When the pain faded away, both the common people and the immortal sects slowly returned to calm.

On this day, it was the first morning court session after the child emperor’s ascension.

Nine-year-old Shi Zhenlang sat upright on the imperial throne, with civil and military officials arranged on both sides.

After paying respects to the new emperor, little Shi Zhenlang surveyed the assembled officials, his gaze finally settling on Di Yiqiu. Di Yiqiu nodded slightly, and so Shi Zhenlang said in a clear voice, “The disaster of immortal cultivation—all you ministers have personally experienced it. It is my intention that from now on, emperors shall not cultivate immortality. Should any member of the imperial family wish to pursue the immortal path, they must change their name, renounce their surname, be expelled from the imperial family, and enter under Si Tianjian’s tutelage.”

Though he was small, his speech was quite well-organized.

Di Yiqiu did not speak. His brothers and sisters numbered over one hundred and eighty in total. Many of them had died and been resurrected in the third dream. Most of these resurrected ones were unwilling to take their own lives.

To献出生命 for an illusory and ethereal Heavenly Dao—how many would do so willingly?

For this, he had spent half a month hunting them down. The three characters “Si Tianjian” were dripping blood from every crevice under their fingernails.

Shi Zhenlang feared him, dreaded him, so naturally he watched his expressions in all matters.

Thus, as soon as these words left his mouth, someone in the assembled officials snorted coldly, “But I wonder how much of Your Majesty’s words are the imperial decision, and how much comes from another’s instruction?”

The officials didn’t even dare look in that direction—everyone knew who was speaking.

Elder Sun had been dissatisfied with the court’s cultivation of immortality for many years.

Since the establishment of the Cabinet, they had opposed establishing Si Tianjian.

Yet these immortal cultivators in Si Tianjian had such long lifespans that the Cabinet had almost grown accustomed to targeting Di Yiqiu.

Now that Shi Wenyu had caused such disaster, wasn’t the root cause still those two words—”eternal life”?

Elder Sun’s head was full of white hair, and the wrinkles on his face were already very deep.

He said with a stern face, “Since Your Majesty says that emperors shall not cultivate immortality, then should Si Tianjian also withdraw from the court and henceforth not be permitted to interfere in government affairs?”

The young emperor on the throne didn’t dare speak at all. Only then did the assembled officials turn to look at Di Yiqiu.

Di Yiqiu was still dressed in purple official robes, jade belt and black boots, his expression cold and solemn. Facing Elder Sun’s interrogation, he raised his head and after a long while said, “What Elder Sun says is very right.”

Everyone froze, and Elder Sun was also stunned.

The Cabinet had opposed Si Tianjian for many years, cutting budgets and suppressing their influence at every turn, even often taking advantage. In court, attacking Di Yiqiu was something that came naturally. Everyone was used to it.

Di Yiqiu normally didn’t attend court, and the position where he stood had almost always remained empty.

From Si Tianjian, usually only Deputy Director Bai Qingyun of Qinglong Si attended court punctually. But Bai Qingyun was always slippery. After years of back and forth between both sides, Si Tianjian still grew stronger day by day, while the Cabinet also shouted daily about resisting court cultivation.

No one could determine who was superior.

But today, what was wrong with Di Yiqiu?

Di Yiqiu slowly stepped forward from the ranks, bowing slightly to the young emperor, then continued, “Since Si Tianjian is an immortal sect, we should prioritize seeking the Dao. We should not interfere in court matters. From now on, Si Tianjian will restrain its subordinates and focus on cultivation. We will not involve ourselves in government affairs.”

“You… are these words true?” Elder Sun frowned, unable to figure it out. In the past, when all the civil and military officials argued, spittle would fly everywhere. Occasionally when tempers flared, pointing at Si Tianjian’s nose and cursing wasn’t unheard of.

For many years, Si Tianjian had never taken it seriously.

But today, what was wrong with Di Yiqiu?

On the throne, the young emperor also hesitated, “Imperial… Imperial Uncle…”

Di Yiqiu said, “Starting from today, Si Tianjian will only retain official titles and will no longer attend court.”

His tone was indifferent, and Elder Sun and others instead felt something was amiss.

