By this point in the conversation, Yu Lian no longer cared if these two individuals were slandering the monarch or showing disloyalty and disrespect by speaking this way in the Imperial Parliament Building; at this moment, he finally remembered what major event had occurred on August 12, 2784 of the Imperial Dawn Era, or 674 of the Galaxy Common Era.
Wasn't it the day the current Galactic Empire Emperor, the invincible Grand Emperor Ilansel, ascended the throne?
Yes, to this day, Grand Emperor Ilansel’s rule over the Galactic Empire has lasted for over a century and a half.
This was certainly not because the empire’s dominant race, the Tiro, were some kind of exalted long-lived species. From a biological perspective, they were still humans no different from Earthlings—same physique, same Wisdom, same lifespan.
However, the Grand Emperor was the only emperor in the empire's history, apart from the founding emperor over two thousand years ago, to reach the peak of psionic power at Nine Rings. Consequently, he was naturally regarded as a living god by too many races under his rule.
“We are led by an omniscient and omnipotent true god!”
Throughout this century and a half, they had indeed firmly believed this.
They also believed that this glorious era would continue forever.
But, he had never heard of any difficulties during the Emperor's succession! He had already passed the Elector King Assembly with an almost overwhelming advantage in the late years of the previous Emperor Aidor, and had become the Star Realm Knight Order Commander and the Privy Council’s Chief Sword Minister.
After Aidor's demise, following a month of ceremonial interregnum, he naturally donned the Infinite Crown and began his reign.
So, judging by what these two meant, they actually did something rather discordant during the Grand Emperor's succession?
Furthermore, what did “reincarnation” mean, what did “dozens of generations” mean, and what did “descendants” mean? Was Count Salwen originally the empire's number one great rebel?
So, all the clues and inheritances he left behind were meant for his anticipated descendant—the Bug Queen—to continue being the empire's rebel?
More importantly, what was the relationship between Shali and him?
Also, listening to him, it didn't sound like he was rebelling against the empire, but rather against the current Emperor.
...However, even if he didn't rebel, Grand Emperor Ilansel wouldn't live much longer!
Who would have thought that this invincible Grand Emperor's lifespan had less than five years left? And the one to succeed him would be the only female among the current eight Elector Kings, the “Princess of Dawn,” Suliuka King Brunhild.
The Galactic Empire would once again enter the era of a female emperor.
He remembered that the Grand Emperor's passing was somewhat sudden, causing some turmoil in the Galactic Empire. But thinking about it now, Grand Emperor Ilansel's sudden death actually had some precursors.
For the Past two or three decades, he frequently entered a state of seclusion, claiming to be comprehending the universe's true principles, seeking a new world beyond Nine Rings, and exploring the true evolution of civilization.
This was understandable. Before being Emperor, he was first one of only three Nine Rings in the All-Galaxy. After reaching the peak, it was natural to want to ascend; this was human nature.
However, each seclusion lasting several years was a bit abnormal.
Therefore, the empire's major military and political affairs during this period were discussed and decided by the Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council.
Yu Lian suspected in his previous life that His Majesty the Emperor had actually forcefully sought a breakthrough during his seclusion, accidentally suffering a qi deviation, and thus suddenly perished. For the various nations of the galaxy at the time, this was naturally the best news possible, but who the hell knew that the next “little girl” to take power would be an even more ambitious ruler?
...Perhaps he would face the peak Grand Emperor and the succeeding female emperor in the future, but that was for later. For now, what was more important was what kind of inheritance Count Salwen had left behind.
Yu Lian didn't care what mission or expectations he had left for Shali. He only knew that the innocent lives throughout the All-Galaxy who died in the Bug Swarm disaster in later generations numbered more than hundreds of billions!
Yu Lian temporarily hid the information left by these two in his heart and began to observe the small garden. However, after scanning it, he found nothing.
At this moment, Duke Karlsa and Count Salwen, having finished their conversation, bid farewell. The former walked directly out of the garden; as soon as he exited the door, his figure immediately vanished without a trace.
