His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

The two exchanged a glance.

This place is, after all, inside the city.

An army of tens of thousands has already caused serious panic among the people. If they were to start a massacre at this time and place, it would only lead to greater misunderstandings and resistance from the people, which would be detrimental to subsequent appeasement efforts.

The two shared the same concerns.

They may seek revenge, but they will not truly plunge the world into chaos, displace the people, or allow those so-called "prophecies" to come true.

The destruction of the Great You will usher in an even more powerful and prosperous empire.

The man guarding the palace gate was a centurion named Zhou Hai.

He was one of Feng Xingyu's men. Five years ago, he was placed in the Imperial Guard. After all these years, he finally managed to get a job guarding the palace gate.

He was called a gatekeeper, but he was really just a figurehead. Normally, he had no say in the palace gates.

The people in charge were all from the Imperial Guard; he was just standing in the corner with a dozen or so men, making up the numbers.

But today is different.

All the Imperial Guards in the palace were lying down, and the Imperial Guards were also lying down. He and his dozen or so men finally stood in the most... conspicuous position.

But unexpectedly, after only one night of guarding, the people outside broke in?

It happened too fast; I wasn't prepared at all.

Zhou Hai stood behind the palace gate, listening to the rumbling footsteps outside, his palms sweating profusely.

Judging from the footsteps, there were at least tens of thousands of people.

"Boss..."

A young soldier leaned closer, his voice trembling, "Out...outside..."

"Shut up."

Zhou Hai interrupted him, his throat dry.

He listened intently, and the footsteps grew closer and closer until they finally stopped less than a hundred meters from the palace gate.

Through the heavy palace gates, he heard someone shouting.

"Listen up, you inside! We are the Imperial Guard, sent to protect Your Majesty by imperial decree! Open the gates immediately!"

Zhou Hai remained silent.

By imperial decree? By whose decree?

That person in the palace... probably can't command anyone anymore.

"Open the door!"

Another shout came from outside, this time louder and with a blatant threat: "If you don't open the door, we'll have to storm it!"

Zhou Hai looked back at the dozen or so brothers behind him.

Their faces were pale, and their legs were trembling, but no one took a step back.

He suddenly laughed.

Are you scared?

No one spoke.

A moment later, a young soldier spoke up, his neck stiff: "What are you afraid of? We are the Seventh Prince's men, and we will risk our lives to guard this gate for His Highness."

Zhou Hai nodded, turned around, and placed his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Then just die.

At worst, I'll be a hero again in twenty years.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind them.

Zhou Hai turned around and saw two people walking towards him.

One male and one female.

The man was dressed in black, with blood-red eyes and a chilling aura. The woman walked beside him, her expression indifferent, as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

"Your Highness!"

Zhou Hai squeezed out two words from his throat and knelt down with a thud.

The dozen or so soldiers behind him were also stunned for a moment, and then they all knelt down in unison.

Feng Xingyu didn't speak, but simply nodded to them before walking past them toward the palace gate.

Zhou Hai knelt on the ground, looking at the dark figure's back, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Your Highness has arrived.

They don't need to be afraid anymore!

Just like back then, if His Highness hadn't appeared in time to save them, they would have died long ago, and they wouldn't be where they are today.

Zhou Hai's death-defying spirit hadn't dissipated, but now he wasn't thinking about death anymore; instead, he was thinking that no one should be allowed to step through this door.

Outside the palace gates, tens of thousands of garrison troops stood in square formations, completely surrounding the palace gates.

The leading general was named Chen Wu, a rugged man in his forties. He was currently riding a horse, frowning as he stared at the tightly closed palace gate.

"What happened?"

He asked his adjutant, "It hasn't started yet?"

The lieutenant shook his head: "We've called several times, but no one has answered."

Chen Wu's brows furrowed even more.

Not right.

Something's really wrong.

The death of six ministers overnight, including the Duke of Zhenguo, is already quite bizarre.

Yesterday morning, none of the ministers who went to court returned home. No news came out of the palace, and even the people sent to inquire never returned.

His decision to surround the palace this morning was a last resort. He couldn't contact His Majesty, and the ministers' fates were unknown. As the commander of the garrison, he couldn't just sit idly by.

But he never expected that the palace gates would be so tightly shut.

"Shout again!"

He said in a deep voice, "If you don't open it, break down the door!"

The lieutenant was about to speak when he suddenly froze.

"General...look!"

Chen Wu looked in the direction he was pointing, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

A gate suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of the palace gate.

No, it didn't appear, it fell from the sky!

It was a heavy gate, entirely black, gleaming with a chilling light, which crashed to the ground with a loud thud, completely blocking the original palace gate.

The ground trembled, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky.

