Chapter 278: Storms over the Imperial City

Just a moment earlier, the ground beneath the four was still that secluded paradise Wang Zhize had forcibly twisted the law of life and death to create, the air thick with the fresh scent of newborn plants and the pulse of life energy.

Moments later, they stepped into the real world.

A massive, tangled torrent of the mortal realm, infused with the essences of billions of living beings, slammed into them.

Spiritual Qi, turbid Qi, incense smoke, resentment, dragon Qi… countless energies intertwined, forming an endless net that shrouded heaven and earth.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei's bodies tensed instinctively.

They were like people who had been underwater too long, suddenly surfacing; for a moment they found the "real" air somewhat disorienting.

In Wang Zhize's little world and that altered death zone, everything was too pure—pure life, pure death, pure energy.

Here, however, is the true mortal world.

Glug—.

Wang Zhitao's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He sniffed the air vigorously, his eyes sparkling.

"Brother, it smells amazing!"

He smelled it.

The wind carried the oily aroma of roast duck, the sweet, glutinous scent of candied chestnuts, and a mix of various pastries and meat broth—a irresistibly alluring, earthly, fireworks-like fragrance.

These smells, far more than the primal law that devours the strong, stirred his basic appetite.

Wang Zhize's gaze swept beyond the barren plain before him, reaching toward the distant horizon.

There, a city of such incomprehensible magnitude stretched across heaven and earth, resembling a colossal, coiled ancient beast in slumber.

The walls rose like a mountain range, piercing the clouds, reflecting an ancient, imposing bluish‑black sheen in the sunlight.

Heavenly Capital City.

The heart of the entire imperial dynasty.

"Let's go."

Wang Zhize's voice was flat; with a single step, his figure vanished a hundred zhang away.

The other three hurried to follow.

In the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, the legendary stronghold materialized before the four with an oppressive grandeur.

The city gate towered a hundred zhang, tall enough for a dragon to pass with its head held high. Every brick and stone on the walls bore ancient Array runes, exuding an aura that suppressed all.

At the gate, crowds wove like fabric, traffic surged, cultivators flew on Flying Sword, mortal caravans streamed endlessly—a scene of flourishing peace.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei exchanged complicated looks.

They had once been soldiers of the imperial dynasty; this Heavenly Capital City had been the glorious symbol they swore to protect.

But now they know that beneath this veneer of glory lies a terrifying spirit vessel, like a festering bone sore, crazily devouring the blood, flesh, and dragon veins of the entire imperial dynasty.

How ironic.

"Brother, look at those guards."

Wang Zhitao whispered suddenly; though the aromas of various delicacies made his mouth water, his beast‑like instincts remained sharp.

Wang Zhize had already noticed.

The squad of armored soldiers stationed at the gate moved, turned, and even breathed with a synchronized precision that bordered on the uncanny.

That was not the tacit understanding of an elite unit.

It was instead soulless puppets, precisely controlled.

Wang Zhize's gaze swept over the endless stream of people.

The cloth shop owner, smiling broadly and eagerly luring customers, had a dead, hollow void deep within his gaze.

The wealthy young master sipping tea in the teahouse waved his folding fan with angles and force measured to the millimeter, as if following a preset program.

And countless other people…

Their expressions and movements were flawless, indistinguishable from ordinary folk, yet within Wang Zhize's law‑vision, each was bound by innumerable ultra‑fine black threads invisible to the naked eye.

The other ends of those threads led deep beneath the city, merging into an abyssal darkness.

The entire Heavenly Capital City resembled a massive puppet theater.

And the "master" was the puppeteer hidden behind the scenes, holding all the strings.

"Has it already been controlled to this extent…?" Zhang Mei's voice trembled, her complexion turning pale.

"Absolutely insane!" Li Hu's fists clenched until his knuckles whitened, his teeth clenched.

"My definition: the four of us are but a grain of sand in the mortal world."

Wang Zhize whispered, and the invisible force of his law spread like ripples, gently enveloping the four.

In an instant, their perceived presence among others dropped to the lowest.

Even if someone passed them head‑on, they would be seen as the most inconspicuous passerby, glanced at once and instantly forgotten.

"Enter the city."

The four merged into the crowd and smoothly entered the Heavenly Capital City.

Upon entering, the bustling, prosperous atmosphere intensified tenfold.

Shops lined both sides of the streets, vendors' cries rising and falling.

Wang Zhitao's eyes were utterly overwhelmed; he glanced left at the candy figures, right at the meat buns, saliva nearly spilling.

"Brother, I… can I just have one, just one?" he tugged at Wang Zhize's sleeve, pleading pitifully.

Wang Zhize glanced at him lightly and said coolly, "You can eat, but if you do, there'll be no portion left for you in the upcoming 'big meal.'"

Wang Zhitao shivered all over at the words.

He immediately straightened his back, wiped his mouth corner, and declared righteously, "Mundane things could never disturb my Dao heart! Brother, we have important matters to attend to!"

Seeing his hypocritical demeanor, Wang Zhize's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible smile.

According to the memory obtained from the Lord of the Dead, he has already pinpointed several key strongholds of the "Shadow" organization within the imperial capital, as well as the ultimate target—the Heaven Sacrificial Platform.

But he is not prepared to rush straight to the main point.

Since the "Lord"'s plan involves sacrificing billions of living beings and the nation's dragon vein, it inevitably entangles many high‑ranking officials within the dynasty.

Those princes and ministers it controls are the executors of its scheme.

Removing these henchmen first might cause some unexpected flaws in the "Lord"'s final ritual.

While Wang Zhize was pondering his next move, his steps suddenly halted at a secluded alley entrance.

His gaze turned toward the depths of the lane.

It was empty of people.

Yet in his perception, just a moment ago, a breath of air, like a slick poisonous snake, flashed through there.

That breath was cold, cunning, and filled with twisted malice.

It was a "Calamity"-grade fluctuation.

But unlike the three idiots that Wang Zhitao swallowed earlier, this "Calamity"-grade one was clearly far more sophisticated and far more dangerous.

Its aura blended perfectly with the surrounding shadows; unless Wang Zhize's command of the laws had already reached an inconceivable level, it would have been impossible to detect.

"There's a fish that just walked right up to us," Wang Zhize said softly.

Wang Zhitao's eyes lit up instantly, a hunter's excitement at spotting a coveted prey.

He licked his lips; the craving for delicacies moments ago was instantly replaced by an even stronger hunger.

"Brother, is this a 'extra meal'?"

"Perhaps," Wang Zhize nodded, "this fish seems to be on some secret mission. Follow it and see; there might be an unexpected gain."

He looked at Li Hu and Zhang Mei.

"You two, find a place to settle down without exposing yourselves. Go to the taverns and markets in the city, listen for any recent oddities in the imperial capital, especially rumors about the mansions of the nobles."

"Remember, safety first."

"Yes, big brother Wang!" Li Hu and Zhang Mei gave a heavy nod; they knew the upcoming tracking was beyond the level they could partake in.

After the briefing, Wang Zhize glanced at Wang Zhitao.

"Let's go see where this sneaky fish intends to swim."

Wang Zhitao grinned excitedly, flashing a set of white teeth, his smile both innocent and cruel.

Before the words finished, the brothers' silhouettes, like two drops of ink merging into water, vanished silently into the shadows at the alley entrance.

A hunt targeting the hunter quietly began deep within this darkness‑shrouded imperial capital.