The incident of the plaque hanging above the Golden Phoenix Hall showing an ominous heavenly sign — a seeming reproach from the Way of Heaven directed at the reigning sovereign — had quietly spread through Wu Jing. Though none dared speak of it openly, in private conversations it was said that the Holy One must have committed some act that enraged both heaven and man, to have earned such a divine rebuke. Ought the Holy One not to issue an imperial edict of self-reproach?

The Emperor An’he was furious. He ordered the arrest of a considerable number of people who had been discussing this matter and issued a decree forbidding unauthorized discussion of the incident — upon discovery, the offender was to be thrown into prison and charged with disturbing public order. Yet a person’s mouth cannot be sealed shut. Especially after news spread that Prince Jing had died suddenly and violently, interest in the imperial family’s affairs soared to an extreme pitch. In particular, whenever Lang Jiuchuan was seen walking in the streets, many a strange glance drifted in her direction.

The baleful star fate that made her a curse upon husbands — it wasn’t an exaggeration after all!

And this one had been cursed with remarkable speed, hadn’t it.

Then there was another point: she hadn’t merely cursed her husband — she’d cursed her husband’s family bloodline as well. Word had it that, for reasons unknown, Tantai Cong had fallen and shattered his spine, leaving him hovering on the brink of death. The soul-collecting messengers of the underworld would likely be arriving for him soon enough.

But the two people who had met with misfortune — both had ties to her, one her betrothed, and the other someone with whom she had clashed and nearly come to blows. And then there was the uncanny phenomenon atop the Golden Phoenix Hall. All of these disasters, it was hard not to feel, were a little too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it?

It seemed as though all of this had been set off by the granting of the imperial marriage decree to Lang Jiuchuan. Her eight characters of fate — perhaps they truly did make her a curse upon the imperial bloodline.

The Emperor An’he, unable to uncover who had been behind the meddling, went to the Lang Family and obtained Lang Jiuchuan’s birth characters, then had them taken to an elder of the clan who was skilled in physiognomy and fate calculation, to compare them against the imperial house’s. The result was precisely as one might have expected: not only were they incompatible — they actively suppressed the imperial fortune at every point. It was a classic configuration of a phoenix pressing down upon the head of the dragon.

What did this mean? In plain terms, she would be standing atop the Tantai clan’s head.

There was something else as well: her fate configuration was peculiar — it could not be read in full, and nothing could be predicted from it. When the elder attempted to force a calculation, he was even struck by a powerful backlash.

The Emperor An’he wore a deeply furrowed brow. His expression was so sour it was nearly impossible to look at, and within his heart stirred a thread of unease. So much so that when the Rong Family head requested an audience, resentment rose in him unbidden.

Had it not been for that man’s suggestion, none of this would have come to pass. Prince Jing would still be living in good health. And the third prince — he would not be half-dead and clinging to life. Most importantly — what manner of creature was Rong Huanxuan? A Young Lord of a great clan, and it turned out she was an illegitimate child?

Had the Rong Family head committed depravity with his own daughter-in-law to produce such a creature?

Such a filthy person — whose bloodline was tainted beyond measure — how could she have been worthy of becoming the daughter-in-law of his Tantai clan?

“Concerning what transpired in the Prince Jing’s sleeping quarters — what does the Rong Family head have to say for himself?” The Emperor An’he scratched at the back of his hand, his expression deeply displeased, and looked at the Rong Family head with undisguised contempt: “We were unaware that the Rong Young Lord’s identity was quite so peculiar. No wonder she was singled out for such particular favor — so she is actually your own daughter after all. You may not mind the question of bloodline purity, but the bloodline of our Tantai clan cannot be polluted in such a fashion. Fortunately, this matter did not come to pass — otherwise, We would have had no face to stand before Our imperial ancestors.”

A fleeting flash of venomous hatred passed through the Rong Family head’s downcast eyes. He spoke evenly: “It is true that Xuanxuan is my child — the circumstances behind this, this old one has no wish to elaborate upon at length. But as for her bloodline — it carries no taint whatsoever. From childhood, she was gifted beyond measure. Had she not been impatient and taken reckless shortcuts, she would have surpassed even this old one. Now that she has succumbed to a heart-demon and fallen into wickedness — this old one offers no excuse. This old one’s actions have already made the Rong Family’s position clear to all under heaven.”

The Emperor An’he’s expression eased somewhat. The man was truly ruthless enough — and to accomplish great things, one must be precisely that. But that didn’t mean he was going to pretend none of this had occurred, so he allowed himself one cutting remark: “The Rong Family head’s willingness to sacrifice kin for righteousness is truly a feat beyond the ability of ordinary men.”

The Rong Family head said with measured solemnity: “Your Majesty, the woman Lang Jiuchuan will without doubt become a great calamity for our Xuanzu. Furthermore, with the Gong Family at her back as her protectors, if she is not eliminated, the Tantai clan is in danger.”

