People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

Huaiqing's face turned pale, but he forced himself to remain calm: It was his father's shadow guard?

Li Qiye shook his head: The Shadow Guards can't afford the Bone-Corroding Powder. This is a tactic of the Witch God Cult. He suddenly frowned, "This is bad, a diversionary tactic!"

Before he could finish speaking, a deafening explosion echoed from afar. Huaiqing pushed open the window and saw flames shooting into the sky from the southeast corner of the imperial city—the very location of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)!

"You're their target!" Huaiqing exclaimed.

Li Qiye revealed a meaningful smile: No, their target... is the Crown Prince.

Chaos reigned in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. The Golden Gong Guards on duty discovered that a bronze coffin pattern was drawn in blood on the floor of the Crown Prince's sleeping quarters!

When the news reached Emperor Yuanjing's ears, the emperor finally flew into a rage: Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me! IV.

Chapter 108: With the destruction of the sacrificial spirit, will the Stone Kingdom perish?

The following morning, a troop of imperial guards surrounded the residence of the Minister of Revenue.

Standing before the ruins of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), Li Qiye, fanning himself with a folding fan, smiled at the onlookers and said:

The storytelling is on hold today. However... he looked towards the palace and whispered, "The real show is just beginning."

Li Qiye crouched down, his fingertips lightly touching the charred wooden beam, his brows furrowing slightly: traces of the Southern Frontier Blood Explosion Talisman... and the Bone-Corroding Powder of the Witch God Cult.

He suddenly caught a glimpse of red light in a corner of the ruins, swept away the rubble with his sleeve, revealing a blood-red jade slip.

The runes on the jade slip gleamed eerily in the sunlight, vaguely forming a miniature bronze coffin pattern.

As expected. A cold glint flashed in Li Qiye's eyes, but he did not touch the jade slip. Instead, he took out a yellow talisman from his sleeve and gently covered it.

Just then, the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar. A troop of imperial guards strode over, and the commander at the head clasped his hands and said, "Seven, eight, three: Mr. Li, His Majesty requests your presence."

Li Qiye didn't even look up: Was it for the blood coffin pattern in the Crown Prince's palace, or for tomorrow's Jiazi Grand Sacrifice?

The commander's expression changed drastically, and his grip on the knife tightened suddenly.

"Go back and tell His Majesty." Li Qiye slowly rose, the jade slip in his sleeve having disappeared without him noticing. Some things cannot be forced.

After the imperial guards withdrew, a beautiful figure emerged from the street corner. Princess Huaiqing, dressed in plain clothes with her face veiled, said: "Sir, you have quite the skills. You even dared to refuse my father's imperial guards."

Li Qiye chuckled: "Your Highness the Princess has come personally to act as a persuader?"

Huaiqing shook her head and took out a scroll of bamboo slips from her sleeve: "This morning, the Imperial Observatory urgently reported that the Purple Star (Ziwei) has dimmed, while the Greedy Wolf Star (Tanlang) is shining brightly. And what's even stranger is..." She unfolded the bamboo slips, revealing a dense list of names on them. These ministers had all had private audiences with the Emperor in the past three months.

Li Qiye glanced at the list, his gaze lingering for a moment on Qian Qingshu, the Minister of Revenue: The seventh day of every month?

Huaiqing's pupils constricted slightly: How did you know that, sir?

Because the seventh day of the lunar month is the day when yin energy is at its peak. Li Qiye looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, the most suitable time... to summon back the soul.

A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the street, and Huaiqing shivered involuntarily. She suddenly remembered something, her voice tightening: Tomorrow is Father Emperor's sixtieth birthday, which happens to be...

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Li Qiye picked up the conversation, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes. What a fine day.

A muffled chime came from the distant clock tower. Huaiqing noticed that the chime was half a beat slower than usual today, sounding particularly oppressive.

"Does Your Highness know about the Chuzhou massacre thirty years ago?" Li Qiye suddenly asked.

Huaiqing nodded: "To break through his cultivation level, the Prince of Huai slaughtered 380,000..."

Does Your Highness know that when Li Qiye interrupted her, each victim had a blood coffin pattern etched on their forehead?

Huaiqing trembled, and the bamboo slip in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Li Qiye bent down to pick up the bamboo slips, gently brushing off the dust: Some things are not coincidences. He handed the bamboo slips back, such as tomorrow's grand sacrificial ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the sudden appearance of the blood coffin pattern, and so on...

He suddenly turned to look at the shadowy corner of the street: his friend who was eavesdropping.

A small, thin figure fled in panic, only to be frozen in place by an unseen force. Li Qiye slowly stepped forward and pulled a waist token from the man's robes—Minister of Revenue's Residence!

Huaiqing's face suddenly turned cold: Qian Qingshu dared to spy on me!

No. Li Qiye shook his head. He had come to confirm whether the princess had discovered the secret.

