The Imperial City was vast, with many soldiers and strict defenses. The closer one got to the Imperial Palace, the more guards there were. Without the Queen's summons, not even a fly could enter.
However, this was naturally no obstacle for Mad Emperor and Ning Beichen. In their eyes, these soldiers posed no threat.
When Mad Emperor and Ning Beichen's group reached the entrance of the Imperial Palace, they were immediately surrounded by a large number of soldiers. However, some recognized Mad Emperor, as he was once the ruler of the Imperial Palace.
For a moment, the soldiers didn't know what to do.
At this time, an eunuch dressed in a bright red robe appeared and loudly addressed the soldiers.
"Mad Emperor is long gone; this person is an imposter. His crime is grave. Seize him and hand him over to the Queen for judgment."
"Yes."
The soldiers immediately responded in unison, then formed a circle around Mad Emperor and Ning Beichen, encircling them.
"Presumptuous!"
Mad Emperor let out a stern roar, the sound waves rolling and shaking the entire Imperial Palace, causing the roof tiles to rattle.
The hundreds of soldiers, including the eunuch in the red robe, were all terrified by Mad Emperor's aura, bending their knees and trembling on the ground.
This was not the wrath of an emperor, but the wrath of a Celestial Venerable. How could ordinary people withstand it?
"Bold!"
"Who dares to cause trouble in the Imperial Palace!"
At this moment, the powerful figures of the Imperial Palace emerged. Among them, a long-bearded elder flew out from the palace. Upon seeing Mad Emperor, he was so startled that he immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty."
Many of the other experts who appeared had entered after Mad Emperor. They only recognized the Empress and not any "Emperor." They immediately attacked Mad Emperor, attempting to capture him.
"Kneel!"
Mad Emperor, with his hands behind his back, let out another roar. Seeing the experts of the Imperial Palace fall from the sky like dumplings, they all landed on their knees, their bodies bent. It wasn't that they wanted to prostrate themselves, but they were suppressed by Mad Emperor's aura.
The so-called experts of the Imperial Palace were not even qualified to make a move in front of Mad Emperor.
At this moment, they saw a sky full of arrows shot out from the Imperial Palace, raining down indiscriminately towards Mad Emperor's location, including the innocent soldiers and experts.
But they were too ignorant to think this could deal with a Celestial Venerable.
Let alone a Celestial Venerable, even Liu Yilin could not handle such an attack.
Of course, there were cultivators in this world, and the situation was slightly better than in Ning Beichen's world. However, Mad Emperor and Ning Beichen were both Celestial Venerables, capable of easily crushing all cultivators in this world. For some arrows to harm them would only be a foolish dream.
Facing the incoming arrows, Mad Emperor waved his hand. The arrows immediately stopped in mid-air, then flew back, causing the archers to be struck down by their own arrows.
Mad Emperor then floated into the sky above the Imperial Palace.
"Ye Yunyi, why don't you dare to come out and see me?"
Mad Emperor's voice echoed throughout the Imperial Palace, even causing the bronze bells hanging in the palace to chime.
Soon, a female voice replied from within the Imperial Palace.
"Qin Shangren, you've been missing for so long, why have you returned?"
"Hahaha..."
Mad Emperor burst into loud laughter, a hint of desolation mixed with it.
"Ye Yunyi, you should have killed me back then, instead of trapping me in the region of death. Now that I'm back alive, aren't you disappointed?"
"Qin Shangren, since you're not dead, isn't it good to be alive? Why come back to seek trouble?"
The Empress's voice sounded again from within the Imperial Palace, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"You're disappointed I'm not dead?"
Mad Emperor, uncharacteristically, did not get angry, but asked her.
"Yes. If I had known you could still return, I would have killed you back then, leaving you no chance to live."
The Empress was quite frank.
"And now that I'm back, aren't you afraid?"
Mad Emperor asked her again.
"Afraid?"
"Hahaha... I wasn't afraid then, why would I be afraid of you now? The entire Imperial Palace is under my control, and everyone obeys my command. Qin Shangren, what do you have to fight me with?"
The Empress said with a loud laugh.
"Ye Yunyi, you don't think these soldiers of the Imperial Palace can stop me, do you? You underestimate me too much."
Mad Emperor said disdainfully.
"Qin Shangren, I don't know how you survived, but if you think the Imperial Palace only has this much strength, you are mistaken. Now, I will show you the true power of the Imperial Palace."
The Empress's voice came, and then eight towering platforms, dozens of meters high, rose from around the Imperial Palace. On each platform, a giant ballista was placed.
These were siege ballistae, and the bolts were golden, clearly not ordinary items. Even Ning Beichen could vaguely sense a hint of danger, meaning these siege ballistae could injure him.
"Qin Shangren, I don't know how you acquired your cultivation, but my ballista is called the Array-Breaking Ballista. No cultivator can withstand its attack, and you are no exception."
The Empress said confidently.
"Ye Yunyi, you are still so confident, but you are overconfident. You know nothing of my power."
Although Mad Emperor could slightly sense that these Array-Breaking Ballistae did pose a slight threat to him, it was only a slight threat. To kill a Celestial Venerable, these ballistae were still far from enough.
"Is that so? Then I will see how capable you are."
The Empress gave an order, and eight golden bolts shot towards Mad Emperor.
As expected, these Array-Breaking Ballistae were extraordinary. The golden bolts locked onto Mad Emperor, and like golden lightning, they instantly reached him.
Even Ning Beichen, an outsider, could see that the Empress truly intended to kill Mad Emperor, with no regard for their past relationship.
The eight golden bolts, carrying immense power, flew towards Mad Emperor. The Array-Breaking Ballistae emitted a whistling sound like the roar of a demon. A single arrow could destroy a city wall or a building.
Therefore, in the Empress's eyes, Mad Emperor had no chance of survival. No strong individual could withstand the attack of the Array-Breaking Ballistae.
It could be said that over the years, the Empress had used these Array-Breaking Ballistae to deal with countless powerful individuals.
Too many strong individuals had died at the hands of the Array-Breaking Ballistae, so she did not believe Qin Shangren would be an exception.
"Ye Yunyi, is this your move?"
Mad Emperor said, and as he spoke, he punched the flying bolts with his bare fist.
With a boom!
The golden arrows exploded, but Mad Emperor was completely unharmed, still hovering steadily in the air.
Ning Beichen, having obviously expected this outcome, found nothing surprising.
The power of these Array-Breaking Ballistae was indeed not weak, but to think they could kill a Celestial Venerable was simply wishful thinking.