Chapter 1372: Killing Intent

Wu Liang chuckled, "Your Majesty, if I tell you, will you spare my life?"

The Demon Emperor's face was devoid of expression. "If you don't speak, you'll die now."

Wu Liang's hair stood on end. "Speak, speak, I'll speak immediately!"

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen rolled their eyes. This guy had no backbone; he begged for mercy so easily.

At this moment, Wu Liang hastily said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Demon Imperial Tomb and an ancient unknown land have intersected in space-time, accidentally forming a unique type of tomb architecture: 'Yang Tomb Yin Grave'."

The Demon Emperor frowned. "What is a Yang Tomb, and what is a Yin Grave?"

"The so-called Yang Tomb is this Imperial Tomb we see now, the underground palace accessible to the naked eye. The legendary design of a 'Yang Tomb Yin Grave' uses the Yang Tomb as a facade to attract the attention of various tomb robbers. Of course, it also contains many precious burial objects." As he spoke of burial objects, Wu Liang's eyes gleamed, clearly a deep-seated excitement. "However, the true tomb occupant is hidden within the Yin Grave, thus avoiding disturbance to their afterlife peace through the Yang Tomb."

"Nonsense! Are you saying the Imperial Tombs of our past Demon Emperor ancestors are just a facade for someone else?" Crown Prince Jinwu cursed angrily.

Wu Liang chuckled awkwardly, "I just said it was a coincidence, a coincidence. In fact, it's precisely because it's hidden within the Demon Imperial Tomb that this unknown land hasn't been discovered for so many years."

Crown Prince Jinwu was about to say more but was stopped by the Demon Emperor, who sighed deeply. "With all my abilities, I've spent my entire life searching and never found an unknown land. Now it seems these legendary places are indeed deeply hidden; no wonder they're so hard to find."

Wu Liang then continued, "Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, have there been any such anomalies in the Imperial Tomb over the years?"

The Demon Emperor thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "No, not to my knowledge. There are no such records within the royal family either."

"That's right. If there were records, this unknown land would probably have been discovered by a previous Demon Emperor," Wu Liang said, making hand gestures as if calculating something. "If my prediction is correct, this time it appeared because a specific condition was met—perhaps a particular time, or a specific alignment of the sun, moon, and stars. Only then would the hidden unknown land reveal itself. If this opportunity is missed, it might be thousands or even tens of thousands of years before it reappears."

The Demon Emperor's breathing suddenly quickened. He wondered if he was truly destined for this; so many Demon Emperor ancestors hadn't had this opportunity, yet he had received it just before the decline of his heavenly and human faculties.

"Are you a descendant of the Pangolin clan?" The Demon Emperor scrutinized Wu Liang, his expression seemingly pleased.

"Your Majesty truly possesses discerning insight! My humble tricks could never escape your notice..." Wu Liang showered him with flattery.

Zu An was speechless. This fat guy was truly a sycophant.

"The Pangolin clan did possess unique abilities back then. It's a pity their sacrificial heritage was broken."

Hearing the appreciation in the Demon Emperor's words, Wu Liang's plump face broke into an even brighter smile. But the next second, he froze as the Demon Emperor stared at him coldly. "Who sent you this time?"

Wu Liang quickly explained, "This humble one has been a bit short on funds recently, and for a moment, I was possessed by greed for the treasures in the Imperial Tomb. I haven't touched anything yet, nor have I damaged even a blade of grass or a tree in the Imperial Tomb..."

Zu An rolled his eyes. This guy had the nerve to say that, after digging such a large tunnel to get in; who knew how much he had already damaged.

"Please, Your Majesty, show mercy. I will serve you faithfully in the future, and with my knowledge, I can help Your Majesty uncover the secrets of this unknown land." Wu Liang spoke so sincerely that even Zu An was somewhat moved.

The Demon Emperor interrupted him directly. "If you don't tell the truth, you'll never speak again."

A murderous intent enveloped Wu Liang, making his entire body of fat tremble. He quickly blurted out, "It was the Second Prince."