As he spoke, he ripped open the man's collar, revealing a hideous blood coffin tattoo on his collarbone.

Huaiqing took a half step back: This is...

The symbol of the Witch God Cult. Li Qiye lightly touched the man's brow with his fingertip, and the man immediately fainted. It seems that many court officials have already...

Before the words were finished, a deafening drumbeat suddenly came from the direction of the palace.

Immediately afterwards, thirty-six bells rang throughout the city—this was the emperor's signal to summon all his officials!

Huaiqing's face turned deathly pale: This time... is against etiquette...

Li Qiye looked at the sky, which was beginning to turn red, and said softly: "Because the time has come."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a streak of blood quietly climbed up the clouds.

Even more bizarrely, a bronze halo faintly appeared around the edge of that red sun, like a slowly opening coffin.

Li Qiye stood before the ruins of the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment venue), gazing intently into the distance, and said softly:

Shi Hao entered the Realm of the Void Gods to search for the whereabouts of the Stone Emperor. However, just as he was uncovering the truth, the Stone Kingdom... underwent a dramatic change.

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a certain penetrating power, instantly silencing the noisy crowd around him.

With a wave of his folding fan, Li Qiye conjured up the phantom of a towering ancient tree in the void—the sacred spirit of the Stone Kingdom, transformed from an ancient divine vine.

However, at this moment, its branches and leaves are withered and yellow, its trunk is cracked, and its vitality is rapidly slipping away.

The spirit offering... couldn't hold on any longer.

In the illusory scene, within the capital of the Stone Kingdom, countless people knelt on the ground, weeping and praying.

The Kingdom of Shi... is about to descend into chaos.

Suddenly, the last withered leaf fell from the trunk of the sacrificial tree.

click-

With a crisp crack, a huge fissure appeared in the trunk of the sacrificial tree, and then the entire ancient tree collapsed with a roar, turning into a shower of light that dissipated into the world.

The spirit of the Stone Kingdom has fallen!

In an instant, the land of the Stone Kingdom trembled, dark clouds filled the sky, and thunder roared, as if even heaven and earth were mourning this ancient being that had protected the Stone Kingdom for thousands of years.

Princess Huaiqing, witnessing this scene, was deeply moved and murmured inwardly:

With the death of the sacrificial spirit, the nation's fortunes decline... Could the fate of the Great Feng Dynasty also be like this?

Li Qiye glanced at her and said calmly:

Princess, the calamity of the Stone Kingdom has only just begun.

The moment the sacrificial spirit fell, countless forces that had been lying in wait for a long time finally could not hold back on the border of the Stone Kingdom.

Rumbling--

The earth trembled, and on the horizon, a massive, dark army surged in like a tidal wave.

The Rain Clan, the Demon Spirit Lake, the Tuoba Clan, the Xiling Beast Mountain... and even the ancient divine mountain forces from beyond the realm, all bared their fangs!

In the illusory image, the Rain King stood atop his chariot, sneering:

The sacrificial spirit is dead, the Stone Emperor is missing, and the Stone Kingdom... is due for a change of rulers!

The powerful figures of Demon Spirit Lake rode ferocious beasts, walking through the air, and said coldly:

The territory of the Stone Kingdom shall be divided among us today!

The ancient remnant species of Xiling Beast Mountain, with a speed of 0.4, roared and led countless ferocious beasts toward the border of the Stone Kingdom. Wherever they passed, mountains and rivers crumbled!

Inside the capital of the Stone Kingdom, the powerful figures of the Martial King's Mansion were all deathly pale.

it's over...

With so many forces joining forces, how can we resist?

Shi Ziling clenched his fist, but a resolute glint flashed in his eyes:

With Shi Hao gone, we... will fight to the death!

Just as the Stone Kingdom was in dire straits, within the Realm of the Void Gods, Shi Hao was sitting cross-legged in a chaotic starry sky.

Around him, nine dazzling grotto-heavens shone brightly, and above his head, a tenth grotto-heaven was faintly gathering!

boom--

The Void God Realm trembled, and countless powerful figures looked up in horror.

Someone is attempting to break into the Ten Heavenly Caves?!

This is impossible! From ancient times to the present, no one has ever been able to break through the limits within the Realm of the Void Gods!

Chapter 109 Grand Sacrifice at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Everyone Gathers

However, Shi Hao suddenly opened his eyes at this moment, his gaze sharp as lightning, and he shouted in a low voice:

open!

click-

The tenth grotto-heaven is complete!

In an instant, the sky of the Void God Realm cracked open, and a golden light descended, enveloping Shi Hao.

This is... the approval of the Realm of the Void Gods!

In the distance, the floating bronze coffin trembled slightly, its lid opened a crack, and an aged voice rang out:

Young friend, would you be willing to lend me a hand?

Shi Hao's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly:

who are you?

The voice from the coffin paused for a moment, then slowly said:

I am... the Stone Emperor.

