You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Nanjing was plunged into a deathly silence amidst the clamor.

It is desolate because there are few pedestrians on the streets, seven or eight out of ten shops are closed, and even the constant shouts and calls of vendors that used to fill the streets have disappeared. Only the cold wind whistles through the empty alleys, carrying snowflakes.

It is noisy because countless unseen undercurrents, inaudible whispers, and an overwhelming sense of fear, anxiety, and lurking malice permeating the air collide and surge invisibly, forming a suffocating mental noise.

The palace was shrouded in an unusual calm, but this calm was more unsettling than the deathly silence outside.

The lanterns and colorful ribbons of the New Year are still hanging, shivering in the cold wind, but they have no festive spirit at all, instead resembling banners for summoning the dead.

The guards stood at attention with their hands on their swords, their eyes more vigilant and sharp than usual, as if demons might pounce out of the shadows at any moment.

The palace servants walked quickly with their heads down, their eye contact filled with fear, afraid that saying a single extra word or taking an extra step would bring about unforeseen disaster.

The Imperial Study was a quiet room with its doors tightly shut.

Lu Zuo sat cross-legged on the futon, his face slightly pale, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and his breathing slightly rapid.

Before him, the scroll of the Void Seal Technique floated in the air. The silver characters no longer flowed, but solidified into a blurry halo, slowly rotating and emitting mysterious and dangerous spatial ripples.

He had been sitting here for a day and a night, his mind highly focused, trying his best to comprehend this profound and obscure forbidden spatial technique.

With the powerful divine sense and comprehension brought by his minor mastery of the "Spiritual Rhinoceros Forging Divine Technique", he finally managed to understand the most basic and core technique recorded in it - "Virtual Blade".

This is not a complete spatial severance, but rather a forced "prying" of the spatial structure within a very small area by using one's own divine sense as a guide and true energy as a blade, creating an extremely subtle, short-lived, yet incomparably sharp spatial crack.

This crack is invisible and intangible, yet it can ignore most material defenses, directly cutting and tearing objects it comes into contact with, and can even cause great damage to invisible energy and spirits.

However, as the fragments state, this method is incomplete and extremely dangerous.

Each attempt to outline and stabilize the spatial rift requires a massive amount of mental energy and true qi, and demands an abnormally high level of precision in control.

If one is not careful, one's consciousness will suffer a backlash from the power of space. At best, it will cause a splitting headache and damage to the soul. At worst, one's consciousness may be directly crushed by the rampaging spatial turbulence, turning one into a walking corpse.

In the past dozen hours, Lu Zuo had failed countless times. Each failure felt like countless steel needles piercing his brain, causing him so much pain that he almost fainted.

But with his amazing willpower, he persevered time and time again, constantly adjusting and revising.

At this moment, he held his hands loosely in front of his chest, his fingertips shimmering with a faint, almost invisible silver light. The light was extremely unstable, flickering on and off, like a candle in the wind.

In the void between his hands, the air distorted slightly, and the light refracted unnaturally. A "crack" as thin as a hair, about three inches long, trembling and fluctuating constantly, and invisible to the naked eye, was struggling to take shape and maintain itself.

The divine light spot in Lu Zuo's ancestral aperture between his eyebrows had dimmed considerably, indicating a significant energy expenditure.

He stared intently at his hands, focusing all his attention on them, not daring to relax for a moment.

He could "feel" the terrifying cutting power contained in that tiny crack, and he could also "feel" the instinctive rejection and compression of this discordant "scar" emanating from the surrounding space.

It was like walking on a tightrope over a precipice, with turbulent spatial currents beneath his feet.

"Certainly!"

With a low shout in his heart, Lu Zuo poured the last bit of spiritual power and true energy into his mind without reservation.

hum-

The tiny silver crack finally stopped trembling violently and barely stabilized. Although it was still faint, it was real and emanated a chilling aura.

Success! Although it's just a rudimentary, unstable "phantom blade" that probably lasts no more than a breath, it means he has mastered the prototype of this forbidden spatial technique! In critical moments, this might be the trump card that determines life or death and reverses the course of the battle!

Lu Zuo dared not maintain it any longer. With a thought, he deliberately dispelled his support for the "illusory blade".

The tiny silver crack closed silently, as if it had never appeared.

A strong sense of weakness and a sharp pain deep in his soul instantly overwhelmed him, causing his vision to go black and him to almost collapse.