Right at this moment, someone suddenly came from outside to report, “This is terrible, Your Majesty! Duke Zhongguo has surrounded the palace with his men!”

Everyone erupted into chaos. Elder Sun demanded angrily, “Duke Zhongguo? What does he want to do?!”

Outside the hall doors, a tall and robust figure walked with head held high, entering the hall.

He held a silver spear in his left hand and carried a wooden box in his right.

It was Duke Zhongguo!

“Elder Sun, don’t be alarmed!” Behind him followed heavily armored warriors, their steps swift as flowing stars. The young emperor on the throne didn’t know whether to sit or stand, his face deathly pale. Seeing this, Elder Sun hurried to protect him.

Di Yiqiu walked forward slowly. No one knew when all the court officials had retreated behind him.

It turned out everyone understood very clearly who the true power was in this court.

Yet why did everyone still dare to point fingers at him and act without restraint?

“Duke Zhongguo enters the hall armed—what do you intend?” Di Yiqiu’s voice was neither hurried nor slow, without much pressure.

Clearly, even though Duke Zhongguo had led armies for many years and held military power, his combat ability obviously couldn’t match the current Si Tianjian.

Duke Zhongguo sneered, “Di Yiqiu, as a subject you betrayed the late emperor! The late emperor ordered you to forge the Elixir of Immortality, yet you pretended to comply while acting otherwise, deceiving the late emperor with fake pills and lining your own pockets! Do you admit your crime?”

“So it’s this matter.” In Di Yiqiu’s eyes, there were no longer any ripples.

After Shi Wenyu’s great defeat, he had executed resurrected ones and supported the young emperor. The Heavenly Dao’s order was repairing the mortal realm, yet in his eyes remained only the ashes after burning. Even facing the rebel army’s stern questioning, he remained unmoved.

Instead, Elder Sun said, “Duke Zhongguo, even at this point, do you still not understand? The late emperor’s insistence on forging the Elixir of Immortality was nothing but squeezing the people’s fat and blood, causing the common people suffering and resentment!”

“Silence!” Duke Zhongguo pointed his spear and roared, “Even if the late emperor had faults, he was still the sovereign! We as subjects should naturally remonstrate, but how could there be reason to execute him? Moreover, the cause of everything originated from this treasonous subject’s mouth. He deceived the emperor to begin with—who knows whether he harbors ulterior motives and slanders the late emperor?”

He stared at Di Yiqiu, demanding sternly, “This old man has already sent people to investigate. The Elixir of Immortality you forged is worth only a thousand taels. Yet the late emperor allocated huge sums every year—where did all that silver go?!”

No one among the court officials spoke. Everyone knew what an enormous expenditure the Elixir of Immortality was.

Many ministers were shocked that Si Tianjian had actually created counterfeits.

But… many others furrowed their brows and said nothing.

The Elixir of Immortality cost so much because Shi Wenyu had deliberately intended to increase taxes and exploit the people.

Otherwise, where would the resentment he urgently needed come from?

But regarding Si Tianjian’s counterfeiting, some people were in the know.

Elder Sun opened his mouth to speak several times but didn’t know where to begin. Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue looked at him, and seeing his tacit acknowledgment, naturally no one spoke up either.

After all, it was a crime of deceiving the emperor—who could bear that responsibility?

Di Yiqiu didn’t look at them at all. He stared at Duke Zhongguo and said, “The late emperor has passed. If Duke Zhongguo wishes to pursue me, simply report it to His Majesty. Why create such a commotion?”

Beside him, Minister Zhou from the Ministry of Revenue reminded, “Exactly. Does Duke Zhongguo not know this action constitutes treason?”

“Treason?” Duke Zhongguo said, “This old man received the late emperor’s grace of promotion. Even risking this old life, I must seek justice for him!”

Di Yiqiu knew explanation was futile. He asked, “Does Duke Zhongguo wish to fight me to the death?”

Right at this moment, Duke Zhongguo raised the box in his hand. Di Yiqiu had noticed this box since he entered, but didn’t know what it contained.

Duke Zhongguo slowly opened the box lid. Everyone was shocked!

Inside the box was golden sand!

Among those present, some were quite knowledgeable and quickly recognized what it was!

