The Grand Ceremony

Lin Qi held Princess Qingli's hand, head high and chest out, and strode through the enormous square in the front courtyard under the astonished gazes of countless powerful nobles and ministers. He crossed the front hall beyond the square, passed through the equally vast central courtyard, and arrived at the main hall of the residence.

Ying Zheng, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and numerous royal relatives were seated or standing throughout the hall. When they saw Lin Qi and Princess Qingli approaching from afar, before they could even arrange smiles upon their faces, they suddenly felt the air around them become incomparably crisp and fresh—as though they had abruptly stepped into a primeval forest just washed by rain. That refreshing breath seeped into their hearts and lungs, making their entire bodies feel wonderfully at ease.

Not only that, the royal relatives who habitually wore scented pouches and sachets were astonished to discover that the delicate or rich fragrances emanating from them had vanished without a trace. They looked at one another in horror. Such a strange phenomenon could only be caused by the rare natural treasure known as immaculate jade.

Yet throughout the vast Blood Qin Empire, even in the treasure vaults of the Blood Qin Imperial City, which possessed countless rare treasures, there were only two or three precious items fashioned from immaculate jade. Other royal nobles had received some immaculate jade ornaments as rewards from successive emperors, but even combined, the entire Blood Qin Empire could not produce thirty vessels made of immaculate jade.

That was because above the Blood Qin Empire stood the Heaven Temple, that bottomless, greedy behemoth. The higher-ups of the Heaven Temple all took pride in possessing a magical artifact made from immaculate jade. Those high-ranking divine officials sought an airy transcendence untouched by