Chapter 323 123: Jiang Ruxian's Return Won't Stop the Preemptive Ambush

Most people merely glanced from a distance before looking away.

In Prince Zhenbei's Mansion, Prince Wuxuan's Mansion, Duke Zhongguo's Mansion... and the residences of the other Royalty and Nobility and the Noble Families and Clans, spies relayed the news at the first opportunity.

Deep within the Imperial Palace, Emperor Xia had only just returned to Chengming Hall when she learned of the commotion at the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Although she had anticipated this, she hadn't expected Jiang Lan to act so quickly.

'It seems he's being extremely cautious about that mysterious woman in white. He's willing to cause such a huge disturbance just to prepare for her in advance...'

'But for what reason?'

'If she's his sister, why have they become bitter enemies?'

Emperor Xia propped up her chin, lost in thought.

Once her curiosity was piqued, not getting to the bottom of it felt like an itch she couldn't scratch.

Usually, she could calm her mind quickly and focus on the court memorials.

But at this moment, she simply couldn't settle down.

"Xia Zhu..."

Emperor Xia called out, and a faint, smoke-like figure immediately appeared by her side. It was the same aloof handmaiden who usually stood guard in the palace, a sword cradled in her arms.

"Your Majesty..." Xia Zhu said respectfully.

With a wave of her hand, Emperor Xia made two ancient, mysterious Bronze Ancient Mirrors appear on the desk before her, both shimmering with a hazy aura.

One was large and the other small, a matching set like a mother and child.

A connection existed between them. Obscure Runes flickered intermittently across their hazy, gray surfaces.

"Take this Sub-Mirror, leave the city, and secretly follow the men from the Prime Minister's Mansion. We wish to see what this Jiang Lan is truly planning," Emperor Xia said lightly.

Xia Zhu had a unique talent for Stealth Tracking, and her own cultivation had already reached the Sixth Realm.

With a Secret Treasure to conceal her aura, she could hide in the shadows without fear of discovery.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu took the Sub-Mirror, and her figure quickly vanished from the hall.

Emperor Xia, however, gazed at the Mother Mirror before her, a thoughtful expression on her face.

The Celestial Observation Mirror was divided into a Mother Mirror and a Sub-Mirror. Through the Mother Mirror, one could monitor all activity near the Sub-Mirror. It was created by the Thousand Mechanism Sect of Great Xia, a replica of the Hanging Divine Mirror that the Emperors of Ancient Times used to watch over the world.

In Ancient Times, the Emperor's Hanging Divine Mirror hung high above the mortal realm, its gaze encompassing the entire world.

With a single thought, the Emperor could know the situation anywhere, so no Court official dared to bend the law for personal gain or engage in corruption.

In the Great Xia of today, however, apart from the Observatory occasionally using the Celestial Observation Mirror, the various Noble Families and Clans scoffed at it, treating it as a mere ornament.

It had no use beyond monitoring special locations like dungeons, ore veins, and medicinal gardens.

Emperor Xia had once considered placing a Celestial Observation Mirror on a prominent street in every major city to stay informed of events everywhere... but the moment she proposed the idea, it was met with vehement opposition from her ministers.

The matter had to be dropped.

Outside the Imperial Capital, the starry night was dim, with clouds gathering in the sky.

On a rather desolate mountain peak, the night wind howled as streaks of light converged and descended.

The Tributors and retainers Jiang Lan had summoned with his father's Identity Token had all arrived.

There were three Seventh Realm cultivators in total; the rest were all at the Sixth Realm.

None of them knew what was happening. They had simply obeyed the order to assemble outside the city.

Among the three leading Seventh Realm cultivators, besides the effeminate-looking Mr. Chu, were two others. One was a man in a Daoist Robe with a long beard and an ethereal air named Daoist Qingxu. The other, named Jiang He, was an Ancient Demon Crocodile in human form who had once followed Jiang Lan's father.

"Young Master, for what purpose have you summoned us here?" Daoist Qingxu asked, stroking his beard, his expression gentle.

Although they were Tributors and retainers, they generally only took orders from the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Wife.

Even though Jiang Lan was the young master of the Prime Minister's Mansion, he couldn't command them so easily. His actions now clearly indicated he had the Prime Minister's permission.

