Chapter 2325: Seeds of Discord

She is Mei Wuniang.

It's a pity she couldn't witness the final grand spectacle at the main temple. However, Nine Underworld's last letter repeatedly urged her to maintain her usual persona, making minor, harmless mistakes in front of Aunt Zeng—enough to disappoint but not disgust her.

Alright, she complied.

She also vaguely guessed why.

Playing a straightforward, somewhat simple-minded beauty went against her true nature and wasn't in her comfort zone. Yet, so far, she had managed the role perfectly.

As the sun set,

Nie Xiaolou, stepping on the lingering glow of the sunset, entered the magnificent grand hall of Tianxin Island.

The white jade pillars he passed were all tinted a faint red by the light.

With every step he took, the vast white jade hall echoed with a metallic clang.

Nie Xiaolou had intentionally made his footsteps heavier.

This wasn't disrespect; rather, every subject entering the palace was required to make noise with their steps as a sign of forthrightness.

A palace attendant guided him to the rear of the hall, bowed, and then withdrew.

Outside the hall, the evening clouds swirled, golden-red and breathtakingly beautiful. Tianxin Island was situated high up, where the clouds and mist that mortals spent their lives gazing up at were within reach.

Inside the hall, on a coiled dragon pillar, there was a spiraling green shadow.

As soon as Nie Xiaolou stood still, a low voice came from above:

“You’re here.”

The Demon Emperor was resting with his eyes closed, exhaling clouds and mist.

Half of the mist inside and outside this grand hall was his breath.

Flood Dragons expel the turbid qi from their bodies at sunset and absorb the purple qi from the east at dawn.

The Demon Emperor's single exhalation was exceptionally long, lasting almost half an hour.

From this alone, Nie Xiaolou knew that its cultivation had improved again.

Flood Dragons are darlings of heaven and earth; their cultivation is most difficult when spiritual energy is weak, but most invigorating when it is abundant.

Otherwise, how could there be the 'Hidden Dragon in the Abyss' and 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' hexagrams?

“Your Majesty, it has been confirmed that the sudden outbreak of war between us and the State of Yu was due to General Zhao Chuo’s confidant, Huang Mingsheng, the Commander of the Left Vanguard Army, accidentally killing the Second Prince of Yu in Rong Mountain.”

That year, the State of Xu invaded the territory of Rong Mountain Sect, and both sides fought fiercely for several months. Rong Mountain, unable to prevail, relocated to Flash Gold Plains.

However, the State of Xu, though inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, also suffered greatly. Before it could recover, its formerly amicable neighbor, the State of Yu, suddenly turned hostile. Taking advantage of Xu's army being deployed elsewhere, Yu swiftly seized Xu's capital.

With Rong Mountain gone and Xu fallen, the State of Yu became the beneficiary, the 'fisherman' reaping the rewards.

In recent years, the State of Yu gradually established itself, annexing two small states, doubling its territory, and bordering Beijia.

Following Beijia’s usual methods, it would frequently exert pressure on smaller neighboring states and forces, reminding them who truly held sway in the region.

The State of Yu had grown considerably arrogant in recent years, seemingly no longer understanding Beijia’s subtle warnings. Therefore, Lingxu City naturally had to teach it a lesson.

Conflicts thus arose along the border between the two states.

However, the Demon Emperor did not truly wish to destroy the State of Yu, so he ordered strict control over the scale of the conflict, forbidding further escalation. The troops stationed at the border numbered only 1,200.

At this critical juncture, there was an accidental killing?

“The detailed circumstances?”

“The Second Prince of Yu infiltrated near our army’s main camp and fired a token as a provocation. Huang Mingsheng happened to be leading a patrol on the outskirts of the camp and immediately retaliated when he saw the enemy shooting arrows. As a result, one of his personal guards shot an arrow directly into the prince’s skull, killing the Second Prince of Yu on the spot,” Nie Xiaolou recounted the events in detail. “The King of Yu was enraged, and so the two sides began fighting. This incident was fully documented in the war report.”

