Chapter 2952

Once successful, it will have ample confidence to face the gods of Lingxu. Moreover, the fall of the three great heavenly gods such as Jiālóu Tiān has shaken the heavens' divine rule over Bèijiā, and the dragon clan now has great opportunity!

Jiǔyōu always mocks it for appeasing the heavenly demons, feeling ashamed of its ancestors' proud bones. But outsiders can never understand its difficult situation!

As a rising newcomer, the Cāngyàn Empire itself has no foundation in worshipping gods. Jiǔyōu himself holds supreme authority, possessing absolute rule in Cāngyàn, so when he says he will resist the heavenly gods, the entire Shānjīn Plains can unite in effort;

Bèijiā, however, has been inseparable from the heavenly gods since its birth, as the saying goes: a history of Bèijiā is six hundred years of god-worship records. The entire Bèijiā, from top to bottom, inside and out, has gods, humans, and demons mutually supporting and entangled in interests—not something the demon emperor can sever by his own power in a short time.

To speak bluntly, not only all of Bèijiā, but the entire world under the heavenly gods' closest watch is the demon emperor!

The demon realm's special nature and the heavenly gods' gaze leave it little room to maneuver. No one knows how much it envies Jiǔyōu Dàdì's word carrying the weight of nine tripods—that is the true bearing of a mortal king!

Therefore, before grasping more chips, the demon emperor dares not act rashly.

Fortunately, only ten days remain.

"How are the preparations at the Dragon God Temple?"

"The Imperial Preceptor of the Xià Palace personally inspected twice, and will inspect again tomorrow morning." Niè Xiǎolóu replied, "All ritual items and expenses are ready, and the defensive forces are your personal imperial guard, personally led by General Qingwu."

General Qingwu Hóng Chénglüè and his ten thousand troops under his command have been recalled from abroad and are now the demon emperor's exclusive personal guard force, untouchable by outsiders. After the conflict with the heavenly gods intensified, the demon emperor simply replaced the former palace guards of Xīntiān Island with them.

Naturally, one must use one's own people beside the sleeping mat to feel at ease.

"Anyone with a Tiāngōng background, or palace servants and guards who have had contact with Tiāngōng, shall not be used."

Niè Xiǎolóu immediately said: "Rest assured, even if one's family background or clan has had prior ties to Tiāngōng, or if anyone in the clan worships the Lingxu gods, they shall not be used in this ceremony at all!"

For the great sacrificial rite, the demon emperor had to leave the safe Xīntiān Island and go to Shēnglóng Mountain.

Thus, every step and every location of the ceremony must be strictly guarded to ensure absolute safety.

The demon emperor nodded.

This vast Lingxu City is all its territory—so-called "under the Son of Heaven's feet"—if something can happen here, then nowhere in the world is safe.

The next day.

When the demon emperor departed from Xīntiān Island for Shēnglóng Mountain, he took the aerial route directly—truly, auspicious clouds blotted out the sun, banners obscured the sky.

The people of Bèijiā heard celestial music drifting faintly; looking up, they saw vast auspicious clouds drifting above the capital Ducheng, pure white as snow, edged in gold.

In the clouds, a green flood dragon appeared and disappeared, with countless ceremonial guards holding radiant spears.

The whole city was filled with fragrance.

Seeing this, countless commoners immediately knelt and kowtowed.

The demon emperor's procession was displayed in full grandeur.

Its scale and majesty must surpass that of the heavenly gods.

Xīntiān Island, the palace.

Before the hour of You arrived, Xiāo Nǚguān set out from Gānquán Palace, heading for the Qióngdǐng Palace.

She is already eighty years old, yet due to her regular qi cultivation and body nurturing, she remains agile and light-footed, walking with flying steps.

This route requires passing through three great halls, eleven long corridors, three imperial gardens—totaling three thousand two hundred twenty steps. She has walked this path for sixty-eight years; even with eyes closed, she would not miss a step.

Along the way, palace maids, servants, and guards seeing this silver-haired female official all pause their tasks and respectfully call out, "Xiāo Dàrén!"

