In the year 627 of the Haoli Calendar, deep winter, the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Imperial Capital Yingshui City.

The annoying heavy snow had already fallen for three days, with accumulation reaching up to an adult’s knees, but fortunately, it finally stopped that night.

Yet people’s faces showed not joy but fear, because everything in sight had been coated with a thick, viscous red glow—battlements, houses, sheds… everywhere bore ominously heavy colors. Citizens sitting in their homes, looking at the similarly reddened faces of their loved ones, felt uneasy and terrified.

Looking up, a red moon hung in the sky, as round as a plate and as crimson as blood.

The day of legend had finally arrived!

The streets and alleys, normally bustling with carriages and horses, were now empty, without even the barking of dogs or crowing of roosters. Yingshui City had become an isolated fortress seven days ago, voluntarily cutting off external communications, and no longer allowing entry or exit. Today’s curfew had been moved up to the hour of Shen (3-5 PM). Before the sun had even set, shops and restaurants had all closed, and everyone had been driven back into their homes, with every household tightly shutting their doors.

Only soldiers in grim armor were permitted to remain on the streets, patrolling back and forth.

Whoever dared step half a pace outside their home would doom their entire family to death with them! This was an iron decree, beyond question.

Gradually, the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) arrived. The blood moon grew increasingly red and brilliant as if the entire Yingshui City had been dipped in a vat of dye. The light from the sky gradually dimmed, and the city dwellers sat in their homes, necks craned toward the sky, their uneasy gazes quickly filling with terror.

The sky was filled with wisps of red smoke, originally inconspicuous in the same-colored moonlight, but growing increasingly massive until it blocked more than half the light shining down on Yingshui City. Fortunately, a transparent dome had somehow been erected above the city, keeping the red smoke outside. Ordinary people shouldn’t have been able to see it, yet the red smoke seemed alive, coiling and twisting as it tried to penetrate the dome, probing everywhere as if searching for a breach.

Those with good eyesight could see faces formed from the red smoke on the dome—some ferocious, some beautiful, some with horns on their heads, some with green faces and fangs—each different, but all resembling masks from nightmares.

Some laughed, some scowled, some raged, some wept.

Bizarre and grotesque, like falling into purgatory.

The spectators’ teeth chattered, making clicking sounds before they stammered, “Ce-celestial demons!”

It was no baseless rumor—the celestial demons had truly come.

The prophecy had come true.

Even the most stubborn people now had to cut their last thread of doubt and admire His Majesty’s foresight.

Fortunately, the transparent dome proved remarkably effective; no matter how the red smoke tried to infiltrate, it remained impenetrable. Black and white mists appeared in the sky, entangling with the red smoke in a manner that strangely brought to mind a phrase:

Fight to the death.

These affairs in the sky were too distant for ordinary people; commoners only saw that the red smoke’s assaults on the transparent dome became increasingly obvious, its force seemingly growing stronger.

They roared in rage, appearing to burn their lives completely, releasing all their remaining energy recklessly, even if their ultimate fate was to crash against the barrier and shatter, vanishing into nothingness.

They came in waves, violent and frenzied.

Eventually, almost every impact made the entire Yingshui City tremble unceasingly; each blow felt like a muffled hammer, striking heavily on the hearts of all citizens.

This level of confrontation fully displayed the insignificance of human power. Countless mortals could only kneel on the ground, facing east in reverent worship, praying for Yingshui City’s safety.

Perhaps heaven was moved by the people’s sincerity. The transparent barrier, seemingly fragile and often appearing on the verge of collapse, miraculously persisted until the end without being breached.

Each second felt like a year.

Thankfully, time eventually passes. Within the bitter endurance of the people, the Hour of Zi (11 PM-1 AM) arrived.

“Dong—”

Just as the bell signaling the third watch of the night sounded, the sky above Yingshui City suddenly cleared completely.

The red smoke was gone, the faces were gone, the trembling was gone.

Their disappearance was as abrupt as their arrival.

Then the moonlight shed its blood-red hue, returning to its clear, watery brightness, coating the surviving capital with a warm glow.

Silent and peaceful, as always.

A new day had arrived, and all the strange phenomena people had just experienced seemed never to have existed.

Heaven and earth were clear, the universe bright and open.

This meant the celestial demons had retreated, and the Haoli Kingdom… was saved.

In Yingshui City, some let out long sighs of relief, some had their doubts dispelled, some smiled through tears, and some stared blankly with raised heads before cheers nearly lifted the entire capital!

Crackling and popping, the sound of firecrackers seemed contagious, quickly growing from few to many, from scattered to intense.

