Inside the Empress's chambers in Weiyang Palace, Song Yanran sat cross-legged on the bed, her face pale. A hazy mist of energy coiled around her body.
After a long moment, her phoenix-like eyes snapped open, and a mouthful of black blood erupted from her lips.
The sudden scene left Song Yanran bewildered.
With her flawless body and the peak cultivation of a ninth-grade Great Emperor, she was supposed to be immune to all poisons. How could she be poisoned?
At the same time, she felt her spiritual energy dissipating at an alarming rate. Her long-dormant Dao Heart began to panic.
"How can this be? I've already perfected the Imperial Zenith Celestial Scripture to its peak. My cultivation should never have weakened. Why? Could it truly be this poison? But when did I ingest it? Could it be..."
As this thought crossed her mind, a flicker of disappointment crossed Song Yanran's eyes.
With a sigh, she decided to take a stroll through the Imperial Garden.
Too many events had transpired recently; she needed to clear her head and sort through her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhao, having obtained the intelligence he sought, swiftly departed Weiyang Palace.
This matter was too significant. If it exploded, the entire Longhan Heavenly Dynasty might erupt in chaos during the Empress's wedding ceremony.
He needed to find a place to digest this news, identify potential allies, and begin laying the groundwork to reverse the situation.
Shen Zhao could have simply fled and avoided this trouble, but he knew that if he let it slide now, it would be too late to fix things later, let alone "slack off" as he preferred.
As he walked through the streets, he was surrounded by crowds flocking to witness the Empress's wedding ceremony. Their faces were filled with oblivious joy, unaware that a great disaster was about to descend upon these innocent people.
"Lord..."
A soft call pulled Shen Zhao back to the present.
Nearby, Ji Bingyan leaned against a tea shop, dressed in peasant attire and looking toward him.
After exchanging a glance, they entered the shop and settled into a corner.
"My Lord, we've identified the deceased Great Emperor."
"Who was it?"
"Darba of the Vajra Sect."
Shen Zhao was startled. Darba was a fourth-rank Great Emperor, the strongest Great Emperor in the Xiongnu territory apart from the Xiongnu King. And now he was dead.
"Have you identified the culprit?"
"Darba died by his own unique technique, the Vajra Dharma Seal. The preliminary conclusion is suicide."
"Suicide? Impossible!"
Shen Zhao immediately dismissed the possibility without hesitation.
*Those who reach the Great Emperor Realm have endured countless hardships and trials. How could they possibly end their lives by suicide?*
Thus, Shen Zhao had no faith in Ji Bingyan's judgment.
Ji Bingyan nodded. "My Lord, I don't believe it either. But when I found Darba's body, there were no clear signs of a second person nearby. Furthermore, upon examining his corpse, we discovered he had suffered severe internal injuries before death. This led to the preliminary conclusion that he may have committed suicide to avoid the pain of his worsening condition."
"Darba was severely injured?" Shen Zhao frowned. "Are you saying he fought a Great Emperor-level expert before his death?"
Only another Great Emperor could inflict such injuries on someone of that cultivation level, though other means couldn't be entirely ruled out.
However, for someone at the pinnacle of martial cultivation, conventional external forces usually had little effect.
Ji Bingyan nodded. "Yes, but the fatal blow was the crushing of his skull by a formidable Vajra Palm strike. In the world, only Darba himself could have unleashed the Vajra Sect's techniques to such a degree. I can't find anyone else capable of it."
Shen Zhao asked, "When did Darba die?"
"Just before dawn, when the celestial anomalies occurred."
"Hmm..."
Shen Zhao fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Ji Bingyan carefully poured him a cup of coarse tea.
Watching the white steam rise from the tea bowl, Shen Zhao suddenly asked, "Do you think there's a possibility someone else was with Darba before he died?"
"Master, I've thoroughly investigated. Apart from Darba, the aura of another person in his dead cave has vanished for at least four hours. But Darba died only two hours after that—it doesn't match up at all."
"Did you notice any other anomalies?"
"Other anomalies?"
Ji Bingyan pondered for a long moment, then shook her head in confusion. "It seems there's nothing out of the ordinary."
Shen Zhao poured the coarse tea into the tea tray, refilled his own cup, and continued, "I've heard Darba possesses a string of Emperor-grade Buddhist Beads.
Years ago, when Darba was seeking scriptures, he became close with Zen Master Zhi of Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff. They spent nights debating Buddhist texts and sharing their understanding of the Buddhist Dharma.
