Chapter 52: Winds Rising in the Imperial City

The night was pitch black.

Within the imperial city, Aunt Qin was covered in blood.

The horror in her eyes had not yet dissipated, but she was frantically running towards the inner city.

The two auras behind her did not pursue but instead went into hiding.

However, the terror lingering on Aunt Qin had not faded.

She hurried into the palace.

"Aunt Qin, what happened to you?" Seeing Aunt Qin covered in blood, Jin Li was horrified.

Nearby, Duke Yu and the great scholar Kong Qi, who were overseeing the construction of the sacrificial altar, also quickly approached, clearly noticing Aunt Qin's dire state.

Upon seeing Aunt Qin's severe injuries, both men's eyes revealed concern and despair.

In recent days, they had not only been building the sacrificial altar but also secretly plotting with Aunt Qin to see if they could smuggle Empress Jin Li out of the imperial city.

Tonight, Aunt Qin had sneaked out of the city to test the waters.

Unexpectedly, Aunt Qin returned gravely injured.

"Cough, cough..." Aunt Qin coughed, spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with pieces of shattered organs.

Seeing this, Jin Li hurriedly fed Aunt Qin the healing medicine brought by the flower fairy.

After taking the medicine, Aunt Qin's complexion improved slightly.

"Aunt Qin, are you feeling better?" Jin Li was extremely worried.

"I'm better, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Aunt Qin looked at the crowd and said heavily, "Just now, when I tried to leave the city, I was intercepted by two emperor-level beings!"

"What, two of them?"

"If it were only two, they wouldn't have injured me so severely. There were also several others lurking in the shadows. Most importantly, they weren't human; they were demons! A massive formation has been set up outside the imperial city!" Aunt Qin spoke rapidly.

Hearing this, everyone's faces changed dramatically.

The great scholar Kong Qi's beard trembled: "Demons? A formation?"

"Outside the formation, there was a blood-red sky with three thousand white flags, indicating it is likely the Soul Entrapment Formation!" As Aunt Qin spoke, everyone present felt weak at the knees.

The Soul Entrapment Formation was notoriously infamous.

Fifty years ago, a small country bordering the demon beast territory was invaded by demons, who set up the Soul Entrapment Formation, brutally killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Because of that incident, the human nations of the Moonwatch Continent were enraged, forming an allied army to fight the demons.

As a result, both sides suffered heavy losses.

It was also due to that conflict that the royal authority of the Nanqian Kingdom began to decline gradually.

Several major human nations underwent significant changes.

Now hearing Aunt Qin say that there was a Soul Entrapment Formation outside the imperial city, how could they not be terrified?

"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Duke Yu asked Aunt Qin, his voice heavy.

Everyone else also looked at Aunt Qin anxiously.

Aunt Qin said, "I did not see wrong; it is indeed the Soul Entrapment Formation!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Qi fell to the ground in despair, then suddenly stood up: "I must ask, what exactly does Sima Ting want?"

Jin Li, hearing this news, also felt a twinge of fear.

She had also thought that Sima Ting merely wanted to usurp the throne and take her life and those of her supporters.

Now it seemed that Sima Ting harbored malicious intentions to destroy the entire Nanqian Kingdom!

But how could so many demons, even emperor-level ones, enter Nanqian?

Didn't the Tianyun Sacred Sect know about this?

Jin Li felt a chill. She realized this situation was far more complex than she had imagined.

However, looking at the sacrificial altar nearing completion, her eyes showed a fierce determination: "Let's set this aside for now. We must first complete the sacrificial altar!"

Her voice was firm and unquestionable.

The previously despondent Kong Qi also stood up: "As you command."

However, his spirit was completely gone.

Jin Li returned to her chamber, standing alone in her bedroom, looking through the window at the ancient Kizakura tree in the sky, tightly gripping her Linglong Jade Seal.

"Qi Yuan, what would you do in this situation?"

...

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Sima Ting bowed his head, looking extremely obsequious.

"Honored sirs, if that person is not eliminated, he might reveal the formation, disrupting your grand plan."

The slender emperor of the Tianyun Sacred Sect smiled without speaking.

The demon emperor was indifferent: "The formation is already set. Let it be revealed if it must. Chaos in the city will benefit the progress of refining the bloodless imperial staff!"

"But... if word spreads, there might be unrest among the city's soldiers!" Sima Ting was still worried.

"Can't you, Sima Ting, control your own soldiers?" The demon emperor mocked.

Cold sweat broke out on Sima Ting's forehead: "If the matter is exposed, I will find an excuse to appease the military."

Now, the entire imperial city was under his control, so calming the troops would not be difficult.

"I heard that the day after tomorrow at noon, your empress will ascend the sacrificial altar to worship the heavens?" The demon emperor shifted the topic.

"Yes," Sima Ting replied.

"Good, I have nothing else to do; I will go watch. See if my future wine vessel is beautiful enough." The demon emperor laughed.

"I will make the arrangements." Sima Ting had not planned to go, but since the demon emperor wanted to, he would bring all the civil and military officials.

"Okay." The demon emperor nodded in satisfaction, his eyes showing a deep and inscrutable look.

His purpose in watching the sacrificial ceremony was not merely to see his future wine vessel.

On that day, with all the civil and military officials gathered, he planned a massacre.

With bloodshed, panic, fear, and desire, the bloodless imperial staff would be forged with even greater terror.

Of course, he did not share these thoughts with Sima Ting.

...

The sacrificial altar was more than two zhang tall, with a pavilion on top, each of its four corners adorned with a small beast sculpture.

The entire altar exuded an aura of ancient simplicity and rough primitiveness.

From afar, it looked desolate and heavy.

Due to its simplicity, the construction of the sacrificial altar did not take long.

Sima Ting sat in his seat, the demon emperor lounging beside him, completely without manners.

Sima Riyue's hair was unbound, looking even more wild.

Nearby, a group of civil and military officials whispered among themselves.

Some looked at Sima Ting with doubt, others glanced at the demon emperor thoughtfully.

It was clear that Aunt Qin had already spread the word about the formation.

However, most people thought it was merely a ploy by Empress Jin Li to sow discord.

Moreover, without emperor-level power, they could not detect the Soul Entrapment Formation.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

With a cry, Empress Jin Li appeared in everyone's sight.

She was dressed in a golden, wide-sleeved robe with phoenix birds embroidered in gold on the sleeves. Around her neck was a white jade necklace adorned with golden flowers. Her waist was cinched with a Linglong Jade Seal, and she wore a pearl phoenix crown on her head.

At this moment, she exuded the grace and dignity befitting an empress.

Unfortunately, apart from the Minister of Rites and a few others, no one saluted her.

At that time, the army had entered the imperial city, and Sima Ting's faction no longer bothered to keep up appearances.

Seeing this, Sima Riyue was pleased. He leaned towards Sima Ting and said loudly, "Father, if you had done this earlier, I would be the crown prince by now!"

Many civil and military officials heard this and smiled.

Jin Li heard it but remained silent.

"The auspicious time has arrived, let the sacrificial ceremony begin!" Kong Qi straightened his back, his voice heavy, as if this ceremony would witness the end of a dynasty.