Suddenly, the banquet hall doors slammed shut. The floor along the walls sank uniformly, plunging the room into darkness as torches and wall lamps extinguished. Even the luminous pearls embedded in the walls shattered with several loud cracks. In the blackness, only the sound of heavy chains sliding behind iron walls could be heard, reminiscent of a giant snake’s scales scraping as it slowly crawled.
Due to her previous experience of falling into an icy cave in the snowy mountains, Cai Zhao, standing at the edge of the hall, remained calmer than the others. In the last moment before darkness enveloped them, she glimpsed the direction of the sinking floor—iron walls flush with the banquet hall’s walls. As the ground gave way beneath her feet, she instantly stabbed her knife into the wall behind her while simultaneously throwing a silver chain toward Mu Qingyan, who stood in the center.
Although Cai Zhao’s silver knife was sharp, the wall behind her was unfortunately made of cast iron. The knife could only carve shallow grooves, merely slowing her descent. Just as she was about to draw the Yan Yang knife from her waist, she felt solid ground beneath her feet.
She had landed.
Landed? Cai Zhao was stunned.
At that moment, the lights flickered on.
Looking up, Cai Zhao discovered they were in a room about the same size as the banquet hall, with identical iron walls and massive pillars. Even the ceiling height was similar, around thirty feet. It was as if this lower room was the real first floor, and the banquet hall they had been in was merely a façade.
Everyone from the hall above had fallen. Some, like Cai Zhao, had managed to descend along the walls, while others, like Yu Huiyin, had slid down the pillars. Most, however, had been standing in the center with nothing to grab onto and fell directly to the floor.
Amidst groans of pain, the iron plate above their heads (which was the banquet hall’s floor) began to slowly close. A few agile guards leaped up, attempting to escape through the narrowing gap by using the walls for leverage.
Cai Zhao had the same idea, but as she moved, Song Yuzhi grabbed her, his face grave. “Don’t move! This trap is treacherous!”
Indeed, the slowly closing iron plate suddenly accelerated, snapping shut with several sharp clangs.
The guards who had just jumped were caught in midair. Several blood-curdling screams rang out as they were cleanly bisected—some at the waist, others at the neck. The most unfortunate was split at the head, his skull exploding instantly.
In mere moments, a rain of blood showered down, followed by the thuds of the guards’ mutilated bodies hitting the ground.
Song Yuzhi, face pale, tightly gripped Cai Zhao’s right shoulder.
Wincing in pain, Cai Zhao swatted at him. “Let go, Senior Brother. I won’t move.”
Realizing his overreaction, Song Yuzhi quickly loosened his grip. He then noticed Cai Zhao’s left hand was oddly extended, the silver chain on her wrist pulled taut.
Following its path, he saw the other end was in Mu Qingyan’s hand.
Mu Qingyan stood in the center, a thin silver line glinting around his sleek black waistband—the very chain Cai Zhao had thrown earlier. However, before she could pull him over, everyone had landed.
Song Yuzhi understood: even if he hadn’t restrained Cai Zhao, she would have been yanked back by Mu Qingyan’s hold on the chain as soon as she tried to move. Silently, he released the girl’s shoulder, and Mu Qingyan wordlessly let go of the chain.
Cai Zhao ruefully massaged her shoulder and left wrist, saying nothing more.
The three knew that unity was crucial now.
“Sien, Sien, are you alright?” Li Ruxin’s anxious calls rang out as she cradled her son.
The fall hadn’t been deep, and with Yu Huiyin’s help pulling them, mother and son were largely unharmed. However, the sudden event and the gruesome deaths of the guards overwhelmed young Nie Sien. He slumped weakly against his mother, breathing shallowly, clearly in shock.
Li Ruxin held her fragile son, tears streaming down her face. She turned to berate Nie Zhe: “Even tigers don’t eat their cubs! How could you lure us here? Are you trying to kill Sien?”
Though generally callous, Nie Zhe did value his only son to some extent. He immediately protested, “Woman, what nonsense are you spouting? If I had set this trap, would I have fallen in myself?”
