This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

The Dragon-Patterned Imperial Guards stood guard on all four sides. The three elders simultaneously lit incense sticks in their hands. As the incense burned, lightning flashed and thunder roared, dark clouds gathered, as if the sky had collapsed. Everyone felt as if a heavy stone had been placed upon their hearts.

A deafening roar echoed across the sky, the ground around the ancestral temple trembled, and the entire red fishing net was revealed to the world. Looking into the distance, several sections of the red lines along the mountain range were broken, but compared to the vast expanse of the net, this was merely a drop in the ocean.

This scene was witnessed by many and deeply moved. From powerful officials to commoners, no one in Yong'an had ever imagined that the ancestral temples of the Great Qian Dynasty would look like this, with those fishing nets resembling iron chains locking up that land.

At this moment, everyone understood one thing: the ancestral temple was not just an ancestral temple, but also a place of suppression. What it suppressed was unknown, but judging from the current situation, even the most foolish person knew it was no ordinary place.

Zhan Aotian watched this scene from afar. People kept arriving around him; the Left and Right Prime Ministers walked through the air, followed by many military generals. The Great Qian court was not lacking in cultivators, and at this moment, they all ascended to the sky, observing the dramatic changes taking place in the ancestral temple.

Consort Xian arrived at the top of the Flower Language Tower early, where she had a panoramic view of the ancestral temple. At that moment, she suddenly realized that although she thought she had everything under control in the Great Qian Dynasty, it seemed that she might not have yet uncovered its true secrets.

She was lost in thought for a moment when a person appeared beside her. The newcomer carried a wine pot and sat down casually next to her. He didn't seem to care much about the situation at the ancestral temple, but he would occasionally glance at it.

"Murong Fenghua, I didn't expect you to show up?"

Consort Xian's heart sank. The reappearance of Murong Fenghua, who hadn't been seen for many years, meant something she knew all too well. It seemed the matter at the ancestral temple must be extremely serious for Emperor Wu and the late Empress to appear at the same time.

"It's been many years, and you haven't changed a bit. This brothel is doing quite well, though. It's a pity that a virtuous concubine is still just a concubine after all."

Murong Fenghua raised her head with an air of nonchalance, the wine jug held high in the air, the clear wine flowing directly into her mouth.

"Hmph, you're not much better. Years of wear and tear have changed you. You're no longer the same person you used to be."

Only Consort Xian knew how terrifying the woman before her was. Many times, she would ask herself if everything she had done over the years was truly what she wanted, or if she had been chasing after this woman all along.

I still remember when she first entered the palace, she was immediately captivated by the stunningly beautiful empress. At that time, she was like a fangirl chasing after a star, constantly trying to emulate the empress.

From food and clothing to preferences, she worshipped and revered Murong Fenghua. At that time, Murong Fenghua was a goddess in the hearts of women everywhere; never before had a woman commanded such deference.

But as that day arrived, she truly understood what it meant to be outmatched. The person she admired and emulated drew his sword against the heavens, and to this day, she still dreams of that day.

Just like at this moment in the ancestral temple, lightning flashed and thunder roared, the sky collapsed and the earth caved in, but on that day, one man with a sword stood alone against the heavens.

On that day, all men in the world paled in comparison, only one woman defying the heavens. Who knows how profound the shock was for her? It was on that very day that Murong Fenghua fell from the sky, her sword broken, her body maimed. When she arrived, she saw white robes stained with blood, and the crippled prodigy of her generation.

Emperor Wu personally ordered the deposition of the Empress, who was then imprisoned. Thus, a brilliant and talented woman fell from grace.

That day, she truly learned what cold-bloodedness meant. Emperor Wu's actions completely disillusioned her, and she began to change from that moment on.

Countless times she sneaked into the cold palace, only to find that the once stunningly beautiful woman was now replaced by a pale, dying figure, her life hanging by a thread.

It was around that time that she began to lie low, not for men, but so that one day she could take control of her own destiny.

