Chaos erupted within the Taiheng Sect.

The reappearance of the Reverse Yang Token was a once-in-a-century event. Taiheng was an ancient sect established since the founding of the dynasty, and the Reverse Yang Token had only been officially invoked twice—Taiheng owned shops and fertile land, with substantial income. Two sect leaders had their minds bewitched and colluded with corrupt officials to embezzle sect assets.

As a result, the Reverse Yang Token was issued, with irrefutable evidence. Within days, those two were severely dealt with and directly expelled from the sect.

However, Shi Zhongyu used the Reverse Yang Token ambiguously. She didn't find evidence of Qu Duanyun's wrongdoing, but simply flaunted the Reverse Yang Token. This way, whatever major moves Qu Duanyun wanted to make in Taiheng, he would have to let her know in advance.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Taiheng suddenly had two "sect leaders", leaving the disciples at a loss—other sects dealt with their issues swiftly, but in Taiheng, it became like cutting flesh with a dull knife, torturously slow.

On a clear spring day, two disciples huddled together, whispering gossip.

"Elder Brother Qu hasn't been back to the sect much lately. Could it be that he's been troubled by Senior Sister? They used to get along well, how did it come to this?"

"Who knows? I think Senior Sister is being too picky... The Qu family has always had good relations with the court, so it's not strange that the Immortal Gathering wants the sect leader to be their alliance leader. Even if the Immortal Gathering's methods weren't clean, our sect leader might not have known."

As he spoke, that disciple actually became indignant.

"Our sect guarantees there was no cheating. Senior Sister just had bad luck and happened to run into the Immortal Gathering people. She can't take it out on the sect leader—he's only been in that position for a few days, right?"

"Shh, shh! Lower your voice. Isn't that Senior Brother Jin over there?"

Not far away, Jin Lan was carrying a pile of miscellaneous items, his face full of helplessness. He had been standing in the blind spot of the two for a while, obviously having been there for some time.

Jin Lan was known to be Shi Zhongyu's supporter, and what they had just said wasn't very pleasant to hear. Both stood at attention, waiting for their senior to reprimand them.

"I think Senior Sister is considering Taiheng's interests," Jin Lan said calmly, without scolding them.

"Not to mention the chaos at the Martial Arts Assembly, our Sinking Heart Pills have a big problem. If we don't take some strong measures first, who knows how it will spread in the jianghu."

"Senior Brother Jin is right," the two young disciples immediately bowed their heads.

Jin Lan managed a smile: "Don't idle chat here anymore. Go help at the east gate. The people from Luanchuan Checkpoint have just returned with quite a lot of things."

The two hurriedly agreed and rushed towards the east gate. Jin Lan looked up at the clear sky, feeling as if a lead weight had settled in his stomach, pulling down his heart, liver, spleen, and stomach.

Luanchuan had fallen.

Taiheng was close to Yi City, surrounded by peace and prosperity. People had lived safely for three hundred years, long forgetting the taste of war. Previously, Dayun could resist Luojiu with numbers, but now with grass growing and orioles flying, Luojiu's cavalry was unstoppable, truly uncontainable.

Luanchuan was the largest city closest to Luojiu, once filled with merchants from various countries and home to many wealthy households. However, in just a few days, the prosperous market had turned into ruins. While soldiers fought on the front lines, Taiheng disciples exerted all their efforts to barely ensure the safe evacuation of some civilians.

Once the battle line was breached, it was like a bursting dam, difficult to control. Luanchuan was far from the imperial court, and the court's response was even slower than usual. Seeing the gap opened, small countries near Luojiu also took action, fearing they would miss out on their share.

Under the bright spring sunshine, even the bloodstains on the ground seemed exceptionally vivid.

However, at this critical moment, the court had not come up with any countermeasures. Half of the civilians had no concept of the situation, saying all sorts of things, while the other half believed that Dayun, glorious for three hundred years, couldn't possibly fall to barbarians. "National ruin and family destruction" sounded too distant and unreal; under heaven, there were few people seriously dealing with this matter.

If only the jianghu were still peaceful...

Sect Leader Qi would definitely contact the court to inquire, dispatch experts to protect the people, and decisively handle the Luanchuan situation. Jianchen Temple would certainly not sit by and watch people suffer, and would surely lend a hand. Dark Blood Witch would likely join forces with Taiheng, sending assassins to disrupt the enemy ranks. The Ling Sect had many madmen, but like beasts marking territory, they would surely prefer to wreak havoc in the enemy camp.

