Occasionally, a Little Eunuch on night duty hurried past on the corridor above, carrying a lantern. The sound of his footsteps echoed hollowly, yet he was completely oblivious to the shadow just feet below, noticing nothing at all.
However, Xia Wuyang’s first stop was not Sun Wuyang’s Celestial Eye Pavilion at the Divine Capture Sect, but the Minister of War’s Mansion.
His target was Jiang Mingyuan. This old minister, who had wielded Great Xia’s military power for decades and seemed utterly loyal to Emperor Xia, had in truth been secretly subjugated by Xia Wuyang long ago, who planted a Spiritual Shackle on him and turned him into his slave.
At that time, Xia Wuyang’s strength had not been as great as it was now, and he had needed to rely on the Spiritual Shackles to maintain complete control. But now that he possessed Extraordinary Spiritual Power and the Soul Enchantment Technique, he could manage even without them.
His Companion Talent, Spiritual Shackles, was exceptionally profound. Once someone was locked down by it, escape was virtually impossible—unless their Spiritual Power was ten, or even a hundred, times greater than Xia Wuyang’s, and in every single aspect at that.
Unfortunately, their number was far too limited. He had a maximum of three, enough to shackle only three people.
One was on the Grand General of the Imperial Guard, Tantai Zhan. Another was on the Shadow Guard Chief, Zheng Zhicang. The third was on the Minister of War, Jiang Mingyuan.
To subjugate Sun Wuyang of the Celestial Eye, he would have to release one of the shackles. Only then could he ensure better control over his new target.
Sun Wuyang of the Celestial Eye possessed astonishing Willpower and extraordinary strength. Moreover, he was deeply trusted by Emperor Xia. To subjugate him, using a Spiritual Shackle was the best method.
Jiang Mingyuan’s mansion was located in a district near the Imperial City. With its high walls, deep courtyards, and heavy security, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that not even a fly could get in.
But in Xia Wuyang’s eyes, all of this was for show, utterly useless.
He activated his Escape Concealment Technique. Like a true shadow, he drifted over the courtyard walls, evaded the patrolling Hospital Guards, and precisely located Jiang Mingyuan’s study as if he were walking into his own home.
The Lord Minister of War seemed to be troubled by the wars in the north and south. He was still awake late at night, frowning under the lamplight at a map of the Northern Territory, lost in thought.
Xia Wuyang did not reveal himself. Instead, from outside the window, his Extraordinary Spiritual Power reached in like an invisible tentacle.
Inside the study, Jiang Mingyuan was suddenly struck by an intense wave of drowsiness that was nearly impossible to resist.
His eyelids felt as heavy as mountains. The Vermilion Brush in his hand fell onto the map with a CLACK.
He shook his head, trying to stay awake, but the drowsiness surged like a tide and instantly overwhelmed him. He slumped over the desk and fell into a deep sleep, completely oblivious.
The window opened without a sound, and Xia Wuyang slipped inside.
He walked to Jiang Mingyuan’s side, extended his right hand, and hovered his palm over the man’s head.
His Companion Talent, Spiritual Shackles, activated. Azure-colored Spiritual Power slowly seeped into Jiang Mingyuan’s Sea of Consciousness.
Deep within the Sea of Consciousness, a pale gray shackle composed of countless bizarre runes floated silently. It bound Jiang Mingyuan’s core mind and memories, holding his very life and death in its grasp.
This was the Companion Talent Spiritual Shackle he had planted before, incomparably firm, its control over its victim beyond imagination.
With a mere flicker of Xia Wuyang’s will, the runes on the shackle began to light up one by one, only to then extinguish, break apart, and dissipate...
The process was slow and delicate. There could be no room for error, not the slightest bit of carelessness. Otherwise, it could inflict irreversible spiritual damage on the subject, perhaps even drive him mad.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the pale gray shackle finally dissipated completely, retrieved by Xia Wuyang.
