Xi Emperor Palace.
A woman with a sensuous figure lounged lazily on the imperial throne, slender fingers holding a cup of moon god tea brewed with "plant spirits."
Her red lips parted for a few delicate sips. She looked utterly content.
Her long, slender legs were slightly bent, glowing with a faint luminescence, flawless in every way.
In her other hand, she held a transmission stone.
A small slip of paper was attached to it, bearing a single line of tiny writing.
"We have used the Cauldron of Order to capture the prey. We will deliver him to Your Majesty within half an hour."
The message had come from the May Assassins.
They had sent it to Emperor Xi the moment they trapped Li Tianming.
"How lovely. My army of a hundred thousand won't even need to move."
She smiled, her eyes already bright with anticipation.
The last time, Li Tianming had broken the barrier core and escaped with his life. It was the first failure of hers.
That failure had led to several more.
One defeat had set off the next.
Fortunately, she had attacked on two fronts in time to cut her losses.
"After all, if word reaches the Land of Order that I sent a hundred thousand gods into a dust world to kill someone, all the goodwill I've just built with the Order Celestials will vanish."
That was why she was still holding the transmission stone meant for Prince Fengyue, rather than sending it.
The May Assassins had pursued Li Tianming for over twenty days without success. She had nearly run out of patience.
But they had succeeded at the last moment.
"All they need to do is trap him in the Cauldron of Order. They don't even have to fight. Just bring it back."
"No