Dayun's jianghu forces were quite strong; with such unity between the military and civilians, the situation wouldn't be too dire.

But there are no "what ifs" in this world.

...Those villains harming the seniors and disrupting the jianghu seemed to have deep intentions now. At present, bad news came one after another; a huge wave was approaching, and ordinary people would ultimately be helpless.

If only the emperor would wake up soon and face the dire situation at the border.

Unfortunately, Jin Lan's wish was destined to fall on deaf ears—within the imperial palace, the situation was not much better than in Taiheng.

Xu Jingxing had completely fallen ill.

Unlike Qi Xundao who collapsed all at once, Xu Jingxing weakened day by day, with no particular symptoms. The imperial physicians examined him again and again, only to conclude with "fatigue and injury to the body".

Xu Jingxing could be considered a good emperor. Since he was the crown prince, he had been diligent in his studies, with no interest in romance. He ascended the throne late, and although he had several children, the oldest was only about ten years old, truly unable to shoulder great responsibilities.

Fortunately, Xu Jingxing was not lacking in scheming ability, and still retained some clarity of mind. His brothers had all been raised to be useless, and few dared to take advantage of the situation. Xu Jingming, born of the same mother, was even granted permission for an audience.

After all, from court officials to common people, everyone knew that Prince Rong was an idle playboy prince.

"Luanchuan is gone."

Xu Jingxing leaned against his sickbed, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"Jingming, do you think I've done something wrong? I've already done my utmost, yet still can't protect this realm... Could it be that the so-called destiny truly exists, and I've been too disrespectful to the Divine Emperor Wu?"

Looking at his brother with sunken cheeks, Xu Jingming was momentarily speechless.

Without waiting for Xu Jingming's response, Xu Jingxing managed to turn his head slightly, smiling weakly: "What's wrong? If it were the usual you, you would surely take this chance to, cough, to scold that Shi Jingzhi."

Xu Jingming gripped the fan in his hand tightly, lowering his head even more.

"I don't know," he said dejectedly. "I... I don't think Imperial Brother has done anything wrong. As for the rest..."

Xu Jingming stammered for a long time, unable to figure out how to respond.

His elder brother was at odds with Jiang Youyue in every way, and in fact, the National Teacher's faction did indeed harbor ill intentions. Xu Jingxing had not misjudged people.

His elder brother had indeed released Shi Jingzhi, this "national disaster", yet from what he had seen, Shi Jingzhi seemed to have no opportunity to stir up great trouble. Xu Jingxing's judgment was still not wrong.

So was it wrong to deal with corrupt officials, or was it wrong to ensure the people's livelihood and safety? Even regarding the war with Luojiu, Xu Jingming had witnessed it from beginning to end.

Although Xu Jingxing tended to be conservative, the ultimate cause of defeat was not the emperor's incompetence, but that the opponent was strong beyond human measure.

The only solution would have been to take the initiative to invade, swallowing up Luojiu while they were still weak. If one were to speak of his elder brother's only "mistake," it was perhaps that he "disliked war".

Just a mistake that could hardly be called a mistake, yet it had driven his imperial brother to the end of his rope, seemingly about to bear eternal infamy.

Previously, when the country was at peace, he would always take precautions against Shi Jingzhi. But now, with the signs of collapse before his eyes, Xu Jingming had no heart to blame that monster.

"Forget it, don't force yourself to answer me." Xu Jingxing closed his eyes slightly, his voice getting softer and softer. "Things have come to this, I... I also..."

But just as Xu Jingxing revealed a trace of desolation, Lu Fu's voice requesting an audience came from outside the door. That moment of vulnerability vanished in an instant, replaced by the emperor's usual majesty.

The old eunuch entered the room, immediately bending his long arms and legs, kneeling down respectfully.

"I've brought today's memorials for you, Your Majesty."

Xu Jingming, already irritated, became even more agitated: "The war reports are one thing, but at a time like this, why bring in these miscellaneous matters?"

"Your Highness, this is no small matter," Lu Fu said in a soft voice. "This old servant also feels for His Majesty, but there's really no choice... Alas, it's already spreading like wildfire outside, His Majesty must be informed."

Xu Jingxing had no strength to get out of bed, let alone the mood to listen to the old eunuch's ramblings. He could only glance with his eyes. Lu Fu understood immediately, unfolding the memorial and reading it word by word.

The memorial wasn't long, but its content shocked both of them, turning their faces ashen—

Shi Jingzhi was plotting rebellion.

