Chapter 193 193: Because You Can't



Xu Shan left the underground floor, noticing many signs of destruction.

It was clear that some of the people that were freed weren't good people. They didn't just try to find the Empress, but also killed everyone that they came across.

Along the way, all the Guards were dead. Even the maids and servants were slaughtered. Hallways were damaged, showing clear signs of battles.

Xu Shan didn't care about the lives of these people. If anything, this was exactly what he wanted. These people were going to keep the Empress when she returned, while he could finish what he was here for.

If anything, more than the deaths of people in the Palace, he was concerned about the Woman in the Consciousness who was about to tell him something before she disappeared.

After climbing the stairs, Xu Shan reached the first floor. With the entire palace in chaos and deaths everywhere, he didn't come across any guards on the way. His entire journey became much easier.

As Xu Shan made his way towards the inner chambers, he could feel that he was getting closer to the Celestial Lotus. It was the same feeling that he had in the past when he was about to pick the Celestial Lotus.

Thanks to this sensation, he didn't even need to use his Divine Consciousness.

****

Xu Shan stopped at the entrance of a particular room.

"This place...?" The Emperor behind him grew surprised.

He had been wondering what the young man was looking for, but the search appeared to have stopped at this room.

"You know this room?" Xu Shan asked.

"This used to be my room," the old man replied. "If I'm not wrong, now this room probably belongs to-"

"To the daughter who entrapped you. I see."

It made more sense to him that this was the Empress' room. She was certainly going to keep the Celestial Lotus in her room as this was supposed to be the most secure place with her presence.

Xu Shan extended his left hand, holding a dagger tightly within his grasp.

Simultaneously, he skillfully conjured a protective barrier around himself, cautious of any potential traps that may have been set in the room.

The door was pushed open. Xu Shan expected the room to be spotless, with not even a speck of dust. It was the room of the Empress after all. But the sight that greeted him was different.

Inside the room, there were hundreds of bodies, gathered together. Moreover, all the bodies were fresh, as if they were recently killed in a brutal yet quick way.

The worst part was that these bodies belonged to every person that he had freed from the Cellar to keep the Empress distracted when she was to return!

Every person who escaped from the Cells, except the old man behind him, was dead and their body was inside the room.

The scent of blood was strong, filling the air, making it difficult for the old man to breathe. He had seen many cruel sights, but this made the old man feel like vomiting.

Not too far from the bodies, there was a chair. And on the chair, a beautiful woman was sitting, having a glass of red wine in her hand, which she seemed to be enjoying.

The woman's back was facing Xu Shan, but that didn't prevent him from recognising the Woman. It was the worst possible scenario for him.

The person he wanted to keep away from the Palace... The person he created so many distractions from... The person who killed all the artificial demons... It was the Divine Empress!

Let alone being kept busy outside, she was sitting on the chair, comfortably, as if waiting for him.

"Aren't you going to enter?"

Xu Shan was greeted by the soft ethereal sound of a woman's voice. However, she displayed no interest in him, not even bothering to turn her gaze in his direction.

On the wall before her, a mirror hung high, reflecting every scene that was taking place in the Palace. In one of those scenes, the entrance of the room was also shown. Even without turning around, the woman could see everything.

The old man stepped before Xu Shan, gesturing him to escape while he held his daughter back.

Xu Shan placed his hand on the old man's shoulder, moving him aside. The old man had been trapped for a long time. He was weak. Let alone holding his daughter back, it would've been surprising if he even lasted more than a second in front of her.

"And here I thought you'd attack me at first sight."

Xu Shan stepped inside the room, sending his daggers back to the storage ring.

"Who are you? And what is your purpose in creating this commotion in my Empire? First the City, and now the Palace? Give me one reason I should leave you alive."

The woman's voice remained emotionless as she asked Xu Shan. Even though she asked as if she was willing to listen to him, but Xu Shan was certain that it was only because she was curious about him. Once her curiosity was over, she was going to attack him.

"Isn't it wrong to accuse me for the commotion without any evidence?" Xu Shan jokingly asked, walking closer to the Empress, like he was talking to an old friend.

No one, who saw the tone with which they talked with each other, could've thought that these were two enemies who wanted to rip each other to shreds to remove uncertain factors.

Hearing Xu Shan's words, the woman was quite taken aback. Instead of begging her for forgiveness, he was completely carefree.

"Also since you asked me for a reason why you should let me live, how about I give you three instead?" Xu Shan stated.

"The first reason, it's because I had nothing to do with your Divine Realm. I was the first person to find the Celestial Lotus but your General attacked me from behind like a coward. The wrongs of a pet are their master's responsibility. Shouldn't you take this responsibility?"

"And the second reason... It's because our goals are independent of each other. What I want doesn't affect your plans, and what you want doesn't affect mine."

"As for the third reason... It's because you're too late. If it was an hour earlier, you might've been able to kill me with ease. But now you aren't capable of killing me. So if you don't want to put your life on the line, you should keep that temper of yours in control."