What surprised Feng Xiao the most was that neither the gate guards nor the patrolling sentries reacted to their presence at all—as if they hadn’t seen him or Tianxiu. They simply allowed the two of them to walk freely into the heavily guarded inner pace. No one stepped forward to block them, greet them, or even spare them a gnce.
“Wait… don’t tell me you can just stroll into the imperial pace like this?” Feng Xiao asked, puzzled.
“Bullshit!” Tianxiu shot him a look like he was an idiot. “If it were that easy, what would be the point of having guards? The only reason we can waltz in like this is because we’re Shura, got it?”
“Damn… the Shura are that badass? You can go anywhere you want?”
“Of course not. If that were the case, why would we even need an emperor? Shura are allowed to enter the pace freely without being questioned or stopped, but that doesn’t mean we can do anything we want. Step out of line, and a horde of elite guards will swarm you in an instant! Those guys with the swords? They’re not just for show—any one of them could take you out in a blink.”
“Alright, we’re here. This is the Heavenly Dragon Hall. Morning court is in session. Let’s go in.”
Heavenly Dragon Hall!
The first thing that caught Feng Xiao’s eye was a grand pque made of yellow gzed tiles with three powerful characters—Heavenly Dragon Hall. The aura of majesty and solemnity emanating from it made him briefly lose his focus. But before he could take in the full view of the pce, Tianxiu had already dragged him inside.
The vastness of the hall completely shattered Feng Xiao’s expectations. It stretched more than a hundred meters long and over thirty meters wide, with a towering ceiling at least just as high. The interior was extravagantly decorated—at the center stood a red-cquered ptform, atop which sat a carved dragon throne. Behind the throne was a dragon-carved screen, fnked on both sides by coiled golden dragon pilrs. Above, in the center of the domed ceiling, was an ornate caisson with a sculpted golden dragon coiling within it, radiating imperial authority.
Seated upon the dragon throne was an elderly man wearing a purple-gold crown. The overwhelming majesty and dominion in his posture left no doubt about his identity—this was the Heavenly Dragon Emperor.
The sudden entrance of the two immediately drew everyone’s attention. Countless civil and military officials turned to look at them. The emperor frowned at the sight of two unexpected guests barging in and was just about to fre up—only to forcefully swallow his anger when he saw who it was. His expression shifted to one of weary resignation.
“So that’s the emperor, huh? Pretty decent presence… but his complexion’s kind of awful,” Feng Xiao muttered to himself, not the slightest bit nervous. Instead, he looked him over with curiosity. In Feng Xiao’s modern-day mindset, an emperor was just a title from ancient stories. He had never experienced the awe of true imperial authority and had no concept of what it meant to kneel before it.
If Feng Xiao was just cking a sense of propriety, then Tianxiu was acting like he was back home in his own living room…
“Hey, old man emperor! I brought you the first otherworlder to complete a job transfer. Hand over the hundred thousand gold so I can get the hell outta here!”
Feng Xiao nearly fell over from Tianxiu’s outrageous greeting. But what shocked him even more was that none of the officials in the hall showed even a flicker of surprise. Their faces were calm, unfazed—as if they’d seen this py out before. Even the emperor himself just looked resigned, not the least bit angry.
“Heh…”
The emperor gave a helpless chuckle. Though the ugh was gentle, it still sent a faint buzzing through Feng Xiao’s ears. Damn… imperial presence really is something else.
“Senior Tianxiu, it’s been over thirty years,” the emperor said with a warm smile. “You haven’t changed a bit—still as energetic and loud as ever. As for me… this failing body of mine can’t hold out much longer.”The emperor actually addressed Tianxiu as “Senior,” which left Feng Xiao a little stunned. No wonder this old guy acts so cocky—turns out he’s the real deal.
“Cut the crap. Enough with the small talk. Just pay me already,” Tianxiu replied bluntly, completely ignoring the emperor’s sentiment. He pointed at Feng Xiao. “This kid’s the first to complete a job transfer. He’s also the twenty-third successor of the Shura. Whatever it is you’re looking for—he might be able to pull it off.”
First to transfer jobs? Successor of the Shura?Every gaze in the hall instantly shifted to Feng Xiao—some surprised, some skeptical, some curious. Even with skin thick enough to rival a fortress wall, Feng Xiao started to feel the pressure. He cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Uh… Greetings, Your Majesty. I’m Feng Hun. My css is Shura.”
When Feng Xiao entered the hall without kneeling or bowing, many of the civil and military officials were visibly displeased and looked down on him with disdain. But the moment they heard he was a Shura, their expressions changed entirely. The way they looked at him shifted from contempt to curiosity, even respect.
“Oh? So you’re the first human from another world? Excellent! Truly, heroes emerge in their youth—so young, yet already a Shura,” the emperor said with clear admiration as he looked at Feng Xiao. “The Demon Lord is about to awaken, and the Tianlong Continent will soon be plunged into chaos once more. When that time comes, the task of restoring peace will fall upon brave warriors like you from the other world.”
As he finished speaking, a flush spread across the emperor’s face, and he broke into a fit of violent coughing. The young eunuch standing beside the throne quickly stepped forward to pat his back and help regute his breathing.
Demon Lord? Feng Xiao was taken aback. He couldn’t be sure whether the Demon Lord the Tianlong Emperor spoke of was the same one that Xuanyuan Wan’er had warned him about.
