Attendants of the Tang Family swarmed out, carrying away the spirit stones, gold, and fine horses.
"Tell the Emperor for me, thanks a lot! See the guests out!"
Tang Xuan waved his hand and turned around, slamming the gates of the Marquis of Anguo's Estate shut with a loud bang.
Only the imperial decree-bearing eunuch and various faction leaders were left behind,
left standing in utter disarray in the wind.
This Tang Xuan was truly ruthless.
He actually dared to reject even the gifts of the Emperor of Daqin.
No, wait!
The spirit stones, gold, and fine horses had all been snatched away by him.
The expressions of those faction leaders turned subtle.
It was obvious that the Emperor of Daqin wanted to win over the Tang Family.
Pity that Tang Xuan gave him zero face.
Compared to this, they themselves seemed to amount to nothing at all.
Given the temper of the Emperor of Daqin,
this matter was definitely far from over.
Next, the entire Daqin Imperial City was bound to undergo a drastic upheaval.
……
Inside the Marquis of Anguo's Estate.
Tang Tiannan had already received the news.
"Xuan'er, why did you act like this?"
he asked curiously.
Tang Xuan smiled and said, "Serving a ruler is like keeping company with a tiger. When you're useless, you're discarded without a second thought; when you're useful, rewards pour in endlessly!"
"Father, in my view, we should just leave!"
Tang Tiannan frowned.
"But will the Emperor of Daqin let us go?"
Tang Xuan smiled. "Our legs are on our own bodies, why would we need his permission to leave?"
Tang Jue said in shock, "Brother, you mean we leave without a word of farewell?"
Tang Xuan nodded. "That's right!"
Tang Tiannan pondered for a moment.
He had completely lost all hope in the Emperor of Daqin.
Therefore, he had no objections whatsoever to leaving the imperial city.
"Where should we go after leaving?"
Tang Xuan looked toward the north.
"The Frontier Pass! That is the border region of the Daqin Dynasty, a place where Father once fought. Up there... no matter how long the arms of the Emperor of Daqin are, they won't reach!"
Tang Tiannan and Tang Jue's eyes instantly lit up.
The Frontier Pass that Tang Xuan spoke of
was actually a small city
wedged right at a three-way intersection.
The three directions led respectively to the Daqin Dynasty, the Jiuyang Dynasty, and the forest of demons.
It was also where Tang Tiannan had first made his mark.
He had quite a few loyal confidants stationed there,
all of them trustworthy family folk.
Although they frequently suffered attacks from demons, it was still far better than staying in Daqin Imperial City.
"Xuan'er is right. We're going to the Frontier Pass!"
Tang Tiannan slammed his palm heavily onto the table.
Tang Jue naturally had no objections either.
Tang Xuan smiled slightly. He had another purpose in going to the Frontier Pass,
and that was the endless swarm of demons located there.
The malevolent Qi could be said to be inexhaustible and boundless,
making it the most suitable place for his cultivation.
"Then let's pack up quickly! Take everything we can carry, I have a spatial ring!"
Tang Xuan shook his right hand.
This spatial ring was naturally a leftover inheritance from Song Zhong.
Tang Jue came to a sudden realization.
"Oh, bro, you planned this all along, didn't you? Is that why you accepted the spirit stones and gold?"
Tang Xuan smiled. "Of course!"
Tang Jue's face revealed a look of deep admiration.
The original Tang Xuan had seemed like a lump of dark iron, pitch-black and devoid of anything special.
Now, Tang Xuan was like a spear meant for breaking formations—unmatchably sharp.
Although Song Zhong's spatial ring wasn't very large,
the Tang Estate didn't have all that many belongings either.
Fitting them all inside was not difficult.
……
Inside the Imperial Palace!
The Emperor of Daqin wore a gloomy expression.
Before him lay the fragments of a shattered vase.
"Hmph, one after another, they are all defying Us. Damned fools!"
Off to the side, the Marquis of Pingguo let out a deep sigh.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be blamed on Tang Xuan!"
"Why is that?!"
demanded the Emperor of Daqin coldly.
The Marquis of Pingguo shook his head. "During the duel, you ignored Tang Tiannan's plea. Put yourself in anyone else's shoes... and I'm afraid their heart would turn cold!"
"Hmph!"
The Emperor of Daqin slapped the table.
"We did not ignore it; We did it entirely because of Song Zhong!"
"Since the Tang Family is fine now, and We have already increased the reward threefold, what further complaints could Tang Tiannan possibly have?"
