"Why? Why would this National Preceptor dare to be so arrogant?"
"Why else? His strength is comparable to my father the Emperor. Even if my father goes all out, he might not be able to kill him. Moreover, it is rumored that the National Preceptor has secret dealings with neighboring countries, which makes my father hesitant. Before my father fell ill, he used the arranged marriage to deliberately make things difficult for my father."
"So what do we do now? He said he wants to kill me." Zhou Hong said, furious. That National Preceptor was a cultivator in the Spirit Severing stage. Zhou Hong was naturally no match for him; he could annihilate Zhou Hong with a single breath.
"I don't know either. Now it all depends on whether my father can suppress him."
"If your father could suppress him, he would have done so long ago." Zhou Hong felt that hope was slim.
"I'm sorry, Zhou Hong, I didn't expect to implicate you."
"Heh, it's not your fault. Even if I hadn't shouted at the National Preceptor just now, he would have found another excuse."
"I mean, our country's internal strife has harmed you. If you hadn't come here, you wouldn't have been caught up in our empire's conflicts."
"Let's not talk about that now. Let's work together to figure out how to deal with the National Preceptor."
"We can't deal with him. If my father could, why would we be in this situation today? Moreover, once we completely fall out, the result might even be a change of dynasty. After all, we don't have a guaranteed victory." Lu Qianqian shook her head and sighed.
"Then we just let him be arrogant?"
Lu Qianqian remained silent, her heart filled with pain and worry.
If they truly fell out with the National Preceptor, rivers of blood would flow, and their Lu family would be uprooted. Currently, their Lu clan was experiencing a decline in talent and a gap between generations, which was the fundamental reason for their unstable rule. If their Lu clan had continuously produced geniuses generation after generation, they wouldn't be in this predicament today.
Perhaps, their Lu clan's fortune had indeed run its course. Since ancient times, no dynasty had been able to endure forever.
Zhou Hong and Lu Qianqian sat in a pavilion in the royal palace, their hearts filled with distress.
Before long, the Emperor arrived.
"Father, have you finished your court session?" Seeing the Emperor arrive, Lu Qianqian quickly stood up.
"It's over." The Emperor's face was still etched with anger.
"Father, what about the National Preceptor... does he still intend to kill Zhou Hong?" Lu Qianqian hastily asked.
"Hmph, that old scoundrel, I truly wish I could flay him alive." The King grunted angrily, appearing to struggle for breath.
"Your Majesty, do you truly have no chance of winning against him?" Zhou Hong asked.
"He and I are evenly matched. He cannot kill me, and I find it difficult to kill him. We are both in the early stage of the Spirit Severing realm. It's just a pity that my cultivation has stagnated. If I could break through one more step, killing him would be as easy as flipping my hand. What worries me most now is that he might reach the middle stage of the Spirit Severing realm before me. Due to my illness, it will be even more difficult for me to break through."
"Then how can one break through?"
The Emperor shook his head. Judging by his expression, there was no hope. After reaching a certain level in cultivation, not everyone could advance further.
Zhou Hong could not help him with this.
However, Zhou Hong suddenly thought about whether the cultivators in this world would be affected by atomic weapons, like hydrogen bombs, from Earth.
"Your Majesty, I have a weapon here, and I don't know if it can help you. I believe the difference in strength between you and the National Preceptor is negligible. Adding just a little more advantage might lead you to victory," Zhou Hong said quickly.
"What weapon?"
"I don't know what kind of weapon it is. Ideally, we should find a place to test it. Then you can see if it has any destructive power."
"Then quickly bring it out. We can test it in my back garden."
Zhou Hong glanced at the royal garden and shook his head, "I don't think this place is suitable. The entire royal palace might be leveled."
"What? Such a powerful weapon?" The Emperor was immediately astonished. Being able to level the entire royal palace indicated considerable power.
"Your Majesty, does that mean my weapon has some power?"
"We have to verify it personally to know. However, if it can truly level my royal palace, then its power is considerable."
"Alright." After Zhou Hong finished speaking, he immediately took out an atomic bomb from his sub-world.
"How is this thing used?" the Emperor asked doubtfully.
"You throw it down from a high altitude, and it will explode when it's about to hit the ground."
"Then let's find a place to try it."
"Good."
The Emperor grabbed Zhou Hong's clothes and leaped into the sky, flying directly out of the royal palace.
However, as soon as they flew out of the palace's range, a figure rushed up and blocked their path.
This figure was a subordinate of the National Preceptor, who had been instructed to keep a constant watch on Zhou Hong to see if he left the palace.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The National Preceptor's subordinate bowed to the Emperor.
"What is it?" the King grunted impatiently.
"Your Majesty, the National Preceptor has instructed me that if this young eunuch leaves the palace grounds, I am to kill him without hesitation."
The King was furious. Even one of the National Preceptor's subordinates dared to disregard him.
"Die!" The Emperor roared with rage and directly slapped the subordinate.
However, in the next second, a light erupted from the subordinate's body, and the National Preceptor's voice was heard within the light: "Your Majesty, you dare to kill my man."
It turned out that the National Preceptor had already planted powerful spiritual energy on his subordinate.
At that moment, in a certain location, the National Preceptor sensed that the Emperor had attacked his subordinate and immediately snorted, "Good, Lu Yun Zong, you actually dare to lay a hand on my people. Then don't blame me for continuing to make things difficult for you tomorrow. I will gradually weaken your imperial authority, and then the ministers in court will choose to side with me."
Zhou Hong and the Emperor soon arrived at a remote forest.
"Your Majesty, let's conduct the experiment here." Zhou Hong glanced around, seeing no people for thousands of kilometers, and decided to conduct the drop test here.
"Good. However, for the sake of the experiment's effectiveness, I will stand on the ground, and you can directly throw your weapon next to me."
"Ah." Zhou Hong felt a bit uneasy. What if the atomic bomb's power was too great and injured the Emperor?
"It's fine. I don't believe that your little egg can be that powerful."
"Then I shall be so bold."
After preparing, Zhou Hong threw the atomic bomb from the sky towards the ground.
The Emperor stood on the ground, watching the atomic bomb fall towards his head. He made no attempt to dodge, allowing the atomic bomb to explode next to him.
"Boom!" A massive mushroom cloud surged into the sky.