Li Ruxin retorted, “When we left the inner hall, we could have escaped to the eastern council chamber with its exit to the surface. But you insisted on leading us here. Wasn’t this your pre-arranged trap?”
Nie Zhe, exasperated, shouted, “Shut up, you wench! Yes, I intentionally led everyone here because—”
Before he could finish, several loud cracks interrupted him. Near the ceiling, two-foot-square windows opened in each iron wall. Objects began falling through these openings with dull thuds. Upon closer inspection, everyone was horrified.
These falling objects were corpses.
Amid gasps of shock, the eight small windows continued to drop bodies into the room—men, women, old, young, guards, servants, gardeners, cooks, even the carcasses of cats and dogs.
Cai Zhao had never seen so many corpses in her life. Though she knew they were already dead, the terrified expressions frozen on their faces sent chills down her spine.
Hu Fengge’s eyes flashed as she barked an order: “Men, go up and block those openings!”
Her long-standing authority carried weight. Several guards immediately began scaling the walls, attempting to stuff the falling corpses back through the windows and block further bodies from falling.
The eight windows were indeed forcibly plugged.
Hu Fengge smiled with satisfaction, and Nie Zhe sighed in relief. “Fengge, thank goodness you’re here—”
“Ahhhhh!” Screams suddenly erupted as the guards at the windows fell heavily, writhing and wailing on the ground.
Hu Fengge rushed over to examine them. The guards’ hands and bodies were bubbling with a watery substance, their exposed flesh and skin rapidly dissolving to reveal stark white bone beneath.
“Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain?!” Shangguan Haonan exclaimed in shock.
Everyone was stunned. Looking up, they saw tiny holes surrounding the eight windows, oozing a greenish liquid. The guards had come into contact with this Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain while clinging to the walls.
Hu Fengge’s face hardened. With swift strokes of her blade, she severed the limbs of the guards whose extremities were dissolving, halting the spread of corrosion.
With this obstruction removed, corpses once again began tumbling from the eight windows.
Hu Fengge spat bitterly, “I’d like to see just how many bodies they plan to drop. Do they intend to bury us alive with corpses?”
“No, that can’t be,” Nie Zhe said, terrified.
“Of course not,” Mu Qingyan replied calmly. “This hall isn’t small, but it’s not enormous either. To fill it with corpses would require thousands of bodies. The极乐宫 doesn’t have that many people. However…”
“However what?!” Nie Zhe asked anxiously.
Mu Qingyan continued, “While these corpses won’t fill the entire room, they’ll likely cover the entire floor.”
“So what?” Hu Fengge pressed.
Mu Qingyan smiled coldly. “A floor covered in corpses, plus several vials of Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain. What do you think will happen?”
Everyone gasped as realization dawned—any flesh touching the Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain would dissolve into a puddle of blood, with no exceptions. Worse still, the blood from the dissolving corpses would spread the corrosion further.
At that moment, the eight windows abruptly stopped dropping bodies and snapped shut. Immediately, the tiny holes in the walls began spraying the greenish, poisonous liquid.
The poison rained down, landing directly on the pile of corpses. As Mu Qingyan had predicted, the bodies began to rot and melt, their fluids pooling on the floor. These puddles expanded and merged, quickly rendering the ground uninhabitable.
Amidst panicked cries, those still able to move desperately tried to embed their weapons into the iron walls, hoping to hang on. However, the walls were incredibly thick. Even common weapons could only penetrate a few inches. Cai Zhao, wielding her Yan Yang knife, managed to embed it only half a foot deep.
“How thick are these walls?” Cai Zhao asked anxiously.
Mu Qingyan’s eyes flickered with pity. “The underground palace beneath Jile Palace was built by the fifth-generation master, Mu Donglie. My father said each iron wall is three feet thick.”
“Three feet?!” Cai Zhao exclaimed, disheartened. “Why build them so thick?”
Mu Qingyan explained, “During Mu Donglie’s reign, the Xianhua State was at its peak of power. With abundant resources and manpower, they spared no expense.”
“This spells disaster for us!” Shangguan Haonan lamented.
