In his private cultivation chamber, Tie Qi completed the final cycle of his practice, took a deep breath, and stood up. Though he’d reduced the Dakwang Empire’s court sessions to once every ten days, he usually skipped them altogether, declaring a recess. Recently, however, he had to attend each one. The combined assault from the Qingyan and Pinghuang Empires was putting immense pressure on Dakwang, with some border cities already fallen.
The Dakwang Empire’s grand court was a lavish affair. At every session, hundreds of courtiers lined both sides—each a figure of some standing in the empire.
Despite the crowd, the court hall remained deathly silent.
Dakwang’s court wasn’t like that of a petty domain kingdom. Just look at the two rows of Black Fiend Army soldiers outside. Any courtier daring to make noise or err at such a time would be dragged off and beheaded by the Black Fiends on the spot. Every year, twenty or so unlucky souls lost their heads for disrupting the court.
Even if Dakwang permitted noise, the mere sight of the Black Fiends would likely silence anyone.
The Black Fiend Army—synonymous with slaughter, a living embodiment of demons. Who didn’t know that?
“The Emperor arrives—grand court begins!” A piercing shout rang out, and all courtiers responded in unison, “Hail the Emperor! May the Emperor live forever!”
Tie Qi strode in slowly, taking his seat on the lofty imperial throne. The hall stayed quiet. Unlike other empires, in Dakwang, no one spoke before the emperor did. The notion of “report if you have business, retire if not” didn’t exist here.
If there was no business, Emperor Tie Qi wouldn’t bother showing up. When he did, there was always something.
Tie Qi’s gaze swept over the courtiers below, and he said calmly, “General Xian, how fares the war?”
A dark-faced man stepped forward to speak when the distant clatter of beast hooves echoed from the hall’s far end. As all eyes turned to the sound, an abrupt voice cut through, “Urgent report from Qiyuan!”
Hearing it was from Qiyuan, Tie Qi waved off the dark-faced man, signaling him to step back. At that moment, a pale, beardless man leapt off a charging thunder beast and hurried into the hall.
“Emperor, the Qiyuan investigation has results—an urgent report,” the beardless man said loudly after a deep bow.
“Speak,” Tie Qi replied, his face calm, though the killing intent in his eyes nearly solidified.
After over a month of investigation, they only had a report—no Qiyuan king or culprits in custody. He was already displeased. But this man, Kuang Yi—one of his key lieutenants, a late-stage Core Condensation expert—earned him some patience.
Kuang Yi caught his breath and said, “Qiyuan’s king, Zai Qian, personally took to the walls to block the Black Fiend Army from entering Tianyuan City…”
“Such gall!” Tie Qi interrupted, slamming the armrest of his throne, shattering it to splinters.
His fury blazed. A mere domain kingdom daring to bar his personal guard, the Black Fiend Army, from entry? That was beyond seeking death.
The hall remained silent. Everyone knew Tie Qi had sent the Black Fiends via warships to Qiyuan.
Logically, at such a critical time, an emperor shouldn’t waste strength and focus on a petty domain squabble. But Tie Qi had always been domineering and self-absorbed. For his bastard son, no one dared oppose him—they pretended ignorance. Now, hearing Qiyuan had blocked the Black Fiends, the audacity was staggering. The city was likely doomed to slaughter.
“The Black Fiend Army tried to force entry, but a decurion was shot dead on the spot…” Kuang Yi continued.
Tie Qi shot to his feet, his tone icy. “Courting death… Xian Quan, muster 100,000 troops and deploy the Black Ga warships. Wipe Qiyuan clean!”
The dark-faced general, who’d stepped back, protested, “Emperor, no! With Qingyan and Pinghuang pressing our borders, our forces need support. We can’t afford infighting with our own domain now…”
“Indeed, Emperor, this is the time to bolster the borders. Qiyuan’s an internal matter—deal with it after the war,” another courtier chimed in.
“Guards, drag these two out and execute them—offer them as a sacrifice,” Tie Qi said coldly, his killing intent and Golden Core aura flaring. Several courtiers who’d considered speaking shivered and shrank back.
Xian Quan froze, incredulous. “Emperor, I’m one of the empire’s ten great generals. In this dire hour, you’d kill me?”
“Take them away—kill them!” Tie Qi’s voice was frigid.
Several Black Fiend soldiers stormed in, dragging the two out by their heels. The hall fell into a dead silence. No one dared speak. Pleading now meant joining the condemned.
“Dakwang will fall by your hand, Tie Qi…” Xian Quan roared as he was hauled off, realizing Tie Qi was using this as an excuse to eliminate him. Given how Tie Qi seized power, it was clear he’d long feared Xian.
“Exterminate Xian’s nine clans,” Tie Qi ordered coldly.
“I’ll devour you…” Xian Quan’s eyes bulged with rage, but he was powerless, dragged away in fury and regret. He’d failed to act when Tie Qi rebelled—now, as Tie Qi turned on him, no one spoke up either.
Kuang Yi pressed on, “Emperor, the cause is clear. Remnants of the Di family—Di Sha’s widow, Xin, fled with a babe in arms across the Death Marsh and several domains to Qiyuan. She and her daughter were saved by Tianyuan’s Lan Feiyu, who renamed the girl Su Cen.
“This time, Lord Ran forcibly bought Su Cen in Tianyuan, then was killed outside the city. Su Cen’s missing. We suspect it was someone from the Lan family—or someone indebted to them—who rescued her and ambushed Lord Ran. Lan Feiyu spent his life sheltering strays, earning the loyalty of many desperados.”
Tie Qi’s killing aura thickened, the hall silent as a tomb.
Everyone knew the Di family. Tie Qi’s empire wasn’t won through conquest but snatched by underhanded means.
Dakwang was once the Daxuan Empire, ruled by Emperor Di Chen. Unlike Tie Qi’s brutal arrogance, Di Chen was approachable and trusting. Tie Qi, his top general, earned great merit—only to be handed the army, enabling his coup. With a rumored Human Immortal’s aid, he seized the empire and massacred the Di family.
Di Sha was Di Chen’s grandson. Kuang Yi’s revelation that his widow reached Qiyuan meant the Di line wasn’t extinct.
“General Bei Yi, muster the army and raze Qiyuan,” Tie Qi’s voice grew colder. Even without his son’s death, Di remnants alone warranted slaughtering Qiyuan a dozen times over.
…
Atop Qiyuan’s walls, Zhong Qing’s mind buzzed. Killing a Black Fiend soldier was leagues beyond merely blocking entry—a qualitative shift.
In Dakwang, who didn’t know the Black Fiends were Tie Qi’s guards and executioners? Killing one was a slap to Tie Qi’s face—there’d be no peaceful end.
Worse, with his Core Condensation cultivation, he hadn’t even seen how the soldier died. This wouldn’t just doom Qiyuan—his sect might not escape either.
“Your Majesty, our only choice is to fight for our lives. I’ve heard of Tie Qi—a butcher. With one of his guards dead here, he’ll raze the city…” Wu Li’s voice trembled. He spoke of fighting, but fear gripped him.
He knew this wasn’t a matter of a few deaths.
“I’ll go to the Lan family myself. Perhaps…” Zai Qian grasped the gravity. If Zhong Qing was right, Tianyuan’s slim hope rested with the Lans.
Zhong Qing quickly interjected, “Your Majesty, better not. Such experts usually shun disturbances to their secluded practice. If the empire’s army breaches the walls, I’m sure he’ll act.”