“This… is earth demon remnant sand! Duke Zhongguo, you…” A sense of foreboding rose in Elder Sun’s heart. He didn’t even dare to guess further.

Di Yiqiu only stared at the golden sand in the box. A trace of a smile slowly surfaced on his face, yet his eyes grew even deeper, even showing a layer of strange dark yellow. He said, “Duke Zhongguo has truly gone to great pains, even inviting my wife here.”

Duke Zhongguo had come prepared, so naturally he was fearless. Holding this half box of sand, he said, “The other half, this old man has already had sent away! Di Yiqiu, now this old man commands you to cripple your own cultivation, get out of the court, get out of Si Tianjian! Since you committed patricide and regicide, you don’t deserve to enjoy the glory and wealth he brought you! And your body—your blood and flesh were received from your parents. You disloyal and unfilial wretch, what face do you have to continue living in this world?!”

His words were激愤, yet from beginning to end, Di Yiqiu only stared at the wooden box in his hand. The golden sand inside was indeed half missing.

“Hidden away?” His voice was very, very soft, yet contained killing intent like a mountain’s roar or ocean’s tsunami. “Hidden away?!”

The second sentence, his tone suddenly rose sharply, and his whole person suddenly lunged forward. Duke Zhongguo only felt a black shadow like a mountain before his eyes. The loyal soldiers behind him were prepared and rushed forward to protect him.

However, in the blink of an eye, a mass of bloody mist exploded with a bang, splattering all over his head and face!

A giant cyan serpent opened its bloody maw and instantly bit the soldier into pieces, swallowing him like a pill!

“No—Di Yiqiu!” Elder Sun ignored everything else. He tremblingly stepped forward, shouting, “You must not do this!”

But the giant serpent opened its mouth again. Those mortal weapons were pitifully fragile before this body. It paid no heed, and in an instant over ten more soldiers rushed forward to resist, only to be bitten into bloody pulp by it!

Duke Zhongguo retreated a step. He suddenly realized he had miscalculated!

He had thought that Di Yiqiu deeply loved his wife and seeing Huang Rang’s remnant sand would surely have reservations. But he didn’t.

And the soldiers he brought were his former subordinates, each one loyal and brave.

He roared, “Di Yiqiu, whether you want to kill or flay, come at me!”

As the words fell, the silver spear in his hand stabbed directly at his vital point. But the viper’s body was protected by serpent scales. Using too much force, the spear tip broke. Yet the giant serpent didn’t pause—it seemed to deliberately avoid attacking Duke Zhongguo.

It began randomly slaughtering the soldiers he had brought into the palace.

Blood exploded before his eyes like spring flower buds.

Yet outside the dream, Huang Rang hadn’t even been able to observe spring flowers with him. When she came, it was the year’s end harsh winter in the capital. When she left, the capital’s heavy snow hadn’t yet melted.

Di Yiqiu didn’t know what he was doing. There were countless shouts in his ears, but he couldn’t hear them clearly.

Kill all these people!

A voice crazily clamored in his mind—kill all those who dared disturb her.

He moved among the armored soldiers carrying sharp weapons as if entering an uninhabited realm.

Duke Zhongguo suddenly realized he could do nothing to him. Not only that, the officers he brought would all lose their lives because of his ignorance!

“Stop… stop…” All his curses could no longer emerge. His tone grew weaker and weaker, his whole person seeming drained of strength.

Finally, he discarded the silver spear and set down the box, only able to murmur, “Stop… have you gone mad?”

The young emperor was long since petrified. Elder Sun staggered forward, grabbing the wooden box Duke Zhongguo had brought. He stumbled before Di Yiqiu and shouted, “Di Yiqiu! Huang Rang is watching you, she’s watching you!”

The giant serpent’s tail scales opened, each piece like a blade’s edge. But when sweeping past him, it slowly stopped.

She was watching.

And so all the crimson faded to colorlessness.

In this world, some people don’t even have the qualification to go mad.

The giant serpent slowly transformed back to human form. He took the wooden box from Elder Sun’s hand. Elder Sun immediately demanded sternly, “Where is the remaining sand?”

