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    The flat stone was a decoy, concealing the most advanced timing system in this world, along with several chemical substances including white phosphorus.

    The timing system was driven by a spring and constituted by multiple sets of gears, which would trigger a small explosion by fusing potassium chlorate and phosphorus when a set time was reached.

    The explosive power of potassium chlorate and phosphorus was not substantial, but it was enough to ignite a large amount of white phosphorus mixture combined with multiple chemical substances.

    The white phosphorus mixture inside the flat stone was made according to the proportions used in military white phosphorus grenades, and if Li Shiming hadn''t been worried about the power being too great, he would have prepared to use the white phosphorus grenades he made directly.

    Due to the excessive power of white phosphorus grenades, he had used a large server, the IBM z15, for calculations and determined the amount of white phosphorus mixture needed to destroy a carriage.

    Upon seeing Prince Shun''s carriage, he calculated the time it would take for Prince Shun''s convoy to arrive. As long as Prince Shun''s team didn''t change its speed, the timing could be accurate to about a second.

    Inside Prince Shun''s carriage, Prince Shun and a few close officials were chatting when they suddenly felt a commotion from outside.

    Then, Prince Shun saw the entire carriage engulfed in a strange white flame, which in an instant pierced through the bottom of the carriage and the four sides, made of thick wood and ox-hide.

    This carriage was specially made, with thick, high-density wood and treated ox-hide capable of stopping armor-piercing arrows shot from strong bows.

    But in the face of the white phosphorus mixture, it couldn''t even withstand a single breath before being burned through.

    The white flames latched onto everyone in the carriage, and in the face of the white flames, status was irrelevant—they all faced death.

    Li Wenfeng thought of Li Shiming''s eyes, which seemed to let him know who had burned them to death.

    The four experts closest to the carriage didn''t even have time to use their formidable skills before the white flames caught them.

    Instinctively, they tried to extinguish the white flames on their bodies, but these were not flames that could be put out by hand.

    The white flames, like malignant tumours attached to bone, would penetrate through clothing and burn on the skin, continuing to scorch inward.

    The four experts could no longer care for Prince Shun; they fell to the ground as their horses, also covered in white flames, threw them off.

    "Wait here!" Jin Geng instructed the Grand Eunuch at his side, then walked through the courtyard gate alone.

    Gu Jia was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, perusing a book. On seeing Emperor Jin Geng enter, he did nothing more than set down his book, not even showing an inclination to stand up.

    "Immortal Master Gu, my Third Prince encountered an attack five miles outside the east city and has tragically passed away. The method of attack was exceedingly strange—it seems to bear the hallmarks of a Cultivator''s work. I beseech you, Immortal Master Gu, for your assistance!" Jin Geng bent over as he spoke, without a trace of imperial demeanor.

    He was acutely aware of his own standing; within the secular world, he was the Emperor, a figure above tens of thousands, the sovereign of the realm.

    However, this did not include Cultivators, to say nothing of the Cultivator before him from the Sky Sea Sect. Had it not been for the presence of a Sky Sea Sect Cultivator''s suppression within the Imperial Palace, where would the dynasty of Great Xia find its millennia of stability?

    Every Emperor who succeeded to the throne would learn an important piece of information: it was crucial to respect the resident Cultivator of the Imperial Palace.

    Gu Jia was not surprised to hear the news; he had been the one to inform Li Shiming of the Third Prince''s excursion.

    With Li Shiming''s strength at the Qi Refining Second Level, if he couldn''t even handle the Third Prince, he wouldn''t deserve to be called a Cultivator.

    "Your Majesty, please wait here just a moment; I shall return shortly!" Despite knowing the details of the incident, Gu Jia still needed to show the appropriate response.

    With a pat on his storage bag, a blue light emerged, transforming him into a rainbow that soared away.

    The distance from the Imperial Palace to the east city gate of Central Capital required at least half a "two hours" on foot, even if one were riding a fast horse, but in flight, Gu Jia reached the nearby scene of the incident in just a moment.

    By then, the scene was already cordoned off by guards in bright armor. Gu Jia stopped a short distance away from the scene, presenting a token before he approached closer.

    When he saw the charred remains reduced to a pile of ashes, Gu Jia initially thought a Cultivator was responsible.

    After all, ordinary fire would have difficulty burning a carriage and people to such an extent; it would require extremely high temperatures to achieve this.

    However, upon closer inspection of the ashes, he realized his mistake—there was not a hint of Spiritual Power Pattern, it was definitely not the work of a Cultivator.

    He began to admire Li Shiming; whatever means Li Shiming had employed to achieve such a result were commendable.

    It seemed Li Shiming''s favor could not be repaid now. Shaking his head, Gu Jia turned and left. This wasn''t the doing of a Cultivator, so it wasn''t his concern.