Though people still couldn’t go outside, this didn’t prevent the overjoyed citizens from lighting some firecrackers to celebrate. The air gradually filled with the smell of gunpowder, even stronger than during the New Year.

Surviving a brush with death was a cause for celebration.

Amid this clamor, there came the sound of wheels on Baishi Avenue, approaching from a distance—a large black carriage heading straight for the city gate. The soldiers guarding the gate quickly went to meet it. Seeing the insignia on the carriage, the reprimand they were about to utter was swallowed back. After hesitating, one still raised his hand and said, “The city gates are closed; this road is blocked. Noble one, please turn back!”

The carriage curtain lifted, revealing a young man in brocade clothes with delicate skin and handsome features, though his eyes were red and swollen. He shouted, “Open the gate! I have urgent business outside the city!”

The gate officer came running, bowing to him. Though his gesture was respectful, his intention to refuse was obvious: “The curfew has not ended. Please return after the morning bell rings at the fifth quarter of the Hour of Yin (3-5 AM).”

“You dare deceive me? The celestial demon attack has passed—what danger remains?” The young man’s expression changed instantly, while he waved a black token in his hand. “Quickly open the city gate! If you delay my important matters, you slave will pay with your dog head!”

The gate officer knew the tokens of various mansions well. Seeing this, he was stunned for a moment, his face showing difficulty. But by now, several people had galloped over on horseback. The leader spoke, drawing out the word “Oh” with exaggerated inflection: “What important business could outweigh the current imperial decree?”

Hearing this shrill voice, the gate officer’s expression changed. He lowered his head and stood at attention, not daring to utter another word. He knew this was no longer his affair.

Even the brocade-clad youth, seeing the newcomers, put away his arrogant manner and called out loudly, “Eunuch Cai, my great-grandmother is resting at an estate outside the city. A few days ago, we received bad news that her health was declining… Now that the celestial demon attack has passed, I must hurry to see her!”

“News from a few days ago?” Eunuch Cai gave a sharp laugh. “By now she is probably…” He was very old, his face as wrinkled as tree bark. This laugh seemed to split a crack in his face, looking not warm but adding a touch of eeriness.

“You… you!” Not expecting such impertinence, the brocade youth was genuinely stunned, and then his face darkened with anger: “How dare you speak such evil words to our Prime Minister’s household! Her ladyship is Consort Mei’s…”

“She is also Consort Mei’s great-grandmother, I know,” Eunuch Cai interrupted. “Yingshui City has been sealed off from the outside for seven days. How did you receive this news?”

The brocade youth was startled, his face showing hesitation: “This, this…”

“Never mind, you are merely fulfilling your filial duty. They say the law does not go against human sentiment,” Eunuch Cai said methodically, snapping his fingers. “Very well, I’ll send you to see her right now.”

The brocade youth’s expression finally eased: “Then quickly open…”

Before the word “gate” could leave his mouth, there was a flash of brightness before his eyes. One of Eunuch Cai’s guards had thrust forward his sword, silently cutting off half the youth’s head!

With a rolling sound, the head fell to the ground, and the headless body collapsed backward.

The inside of the carriage was splashed with red, brains smeared on the ground. The smell of blood spread, making people nauseous.

The driver at the front tumbled from the carriage and wailed loudly at the sight of the still-twitching corpse. But before he could cry out twice, the guard found him annoying and dispatched him to the netherworld with a similar swift movement.

“Disregarding the imperial decree, heh heh!” Eunuch Cai snorted, finally revealing a face full of contempt. “Pampered wastrel!” Even in death, he never knew he’d been used as a pawn.

In the depths of winter, the gate officer felt phantom sweat streaming down his back. A eunuch killing an official, and the victim being the son of the Prime Minister’s household—all happening right before his eyes!

Should he pretend he hadn’t seen it, or truly not see it? The gate officer only wished he were blind, yet his gaze couldn’t help but linger on the golden sword held by Eunuch Cai’s guard.

Seeing the gold-cutting jade sword was like seeing His Majesty in person—this was Eunuch Cai’s greatest backing. But beheading a high official’s son in the street without warning was too shocking.

Was there ever such a precedent? Perhaps… perhaps upheaval was not far off.

The events here were eye-catching, and with the darkness of night, no one noticed a paper talisman attached to the city gate suddenly move slightly. The movement was almost imperceptible to the human eye, yet a wisp of red smoke, so faint it was barely visible, took the opportunity to slip through the door crack, hugging the base of the wall as it fled, disappearing without a trace in less than a breath.

It vividly illustrated the meaning of “vanishing in a puff of smoke.”

“Clean this up thoroughly,” Eunuch Cai brushed his sleeve and turned to the gate officer. “Everyone stand properly; I’ll check the formation seal!”