4. Undercurrents surging within the Great Feng Dynasty

Li Qiye closed his folding fan, and his illusory image vanished. He looked at Princess Huaiqing and said meaningfully:

Princess, the calamity of the Stone Kingdom may also be... the future of the Great Feng Kingdom.

Huaiqing was startled and suddenly looked up in the direction of the palace.

Sir, you mean...

Li Qiye smiled slightly, did not answer, but simply turned and left, leaving behind the words:

Tomorrow, the grand ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple will take place, and everything... will be revealed.

Princess Huaiqing watched Li Qiye's departing figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Upon returning to the princess's residence, she immediately immersed herself in her study, laying out the clues and intelligence she had gathered over the past few days, attempting to discern a clear thread from the complex information.

She knew all too well that tomorrow's grand sacrificial ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple would very likely be the eye of a storm that would determine the fate of the Great Feng Dynasty.

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber within the imperial palace, Emperor Yuanjing was holding a clandestine meeting with several trusted ministers. The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating their grave faces. "Your Majesty," a minister in a python robe said worriedly, "various forces are stirring. If we don't act quickly, chaos may ensue." Emperor Yuanjing's expression darkened, and he nodded slightly. "How could I not know? Li Qiye's disruption of the court must have a deeper purpose. This story of the Void God Realm might be closely related to the secrets of my Great Feng Dynasty."

“Your Majesty,” another white-haired minister advised, “in my humble opinion, Li Qiye’s frequent interactions with Princess Huaiqing suggest a possible collusion.” Emperor Yuanjing’s eyes flashed, and he sneered, “My daughter has always been cunning. However, if she truly has the ability, I wouldn’t mind entrusting this empire to her.” Everyone was startled upon hearing this, exchanging bewildered glances, but no one dared to speak further.

Nothing was said that night. The next morning, a solemn and tense atmosphere enveloped the entire capital. In front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, civil and military officials, dressed in court robes, stood in neat rows, their expressions grave. Emperor Yuanjing, surrounded by his guards, slowly entered the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Princess Huaiqing and the Crown Prince also arrived one after the other. Their eyes met, and both saw an inscrutable meaning in each other's eyes.

Just as the grand sacrificial ceremony was about to begin, suddenly, the sky shifted dramatically, a blood-red lightning bolt streaked across the heavens, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Everyone was startled by this unexpected turn of events, their faces turning deathly pale with fear and unease. Emperor Yuanjing frowned deeply, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

At this moment, Li Qiye quietly appeared outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He gazed in the direction of the temple, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. "What was bound to happen has finally arrived," he murmured to himself. With that, he vanished in a flash.

Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the grand sacrificial ceremony was forcibly interrupted. Emperor Yuanjing suppressed his anger and demanded sternly, "What exactly happened?" The officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau trembled with fear and prostrated themselves, pleading, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. This is an unusual celestial phenomenon; we truly do not know the cause." Just as Emperor Yuanjing was about to erupt in anger, Princess Huaiqing suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "Father, I have important matters to report." Emperor Yuanjing paused slightly, gesturing for her to continue.

Princess Huaiqing took a deep breath and recounted in detail what she had learned in the past few days about the collusion between court officials and the Witchcraft Cult, and their secret plots of treason. Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar. The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. Emperor Yuanjing's face was ashen as he glared angrily at the assembled officials: "Is this true?" For a moment, the court was deathly silent; no one dared to answer.

Just then, Li Qiye suddenly appeared in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Holding the blood-red jade slip he had found in the ruins of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), he loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is evidence of the crimes of the Witch God Cult. They attempted to use the grand sacrifice to perform evil magic and overthrow the Great Feng Dynasty." With that, he handed the jade slip to Emperor Yuanjing. Emperor Yuanjing took the jade slip, examined it carefully, and his face grew increasingly grim.

"Guards, seize all the ministers involved!" Emperor Yuanjing roared. The guards immediately sprang into action, subduing several ministers whose faces showed terror. The Crown Prince, seeing this, panicked and was about to make a move, but Li Qiye saw through his intentions at a glance. "Your Highness, it would be best if you did not act rashly," Li Qiye said coldly. The Crown Prince's heart skipped a beat, and he could only feign composure.

Emperor Yuanjing's hand, gripping the blood-red jade slip, trembled slightly, his eyes blazing with fury: What a sorcerer's cult! What a Qian Qingshu! He slammed the jade slip to the ground, shattering it into pieces. The Chuzhou massacre of thirty-eight years ago—and now, thirty-eight years later, they dare to repeat it?!

Princess Huaiqing astutely grasped the key point: her father meant that this conspiracy involved Prince Huai.

"Not bad." Li Qiye suddenly spoke, his voice echoing within the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Back then, the Prince of Huai massacred the city in order to break through to the second rank; today's blood sacrifice is for—he looked up at the palace ceiling, to let a certain being fully awaken.