Rulling alongside the Emperor was the Empress Ning Chu Shen or the Silent Empress as most referred to her among other names behind closed doors. As these all came from her muteness and supposed silence in her womb also.
The Chu and Shen families had been held together by many generations of wedlocks between them.
These families were the powerhouses of the Zhi Empire, the Shen's having the throne and government while the Chu's oversaw the military.
With this, the Shen Dynasty stood strong and seemed unending until it was rumoured that after years of marriage, the Empress was just not unable to birth a son but was barren instead.
Of course there was some truth to it, but the Empress was nowhere barren. It was something she'd discovered after engaging in a one time dual cultivation with one of the palace eunuchs which she later found out to not be much of an eunuch either.
Finding out she was pregnant, she then realized the problem was never from her but the Emperor himself.
Still that didn't matter, for she would finally birth a child who'd replace and continue the great Shen Dynasty.
However, the joy of the Empress didn't spread unto the Emperor for it had rather angered him, turning him from the Emperor of the people to an oppressor and tyrant.
In just a span of eight years, the people of the Zhi empire had grown to detest the Emperor.
He had turn into a drunkard who knew nothing but to chase after women, despite it regressing his cultivation — he didn't care less.
Soon the families which always desired the throne for centuries came together to instigate an open rebellion. As daring as they were, Emperor Zin Shen took no actions against and neither could the military which required an Imperial decree to retreat from the borderlines to the Imperial City. For all the forces of the Chu Family, were spread thin among the 8 borders of the large empire.
In a matter of months, thousands of cultivators had decided to join in on the rebellion, the Imperial City being the only place they needed to conquer.
7828 Snake Age...
Shen Dynasty Period...
Shengai City...
The Imperial City of Shengai laid in flames and turmoil, chaos all around as cultivators battled against each other in all corners of the city.
The Emperor Shen Zin had been slain in one of his usual brothels, ending the tyranny and oppression of the Shen Dynasty.
In the Imperial Palace located at the eastern gate of Shengai, the rebels had already broken through the palace gates, heading for the main inner parts.
They were eager to cut out the Imperial Shen Family from it's root, and only the Empress and her sons remained alive.
There was no way to save them in time, for the other members of the Chu family within the city had been dealt with.
The Imperial Palace Guards gave their best, still they were overwhelmed by their numbers, despite mostly being low level cultivators with a few geniuses and monsters among them.
Bathing the Palace with blood, both innocent and guilty, the walls of the western wing where the Empress lived in the Flower Mansion was breached.
Before the mansion, 20 Imperial Guards at the Pseudo-Battle Lord Rank stood before the entrance, ready to battle to the death.
Yet as they heard the battle cries, explosions and sounds of two sides clashing together in a heated battle of power.
The guards began to look at each other as soon, everyone took sides being a ratio of 9:10.
The 9 who remained loyal to the Shen Dynasty were the strongest among them being a few grades above.
They got into a stance as the spiritual energy around them begun to rise when—
*BOOM!
All of a sudden an explosion occurred and as the dust settled all the 10 were in pieces, however the the explosion didn't seem to affect anyone else apart from them.
Covering the area was a protective armament, seemingly one of the treasures of them which had activated just before the explosion.
"Long Min, don't just stand there. We have to protect the Empress." The voice of an 8 year old boy came from above.
Looking up, they could see the princes standing on top of the roof with the most dangerous substance even to cultivation around then— Black Powder.
"Your highness, that's —"
"Kill!!!" The voices got louder than ever as soon the large metal gates were sent flying.
"Activate the array!" Long Min, one of the Imperial Palace Guards who had his helmet off, exposing his hair greyed out from old age.
"Stop!!"
"What?!" Long him was just about pouring his spiritual energy, into the array beads he'd brought out of his space ring.
"Retreat and protect the Empress. Shen Yan and I would take care of these trashes." Shen Han ordered, tossing a ball of black powder up and down in is hands.
"But—."
"But nothing, do you dare disobey the orders of the Empress?. Do you want to rebel too?!"
"I dare not, your highness." Long Min bowed, the others doing the same. "Please take care of yourself, your highnesses."
With the Imperial Guards heading into the building, the rebels were meters away, pouring in from the only gate leading to the mansion.
"Light them up brother!" Shen Han exclaimed, lifting it up towards his twin brother busy arranging the balls of black powder beside him.
With a spark on the short fuse, he didn't hesitate to send it flying towards the incoming party.
Landing inside the crowd, it went off with a blast never seen before following suit.
With just that, the entire rebels who'd already made it past the gates were either dead or on the way towards it.
"Woohoo, that's how you do it. Hah, ever seen non-cultivators land such a kill!" Shen Han shouted out. "Another one brother."
Shen Han stretched out his hands to receive another ball which came in seconds, he was about whirling it again when he noticed something. "Why's it already burnt out?!"
Looking at the ball, one could see one thing— the fuse was already literally burnt out with the spark about disappearing.
"Haven't I told you to light it up just a split second after you hand it over!" Shen Han yelled at his brother.
"Oh I—" that was all Shen Yan managed to say before was too late.
*BOOM!
The entirety of the western wing blew up into nothing in almost an instant. Unluckily, the armoury where stacks of the substance were was nearby. As with a piece of flaming wood landing on the roof, the building lit up and soon the powder followed suit.
Like the self destruction of A Battle Emperor Cultivator —the peak of cultivation in this world— the Imperial City of Shengai was razed to the ground with every single person in it.