He hurriedly took out the best calming and qi-tonifying pills prepared by Eunuch Liu from his bosom, swallowed them all at once, and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing for a full half hour before his pale face regained a little rosy color, but the fatigue between his brows was hard to hide.

"Phew...finally...I've finally gotten a little bit started."

Lu Zuo slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, but his eyes gleamed with excitement and determination.

The consumption of this "illusory blade" far exceeded expectations. In his current state, he can only use it once at most, and he will inevitably fall into a brief period of weakness after using it.

The consumption of this "illusory blade" far exceeded expectations. In his current state, he can only use it once at most, and he will inevitably fall into a brief period of weakness after using it.

But its power is absolutely worth the price! The protective qi of ordinary innate martial artists, and even some low-level demonic forces, are probably as fragile as paper in the face of this spatial cutting power!

He carefully put away the fragments of the "Void Seal Technique".

This is not the time to continue his studies; he needs to recover and deal with the mountain of intelligence and affairs piling up outside.

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, Eunuch Liu, who had been waiting outside like an ant on a hot pan, rushed to greet him, his eyes filled with undisguised worry: "Your Majesty! You've finally come out! This old servant..."

"explain."

Lu Zuo interrupted him, his voice tinged with weariness, yet still steady.

Eunuch Liu took a deep breath and reported rapidly, "Your Majesty, the situation is getting worse! Commander Yan sent an urgent letter in blood through secret channels an hour ago!"

"A letter written in blood?!" Lu Zuo's eyes flashed with anger.

With trembling hands, Eunuch Liu presented a piece of coarse cloth stained with dark brown blood. On it were Yan Qingfeng's hastily written words in blood, conveying a sense of tragic grandeur and resolute determination:

"Young Master! The strange phenomena of the evil formation in the old workshop have intensified! At midnight tonight, blood-red light will surge from the ground, and a stench will fill the sky. It is suspected that the 'High Priest' is about to arrive!"

My two brothers and I are determined to seize the last opportunity before their formation is complete, to risk our lives to infiltrate and destroy the core, even at the cost of our lives, to hold them off for a moment! If there is no new news by 1-3 AM, then we will have perished.

I hope you will make thorough preparations as soon as possible!

If the old workshop is destroyed, the grand formation will be activated immediately, and the entire city will be in danger! —Qingfeng's final words.

Tonight at midnight! The high priest will arrive!

Lu Zuo's knuckles turned white as he gripped the blood-written letter.

Yan Qingfeng was prepared to die! With the strength of the three of them, trying to break through the core of the evil array guarded by "blood slaves" and possibly demons was no different from moths flying into a flame!

But... he couldn't blame anyone; this might be the last and only chance to delay or even disrupt the activation of the "Myriad Spirits Blood Array".

"Anything else?" Lu Zuo asked in a low voice.

"An even bigger anomaly has been discovered beneath an abandoned greenhouse near Donghua Gate!"

"There...there seems to be a hidden tunnel entrance, concealed by talismans and illusion arrays. The stench of blood and evil energy emanating from within is terrifyingly strong!"

"Furthermore, the soil near the tunnel entrance shows signs of recent disturbance and covering, which could have occurred no more than three days ago!"

Eunuch Liu's face turned deathly pale: "Furthermore, regarding the abandoned garden and the dry well, last night at midnight, the sentries reported that the 'red shadow' had reappeared!"

"Moreover...and it seems to have become clearer. It is no longer just a shadow. You can vaguely see the outline of a woman in red dress from the previous dynasty. She is by the well...and it seems to be dancing, or perhaps performing some kind of ritual. It lasted for about fifteen minutes before disappearing."

Near the wellhead, several more traces of that dark red, sweet-smelling French ink had appeared!

The underground palace! A woman in red from the previous dynasty's palace attire! A ceremony!

Lu Zuo's heart sank to the bottom.

The Blood Rakshasa's arrangements beneath the palace were probably more in-depth and comprehensive than he had imagined!

That underground palace entrance may very well lead to a secret passage from a previous dynasty, or even...

It leads directly to the old workshop or other key locations within the formation!

And the "female ghost in red" in the abandoned garden was indeed cooperating in some kind of ritual, most likely to activate the key node of the array on the palace side!

"Any unusual activity today at Liu Wenchang's and Yongtong Bank's places?"

"Liu Wenchang remains secluded, but three heavily covered carriages secretly departed from the back gate of his residence early this morning, heading in the east, west, and north respectively—to those suspicious fur shops and coffin shops!"

