Hot steam billowed slowly from the dragon-carved white porcelain cup. The aroma of the absolute highest quality tea leaves from the Southern Mountains filled the private room at the top of the Imperial Palace's Star Tower. Outside the window, the night sky of the Heavenly Cloud Capital looked pitch black. It oppressed anyone standing beneath it with a heavy premonition of bloodshed. Prime Minister Sima You sat cross-legged with his back perfectly straight. His face was as calm as a pool of water completely untouched by the wind. His skinny fingers pinched a black chess piece. He rolled it slowly over the jade board in front of him. Across the table, that calmness was absolutely not contagious. Crown Prince Zhao Long paced back and forth exactly like a tiger trapped inside a burning cage. The face of the heir to the throne was deathly pale. Cold sweat soaked his temples. The small golden crown on his head was even slightl

The night in the eastern district of the Heavenly Cloud Capital was heavily filled with the scent of rust and sulfur. At the foot of a barren, rocky hill, the giant iron gates of the Iron Spirit Mine stood firmly exactly like the mouth of a sleeping monster. This mine was the absolute economic lifeline and the largest supplier of armor and relic weapons in the entire empire. It was a massive asset worth well over millions of gold coins. The heavy thud of marching footsteps and the harsh grinding of steel armor shattered the silence of the night. Second Prince Zhao Hu walked confidently at the very front lines with his chest puffed out proudly. Behind him, three hundred elite personal guards from the Second Palace marched in a tight formation. They actively radiated a dense Qi at the King Realm level. Zhao Hu's eyes blazed brightly with pure greed and blind ambition. Prime Minister Sima You's instigation had truly completely swallowed his com

Xiao Chen was still sitting cross-legged on top of the Iron Spirit Mine's stone gate. The wine jug in his hand was completely empty. He stared down at the panting Second Prince whose body was covered in severe burns. A faint smile completely overloaded with psychological dominance was carved onto the Demonic Emperor's pale face. "Three more steps." Xiao Chen said. He repeated Zhao Hu's challenge with a highly dismissive tone. He extended his left hand in a welcoming gesture. "Please. Take this mine if you truly can, Prince!" Hearing the tone of voice that seemed to entirely look down on his grueling efforts, Zhao Hu's ego exploded. He had just butchered his own guards and drained eighty percent of his Qi purely to prove that his physical strength absolutely could not be stopped. "Die!" Zhao Hu roared. He forced his first heavy step toward the mine gate. Right at the exact second Zhao Hu's cracked iro

The crystal room located deep in the heart of the Iron Spirit Mine radiated a blinding blue light. Tens of thousands of medium spirit stones perfectly arranged to form the Five Heavens Qi Gathering Array had completely transformed the air inside the cave into an absolute ocean of pure energy. On top of the stone altar exactly in the center of the formation, Xiao Chen sat cross-legged. His gray robes were blown gently by the incredibly dense Qi vortex slowly forming around him. Inside his head, the ego of the Demonic Emperor had officially reached its absolute peak. Unadulterated greed to return to the absolute pinnacle of power completely warped his common sense. He no longer viewed the Lin Family as highly useful tools. He saw them strictly as mortal burdens blocking his path to the heavens. He fully intended to absorb the entire energy of this mine strictly for himself. "I am absolutely not a Guard Dog! There is not a

The capital's night wind howled fiercely. It carried the thick scent of blood and burning ash. Above the rows of building rooftops, a black shadow darted forward. It sliced through the darkness with a speed that nearly tore the air apart. Xiao Chen utilized his lightness skill to its absolute maximum limit. The tips of his boots only touched the roof tiles for a fraction of a millisecond before he launched himself forward once again. However, right in the middle of that lightning-fast movement, a sharp, sudden throb pierced directly into his brain nerves. The telepathic connection from one of the Wailing Statues successfully planted inside the Shangguan Manor was forcefully yanked open. "My Lord.!" The hollow voice of the stone statue echoed loudly inside Xiao Chen's head. It was completely overwhelmed by the residual vibrations of incredibly brutal energy. "In the underground vault. Patriarch Shangguan Hong. he sacrific