In the end, Zen Master Zhi gifted Darba the blessed beads he carried. These beads are quite spiritual; as Darba's cultivation reached the Emperor realm, they also ascended to Emperor-grade.
To honor their close friendship, these beads have stayed by Darba's side day and night, never leaving him. Have you seen if these beads are still in his possession?"
Ji Bingyan's pupils contracted, and she instinctively rose to kneel before Shen Zhao.
But Shen Zhao beat her to it, gripping her wrist. "You've lived through another life, yet you're still so rash.
If you didn't notice, you didn't notice. Why make a fool of yourself in front of everyone? If you continue like this, you'll have to leave my side."
"Lord, I was wrong. Please don't hate me. I just didn't expect to overlook such a crucial clue."
"So, those beads aren't on him?"
"No, Darba showed no Emperor-grade aura. If he had, I would have already found a way to obtain it."
Shen Zhao finally released her hand. "So, you still believe Darba committed suicide?"
Ji Bingyan: "My Lord, what should we do now?"
Shen Zhao: "I need you to borrow something for me."
"What is it?"
"The paper material for the Map of Mountains and Rivers and the Land—Snow Wave Paper."
"Is that a specialty of the Northern Region?"
Shen Zhao nodded. "Don't worry. I have a good relationship with Empress Mu Qiuyue of the Northern Region. If you explain my situation to her, she'll definitely agree."
"But the Northern Region and the Central Plains are separated by over eight hundred thousand *li*. With my current cultivation, traveling there and back on a Spirit Beast would take at least two months. The Empress's wedding is in less than seven days. I'm afraid..."
"Take this with you. The instructions are on the paper."
Shen Zhao handed her a feather from a Golden-Winged Kunpeng.
"A Kunpeng feather can travel two hundred fifty thousand *li* in a day. Seven days for the round trip should be enough. Even if it takes a day or two longer, it'll be fine."
"My Lord, where did you get such a divine artifact?"
"Don't ask questions. Take it and leave immediately. I'll handle the remaining matters here."
"Yes, Lord, you must be careful. Flamebright City has been quite unstable lately."
"Understood."
Without further ado, Shen Zhao finished his instructions and was about to leave the tea house.
"Lord!" Ji Bingyan suddenly called out.
"What is it?" Shen Zhao asked.
Ji Bingyan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Lord, there's something I don't know if I should mention... It concerns the Great Yin imperial family's tragic incident in your previous life: Prince Jing's rebellion, the Retired Emperor's death, the Empress Dowager's humiliation and suicide by hanging, and even Gu Jingyan's bizarre drowning. Do you remember any of it?"
Shen Zhao frowned. "After multiple investigations, Gu Jingyan's death was ruled an accident. As for the other three cases, all evidence pointed to Lin Feng, didn't it?"
Ji Bingyan shook her head. "Lord, I fear we may have been deceived."
"What do you mean?" Shen Zhao asked, puzzled.
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Ji Bingyan replied. "After being reborn, some memories seem to have been erased. But one thing is certain: Lin Feng alone could never have accomplished all of this. After your death, I continued investigating deeply, and I only remember..."
Having said this, she cautiously glanced at Shen Zhao.
"Go on, what do you remember?" Shen Zhao urged.
"I only remember that this matter seemed to involve the Great Yin Empress. The specific details... I really can't recall them," Ji Bingyan said.
Shen Zhao frowned.
This news struck him like a bolt from the clear sky.
"That can't be right. Yu Xiyan had no reason to harm her own family."
Though Shen Zhao had long severed ties with Yu Xiyan, his nine lifetimes of experience with her showed her to be kind and gentle to everyone except himself. How could she have done such a thing?
Moreover, no one in the imperial family could threaten her throne. There was simply no motive for such an act.
Since he couldn't figure it out for now, he decided to set it aside. After all, a lifetime had passed. How could he expect to find clues in his past life?
"Let's put this aside for now. We'll deal with it after we've handled the current matters."
With that, Shen Zhao left the tavern.
Next, he had to find Song Yu. He owed him a debt of gratitude.
He had taken only a few steps when he spotted a gray-robed Daoist, looking like a beggar, standing at the corner of an alley with a fortune-telling stall.
Shen Zhao ignored him and walked past.
"Sir, your forehead is dark, and your steps are uneven. You may be in danger of a bloody disaster soon."
Shen Zhao stopped, took a deep breath, and glanced around. Seeing no one else nearby, he walked straight to the stall and sat down.
"Then tell me, how can I resolve this bloody disaster?"
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