Chapter 340 Riding a Tiger and Getting Off: Another Desperate Gamble

But he could not.

Reason, like a bucket of ice water, extinguished the flames in his heart.

He was now riding a tiger and could not get off.

The threat from The Net struck at his Achilles' heel. Once this matter was exposed to Emperor Liu Sheng, the consequences would be unimaginable. Given the current power and strength of Emperor Liu Sheng, he, the Emperor, would likely not even live to see tomorrow morning's sun.

Besides, apart from The Net, who else could he count on?

Three Great Grandmasters had joined forces, only to be wiped out in the flick of a finger. This showed that the strength of Emperor Liu Sheng had already exceeded everyone's imagination. In the imperial court and the army, there was no longer any force that could check him.

The only hope remaining was this group of greedy, shameless, yet powerful assassins.

Emperor Zhao Tuo's chest heaved violently, his heart engaged in a battle between heaven and man.

Agreeing to them meant paying an even more painful price, trampling the last shred of the imperial family's dignity underfoot.

Refusing them meant the assassination plan would completely fail, and he might be backlashed by The Net at any time, ending up in an irredeemable situation.

He had no choice.

After a long time, Emperor Zhao Tuo seemed to have his strength drained, sinking dejectedly back onto the dragon throne.

"Give it to them."

He closed his eyes, his voice weary and hollow.

"Open all of my inner treasury and private vaults. Gather the money they want and give it to them."

Personal Eunuch San Dezi felt a tremor in his heart. He looked up and saw a face filled with despair and madness.

"Your Majesty... that is... that is what the successive emperors accumulated..."

"I said, give it to them!" Emperor Zhao Tuo opened his eyes abruptly and shouted sharply, "I want Emperor Liu Sheng to die! As long as he dies, no matter the price, it is worth it!"

"I have nothing left, do I still care about those worldly possessions?!"

His voice echoed in the grand hall, carrying a trace of hysterical madness.

Personal Eunuch San Dezi dared not advise him further and kowtowed heavily: "This servant... obeys the decree."

That night, deep within the palace, several secret treasure vaults were quietly opened.

These vaults were the foundation accumulated by the Zhao Imperial Clan over hundreds of years, filled with gold bricks, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy. Their value was enough to buy any medium-sized country in the north.

Countless chests were carried out. Under the supervision of Personal Eunuch San Dezi, they were counted and loaded onto carts by the most reliable eunuchs.

Watching those treasures, which represented the majesty and wealth of the imperial family, being transported away like flowing water to pay for a dirty assassination, Personal Eunuch San Dezi felt a complex mix of emotions.

He knew that the Emperor had gambled everything.

This bet staked the century-old foundation of the Zhao Imperial Clan, as well as his own life and throne.

If he won, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope.

If he lost, it would be an unfathomable abyss.

In the empty treasure vault, Emperor Zhao Tuo stood alone. The torchlight illuminated his face, flickering in the shadows. He looked at the empty shelves, his eyes devoid of any attachment, only a deathly madness.

Emperor Liu Sheng, this time, I am gambling everything.

Either you die, or I die!

The reaction speed of The Net was faster than anyone had imagined.

The double reward, like a golden torrent, flowed rapidly into the bottomless account of The Net through various secret channels.

When the final confirmed figure was reported to the true core of The Net, even those top-level figures accustomed to life and death could not help but be moved.

This was no longer just a business deal.

This was a mountain of gold that could make any kingdom go crazy.

Inside a deep underground palace that could not be marked on any map in the world, two figures sat opposite each other at a quaint stone table.

One of them was shrouded in twisted light and shadow, his face indistinguishable. One could only feel a terrifying aura, like an abyss or a prison, as if it could swallow everything. He was the sect leader of The Net, a man revered within the organization as "Yama." A top-tier expert who truly stood at the pinnacle of martial arts, a Great Grandmaster of the twelfth stage.

The other person was clearly visible. He wore the official robes of a judge and an iron mask that looked half-crying and half-laughing, holding a huge ink brush in his hand. He was the deputy sect leader of The Net, "Judge," with the cultivation of a Great Grandmaster of the eleventh stage, and the direct superior of the person in charge of the capital branch, who was also called "Judge." The real "Judge."

