Xia Wuyang let go, his face expressionless as he watched Ji Ruxue slump before her vanity.
Though Ji Ruxue was a peerless beauty, to him she was nothing more than a tool for his revenge against Emperor Xia.
Ji Ruxue’s pupils were unfocused and her breathing was faint, but she wasn’t dead yet. A flicker of life remained.
This slow death was precisely the effect Xia Wuyang wanted. It would make the scene far more convincing.
Next, it was time to stage the scene.
He took out several items. First was a small packet of specially-prepared Miasma Grass powder, a product unique to the Southern Barbarians. He sprinkled it around Ji Ruxue’s mouth and nose, mixing it with several other powders to help it seep into her skin. Without specialized techniques, it would be impossible to detect, making it exceptionally covert—much like the Enchanting Heart Technique he had used before.
He also had several Curse Talismans written in the script of the Southern Barbarians. He burned them and, using another special technique to avoid detection, forced the ashes into Ji Ruxue’s mouth.
These were all useful items he had obtained from Zheng Zhicang, perfect for framing his target.
After finishing his setup and planting a few other pieces of evidence, Xia Wuyang began to search for valuables. ’I went to so much trouble to get in here. How could I leave empty-handed?’
Ji Ruxue had been the Emperor’s favorite for decades and had accumulated considerable wealth, far surpassing that of ordinary concubines.
In her Makeup Box alone, there were seventeen pieces of exceedingly rare jewelry, each one worth a fortune.
One of them, a Nine Phoenix Bead Golden Hairpin, was actually a Top Level Mortal Artifact with the effect of calming one’s mind and spirit, bordering on the level of a Spiritual Artifact.
Hidden in a secret compartment in her wardrobe were three vials of Spirit Pills—all Beauty Pills gifted by Emperor Xia. While not particularly useful for cultivation, they could be traded for other resources. To certain women, they were many times more precious than ordinary Spirit Elixirs and Medicines.
What delighted Xia Wuyang most, however, was a secret compartment under the bed, which contained even greater treasures.
Inside lay twelve neatly stacked Spirit Talismans. Though they were all Low Level Spirit Talismans, mostly for defense and support, the sheer quantity was impressive. It was a clear sign of how much Emperor Xia doted on her.
Yet she had been dealt with before she could use a single one.
In addition, there were five Low Level Mortal Treasures, two Middle Level Mortal Treasures, and a thick stack of silver notes.
A quick estimate placed the value of the silver notes alone at several million taels of silver.
’She certainly knew how to hoard wealth.’ A look of satisfaction spread across Xia Wuyang’s face as he swept everything into his Personal Space.
Finally, he glanced at Ji Ruxue, slumped before the vanity.
This peerless beauty, once the most favored in the Harem, now had a bruised and discolored face. Black blood trickled from her eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. Her death was a gruesome, terrifying sight, stripped of all her former nation-toppling beauty. It was almost a pity.
Xia Wuyang whispered, "Rest assured. Xia Shengming will think a Southern Barbarian Witch Priest cursed you to death. He will fly into a rage. He will go mad. He will intensify his campaign against the Southern Barbarians and walk further and further down this wrong path, until the day he is destroyed."
"And you can watch from the underworld. See what this ’catalyst’ of yours ultimately brings him. I heard Xia Shengming even claimed you brought him good luck. We’ll see if that holds true this time."
With a flicker, Xia Wuyang vanished like a phantom, leaving no trace behind.
Silence returned to the hall. Only the flickering candlelight remained, illuminating Ji Ruxue’s gradually cooling, silent corpse.
Outside the window, the night was ink-black, seemingly no different from any other.
The faint call of the night watchman drifted from outside. "The air is dry, beware the flame..."
But the "fire" in Lan Yue Palace had already been lit, and there was no telling how far it would spread.
The next morning, a scream from Lan Yue Palace sent a tremor through the entire Imperial Palace, horrifying everyone.