Mu Qingyan looked up and called out, “Isn’t it time you showed yourself? Wouldn’t you like to witness our demise in person, after all your scheming?”
Song Yuzhi raised an eyebrow. “You know who’s behind this?”
“I have a good guess,” Mu Qingyan said bitterly. “I was careless; I never imagined this person was still alive.”
At that moment, one of the eight small windows slowly opened.
“Hahaha, truly a young hero,” a cackling laugh echoed from the darkness. The sound of wheels accompanied the appearance of a withered man with graying hair in a wheelchair at the window. “If your ancestors had your courage and wit, would we be here today?”
Hu Fengge had helped Nie Zhe hang from a torch bracket. Upon seeing the man, Nie Zhe burst into tears. “Third Brother, save me! You said you’d help if I lured everyone here. I did as you asked! You can’t just watch me die!”
The man sneered, “You fool! I gave you so much Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain, and you couldn’t even use it properly!”
Yu Huiyin recognized the familiar voice and exclaimed in shock, “Third Brother, is that you?”
Li Ruxin, hanging from his arm, also cried out, “Third Brother, you’re alive? We thought you died with Big Brother at Qingluo River! If you survived, why didn’t you come to us?”
Cai Zhao’s mind raced, and she gasped, “So this is Han Yisu.”
Mu Qingyan confirmed, “Indeed, it’s him.”
Yu Huiyin looked closely at Han Yisu. Though only seven or eight years older than himself, Han now appeared sickly and ancient. Yu choked up, “Third Brother, what happened to you? If you didn’t want to show yourself, you could have come to me. We could have lived in seclusion together.”
Han Yisu’s face was covered in scars, giving him a ghostly appearance. “After narrowly escaping death, I was already a dead man walking. I didn’t want to be far from Master, so I hid in the underground palace, intending to guard his remains for the rest of my days…”
Mu Qingyan suddenly interjected, “What remains? After Nie Hengcheng was defeated and killed by Cai Pingxu, wasn’t he immediately dismembered by the Six Northern Sects who arrived at Tu Mountain? At most, you and Zhao Tianba could have collected some fragments to cremate and enshrine, merely for sentimental value.”
Song Yuzhi glanced at him curiously. Though they hadn’t known each other long, he had come to understand Mu Qingyan as someone who played his cards close to his chest, never revealing his hand until the last moment. It seemed odd that he would provoke Han Yisu so quickly after his appearance.
As expected, Han Yisu flew into a rage. “You dare disrespect my master, you little brat! I had planned to live out my days in peace, no longer meddling in worldly affairs. But to hear you insult my master! He dedicated his life to the realm, toiling endlessly, and now…”
“You speak of detachment,” Mu Qingyan interrupted, “but you and your master were always experts at feigning righteousness while acting despicably. You may have faked your death and hidden under Nie Zhe’s protection, but once I reclaim power and thoroughly search Jile Palace, where will you hide then? Sooner or later, you were bound to support Nie Zhe. No need for such lofty pretenses!”
Han Yisu furiously pounded his wheelchair, shouting, “How dare you, a mere child, criticize my master! What has he ever done to wrong the realm? Soon, I’ll seal all exits. Let’s see if you can hang on those walls forever. The moment you fall, you’ll dissolve into a puddle of blood. Hahaha!”
“Enough,” Mu Qingyan said coldly. “After going to such lengths, do you intend to let me live? Even if I begged for mercy now, it would only invite mockery. I was careless, never imagining your ghostly presence still lingering in this world. I accept the consequences of my miscalculation. No need for further words.”
Han Yisu’s laughter suddenly ceased, his expression turning sinister. “You’re so eager to cut me off. Who are you afraid I’ll mention?”
Mu Qingyan’s handsome face turned slightly ashen. “A man stands by his words and actions. Don’t drag women into this!”
Han Yisu smiled maliciously. “Women? I wouldn’t underestimate them. Cai Pingxu was a woman, after all. I had no intention of helping the incompetent Nie Zhe. The reason I’ve emerged is because I heard something. You… you brought that Cai family bitch into Jile Palace—how dare you dishonor my master like this!” He pointed directly at Cai Zhao.
