374: The Poison Queen strikes

On the ice altar in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, a rubbing of a Phoenix Seal lay flat. The Phoenix eyes in the imprint were hollow and perfectly matched the dragon pattern gap at the bottom of the Heavenly Silkworm Cult's white jade box.

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip touched the seal script of the Phoenix Seal, and the water mirror immediately showed the scene of the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters—an old woman was combing her hair in front of a bronze mirror, but the reflection in the mirror had a faint greenish-black hue, clearly indicating she was afflicted by a chronic, strange poison.

"Young Lord, the imperial physicians used thirty kinds of antidotes, but none could suppress the toxicity; instead, they made the poison spread faster." Zhao Gao's voice carried a hint of solemnity. The dossier recorded the characteristics of the poison: "The symptoms are consistent with 'Bone-Corroding Chill,' but it is ten times more potent than described in ancient texts. Every night at midnight, the Empress Dowager writhes in pain."

Jun Xiaoyao looked up at the water mirror. The Empress Dowager's personal eunuch was bringing in a bowl of dark black medicinal soup. Mixed in the dregs clinging to the rim of the bowl were a few grains of black iron mother lode sand. "They are using the cold Qi of the mother lode to suppress the toxicity, unaware that this will only cause the poison and cold to intertwine, making it even harder to eradicate."

In the water mirror, after drinking the medicine, the Empress Dowager suddenly coughed violently, and the bloodstains on her handkerchief were purplish-black. Gasping for breath, she said to the eunuch, "Go tell Silkworm Bane that if the black iron mother lode isn't obtained within three days, then those captives..." Before she could finish, another wave of intense pain struck, and she clutched her chest, collapsing onto the couch.

"Silkworm Bane is already dead. This order, if transmitted, will only cause the remaining members of the Heavenly Silkworm Cult to fall into disarray." Jun Xiaoyao looked at the summoning array. The spiritual power in the array's core had risen to 92% due to the internal strife within the Imperial Dynasty. As the runes flowed, a phantom figure in palace attire emerged.

System Notification: Detected a threat from palace poison arts, triggering a "Poison Empress type" summon.

Summonable Character: Li Mochou

From: the return of the condor heroes world

Realm: Late Stage Great Grandmaster

Martial Skill: Five Poisons Divine Palm (Transcendent), Ice Soul Silver Needles (Laced with potent poison, instantaneous death upon contact)

Specialty: Poison Making (Skilled in refining secret palace poisons), Detoxification (Can cure 70% of Imperial Dynasty's strange poisons)

Summon Consumption: 90% Spiritual Power

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip descended, and the summoning array suddenly erupted with a crimson glow. Runes shot out like poisonous needles, and the figure of a woman in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe condensed within the light. Li Mochou held a whisk in her hand, its strands adorned with glistening ice particles. She nodded slightly to Jun Xiaoyao, her voice as clear and cold as frost: "Li Mochou greets Young Lord."

Character Panel: Li Mochou

Status: Poison Arts in Operation

Special Abilities: Poison Palm (Palm wind carries poison, triggers upon touch), Cold Needles (Silver needles tempered with ice soul, can freeze Bloodline)

Loyalty: 80%

Current Thought: This Bone-Corroding Chill seems like a variant of the 'Soul-Shattering Powder' I once refined.

"Can you cure the Empress Dowager's poison?" Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the old woman struggling in pain in the water mirror.

Li Mochou lightly waved her whisk, picking up the medicine dregs from the table and sniffing them. "It's Soul-Shattering Powder mixed with black iron cold Qi. An antidote needs to be refined using 'Crimson Chain Snake Gallbladder' and 'Sunward Flower.' It can be cured in three days. But..." She changed her tone, "This poison requires close-range acupuncture to force it out, and there's a Land Immortal Realm devotee by the old woman's side, making it difficult to approach."

In the water mirror, behind the screen by the Empress Dowager's couch, a blurry figure indeed stood, its aura as profound as an abyss, clearly a top expert. Jun Xiaoyao nodded to Zhao Gao: "Have The Net's 'Heaven' group distract the devotee. Tell them the remaining members of the Heavenly Silkworm Cult are attempting a prison break in the city outskirts."

"Yes." As Zhao Gao turned to leave, the devotee in the water mirror had already received the news. After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately transformed into a streak of light and swept out of the sleeping quarters—the prison break was a major incident, and there were other guards by the Empress Dowager's side. He believed he would return shortly and that nothing would go wrong.

As soon as the devotee left, Li Mochou had quietly infiltrated the sleeping quarters. Her figure, like a ghost, passed through the guards' line of sight, and her Ice Soul Silver Needles shot out, precisely pinning the mute acupoints of three guards. When the Empress Dowager startled awake, Li Mochou was already kneeling by the couch, holding a porcelain bottle: "Empress Dowager, your servant has an antidote."

"Who are you?" The Empress Dowager was both startled and suspicious, but the poison tormented her, preventing her from speaking coherent words.

Li Mochou poured out a crimson pill, which emitted a faint floral fragrance when heated. "Your servant is from the Heavenly Silkworm Cult. The Sect Master, before his death, asked your servant to present this antidote to Your Majesty, only asking that Your Majesty spare the remaining members of the sect."

