In a furious roar, Emperor Xia spun around, strode out of Lan Yue Palace, and bellowed at Tantai Zhan, who followed close behind.
"Issue my decree! Immediately mobilize another hundred thousand troops from the Imperial Guard! Send them south with all speed to support the Southern King! Tell him I want no prisoners, no negotiations, and no mercy! I want the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races, especially the Black Miao tribe, to pay for this in blood!"
Tantai Zhan’s heart tightened. "Your Majesty, we have already dispatched two hundred thousand Imperial Guards. Only eight hundred thousand remain to defend the Imperial Palace and White Jade City. If we send more, I fear..."
"Fear what? We still have this many Imperial Guards! The Shadow Guard and the Divine Capture Sect are here! The Old Ancestor is here! Are you telling me to fear them breaking into the Imperial Palace?" Emperor Xia whirled around, his eyes bloodshot.
"I... obey your command." Tantai Zhan bowed his head to accept the order, sighing inwardly. ’His Majesty has been completely consumed by hatred.’
Fighting a war on two fronts was a cardinal sin of military strategy. Now, by mobilizing more of the Imperial Guard to the south, White Jade City was left even more vulnerable.
But he could not voice these thoughts.
The Emperor’s will was set. Saying more would be useless.
The news quickly spread throughout the court and capital, causing an uproar.
"Have you heard? Lady Ji was cursed to death by the Southern Barbarians. She’s as dead as can be."
"Gods... those Southern Barbarians are too audacious! It wasn’t enough for them to poison the Prince and Princess; they didn’t even spare Lady Ji! She was His Majesty’s most favored Consort."
"His Majesty is furious. He’s already sent a hundred thousand Imperial Guards south, vowing to crush the Southern Barbarians and avenge Lady Ji."
...
On every street corner, in every teahouse and tavern, people buzzed with discussion. First the Empress died, and now Lady Ji. Were the Da Kuo Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races truly so brazen?
Panic and anger intertwined, casting a grim, murderous pall over all of White Jade City. Many mourned for Emperor Xia.
But at this moment, beneath his fury, Emperor Xia concealed an unspeakable panic and dread.
Ji Ruxue was dead. Consort Ji was dead!
The beautiful woman who could immerse him in pleasure and even let him touch upon the opportunity for a breakthrough was dead, just like that. And he still hadn’t broken through to the True Monarch Realm.
He had been stuck at Super Grade Perfection for decades. He was only a hair’s breadth from the True Monarch Realm—just one opportunity away.
This line, which seemed as thin as a cicada’s wing, was in reality a chasm as wide as the heavens, impossible to cross so easily.
Countless people failed to cross it in their entire lifetimes, eventually dying with regret when their lifespans ran out, never attaining a thousand years of life.
Emperor Xia did not want to be one of them. He didn’t just want a thousand-year lifespan; he wanted to live even longer.
He was the Emperor of the Great Xia, ruler of a vast domain, holding the lives of hundreds of millions in his hands. How could he stop at the threshold of the Extraordinary, with a mere five-hundred-year lifespan?
"Deliver my command to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Starting today, search the realm for women similar to Consort Ji... no, women who resemble Consort Ji. The more similar, the better. They must be young, beautiful, and proficient in music. It would be best if... they possess a special constitution or other advantages, such as a famous vessel body like Consort Ji’s." Emperor Xia said to his Personal Eunuch.
The eunuch was taken aback. "Your Majesty, are you trying to..."
"I want to find another Consort Ji to make up for everything." Emperor Xia gazed out the window, his eyes profound. "No, I want to find someone even better than her, someone who can better help me break through. I must break through to the Extraordinary as soon as possible. I have a feeling that something is not right with the current situation."
"Yes, this old slave will see to it at once. I will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty," the Personal Eunuch said hastily.
After the Palace Attendants had withdrawn, Emperor Xia was left alone in the hall.
He walked to the Dragon Desk, opened a hidden compartment in the lowest level, and took out a palm-sized Jade Box.
Inside the box lay a crystal-clear fruit, shaped like a Peach of Immortality but snow-white, its surface shimmering with a faint spiritual light.
This was a Breaking-Through Spirit Treasure, a two-thousand-year-old Peach of Immortality. It was one of the treasures he had seized from the Luo River Secret Realm back then, a treasure on the same level as the Sensing Fruit.
This fruit contained pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Consuming it not only helped condense a True Qi Seed but also greatly enhanced one’s True Qi Cultivation. Its effects were quite good, making it even more precious than the Sensing Fruit.
Emperor Xia had been stuck at Super Grade Perfection for many years. The reason he hadn’t consumed it was twofold. First, he wanted to wait for an opportunity to use the Peach of Immortality and the Sensing Fruit to break through in one go. Second, he had a faint premonition that consuming the Sensing Fruit and the two-thousand-year-old Peach of Immortality in succession during his breakthrough would bring him even greater benefits.
Reaching the True Monarch Realm required more than just resources and treasures; the most important thing was that spark of opportunity and inspiration.
"Consort Ji..."
Emperor Xia gently caressed the Jade Box, a flash of pain in his eyes. "If only you were still alive... You could have at least waited until after I broke through to the True Monarch Realm. You could have died then."
He didn’t know that in Wenhua Hall, not far from him, another person who had also been consolidating his power for a long time was preparing to take another great leap.
And this person’s realm was the very one Emperor Xia dreamed of achieving.
「Wenhua Hall, Practice Room.」
It was 11:45 PM. The moonlight flowed like water, but it was blocked by the walls of the Practice Room.
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged on the Jade Couch, his aura as contained as the deep sea. He appeared completely normal.
But if someone could see inside his body, they would witness a breathtaking and utterly shocking sight.
In the center of his Dantian, the River True Seed had grown to the size of a fingertip. It was a deep azure, its surface swirling with natural water patterns. It radiated gentle yet immense True Qi fluctuations, capable of destroying anything at any moment.
It rotated slowly, and with each revolution, pure Water Attribute True Qi was released, nourishing his entire body.
Around the True Seed, the vague outline of a Spiritual Vein was faintly visible. It was merely a prototype, with no physical substance.
It resembled a winding river channel, starting from his Dantian, extending up along his spine, and finally disappearing near his heart. Its total length was twenty-one kilometers.
This meant that Xia Wuyang had completely comprehended the first level of the River Scripture. He could now proceed to forge it step by step.
Right now, this river channel was only a faint phantom, not yet fully formed. But wisps of True Qi were already flowing within it, swirling about like mist.
’My Foundation is stable. It’s time.’ Xia Wuyang slowly opened his eyes, an azure starlight swirling in their depths.
He reached into his Personal Space and took out an item—the only Spirit Treasure he currently possessed.
It was a snow-white fruit, shaped like a pigeon’s egg, yet crystalline throughout. Its surface shimmered with a soft, moon-like luster.
The moment the fruit appeared, the air in the Practice Room became fresh and moist, as if one were standing in a mountain valley at dawn. It was exceptionally refreshing.
It was a Low Level Spirit Treasure, the Thousand-year-old White Fruit, capable of greatly raising one’s Cultivation Realm.
This White Fruit was one of the spoils he had plundered from Consort Ji’s palace a few days ago. Even Xia Wuyang hadn’t expected Consort Ji to have such a fine treasure stashed away.
Ji Ruxue had been favored for many years, and Emperor Xia had constantly showered her with gifts, including many rare items.
She had secretly acquired this White Fruit as a gift for Emperor Xia, intending to give him a surprise after he broke through to the True Monarch Realm.
So, she had hidden it in a secret compartment. Now, it had fallen into Xia Wuyang’s hands.

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