Emperor Xia’s most Favored Consort, Consort Ji, had died a sudden and bizarre death. An investigation led by Sun Wuyang, who employed his Celestial Eye and other special techniques, revealed traces of Southern Barbarian Witchcraft at the scene.
When the news reached Qianqing Palace, Emperor Xia was in the middle of breakfast.
CRASH!
The jade bowl shattered on the floor with a piercing sound.
Emperor Xia’s face was livid. His fingers trembled as he clutched the secret report from the Shadow Guard, scarcely able to believe what he was reading.
Shock filled his eyes first, followed by a towering rage, and finally... a flicker of fear.
’Ji Ruxue... my breakthrough catalyst, my hope of ascending to the True Monarch realm... She’s dead? Just like that?’
’Killed in the depths of the Imperial Palace, by a Southern Barbarian Curse Technique!’
"Southern... Barbarians..."
Emperor Xia forced the two words through his teeth, his voice a hoarse growl like that of a wild beast. "I will make you pay for this in blood!"
He flung his sleeves and stormed out of the great hall, heading straight for Lan Yue Palace.
A large retinue of Palace Attendants scrambled to follow, not daring to make a sound.
The waters of the Deep Palace were growing murkier, threatening to become an abyss.
And within those murky waters, the true hidden dragon was quietly growing stronger—or rather, had already grown strong.
The news of Consort Ji’s sudden death in Lan Yue Palace was like a ladle of cold water thrown into boiling oil. It caused an explosion in the already treacherous undercurrents of the Deep Palace, sending shockwaves through the entire imperial court.
Emperor Xia, Xia Shengming, stood before Ji Ruxue’s cold corpse for a full hour. The surrounding Palace Attendants remained prostrate for the entire time.
He watched with his own eyes as Sun Wuyang with his Celestial Eye searched the hall inch by inch. He watched as the Elder Divine Constable used his Celestial Eye’s innate gift and other special methods to pick Miasma Grass powder from a crack in the vanity.
He then saw him peel a Curse Talisman covered in Southern Barbarian script from the wall behind the bed. Finally, he watched him dig an eerie, Beast Bone Totem out of a crack in the floor nearby.
If he didn’t possess a congenital Secret Technique like the Celestial Eye, and if Sun Wuyang hadn’t been a Divine Constable for so many years, it was unlikely so many clues would have been found.
Any other Divine Constable would likely have found nothing at all.
Sun Wuyang’s expression was grave as he presented the Totem. "Your Majesty, this is a Soul-Devouring Totem of the Black Miao, one of the Southern Barbarian races. It is extremely rare. As far as this old official knows, among the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races, only the Black Miao are skilled in using totems as a medium to curse their victims to death from afar. What’s more... it is said they can sever a person’s fortune—in other words, their breakthrough catalyst. Lady Ji appears to have been struck by a Miasma Soul-Devouring Curse. Victims of this curse have black blood ooze from their orifices as their Soul is eroded by miasma. Death is certain within three days."
"The Black Miao... They targeted Consort Ji to sever my hope for a breakthrough?" Emperor Xia clutched the cold Beast Bone, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Sun Wuyang fell silent for a moment before replying cautiously, "Perhaps... perhaps that is the reason. Furthermore, with Prince Zhenan’s Mansion on the verge of deploying troops against the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races, the situation is already spiraling out of control. It’s possible the Black Miao hope to assassinate Your Majesty’s Favored Consort to disrupt your state of mind and damage morale."
The explanation was plausible, and the reasoning behind it was sound.
After investigating for some time and being influenced by various forces, even Sun Wuyang of the Celestial Eye had begun to lean toward Emperor Xia’s theory: this was, indeed, the work of an outside enemy.
"Good. So it was the Black Miao!"
Emperor Xia suddenly laughed, a sound as chilling as a winter wind, devoid of any warmth. "First you poisoned my Prince and Princess and got my Empress deposed. Now you won’t even spare my Consort Ji. Do you really think my Great Xia is made of clay? Since you want a war, then I will give you one to the bitter end!"

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