God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 591: The Promise

Liang walked through the grand, quiet halls of the Tianlan Imperial Palace.

His footsteps, which used to be light and silent, were now heavy and slow. His shoulders were bound in thick white bandages beneath his torn robes, and every step he took sent a dull, throbbing pain through his broken chest. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the cold, burning rage in his heart.

The guards along the corridors did not stop him. They bowed their heads as he passed, but Liang could see the shock and confusion in their eyes.

They could not feel any power coming from him.

To the guards, the proud, top tier genius of the Martial Palace now looked like a ghost. He was weak, his posture slightly bent, completely devoid of the golden qi that used to surround him like a shield.

Finally, the massive golden doors of the throne room were pushed open.

The Imperial Throne Room was grand, vast, and cold. Tall golden pillars lined the walls, and the air was thick with the scent of burning incense.

At the far end of the room, sitting atop a massive golden throne carved with twisting dragons, was the Emperor of Tianlan.

It was the first time Liang had seen his father in months. The Emperor looked majestic, wearing heavy golden robes. His face was sharp and stern, and his eyes glowed with a faint golden pressure, the Golden Dragon Qi of the ruling family.

The moment Liang stepped into the room, the Emperor’s gaze locked onto him.

The Emperor did not speak immediately. He slowly leaned forward, his brow furrowing as his golden eyes scanned Liang’s body. His face, which had been calm, suddenly turned incredibly dark.

"Your dantian..." the Emperor’s voice echoed through the silent hall, deep and heavy with shock. "It is completely shattered. You... you are no longer a cultivator."

Liang stopped ten paces away from the throne. He did not bow. He did not show any respect. He simply stood there, his pale face cold, staring directly into the Emperor’s eyes.

"Does it shock you?" Liang asked, his voice flat and bitter. "Did you expect me to return with my power intact? Or did you expect me not to return at all?"

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. "Liang. Watch your tone. You are speaking to the Emperor of this kingdom."

"I am speaking to a liar," Liang spat back, his knuckles turning white as his hands clenched into fists. "Why did you lie to us? Why did you lie to the Martial Palace, the otherworlder guilds, and to me about the Buried God’s Tomb?"

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the throne room.

The Emperor did not yell. He did not order the guards to execute his son for treason. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, let out a deep, heavy sigh, and leaned back against his golden throne.

"You found out," the Emperor said softly.

"We were used," Liang said, his voice shaking with raw emotion. "You sent the strongest geniuses of this generation into that pit because you knew the Core Suppressing Spike would siphon their power to recharge the seal. You used your own son as firewood for a dead god!"

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his golden gaze staring at Liang without any remorse.

"It was a promise," the Emperor revealed, his voice flat and calm. "An ancient, blood bound promise our ancestors made to the dead god beneath the mountain. To keep the god in a perpetual state of slumber, the seal must be fed. We must send powerful people to feed the core."

The Emperor stood up from his throne, his golden robes rustling as he walked down the marble steps.

"And the promise required more than just ordinary geniuses," the Emperor continued, stopping a few paces away from his son. "It required one member of our ruling family. Our Golden Dragon Qi is the purest form of qi on this continent. It is the ultimate key to reinforcing the seal."

Liang’s breath caught in his throat. "So... the last time..."

"In my generation, the person who went to the tomb was my own brother," the Emperor said, his eyes perfectly cold. "He entered the chamber, offered his Golden Dragon Qi to the spike, and died so that our family could maintain our absolute rule over this continent."

The Emperor stared at Liang’s broken chest.

"In this generation, it was your turn. I only have one other son, your brother, the Crown Prince. He is the sole heir to the throne, and I could not sacrifice him. So, I had to send you."

The words felt like a physical dagger driving straight into Liang’s heart.

His own father. His own flesh and blood.

He had not been selected for a holy mission. He had not been chosen to honor the ancestors. He had been sent to a dark, terrifying pit to be drained and killed simply because he was the disposable second son, sacrificed to protect the Crown Prince’s throne.

A cold, bitter laugh escaped Liang’s lips, tears of betrayal and rage finally spilling over his cheeks.

"A father..." Liang whispered, his body trembling as he looked at the cold man standing in front of him. "You are not a father. You are just a monster wearing a crown."

The Emperor did not flinch. "I did what was necessary for the survival of the Tianlan Empire. Without the seal, the god wakes up and destroys everything. This is the price of our rule."

"Then your rule is over," Liang said, his voice dropping into a deep, icy whisper.

With a sudden, violent motion, Liang reached into his robes and pulled out his royal jade pendant, the symbol of his imperial status. He threw it forcefully onto the polished marble floor.

CLINK!

The precious jade shattered into a dozen pieces, sliding across the golden floor.

"From this day on, I have no father," Liang roared, his bloodshot eyes burning with a manic, terrifying hatred. "I cut all ties with you and the Tianlan Imperial Family. Enjoy your throne while you still can, Emperor. Because I swear, I will return... and I will tear this entire palace to the ground with my own hands."

Without waiting for a response, Liang turned his back on the Emperor and walked out of the grand throne room, his heavy, limping footsteps echoing in the cold, silent hall.

The Emperor stood perfectly still, watching his son’s retreating figure disappear behind the massive golden doors. His face was unreadable, cold and stern.

Liang walked out of the massive palace gates, passing the guards who stood frozen in shock. The cold, crisp air of the Capital surged into his lungs, but he did not feel cold. He felt a burning focus he had never felt before.

Just outside the grand palace gates, leaning calmly against a tall stone pillar, was a figure.

It was Gabriel.

He had been waiting for him the entire time.

Liang stopped in front of him. He looked at the masked being who had saved his life and shown him the truth.

"Are you done?" Gabriel asked softly, his flat voice carrying a strange, reassuring calmness.

"Yes," Liang replied, his eyes burning with purpose. "I have no family left. Let’s begin the rebellion."

Gabriel let out a short, cold chuckle beneath his mask. Liang made it sound easy, but in reality, they still had a lot of work to do.

The Emperor of Tianlan was as strong as the rulers of Valeria, perhaps even stronger, because cultivators had a much longer history.

That meant he would have to become far stronger.

’If I could get all those stats, I would be nearly invisible,’ he thought, a mischievous smile appearing beneath his mask.

"Good," Gabriel said eventually. "We have a lot of work to do."

Back inside the grand throne room of the palace, the Emperor stood alone next to the shattered pieces of his son’s jade pendant.

His eyes were narrow and cold, staring at the closed golden doors. After a long, tense silence, he slowly spoke to the empty air of the room:

"Shadow Guard."

Swoosh!

A dark shadow materialized from the ceiling, kneeling in front of the golden steps in complete, silent submission.

"Go to the Buried God’s Tomb," the Emperor commanded, his voice cold and heavy with sudden worry. "Check the situation with the Core Suppressing Spike. See if the seal is stable... and report back to me immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the shadow guard whispered.

In the blink of an eye, the dark shadow vanished, leaving the Emperor standing alone on the golden steps, staring at the broken jade on the floor.