112: Shocking changes

The atmosphere in the capital recently, how should I put it?

It's like a pressure cooker, with the lid sealed tight, but the fire underneath burning ever hotter.

The Seventh Princess and her two imperial brothers, the First Prince and the Third Prince, have completely fallen out.

Before, they only tripped each other up in secret, but now, they directly slam tables and curse at each other in court, their spittle enough to drown people.

The small fry below are even busier picking sides, afraid that if they're late, there won't be a spot left.

The storytellers in the teahouses have been doing exceptionally well lately; they don't even need to invent new tales, just the messy affairs in court are enough for them to talk for three days and three nights without repetition.

"These days are really getting more eventful," Li Dong muttered in his Immortal Cave; he wasn't in a hurry, the muddier the water, the better.

Yet, at such a time, the palace still wanted to hold some "Longevity Celebration," saying it was to bring good luck. As a result, no good luck was brought, but an even greater disaster was invited.

On the day of the celebration, songs and dances filled the air, and bells chimed amidst lavish feasts. Just as the civil and military officials, imperial relatives, and noble families raised their cups in a toast, in an atmosphere of peace and harmony, no one expected that before the joyous drum music had even faded, the sky changed.

This wasn't a metaphor; it truly changed.

Above the capital, dark clouds rolled in like ink spilled across the sky, oppressive and heavy, covering the entire capital. Immediately after, an indescribably evil Aura, like a tide, surged from deep underground.

"Boom—"

A dull, extremely loud bang, as if the entire capital had been struck by a giant hammer. The ground trembled violently, and countless houses cracked and collapsed.

"What's happening?!"

"Has the earth Dragon turned over?"

"No! It's Spiritual Qi! The Spiritual Qi is rioting!"

Inside the imperial palace, those pampered nobles screamed and scattered.

Meanwhile, the Cultivators with higher cultivation levels all had solemn expressions.

They could clearly feel that the Dragon Vein beneath the capital was twisting and wailing in an extremely bizarre way.

Even more terrifying, a large amount of "spiritual essence," that filthy and unbearable energy, was continuously gushing out from underground, rapidly polluting every inch of the capital's land.

On the streets, the normally docile small demons and monsters were scurrying around like mad, biting anyone they saw. Some low-level Cultivators with weak wills were even instantly affected by that evil Aura, their eyes turning blood-red as they lost their minds and began attacking those around them.

"How dare you, evildoer!"

An angry roar echoed through the sky. Wei Zheng, the head of the Demon Suppression Headquarters, with hair and beard bristling, held an ancient, simple great seal and shot into the sky, attempting to suppress this sudden anomaly.

He Tianzheng also feignedly brought out his Magic Treasure, shouting commands to his subordinates to resist. However, deep in his eyes, a trace of imperceptible excitement was hidden.

Deep within the imperial palace, several equally powerful Golden Core Auras rose, indicating that the Old Ancestors of the imperial family had taken action.

Golden light and Magic Treasures illuminated the capital as if it were daytime for a moment. But the evil energy surging from underground was endless, wave after wave, impossible to suppress. The "Vortex Trap Zone" seemed like an awakened Ancient Giant Beast, beginning to reveal its terrifying fangs. The situation was spiraling out of control at a visible speed.

Inside his Immortal Cave in the city outskirts, Li Dong suddenly opened his eyes.

He "saw" more clearly than anyone. The Dragon Vein was like a loach thrown into boiling oil, thrashing and twisting in pain. And the "Vortex Trap Zone" was frantically draining the Dragon Vein's power, while simultaneously releasing massive amounts of pollution.

[System: Warning! Highest level threat! "Ancient Forbidden Power" awakening countdown begins! The Empire's Dragon Vein faces irreversible pollution!]

The cold electronic voice exploded in his mind, every word ominous.

"Damn it, these old geezers really know how to pick their timing!" Li Dong cursed.

His Spirituality perception, like the most precise radar, penetrated layers of obstruction, directly pointing to the depths of the earth.

At the core of the "Vortex Trap Zone," three incomparably powerful Golden Core Auras, like three black Ghost Lamp ( Ghost Lamp - underworld lamps), emitted a nauseating evil Qi.

They were the Elders of the Shadow Council!

Qiankun Zi's old Clone exploded, so is his main body here this time? And there are two others, hmph, also old faces from the Council. They were gathered around a huge blood-colored altar, chanting incantations, guiding that evil power.

They were sacrificing! Using the lives of the entire capital to feed that so-called "Ancient Forbidden Power"!

"Can't wait any longer!" Li Dong abruptly stood up.

If he waited any longer, the capital would truly become a living hell—no, worse than hell! By then, let alone purifying the Dragon Vein, whether he himself could escape would be a problem.

"Hide? What's the point of hiding now?! Hiding now is just waiting to die!"

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he no longer suppressed his own cultivation. His Golden Core Early Stage Aura burst forth without reservation, like a dormant volcano, awakening in an instant! The stone walls of the Immortal Cave rattled under the impact of this Aura, covered in cracks.

"Boom!"

The stone door of the Immortal Cave was shattered by his punch.

Li Dong rushed out of the Immortal Cave, his figure transforming into a streak of light, soaring into the sky. His voice, like rolling thunder, spread to every corner of the capital:

"Shadow Guard Commander Mu Feng is here! The anomaly in the capital is a plot by the Shadow Council! They seek to awaken an Ancient Evil God and overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty! All those loyal to the Dynasty, follow me to eliminate these fiends!"

The voice wasn't loud, but in the chaotic capital, it was like a clap of thunder, clearly reaching the ears of every Cultivator.

"Mu Feng?"

"Which Mu Feng?"

"The one from the Demon Suppression Division, the Shadow Guard Commander?"

"Isn't he at the Foundation Establishment Stage? This Aura... Golden Core?!"

To hell with exposure or not, just do it first!

While rushing at full speed towards the "Vortex Trap Zone," Li Dong quickly operated the System, anonymously encrypting and sending the key medicinal ingredient information for the "Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill," as well as some preliminary methods he had devised based on the "Heavenly Pill Sky-Rending Demon Suppression Seal" to counteract the "spiritual essence" and convert a small amount of it, to Wei Zheng and Mr. Xu, the Seventh Princess's advisor.

"Treat a desperate case as if there's still hope, it's always good if it can have some effect," he thought.

The capital completely erupted.

Upon hearing Li Dong's voice, some high-level Cultivators were shocked, some were puzzled, and others showed understanding. Wei Zheng's figure, fiercely fighting in the air, paused slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes. He Tianzheng, on the other hand, turned ashen; he hadn't expected this "Mu Feng" to still be alive, and even to have become a Golden Core! What enraged him even more was that the other party had directly exposed the "Shadow Council"!

"You little beast, you're courting death!" He Tianzheng cursed inwardly, but his attacks became even more fierce, as if he wanted to unleash all his fury on the rampaging demons.

With the upper echelons out of control and the lower levels rioting, the entire capital was like a pot of boiling porridge, utterly chaotic.

And Li Dong's figure, like a shooting star moving against the current, resolutely rushed towards the "Vortex Trap Zone" that radiated endless evil and Forbidden Power. He knew that going there meant a near-certain death. But he also knew that if he didn't go, it would be certain death, and the entire Great Yan Dynasty would be doomed forever.

The real hard battle begins now!