"I need you to help me intercept and kill someone."

Jiang Lan stated his purpose concisely, folding up a map he had been holding.

There were several routes from Guangyuan City to the Imperial Capital Jingyang City, but no matter which one was taken, they all passed through a single location.

Jiang Lan knew the plan was crude, of course. He was doing this simply to make Jiang Ruxian understand his current attitude toward her.

'So what if she knows the truth? So what if she's full of regret and remorse?'

'Those are just openings and weaknesses for me to exploit.'

"Who is it that requires the Young Master to mobilize so many of us?"

Hearing this, all the Tributors and retainers were shocked. They couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Lan was overreacting.

The disturbance at the Prime Minister's Mansion tonight had already drawn a great deal of attention.

Many eyes were surely watching them from the shadows.

Jiang Lan gazed into the distance, his expression perfectly calm. He had no intention of explaining, simply ordering the Tributors and retainers to follow him as he hurried away.

Meanwhile, because of this incident, undercurrents began to surge through the Imperial Capital Jingyang City, and all kinds of speculation ran rampant.

...

Great Xia's territory was vast, and each province was enormous. Although the distance from Guangyuan City to the Imperial Capital of Great Xia wasn't extreme, it would still take even an accomplished Cultivator several days to make the journey.

Jiang Ruxian, traveling with her wet nurse from the Liu Clan, did not travel through the night.

Not long after leaving Guangyuan City, the two rested for the night in a small village, planning to continue their journey the following morning.

After traveling for another full day, they found a dilapidated temple on a nameless, barren mountain to rest.

In the dead of night, all was silent.

A bonfire burned inside the temple, a conspicuous beacon in the pitch-black night.

The shadows of distant trees swayed with a rustling sound, but the night was devoid of the usual chirps of birds and insects.

As they were both cultivators, they had no need to search for food.

This was especially true for Jiang Ruxian, who had long since reached a state akin to the Immortal Gods. Wisps of ethereal mist coiled around her, shrouding her in a hazy blur. Her clothes remained unstained by a single speck of dust, giving her a transcendent, otherworldly air.

Any living creature would feel a sense of their own insignificance in her presence.

The woman from the Liu Clan sat cross-legged on a simple zafu, meditating and cultivating, seemingly unaware of anything unusual outside.

Jiang Ruxian, however, stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

The cool, jade-like moonlight cascaded onto her skin, which was fairer and more translucent than snow. Gusts of night wind lifted her dark hair but were utterly unable to disperse the shimmering mist that veiled her face.

'When was I exposed?'

She stood there quietly, glancing at the woman from the Liu Clan meditating inside the temple. She could detect nothing unusual about her.

'So it's not because of her.'

'Then... my movements must have been tracked.'

'Was it those two I let go? Did they leak the information?'

Jiang Ruxian mulled it over but didn't believe the fault lay with them. 'Then, is it the Prime Minister's Mansion?'

'You caught wind of it so quickly and guessed it was me... So, were you the one who sent people to kill my wet nurse?'

She murmured to herself, a sharp, bitter pain rising in her heart.

Jiang Ruxian placed a hand over her heart. At this moment, she could almost feel another heart, one of the same root and origin, beating not far away.

FWOOSH, FWOOSH, FWOOSH...

Just then, the silent, dark night sky was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant, blinding light. One after another, networks of Array Patterns lit up all around the mountain range, and the mountains themselves began to tremble.

A terrifying sound suddenly erupted from all directions, rumbling violently like a landslide and a tsunami. One after another, Runes as dazzling as stars began to flash, forming a hazy Star Array.

Great banners fell from unknown origins, landing in the eight directions in a Demon-suppressing formation as a terrifying, inexplicable killing intent swept over everything.

"Kill."

In an instant, figures flickered into existence outside the Grand Array. Enveloped in brilliant divine light, their bone-chilling killing intent descended directly upon Jiang Ruxian outside the temple.

But Jiang Ruxian seemed to have expected this all along.

The expression on her hazy, mist-shrouded face showed no change whatsoever.

She simply raised a hand and waved it gently. A torrential, terrifying power, like the weight of the very heavens, crashed down. The charging figures were instantly sent flying, spitting blood as they were thrown into the distance.