Everyone was shocked, turning to look at the girl beside Mu Qingyan.
Yu Huiyin’s expression darkened. “You… you’re Cai Pingxu’s…”
Nie Zhe grinned. “That’s right, this girl is Cai Pingchun’s daughter, Cai Pingxu’s niece whom she raised herself—Cai Zhao! Look at the knife in her hand. Isn’t that the Yan Yang Knife?”
Everyone looked, confirming it was true.
Yu Huiyin’s face fell, while Hu Fengge began berating Mu Qingyan directly. “Young Lord Mu, though I serve the current master, I believed your claim to power was not unreasonable. But bringing a Cai family member into Jile Palace? How do you explain this?”
Li Ruxin, who had been focused solely on her son until now, furrowed her brows in anger. “Whatever faults my uncle had, he still rendered great service to the realm. He died a cruel death at Cai Pingxu’s hands. Since then, the entire Cai family has been my sworn enemy. How could you bring one of them into Jile Palace?”
Cai Zhao finally realized the trouble she had inadvertently caused and was at a loss for words.
Song Yuzhi and Shangguan Haonan also looked displeased.
Mu Qingyan burst into laughter. “Haha! What a bunch of cowards! What a group of useless, resentful mice!”
He continued, “In the great battle at Tu Mountain when Cai Pingxu faced Nie Hengcheng, did she use hidden weapons? Did she set traps? Did she rely on numbers? It was a fair duel to the death, with heaven deciding the victor. Nie Hengcheng’s death was a natural outcome, as he would have acknowledged. Yet you, his disciples and followers, have harbored this resentment for years!”
“If Nie Hengcheng feared death so much, he should have retired to cultivate himself and prolong his life! He was older than Cai Pingxu by quite a margin, a whole generation above her. In the end, his skills were inferior. How embarrassing that you still bring this up without shame!”
“If you’re truly so indignant, why not hone your skills and challenge the real culprit to regain your honor? Cai Pingchun is right there in Luoying Valley. The valley is right there. If you respect Nie Hengcheng so much, why haven’t you gone?”
Mu Qingyan suddenly feigned realization. “Oh, I forgot. You did go. But like a master, like a disciple—your skills were lacking. You were utterly defeated at Qingluo River and never recovered your reputation! Hahaha…”
Li Ruxin trembled with rage, while Han Yisu’s face turned ashen. He snarled, “Enough of your glib tongue, brat! Listen, all of you. Today, I only want to kill that Cai family bitch. Whoever helps me slay her, I’ll open the mechanism and let you out. After that, I don’t care how you fight amongst yourselves!”
“Otherwise,” he sneered, “I’ll lock the mechanism permanently, and you can all rot in here!”
At these words, everyone clinging to the walls hesitated.
Surprisingly, Mu Qingyan acted the fastest.
He yanked Cai Zhao behind him, executing a graceful mid-air spin to move two zhang horizontally, hanging beneath a torch. Simultaneously, he struck out with two palm strikes, knocking back two guards who had tried to approach. The guards fell to the ground, instantly touching the poisonous blood and howling in agony as they awaited death.
Mu Qingyan coldly challenged, “Come and try if you dare. I may not be able to open the iron wall mechanism, but I can certainly knock you to the ground.”
Cai Zhao clutched his robe from behind. His tall, broad figure felt like a solid, reliable mountain. Her heart raced with both gratitude and panic.
Those who had considered moving immediately stopped.
Han Yisu, annoyed, called out, “Shangguan Haonan, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang once served my master loyally. Given the current situation, shouldn’t you switch sides now?”
Song Yuzhi, startled, began to move towards Cai Zhao.
But Mu Qingyan stopped him, “Stay where you are! Don’t come closer!”
Song Yuzhi was bewildered. “I want to help protect Zhao Zhao with you.”
Mu Qingyan replied coldly, “I don’t trust you.”
Song Yuzhi was stunned, finally understanding why Mu Qingyan had so quickly moved Cai Zhao away earlier.
