I manage female characters in all the heavens.

All the civil and military officials had arrived ahead of time, standing quietly in neat rows in the Tianyuan Hall, heads bowed and not making a sound, as if they were dead.

On the steps ahead, Emperor Changming sat on his dragon throne, head bowed, completely still.

Standing in the center of the hall, looking at the scene before him, Nie Yan felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

It's too quiet.

Something was off about the quiet.

Not to mention whispers, you couldn't even hear breathing or heartbeats.

Although there were hundreds of people standing in the entire Tianyuan Hall, it was as silent as a tomb.

“This…” Nie Yan swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

He took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the nearest official—a secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, with whom he had met a few times before.

"Doctor Wang?" he called softly.

The person did not respond.

Nie Yan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently touched the man's shoulder.

result--

The man's body, as if a skeleton had been removed from its support, stiffly leaned forward and lay face down in front of Nie Yan!

"Splash!"

An empty official robe lay scattered on the ground.

And Nie Yan finally saw what was under the official robe—

It was just a piece of skin.

A complete human skin.

The skin surface still retains the skin tone and texture it had when it was alive, the position of the facial features is clearly discernible, and it even retains the respectful expression that Dr. Wang usually had.

But inside that skin, there was nothing.

It has no flesh and blood, no bones, and no internal organs.

It's like a cicada shell that's been drained of all its juices.

Nie Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt a "buzz" in his mind, leaving him completely stunned.

He suddenly looked up at the silent figures around him, and a terrible thought surfaced in his mind.

No...no...it can't be...

He strode over to another official and reached out to touch him—

The man also fell straight down, just like everyone else, an empty human skin.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

Nie Yan frantically weaved through the crowd, touching each of the standing figures one by one.

For every one you touch, another falls down.

Every one that falls is a human skin.

Civil officials, military generals, princes, dukes...

In just a dozen breaths, hundreds of court officials in the hall were all turned into empty human skins, scattered all over the ground.

Finally, Nie Yan stumbled to the dragon throne, his hand trembling as he reached out to the emperor who sat there.

"His Majesty……"

The moment his hand touched the emperor's sleeve—

The emperor's body, too, stiffened and fell forward, tumbling off the dragon throne and crashing onto the steps.

Beneath that bright yellow dragon robe was also an empty shell.

The emperor of the Changming Dynasty had also died.

Nie Yan stood there blankly, staring at the human skins scattered throughout the hall and the dragon robe that had fallen to the ground. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body turning ice cold.

He recognized every single one of these faces.

Minister of Rites Ji Tongchen—he had seen him just yesterday. Ji Tongchen had patted him on the shoulder warmly, informing him that the emperor would be holding court today and that he should prepare well. He also smiled and said that he had performed very well in the past few months and that the emperor would definitely give him an important position.

Zhao Yuanlang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, was checking the list of sacrificial items with him at the yamen the day before yesterday. He complained that this year's budget had been cut again, and they couldn't even afford to buy cattle and sheep for the sacrifices.

Grand Secretary Ge Tianxu—a civil official leader with exceptional Confucian and Taoist cultivation who came from the Confucian Haoran Academy—had invited him to a poetry gathering just five days prior, saying he wanted to promote new policies and reforms to save the crumbling dynasty.

But now...

They are all dead.

All dead.

and--

Nie Yan squatted down and carefully examined Ji Tongchen's human skin, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Judging from the dryness of the human skin and the lingering smell, these people have been dead for at least half a month.

But here's the problem.

Yesterday, he was clearly working in the office with Ji Tongchen!

For the past two weeks, he has been dealing with these "colleagues" every day!

Going to the office, holding meetings, reviewing official documents, handing over duties...

Were all those people who talked to him and laughed with him...?

Fake?!

Nie Yan felt a sudden dizziness and almost couldn't stand up.

An overwhelming sense of fear washed over him like a tidal wave.

This fear does not stem from concern for one's own safety, but from a deeper despair about the complete collapse of the world.

The court he had so painstakingly sought to serve was gone.

The monarch he so diligently sought to serve was no more.

The platform he so desperately wanted to use to save the world is gone.

Everything is gone.

So what is he still doing here?

What is the meaning of his existence?

Just then, the vast true energy within his body suddenly began to circulate on its own.

A cool, refreshing sensation, like an ice spring, surged from his dantian, flowing through his meridians and throughout his body, instantly washing away the fear and despair that had almost devoured him.

Nie Yan suddenly shuddered, his eyes sharpening again.

Don't panic.

We must not act rashly.

It is precisely in times like these that we must remain calm.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and his gaze swept across the hall.

All the civil and military officials were present, including the emperor, Ge Tianxu, and all the ministers who were qualified to attend the court assembly.

but--

His gaze sharpened as he noticed a problem.

One person is missing here.

The current imperial advisor, a compassionate guide to salvation!

Logically speaking, the Imperial Preceptor held a highly respected position and would attend every court assembly to pray for the emperor and preach scriptures, making him an indispensable figure at the court meetings.

But now, in the entire Tianyuan Hall, the figure of Pudu Cihang is nowhere to be seen!

Universal Salvation...

Universal Salvation...

Nie Yan's eyes turned slightly cold.

Although he had only been an official in the court for a few months, he had already learned about the national teacher, Pudu Cihang, during those months.

On the surface, this national teacher was compassionate and possessed boundless Buddhist wisdom, enjoying extremely high prestige both in and out of the court.

The emperor listened to him without question, the ministers treated him with utmost respect, and the people regarded him as a reincarnation of a living Buddha.

But Nie Yan always felt that there was an inexplicable and eerie feeling about this national advisor.

Especially whenever he saw the other party, his internal energy would become slightly restless, as if he was on guard against something.

And now-

All the civil and military officials in the court were dead, but the Imperial Preceptor was nowhere to be found.

Could this be a coincidence?

Nie Yan did not believe in coincidences.

Without hesitation, he turned and prepared to leave the mausoleum-like hall.

He wanted to find Pudu Cihang and question him about whether he knew anything about it, or what he had done.

Just then, a chanting of Buddhist hymns suddenly rang out from all directions!

"Om Mani Padme Hum"

The sound was grand and vast, like hundreds of monks chanting scriptures at the same time, or like the wondrous sounds of the Buddhist kingdom coming from the heavens.

Each syllable carries a strange penetrating power, as if it can penetrate flesh and blood and reach the depths of the soul.

The voice contained an extremely powerful seductive force, making the listener involuntarily want to let go of all resistance and immerse themselves in that peaceful, tranquil, and transcendent atmosphere.

At the same time, a strong sense of remorse will involuntarily rise from the depths of one's heart—