The Empress Dowager looked at the pill, a struggle flashing in her eyes—she hated the Heavenly Silkworm Cult for their incompetence, but she feared the bone-corroding pain even more. Finally, she took the pill and swallowed it. Moments later, the cramping pain in her abdomen genuinely subsided by more than half.

"Very good." The Empress Dowager gasped, "Go tell the remaining members of the sect that as long as they hand over the black iron mother lode distribution map, I can let bygones be bygones."

Li Mochou kowtowed and rose. As she turned, she quietly sprinkled poison powder from her sleeve into the incense burner by the couch. In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao said to Zhao Gao: "The Mechanism Guide in the incense burner will make her speak the truth in her dreams. Have The Net's people provide backup outside and record all conversations."

"Yes."

The spiritual power of the summoning array, due to Li Mochou's successful infiltration, had risen to 95%. As the runes flickered, a new figure appeared.

System Notification: Detected Imperial Dynasty secrets, triggering a "Secret Agent type" summon.

Summonable Character: Wei Yixiao

From: the heaven sword and dragon saber world

Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster

Martial Skill: Icy Palm (Major Achievement), Lightness Skill (Treading Snow Without a Trace, unrivaled under heaven)

Specialty: Infiltration (Can move under the nose of a Land Immortal Realm expert), Secret Discovery (Skilled at finding secret rooms and passages)

Summon Consumption: 90% Spiritual Power

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip tapped, and the summoning array erupted with a bluish-gray light. Runes danced like bats, and Wei Yixiao's figure instantly condensed. He was small and slender, with a pale face. As he cupped his hands to Jun Xiaoyao, there was a hint of cynicism: "Wei Yixiao greets Young Lord."

Character Panel: Wei Yixiao

Status: Poised

Special Abilities: Blood Sucking (Can temporarily increase speed, ineffective against Martial Artist), Shadow Escape (Can merge into shadows, ignore physical obstacles)

Loyalty: 82%

Current Thought: There must be more than one secret passage hidden beneath the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters.

"Go investigate the Empress Dowager's secret chamber and see which other forces she's colluding with, besides the Heavenly Silkworm Cult." Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the floor tile beneath the couch in the water mirror; its pattern was noticeably different from its surroundings.

Wei Yixiao's figure flickered, entering the teleportation array. When he reappeared, he was beneath the floor tiles of the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters. His fingertip traced the wall, and he indeed found a loose stone brick. Pushing it open, the pearl light from within the secret passage illuminated his face—wooden boxes filled with gold, silver, and jewels lined both sides of the passage. In the deepest iron box, there was actually a Blood Shadow Cult emblem and a secret letter.

"To the Blood Shadow Cult Master personally..." Wei Yixiao unfolded the secret letter, his pupils slightly contracting. "It turns out the Empress Dowager is the true mastermind behind the Blood Shadow Cult!"

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao read the contents of the secret letter, his gaze growing cold—the Empress Dowager was using money from the Imperial Dynasty's treasury to fund the Blood Shadow Cult, having them assassinate court officials who opposed her. She even planned to use a Mother-Child Silkworm Gu to harm the Emperor during the spring hunt in March, to enthrone the First Prince.

"Interesting." Jun Xiaoyao closed the dossier. "Have Wei Yixiao put the secret letter back where it was. We won't touch her for now."

Zhao Gao was puzzled: "Young Lord, with this secret letter, the Empress Dowager can be utterly ruined."

"Too early." Jun Xiaoyao looked at the Empress Dowager, still asleep in the water mirror. "She's still useful, at least until we get that batch of black iron from the Imperial Dynasty's treasury, we can't touch her."

Li Mochou had quietly exited the sleeping quarters and returned to the underground palace to report: "Young Lord, the Empress Dowager completely believes the antidote was presented by the Heavenly Silkworm Cult. In three days, she will send someone to meet at the city outskirts."

Wei Yixiao also returned with a rubbing of the secret letter. The handwriting on the rubbing was identical to the script on the Blood Shadow Cult token. Jun Xiaoyao placed the rubbing and the Phoenix Seal rubbing together; their edges could actually be pieced together to form a complete map, marking the location of the Imperial Dynasty's secret black iron stash—right in the Imperial City's Forbidden Army Armory.

"We must obtain that batch of black iron before the spring hunt in March." Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip pressed heavily on the armory location on the map. "Have The Net and The Unruly prepare. This time, our opponent is the entire Imperial Dynasty's Forbidden Army."

The underground palace returned to silence, with only the Empress Dowager's delirious murmurs still playing in the water mirror. She spoke disconnectedly of the Blood Shadow Cult's plans, her voice filled with greed for power. Jun Xiaoyao watched the spiritual power in the summoning array slowly rising, knowing that a larger storm was quietly brewing.

The accumulated snow outside Hanyue Valley began to melt, and the streams gurgled, carrying the warmth of early spring.

But deep within the underground palace, it was still bone-chillingly cold, just like Jun Xiaoyao's current state of mind—any obstacle blocking Beyond Heaven's path to resources, whether it be the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, must be removed.

Beyond Heaven's game of chess had gradually reached its middle stage, and each move precisely struck at the Imperial Dynasty's lifeline.