"I am the ruler, and he is a subject. If a ruler demands a subject to die, the subject dares not live! Yet he still dares to give Us attitude? They've rebelled! They've completely rebelled!"
"Fine, very well! We originally intended to spare that brat Tang Xuan to let him serve Us, but since he doesn't know what's good for him, We no longer have any need for restraint!"
The Marquis of Pingguo frowned.
"Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"
The Emperor of Daqin sneered, "We will grant him the most fitting death imaginable. Guards, summon Tang Xuan to the palace!"
The Marquis of Pingguo was startled.
"Your Majesty, if you summon Tang Xuan to the palace now, I'm afraid he might not necessarily come!"
The Emperor of Daqin said with absolute confidence, "He will definitely come... or rather, he has no choice but to come!"
……
Very soon!
An imperial decree arrived at the Tang Family estate.
"Hear this: The son of the Marquis of Anguo is summoned to enter the palace and face the Emperor, to receive the reward of the Dragon-Suppressing Spear!"
Tang Xuan's pupils contracted slightly.
The Dragon-Suppressing Spear!
Legendary spear of the nation for the Daqin Dynasty.
The shaft of the spear had once been stained with dragon blood.
Its grade reached the eighth tier of Earth rank,
possessing unimaginable might.
If it were any other treasure, no matter how good, it wouldn't have moved him.
But the Dragon-Suppressing Spear struck right at the strings of his heart.
"Brother, are you sure you want to go? Be careful of the Emperor of Daqin playing dirty tricks!" said Tang Jue.
Tang Tiannan also spoke up, "Juer is right. Now that we've completely torn off the mask of civility, once you enter the palace, getting back out will be extremely difficult!"
Tang Xuan waved a hand. "I know, but the Dragon-Suppressing Spear is truly too tempting!"
A top-grade divine spear could at least multiply his combat power severalfold.
"Father, Little Brother, go wait outside the northern gate. I'll be right back!"
Seeing this, Tang Tiannan and Tang Jue could only agree.
Tang Xuan immediately followed the eunuch toward the Daqin Imperial Palace.
In no time at all,
he arrived at the Imperial Palace.
This was not the first time Tang Xuan had been here.
In the past, his original self had accompanied Tang Tiannan to the Imperial Palace on numerous occasions,
so he was not unfamiliar with the place.
Passing through layer after layer of grand halls,
the little eunuch stopped before a massive hall.
Inside the hall!
The Emperor of Daqin sat upright in his dragon robe, composed and dignified.
Princess Taiping sat at his side.
On the other side was the Marquis of Pingguo.
Dozens of imperial guards, holding broadswords at their waists, were scattered about various corners.
"Tang Xuan, son of the Marquis of Anguo, has arrived!"
The eunuch stretched his neck and cried out in a shrill voice.
Then, Tang Xuan strode inside.
Their eyes met,
each harboring their own thoughts.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Tang Xuan bowed slightly.
Although he had already resolved to leave, the superficial facade still had to be maintained.
The Emperor of Daqin waved his hand.
"Beloved subject, rise. Fetch a seat!"
A eunuch had already brought over a chair.
"Where is the Dragon-Suppressing Spear?"
Tang Xuan got straight to the point.
His sole purpose in coming here was for the Dragon-Suppressing Spear.
The Emperor of Daqin smiled faintly.
"You're quite impatient. Guards!"
Two burly guards staggered in, laboriously carrying a massive black spear.
At the very first glance,
Tang Xuan was deeply captivated.
The Dragon-Suppressing Spear was like the lord of the dark night, its entire body emitting a mysterious and profound black luster.
That black was so pure it lacked the slightest impurity, mesmerizing and awe-inspiring like an endless abyss.
Every single inch of it was as smooth as a mirror, flawless.
At the tip of the spear, there were shockingly a few specks of dried blood.
Resembling the Othershore Flowers blooming in the darkness, even though they had dried up, they still emanated a bone-chilling aura.
Before the spear had even arrived, its imposing momentum was already breathtaking.
Tang Xuan immediately stood up and took it into his hands.
The moment he touched it, he felt a mountain-and-ocean-like force surging out from the great spear.
This great spear
seemed to possess life.
"As expected of an Earth-rank weapon, incomparable to mortal iron!"
The Emperor of Daqin smiled. "Is my beloved subject satisfied?"
Tang Xuan replied, "Satisfied. Utterly satisfied!"
Immediately afterward,
the smile on the Emperor of Daqin's face vanished completely.
"You are satisfied, but are you also going to leave Us satisfied?"