After seeing Lucian off, Azrael settled onto the sofa and began contemplating how to explain these matters to Jin.
Since Lord Lioren had told him to proceed freely, there was no need to worry about the impact of leaked information on the Association's plans.
After a moment's deliberation, he decided to change the reason for the Association's actions to the dire situation in Antarctica.
[Six: President, the Association is preparing to take action against the Imperial Court.]
After sending the message, Azrael clutched his communication device and waited silently.
Unfortunately, after a long while, Jin didn't reply.
"Strange."
"Didn't you see it?"
"Or..."
Azrael wondered if Jin had actually created something with the experimental materials he'd previously submitted.
Just as he was debating whether to talk to Memphis about this, Jin's reply finally arrived.
[Jin: ?]
[Jin: Where did you get this information from? Can you confirm its accuracy?]
Azrael's spirits instantly perked up.
[Six: Absolutely true. Lucian told me.]
[Six: It's probably because of the situation in Antarctica that they no longer want to maintain this divide-and-rule situation with the Imperial Court.]
[Six: Lucian asked me to lead a team to Beijing to suppress it.]
Elsewhere, a gloomy old man studied the message on his communication device with a dark expression.
Without a doubt, if there was only one Association in the Empire of Aetherlight, it would be far more difficult for the Crimson Oath Society.
"Should I have the boss and the others cause some trouble for the Association?"
This thought had just crossed Jin's mind when he saw Azrael send another message.
[Six: Lord Lioren has already taken care of the Sovereign-level secret realm in Shudoria. He will be the primary operator of this operation.]
Upon seeing this, the old man calmed down instantly.
"Tsk..."
"Lord Lioren actually escaped so quickly? Those useless people in the Imperial Court are truly pathetic."
"But..."
Thinking of the information he'd gathered about Lord Lioren's physical condition long ago, Jin didn't believe that he would have killed that Sovereign-level demon without any cost.
It was a shame that contact with the demons had been severed for some reason. Otherwise, he could have found a way to get those Imperial Court idiots to summon another secret realm.
Jin made a decision in an instant.
"There's no rush. There's no need to send the Boss and the others there to die."
"But this time, thanks to Azrael. Otherwise, the Association might have quietly achieved its goal."
Although he didn't intend to interfere directly, knowing about it made a world of difference.
He had no intention of revealing the Association's plans to take action against the Imperial Court, even though it might cause some trouble.
After all, Azrael had already said he would be going to Beijing, so it was best to avoid any further incidents.
At this thought, Jin's lips curled into a mocking grin. "Lucian, Lucian, you and I have fought for most of our lives. I never expected that in our old age, you would be stabbed in the back by your own disciple, did you?"
"This is truly..."
"Exhilarating."
With a delighted heart, he sent a message to Azrael.
[Jin: You did well this time. After this is over, your status with Lucian should improve, right?]
Seeing Jin's message, Azrael raised an eyebrow.
"Your status will improve, old man, but not with my teacher, with you."
The young man chuckled, his fingers dancing across the communication device with practiced ease, uttering a stream of flattery.
[Six: I dare not forget your instructions, President.]
[Jin: You little brat.]
[Jin: By the way, Memphis told me earlier that you can already defeat Diamond-level Lore Cardians above your level?]
[Jin: You shouldn't be far from Diamond, right?]
[Jin: When you reach Diamond, remember to come find me. I'll have a great gift for you.]
Azrael then remembered that Jin had promised him a set of Diamond-level materials upon reaching Diamond rank.
But he'd forgotten all about it after so many things had happened.
He decided to test Jin to see if he could get him to reveal his whereabouts.
Azrael wanted them dead more than the Crimson Oath Society's material rewards.
[Six: I understand. Should I still meet you at the same place as before, President?]
But Jin's reply made his heart sink.
[Jin: The same place.]
Azrael didn't know why Jin hadn't revealed his whereabouts yet.
But he didn't dare ask directly, as that would undoubtedly arouse suspicion.
However, since his current position with Jin was secure, he might as well continue down this path and find out more about what he was planning in Velkairos before making any moves.
Looking at the silent communication device in his hand, he couldn't help but sigh in relief and quickly put it away.
"Now let's wait until I reach the Diamond level and see what that old man is planning."
In the underground space of Beijing, the clan heads gathered again for a meeting.
Unlike the chaotic previous meetings, this one didn't involve heated arguments around the table.