The Emperor An’he’s eyelid twitched. He let out a cold laugh: “You wish to use the imperial house’s hand to cut down a personal enemy, do you not? You bear a grudge — that is understandable, after she forced you to sacrifice your own kin for righteousness. But hoping to use the imperial house as your whetstone? Your ambitions run a little too large.”

“Your Majesty, this woman’s cultivation is formidable, and her temperament wild and untameable. If she is not suppressed now, once her wings grow stronger, we will no longer be able to restrain her.” The Rong Family head said coldly, “Moreover, this person harbors a grudge for every slight, no matter how small. Take the matter of the marriage decree alone — in a matter of mere days, Prince Jing is dead, the third prince gravely wounded, and the Golden Phoenix Hall itself—”

“Silence!” The Emperor An’he seemed to have been stabbed at a raw nerve and bellowed with fury: “Had it not been for your suggestion of the marriage decree — your desire to cage her within the imperial family and clip her wings — why would such heavenly retribution have been visited upon us?”

The Rong Family head gave a contemptuous laugh: “Your Majesty is the true dragon son of heaven — does Your Majesty truly believe in heavenly retribution? It must be that this woman, displeased with the imperial family’s marriage decree, resorted to such villainy herself. If Your Majesty doubts it, look at Xuanxuan’s fate. In truth — those are nothing but a few common souls, worthless lives. What does it matter? Had my Rong Family’s Young Lord completed her cultivation to great mastery, she would herself have swept away far more such wicked obstructions. To sacrifice a handful of common souls to achieve this end — what of it? Since ancient times it has been said: behind the glory of a single general lie ten thousand bleached bones. What achievement has ever been won without sacrifice? To obtain something, one must first give something — is this not so?”

The Emperor An’he was caught short, and, unusually, could not find a counterargument.

“And yet she seized upon this trifling detail and, together with the various Daoist sects, pressured this old one into crippling Xuanxuan. Your Majesty — if she grows dissatisfied with a marriage decree again, and once more unites the various Daoist sects to turn against the imperial house?”

“She would dare!” The Emperor An’he trembled with fury and struck the arm of the Dragon Throne with a thunderous slap.

The Rong Family head gave a cold snort of laughter: “Your Majesty, the Gong Family’s relationship with this woman is close, and the Gong Family’s Young Lord is her staunch protector. As for the Gong Family’s true strength — Your Majesty understands it better than I do.”

The Emperor An’he’s expression darkened again.

The Gong Family was genuinely powerful. The talented sons of their clan seemed to be born carrying their gift for cultivation techniques in their very blood — it was as though it were an innate trait. Yes, the Gong Family gave the appearance of wishing to retreat from the world in search of quiet cultivation — but was this not also a way of withdrawing from the Xuanzu alliance and shedding the shackles and control that had bound them for two hundred years?

And then there was the Gong Family’s Young Lord — who had never once revealed his true cultivation level. The imperial house had absolutely no knowledge of what realm he had actually reached, let alone the Gong Family head himself.

And what did the Tantai clan have in comparison?

Their bloodline was growing ever more diluted, making it increasingly difficult to produce children of exceptional talent.

A thought struck the Emperor An’he, and he said: “In the face of the National Preceptor, their dreams of revolt are nothing but the ravings of a fool!”

The Rong Family head lowered his eyes, gazing at the black ring upon his thumb, and said in a flat voice: “It is precisely because of the National Preceptor that their arrogance must be cut down all the more. Your Majesty — if the National Preceptor’s realm sees no advancement, even the most formidable is but a single person’s strength. But should the Gong Family and that witch Lang Jiuchuan combine their forces — whether this realm will remain Tantai’s hereafter is not a certainty anyone can give.”

To cut a person down, strike not merely at the body but at the heart — and that was not a skill only they possessed.

The Emperor An’he’s expression shifted subtly. Five fingers curled around the armrest of the Dragon Throne, lips pressed shut.

What he feared most was having someone else occupy the throne beneath him. Were a Tantai clansman to take it, the sting would be less — but if the dynasty were overturned entirely, he would become the eternal sinner of the Tantai bloodline, condemned by all those who came after.

The Rong Family head watched the expression of the man on the Dragon Throne shift and ripple, and a flash of contempt passed through his eyes. “Your Majesty,” he said, “the imperial marriage decree has already been issued. Prince Jing is now dead. To spare the bereaved widow from a lonely fate — why not have the Lang clan’s ninth daughter, as a widow yet to complete the marriage, carry the memorial tablet and complete the ceremony? Or — bury her as a sacrifice to accompany him.”

The Emperor An’he’s eyelid twitched, and an expression of contemplation settled over his face.

At the corners of the Rong Family head’s lips, a thin, icy curve of a smile took shape.

Keep fighting back by all means. As for who will be left standing in the end — that remains yet to be seen.