Chapter 19: The Iron Waltz and the Emperor's Shadow
The sky groaned under the weight of the Void-Slaying Formation. Thousands of spectral swords rained down, creating a forest of steel that trapped Xu Yanluo in the center of the crater.
Jian Chen, the Sword God's Master, stood atop the floating mountain, his white beard fluttering. "Without your 'glitchy' sorcery, you are just a child playing with fire! Feel the weight of a thousand years of cultivation!"
Yanluo spat out a mouthful of blood, his black robes torn. For the first time, his Primordial Chaos Physique was screaming. Without the 'Admin' armor, the raw impact of a Saint-Realm expert was like being hit by a falling planet.
"Overwhelmed?" Yanluo muttered, wiping his chin. "No. Just... recalibrating."
The Harem's Intervention
"Get your hands off my Prince!" a shrill cry echoed.
Hu Ruyan descended like a crimson comet, her nine tails glowing with fox-fire, intercepting a volley of swords. Beside her, Ye Ziyun unleashed a blizzard so cold it slowed the very atoms of the formation.
"Yanluo, get up!" Ziyun shouted, her face pale from the effort. "We can't hold this forever!"
Yanluo's eyes flared red. He didn't just get up; he exploded. He drew his black-hilted blade, the Chaos-Slayer, and performed a move that defied logic. [Style: Void-Severing Flash].
He moved so fast he left afterimages. Clang! Clang! Clang! He parried Jian Chen's heavy strikes, the sparks lighting up the dark sky like fireworks. He was cautious, using his game-dev knowledge to find the "hit-boxes" in the old man's technique. But Jian Chen was a monster; with a flick of his wrist, he sent Yanluo flying back into a stone pillar.
"Is that all?!" Jian Chen laughed, raising his sword for the killing blow. "Die, you arrogant—"
The Arrival of the Fleet
"You talk too much, old man," Yanluo whispered, a bloody smirk on his face. "Did you think I came here without a backup save?"
The sky didn't just open; it was conquered.
Ten massive, obsidian-black Imperial Battle-Galleons tore through the clouds, their hulls engraved with the golden dragon of the Xu Dynasty. Each ship was the size of a city, and their primary cannons were currently humming with the power of captured suns.
The ground shook as the Emperor's voice boomed from the lead ship: "WHO DARES TOUCH MY SON?"
Jian Chen's face went from triumph to pure, unadulterated terror. "The... The Immortal Emperor's Personal Fleet?! Why are they here for a minor sect matter?!"
"Because I'm his favorite," Yanluo deadpanned.
The Carriage Recovery
Before the first cannon could fire, Yao Qingxue descended from the lead ship. She didn't look at the enemy; she only saw Yanluo's wounds. She swept him into her arms, her aura crushing the nearby sect disciples like ants.
"To the carriage. Now," she commanded.
Inside the luxurious, floating carriage, the air was thick with the scent of high-grade healing incense. Qingxue pulled Yanluo's head directly into her chest, her heart racing. "You idiot," she whispered, her eyes watery. "You almost let that old fly kill you."
"I had it under control," Yanluo murmured, his hands wandering to her waist despite his injuries. "I just needed a grand entrance for Dad."
Taming the Spirit-Maid
While his body rested in Qingxue's doting embrace, Yanluo's consciousness dived into his Spiritual Palace. He found Empress Yaoyin sitting on her "maid-throne," looking smug.
"Lost your 'Admin' powers and immediately got thrashed?" she teased, crossing her frilly-socked legs. "Pathetic."
Yanluo didn't argue. He walked up and swept her into his arms, pinning her against the spiritual wall.
"I need your 'Ancient Source' energy, Yaoyin," he whispered, his voice low and dangerous. He kissed her neck, making the spectral Empress gasp and her "Dignity" meter flicker. "Are you going to be a stubborn ghost, or are you going to be a good maid and help your Master grow stronger?"
"Y-You... stop that..." she stammered, her arms slowly wrapping around his neck. "You're so... shameless... sweet-talking a dead woman..."
"Not dead," Yanluo murmured, kissing her lips deeply. "Just waiting for me to breathe life back into you."
The spiritual space began to glow as they "integrated" their energies. Outside, the Battle-Galleons began to open fire, turning the Sword Master's mountain into a trillion pieces of floating gravel.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Status: Chaos Physique Evolving...]
[New Passive: 'The Emperor's Wrath' — Your attacks now scale with the Dynasty's Luck.]
Yanluo smirked against Yaoyin's lips. The "Dev Console" was gone, but the world was about to find out that a Villain with a Fleet is much worse than a Villain with a cheat code.