"Our men dared not get too close, but from a distance we could see that the back doors of those shops were open, and carriages went in and quickly came out empty. But the fishy smell around the shops and... the faint, suppressed roars were clearly intensifying!"

"At the city defense headquarters, Marshal Yuwen's trusted generals, under the guise of 'year-end defense drills,' suddenly adjusted the garrison deployment at the east, west, and north gates, replacing them with many unfamiliar faces. Our people have been relegated to the outer perimeter!"

"Good, good, good!" Lu Zuo said three times, but his eyes held no warmth, only icy killing intent. "Get moving!"

"Liu Daoling, Yuwen Qing, you plan to simultaneously detonate the 'demon blood' at those three locations at midnight, creating chaos throughout the city, and coordinating with the Blood Rakshasa's 'chief priest' to launch your own 'obstacle-clearing' and power-seizing operations, right? You've really got a good plan!"

He walked to the window and looked out at the sky, which was as gloomy as night.

There are less than four hours left until midnight.

"Liu Banban," Lu Zuo turned around, his tone regaining the calmness and decisiveness of an emperor, and uttered a series of orders clearly.

"First, immediately divide all the collected anti-evil materials into three portions."

One copy was delivered to Tiezanzi Hutong in the fastest and most discreet way and placed in the usual spot.

Tell Yan Qingfeng that I grant him permission to act, but he must prioritize his own safety. If things become unmanageable, he must immediately withdraw and preserve his life, for I still have a use for him!

Another copy was distributed to the reliable people I had secretly placed in the palace, especially those responsible for monitoring the entrance to the underground palace, the abandoned garden well, and several other suspicious locations, so that they could carry it with them in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

The last one, keep it with me.

"Secondly, convey my oral decree, stating that 'I am uneasy and fear that treacherous people may cause trouble, so I need to strengthen my personal protection,' and immediately dispatch Han Lie, the commander of the 'Golden Scale Guard,' to lead his fifty most elite guards to guard the outer perimeter of the Imperial Study."

Although Han Lie has a past relationship with Yuwen Qing, his father received great favors from the late emperor and still has some loyalty to the royal family. Moreover, he is upright and does not get involved in factional strife, so he may be useful.

Tell him that tonight, no matter where he hears any unusual activity in the palace, he must not leave his post without my personal written or oral order, nor allow anyone to enter within a hundred paces of the Imperial Study without my permission! Anyone who disobeys this order, regardless of who they are, will be executed without exception!

"Third, you should go to the 'Hidden Truth Pavilion' in person. Without disturbing the guards, just stay outside the pavilion and tell those two that 'Secret Vault No. 3 of Class A has been opened and I have taken the 'Void Seal Technique'.'"

Then, ask them a question: "If the imperial city falls and the true dragon is shrouded in dust, will you two protect the palace or the Lu family's empire?" Report their reactions to me word for word.

"Fourth, prepare two inconspicuous sets of night clothes, one in my size and one in yours."

Prepare two more short swords that have been quenched with black dog blood and inlaid with fragments of blazing sunstone, as well as enough lightning-struck jujube wood nails and exorcising talismans.

Tonight, I will personally meet the "Red-Clad Woman" of that abandoned garden, and also the newly discovered entrance to the underground palace!

Eunuch Liu was terrified, especially by the last point: His Majesty was actually going to risk his life himself?!

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not! You are the emperor, how can you venture into such a dangerous place? That abandoned garden and underground palace are unpredictable and dangerous; if anything goes wrong..."

"Precisely because I am the emperor, I cannot stand idly by and allow demons to run rampant in my palace!"

"Liu Banban, do you think you're safe hiding in this imperial study? If the Blood Rakshasa's 'Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Array' is completed, this palace will become the biggest altar!"

When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? If I don't go, am I supposed to wait for that 'red-clad female ghost' or something from the underground palace to come and kill me at my bedside?!

His tone softened slightly, but became even heavier: "Besides, Yan Qingfeng and the others are risking their lives outside, in the old town, fighting for that sliver of hope for us, for all the people of this city."

How could I possibly cower here?

"I must go! I must ascertain the true nature of these two crucial points within the palace, and I must sabotage or disrupt them as much as possible! This is our only chance!"

Looking at Lu Zuo's resolute and determined eyes, Eunuch Liu knew that further persuasion would be useless. He felt fear, sorrow, and an indescribable surge of emotion.

His Majesty……

Things are really different now!

This is the true spirit of a Son of Heaven!

"This old servant... obeys the decree!" Eunuch Liu kowtowed heavily, got up, and ran off with a stagger but determined air to make the arrangements.