[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star":3,"chapter-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-69":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Fifteen Years of Secret Cultivation, I Start as a Top-Grade Ultimate Peak!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282177,4464,"Chapter 69: Intruding the Palace to Kill the Consort","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>“Miss Cang, have you found out where the secret manual for Bone-Eating Yin Wind Finger is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian turned and asked Cang Yin Yue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue nodded, glancing at the nearby ruins of a house, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll search for it shortly—I should be able to find it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian gave a slight nod and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll leave the matter here in your hands, Miss Cang. Remember to come find me at the Tianjin Guard Headquarters tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he turned to Shangguan Qingqing beside him and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Qingqing, we’ll talk another time. I have some business tonight—I’m leaving now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Shangguan Qingqing opened her mouth to speak—but the next instant, Li Muxian’s figure vanished from before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where… did he go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shangguan Qingqing scanned everywhere but found not a trace of Li Muxian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s too fast!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Shangguan Qingqing already had a good sense of Li Muxian’s strength, this invisible, elusive martial art left anyone who saw it bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue, standing beside her, also narrowed her pupils sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, she took a deep breath and muttered to herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t compare yourself to him, don’t compare yourself to him—he’s not a normal martial artist; anything abnormal from him is perfectly normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, why are you reciting a tongue twister?” Shangguan Qingqing asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not it. Miss Qingqing, why did you just call him Eighth Imperial Prince?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know? It’s all over the city…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving Cang Yuan Hou Fu, Li Muxian headed toward the Great Li Imperial Palace, standing at the very center of Shangyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not a man who enjoyed meddling in others’ affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what could he do? He had encountered her—how could he let Ji Imperial Consort live, just to keep her for the New Year?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, under the night sky, the Great Li Imperial Palace loomed like a solemn, mysterious silent beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tall vermilion walls rose majestically; beyond them, watchtowers stood at intervals, manned by soldiers who watched and patrolled day and night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palace gates were tightly shut at night, guarded by fully armed soldiers; squads of armored troops patrolled constantly throughout the palace, their clanking armor and synchronized footsteps echoing sharply through the silent night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Li Imperial Palace was heavily guarded—not only by visible sentries, but also by hidden spies and intricate traps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, numerous powerful martial experts, invisible to the eye, stood guard within the palace; even a Heaven-Tier master could not infiltrate without being detected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the inner palace, before a broad corridor stood a luxurious palace—Ji Imperial Consort’s residence: Yixin Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside Yixin Palace, candle flames flickered; night winds stirred the curtains, casting the entire palace in a dreamlike glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort, dressed in lavish court robes, sat cross-legged on a soft couch, palms upward, eyes closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though nearly fifty, her skin was as white as snow, smooth and delicate, like lamb’s fat jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even her wrinkles had vanished; her face remained unchanged from her youth, still resembling a woman in her twenties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, streams of crimson qi circulated through her meridians, slowly stirring the air around her into a field several zhang wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the field, faint crimson blood-qi surged; bloody afterimages periodically burst from her body, then quickly dissipated in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort’s face alternated between faint pain and grimaces; finally, she snapped open her eyes, blood-red glimmers flashing in her pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cold voice rang out, and an old maid entered with a purple sandalwood tray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tray rested a dark red pill; Ji Imperial Consort flicked her finger, sending a thread of blood-qi racing through the air to snatch the pill, swallowing it instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, her pain seemed to subside; she spoke slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many Blood-Transformation Pills remain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not many left—only three remaining.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old maid’s voice was hoarse as she replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, should I urge Zhu Fenglan to prepare this month’s blood offering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort waved her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need. My sister handles things well—I trust her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up a bronze mirror beside the couch, studying her reflection, and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, I had good fortune—I stumbled upon this miraculous art and regained my former beauty. The other concubines in the palace must envy me to death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the old maid’s face twisted into a cruel smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness has only consumed blood offerings for a few years, yet already you’ve regained eternal youth—who knows, perhaps you’ll achieve immortality?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Immortality isn’t what I crave—Zhu has no destiny to become emperor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort sighed, setting down the mirror, her expression filled with sorrow:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only wish His Majesty would spend more time with me. But alas—he’s obsessed with martial cultivation and hasn’t touched a woman in years. My only joy now in this deep palace is showing off before the other concubines!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old maid’s eyes gleamed, flattery dripping from her voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, don’t lose heart. Diligence never betrays the earnest—perhaps one day His Majesty will feel a sudden whim, and you’ll be the only woman left in the palace for him to visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, Third Prince is both cultured and martially gifted, brilliant beyond compare—he may yet have a chance at the throne.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort’s gaze shifted, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes; she paused, then murmured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve reminded me—today His Majesty officially recognized Jing Fei’s son. New faces outshine old ones; in the coming days, he’ll likely receive more favor than the other princes. We should cultivate ties with him—he might become an asset to Zhu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old maid’s eyes narrowed, opening her mouth to speak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When suddenly, a man’s voice echoed through the vast palace:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard you wanted to ally with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Ji Imperial Consort froze in shock, leaping to her feet; crimson qi erupted around her, whipping the curtains into a frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old maid’s eyes glowed with cold menace as she stepped beside Ji Imperial Consort, staring toward the center of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, a young figure had appeared—dressed in plain robes, standing silently beneath the candlelight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Protect the Empress! Protect the Empress!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Imperial Consort cried out sharply, her voice echoing throughout the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew well: though young, anyone who could break into the Great Li Imperial Palace was no ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of maids and eunuchs leapt into Yixin Palace from outside—each formidable, their martial qi revealing at least Master-level cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They surrounded Li Muxian at the hall’s center, locking his aura with martial qi, their eyes brimming with unhidden killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian acted as if he saw nothing, scanning them all, then spoke slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re all here. I don’t like killing innocents. I’ve sealed off this thirty-zhang radius with my aura—your fate now depends on whether you deserve to die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1143,"2026-06-20T01:43:38.503Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d19bb20c3aa9a670fa8e6aeefd58bd76420e363bbb6be2cac240dcd387758915","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-70","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-68",259,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-cover.jpg"]