Mu Qingyan had anticipated Han Yisu would incite everyone to kill Cai Zhao. He had first tried to provoke Han Yisu to divert his attention; when that failed, he resorted to openly distrusting not only Shangguan Haonan but even Song Yuzhi.
Now, everyone’s attention turned to Shangguan Haonan.
After his expression changed several times, Shangguan Haonan firmly shook his head. “Joining Young Lord Mu was my own decision. A man of honor doesn’t regret his choices or change sides midway. Just as our elders loyally followed Nie Hengcheng to their deaths without regret, so shall I.”
Song Yuzhi gained a newfound respect for this demonic sect leader, realizing that loyalty and honor weren’t exclusive to righteous martial artists.
Han Yisu raged, “Fine! Since you choose death, I’ll close all escape routes now…”
“Third Brother!” Nie Zhe wailed. “What about me? I’m Uncle’s only blood relative!”
Han Yisu sneered, “A waste like you dares invoke Master’s name? You’ve utterly disgraced his legacy! Go apologize to him in the underworld!”
Hearing Han Yisu disregard even Nie Zhe’s life, the others felt increasingly hopeless.
“Third Brother, wait!” Yu Huiyin suddenly cried out. “What about Seventh Sister and Sien? Are you abandoning them to avenge Master? Have you forgotten how much Master loved Seventh Sister? Even if Fifth Brother has acted improperly these years, Sien is completely innocent!”
As Yu Huiyin mentioned the past, memories flooded Han Yisu’s mind:
His hometown flooded when he was young. His parents placed him in a wooden barrel, hoping he’d survive. After days of hunger, adrift in endless waves, Nie Hengcheng rescued him and gave him a name.
“To encounter me in such vast, boundless waters – you must be blessed with great fortune. You’re like a mote in the ocean, so I’ll call you Han Yisu.” The young Nie Hengcheng was tall and robust, with a hearty laugh.
In his youth, Han trained with his fellow disciples. Nie Hengcheng, then in his prime, was decisive and wise, growing in authority. Yet whenever he had a moment free from duties, he’d carry little Li Ruxin on his shoulders, personally instructing his disciples.
Han Yisu’s heart trembled. Seeing Li Ruxin’s pale face and her sickly child, he softened. With a long sigh, he relented, “Fine. Huiyin, bring Ruxin and Sien over.”
As he spoke, the small window expanded two feet in each direction, revealing Han Yisu’s knees in his wheelchair and the iron tubes on either side that sprayed the Bone-Eating Heavenly Rain.
“The rest of you, don’t move! Or I’ll send you to the underworld first!” Han Yisu’s shout deterred the others who were tempted to act.
Li Ruxin gritted her teeth. “I don’t care about myself. If it means avenging Uncle, I’m willing to die!”
Nie Zhe cursed, “Stupid woman! Your death doesn’t matter, but what about Sien?!”
Li Ruxin hugged her son tighter, her heart-wrenching.
Yu Huiyin tied Li Ruxin and her son with his belt, gripping it with one hand. With the other, he pushed off the iron wall, leaping to Han Yisu’s side and entering through the window.
Nie Zhe watched enviously and pleaded again, “Third Brother, please, for Uncle’s sake, spare my life!”
Having made one concession, Han Yisu’s resolve weakened. He sighed again, “Fine, you can come too.” Then he glared hatefully at Mu Qingyan and the others. “Let them die together!”
Overjoyed, Nie Zhe called out, “Fengge, quickly!” Though injured, he was confident in maneuvering between the walls.
Hu Fengge grabbed Nie Zhe and spiraled towards Han Yisu’s window.
At this moment, Mu Qingyan reached behind him, writing a character in Cai Zhao’s palm: ‘Seize’.
Cai Zhao’s heart raced. She gripped back, signaling her understanding.
As Hu Fengge climbed into the window, Nie Zhe sprawled by Han Yisu’s wheelchair, gasping. Hu Fengge stood behind, catching her breath.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyan recited loudly: “Phoenix, oh phoenix, return to your homeland!”
Everyone, including Han Yisu, was puzzled by this.
In that instant, Hu Fengge struck!
She kicked Nie Zhe out of the window, then struck Han Yisu’s back with both palms.