The garrison's warhorses were startled, neighing and retreating, causing their formation to falter for a moment.

Chen Wu's horse also took a few steps back. He tightened the reins and stared intently at the gate that had appeared out of nowhere. His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

What is this?

What is this...?

He had lived for forty years and served in the military for twenty, and had never seen anything so bizarre.

"General!" The lieutenant's voice trembled. "This, this..."

Chen Wu remained silent.

He dismounted and walked step by step toward the gate.

As he approached, he reached out and touched it; it was cold and hard.

It's not a hallucination.

He stepped back a few paces and yelled at the soldiers behind him, "Charge!"

Dozens of soldiers carrying battering rams charged forward and slammed them against the gate.

"Bang!"

The loud noise made people's ears ring, but the gate didn't budge.

"Hit it again!"

It remained completely still.

"Use a ladder truck to scale the wall!"

The soldiers carried ladders and rushed up the wall, but as soon as the ladders touched the top of the wall, an invisible force bounced them back, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

Chen Wu stood there, his face ashen.

He tried a few more times.

Breaking down doors, scaling walls, even having people try to undermine the walls—none of it worked.

The entire palace seemed to be surrounded by an invisible iron barrel, so tight that not even a fly could get in.

"General..."

The lieutenant's voice trembled: "This...this is sorcery, isn't it?"

Chen Wu remained silent.

He looked up at the towering palace wall and at the two blurry figures on the top of it, and felt a chill run through his body.

In the following days, the capital city was completely in chaos.

The garrison troops surrounded the palace, unable to enter or retreat.

The families of high-ranking officials cried and begged for news from the palace every day outside the palace gates.

Rumors were flying everywhere. Some said the emperor had died, some said the crown prince had been killed for treason, and others said there was a monster in the palace that had eaten everyone.

And things got even worse.

On the seventh day, an urgent message arrived from the border.

The army of the Chen Kingdom pressed on the border, breaching three cities in succession. The defending troops were routed and requested the court to send troops to support them as soon as possible and to procure provisions quickly.

However, when the message was sent to the capital, it could not reach the palace.

Chen Wu held the urgent report, his fingers trembling.

The situation in the palace was unclear, and he dared not leave the capital at this time.

Without an imperial order, the troops in various prefectures and counties dared not move out on their own.

Without official documents from the Ministry of Revenue, grain and fodder could not be procured or transported out.

The entire Great You felt as if someone had choked it; it could breathe, but couldn't catch its breath.

On the ninth day, the second urgent report arrived.

Another city of Chen Kingdom has fallen.

On the fifteenth day, the third urgent report arrived.

Two more cities were captured.

The border troops suffered repeated defeats and were routed.

Chen Wu stood outside the palace gate, looking at the still tightly closed gate, and felt a chill run down his spine.

We can't get into the palace.

His Majesty and his ministers are all missing and their fates are unknown.

The border conflict is escalating, yet no one is in charge of the overall situation.

He sent people to Tianyan Sect for help several times, but the people he sent said that Tianyan Sect didn't know what had happened and seemed to be in chaos as well.

Right now, they are already struggling to take care of themselves.

He turned around, looked at the tens of thousands of garrison troops behind him, and the people in the distant capital who were living in constant fear, and suddenly understood something.

The Great You is doomed.

……

ten days ago.

The people sent by the Tianyan Sect to search for Su Qingnian were suddenly recalled.

Because Miss Su Qingnian went back on her own!

Moreover, she brought a man back with her.

As Yin Yue followed Chu Canglan into the Tianyan Sect's mountain gate, a familiar yet unfamiliar aura rushed towards her.

She didn't have the original owner Su Qingnian's memories, but deep within her body lay an instinctive chill.

Along the way, I heard people say, "Young Miss, you suffered so much. Miss Wan prayed for you every day, and you have finally returned safely."

Yin Yue's face remained indifferent, but her heart was as clear as a mirror.

No one needs to remind me, and there's no need to dig into the past.

Previously, her body was too weak and her mind was muddled. Now that her body is much better, she doesn't need to remember many things. She can figure out what's going on with just a little thought.

The poison that had plagued the original owner for years, slowly eroding her life force, gradually improved after she was reborn into this body, only to collapse again... all of this was inextricably linked to her adopted sister, Su Qingwan.

However, she had no evidence.

Su Qingwan is adept at pretending; her words are baseless and no one would believe them if she spoke out.

Moreover, Su Haotian, the sect leader of Tianyan Sect, has always doted on this adopted daughter.

Because Su Qingwan's biological father had saved Su Haotian's life years ago and entrusted his orphan to him on his deathbed, Su Haotian raised her by his side just like he would his own daughter, Su Qingnian.

Treat equally.

