Rumble—
With the heavy stone door slamming shut, the last trace of daylight was ruthlessly swallowed.
Inside the deep corridor, only the Luminous Stones on the two walls emitted a cold light like ghost fire.
The Emperor’s aging figure walked ahead, his elongated shadow resembling a moving mountain, pressing down until Shen Luolin could hardly breathe.
The air was permeated with an energy aura so thick it was almost viscous. Dust that had accumulated over the years rose up as the fresh air rushed in, swirling into his lungs.
This was the Dragon Temple.
Shen Luolin followed three paces behind the Emperor. His right hand hung seemingly relaxed at his side, but his fingertips were already resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. The cold sensation allowed him to maintain absolute clarity.
This was a subtle distance.
It was both the submissiveness of a subject and the blind spot of an assassin.
His brain was working frantically.
Why bring only me?
Was this unreasonable “favor” a final test, or a death trap that had already been laid?
He didn’t know.
But he knew that when the door closed, the final fig leaf between him and the Empire had been torn away.
The real game had begun.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the path ahead suddenly opened up.
A massive circular altar appeared before his eyes.
The Emperor stopped walking and did not look back. His old, raspy voice echoed in the empty space, every word carrying a strange resonance that was incredibly clear.
“Luolin Frostwolf, I have read countless people in my life.”
“But you are the most special among them.”
Shen Luolin’s pupils contracted slightly. He stood silently in place and did not speak.
“The auxiliary force I gave you was originally meant to go to its death, but you turned it into a butcher’s blade. That is the talent of a general.”
“Being able to climb up after suffering nothing but cold shoulders in the Knights, and even making my daughter, who thinks she’s above everyone, fall for you—that is ability.”
“When faced with my decree of marriage, you were neither arrogant nor impetuous, and you could even refuse Ella’s initiative—that is shrewdness.”
Every one of the Emperor’s words seemed like praise, but in reality, they were precisely peeling away Shen Luolin’s layers of disguise.
He finally turned around slowly.
Those old eyes, which should have been cloudy, were now as sharp as a hawk’s. The cloudiness had completely vanished, as if they could pierce through flesh and blood to look directly at the soul.
“Ella took a liking to you not just because of your ability.”
“It is also because, like her, you have a beast hidden in your bones that refuses to be bound.”
The Emperor pointed toward the center of the altar, where a multifaceted crystal the size of a human head was suspended and slowly rotating.
“This is the Dragon Temple, the cradle of the dragonkin.”
“The energy here can cause Bloodline Ancestral Reversion and allow power to sublimate…”
The Emperor’s voice paused. His gaze suddenly shifted away from the crystal and, like two sharp swords, nailed itself directly onto Shen Luolin’s chest!
His voice abruptly turned cold, each word dropping like ice striking jade.
“And more importantly… it can perceive certain ‘heartbeats’ that do not belong to mortals.”
The Emperor turned around violently, his cloudy eyes staring fixedly at Shen Luolin’s chest as he took a greedy, deep breath:
“I hear it… such a familiar sound. It is the heartbeat of my old friend, Rheinside, thumping within your chest.”
Boom!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Shen Luolin’s mind!
So the reason he chose to bring only him into the Dragon Temple was for this?
The Emperor knew the Dragon Crystal was inside his body!
Shen Luolin’s breathing became slightly stagnant.
This secret, which he thought was hidden deepest, had been laid bare just like that!
The Emperor took in his momentary stiffness. His face showed no sign of surprise; instead, a trace of pity from someone who held all the cards emerged.
He had revealed his hand.
“Dig it out and present it to me.” The Emperor reached out a withered hand. “As long as you are obedient, I will not only spare your life but also let you be my most loyal dog. You can continue to enjoy the princess’s infatuation and be your Guardian of the Empire.”
He laid out the stakes, each one enough to drive any ambitious person in the world mad.
“I will immediately hold a grand wedding for you and Ella and crown you as the Prince of the North. The entire Frostwolf family will regain its glory because of you, even surpassing what it once was!”
“This is your last chance.”
The Emperor’s voice was filled with an indisputable majesty.
“Whether to become a hero of the Empire or a traitor who steals the national fortune depends entirely on your decision.”
“Don’t forget, this is the Dragon Temple,” he added. “I have many ways to make it return to its rightful owner. It is just that the process… might not be very dignified.”
Prince, glory, Ella…
These words roared in Shen Luolin’s ears, but they quickly faded away.
In his mind, only one image remained—
Moyin kneeling in the cold snow, her hair being rudely yanked by a guard, forced to lift her head.
When she looked at him, those silver eyes were empty and indifferent, as if she were looking at a piece of stone.
On one side was a fake paradise built on lies and another girl’s pain.
On the other side was the young girl who had fallen into a bottomless hell because of him.
Extreme guilt and sky-toppling rage almost burned away his reason at this moment.
But, precisely at this instant, he forcibly suppressed all the churning emotions and entered a state of absolute calm.
Why didn’t the Emperor just strike directly?
The scene of Rheinside’s deathbed entrustment flashed through Shen Luolin’s mind.
The transfer of the Dragon Crystal was based on complete willingness, which was why it could perfectly integrate into his body.
If forcibly stripped away, the Dragon Crystal’s energy would instantly dissipate by more than half, resulting in more loss than gain.
No… that’s not right.
This was the Dragon Temple, a gathering place for dragonkin energy. Here, the Emperor might have a way to complete a forced absorption before the Dragon Crystal dissipated.
Then what was he waiting for?
He was using the title of Prince and Ella to tempt him, and “undignified” methods to threaten him… this itself proved one thing.
He wasn’t fully confident!
Forcing the seizure of the Dragon Crystal would surely require him to pay a huge price, and there was even the risk of failure!
Therefore, he needed to use words to attack the heart, attempting to make him surrender it voluntarily.
This wasn’t a desperate situation with no way out!
This seemingly triumphant Emperor had revealed his only weakness!
All the guilt and rage instantly found their sole outlet. They merged, surged, and finally transformed into a bone-chilling yet incredibly clear killing intent.
“Clang—!”
A clear sound of metal friction violently broke the dead silence of the altar.
The sword was unsheathed. The cold blade, reflecting the Luminous Stones, pointed steadily at the supreme ruler of the Empire.
Shen Luolin did not answer.
He gave his answer through his actions.
He lifted his eyes. All the endurance and disguise in his gaze had faded away, leaving only a determination and coldness like that of a tundra wolf.
But—
Facing this sword blade that was inches away, the Emperor didn’t panic. Instead, he let out a burst of satisfied and eerie laughter.
“Heh… heheh… Very good. This is the man you set your sights on, Ella.”
He slowly straightened his aging, hunched back.
“Pop! Crack! Snap—!”
A series of dense bone-bursting sounds erupted from his withered body!
Beneath the magnificent imperial robes, a blinding golden light suddenly flared!
The fabric was instantly stretched, torn, and shredded!
Piece after piece of golden dragon scales, sharp as blades and tinged with blood, burst out from beneath his shriveled skin!
Those cloudy eyes instantly transformed into golden vertical pupils burning with lava!
The Emperor had long since absorbed the dragon bloodlines hunted by the Dragon-Slaying Knights. At this moment, he had transformed into a Half-Dragon Form!
The aura of human aging vanished without a trace, replaced by a tyrannical dragon pressure sufficient to make all things submit!