Xu Jingxing immediately struggled to sit up, frowning deeply. Lu Fu crawled forward a few steps on his knees, respectfully presenting the memorial, allowing the emperor to read every word clearly.

Xu Jingxing read with difficulty, his face gradually turning grey. He glanced at his brother beside him, seemingly exhausted of all energy, and leaned back against the bed.

"I'm tired. You continue reading," he said, disheartened.

"Yes."

Lu Fu coughed twice and carefully continued—the memorial was written by the prefect of Qizhou, overflowing with worry and indignation. He claimed that Shi Jingzhi was "impersonating a royal descendant," taking advantage of the unstable borders to incite public sentiment near Ku Mountain and buy off people from the martial arts world.

More than half of the memorial consisted of various pieces of evidence. The content ranged from "disrupting the jianghu and inserting forces everywhere" to "recruiting soldiers and spreading rumors about the emperor's loss of virtue," with numerous crimes listed.

Xu Jingming listened, his head buzzing, not even daring to breathe.

He had certainly heard about the matter of the Shi Rou being taken. Could it be that because Shi Jingzhi lost the Shi Rou, he wanted to take advantage of the situation to muddy the waters and drag the entire Dayun down with him? But, but this could also be a plot by the National Teacher's faction. After seeing so many truths and falsehoods, Xu Jingming couldn't trust anyone anymore.

However, with the situation so complex and sensitive, once this news of rebellion came out...

"I understand," Xu Jingxing said, his face calm and expressionless, but his eyes revealed a trace of near-despair weariness. His gaze passed over Lu Fu, looking at an empty spot as if staring at someone.

"Whether true or false, I have ultimately made a wrong move, with no choice left... no choice at all."

Xu Jingming beside him lowered his head in silence, his hand slowly clenching into a fist under his sleeve.

The atmosphere in the deep palace was heavy, while the warm wind in the small town was intoxicating.

The river had a faint tinge of blood, with a strong scent of blood carried by the wind. Yin Ci put away the Shadow Hanging Sword, carefully wiping it with a cloth.

In front of him lay a neatly dissected... live pig. Although the cuts were clean, the meat was divided far too meticulously, as if the person doing the cutting was in a foul mood.

The two had married, but they hadn't spent much sweet time together afterward. Shi Jingzhi had obtained the True Immortal's finger and buried himself day and night in studying the techniques on it, nearly chaining himself to the divine shrine. If it weren't for Yin Ci bringing him food every day, this person would have almost forgotten to eat and sleep.

Yin Ci wasn't idle either. This place was remote, and news traveled slowly. He would explore nearby areas every day to ensure information flowed smoothly. The two worked well together, but even so...

Even so, Shi Jingzhi had shut himself away too severely. Today they had important matters to discuss, and they needed to have a proper talk.

Yin Ci finished processing the remaining pork and began to prepare the braised meat. He arranged the food and medicinal soup in a food box, garnished with a peach blossom and a preserved fruit, and carried it to the divine shrine courtyard.

"Zizhu." Shi Jingzhi had a keen nose. Before Yin Ci could knock, his greeting came from inside the courtyard. "Is it braised meat and oil-scalded vegetables today? Just leave it at the courtyard entrance."

"We'll eat together today," Yin Ci said in a tone that brooked no argument.

On the other side of the door, Shi Jingzhi was silent for a moment, then responded pitifully: "Of course I want to... but I really like you too much. If you stay here too long, I won't be able to calm down for half an hour. Go back, go back quickly, or else this master will recite the Dustless Words again!"

Yin Ci laughed: "It's been so long, do you think I don't want to see you?"

Before these words could settle, Shi Jingzhi swiftly opened the door, his face full of gleeful "you can't blame me for this" expression. That slippery glee didn't last long before it was shattered by Yin Ci's next sentence.

"You've become a rebel."

Ignoring the sliced and diced immortal finger around them, Yin Ci put the braised meat on the table, speaking casually.

"Ah? So quickly?" Shi Jingzhi's expression froze for a moment, then his smile turned much more bitter. "I thought that... the immortal would come to see me a few more times."

"Probably afraid that the longer they wait, the more likely I'd find a way to persuade you," Yin Ci sneered, thinking of that thing. "Besides, for an 'immortal' connected to such a huge entity to keep watching you day and night, fearing you might run away, wouldn't that seem even more suspicious?"

"...Indeed."

Shi Jingzhi stuffed a chopstick of meat into Yin Ci's mouth, then smacked his own lips.

"Oh well, ducking or stretching our necks, we can't escape this blade. At least it proves they've been fooled by us. That's good."