On the stone table lay a detailed dossier on the failure of this assassination.

"In the flick of a finger, three Heaven-grade experts were turned into ashes, leaving no bones behind." The voice of the deputy sect leader, "Judge," sounded like two pieces of raw iron rubbing together, full of metallic texture. "This kind of method has already exceeded the scope of a Great Grandmaster."

"It is a Land Immortal." The voice of the sect leader, "Yama," sounded, ethereal and uncertain, as if coming from all directions. "A newly ascended Land Immortal. The foundation is not stable, and the aura cannot yet be perfectly self-consistent, which is why Tian Jue and the others detected a trace of anomaly, yet could not accurately judge. They were too careless."

"A Land Immortal..." "Judge" tightened his grip on the ink brush. "How many years has it been since such a monster appeared? The Earl of Dingyuan of the Great Qian Dynasty is actually such a figure. The client has really set us up badly."

"Set up? Not necessarily." "Yama's" tone showed no emotion. "Risk and reward have always been equal. If not for this, how could we have obtained this double price?"

He seemed to smile, and the twisted light and shadow fluctuated.

"Money is one aspect." "Judge" said. "More importantly, it is the face of The Net. Three Heaven-grade experts fell in one mission. If this matter spreads, the myth that The Net 'never misses' will be broken."

"Therefore, this myth cannot be broken." "Yama" took over his words.

"Does the sect leader mean?"

"Yama" slowly stood up, and the light and shadow shrouding him seemed to become even deeper.

"A newly ascended Land Immortal is indeed very tricky. But, he is not invincible. Since the client can afford the price, my The Net naturally must show corresponding sincerity."

His voice carried a trace of chilling killing intent.

"You and I will go there personally."

Hearing this, a flash of light appeared in "Judge's" eyes, and he also stood up: "I have the same intention! I want to see exactly how much substance this so-called Land Immortal has! My The Net's 'Immortal-Slaying' formation has not tasted the blood of a true expert for many years."

"Pass the order down." "Yama's" voice echoed in the underground palace. "Summon the 'Earth' group, the 'Chi,' 'Mei,' 'Wang,' and 'Liang' teams. Bring the 'Dragon-Binding Rope' and the No. 3 'god-slaying crossbow.'"

"Sect leader, to deal with a newly ascended Immortal, is this too much..." "Judge" was somewhat surprised; this was almost using one-third of The Net's top combat power.

"When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength." "Yama's" voice was cold and ruthless. "My The Net never does things without certainty. This time, I want to let the world know that whether it is a mortal or an immortal, as long as they are on my The Net's kill list, there is only one outcome."

"Yes!" "Judge" bowed to receive the order, his eyes flashing with excitement and cruelty.

Soon, with the issuance of secret orders, the entire organization of The Net, this huge war machine hidden in the darkness, began to operate at high speed.

Sixteen top assassins of the "Earth" grade, each possessing strength no less than a Great Grandmaster of the seventh stage, quietly assembled from various strongholds of The Net spread across the world.

The specially made "Dragon-Binding Rope," crafted from thousand-year ice silkworm silk mixed with extraterrestrial meteorite iron, was incredibly tough. Once entangled, true qi would stagnate, specifically designed to trap top experts.

The three "god-slaying crossbows" were the supreme masterpieces of The Net's craftsmen. The crossbow bodies were made of ten-thousand-year sunken wood, and the bowstrings were taken from the tendons of flood dragons. The specially made crossbow bolts they fired were enough to pierce through a Great Grandmaster's protective qi barrier.

A few days later.

A death squad composed of eighteen people, arguably the most terrifying in the world, led by the sect leader "Yama" and the deputy sect leader "Judge," quietly infiltrated the capital under the cover of night like a group of silent ghosts.

They did not know what kind of existence they were about to face.

A storm, far more dangerous and violent than before, was rapidly gathering over the capital.

And at the center of the storm, within the Earls Mansion, Emperor Liu Sheng was looking at a military report on the movements of the northern barbarians, his brows slightly furrowed.

He seemed completely unaware of the impending fatal crisis.