Although Michael had not summoned all of his undead, there were already around eight hundred Rank 3 undead floating silently behind him. Eight hundred. In terms of sheer numbers, Michael had actually surpassed them.

Not only were they fearful, they were also confused. What noble power was bold enough to openly oppose the empire, and how had a force of this level entered the capital undetected? Were the capital guards blind?

Then suddenly, Michael’s mana erupted outward.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The skies trembled violently. The hundreds of undead floating behind him unleashed their auras simultaneously. Terrifying energy instantly flooded the surroundings.

Some weaker Rank 2 beings nearly lost control of their breathing entirely while ordinary soldiers turned pale from the pressure crushing down upon them.

At the center of it all, four especially terrifying auras slowly rose behind Michael. Five auras total, noticeably stronger than all the others.

Legendary beings! Many experts immediately realized in terror.

Fear instantly spread through the capital. None of them also realized those terrifying beings were actually undead. Only true Rank 4 existences might eventually notice abnormalities after prolonged observation.

After all, Michael’s undead were relatively human-like until they revealed their true forms. Because of this, many interpreted the eight hundred figures above as an external power rather than the force of a single person.

Even the emperor thought the same. His heart shook considerably. How had more than eight hundred beings appeared out of nowhere? Even though he could see a small coffin floating beside Michael, he did not want to believe such a treasure could truly exist. There was also a trace of genuine fear stirring in his heart. Above him floated five beings radiating Legendary auras. Who was vicious enough to want to ruin his empire? Was killing two of his sons not enough?

Meanwhile, Michael amplified his voice across the entire capital.

"I do not care about the rest of you." His voice echoed like thunder throughout the skies. "My grudge is only with the imperial family. As long as you step aside, you will not die tonight. I do not enjoy killing innocents."

Internally, however, Michael could not help muttering coldly to himself. As if the empire’s upper levels truly contained many innocent people.

Still, there were naturally ordinary civilians throughout the capital who had nothing to do with his conflict against the empire. Michael had no interest in massacring random people simply because they lived here.

The moment his words fell, countless expressions below only became even more solemn. Regardless of his intentions, the pressure from Michael’s side was simply too terrifying.

Then, BOOOOM!!! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Another overwhelming aura exploded into the sky. The emperor finally moved.

His figure instantly appeared high above the capital opposite Michael while terrifying pressure spread across the skies.

Beside him, an old man in black robes emerged silently from the void as well. The moment the old man appeared, another Rank 4 aura erupted outward, no weaker than any on Michael’s side.

Michael’s eyes narrowed instantly. Internally, he cursed.

Eunuch Liang.

From the memories he had devoured, Michael of course knew of this figure, but was this old man not supposed to be an ordinary Rank 3 existence? The aura radiating from the eunuch clearly belonged to a Legendary being.

These people had been hiding their strength the entire time. Then again, there had also supposedly been no public information regarding the emperor himself already being a Legendary existence either.

Clearly, the empire enjoyed pretending to be weaker than it truly was.

Looking below, Michael quickly noticed the expressions of many experts changing into visible shock. Even many of the empire’s own subjects seemed unaware of Eunuch Liang’s and the emperor’s true cultivation.

Michael’s lips twitched faintly. "...Acting like pigs to eat tigers."

BOOOOM!!!

Michael’s relaxed expression soon collapsed. Several terrifying auras suddenly erupted from deep within the imperial palace itself. The skies darkened instantly. Even the clouds above the capital distorted violently under the pressure.

In merely a few breaths, five figures had already emerged high above the imperial palace. Some were old. Some middle-aged. One even appeared like a scholarly man carrying a jade scroll. Yet despite their differing appearances, the pressure radiating from every single one of them was horrifying.

Legendary beings. Each aura was no weaker than Michael’s own at the very least, and two among them seemed to be approaching the level of his stronger undead.

The expressions of countless people throughout the capital immediately changed drastically. Even many imperial experts looked stunned. Clearly, a large portion of them had absolutely no idea these existences were hidden here.

Michael stared at the scene silently for several seconds. Internally, he cursed violently, working his way through Princess Priscilla, the Tenth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Third Prince, and finally the emperor himself.

Seven Legendary beings. Together with the emperor and Eunuch Liang, the Black Serpent Empire actually possessed seven Rank 4 existences.

At this point, even Michael could not maintain his calm expression completely. This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

These were beings capable of becoming regional overlords anywhere they went, and yet the Black Serpent Empire had somehow hidden seven of them beneath the surface the entire time.

Below, countless nobles and soldiers stared upward in shock and disbelief. Clearly, even many members of the imperial family were unaware of the empire’s true foundations.

Michael’s lips twitched slightly. "...What is wrong with these people?"

Still, Michael was not scared. His heart was beating faster, but he was not scared.

Only five of the seven were genuinely formidable. The other two, though radiating strong auras, felt somewhat unstable. The fact that they could only barely match his own aura, and he was still technically a fake Rank 4, suggested they were not particularly powerful within the Rank 4 tier. Compared to his four undead, they were likely weaker.

The emperor stared at Michael silently for several seconds. Then eventually, his voice echoed across the skies.

*

A/N: Sorry for late update. Mass release tomorrow so we can reach the finalisation of this arc!!