"You little bastard, stop it!"
The man in the black robe shouted, his voice laced with desperation.
With a fierce swipe, he unleashed an aura of destruction aimed directly at Orion. Though he reacted swiftly, it was too late.
Orion's eyes glinted coldly as he wielded the long knife, targeting Zhou Linglong's delicate neck.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of cold light sliced through the air. Despite Zhou Linglong's formidable Holy Emperor body, she could not withstand the sharpness of the immortal weapon. It severed her neck effortlessly, as if cutting through tofu.
"Pap..."
In an instant, her head fell, blood spraying forth. On her face lingered traces of unwillingness, resentment, and fear—emotions mixing in a haunting final tableau.
Perhaps she never anticipated that Orion would be so decisive.
On the ground, the bright red blood contrasted starkly with her lifeless form, a haunting image of beauty intertwined with decay. Thus, Zhou Linglong, the once-great empress, fell.
"No!!!"
The man in the black robe stood frozen, horror etched on his face as he witnessed the gruesome scene. His Highness's designated protector had just been killed before his eyes.
Boom!
With a roar, the man in the black robe retaliated, unleashing his fury.
Orion was blasted backward, the force sending him crashing through hundreds of houses.
In that crucial moment, a protective aura from Orion's Great Wilderness Holy Body flared to life, enveloping him and shielding his heart from the lethal aftermath.
"Cough... cough, cough!"
Orion choked and spluttered, visibly injured but a smile broke through the pain.
"Is it finally over? Hahaha... I actually survived!"
Against all odds, he had withstood an attack from a powerful emperor, a feat akin to a child surviving a truck collision.
It felt miraculous.
At that moment, however, he couldn't focus on his injuries, as the system's prompts echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing a peak emperor and gaining 10 million luck points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the Lord of the Zhou Dynasty! The reward is worth 10 million luck points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the final upgrade mission of the system - the complete destruction of the Great Zhou Dynasty.]
[The host must attack and occupy the entire territory of the Great Zhou to ensure complete control.]
[Upon completion, the host will receive massive luck values and the opportunity to upgrade the system!]
A flood of notifications surged in Orion's mind.
"Damn! Twenty million luck points!"
His thoughts raced, but he barely registered the final messages.
He could now conduct two emperor-level draws!
"System! Open the lottery interface!"
This desperate struggle was for the chance at the ultimate reward.
Without hesitation, he accessed the system's lottery interface.
...
Meanwhile, the man in the black robe remained rooted in place, despair and panic mingling in his eyes.
It was over.
Everything had unraveled.
The person His Highness had wanted to protect had died right before him.
If His Highness discovered this, even death would seem a blessing compared to the punishment he would face.
"You bastard... you've ruined everything!"
The man in the black robe turned to Orion, fury blazing in his eyes.
This interloper had thwarted his mission, killing his charge right under his nose—an utter disgrace.
He vowed to make Orion suffer, to inflict a fate worse than death.
Just as he prepared to crush Orion, something unexpected caught his attention.
A flicker of joy illuminated his face.
"Haha, I never thought you, of all people, would possess the Holy Body of the Wilderness!"
"Remarkable! With your holy body, I can finally fulfill my purpose!"
The man in the black robe's laughter echoed in the air, a cruel twist of fate revealing a new opportunity.
He had initially thought he was doomed, but now he had stumbled upon another vessel for his master's ambitions—a rare find indeed.
Even in the Upper Realm, those who bore the Holy Body were few and far between.
If he could deliver this Holy Body to His Highness, perhaps he could atone for his failure.