Yu Lian watched as the other party's back disappeared in a very unscientific manner, confirming again that he was indeed in a false world. Then he closely followed Count Salwen, walking in another direction.
As soon as they exited the door one after another, the corridor behind them, after a mystical fluctuation, transformed into a pitch-black hallway leading to who knew where. Not a trace of the refreshing floral scent remained. Even the comforting sounds of insects and frogs could no longer be heard, leaving Yu Lian feeling quite lost for a moment.
Yu Lian was also unsure what had just happened in the scene, so he decided to stick with his initial judgment and follow Count Salwen, who was at the core of the event.
Count Salwen swaggered down the corridor of the Grand Council Hall, wearing a charming, professional smile, and greeted the Senators and council members he encountered along the way with ease.
The Count was indeed a prominent figure of this era; he knew quite a few high-ranking officials, and even more people he didn't know wanted to curry favor with him. At least at this moment, he was still a member of the Senate, the youngest Privy Council Minister, and one of the most powerful figures in this empire. Who could have guessed that just a few minutes ago, this person was discussing topics that were disloyal and disrespectful to the monarch?
Facing such a hypocritical social occasion, Count Salwen handled it with ease, fully maintaining the persona expected of a prominent noble Senator.
Surrounded by others, he strode towards the grand hall in the center of the building.
Yu Lian saw the four bronze statues at the main entrance of the grand hall. They were clearly of the same type as the two in the plaza, just nearly half the size. However, he knew that in terms of combat power, they were stronger by more than an order of magnitude.
A luxurious empire! Or rather, an empire in its late stages of showing off. Only an empire would use such powerful constructs as weapons, he thought.
Yu Lian hesitated for half a second, then continued to follow Count Salwen. If this were the real world, he would have turned and left long ago; but this was in the Mustard Seed World, and Yu Lian didn't believe its creator would truly restore these formidable constructs.
He genuinely wanted to see the true “the pantheon” and witness the famous scene of Grand Emperor Ilansel's ascension.
Inside this great door was an entire vast circular space, much like an arena, but more than ten times the size of the Roman Colosseum. The councilor seats were embedded along the curved inner circumference of the disk, forming twenty-four tiers of stepped distribution, all facing the circular central podium.
The circular podium was a very large stage, big enough for grand musical theater, and it could be raised and lowered.
The Emperor's first speech after his coronation was supposed to take place here. However, when this grand hall was being built, someone raised the point that if His Majesty the Emperor were on this podium, wouldn't he be looked down upon by the Senators and council members who were his subjects? Wouldn't that be a great disrespect?
However, Empress Yiwanya, who oversaw the construction of this magnificent wonder, argued that it was to ensure that every successive emperor maintained a humble and reverent heart. If all emperors naturally believed they were born to rule over others, then that would be the time for the Galactic Empire to perish.
It must be said that this empress, reborn from fire a thousand years ago, had a lot of foresight, but not all of her successors were well-behaved.
Thus, on this day, Grand Emperor Ilansel, who had just donned the Infinite Crown, ascended directly before the eyes of the Senators and council members. Only after confirming that no one Present could look down upon him did he finally begin his speech with satisfaction.
Yu Lian was indeed very interested in such a famous scene, and he also guessed that this should be the core of this Mustard Seed World. The inheritance the Count wanted to leave should be here.
However, before entering the door, he suddenly stopped. As he stopped, everyone else stopped.
Count Salwen turned around and looked directly in Yu Lian's direction. The people around him made the same movement.
Thus, Yu Lian once again saw that sanity-draining scene: being stared at by a large group of stiff-faced, emotionless puppets.
...Uh, not everyone was a puppet, at least Count Salwen still smiled, pointed a finger at the door, and then made a welcoming gesture.
Just as Yu Lian was about to ask a question, Count Salwen suddenly vanished. The well-dressed dignitaries around him also evaporated instantly, like mist under the scorching summer sun, leaving no trace.
