Blood Stains Xianyang

The underground cave deep within Shady Ravine of Mount Li pulsed like the heart of a colossal beast. Above the altar, the great, dark-gold egg throbbed with increasing intensity, like a war drum being beaten. Each tremor sent the corrupted Dragon Vein Earth Energy churning like boiling water. The scale-like patterns on the eggshell greedily absorbed the Calamity Qi that had leaked out, more primal and violent, from a subtle loosening of the Heavenly Dao Shackles.

Lu Buwei stood beneath the altar, his opulent Chancellor's robes stained with splotches of dirt. His eyes were closed, his fingertips trembling slightly as he felt the lingering resonance of that fleeting "loosening" on the shackles of his authority. After the initial shock, a near-pathological fervor seized him.

"The Heavenly Dao... has its flaws!" He abruptly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with a viper-like coldness in the eerie green phosphorescence. "The Holy Lord descends, this is a heavenly omen! That brat Ying Zheng, Cheng Xi's spawn... your time is up!"

He whirled around, facing the increasingly sinister black-robed Demonic Person beside him, and hissed, "We can't wait any longer! The Holy Lord is about to awaken, the Calamity Qi has stirred! Immediately activate the 'Blood God Incantation'! I want Xianyang tonight... awash in blood! Use the blood of Qin to pave the road for the Holy Lord's arrival!"

"As the Chancellor commands!" The black-robed Demonic Person's eyes blazed with green fire, his hoarse voice laced with bloodthirsty excitement. He bit his tongue sharply, spitting out a mouthful of thick, ink-like black blood that emitted a pungent, foul stench! The blood didn't fall to the ground but twisted and writhed in the air, instantly transforming into hundreds of tiny, fingernail-sized insects, entirely black, with hideous mouths – Blood God Spawn!

These bizarre insects beat their wings silently, piercing through the thick rock like shadows of death, flying swiftly towards Xianyang City!

Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.

Candles burned brightly, yet could not dispel the heavy oppression within the hall. Ying Zheng sat on his throne, his Black Robes like ink, his expression as dark as water. Below, Meng Tian, clad in battle armor stained with dust, clearly having arrived at a gallop through the night, knelt on one knee, reporting in a hurried tone.

"...Your subordinate, under the Great King's secret orders, has been monitoring Shady Ravine of Mount Li and discovered abnormalities! The earth energy is agitated far beyond the ordinary, and an evil, foul miasma is leaking out! Furthermore, multiple unidentified cultivators have infiltrated the area, their movements secretive! Your subordinate dispatched elite scouts for close reconnaissance, but ten went... and nine did not return! The sole survivor brought back this object!"

Meng Tian held up his hands, presenting a piece of tattered cloth soaked in foul blood. On the cloth, drawn with a charred piece of charcoal, was a hastily sketched, ferocious, twisted outline of a dark-gold giant egg, with several shocking words scrawled beside it: Breeding Demonic Evils! Chancellor Lu... the mastermind!

Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon the cloth, and the depths of his eyes, like a frozen abyss, instantly solidified! An icy, bone-chilling killing intent, like an invisible storm, swept through Zhangtai Palace! The candlelight in the hall flickered wildly, and the attending palace staff and eunuchs trembled in fear, utterly silent.

"Lu Buwei!" Ying Zheng's voice was like ice from the deepest abyss, each word enunciated, filled with a monstrous rage that the Wei River itself could not wash away. "I have treated you well! How dare you... collude with demonic evils, covet the imperial mausoleum, and breed demonic creatures! To overthrow my empire?!"

"Great King!" Meng Tian looked up, his fierce eyes blazing. "The demonic lair has become a great threat! Your subordinate requests permission to lead the Elite Guards to immediately raze Shady Ravine of Mount Li, slay the demonic evils, and capture the traitor!"

Ying Zheng abruptly stood, the hem of his Black Robes billowing without wind. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp, urgent alarm suddenly sounded from outside the hall! It was followed by the crisp clang of clashing weapons, the roars of soldiers, and... piercing, inhuman screams!

"Report--!!!" A palace gate guard, drenched in blood, his helmet askew, scrambled into the hall, his voice distorted by extreme terror. "Great King! There are... monsters! The Imperial Guard... many in the Imperial Guard have suddenly gone mad! They're biting anyone they see! Unbelievably strong, impervious to blades and spears! They can... they can even spew poisonous fire! The palace gates... the palace gates are about to fall!"

"What?!" Meng Tian's face changed drastically, and he looked sharply at Ying Zheng.

Cold light erupted from Ying Zheng's eyes! Lu Buwei! He had actually extended the claws of demonic evils into Xianyang Palace! Into his Imperial Guard! How fast! How venomous!