The reason was simple: the backbone of the Imperial Court had returned.
Master Fujimaru, now sitting at the head of the group, pinched the bridge of her nose with a slight headache. "It's only been a short time since I left, and you've already caused such a big mess."
"Can't you just leave Azrael alone?"
"And you even got involved with Hanzu, a Diamond-level Lore Cardian."
"Now that's good. If he's not a fool, he'll definitely know it was you."
At this point, she let out a breath. "Tell me, what are you going to do now?"
Hearing this, Lord Shifu and Lord Mortarion couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Neither of them was stupid. From just a few words, they could already tell that the master Lore Cardian meant to stop trying to assassinate Azrael.
After a brief hesitation, Master Shifu said in a deep voice, "At this point, we have no choice but to sacrifice one of our comrades to appease that person's wrath."
He was referring to Lucian.
An eerie silence descended upon the room.
Everyone exchanged glances, then grew wary. After all, no one wanted to be the victim.
Hearing this, Master Fujimaru couldn't help but show a hint of amusement. "Who will you choose?"
"Vangeance you choose yourselves, or..."
"Let me choose."
Master Shifu replied respectfully, "We've already decided on the candidate. There's no need to bother Master Fujimaru with such a trivial matter."
With that, he scanned the crowd with cold eyes.
Everyone was bewildered, for they had no idea when they had chosen the candidate.
Only Master Mortarion remained calm. Based on their earlier discussions with Master Shifu, they had already decided to throw Eunuch Wynnard out as the scapegoat.
Just as he was debating whether to secretly offer compensation to Azrael, a light voice reached his ears.
"Master Mortarion, I'll have to inconvenience you."
"?"
The old man surnamed Sun looked up in bewilderment, seemingly unable to comprehend what Master Shifu meant.
But then he abruptly stood up, his face flushed.
"This is different from what we agreed on!"
Faced with his anger, Master Shifu simply stared at him indifferently, his tone as light as if he were discussing a trivial matter. "Master Mortarion, you and I both know this is the most appropriate choice."
"After all, it was you who arranged the personnel in Donglai in the beginning."
The saying goes, "Kill the donkey after it's done its work." He then glanced at the others, who shuddered in fear. "I'm sure you all have no objections."
Hearing this, they nodded frantically.
What could they possibly object to? As long as they weren't the ones being sacrificed.
Seeing this, Lord Mortarion couldn't accept the truth for a moment and roared, "Master Shifu, I'm really going to fuck your mother!"
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell Lucian everything?!"
"Lord Lioren, "
Bang!
With a sudden explosion, red and white brain matter instantly splattered everywhere.
He was dead.
Lord Shifu shook his head helplessly at this. "You were being outspoken."
"Besides, my mother passed away a long time ago."
He then bowed respectfully to Master Fujimaru. "Master Fujimaru, I apologize for making a spectacle in front of you."
Lord Mortarion's death was, of course, caused by Master Fujimaru.
Killing an unsuspecting Diamond-level Lore Cardian was as easy as crushing an ant for a Sovereign-level master.
However, if he hadn't mentioned Lord Lioren's forbidden matter, she wouldn't have acted so decisively.
Master Fujimaru propped her head up with her right hand and said in a cold voice, "Watch your mouths."
"Yes, yes!"
Seeing their colleague, someone they had known for years, lose his life, everyone hunched over like frightened quails.
Seeing their expressions, Master Fujimaru curled her lips in boredom and moved on to another topic. "Now that we've decided who will be the scapegoat, what are your thoughts on the merger of the Association and the Imperial Court?"
Upon hearing this, the family heads, including Lord Shifu, were stunned.
They had never expected to hear such words from the master Lore Cardian before them.
Eunuch Wynnard then gave an awkward, strangled laugh. "Hahaha, Master Fujimaru, you're quite humorous."
Master Fujimaru tilted her head at Eunuch Wynnard. "Is it funny?"
"Never mind, I won't keep you in suspense. The situation in Antarctica is dire."
"Before returning, Lucian tried to win me over, but I brushed him off."
"Don't blame me for not warning you. You'd better come up with a proposal now."
Seeing she didn't seem to be joking, everyone present was somewhat unconvinced.
They'd done so much against the Association over the years, all to curb its growth.
After all, who among those present didn't want to be a noble for generations? They had no interest in protecting a bunch of peasants.