Zu An thought, *Just as expected.* He had suspected it for a long time. This fat guy seemed cunning; no matter how greedy he was, how could he dare to scheme against the Imperial Tomb? And if he truly intended to, he would choose an ordinary day, not coincidentally the day Crown Prince Jinwu was undergoing his trial, knowing that today's defenses were far stricter than usual.

Later, Wu Liang intentionally or unintentionally led them into this grand hall, and at the corner, he "accidentally" made a noise that alerted the people inside, forcing them to fight against the Crown Prince's faction.

At first, Zu An cursed him as a useless teammate, but soon realized that with Wu Liang's cunning, he would never make such a rookie mistake. Clearly, it was deliberate, a scheme to use them to eliminate others.

And in the entire royal court, apart from the Young Demon Empress, only the Second Prince had the motive and capability for this.

"It really was him! That heartless wretch!" Crown Prince Jinwu burst into curses.

"What are you cursing about?" The Demon Emperor cast a cold glance at him.

Crown Prince Jinwu then remembered that the Second Prince was also his father's son, which meant he had implicitly cursed his own father too.

He quickly said, "Father Emperor, my second brother plotted meticulously and caused your son to suffer so badly this time. Please, Father, do justice for me."

The Demon Emperor snorted. "Such things are normal. If it were you, or even me, in his position, with ambition, you certainly wouldn't be content with your fate and would likely take a gamble as well."

Crown Prince Jinwu said faintly, "But he almost killed your son."

The Demon Emperor said indifferently, "Our demon race is different from the weak human race. We value full competition. Every Demon Emperor throughout history has been the victor in fierce competition among siblings. Only this ensures the strength and wisdom of each successive Demon Emperor, preventing a good-for-nothing from harming the demon race."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He thought, *No wonder the demon race is generally brave and skilled in battle; this cruel competition has been passed down through generations.*

"Father Emperor's lesson is correct." Crown Prince Jinwu lowered his head, appearing submissive, but his heart was cold and filled with murderous intent.

Sensing his discontent, the Demon Emperor instructed, "After you ascend the throne, you must treat your brothers kindly. While vying for the heir apparent position, everyone can compete fully, but once you become Demon Emperor and the overall situation is settled, they will be your most reliable right-hand men."

"Yes, I will definitely treat them kindly." Crown Prince Jinwu sneered inwardly, though he showed no trace of it on his face.

The Demon Emperor frowned slightly. With his understanding of his son, he could easily tell he wasn't speaking from the heart. He initially wanted to give a few more instructions but then reconsidered. Once he found the legendary method of immortality in the unknown land, he would still be the Demon Emperor, and with him in charge, his brothers wouldn't be able to cause trouble among themselves.

At this moment, he sensed many masters and armies rushing towards the Imperial Tomb's vicinity, clearly having detected the unusual activity.

So he directly projected his soul; a golden figure left his physical body, rapidly growing in size as it ascended, piercing directly through the entire mountain and appearing above the Imperial Tomb.

The colossal phantom looked at the approaching crowd and said indifferently, "Issue the order: guard all critical paths. No one is allowed to approach the Imperial Tomb. Violators will be executed without mercy."

Hei Chifei, who was at the main entrance, had initially doubted whether the person who entered earlier was the Demon Emperor. Seeing this, he secretly rejoiced, *It truly is him! Thankfully, I didn't act impulsively just now, or I would have been finished.*

Recalling that the Demon Emperor knew he was aware of the emperor's affair with his wife, Hei Chifei felt uneasy. He quickly tried to prove his worth by stopping all the approaching factions, preventing them from getting close.

The Demon Emperor was slightly puzzled. This guy was usually the most loyal to the Crown Prince and he had expected him to raise questions. Why was he so obedient today?

However, he didn't dwell on it. After giving the command, he returned to the Imperial Tomb and looked coldly at Yan Xuehen and the other women.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. *This guy is set on killing them.*