Yu Huiyin, shocked, moved to attack Hu Fengge. She countered, and they engaged in a fierce fight, evenly matched. Han Yisu, thrown from his wheelchair, coughed blood. Fighting through the pain, he reached for the mechanism by the window, intending to close the iron doors and release the poison to kill those inside.
But Mu Qingyan had already leaped over, stomping on Han Yisu’s hand and seizing the mechanism.
Behind him, Cai Zhao swung her silver chain, forcefully breaking all the poison sprayers.
Soon, Song Yuzhi and others arrived. They knocked down the remaining guards who tried to attack, sending them tumbling into the poison pool below, where they joined Nie Zhe in agonized screams as they dissolved.
In an instant, the situation reversed, with Mu Qingyan’s group in full control.
“Yu Huiyin, stop fighting!” Hu Fengge commanded. “Nie Zhe must die, but I’m willing to plead with Young Lord Mu for Lady Li and her son!”
Hearing this, Yu Huiyin slowly ceased his attacks.
Hearing Nie Zhe’s continued wails below, he quickly flew down to retrieve him. However, Nie Zhe’s body was already covered in bursting blood blisters from the corrosive poison.
Han Yisu, lying on the ground convulsing, glared at Hu Fengge with clouded eyes. “Master treated you well. Joining Mu Qingyan makes you a heartless, ungrateful traitor!”
Hu Fengge scoffed mockingly, “I was an orphan recruited by the Tiangang Dishei Camp as a suicide soldier. I served the Nie family in exchange for food and shelter. It was a fair trade; I owe them nothing.”
Han Yisu gritted his teeth, “What did Mu Qingyan offer you to make you switch sides at this critical moment?”
Hu Fengge’s cold, fierce expression suddenly softened. “Nothing special. I just owed someone a debt I could never repay, so I’m repaying it to his son instead.”
“Mu Zhengming?” Yu Huiyin blurted out.
Hu Fengge nodded. “If not for him, I’d have died three times over by now.”
Yu Huiyin looked deeply apologetic. “Was it… back then? I should have come to find you…”
“At that time, Nie Hengcheng had just adopted you. You, a servant’s son, were still being bullied. You had no say in the Tiangang Dishei Camp,” Hu Fengge said. “I don’t blame you.”
Han Yisu suddenly turned to Mu Qingyan. “If Hu Fengge had secretly joined you long ago, why did you choose to flee like a stray dog when your life was in danger over a year ago, instead of having her intervene?”
Mu Qingyan replied slowly, “Because I didn’t recruit allies just to save my own life.”
Han Yisu’s pupils dilated.
Mu Qingyan continued, “When my father passed away years ago, I made a decision. If I couldn’t succeed, I’d rather die without a burial place.”
Cai Zhao, moved, and asked softly, “Is that why you named that small courtyard ‘A Moment of Splendor’?”
Mu Qingyan turned to her and nodded. “Unlike my father, I won’t compromise or endure for the sake of the bigger picture. If I can’t root out corruption and eliminate Nie’s faction, I’d rather my life end in an instant.”
Han Yisu finally understood. Laughing through blood, he exclaimed, “Well, well! Such a determined and resilient Young Lord Mu. The Mu family indeed deserves its resurgence!”
His eyes fixed on Mu Qingyan. “In my heart, you’re ten thousand times better than that waste Nie Zhe. But alas, I must still avenge my master…”
As he uttered those last words, Mu Qingyan sensed danger, but it was too late.
Han Yisu rolled forcefully, plunging through the window into the pool of poisonous blood and dismembered corpses below. Enduring the agony of his flesh corroding, he frantically searched the base of the wall until he found a pull ring. He yanked it hard—
A deafening explosion shook the room, nearly bursting everyone’s eardrums.
The chamber began to quake violently. Iron walls cracked, the floor caved in, and massive pillars toppled. Everyone staggered, realizing the small inner room was about to collapse, threatening to drop them into the blood pool below.
Amidst the chaos, Mu Qingyan grabbed Cai Zhao and rolled with her towards a dark opening on the side.