News of the Divine Hand’s death in the Imperial Palace swept through White Jade City like a gale. It was a rude awakening for the factions coveting the Sword Control Skill, forcing them to calm their ambitions.
"The Divine Hand was a First Grade Grandmaster, exceptionally skilled at escaping and self-preservation. Even Super Grade Celestial Humans couldn’t stop him. How could he have died in the Imperial Palace? His body was even tossed outside. Could this be fake?"
"The body has been confirmed over and over again—it really is the Divine Hand. Traces of his infiltration were found in the palace, and his target was Yun Liyue of the Eastern Palace. But isn’t Yun Liyue just a Second Grade Grandmaster? How could she possibly have been a match for the Divine Hand?"
"Was he killed by an Imperial Expert? Or did Yun Liyue have some other ace up her sleeve, something that allowed her to deal with the Divine Hand and kill him within the Imperial Palace?"
... The various factions confirmed again and again that the Divine Hand’s target had been Yun Liyue. Now that he was dead there, the implications were self-evident.
The news had an immediate and drastic effect. The Divine Hand served as the perfect example to "kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."
The few factions that had planned to infiltrate the Eastern Palace immediately canceled their operations. Experts lurking in the shadows gave the palace a wide berth, and even some reclusive old masters, upon hearing the news, chose to observe from the sidelines for the time being.
The Divine Hand’s strength was plain for all to see. If even he had fallen in the Eastern Palace, others naturally had to take stock of their own abilities. They had to consider whether they were a match for the Divine Hand before even thinking about infiltrating the Eastern Palace.
Within the Imperial Palace, some of the restless Princes and Princesses also quieted down.
In Wude Palace, Third Prince Xia Wuchen wore a grave expression. "It seems we’ve all underestimated the Crown Prince Consort. Could she have already broken through to the First Grade Realm?"
"Halt all operations against the Eastern Palace. That old fossil won’t live much longer anyway," Fifth Prince Xia Wushang ordered directly from the Gold and Silver Palace.
In Ciping Palace, Princess Jinping revealed a rare, solemn expression after learning of the matter. "There didn’t seem to be any sounds of fighting from the Eastern Palace last night. To kill the Divine Hand so silently, Yun Liyue’s strength must be at least at the level of a First Grade Grandmaster. She might even possess a trump card of the Super Grade Level."
These Princes and Princesses were all intelligent people; they understood what it meant to be able to kill the Divine Hand. Until they could ascertain the Eastern Palace’s true strength, no one dared to make a rash move.
Right now, every faction was puzzled by one question: who had actually killed the Divine Hand?
Some suspected it was Yun Liyue, who had been hiding her true strength and trump cards. Others guessed the Eastern Palace had other experts in reserve. Still others speculated it was a master sent by the Xuan Nu Palace.
But regardless of the theories, one fact had been established: the Eastern Palace was no pushover. Even a First Grade Grandmaster could fall within its walls.
The greatest benefit of this turmoil was that it bought Yun Liyue more time to consolidate and cultivate. After breaking through to become a First Grade Grandmaster, she needed more time to stabilize her realm and grow accustomed to her new power.
The apprehension rippling through the outside world due to the Divine Hand’s death gave her precisely that time, while also making the Eastern Palace increasingly peaceful and free of trouble.
’No matter who helped me from the shadows, I will remember this favor.’
Yun Liyue gazed into the distance, a look of gratitude on her face. At that moment, in Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang considered his options and decided to acquire another High Level Miracle Treasure.
After gifting the Eight Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine to Yun Liyue, he was left with only one High Level Miracle Treasure. ’Using just this to break through to the Super Grade Realm feels a bit risky.’
’After all, I recently awakened the Companion Talent Tree Deep Roots, and my Cultivation Foundation has tripled in size. This means I need far more Cultivation Resources.’
’To be safe, I should just take the last High Level Miracle Treasure from the Inner Treasury. It’s a nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, considered top-tier even among High Level Miracle Treasures.’
’With this nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng and the help of the Blood Lotus Fruit, breaking through to the Super Grade Realm won’t be difficult at all.’
According to Cao Zhenghe, Emperor Xia had left this nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng for the Empress, who would likely be needing it soon. That was why Xia Wuyang hadn’t taken it before.
But now that his own breakthrough to the Super Grade Realm was on the line, he naturally had to prioritize his own needs.
’Besides, if I could easily deceive Consort Zhen, one of the Eight Main Consorts, then what’s the Empress to me?’
’If Emperor Xia really does gift it to the Empress, I’ll just have to use the same trick on her and sow some confusion.’
Deep in the night, Xia Wuyang, led by Cao Zhenghe, snuck into the Inner Treasury. Thanks to his prior experience, he knew the place like the back of his hand.
He quickly reached the secret chamber where the nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng was stored. The place was heavily fortified, protected not only by mechanical traps but also by specialized poisons and knockout drugs.
Xia Wuyang used his Companion Talent, the Mental Force Field, to easily find the flaws in the Array. As for the poisons and drugs, they were completely ineffective against him.
Using a treasure he had previously acquired, he neutralized the poisons and drugs, successfully retrieving the nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng.
As long as it wasn’t a Spirit Array, no formation could hide from his Mental Force Field; he could overcome them with ease.
Afterward, he deliberately placed a similarly shaped mountain ginseng in its place. He coated it with special herbs to dye it blood-red, making it look identical to the real thing.
After setting everything up and making sure there were no issues, Xia Wuyang slipped away. The nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng was already safe in his Personal Space.
On the way out, he searched the Inner Treasury a bit more and found a few other interesting items. Naturally, Xia Wuyang wasn’t going to pass them up, so he tossed them into his Personal Space as well.
’I’ve already taken the nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, so what are a few more trinkets?’ As for how to handle the consequences, he would just leave trivial matters like that to Cao Zhenghe.
Xia Wuyang would only step in for matters that Cao Zhenghe couldn’t handle himself.
To the current Xia Wuyang, Emperor Xia’s Inner Treasury was starting to feel like his own. Surveying the vast treasury, the only thing he still didn’t dare to touch was the most precious Special Miracle Treasure. ’But it won’t be long now,’ he thought.
If he could get his hands on that Special Miracle Treasure, the Jade Marrow Reishi, and consume it, his Talent and Qualification would surely skyrocket. There was even a decent chance he could ascend to the Extraordinary Talent Level.
After all, through his cultivation in the Blood Transformation Realm—and especially after awakening the Companion Talent Tree Deep Roots—his Talent and Qualification had improved at an astonishing rate, far surpassing that of other Grandmasters at the same stage.
The more profound his Foundation, the more abundant his Qi Blood would become. This, in turn, would bring about an even more powerful tempering and metamorphosis.
He wondered just how much his Talent and Qualification would improve once the metamorphosis of the Blood Transformation Realm was complete. With the help of the Jade Marrow Reishi, reaching the Extraordinary Talent Level would be no problem at all.
At that point, the efficiency of his cultivation would be astounding, far beyond the imagination of any ordinary person.
’Jade Marrow Reishi... it won’t be long now.’

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