"Meng Tian!" Ying Zheng's voice was like a drawn sword. "Take my tiger tally! Mobilize the Lantian Barracks outside the city! Seal the nine gates of Xianyang! Anyone acting suspiciously will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!" Meng Tian took the gleaming golden tiger tally and turned, rushing out of the hall like a fierce tiger.

Ying Zheng stood on the imperial dais, looking down at the sudden chaos and flames erupting outside the hall. His cold face showed no trace of panic, only the wrath of an emperor anticipating the storm, about to devour its prey. He slowly raised his hand, resting it on the hilt of his Tai'a sword. The sword hummed, a dormant, majestic power, imbued with the killing aura of countless battles, slowly awakening within its scabbard.

The Ancestor Dragon... was about to awaken!

Huayang Palace.

In the Jiao Lan Hall, incense curled through the air. The core figures of Empress Dowager Huayang's Chu Faction – Lord Changping Mi Chen, Lord Changwen Mi Liang, and several elders in Chu attire with profound auras – were gathered. The atmosphere was heavy.

"Empress Dowager," Mi Chen frowned deeply. "The sounds of fighting outside the palace are deafening! The Imperial Guard has mutinied! It must be that treacherous dog Lu Buwei, cornered and lashing out! He has colluded with demonic evils, caused chaos in the palace, he intends to assassinate the sovereign and usurp the throne!"

Empress Dowager Huayang sat regally in the main seat. Though advanced in years, her phoenix-like eyes were still sharp as knives. She twirled a string of smooth jade beads, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.

"Lu Buwei has gone mad! To dare use demonic power within Xianyang Palace! This is his own destruction!" Lord Changwen Mi Liang exclaimed. "Empress Dowager, our Chu Faction's elite 'Shadow Guard' has secretly entered the city! We should seize this opportune moment to eliminate the traitor Lu and protect the sovereign! This would also be an opportunity to suppress the Zhao Faction..."

"Foolish!" Empress Dowager Huayang interrupted him sharply, slapping the jade beads onto the table with a crisp sound. Her gaze swept over everyone, cold with worldly wisdom. "Lu Buwei dares to act now, he must have his backing! That thing in the demonic lair on Mount Li has likely gained considerable power! To rashly get involved now would not only yield no profit but would make us sacrifices to Lu Buwei and the demonic evils! Perhaps... we would even become shields for the Zhao Faction hiding behind the scenes!"

She took a deep breath, her voice decisive. "Pass down the order! Huayang Palace is to close its gates! All Shadow Guards are to secure the palace grounds! Without my decree, no one is to act rashly! Let Lu Buwei and the demonic evils... and Zhao Ji's people, fight it out with that brat Ying Zheng!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Mi Chen and the others instantly understood, cold sweat pouring down their faces. The vortex in Xianyang was a hundred times more perilous than they had imagined!

Ganquan Palace.

Unlike the solemn vigilance of Huayang Palace, an eerie atmosphere permeated Ganquan Palace. Zhao Ji, clad in a thin, gauzy robe, reclined on a brocade couch. Her beauty remained alluring, but her eyes were vacant and hazy, with an unhealthy flush. She played with a warm jade piece carved with explicit depictions of intercourse, giggling.

Lao Ai, clad only in an undergarment, knelt before the couch, his posture humble, but his eyes burned with wild ambition and lewd light. He used a finger stained with crimson nail polish to gently, suggestively, massage Zhao Ji's ankle.

"Empress Dowager... listen, how lively it is outside..." Lao Ai's voice was seductive. "Chancellor Lu has made his move... the sky of this Great Qin is about to change... once Chancellor Lu deals with that little bastard Ying Zheng... how can the position of Empress Dowager be worthy of your nobility? You... should be the Queen of this Great Qin! And I... will be your most loyal... King Consort..."

"Queen? King Consort?" Zhao Ji's eyes were hazy, she giggled, her body wriggling slightly under Lao Ai's provocations, seemingly lost in a bizarre dream. "Good... good... I'll do as you say... my... King Consort..."

Just then!

Chit chit chit!

Several almost imperceptible black shadows – the "Blood God Spawn" that had flown from Mount Li – pierced through the cracks of doors and windows like phantoms, silently infiltrating the hall! They circled briefly in the air before pouncing like leeches smelling blood onto the palace maids and eunuchs standing guard, who were confidantes of Zhao Ji and Lao Ai!

"Ah!"

"What is that?!"

The screams were cut short!

The palace staff struck by the Blood God Spawn convulsed violently, their eyeballs rolling back, black energy writhing beneath their skin! In mere moments, their eyes lost all expression, becoming vacant and dull, then ignited with a frenzied, bloodthirsty green light! Their fingernails grew, their teeth became sharp! They emitted guttural growls like beasts!

