It was truly impossible to distinguish whether certain figures in the martial world were actually members of the Demonic Sect.
And among those present, it wasn’t just the Summoning Demonic Sect—other factions had also infiltrated the gathering.
The already chaotic scene grew even more tumultuous.
All of this was broadcasted through the Rivers and Mountains Painting, reaching both the inner and outer districts of the imperial capital, where spectators watched in stunned clarity.
“Is this part of the Hundred Blossoms Festival? Can I go grab myself a woman too?”
“Are you blind? What kind of ‘performance’ involves blowing up the imperial harem? The Demonic Sect has actually attacked the capital!”
“Are we about to witness the heavens and earth overturned?”
The common folk in both the inner and outer districts erupted into panic, their hearts filled with dread.
Standing under the protection of several Profound Realm experts, Emperor Jingtai narrowed his eyes as he glanced toward the direction of the imperial harem. The black smoke had been suppressed but had not yet fully dissipated.
Yuwen Cuojin remained unsubdued, and the unrest before the Meridian Gate continued unabated.
He spoke slowly, his voice measured: “My lords, delay breeds complications.”
Qian Gong and the other Profound Realm figures nodded slightly.
With a faint sigh, Emperor Jingtai’s eyes shimmered, twin pupils manifesting within them like radiant golden suns.
The Rivers and Mountains Painting, stretching thousands of feet high, rippled in response.
Within it, mountains and rivers appeared both lifelike and transcendent, evoking a profound sense of insignificance in all who beheld it—like mayflies gazing upon the vast heavens.
A mere flicker of its power could stir the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, its terrifying might looming just beneath the surface.
“All non-imperial personnel above the Third Realm are forbidden from taking action.”
Emperor Jingtai’s voice, carrying the weight of divine decree, echoed throughout the capital.
The surging national fortune churned violently, invisible yet tangible projections descending upon the land.
Every martial artist above the Third Realm suddenly felt their bodies grow heavy, bound by an unbreakable rule.
Their strength remained, but they could not act—any attempt to do so would invoke backlash from their own ‘Dao.’
The Rivers and Mountains Painting possessed the power to suppress everyone present, including those at the Seventh Realm, reducing them to mere mortals if necessary.
But enforcing such a rule came at a great cost. If an Eighth Realm expert were present, it might even backfire.
Restricting the Third Realm achieved a similar effect at a fraction of the burden.
In an instant—
The projections of inner landscapes and the manifestations of outer realms flickered out. The chaos, once akin to a full-scale rebellion, now resembled nothing more than two villages brawling over water rights.
The Sky Patrol Guards, holding official ranks, remained unaffected.
At a glance, the situation seemed firmly under control.
“A Heavenly Fate Artifact and divine weapons exist on entirely different levels.”
Li Mo thought of the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod hidden within his miniature world.
That was no mere divine weapon, yet it didn’t seem as overwhelmingly terrifying as a Heavenly Fate Artifact.
Then again, even if it were, he lacked the means to wield it, never having witnessed its true marvels.
“This isn’t over yet.” Behind Ying Bing, the Moonlit Soul hovered, her ice-mirror eyes still fathomless.
Li Mo nodded.
Surely, the Summoning Demonic Sect hadn’t come just to kidnap women, had they?
Well, considering that even Qin Yuzhi had once become their leader during their most ‘serious’ phase, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
But judging by the current situation, they hadn’t even succeeded in that!
The Summoning Demonic Sect might not be the most orthodox, but they weren’t fools—many among them were even prodigies.
Li Mo’s Heavenly Fate Eyes had remained open this entire time.
He had glimpsed the recent fates of many demonic followers, but the ordinary disciples truly seemed to be here solely for abducting women. The real masterminds remained hidden.
Then, in the crowd, he spotted the figure of the Blood Refining Hall’s leader.
[Name: Lu Ziqing]
[Age: 86]
[Physique: Blood Omen Body]
[Realm: Eightfold Heavenly Law Body]
[Fate: Purple tinged with gray]
[Evaluation: Leader of the Summoning Demonic Sect’s Blood Refining Hall. Outwardly, he is a revered alchemy master of the Green Wood Society, and indeed a genius in pill refinement. However, his creations often come with… peculiar side effects. Among them are the Divine Strength Powder, as well as the Eternal Jade Beauty Pill—which preserves youth but turns flesh to stone, transforming the user into a living statue—and the Extreme Yang Begets Yin Pill, which enhances virility but turns men into effeminate beings…]
[Recent Fate: Awakening the Blood God’s severed limb within the Rivers and Mountains Painting, aiding its revival in the Celestial City, and using it as leverage to disrupt the painting’s seal, allowing the Blood God to break free!]
“This is bad!”
A bolt of realization struck Li Mo.
The arm parasitizing the Yin-Yang Hall’s leader in the Blood Refining Hall’s hideout… the Divine Weapon Forging Assembly, the rampant spread of Divine Strength Powder… the Hundred Blossoms Festival, where the Green Wood Society had invested heavily, only to be thwarted by his interference…
Had it all been for the sake of reviving the Blood God?
Was a fragment of the Blood God truly sealed within the Rivers and Mountains Painting?
Just as the crowd began to believe the demonic sect’s farcical uprising was about to be quelled without further incident—
The unexpected struck.
Amid the throng, a hidden figure suddenly began chanting an ancient, somber melody. Those around her erupted in dark, swirling patterns, bursting into crimson light.
From Qu Songyun’s chest, a withered, blood-red arm emerged, its surface shimmering with eerie vitality as it stretched toward the Rivers and Mountains Painting.
The motion was deceptively simple, yet it warped the void itself, defying the painting’s restraints.
It pulsed with terrifying life force, yet merely glimpsing it made one feel as though their own vitality no longer belonged to them.
“Heretics!”
Qian Gong’s cold snort cut through the air. The enemy now posed a direct threat to the emperor, who was channeling the Rivers and Mountains Painting. He could no longer hold back.
With a grasp toward the sky, lightning coalesced in his palm, forming a spear of divine retribution.
The bolt tore through the air, obliterating everything in its path.
The arm neither dodged nor retaliated, even as grievous wounds split its surface.
It lunged unerringly toward its original target—the entrance to the Celestial City!
Crack—
Tendons bulged along the limb as it swelled monstrously, its size now rivaling the gaping maw of the Celestial City’s gateway.
“Damn it!” Qian Gong forcibly halted his lightning spear.
He couldn’t very well strike his own empire’s treasure.
“Where are the imperial clan’s experts? Must His Majesty intervene personally?!” another Profound Realm expert roared, but no answer came.
Crunch—
The Celestial City’s entrance strained to close, yet the Blood God’s fragment defied all logic.
Having been imprisoned for so long, it had learned to manipulate the ‘cage’ that held it.
Like a prisoner who had risen to become the jail’s overseer, it couldn’t walk free—but it could bend the rules to its advantage, delaying the locking of its cell or demanding extra rations…
Boom—
Another arm burst forth from the Celestial City, pulsing with endless blood energy.
It seized the demonic sect members who had been gathering in secret.
Yet instead of refining them instantly—
It dragged them toward the still-open gateway, intent on pulling them inside!
It sought to bring its followers into the Celestial City…
To aid in its final escape!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