——

Xiāo Nǚguān has long resided in Gānquán Palace; originally an orphan, she was picked up from the snow seventy-seven years ago by the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor and brought close to him. At twelve, she entered the palace and has served the royal family diligently ever since.

When the immortality pill case erupted years ago, the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor entered the palace seeking audience with the demon emperor, and it was Xiāo Nǚguān who led him to Gānquán Palace to wait. Formerly, the demon emperor had promised the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor that even if she committed a great crime, he would allow her to wait in Gānquán Palace to see him first.

Since then, twenty-two years have passed. The Qingyang Imperial Preceptor has long since died, yet Xiāo Nǚguān still resides in Gānquán Palace and has been promoted.

After the leakage of the "Heartstring" secret medicine formula used by the heavenly demons to control barbarian demon kings, the conflict between the demon emperor and the Tiāngōng intensified further. Besides rectifying the Wang Ting, there was naturally also the "Purify the Sovereign's Side"—screening and purging the palace servants, guards, laborers, officials, and so on on Xīntiān Island, again and again.

Thus, over the past few years, people in the palace have constantly come and gone. But no matter how many old faces were replaced, Xiāo Nǚguān still long resided in Gānquán Palace, her position as firm as a rock. Moreover, while she once only managed Gānquán Palace, since three years ago the demon emperor has appointed her to oversee the daily maintenance of the Qióngdǐng Palace.

The Qióngdǐng Palace is the demon emperor's cultivation dojo and also the core weight of palace defense. The demon emperor would surely entrust it only to the most trusted person. Xiāo Nǚguān is an orphan, alone in the world, with no family interests to burden her. She has spent most of her life in the palace, with little contact with the outside world.

Most importantly, she was sent in by the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor!

The relationship between the demon emperor and the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor needs no further explanation. Xiāo Nǚguān is someone screened by the Qingyang Imperial Preceptor, so the demon emperor naturally feels at ease using her. Moreover, for over sixty years she has followed rules, known when to advance or retreat, and been loyally devoted to the emperor—exactly the most precious and reliable "one of our own" in turbulent times.

Precisely because of the demon emperor's trust, Xiāo Nǚguān, despite her advanced age, cannot avoid bearing this heavy responsibility. As the struggle with the Tiāngōng has intensified to this degree, the demon emperor's trusted few have become fewer and fewer.

The heavenly gods have secretly governed Bèijiā for six hundred years, long ago infiltrating Lingxu City like a sieve—how could the palace possibly escape?

No matter how many times screened, the demon emperor will never feel at ease.

And Xiāo Nǚguān has never failed to live up to the demon emperor's trust; she has always managed palace affairs in orderly fashion, requiring him to expend no extra effort.

The Qióngdǐng Palace is a semi-open great hall. Although it has a dust-repelling spell formation, it still must be swept clean once each morning and once each evening—specifically at chénshí in the morning and yǒushí in the evening.

Currently, the palace servants assigned to sweeping have already gathered beneath the Qióngdǐng Palace, waiting for her and the palace guard chief Xuē Nào.

If the emperor is not present, the entrance will activate a barrier, requiring Xiāo Nǚguān and Xuē Nào to jointly undergo facial verification to enter. Should anyone attempt to intrude or lurk here, the formations, mechanisms, and guardian beasts of this place will deal a severe blow to them. Moreover, the imperial guards will be alarmed and rush forth to capture the traitor and protect the emperor.

According to Xiāo Nǚguān's knowledge, the formations and prohibitions here number no fewer than seventeen, including an ancient great formation of astonishing power. Long ago, a great demon from Língshān tried to sneak in to assassinate the demon emperor, but after just a few steps was struck dead by heavenly thunder.

This is still only what she knows.

And she also clearly understands that she cannot possibly discern all the mechanisms and ambushes here.

Above the mountain hall gate at the entrance hangs an ancient mirror, called the Tiānxīn Qǐmíng Mirror, once the personal treasure of the ancient immortal Sānshu Zhēnrén.