Inside the alchemy chamber of the Pill Institute, faint waves of heat and medicinal fragrance rippled through the air.
Standing beside Yang Cheng were Wang Rou and Xu Qingxue.
Refining the Earth Spirit Heart Pill was not something Yang Cheng could possibly do by himself—he had neither the time nor the need.
So, he had decided to pass the method on to others.
The ones he chose were Wang Rou and Xu Qingxue.
Xu Qingxue's talent for alchemy was beyond question—she was destined to become a renowned Alchemy God of the heavens.
Unfortunately, her time studying alchemy was still too short—barely four years.
Even with her heaven-defying gift, her current comprehension of the Alchemy Dao only reached the level of Pill Saint, though that alone was already astonishing.
But mastering the Earth Spirit Heart Pill required far more than that.
Wang Rou, however, was different. She was already a Pill Emperor, or she would never have qualified as an instructor at the Pill Institute.
Having Xu Qingxue assist Wang Rou was the wisest arrangement.
"Master, you… you really want to teach me the method to refine the Earth Spirit Heart Pill?" Wang Rou asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Yang Cheng said lightly.
A warm glow of emotion filled Wang Rou's eyes. She felt she absolutely could not betray the trust Master Yang placed in her.
The method for refining the Earth Spirit Heart Pill appeared simple on the surface, but in truth it was extraordinarily difficult. If it were easy, those Pill Gods at the Grand Lecture Hall would have mastered it long ago.
It required perfect command of the natural flow of heaven and earth, mastery of two interwoven formation arrays, and absolute precision in Alchemy Dao control.
Anyone else would find it impossible to teach, let alone pass on this art.
But Yang Cheng possessed a Two-Star Pill Domain and unparalleled spiritual strength. He used the power of his Pill Domain to subtly imprint the entire refining process into Wang Rou's consciousness.
As for Xu Qingxue, he didn't use the same method. He intended for her to observe and comprehend it on her own.
He could already see that Wang Rou treated alchemy more as a livelihood, not a pursuit of the Dao itself. Her talent was solid, but not transcendent.
The one who would go far in the future would be Xu Qingxue.
Wang Rou was better suited for supportive or instructional work.
Even so, it still took her an entire month to fully master the Earth Spirit Heart Pill refining technique.
When that was done, Yang Cheng finally stepped out of the alchemy chamber.
As he walked through the academy's corridors, he noticed people looking at him with expressions that were far different from before—some curious, some respectful, some even fearful.
When he arrived back at his residence, it was the same.
"Never thought you'd turn out to be the famous Master Yang," Xu Letian said with a half-smile.
"Yeah, when we heard the news, we were all stunned," added Dongfang Sheng.
"Can't believe we were calling you brother all this time," Zeng Niu sighed.
But despite their teasing, there was a trace of pity in their eyes.
Yang Cheng raised a brow. "You three are acting strange."
The group exchanged glances before Xu Letian finally spoke, his tone heavy. "Master Yang, looks like you haven't heard what's happening in Great Zhou."
Yang Cheng's eyes narrowed.
"Twenty days ago, Western Luo declared war on Great Zhou," Zeng Niu said. "After that, both the Great Zhao Empire and the Great Yan Empire also declared war."
"Almost at the same time," Dongfang Sheng added, "three massive rebel armies rose up inside Great Zhou. And all our allied nations refused to lift a finger to help."
Zeng Niu leaned forward, lowering his voice. "According to some secret intelligence, the Ouyang clan is supporting Western Luo from the shadows. They're the ones who orchestrated this storm."
Dongfang Sheng's expression grew grim. "Now, Great Zhou is in enormous trouble. One wrong step, and…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.
"The Ouyang clan."
Yang Cheng's tone grew cold, his eyes glinting like frost. He hadn't expected that in just one month, things could deteriorate to such an extent.
"I'm going back to Great Zhou," he said firmly.
He turned to leave, but the moment he stepped outside, he ran into Ma Ruoruo, Wei Jia, and Yan Qingzhi, who were coming to find Xu Letian.
These three women had once fawned over Yang Cheng when they learned he wasn't ordinary.
But now, they didn't even greet him—in fact, they subtly stepped aside, deliberately keeping their distance.
Yang Cheng wasn't surprised.
He'd seen through their kind from the very beginning—superficial, opportunistic, and shallow. He'd never bothered to get close to them.