"Flesh... and blood..." The transformed monsters, greedily sniffing the scent of living people in the air, slowly turned towards Zhao Ji and Lao Ai, still lost in their dream on the couch!

"Protect the sovereign! Protect the sovereign!" Lao Ai finally jolted awake, terrified out of his wits, scrambling behind Zhao Ji, screaming shrilly!

Zhao Ji was also stunned by the terrifying scene before her, a flicker of genuine fear finally appearing in her hazy eyes.

The palace doors were violently kicked open! Several loyal Zhao Faction warriors rushed in, and upon seeing the scene within, their faces turned ashen with horror!

"Kill! Kill these monsters!" The leading warrior shouted, drawing his sword and charging towards the monster closest to Zhao Ji.

The sword light flashed, striking the monster's shoulder, but only produced a metallic clang! Sparks flew! The monster seemed unfazed, and with a backhand claw, it easily tore through the warrior's finely crafted iron breastplate, piercing his chest!

Blood splattered! More Blood God Spawn, drawn by the scent of blood, poured in like a black tide through the cracks of doors and windows!

Ganquan Palace, this once decadent and licentious palace, instantly transformed into a living hell! Screams, roars, the sound of cracking bones, the tearing of flesh... intertwined into a bloody symphony of death!

Zhao Ji watched the hellish scene before her, watched her trusted confidantes turn into bloodthirsty monsters one by one, watched Lao Ai's pathetic state of shitting and pissing himself in fear, and for the first time, deep terror and boundless regret appeared in her vacant eyes. She finally realized what kind of uncontrollable demon she had invited!

"No... don't come closer!" she screamed, curling up in the corner of the brocade couch, her luxurious silk robes splattered with thick blood and filth.

A hand, belonging to her former personal maid, stained with minced flesh and blood, carrying a strong stench of fish, slowly, deliberately, reached for her pale, delicate neck...

East of Xianyang City, the beacon tower.

This ancient military facility had become the center of a chaotic storm. The beacon tower, which should have been lit to signal with wolf smoke, was now burning with a thick, foul-smelling black flame! The flames twisted and rose, faintly forming a grinning ghost face!

Meng Tian led the elite of the Elite Guards, engaged in a desperate battle with a group of thoroughly demonized Imperial Guards! These former comrades-in-arms had now become monsters possessing immense strength, sharp claws, and spitting poisonous fire! They felt no pain, feared no death, and surged forward like a tide.

"Form ranks! Crossbows! Aim for the head!" Meng Tian fought through the blood, his long halberd carrying immense force with every swing, smashing the attacking demonized Imperial Guards away! But the monsters were too numerous, and new Imperial Guards were constantly being struck by the Blood God Spawn roaming the air and transformed!

The line of the Elite Guards was retreating, suffering heavy casualties.

Suddenly!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three figures crashed into the monster horde in front of Meng Tian like meteors! The violent blast wave instantly pulverized dozens of monsters into dust!

As the smoke and dust settled, three tall, burly giants were revealed, their skin the color of bronze, their muscles knotted like rocks! They were bare-chested, wrapped in simple animal hides below their waists, exuding a wild, heavy aura like the earth! In their hands, they held crude but massive stone axes and stone hammers!

The one leading them, with a face like a knife's edge and eyes as deep and steady as an abyss, was Hou Ji, a Witch Clan warrior who had been ordered to infiltrate Xianyang and secretly protect Cheng Xi!

"Witch Clan! Houtu Tribe warrior! By the decree of Empress Pingxin!" Hou Ji's voice boomed like a gong, his stone axe sweeping, stirring up a storm of blood and gore, "Assist the Qin people... in slaying demons!"

With the addition of these three terrifyingly powerful Witch Clan warriors, the pressure on the Elite Guards eased significantly, and their morale soared!

Meng Tian looked at Hou Ji's inhuman strength, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, which then turned to resolve: "Good! Elite Guards! Follow the Witch Clan warriors! Charge--!"

The horn of counterattack sounded!

However, just as Meng Tian and Hou Ji joined forces, painstakingly pushing the battle line back--

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three shadowy figures, swift as ghosts, shot out silently from the shadows of the beacon tower burning with black flames! Like three black lightning bolts tearing through space, they aimed directly for the vital points on the backs of Hou Ji and the two Witch Clan warriors beside him!

Their speed was astonishing, their killing intent more condensed than any Blood God Spawn before! These were the Natal Blood God Thorns, personally refined by the black-robed demonic person beside Lu Buwei!

Although Hou Ji sensed the danger, he was entangled by several powerful demonized officers in front of him, and his stone axe could not return to defend in time!

"Careful!" Meng Tian's eyes widened in fury!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Three soft sounds!

Blood splattered!