The stench of blood in Jinxuan Palace had not yet faded when a fine, drizzling rain began to fall over White Jade City, shrouding everything in mist.
The rain washed away the bloodstains on the palace walls, but it could not wash away the panic spreading through the Deep Palace.
Palace Attendants tiptoed as they walked and spoke in hushed voices, as if spies from the Southern Barbarians were lurking in every shadow, ready to leap out at any moment to slit their throats and leave them without a proper burial.
Just after 7:00 AM, "Celestial Eye" Sun Wuyang arrived at Jinxuan Palace with the elite of the Divine Capture Sect. Every Divine Constable had been dispatched; not a single one was left behind.
The man known as the number one Divine Constable of a century ago now wore a grim expression, his brow deeply furrowed.
He surveyed the hall inch by inch. His eyes, lauded as the Celestial Eye, glowed faintly in the dim light, sweeping over every corner that might hide a clue. He left no stone unturned.
An hour later, in a crack in the floor of Jinxuan Palace, he discovered a small pinch of pale green powder.
If he hadn’t sensed something unusual about the spot, who would have thought to look for something beneath the floor?
"This is..."
Sun Wuyang pinched the powder and brought it to his nose for a light sniff. His expression changed abruptly. "This is a poison powder ground from the Southern Barbarians’ Miasma Grass. Within twenty-four hours of contact, it causes confusion and hallucinations. No wonder none of the Palace Attendants in Jinxuan Palace knew what was happening. The enemy used a drug."
Though there had been no need for a drug, without it, how could the blame be shifted? It would also risk exposing his Extraordinary Spiritual Power. Xia Wuyang, of course, would not make such a mistake.
So, he had used a few subtle tricks to both hide his own Spiritual Power and frame the spies from the Southern Barbarians.
Outside, beneath a window lattice, Sun Wuyang found a small Bone Totem. It was also hidden under the wood, and without the aid of his Celestial Eye, it would have been impossible to discover.
Its form was similar to the Soul-Devouring Totem previously found in Consort Ji’s palace, but it was more ancient and bizarre.
"The Lost Soul Totem of the Black Miao," Sun Wuyang said in a low voice. "This item must be activated with blood. Once active, it can disrupt the minds of people within a hundred-zhang radius, making guards unable to see intruders and causing them to have illusions. This is also why so many Palace Attendants in Jinxuan Palace were completely unaware."
Finally, he walked over to Li Changfeng, who was slumped in a corner, covered in blood.
The young Guard’s eyes were vacant, and he was muttering deliriously—words like "Southern Barbarians," "assassins," and "I’ve failed the lady." He was clearly terrified out of his wits, his mind no longer clear. He could barely even recognize himself.
Sun Wuyang crouched down and placed a hand on Li Changfeng’s brow, using a special Secret Technique to plunge him into an Illusion Realm and draw out the truth.
This was the Divine Capture Sect’s unique Heart Inquiry Skill, an Illusion Technique that could compel someone to speak the truth without causing permanent damage.
But no matter how powerful his Illusion Technique was, how could it compare to Xia Wuyang’s Soul Enchantment Technique? That was a terrifying power born from the combination of Extraordinary Level Spiritual Power and an Extraordinary Level Spirit Art.
A light swirled in Sun Wuyang’s eyes. After a round of questioning, he finally withdrew his hand.
"How did it go?" asked the newly arrived Zheng Zhicang.
Sun Wuyang’s voice was low. "According to Li Changfeng, at 11:45 PM last night, three men in black wearing Palace attire scaled the wall and snuck in. They had small, indigo totems on their faces. Their movements were extremely fast—at least Supreme Grade Level. They incapacitated the guards and headed straight for the main hall. Lady Qin was inside. She was captured and humiliated by their leader before she could even cry for help, and then he killed her with a single slash..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Li Changfeng was on duty outside the hall at the time. He heard the commotion and rushed in to fight the men in black but was sent flying by a single punch and knocked unconscious. He doesn’t remember anything after that. However, before he passed out, he saw one of them get stabbed. The man’s arm was bleeding, and the blood was dark green."
Although many of Jinxuan Palace’s attendants had been killed last night, Xia Wuyang was not one to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately. He had spared those who held no deep grudge against him or the Eastern Palace, or who had not committed many evil deeds.
Therefore, Li Changfeng wasn’t the only Palace Attendant in Jinxuan Palace who survived, which also lessened any suspicion against him.
"Dark green?" Zheng Zhicang frowned. "That’s a characteristic of a Southern Barbarian Witch Priest who has cultivated Poison Techniques. Their blood changes color from years of consuming poisonous herbs."
Sun Wuyang nodded. "Exactly. Afterward, the men in black looted the place and left. When Li Changfeng woke up, he crawled to Lady Qin’s side and found she had stopped breathing. The next thing he knew, we had arrived."
The entire investigation was meticulous and thorough. All clues pointed to the Southern Barbarians.
The poison powder, the totem, the green blood, the few details about the men in black... everything was interconnected and seemingly flawless. At least, on the surface.
’Deep down, I still have my doubts,’ Sun Wuyang thought. ’Finding these clues wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as hard as I expected, either. Is it because there were too many enemies, so they couldn’t pull off a seamless crime and left clues behind? Or are my own skills just that incredible, making me the only one who could have found them?’
Although he found it strange, all the evidence was right in front of him. Even Li Changfeng’s "true" testimony confirmed the Southern Barbarians were responsible. Despite his doubts, he had no grounds for rebuttal.
"Report the findings of the investigation to Your Majesty." Sun Wuyang finally sighed. Having been a Divine Constable for several hundred years, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
「In Yangxin Hall, within Qianqing Palace.」
Emperor Xia hadn’t spoken for a long time, nor had he acknowledged anyone.
He clutched a cloak that had been Lady Qin’s favorite in life, curled up on the Throne. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken, and he looked as if he had aged twenty years, appearing utterly haggard.
The hands that had once commanded the realm and looked down upon the world were now trembling slightly. It was impossible to tell if it was from grief or fear.
Sun Wuyang knelt in the hall and reported his findings in detail. "Your Majesty, all evidence indicates that the culprits are indeed experts from the Southern Barbarians. It is highly likely they are Celestial Humans sent by the Black Miao clan. They used poison powder and a Bone Totem to disorient the guards, trapping the people of Jinxuan Palace in illusions and unconsciousness, and went straight for Lady Qin. This was likely an act of revenge for Your Majesty’s campaign against the Southern Border, as well as an attempt to sow chaos in the court."
"Revenge? What a fine ’revenge’! Poisoning my Prince, cursing my Consorts to death, and now they won’t even spare my wet nurse... Southern Barbarians!" Emperor Xia suddenly laughed, a harsh sound like the cry of a Night Owl.
He shot to his feet, savagely flinging the cloak to the ground, his face contorted with fury.
"Issue the decree! Issue my imperial decree!" Emperor Xia roared hoarsely. "Tell the Southern King I want no prisoners, no negotiations, and no mercy! I want him to cleanse the land of every last person from the Southern Barbarians, especially the Black Miao! I want them annihilated! I want them wiped out, down to the last chicken and dog!"
An old minister couldn’t help but advise, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! The terrain of the Southern Border is complex and riddled with poisonous miasma. A forced advance will likely result in heavy casualties. Besides, the Black Miao are powerful. The Southern King alone may not be able to annihilate their entire clan."
"Then we’ll fill it with lives! Use one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand lives... to fill it! I refuse to believe we cannot trample the Black Miao clan flat!" Emperor Xia seemed to have gone mad.

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