The setting sun was as red as blood, like a shy young girl covering half her face, its blush staining half the sky.
The blood-red sunset and the palace's white jade balustrades complemented each other, shimmering with a soft glow.
Xu Lanqing, the Ice Empress, and Ma Xiaotao stood in front of the palace, talking before setting out.
That was right. Xu Lanqing had decided to wipe out every Holy Spirit Cult stronghold in Mingdu right away.
Any reduction in Xu Tianran's forces was a gain.
As for whether the emperor knew, Xu Lanqing wasn't sure. But the emperor had always turned a blind eye to the two of them, which was no different from tacitly approving their struggle.
Xu Tianran had secretly sent more men into the imperial palace without telling anyone. Anyone could see that he wasn't up to anything good.
Whether the emperor was confident enough to sit back and watch, certain the flames wouldn't reach him, or simply didn't care about his own safety, it had nothing to do with Xu Lanqing. His only goal was to kill Xu Tianran.
"What have you been doing? Why are you so weak?" A clear voice, as crisp as a wind chime, carried confusion and a hint of concern.
The Ice Empress furrowed her brows as she studied Xu Lanqing, baffled. The fiery sunset fell across her fair profile, making her captivating.
Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao also looked Xu Lanqing over several times, noticing that he seemed a little weak.
She wouldn't have noticed if the Ice Empress hadn't pointed it out.
"Nothing much. I was just testing a cultivation technique."
Xu Lanqing changed the subject. "I've already told you what's going on. It'd be best to capture Nangong Wan alive. The others can be dead or alive. If