Lu Xiao and Xue Yunxue exchanged a glance.
Their expressions immediately turned serious.
That dangerous man was now standing right before their eyes.
If Noctar had appeared here, then everything happening in Shelua was clearly not just an ordinary struggle for the throne.
There had to be something far greater behind it.
On the coronation stage, Noctar calmly walked toward Xiang She.
The man's aura was exactly the same as before—cold, dangerous, and filled with oppressive power.
He stood beside Xiang She as if the two of them held equal status.
Then he gave a faint smile.
"Congratulations."
"Starting today, you are the Emperor of Shelua."
His tone sounded relaxed, yet it carried hidden meaning.
Xiang She let out a short laugh.
"Without your help, I might not have reached this position."
From afar, Xue Yunxue narrowed her eyes.
The two of them looked extremely familiar with each other.
This meant their guess had been correct.
Xiang She had indeed been working together with the Rebel Army.
Lu Xiao spoke in a low voice.
"That man is Noctar."
"One of the highest commanders of the rebel faction."
"And also… an extremely dangerous man."
His tone was icy.
His crimson eyes revealed undisguised hatred.
Xiang Shuai frowned slightly.
His mind quickly pieced together the fragments that had once made no sense.
If Xiang She had gained Noctar's support—
then it was no wonder he had been able to overthrow the Emperor so quickly.
Even Crown Prince Xiang Zhenlong had been unable to resist him.
This matter was far more complicated than they had imagined.
"This is bad," Xiang Shuai muttered softly.
Without waiting any longer, the three of them immediately left the place.
They moved through the crowd of citizens and disappeared from the coronation square before anyone could notice their presence.
Their destination was clear.
They had to return to their hidden cave as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile—
inside the Royal Hall of Shelua, the grand coronation banquet was taking place.
Massive crystal chandeliers illuminated the magnificent hall.
Nobles, generals, and envoys from various kingdoms sat at long tables filled with expensive food and fine wine.
Among all the guests—
Noctar sat in the most honored seat.
A place usually reserved only for the kingdom's most important allies.
The envoys from other nations looked at him with different expressions.
Some appeared calm.
But others clearly held anger in their eyes.
After all, the rebel army led by Noctar had already begun invading the territories of several kingdoms.
Even so, everyone in that hall knew one important fact.
The rebel faction's main enemy was not them.
It was the Yanhuo Kingdom, whose military strength had been rising rapidly in recent times.
Still—
Noctar's presence inside the palace of Shelua made many people uncomfortable.
After all, the rebel faction had now become one of the largest powers in the world.
If the balance of power in the world were counted, it was now divided among several major forces:
The Dark Forces,The Shelua Empire,The Eastern Sea Kingdom,and the Rebel Army.
The Yanhuo Kingdom had been secretly strengthening its military, but how much of that rumor was true remained unknown.
Noctar's faction had already become the third largest power in the world.
Directly confronting them would only lead to enormous losses.
Especially if Shelua truly formed an alliance with them.
Because of that—
even though many royal envoys were furious…
not a single one dared to show it openly.
They could only restrain themselves, hiding their emotions behind diplomatic smiles.
-------------------
Eventually, the coronation celebration came to an end.
The royal hall, which had previously been filled with music, laughter, and conversation, slowly fell silent.
The crystal lights still shone brightly, but the long tables were now empty.
Half-filled wine glasses and the remains of luxurious dishes were scattered across the tables, signs that the banquet had only just ended.
All the servants had been dismissed from the room.
Now only two people remained in the grand hall.
Noctar.
And Xiang She.
Noctar sat casually in his chair, his legs elegantly crossed.
His dark eyes watched Xiang She calmly, but the pressure in his gaze was heavy.
Finally, he spoke.
"I have already made you Emperor."
His voice was soft, yet filled with pressure.
"Now it is time for you to repay the favor."
He placed his wine glass on the table.
"When will you give me the Serpent King Pearl?"
Xiang She did not answer immediately.
He slowly raised his wine glass, staring at the red liquid inside before letting out a faint smile.
"That pearl is buried with my grandfather's corpse," he said casually.
"The legendary Black Serpent King."
He took a sip of wine before continuing.
"Unfortunately, the old man was far too cautious."
"He hid the location of his tomb very well."
"I have searched many places… yet the results are still nothing."
Xiang She's gaze turned cold.
"But give me some time."
"I'm certain Xiang Shuai knows the location of that tomb."
Noctar did not smile.
Instead, his gaze grew sharper.
"I cannot give you much time."
His voice became colder.
"I have already invested a great deal of resources to make you Emperor."
"My patience is not limitless."
Xiang She narrowed his eyes.
There was one thing he had always been curious about.
"Why do you want that pearl so badly?"
He chuckled softly.
"To me, it's nothing more than an ordinary object."