There was a reason why the soldiers guarding the gate all stood still with their arms folded in salute when they saw him. Besides the gate officer, there were eighteen men at the gate, arranged in a precise pattern. Each position was carefully calculated, and none could move.

These men had all been carefully selected, with strong birth horoscopes and an aura of blazing vital energy, holding specially crafted ritual tools that allowed them to serve as anchor points for the barrier.

The formation that could withstand celestial demons needed meticulous arrangement. To protect the entire Yingshui City required not even the slightest error.

Otherwise, all previous efforts would be wasted.

Although the celestial demon attack seemed to have passed, none of those in the know dared to relax.

Eunuch Cai examined their faces one by one. Seeing they were clear-minded with bright eyes, he nodded in satisfaction and went to check the paper talismans sealing the city gate.

Though called “paper,” they were refined copper sheets, each about one finger thick and five fingers wide. The talismanic scripts were written with special materials, and if one approached closely, one could even detect a faint smell of blood.

There were nine talismans sealing the gate, each in its original position, properly aligned, even emitting a faint yellow glow. The tremors caused by the celestial demon attack, though great, had not moved them in the slightest.

This defensive battle appeared perfect. Only a very few individuals knew what price the Haoli Empire had truly paid for this victory.

Eunuch Cai was satisfied, and his tense face finally relaxed. After deliberately giving a few instructions, he mounted his horse and left to inspect other locations.

If one could look down from high above, one would discover that such formation points were distributed throughout the city, eighty-one locations in total, each with the same number of talismans and personnel. The barrier that had stubbornly resisted the celestial demons’ invasion was generated by this grand formation.

After Eunuch Cai had gone far away, people came to remove the carriage and the bodies from the earlier bloodshed, cleaning up the bloodstains thoroughly.

The guards at the city gate now seemed slightly relaxed. The crisis of the celestial demon attack had passed, and though they still couldn’t move, they began to chat and joke. Someone teased, “Stone, has your little stone been born yet?”

The man called Stone looked worried: “When I rushed here, my wife was already pushing. The midwife couldn’t come, so I even lent a hand… I don’t know how things are now.”

The gate officer at the front twitched his eyelid and turned to glare at him: “You helped your wife deliver?”

His face darkened, veins throbbing on his forehead as if he’d seen a ghost. Stone was startled by his reaction and stammered, “Ah, it… it was just for a quarter of an hour before I was called here. I helped deliver calves and lambs when I was young, it’s not difficult…”

The gate officer harshly interrupted him: “The authorities strictly ordered us not to touch filth while guarding the gate. Did you ignore it completely?”

Stone immediately fell silent, though his face was full of grievance.

The gate officer understood the timing had been critical—no midwife could have come to help during such times. Childbirth for women was like crossing the ghost gate; without assistance at the crucial moment, it could mean two deaths. However—

“Thankfully the formation is undamaged, otherwise we would be sinners for eternity, dragging down the two million plus citizens of this city!” Fortunately, there were no outsiders by the gate. He made a decision and swept his gaze over his subordinates’ faces, saying gravely, “Listen well, this matter must be buried in your bellies. From now on, none of you is permitted to visit taverns to drink. If even one word leaks out, all nineteen of us, including myself, will face punishment that extends to our entire families!”

The guards’ faces grew even more pale and ashen in the cold wind as they loudly answered, “Yes!” The celestial demons had retreated, they had protected Yingshui City, and everyone had merit and would surely be rewarded—why speak of this capital offense?

This oversight indeed needed to be buried deep.

However, the celebrations of the capital’s residents couldn’t continue for long. Just two days later, the Haoli Kingdom suddenly announced:

A celestial demon had infiltrated the city.

To prevent it from possessing a body, all infants born in Yingshui City on that day, regardless of gender, would be executed!

Great joy turned to great shock, and the Kingdom was in an uproar. Soldiers searched homes for infants, and wails rose throughout the capital amid sounds of beatings and cursing. In the chaos, over twelve thousand people who clashed with officials were massacred.

Furthermore, because the royal court issued an order rewarding neighbors who informed each other, countless false and unjust cases emerged.

The court was shaken the Kingdom was in turmoil.

Thereafter, natural disasters became frequent—droughts and floods continued, strange phenomena appeared in various places, and the Haoli Kingdom’s suppression was unceasing, often using cruel methods.

Their law killed many people.

Those with ambition used this as a pretext to rise and compete for the Central Plains, and from then on, the world was in flux, with royal authority unstable.

Fifteen years later, the Haoli Kingdom fell.

Beside the sunken boat, thousands of ships race past. Time flows on, and in the blink of an eye, more than three hundred years have passed.