Duke Zhongguo had long lost his earlier momentum. His whole person seemed somewhat dazed, and only after a long while did he say woodenly, “Buried… buried at the former site of Yuanrong Tower, to commemorate the late emperor.”

Di Yiqiu, cradling the wooden box, slowly went to the former Yuanrong Tower.

The tower was long gone. This place was too inauspicious and had been filled in by palace servants. The palace servants didn’t dare breathe loudly and hurriedly found hoes, wanting to dig for him. But Di Yiqiu crouched down. His hands took on cyan serpent scales, a pair of sharp claws incomparably hard.

The new earth was easy to dig, yet his movements were very slow.

As if afraid the person in the earth would be frightened.

When all the loose soil was removed, a brocade-wrapped bundle appeared inside. Di Yiqiu pulled it out and opened it to look. It was indeed the other portion of Huang Rang’s remnant sand. He poured it all into the box.

The court officials observed from afar—no one dared approach.

Someone said quietly, “This… is probably a sign of demonic possession.”

Elder Sun glared angrily at the speaker and said, “Someone, Duke Zhongguo has surrounded the palace without authorization and disturbed His Majesty—why haven’t you arrested him?!”

Duke Zhongguo’s officers wanted to resist, but after Di Yiqiu’s mad killing just now, everyone had long lost their courage.

Now even with weapons in hand, they cowered like startled birds.

Duke Zhongguo looked at the ground covered in blood and gore, knowing for the first time what it meant to be invincible.

He lowered his head and after a long while said, “This matter all arose from this old man alone. Spare them.”

Elder Sun sighed heavily and after a long while said, “Old brother, could we speak privately?”

Duke Zhongguo looked at him, his eyes full of incomprehension.

Elder Sun led him to a corner outside the hall. Before the snow-white railing, one could overlook half of the capital city.

“What do you want to say?” Duke Zhongguo watched as palace servants collected the soldiers’ remains, but actually, there wasn’t much left to collect. A mass of bloody pulp—after washing with water, nothing remained.

Di Yiqiu’s madness had crushed his courage. His heart was ash-gray, his fighting spirit gone.

Elder Sun slowly said, “Don’t you want to know where the silver for forging the Elixir of Immortality went?”

Duke Zhongguo started in alarm and roared, “It was you…”

Elder Sun said slowly, “That silver never reached Si Tianjian at all. What the Ministry of Revenue counted as leaving the treasury was just dozens of boxes of stones.”

Duke Zhongguo felt a chill in his heart. “You’ve been deceiving His Majesty all along, you…”

Elder Sun gazed at the capital city. It was morning now, cooking smoke rising in wisps from the city walls. He said, “Back then, it was his idea. Sun has been an official all his life—how could he not know this action was deceiving the emperor? But at that time, when His Majesty’s decree to forge the Elixir of Immortality came down, he stood right here and said to me…”

In the distance, Di Yiqiu had already left carrying Huang Rang’s remnant sand.

Elder Sun watched his retreating figure and continued, “He said, look at this city—in the morning cooking smoke rises everywhere, in the evening ten thousand households have their lamps lit. How wonderful.”

Duke Zhongguo stopped. Elder Sun looked at him and after a long while smiled, “You see, between people, what they seek is inherently different. You really shouldn’t have touched his wound. Today, I’ve spoken plainly. The meaning within, I trust Duke Zhongguo already understands.”

Duke Zhongguo said nothing more. Before long, armored soldiers came forward to put shackles on him.

That night, Duke Zhongguo hanged himself in prison.

The young emperor was magnanimous and decided not to pursue the other soldiers further. He only ordered all the officers to remove their armor and return home, forbidden from setting foot in the capital for life.

On the same day, Si Tianjian established the Goddess Shrine in the capital.

Enshrined within was precisely Huang Rang.

The shrine wasn’t large—white walls and black tiles, clean and tidy.

Yet on the first day, the threshold was worn through. Even the immortal sects, which had always been at odds with the court, sent people to offer incense and pay respects.

In the shrine, Huang Rang wore a pale gold dress, her radiance warm and gentle, her bearing peerless. She carried a basket of grain ears, symbolizing abundant harvest.

Because she was born into the Xi family, everyone called her—Goddess Xi Rang.