"That pearl doesn't even have any real power."
But Noctar simply looked at him expressionlessly.
"You don't need to know."
He picked up his wine glass again and drank calmly.
Then he added lightly,
"Besides…"
"You should send all the envoys from the other kingdoms back as soon as possible."
Xiang She raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
But Noctar did not answer.
He only smiled faintly.
------------
The next morning—Lin Yuan received an official announcement from the palace.
Envoys and guests from various kingdoms were finally allowed to return to their own countries.
However, there was one condition.
Anyone wishing to leave the territory of Shelua had to pass through extremely strict security inspections.
Lin Yuan read the notice with a serious expression.
According to the information they had obtained, the Shelua Empire had just acquired a new technology.
A device capable of reading a person's DNA within seconds.
And that technology came from…
the Rebel Army.
Lu Xiao and Lin Yuan exchanged a glance.
"A DNA detector?" Lin Yuan murmured quietly.
"Could it be…"
Lu Xiao crossed his arms over his chest, his expression turning serious.
"I assume Noctar already obtained DNA samples from the four of you," he said while looking at Xue Yunxue, Lin Yuan, Yun Wu, and Xiang Shuai.
Then he turned toward Yunxue.
"Xue'er, he most likely obtained your DNA when you were captured back then."
He glanced at Lin Yuan and Yun Wu.
"The same goes for the two of you."
Xiang Shuai immediately frowned.
"Captured?"
"What do you mean?"
It was clear he had never heard that story before.
Lu Xiao briefly explained what had happened not long ago—about how they had infiltrated the rebel fortress to rescue someone Yun Wu knew.
Hearing this, Xue Yunxue felt a trace of irritation.
She recalled how Yun Wu had dragged all of them into danger just to save a woman named Xuxu.
All the risks they had faced back then…
all for a cunning woman who turned out to be part of the rebel faction.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed Yunxue felt.
Xiang Shuai looked at them seriously.
"Are you saying that Xue'er is now a target of that man named Noctar?"
Lin Yuan immediately shook his head.
"Impossible."
"That man cannot possibly know where Xue'er is right now."
However, Yun Wu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"When I was still inside the rebel army… I heard something."
Everyone turned toward him.
"They've been developing various high-level weapons and technologies."
"Including technology that can track someone using DNA."
Xiang Shuai's eyes widened.
"You… were part of the rebel army?"
His voice was full of shock.
Clearly, there were still many things he didn't know.
He had been gone for more than a month.
It seemed that quite a lot had happened during that time.
His golden eyes flickered with confusion as he looked at Yun Wu.
With the existence of a DNA scanner, it was obvious that the four of them would be easily identified if they passed through the inspection.
The only person who might not have been detected by Noctar yet was Lu Xiao.
But Xue Yunxue was not completely sure about that either.
------------------------
The atmosphere inside the cave grew heavy after the discussion about the DNA scanner.
A small fire flickered in the center of the cavern, its shadows dancing across the stone walls.
Cold wind drifted through the cracks in the cave, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.
Everyone understood the same thing.
They could not leave Shelua through normal routes.
Xiang Shuai sat leaning against the stone wall.
His body had improved greatly after being healed by Xue Yunxue, but his old wounds still made him appear somewhat weak.
On the other side of the cave, the old Emperor of Shelua, Xiang Tianxuan, slowly opened his eyes.
The aura of an aged ruler emanated from him, even though his body had not yet fully recovered.
"I heard your conversation," he said quietly.
Everyone turned toward him.
"If you intend to leave Shelua through the royal secret routes, you should abandon that plan."
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Xiang Tianxuan gave a bitter smile.
"Because that route… is already known by Xiang She."
The room immediately grew tense.
"After the coup succeeded," he continued, "he opened the entire royal archive. Every secret map, every tunnel built by our ancestors… all of them are now in his hands."
"His elite forces guard every one of those exits."
Xiang Shuai lowered his head.
"So we're truly trapped inside my own country…"
However, Xiang Tianxuan slowly shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
All eyes turned toward the old emperor again.
"There is one path that even Xiang She cannot touch."
Xiang Tianxuan looked at his son deeply.
"You can leave the Shelua Empire through the Tomb of the Serpent King."
The room instantly fell silent.
Xiang Shuai slowly raised his head.
"Grandfather's… tomb?"
Xiang Tianxuan nodded.
"The tomb of the Black Serpent King of Shelua, the strongest ancestor of the Xiang clan."
But his expression grew even more serious.
"It is said that the tomb is not only the resting place of the Serpent King…"
"but it also connects the Shelua Empire with the Eastern Sea Empire through an ancient spiritual passage."
Xiang Shuai frowned.
"Through Grandfather's tomb?"
Xiang Tianxuan nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately, I have only seen that gate once."
"When my father… your grandfather… was buried."
