CHAPTER 52: STORM OVER THE IMPERIAL CITY

Night shrouded the land in pitch-black darkness.

In the capital, Lady Qin stumbled forward, drenched in blood. Terror lingered in her eyes, yet she forced herself to flee toward the palace.

She still felt the terrifying auras of her two ambushers at her back. They didn't pursue further, simply staying hidden. Even so, the fear clinging to Lady Qin’s heart refused to fade. She rushed into the palace.

Jin Li’s face went pale at the sight of Lady Qin covered in blood. "Aunt Qin, what happened?"

Duke Yu and Kong Qi, who supervised the sacrificial altar’s construction nearby, hurried over in alarm. Lady Qin’s grievous wounds filled them with dread and despair.

For days now, the three’d been secretly plotting, wishing to smuggle Jin Li out of the city under the cover of the construction. Tonight had been a test run, and Lady Qin had attempted to slip beyond the walls. None of them had expected her to return in such a devastating state.

Lady Qin doubled over, spewing blood mixed with fragments of torn organs. "Cough... cough..."

Jin Li quickly snatched the healing medicine sent by Hua Xian, pressing it to Lady Qin’s lips.

Jin Li asked in concern, "Are you feeling better, Aunt Qin?"

Color faintly returned to Lady Qin’s face, and she whispered hoarsely, "Better now... thank you, Your Majesty."

Then, her gaze hardened. "Two Emperor realm cultivators struck me outside the city!"

"What? Two of them?"

"If it were only two, I wouldn’t be in such a state. More were hiding in ambush, and they weren’t human. They were demons! They’ve already set up a grand array outside the city!"

The room froze in shock.

Kong Qi's beard quivered. "Demons? An array?"

Lady Qin's voice sharpened. "Yes. The sky outside the city is drenched in bloodlight. I saw three thousand ghostly banners fluttering... It was the Soul-Burying Banner Array!"

Duke Yu and Kong Qi nearly collapsed.

That array's infamy was unmatched. Fifty years ago, the demons had unleashed that very array to invade a small border kingdom near their territories. Hundreds of thousands of innocent human lives were refined alive into fuel. The massacre had ignited the wrath of all human empires in the Moonwatch Continent, sparking a war against the demons. The war bled humanity dry, resulting in Southern Qian’s imperial power withering. The power dynamic between the human empires also shifted.

Now, to hear that this cursed array lay outside their very walls, it was enough to make hearts shatter.

Duke Yu asked grimly, "Are you certain? Could you be mistaken?"

The others stared at Lady Qin, almost pleading.

Lady Qin answered, "I saw it clearly. It is the Soul-Burying Banner Array."

Kong Qi slumped to the floor in despair, before suddenly leaping up again. "I must confront Sima Ting! What is his true objective?!"

Jin Li felt her blood run cold. Until now, she’d believed Sima Ting was after the throne and her life. Now, it became clear that his ambition was far darker. He intended to doom the entire Southern Qian Empire!

So many demons, even Emperor realm ones, had slipped into the empire. Could the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect truly be unaware?

A chill spread through Jin Li's heart. This went deeper than she had ever imagined.

Still, her eyes blazed defiantly as she turned toward the nearly completed Sacrificial Altar. "Enough. For now, we must finish the altar, no matter what."

Her tone was sharp and unyielding, leaving no room for doubt.

Even Kong Qi, hollow as he was, straightened and bowed. "As you command."

That night, back in her room, Jin Li stood alone at the window. Her gaze lingered on the Ancient Qichun Tree, and her fingers clutched the Linglong Xi Jade pendant.

"Qi Yuan... if it were you, what would you do?"

***

Meanwhile, in the grand chancellor's residence...

Sima Ting bowed his head low, his demeanor dripping with obsequiousness. "My lords, if that woman isn’t eliminated soon, she may expose the array. That could disrupt your great plans."

The scrawny Emperor realm cultivator smiled faintly, yet said nothing.

The Emperor realm demon, however, laughed with disdain. "The array is complete. Let her shout it to the heavens. Turmoil in the city will also help forge the Bloodless Scepter."

"But if word spreads too far," Sima Ting pressed nervously, "it could incite panic among the troops, even mutiny!"

A sneer came from the demon. "Sima Ting, are you unable to control your own soldiers?"

Cold sweat trickled down Sima Ting's back. "If the words spread, I will find a way to pacify them."

After all, the entire capital city was already under his control. Soothing the troops wouldn’t be difficult.

The demon suddenly asked, "I heard the empress is going to rise the sacrificial altar at noon two days later, and offer sacrifice to the heavens?”

Sima Ting answered quickly, "Yes."

The demon laughed boisterously. "Good. I'll attend. I want to see whether my future wine vessel is as breathtaking as they say."

Sima Ting forced a smile. "I will make the arrangements."

Since the demon was going, Sima Ting’d have to gather the entire court to accompany him.

The demon's eyes glinted with a chilling depth. His purpose wasn’t simply to see his wine vessel. On that day, he’d unleash a massacre before the assembled civil and military officials. Blood, terror, slaughter, and desire would swirl together, feeding the birth of the Bloodless Scepter.

Of course, Sima Ting knew none of this.

***

The Sacrificial Altar rose two feet high, its peak crowned by a pavilion. At each corner of the pavilion perched a carved beast, its rough lines lending it an ancient air. The construction’d been swift precisely due to its simplicity.

Sima Ting sat proudly upon his seat, while the Emperor realm demon slouched carelessly beside him. Sima Riyue let his hair loose, his arrogance blazing.

The assembled ministers whispered among themselves. Some eyed Sima Ting skeptically, while others glanced warily at the demon. Lady Qin had spread word of the array, yet most dismissed it as the empress’s ploy to sow discord. They couldn’t sense anything because none of them were at the Emperor realm.

"Her Majesty arrives!"

An announcement rang out, and all eyes turned as the empress appeared.

Jin Li was clad in golden robes, her wide, flowing sleeves embroidered with phoenixes. White jade necklaces shimmered at her neck, and the Linglong Xi Jade hung at her waist. A pearl phoenix crown gleamed on her head.

Her figure radiated imperial majesty, but few bent their knees. Besides the Minister of Rites and a scant handful, the court no longer bothered with pretense. Sima Ting’s faction dominated the city, leaving no doubt where their loyalty lay.

Sima Riyue smirked as he leaned close to his father, saying in a loud enough voice for all to hear, "Father, had you done this sooner, I’d be the crown prince already."

Laughter rippled through the ranks of officials.

Jin Li heard everything, yet said nothing.

"The hour has come! Let us offer sacrifice to Heaven!" Kong Qi's voice boomed, carrying the weight of a man who knew he stood at the end of an era.