That day when they lured the "immortal" to come, to make the opponent think there was an opportunity to exploit, the two deliberately didn't act too intimate.

They gave their opponent a quite reasonable "truth"—

They had both discovered the matter of the hundred-year grand plan. Although Shi Jingzhi wasn't foolish enough to swallow everything he was fed, his willingness to risk his life to probe was likely due to Yin Ci's bewitchment. And Yin Ci's actions were nothing more than wanting to destroy the hundred-year plan and seek revenge against the royal family and the National Teacher's faction.

The master-disciple pair from Ku Mountain Sect were only superficially in harmony, their relationship nothing more than user and used.

For the Immortal Gathering, the path ahead was clear.

To force Shi Jingzhi to quickly abandon his hesitations, rather than persuasion, it was more appropriate to leave him with no way out. Chaos had already begun, with imperial power and longevity presented before him. One step forward would make him the world's hegemon; who would still guess at heaven's will alongside a sworn enemy?

And with Shi Jingzhi wearing the hat of "national disaster", to say this framing was the emperor's doing wasn't unreasonable. Either way, the Immortal Gathering could wash their hands clean of it, playing quite a good game.

Thinking of this, Shi Jingzhi couldn't help but look at Yin Ci again.

The spring peach blossoms were like pink snow, and this person was also dressed in light colors. But the image of Yin Ci in wedding attire not long ago was still firmly imprinted in his mind.

The National Teacher's faction probably couldn't even dream that now the truth was out, the two at the center of the storm had "used each other" to the point of marriage.

Thinking of this, Shi Jingzhi felt another wave of contentment.

"Speaking of which, they really can make trouble. Sending such a rebellion storybook, if I don't accept it, I'll lose my head. How dare I refuse?... I wonder when my big brother will come to suppress me. I've never personally been on the front lines of battle before, so there's another new experience."

Shi Jingzhi bit the tip of his chopsticks, his tone light and airy.

Hmm, the braised meat was delicious, and the soup should be soaked up with flatbread too. After all, he was with his great general; any battle plan could be solved. Compared to becoming a rebel, which was a small matter, he had more important things to worry about.

"But Zizhu, if they come too quickly, remember to hold them off a bit for me. That immortal finger is quite interesting, I need to study it for a few more days."

Seeing this person bring up the matter on his own, Yin Ci raised an eyebrow: "I just saw a sparrow earlier."

"Oh, that was Shen Zhu returning to Yi City, giving me a report," Shi Jingzhi waved his hand, using the flatbread to wipe the bottom of the plate. "Don't worry, everything is going very smoothly."

"Although I can't use magic, theoretically I could help you a bit. You don't need to exhaust yourself so much—"

Shi Jingzhi's physical weakness was real; he had even stopped practicing martial arts, only burying his head at the desk day after day. Although this person wasn't so easy to die, Yin Ci still couldn't bear to watch.

But before he could finish speaking, Shi Jingzhi tilted his head and pecked Yin Ci's lips.

"I've received true teachings from Senior Chen, and I have plenty of time. Now that it's so chaotic outside, you're tired enough just gathering information."

Shi Jingzhi smiled quite self-satisfiedly, with a casual air of having everything under control.

"Alright, go rest for a while. I'll ponder some more magic here, and I'll rest on time."

However, just after Yin Ci stepped out the door, Shi Jingzhi felt in his bosom and pulled out the thin silk the sparrow had just delivered. The silk was covered in writing, clearly not as simple as a "safety report".

[I've returned to Yi City and used a good magical device to investigate that Shi Rou.]

[Once fused with the Suspended Tree, all five viscera and six bowels must be nourished by its root system. Forcibly separating the root system would leave only a puddle of meat paste. Elder Yin must surely live and die with that Suspended Tree, unable to return to a mortal body.]

[And if the Suspended Tree remains, that immortal certainly won't let you off easily. What will you do?]

Shi Jingzhi held the thin silk between two fingers, slowly consuming it with golden fire until not even ashes remained. Then Sect Leader Shi wiped the ash from his hands and carried a large cylindrical piece of finger flesh, swaying as he entered the inner room of the divine shrine.

Inside the shrine, scattered papers covered the floor, the stench of blood and flesh nauseating. Shi Jingzhi seemed unable to smell it as he found an empty spot and sat down directly on the ground, writing furiously. He coughed occasionally, wiping the blood he spat out with waste paper and casually tossing it aside.

"Why does everyone want me to choose this or that," he muttered as he researched magic techniques.

"...I refuse to choose."