In just an instant, the bustling, noisy the pantheon, once teeming with people, transformed into a silent world devoid of any life, as if it had instantly fallen into death.
Yu Lian looked at his surroundings, confirming that he was still in the magnificent the pantheon, but it seemed to be losing its luster, losing its color. The world he was in, which looked so solid, was losing its stability.
The four dangerous “bronze statues” at the entrance still showed no reaction, presumably ready to serve as a dedicated background until the very end.
And the great door behind them had opened on its own, without any wind.
This looked exactly like a classic horror movie scene, just waiting for a protagonist following traditional tropes to walk straight in and court death.
However, Yu Lian did not advance. He activated his mental shield, retracted his psionic derivatives, and then only used his naked eyes to look inside the room.
It was not the magnificent circular grand hall he had imagined, like a super-large arena. Instead, he only saw a vast, hazy gray space. The pervasive gray mist slowly emanated from there, seeping from the main entrance into the building's corridor. Wherever it touched, the ornate carved beams and painted rafters instantly turned into monotonous black and white.
Immediately following, within the dense gray mist, a brownish, tentacle-like object, seemingly congealed from countless dried flesh and blood, extended out and violently smashed down.
Yu Lian executed a tactical roll backward, avoiding the tentacle's attack. However, the corridor he was in, its walls and floor, when struck by the tentacle, didn't show any damage but seemed to have been directly erased.
Within the thick gray mist, a body's outline vaguely appeared. It was massive, twisted, terrifying, yet inexplicably filled with a vibrant sense of vitality.
An ordinary person would probably have fainted directly, and even a typical transcender might be scared out of their wits. Yu Lian also felt a bit uncomfortable. This wasn't because he was frightened, but rather the innate sense of crisis from being a mere Two Rings when facing such a high-level Void Realm spiritual beast, being suppressed by its power.
A creature of the Void Realm, Ogothora, also known as the “Myriad-Headed Monster,” a spiritual beast of life, a demonic beast of flesh and blood. However, whether it was a spiritual beast or a demonic beast truly depended on how you chose to approach it.
“Life? Flesh and blood? Bug Swarm? What the hell... So this is the so-called inheritance you left for your descendants! Aren't you afraid she'll eat herself to death?” Yu Lian spat in his heart, turned around, and ran away at the fastest possible speed.
He felt a silent roar behind him, his spirit trembling under such pressure, and the scorching shockwave made half of his body feel numb.
Stop yelling! You're only bullying me because I'm only Two Rings right now. If this great hero were at his peak in his previous life, I'd make you change your tune!
However, such a powerful and rare animal, even in the Void Realm, if it were continuously confined within this Mustard Seed World, it would inevitably have some impact on the material world. At the very least, the local transcenders should be able to sense a hint of its demonic aura.
Wait... The rumor about the Lumina Rebels’s sky god awakening seems to have been circulating for a century and a half! That coincided precisely with the current Emperor's ascension, and also the day Karlsa II became the new Tangheisser Duke.
The Wanling Sect and the Lumina Rebels collaborated, occupying the ancient city, seemingly preparing for some big news.
With this sequence of thoughts, Yu Lian suddenly felt that he had understood something.
However, these were all speculations, and he couldn't dwell on them now. The only thing he could be sure of was that with his current strength, he couldn't deal with the Myriad-Headed Monster.
It was better to retreat first! Today's great retreat was for tomorrow's great advance!
Yu Lian thus ran in the opposite direction from which he came. He guessed that the exit was almost certainly the pitch-black corridor that appeared when the garden vanished.
If he guessed wrong, it would only mean that Count Salwen was a madman and a scoundrel beyond his imagination.
But at this moment, his mental shield seemed to tremble, like a shield struck by a javelin. Yu Lian's battle-hardened experience and his inherent understanding of the transcendent told him that something gloomy was approaching directly in front of him. It was as heavy as a huge rock covered with sharp edges, rolling towards him.
When you have a rolling stone in front of you, but a tsunami behind you, what should you do?
As for the stone, a slide tackle might let him pass. Right?