His eyes dimmed slightly, as if recalling distant memories.
"It was the priests of the Divine Tianluo Temple who carried his body there."
"At that time, a spiritual gate appeared on the ancient altar."
"The gate did not look like an ordinary door… it was more like a crack in space itself."
Xiang Shuai tried to remember.
But his memories were vague.
He had been too young at that time.
Xiang Tianxuan continued softly.
"After the funeral ceremony ended…"
"The gate disappeared."
"As if it had never existed."
He looked at Xiang Shuai seriously.
"I heard that Xiang She has been searching for it desperately recently."
"But he has never managed to find it."
Xiang Tianxuan then spoke in a deeper tone.
"The only person who has ever opened that gate…"
"and who knows its location is—"
"The Grand Priest of Shelua, Shen Qiyun."
Lu Xiao narrowed his eyes.
"The priest who appeared at the coronation ceremony?"
"Yes."
Xiang Tianxuan nodded.
"Shen Qiyun has served the Xiang royal family for more than fifty years."
"He is the greatest keeper of this kingdom's secrets."
The old emperor's gaze softened as he looked at Xiang Shuai.
"And he has always stood on your side."
Xiang Shuai looked surprised.
"On my side?"
"Yes."
Xiang Tianxuan smiled faintly.
"Priest Shen Qiyun has always watched over the royal family and observed every candidate for the throne."
"He once said that among all my children…"
"only you are not consumed by ambition."
Yun Wu snorted softly.
"No wonder this snake always looks so relaxed and lazy."
"This man clearly carries no burdens in his mind."
Lu Xiao smiled faintly after hearing Yun Wu's muttering.
"That priest has quite a sharp eye for judging people."
"Then all we need to do is meet Priest Shen Qiyun."
However, Yun Wu immediately shook his head.
"That won't be easy."
"The palace is now under Xiang She's control."
"That priest is surely being watched."
Xiang Tianxuan spoke calmly.
"Priest Shen Qiyun does not live in the palace."
"He usually meditates at Tianluo Temple."
"An ancient temple standing at the peak of Mount Tianluo."
"A sacred place for the serpent clan of Shelua."
The room fell silent again.
Finally, Xue Yunxue slowly stood up.
Her eyes shone with determination.
"Then the destination is clear."
"We need to go to Mount Tianluo."
Lin Yuan let out a long sigh.
"My life has truly changed since I met all of you."
Yun Wu simply said briefly,
"I'm coming."
Xiang Shuai looked at Xue Yunxue.
His eyes softened slightly.
"Xue'er…"
"I'm sorry for dragging you into the problems of my country."
But Yunxue only smiled faintly.
"It's too late to say that now."
"We've already come this far."
She lightly patted Xiang Shuai's shoulder.
"Besides…"
"aren't we family?"
She looked at him calmly.
"You are also one of my husbands."
Xiang Shuai fell silent.
A strange feeling stirred within his heart.
Warm… yet difficult for him to understand.
But now was not the time to think about that.
The most important thing was to bring Emperor Xiang Tianxuan and the Empress to a safer place.
And after that—
to get Xue Yunxue out of Shelua.
After all, Xiang She was hunting her relentlessly.
-----------------
Meanwhile, far away in the Imperial Palace of Shelua—
Xiang She stood before a massive crystal computer screen.
Just like Xiang Shuai's aircraft, the Shelua Empire possessed energy sensors capable of detecting activity even deep underground.
The Shelua Empire was vast.
However, there were several regions protected by ancient energy barriers, places where the sensors could not function and all electronic devices stopped working.
Because of this, Xiang She concentrated the search by sending soldiers to those regions.
Unfortunately, the process was slow and yielded no results.
His gaze moved across the map of the empire.
Then it stopped on one point.
Mount Tianluo.
His eyes narrowed.
He knew one thing very well—
Grand Priest Shen Qiyun had always stood on the side of the old emperor.
And he shared a special closeness with Xiang Shuai.
Could they be there?
However, Tianluo Temple was no ordinary place.
Not everyone was allowed to enter.
The temple was surrounded by extremely thick spiritual barriers that were difficult to penetrate.
Moreover, it was guarded by priests whose true strength had never been fully known.
Yet Xiang She still smiled coldly.
"There's no harm in trying."
He immediately made his decision.
This time—
he would lead the army himself.
Three generals who had already reached the Taigu level would accompany him.
More than a dozen officers with strength above level ninety were also deployed.
Along with hundreds of elite soldiers possessing special abilities.
If it were only to capture Xiang Shuai, sending one trusted officer would have been enough.
But this time was different.
The place he would face was—
Tianluo Temple.
The sacred sanctuary of the priests.
A place that for hundreds of years had maintained the spiritual balance of the Shelua Empire.
And until now—
no one truly knew how powerful those priests actually were.