“Is anything amiss?” If the incident had been purely accidental, Nie Xiaolou would have reported it much earlier.

“Both of Huang Mingsheng’s trusted aides stated that for the past year and a half, he has been obsessed with Tong Yiyi, a Heavenly Palace maidservant. Every time he returned to Lingxu City, he would go to see her; if Tong Yiyi agreed to share a meal with him, he would be ecstatic for days.”

“Tong Yiyi?” The Demon Emperor narrowed his eyes. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

There were countless Heavenly Palace maidservants, at least a thousand if not eight hundred. They usually worked quietly like worker bees, having little presence. Why would the Demon Emperor pay attention?

“Tong Yiyi is a first-rank maidservant under Aunt Zeng of the Heavenly Palace.” Aunt Zeng, in turn, was Chief Steward Du Yun’s personal attendant, having served him for over thirty-five years, and was someone the Demon Emperor recognized, so no further introduction was needed. Nie Xiaolou had done his homework thoroughly, enabling him to answer the Demon Emperor’s questions. “For the past six months, Chief Steward Du Yun’s condition has rapidly deteriorated. Medicines are ineffective, and even the Heavenly God’s favor has become useless. The only female official still able to attend to him is Aunt Zeng.”

Nie Xiaolou stopped there, knowing the Demon Emperor would naturally infer the rest.

“The Steward’s illness is an excellent shield, indeed,” the Demon Emperor snorted. “He falls ill every time a crucial moment arrives.”

When Chief Steward Du Yun wished to avoid an audience, his 'serious illness would relapse.' The Demon Emperor was aware of this but could not act, as Chief Steward Du Yun was genuinely ill; he had shown signs of the 'Five Decays of Heaven and Man' over a decade ago and was only kept alive by spiritual elixirs and the Heavenly God’s favor.

His life was like a lamp running out of oil, fading and dimming, a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.

Nie Xiaolou lowered his voice to a whisper: “I hear it will be any day now.”

The Demon Emperor sneered, “I heard that seven years ago.”

Chief Steward Du Yun was always on the verge of death for no apparent reason, yet he was still breathing.

Seven years! How many people had died in those seven years, but not Chief Steward Du Yun.

The Demon Emperor returned to the main topic: “Do you suspect Huang Mingsheng was instigated by the Heavenly Palace to kill the Second Prince of Yu and provoke war?”

“There’s no evidence,” Nie Xiaolou replied. “Huang Mingsheng insists it was an accidental killing.”

“No evidence is needed,” the mist exhaled by the Demon Emperor carried an eerie chill. “How can a muddled general be fit to command troops in that position?”

“The Heavenly God desires more slaughter, more nightmare qi,” he said coldly. “The Heavenly Palace now intends to bypass me and create it themselves!”

The Demon Emperor’s anger stemmed from the Heavenly Palace’s overreach of power.

Mobilizing armies and initiating wars were the exclusive prerogatives of the Beijia Emperor; no one else dared to interfere!

Over the years, due to the spiritual energy imbalance between the two realms, the Heavenly God’s demands on Beijia had become increasingly stringent.

The Heavenly God, of course, wished and even commanded Beijia to frequently wage war to gather more nightmare qi for itself. However, the Demon Emperor was reluctant, as this conflicted with Beijia’s interests.

The Mu-Beijia war had been ongoing for several years, with no true ceasefire yet.

Not only was the State of Mu exhausted, but Beijia was also severely affected. Its war expenditures were at least several times greater than Mu’s.

Seeing that both the State of Mu and Cangyan were seizing the opportunity to develop, wasn't Beijia anxious? Not to mention that the Awakening of Insects period had not yet passed, and every day new mountain demons, wild monsters, and sectarian forces caused trouble across Beijia’s vast territory.

If Mu were the only powerful adversary, it might be manageable. But behind Mu, Cangyan, with its even vaster territory, had risen!

Both of these great states opposed the Heavenly Demons, naturally aligning themselves on the same front.