But he did not stop there. He then activated his Soul Enchantment Technique, leaving behind a power that mimicked the Spiritual Shackle. It could still control Jiang Mingyuan, just not as securely as the true shackle.
Even so, given Xia Wuyang’s current power, the potency of his Soul Enchantment Technique, and the lingering, subtle influence of the original Companion Talent Spiritual Shackle, his control over Jiang Mingyuan remained quite strong.
Xia Wuyang withdrew his hand, gave the man one last glance, then turned and vanished out the window.
Having freed up a slot for a shackle, Xia Wuyang didn’t pause for a moment. He headed straight for his next destination: the Celestial Eye Pavilion of the Divine Capture Sect.
The night grew deeper, and all was silent.
Inside the Celestial Eye Pavilion, Sun Wuyang was also wide awake, still busy at work.
He had changed into a set of dark blue plainclothes and was sitting alone behind his desk. Spread before him were several files he had privately acquired: Wenhua Hall’s expense records from the past decade, personnel entry and exit logs, and even pulse diagnosis records from the Imperial Medical Bureau... It was a vast collection, covering every minute detail.
The flickering candlelight illuminated his furrowed brow and the glint in his eyes, which were filled with suspicion toward Xia Wuyang.
He was trying to find any possible flaw that would confirm Xia Wuyang was Great Xia’s greatest spy.
’If there’s truly something wrong with the elder Crown Prince, there must be a trail to follow after decades of him lying low. Flaws are bound to appear, and those are what I’m looking for.’
’Daily expenses, personal contacts, physical condition... any slight abnormality could be the breakthrough that allows me to confirm Xia Wuyang’s identity.’
He was so absorbed in his reading, not missing a single detail, that when a barely perceptible wave of dizziness hit him, he wasn’t alarmed at first. He simply assumed it was fatigue from staying up late and that a little rest would solve it.
But immediately after, a bone-chilling pressure that felt as if it could freeze his very soul surged in from all directions like a tide. It instantly engulfed him, leaving him no room to even resist.
Sun Wuyang’s expression changed in horror. His Celestial Eye instinctively flared open, a brilliant light shining from it as he attempted to see through the illusion and break free from the pressure.
However, all he saw was a bottomless darkness that swallowed him whole.
Within the darkness, a pair of cold, emotionless eyes watched him silently. Within those eyes, stars seemed to be born and die, rivers surged, and dragons and tigers coiled... They were vast, profound, and majestic, like a deity descending to the mortal realm—not something an ordinary person could withstand.
"Who?" Sun Wuyang snapped, actually managing to break free of the Spiritual Shackles for a brief moment—a testament to his incredible Willpower.
The Cultivation of a Super Grade Celestial Human erupted from him as his figure shot backward. Simultaneously, several poisoned Coin Darts slid from his sleeve, ready to fly.
But the moment he moved, he felt his Spirit, consciousness, and even his body become firmly imprisoned by an invisible force, rendering him unable to move in the slightest.
That Power was not True Qi, nor was it Qi Blood. It was a pure and vast spiritual pressure—an Extraordinary Spiritual pressure—that weighed down on him like a mountain, pinning him so tightly he couldn’t even move a finger, let alone take any other action.
"Sun Wuyang of the Celestial Eye, I am the Emperor." A calm, emotionless voice resounded directly in Sun Wuyang’s Sea of Consciousness. It was delivered via Secret Transmission, yet it carried a strange resonance that made his Sea of Consciousness hum and his entire body tremble.
Sun Wuyang’s pupils constricted. He had never heard this name before. To possess such astonishing power, this person had surely stepped into the Extraordinary Realm. ’But in this vast world,’ he thought, ’when did a True Monarch named Emperor ever appear?’
"What... what do you want? There is no enmity between us, is there?" Sun Wuyang asked in a low voice, forcing himself to remain calm while simultaneously trying to break free of the spiritual restraint.

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