# Chapter 3 Death Sentence
Wu Long was finally willing to defend himself before the Emperor because, in his opinion, the palace troops commander had a point ... he would never be able to escape the pursuit of the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana if he did not explain what had really happened and clear up the misunderstanding between himself and the Emperor.
His immense confidence and arrogance made Wu Long feel as though he stood above everything—even above the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana, whom he believed had no right to punish him. That was why he was not afraid of the Emperor in the slightest. In his eyes, the Emperor was not the supreme leader one had to fear.
But meeting the Emperor turned out to be a huge mistake.
“Wait a minute! What did I do wrong?” Wu Long demanded, refusing to accept the Emperor’s treatment of him as he stood in the palace hall before the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana.
Wu Long’s attitude was far from what the palace troops commander had expected. He had assumed Wu Long would give up his defiance and apologize to the Emperor for what he had done.
“You dared to take my only daughter’s virginity, and you don’t want to take even the slightest responsibility!” the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana shouted coldly.
The Emperor’s face was filled with fury and hatred toward Wu Long, whom he believed had destroyed his daughter’s future. There was no mercy or forgiveness in sight as the Emperor glared at Wu Long with undisguised displeasure—nothing like the palace troops commander’s earlier assurance.
“Take responsibility? What do you expect me to do, Your Majesty? Your daughter likes me too! We did it because we both wanted to, with no strings attached ... so why am I being punished so severely now?” Wu Long demanded. He refused to accept the injustice being inflicted upon him.
“You should never have done it! You are only in this palace as its protector because you are an Immortal, but you abused your authority by approaching my daughter and engaging in an illicit relationship with her several times! You should be grateful that I am merely exiling you from Heavenly Nirvana!” the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana shouted.
“I refuse to accept this punishment! I’m still innocent! The Princess should be punished too, because she did it knowingly as well!” Wu Long shot back. His expression was hard, and he showed not the slightest fear of the punishment imposed by the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana.
The palace troops commander looked anxious and shook his head, regretting Wu Long’s defiance of the Emperor’s punishment. No one was allowed to oppose the Emperor. He was regarded as the Dragon’s Child and the supreme holder of the throne throughout the Universe.
“How dare you defy the Emperor’s order? Do you know that a death sentence awaits you if you continue to oppose my command?” the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana warned, his voice taking on a threatening edge.
Far from being frightened by the Emperor’s threat, Wu Long grew even more irritated and furious that the Emperor completely ignored his defense. “I’m innocent! Why should I be afraid? I’m not afraid to die!” Wu Long challenged him. “Your Majesty is abusing your authority by sentencing me to death!”
“Wu Long ... don’t defy the Emperor’s order! Come on, apologize to the Emperor for your insolence!” the palace troops commander shouted. He was trying to save Wu Long from falling into an even deeper predicament—one he would never escape if the Emperor truly lost his temper.
But Wu Long remained defiant and refused to accept the punishment awaiting him. As far as he was concerned, it was unfair for only him to be punished to protect the Emperor’s daughter when she had been the one to seduce him first. His sharp gaze seemed to challenge the Emperor to punish him.
Wu Long’s complete lack of fear and continued defiance drove the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana into a violent rage.
“You did wrong, and you still refuse to regret it! You are no longer worthy of living in Heavenly Nirvana! I, the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana, hereby sentence Wu Long to death for defying the Emperor’s order!” the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana proclaimed.
The Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana could not tolerate Wu Long’s defiance. Wu Long’s insistence on standing by his own righteousness only made the Emperor even angrier.
“Your Majesty ... please reconsider. Wu Long is still young and does not yet know right from wrong. I hope Your Majesty will forgive him,” the palace troops commander pleaded.
The Emperor’s heart had just begun to soften, and he was considering overturning the punishment after realizing that his decision had been based solely on emotion, when Wu Long started causing trouble again.
Instead of thanking the palace troops commander for protecting him and pleading for mercy on his behalf, Wu Long—unwilling to apologize to the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana—pressed the Emperor even more forcefully to cancel the death sentence and insisted that he was completely innocent.
“I know right from wrong, Uncle! The Emperor is the one who doesn’t!” Wu Long shouted, further inflaming the fury of the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana.
“You have brought disgrace upon my daughter, but to you, it was nothing more than a game. Even if my daughter did entice you, as you claim, what you did was still wrong! You may choose whatever form of the death sentence you want, as a gesture of respect for your uncle, who has served the empire for decades! If only you would apologize for what you did and marry my daughter, I would forgive you!” the Emperor of Heavenly Nirvana said, offering Wu Long a chance to admit his wrongdoing.