"Nonsense!" Xiao Yu vehemently denied it, of course, refusing to admit anything. Wu Xuantian wasted no more words, but word of Xiao Yu's deeds spread all the same.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the Mingde Emperor received two pieces of news in succession.
The first was that Xiao Se had driven Luo Qingyang back in battle.
The Mingde Emperor was delighted. His son had done him proud.
The second was that Consort Xuan, Yi Wenjun, had run away from Jingtai Palace.
Pfft!
He spat a mouthful of blood across the floor, throwing the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids into a panic.
"Fetch the young divine physician Hua Jin at once!"
Hua Jin soon arrived. After examining and treating him, she reached her diagnosis: joy had turned to sorrow. The violent shift in his emotions had damaged his heart meridians and triggered a relapse of his old illness.
The battle at Thousand Gold Terrace had ended, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, sudden chaos erupted that evening.
The Mingde Emperor had coughed up blood and fainted when joy turned to sorrow. Normally, the young divine physician Hua Jin should have been more than capable of treating such an illness. Strangely, however, no matter what she tried, he would not wake.
At the same time, unattended carriages suddenly appeared in the streets and alleys of Apocalypse City.
Curious citizens inspected the carriages. The moment they opened the compartments, clouds of purplish-black smoke billowed out. Many people accidentally inhaled the smoke and collapsed on the spot.
Terrified, people scattered in every direction.
At first, they thought the black smoke was poisonous. But as time passed, everyone who had collapsed climbed back up. Their eyes were crimson, black vapor shrouded their bodies, their movements were uncanny, and their strength was immense.