Therefore, without solid evidence, Su Haotian would never believe it.

Silvermoon was well aware of this.

However, Chu Canglan's thinking was much simpler. He didn't care about any evidence. As long as he found out who wanted to harm his Yue'er, he would kill even the Heavenly King himself.

As soon as the two stepped into the main hall of the Tianyan Sect, a slender and frail figure rushed over, her eyes red and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sister, you're finally back! I thought... I thought I'd never see you again!"

Su Qingwan rushed to Yinyue, reaching out to grab her sleeve, her voice choked with sobs, looking utterly pitiful: "Where have you been all this time?"

Yin Yue stepped aside, her indifferent gaze falling on her face, devoid of any warmth.

"Did you poison me?"

Her purpose in returning this time was to seek revenge, and she didn't beat around the bush, asking directly.

Su Qingwan's tears froze, and she then revealed a bewildered and hurt expression, shaking her head repeatedly.

"Sister, what are you talking about? How could I poison you? Have you been through something traumatic outside and gone mad?"

She looked at the man beside Yinyue, and shrank back slightly in fear: "Sister, who is this?"

This man has a very strong presence.

"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, I know you're the one who poisoned me."

Yinyue did not answer her question, nor was she swayed by her change of topic: "You like the Third Prince, you've liked him since you were little, but the only person who can be married into the royal family is me. If you want to marry him, unless I die, you will never have a chance."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingwan's face paled, and a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes.

That bitch, how come she's still alive after all this? She's got a real life!

The key question is, when did she become so smart?

For so many years, Su Qingwan had kept her true feelings hidden very well, humbly trying to please them all. She believed that as long as Su Qingnian "died of illness," the marriage agreement between the royal family and Tianyan Sect could not be broken, and she would be able to marry the Third Prince legitimately.

But this woman, who was clearly dead, somehow came back to life. She risked increasing the dosage, which was a death sentence nonetheless…

For more than two months, the Tianyan Sect never gave up searching for her, thinking she must have died out there long ago. But she actually returned unharmed!

Su Qingwan caught a glimpse of a figure walking quickly from outside the hall.

It was Su Haotian who rushed over after receiving the news.

She immediately put on an innocent and aggrieved expression: "Sister, I don't know what I did wrong to make you misunderstand me like this..."

Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed down her face, and her body trembled slightly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"Father, please look at my sister!"

Su Qingwan suddenly turned her head and cried out to Su Haotian, who had just stepped into the main hall. Her voice was pitiful and heartbreaking.

Su Haotian strode forward, his brows furrowed, his gaze first falling on Yin Yue, a mixture of joy at having regained her and a touch of solemnity.

"Nian'er, you're finally back. I thought..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Su Qingwan's choked sobs.

"Father, my sister questioned me as soon as she returned, accusing me of poisoning her. I am truly innocent!"

"These past few days, I've prayed for my sister every day, observed vegetarian diets and chanted Buddhist scriptures, only wishing for her safe return. But as soon as she came back, she slandered me like this..."

As she spoke, she clutched her chest, looking heartbroken and as if she might collapse at any moment.

Su Haotian's expression darkened slightly as he looked at Yin Yue, his tone clearly showing disapproval.

"Nian'er, don't talk nonsense. I know Wanwan's personality best."

"She has a pure and kind heart. She treated you like her own sister since you were little, always giving you the best things and letting you have them. She's so sensible, how could she do something to kill you?"

"You must have suffered hardships abroad, and your mind is unsettled, which is why you have such unfounded suspicions."

Yin Yue watched the father and daughter's back-and-forth singing with cold indifference, her heart unmoved.

She had expected this outcome.

Whether Father believes it or not is up to him.

Yinyue's voice was firm, showing no sign of backing down: "This poison was given to me by her."

Su Qingwan cried even harder, her body went limp, and she almost fell to the ground. A maidservant beside her quickly helped her up.

"Sister, I treated you with all my heart, yet you wronged me so vehemently..."

While crying, she secretly glanced at Yinyue out of the corner of her eye, a hint of smugness hidden in her eyes.

Even if we knew, so what?

Who would believe her if she just made empty promises?

"Alright, Nian'er, you've just gotten back, so get some rest first. Don't bring this up again, lest it hurt your sisterly bond."

"Yes, sister, you must have heard some slanderous words to misunderstand me. I don't blame you..."

Seeing that Su Haotian was completely on her side, Su Qingwan was secretly delighted when a chilling aura suddenly enveloped the entire hall.

Before anyone could react, Chu Canglan drew his sword and sheathed it again. In the blink of an eye, Su Qingwan fell into a pool of blood.

All the pretense, all the vulnerability, all the scheming—at this moment, they all became a joke.