Meanwhile, back in Great Zhou, the situation had worsened drastically.
Every front along the border had suffered defeat after defeat.
And the officials sent to suppress the rebellion within the empire were proving weak and indecisive.
In mere weeks, the entire Great Zhou had fallen into the shadow of collapse, and the flames of war burned closer and closer to the heart of the empire.
Fengtian City.
Inside the imperial palace, Empress Dowager Meng and the royal clan members gathered in secret.
This time, they hadn't summoned the court ministers.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was the Yang clan's legacy—if the dynasty fell, the ones who would truly lose everything were them, the royal bloodline.
Those court ministers could easily pledge allegiance to the next regime. They couldn't be trusted.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," said Prince Duan, the Royal Clan Patriarch, bowing deeply. "We've confirmed it—the power behind Western Luo's war effort is none other than the Ouyang clan from the Horn Constellation Realm."
"What? The Ouyang clan?"
Everyone in the hall looked stunned.
"The Ouyang clan has been a commercial powerhouse for several thousand years," another prince said gravely. "Their wealth is unimaginable. If they're backing Western Luo, this war will be far more complicated."
Empress Dowager Meng's expression darkened. "What's the situation on the battlefront?"
"Very grim," a royal prince replied. "The noble families and high-ranking officials seem to be working in unison this time—they're deliberately dragging their feet."
The atmosphere turned heavy.
Just then, Prince Duan spoke up again, his tone slightly relieved. "Your Majesty, we've finally re-established contact with His Highness the Crown Prince. He's already on his way back to Fengtian City."
Everyone in the room brightened at once.
With Emperor Qian Yuan still trapped within Tianyuan Abyss, the Crown Prince's return was the only beacon of hope left for the royal clan.
"Good," one of the uncles said. "With His Highness here, we'll endure this storm. When Great Zhou rises again, all those nations who dared attack us will pay dearly."
A flicker of determination crossed the faces of many.
They'd been forced to hold back their anger for far too long.
But before that fragile sense of relief could take root, Prince Duan's son, Heir Yu, rushed into the hall. He fell to his knees before Empress Dowager Meng, his voice trembling.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager—bad news! My father… something terrible has happened. Just now, Her Majesty the Empress was ambushed! And the ones targeted alongside her were General Qin Xuanjia and Marquis Champion Yun Jinghuai!"
"What?"
Everyone in the hall shot to their feet, faces filled with shock.
Empress Dowager Meng's tone grew sharp. "Explain—what exactly happened?"
Heir Yu steadied his breath. "First, General Qin Xuanjia was ambushed, but it seems he received a warning beforehand and managed to evade the attack."
"Then the Marquis Champion was assaulted by two half-gods. He killed one but was injured in the process. However, the worst case is Her Majesty the Empress."
He clenched his fists tightly. "Because of the rebellion, countless refugees have gathered outside Fengtian City. Her Majesty went to the outskirts to distribute food and aid personally. But while she was there, three half-gods struck. If not for her immense strength and the loyalty of her guards, she would not have survived. Even so, she's been gravely injured."
"Outrageous!"
Empress Dowager Meng slammed her palm on the table, her entire body trembling with fury. "The Ouyang clan… despicable to the extreme! To stoop to such vile tactics—truly shameless!"
At that same moment—
On the road leading back to Fengtian City, Yang Cheng's Golden Dragon Chariot sped across the clouds.
Inside, Lin Shu suddenly tensed, her face grim. "Your Highness!"
"What is it?" Yang Cheng asked, his voice calm yet edged with unease.
"Blood Shadow Tower just sent a report," Lin Shu said quickly. "General Qin Xuanjia, Marquis Champion Yun Jinghuai, and Her Majesty the Empress Yun Liyue—all three were ambushed at nearly the same time. Qin Xuanjia and Yun Jinghuai sustained minor injuries, but Her Majesty the Empress… was seriously wounded."
Yang Cheng's expression changed instantly.
Buzz!
A wave of invisible power exploded from his body.
The curtains and doors of the Golden Dragon Chariot flew open with a violent snap.
Trees more than ten zhang (about thirty-three meters) away were instantly blown apart, splintering into fragments.
The leaves, rocks, and soil in the surrounding area were pulverized into dust, scattered by a surge of killing intent so fierce it seemed to shake the heavens themselves.