Tens of thousands of Gu Insects were silently scattered throughout the Imperial Palace, quickly vanishing from sight.
Relying on instinct and Xia Wuyang’s secret guidance, they began to seek their respective targets, each one having already bared its fangs.
After finishing their work, the seven Poison Masters quickly retreated, disappearing into the vast night. They went to rendezvous with the spies from the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races to get an update on their situation.
The real chaos began to erupt quietly around dawn, giving the entire Great Xia Royal Family a nasty surprise.
The first to suffer were several Princes and Princesses who lived near the Eastern Palace and had actively participated in plotting against Xia Wuyang.
The Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, was one of them. Although he had already been made a eunuch, he still resided in his original palace and had not been driven out.
In the early morning, as a personal Palace Maid was helping him dress, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her fingertip.
Looking down, she saw a tiny, almost invisible black insect crawl out from the Prince’s collar and instantly burrow into the back of her hand.
The Palace Maid screamed as the back of her hand quickly turned black and began to fester. Meanwhile, the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, suddenly clutched his chest, his face ghastly pale, and collapsed to the ground. The Heart-Eroding Gu had entered his body. Although it wasn’t life-threatening, he was in for another round of suffering.
The Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, also remained in his original palace after being deposed, living each day in a daze.
When several members of the Imperial Guard in charge of protecting the area were changing shifts in the morning, they suddenly felt an unbearable itch in their crotches. Scratching, they pulled out several strange, rice-sized, pinkish insects.
Soon after, these Imperial Guards discovered in horror that their symbols of manhood were rapidly shrinking and losing all sensation... As for the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, he too was enveloped by the mist of the Sun-extinguishing Gu in his sleep. However, since he had already lost his symbol of manhood, the Sun-extinguishing Gu had little effect on him, merely causing him some minor suffering.
The Twenty-Ninth Princess, Xia Wuyou, had once led the others in mocking and bullying Xia Wuyang.
Now, in her chambers, this Princess known for her beauty and arrogance was doing her makeup in the morning when she suddenly noticed several small red dots on her cheeks in the copper mirror.
She leaned closer in terror to get a better look. The red dots rapidly expanded and began to fester, oozing a yellowish-green pus. At the same time, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through her meridians, and her Qi Blood rapidly dissipated... She couldn’t help but scream.
Similar scenes played out one after another throughout the Imperial Palace. Soon, the entire palace was thrown into absolute chaos.
Most of those attacked by the Gu Insects were the Princes and Princesses who had kicked Xia Wuyang while he was down, or those who still harbored ambitions for the throne. Of course, the Eastern Palace was also attacked, but the ones injured there were mostly spies and informants.
If he hadn’t, it would have been too conspicuous and would have easily aroused suspicion.
The symptoms of many victims were exactly what Xia Wuyang had hoped for: the women’s meridians were crippled and their faces ruined; the men’s Yang Meridians were severed, turning them into eunuchs... The number of victimized Princes and Princesses grew.
Panic spread like a plague, sweeping through the entire Imperial Palace.
The threshold of the Imperial Medical Bureau was nearly worn through as countless victims rushed inside.
The Imperial Physicians had never seen such a strange, dangerous, and widespread outbreak of Gu poison. They exhausted every method at their disposal but could only temporarily suppress it; a complete cure was proving difficult.
What was even more terrifying was their discovery that the Gu poison seemed to be contagious. Some Palace Attendants who had come into contact with the patients soon developed similar symptoms, clearly poisoned as well.
When word reached Emperor Xia, the already exhausted and irritable monarch was both shocked and furious.
He flew into a rage, especially upon seeing the Imperial Palace in such utter disarray.
"Gu! This is Gu from the Southern Barbarians! It must be the vicious work of the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races."
Emperor Xia’s eyes were bloodshot. He viciously smashed the teacup in his hand onto the floor, sending shards and tea flying everywhere. "They’ve harmed so many of my family members, and now they dare to spread Gu Insects directly into my Imperial Palace! They’re trying to wipe out my lineage, to destroy my Great Xia! How dare they!"
He immediately ordered the Shadow Guards, the Divine Capture Sect, and the Imperial Guard to search the Imperial Palace with all their might. They were to find the one who released the Gu, eliminate all the Gu Insects, and let none escape.
But the Gu Insects were elusive; many were pitifully small and widely scattered, preferring to hide in dark corners, the seams of clothing, or even inside human bodies. Eradicating them completely was easier said than done.
The Imperial Palace was in chaos from top to bottom. Everyone feared for their own safety. Even the Consorts didn’t dare to leave their chambers, with some even fleeing the Imperial Palace to hide in safer places outside, terrified of being infected by the dreadful Gu Insects.
While the entire Imperial Palace was in an uproar, with everyone in a state of panic like stray dogs, Xia Wuyang was perfectly at ease. He pretended to be frightened and hid in his Practice Room, but in reality, he had already begun to fish in troubled waters.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he unleashed his Extraordinary Level Spiritual Power. Like a master thief, he began to "visit" the palace treasuries of the afflicted Princes, Princesses, and certain unlucky Consorts. He used the opportunity to plunder them, hoping for some unexpected treasures—ideally a Spirit Treasure.
His Soul Enchantment Technique silently controlled the Palace Attendants on duty. His Mental Force Field interfered with any potential Early Warning Arrays. The Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body granted him the ability to pass through walls without a sound. Various Spiritual Techniques and Spirit Arts effectively concealed his presence... He moved as if through an unguarded land.
His haul was quite substantial, although he didn’t find the Spirit Treasure he had been hoping for.
In the Third Prince Xia Wuchen’s private treasury, he found three more Spirit Talismans—one Vajra Talisman and two Divine Movement Talismans—along with some Spirit Elixirs and Medicines. ’A starved camel is still bigger than a horse,’ he thought. Even in his current state, and after having been "visited" by Xia Wuyang before, the Third Prince Xia Wuchen had managed to accumulate quite a few good things again.
In the Fifth Prince Xia Wushang’s secret room, there was a small jar of Earth Core Fire Lotus Seeds. These were Low Level Spirit Materials of the Fire Attribute, useful for aiding Cultivation or Alchemy, so they were of some use to Xia Wuyang.
And at the bottom of the Twenty-Ninth Princess’s jewelry box, he found a pair of earrings carved from Soul Nourishing Jade. They were a Low Level Spiritual Artifact that could nurture the Soul and aid in Refining God. He also found a bottle of rare Rejuvenating Spirit Dew, which was on par with Spirit Elixirs and Medicines.
The private stashes of Emperor Xia’s Consorts were even more varied, containing heirlooms from their maternal families, rare treasures gifted by the Emperor over the years, and wealth accumulated through various means...
Xia Wuyang took everything. Any Spirit Materials, Elixirs, or treasures that could aid his Cultivation, or anything of value, he happily accepted. He didn’t even pass up the more valuable gold, silver, and jewelry.
He even paid a visit to the Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace, the residence of Emperor Xia’s mother. Xia Wuyang had barely seen her a few times in his entire life. ’She’s no saint, either,’ he thought.
She was supposedly his grandmother, but she had always been cold and indifferent to him. She even stole some of his resources after he was deposed.
This old Empress Dowager, who appeared to live in seclusion and chant scriptures year-round, kept her palace quite serene. Although the Gu Insects had arrived, they were dealt with by hidden experts in her retinue.
Xia Wuyang knew perfectly well that back in the day, this Empress Dowager had secretly tripped up his Empress Mother, Luo Jin, and sabotaged her many times. ’Her private treasury must have even better things,’ he mused. ’It’s worth a thorough investigation.’

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