Chapter 160: The Bloody Sacrifice!

The Emperor gently caressed the girl's forehead with a loving touch. "My foolish child, I don't want to hurt you."

"Why can't you understand your father's intentions?"

"Our Divine Mountain Empire is surrounded by powerful enemies. Do you know that every year, the Atlantic Empire raids our borders, leaving countless families destroyed?"

"And all of this is because our nation isn't strong enough."

Two tears streamed down Octavius's face.

"I am your father, but I am also the father of all these people!"

"No! No!"

"Spare me!"

The girl desperately struggled, her eyes filled with terror and despair.

Octavius sighed, "You still don't see the bigger picture."

Then, the Emperor flipped his palm and placed it on the girl's head, forcibly refining her into a blood-red pill. He then swallowed the pill.

Instantly, Octavius's aura surged again. Though he had been concealing his true power, now he temporarily broke through, exuding the presence of a legendary-tier figure!

The countless civilians and soldiers present were ecstatic. "Our Emperor is invincible!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

They all shouted sincerely, filled with excitement!

Then the crowd began to chant, "The princess is righteous, sacrificing herself bravely!"

"The princess is righteous, sacrificing herself bravely!"

"The princess is righteous, sacrificing herself bravely!"

...

Though this scene was bloody and horrifying, outside the Prince's Mansion, it presented a united front.

The Emperor sacrificed his daughter, yet donned a facade of righteousness, full of moral integrity, an incredibly bizarre sight!

The soldiers rejoiced, congratulating the Emperor.

The civilians, too, were elated by the sight, showing immense support.

Then, aside from the Emperor who maintained a facade of compassion, the soldiers, civilians, nobles, and officials once again shouted toward the Prince's Mansion, "Surrender! Surrender!"

"Sacrifice for the Empire!"

"Sacrifice for the Empire!"

...

The might of the entire Divine Mountain Empire was on full display as countless people fervently chanted, their devotion and fanaticism undeniable!

Even Sterl, who had infiltrated the vicinity, was left utterly flabbergasted.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Are these people all insane?" His worldview was being challenged. How could an emperor who slaughtered his own offspring be so revered?

Sterl was baffled, unsure if he was the one who had lost his mind or if it was the world around him that had gone mad.

However, the civil and military officials he had taken hostage gazed at the Emperor with devout expressions, even offering unsolicited explanations: "Our Emperor Octavius does not need to manipulate anyone."

Sterl shook his head. He was utterly confounded, at a loss for words.

At that moment, Sterl saw the Emperor wave his hand, and the iron gates of the Prince's Mansion were forcibly shattered.

This was the power of a legendary figure! Unstoppable by any army!

Following that, the fourth prince's staunch supporters led their troops to block the advance. The prince himself and the dozen or so siblings he had persuaded were all pale-faced.

Equally pale were a group of players nearby, who had previously been recruited by the fourth prince.

Sterl raised an eyebrow, suddenly noticing among the players...

Sure enough, Faye was there.

"Ancestor, what should we do?" On the surface, Faye appeared calm and noble, but in reality, she was socially anxious and internally panicking.

In the mental space, Felicia was also on the verge of breaking down. "Seriously, why do we keep running into stuff like this?"

Faye and Felicia had arrived in the capital of the Divine Mountain Empire long ago, thinking they could just explore and enjoy the scenery.

Then, a plea for help was received from the Fourth Prince.

Without hesitation, Faye and Felicia agreed. They had witnessed divine battles in the Netherworld. What danger could the Divine Mountain Empire possibly pose? It seemed like a free mission.

However, they were relentlessly pursued by soldiers all the way to the Prince's Mansion. Just when they thought they had reached the final stage of the mission and were about to face the boss, a legendary figure stood before Faye and Felicia.

And this legendary figure turned out to be the Emperor of the Divine Mountain Empire, who had surrounded the Prince's Mansion with a formidable army!

Felicia was already contemplating escape tactics, hoping it wouldn't consume too much soul power.

The other recruited players nearby wore similarly despairing expressions. Most of them were only second-class, with only a few third-tier warriors who had been recruited after the fourth prince became the crown prince.

But Octavius's army included several third-tier powerhouses, and his own legendary aura was overwhelmingly strong!

"How do we fight this? It's certain death!"

"Do we even have a chance to abandon the mission?"

"We might as well give it a go. The way those civilians outside are looking at us, they probably want to tear us apart alive."

The players discussed the current situation. The only reason they hadn't betrayed yet was that they had no means of escape at the moment.

To keep the Emperor's actions secret, the capital was under a disruption array, preventing the use of any teleportation devices.

They had already lost hope.

The situation before them was utterly dire!

They felt there was no chance to surrender. The civilians outside wanted nothing more than to rip them apart for aiding the Emperor and harming the Empire's interests.

Otherwise, the players would have been begging on their knees by now.

The princes and princesses were even more terrified. At least the players had the option to log out and return to the real world upon death.

But these princes and princesses, their strongest fighters were only third-tier.

How could they possibly face their legendary father? The thought of ultimately being refined into elixirs and consumed filled them with dread!

The fourth prince, commendably the one with the best mental fortitude, was still trying to comfort his siblings.

"At this point, there's nothing more to say. We have to fight for our lives."

"If we don't want to be calmly eaten, we have to struggle with all our might!"

Unfortunately, his stirring speech had no effect.