But the supernatural world had one advantage: whoever had the bigger fist was obeyed.
Now that their leader was ready to surrender, it seemed they had little power to resist.
They couldn't just imitate historical rebels and say, "Your Majesty, we are ready to fight to the death, why are you surrendering first?" That wasn't the way for these Empire bureaucrats.
With this in mind, the old men quickly slid to their knees.
However, they had a major disagreement over the terms of the negotiations with the Association.
Some wanted to retain their privileges, while others were willing to cede some of their interests to avoid future retribution.
Master Fujimaru simply observed the absurd scene before her, not participating in it.
As a master Lore Cardian, she was confident that her position would remain unchanged even if the two sides merged.
Without her decision-making, the meeting concluded without anyone drafting a suitable proposal.
Seeing this, Master Fujimaru yawned, said a few words, and disappeared from the underground space.
"I'm tired. Let's discuss this tomorrow."
With her departure, the remaining people breathed a sigh of relief.
Eunuch Wynnard then approached Lord Shifu with a fawning tone. "Thanks to you, Lord Shifu, for this."
"I guess I'll have to trouble you, Lord Shifu, to mediate the reconciliation with Liann, no, Master Lucian."
Lord Shifu frowned slightly, clearly reeling from the recent events. "I know. Don't worry, everyone."
Without paying attention to the reactions of the crowd, he turned and left the underground space.
It was already late at night, the darkness thick with inky black beneath a shimmering moon.
Returning home, Master Shifu ordered his servants to prepare some hot food to sate his hunger. Then, he sat in his study and began to ponder the affairs of the Association and the Imperial Court.
"The Sheng family cannot be extinct in my hands."
As he pondered this, a commotion outside the study caught his attention.
With a sullen expression, he shouted in disapproval, "What are you arguing about?"
But after the old man opened the door, he froze.
The light outside the study was as bright as day.
At that moment, a voice, tinged with rage and fear, suddenly rang out, "Lord Lioren!!"
"What are you doing?!"
Lord Lioren?
Lord Lioren!
The voice awoke Master Shifu from his stupor.
Invisible terror gripped his heart like a massive hand.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to ask you what you are doing."
"Have you ever cared about the lives of hundreds of millions of civilians in Shudoria?"
"All this is just for you to atone for your sins."
Hearing the tired voice in his ear, Lord Shifu was instantly stunned.
"He knew?!"
"How could he know?!"
The situation they least wanted to see had happened.
The light in the sky became brighter and brighter. If it weren't for the fact that all the clocks showed that it was late at night, some people would believe it was noon.
People from all over the Empire of Aetherlight, whether they were asleep or not, came outside in astonishment and looked at the scene they had never seen before.
"What is this?"
"Lord Lioren?"
Several commanders of the Demon Army stared grimly at the dazzling sun radiating endless light and heat above the Empire. "What is Lord Lioren doing?!"
Without hesitation, they quickly raised the Demon Army's alert level to maximum.
Not only them, but all beings above the Master level around the world could sense the scorching aura.
"Is that the Empire of Aetherlight's 'Eternal Light'?"
"How terrifying! Fortunately, our country doesn't border the Empire."
Meanwhile, Azrael stood outside Beijing, looking up at the bright night sky, unable to help but smack his lips in amazement.
"This is 'Sun Patrol of the Eight Directions - Dongjun.' Incredible."
Remembering his teacher's previous statement that this operation would begin simultaneously throughout the Empire, he was certain that the situation across the country would be similar to his own.
And this wasn't even Lord Lioren's full strength.
"The Sovereign level is so powerful! I wonder what Shiraori will be like when she reaches the Sovereign level."
Just imagining that scene, Azrael felt an endless surge of motivation.
But now was no time for fantasies. He turned to look at the equally shocked Association Lore Cardians behind him and chuckled. "Let's go. It's our turn."
He was already prepared to cosplay Huang Chao, the rebel poet who once wrote that when his revolution came, "all along the streets of heaven one treads on the bones of state officials."
Tonight, the streets of Beijing would be paved with noble bones.
...
Historical Reference:
Huang Chao - Tang Dynasty rebel leader (835-884 CE) who led a massive peasant rebellion that severely weakened the Tang Dynasty. Famous for his violent poem about chrysanthemums and rebellion, and the line quoted in the chapter about "streets of heaven" being paved with the bones of state officials during the sacking of Chang'an.