Perhaps it was also to catch up with this woman's footsteps, to draw her sword to the sky—she hadn't yet succeeded, hadn't caught up with that pace, and perhaps in the end she too would perish—but the pursuit never ceased, and that's how the Flower Language Pavilion came to be today.

Just when she thought she finally had the power, everything that happened today slapped her in the face again. The oppressive feeling of finally drawing her sword against the heavens was truly immense.

The pressure from those three incense sticks made her tremble uncontrollably.

Perhaps sensing Consort Xian's mood, Murong Fenghua said, seemingly unintentionally,

"That incense is called the 'Boundary-Burning Incense,' specially made by Yu Jingtian to suppress powerful demons. There were a total of twenty-seven Boundary-Burning Incense sticks under the ancestral temple, and three have been extinguished. So these three old guys are rekindling the three that were extinguished,"

“These incense sticks are connected to the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty. As long as the Great Qian Dynasty does not perish, the incense will not be extinguished. However, an accident happened today. Someone actually extinguished three sticks. I am curious who is so fierce. This will attract the attention of Yu Jingtian. That person is in danger.”

Consort Xian was taken aback. This was the first time she had heard such a secret. Anything involving Yu Jingtian was an unspeakable secret, and only the woman before her was so uninhibited, speaking her mind as she pleased.

"Burning Incense, Great Demon,"

Consort Xian murmured, her expression grave, as she assessed how much she could withstand this divine might.

"You've made rapid progress these past few years, but it's not enough. Don't try to draw your sword and question the heavens; that would be a cliché. I can already sense that cause and effect are on their way, and there will be great changes in the future. Whether the Great Qian Dynasty can survive such a major upheaval is another question. You've done the right thing: lie low and accumulate strength for the future to ignite a wildfire. Everything depends on the future."

"You don't need to teach me, I know it better than you do."

Murong Fenghua chuckled, completely unconcerned, and continued speaking as if she were coaxing a child.

"Without ascending to the heavens, one will never know the vastness of the heavens. The Great Qian is merely a corner of the world. Beyond the Great Qian, on the other side of the ocean, in the Lost Lands, there is also the Heavenly Forbidden Demon Cliff. The outside world is immense. Sooner or later, you will leave the Great Qian, and then you will understand that compared to the Ninth Heaven, we are too insignificant. Your strength at the Sixth Heaven is enough to dominate the Great Qian, but that is only dominating the Great Qian. Before reaching the Ninth Heaven, you will ultimately be nothing more than an ant."

Although Consort Xian remained expressionless, her heart was far from calm. The sixth level of the Heavenly Realm was already the limit she felt she could reach; she dared not even dream of going any higher. But now, hearing it from Murong Fenghua's mouth, it was clear that this was far from enough.

She clenched her fists, a flash of resentment in her eyes, but she quickly resigned herself to it. Thinking of her background, she realized she had done enough. Her starting point was too low; if given an equal starting point, she wouldn't be any worse than Murong Fenghua.

Thinking of this, she regained her confidence.

"Your illegitimate son contacted me and we've temporarily partnered. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

After saying this, she looked at Murong Fenghua with a smile on her face. When she saw Murong Fenghua's expression falter, she became even more smug.

"What illegitimate child? Don't you know that others might not? I'm here today to ask you about that boy's background. Don't play dumb with me. Others might not be able to find out, but the girls under your command certainly can."

Murong Fenghua chuckled in exasperation, then shook her head helplessly.

"You want to know? I won't tell you. However, I can tell you that I suspect that the boy was the one who caused all this trouble at the ancestral temple."

I thought Murong Fenghua would be surprised after hearing that, but it seems she had expected it all along.

"Whether it's him or not, it's none of my business. You won't lose out by cooperating with him. Treat him well, and perhaps one day you'll need him to lead you out of Daqian."

After speaking, Murong Fenghua took another sip of wine, then soared into the distance and disappeared into the darkness.

This reassured Consort Xian that it must have been Xiao Xingchen and Ruoxue who caused this commotion. However, this also brought worry. The Dragon Pattern Imperial Guards were under martial law. How could they escape?