to him back in the forbidden zone would actually have the nerve to self-detonate.

Yet the fact was laid bare before him; try as he might, he could not deny it.

Just as Xiaotian was contemplating whether he should retreat first, a hysterical roar echoed through the firmament: "The Zhou family, you all deserve to die!!!"

Swish.

With those six simple words uttered, everyone's gaze locked onto Nalan Yanran, the source of the voice.

When they saw the dense black Qi erupting from Nalan Yanran's body, their hearts trembled.

"She's falling into demonic obsession!"

Clearly, Shadow had not expected that Shen Lang's death would instantly drive Nalan Yanran into a demonic state. She shouted immediately, "Snap out of it!"

Bang!

Just as her words faded, Shadow was instantly blown backward by the terrifying aura radiating from Nalan Yanran.

Yet Shadow had no spare energy to feel excited over Nalan Yanran breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm; instead, she grew even more apprehensive.

"Shen Lang is already dead! Snap out of it!"
"I'll make the Zhou family pay with their lives!"

With that, a glowing, shimmering longsword materialized in Nalan Yanran's hand.

At the same time, her aura surged violently once more. Clearly, she was prepared to overdraw her life essence to exact vengeance for Shen Lang.

Observing this from not far away, Shen Lang felt a flicker of panic in his heart. He had not anticipated that his "death" would cause Nalan Yanran to succumb to a demonic frenzy.

Just as he was debating whether to send a voice transmission to let her know he was still alive, an intensely cold voice resonated across the heavens.

"Yanran, wake up at once!"

Swish.

At the sound of this voice, even Zhou Botong's expression shifted drastically. He immediately straightened his posture, cupped his fists, and bowed toward the newcomer: "Zhou Botong pays respects to the Divine Firmament Empress!"
"We pay our respects to the Divine Firmament Empress!"

The Empress paid no heed to these individuals. Her gaze locked solemnly onto Nalan Yanran as she shouted sharply once more, "Will you not wake up?!"

As these five words rang out, the black Qi shrouding Nalan Yanran instantly dissipated.

Her eyes, which had been glowing with an eerie light, reverted to a deep, blood-red hue in that instant.

"Master, Shen Lang was forced into self-detonation by them!"
"What?!"

Hearing that Shen Lang had self-detonated, a look of profound shock appeared on the Empress's face.

Upon receiving Nalan Yanran's message, she had hurried toward Guiyun City at full speed, her sole objective being to rescue Shen Lang, her destined monarch.

Never had she imagined that she would arrive a step too late, and that Shen Lang would have already blown himself up!

Knowing all too well what the loss of Shen Lang meant for her, an intensely terrifying killing intent instantly erupted from the Empress: "The Zhou family, you certainly have a lot of nerve!"

"How dare you arrest and drive to his death an imperial commissioner appointed directly by me?"
"Do you presume my blade has grown dull?!"

Boom!

Feeling the terrifying killing intent emanating from the Divine Firmament Empress, Zhou Botong's expression altered drastically. He hurriedly attempted to explain: "Your Majesty, it's a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?" The Empress's face was chillingly fierce. "You murdered my pillar of state, and now you tell me it's a misunderstanding?"
"Do you truly take me for a fool?"

Seeing the Empress slash toward him with a sword, Zhou Botong instinctively tried to dodge.

However, the disparity in strength between him and the Empress was far too vast. In a mere fraction of a second, a deep, bone-revealing wound was carved across his chest.

Realizing that if this continued, certain death awaited him, Zhou Botong immediately crushed a token—a safeguard prepared by the Eight Kings of the realm specifically against the Divine Firmament Empress.

Snap.

As the token shattered, the next second, over twenty ghostly projections of Deity Transformation stage powerhouses suddenly materialized in the void.

Their appearance immediately elicited gasps of shock from numerous spectators within Guiyun City.

"Good heavens, Zhao Tianba of the Zhao family, Wu Sangui of the Wu family, and Qian Wujiang of the Qian family have all arrived."
"Not just the Zhao, Wu, and Qian families; all the founding patriarchs of the Eight Kings have come."
"Oh boy, things are getting wildly out of hand today. The Great Qin Empire might descend into chaos once again."
"..."

Looking at the more than twenty powerhouse projections before her, the Empress's face darkened to the extreme.

She had known the Eight Kings stood together as one, but she never expected them to have secretly reached the point where if one party faced trouble, the other seven rushed to support them.

Without even needing to think, the Empress knew that if she forcibly annihilated the Zhou family today, the Great Qin Empire would likely plunge into civil strife immediately.

Seeing that the Divine Firmament Empress had paused her attack, Zhou Botong inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, wearing a solemn expression, he said, "Your Majesty, regarding the tragic self-detonation of your appointed commissioner within Guiyun City, our Zhou family fully understands your grief."

"Rest assured, for the injustices Lord Shen suffered in Guiyun City, I shall personally deliver the culprits to you."
"We only beg Your Majesty not to let the actions of a few cause you to redirect your wrath toward our entire clan."

Watching Zhou Botong's unperturbed and arrogant demeanor, the Empress truly wished she could slaughter every last one of them right then and there.

Yet, considering that her destined monarch had already appeared within the Great Qin Empire, if she failed to maintain control over the realm, she would likely never be able to avenge her grievances.

Just as the Empress was pondering how to handle the situation, an intensely familiar voice rang out in her mind: "Your Majesty, agree to his terms."

"I have already laid down a trap from which there is no escape; the Zhou family is doomed!"
"..."

Swish.

Hearing Shen Lang's voice, the Empress's eyes suddenly brightened.

Realizing this was all part of a scheme orchestrated by Shen Lang, she immediately followed his instructions, her expression turning glacial as she replied: "I shall investigate this matter personally."

"If it is discovered that your Zhou family has committed any transgressions against me, I will show you no mercy!"

Seeing the Divine Firmament Empress back down, Zhou Botong sneered inwardly.

Yet outwardly, he feigned a serious nod: "No problem at all. Our Zhou family will fully cooperate with Your Majesty's investigation."

"If we are found guilty of any wrongdoing against Your Majesty, our Zhou family will accept whatever punishment or retribution is decreed!"

Observing Zhou Botong's smug, half-smiling expression, a cold smirk flashed through the Empress's eyes.

She paid him no further mind, instead flashing directly to Nalan Yanran's side before hauling her away toward the City Lord's Mansion.

As this scene played out, Divine Lord Xiaotian, who had just been hiding in the shadows, shook his head repeatedly. "Hah, women truly aren't suited to be monarchs. She just caved like that, utterly useless!"

"Hey, Doggy, aren't you afraid she'll cut off your dog kibble in the future by talking about her like that?"
"What the—!"