"Buzzz-!"
The instant that golden birdcage smashed through the dome of Qilin Virtue Hall, the foundations of the entire imperial palace shuddered three times.
"Whoa!"
The Imperial Guards charging toward Qilin Virtue Hall felt as though they had stepped onto a rocking ship's deck, staggering every which way and crashing into one another!
The square-faced, broad-browed commander of the Inner Guards stumbled, banging his knee against the edge of a step. His armor plates struck the stone with a clang, and pain made him bare his teeth.
But he had no time to rub it. Bracing both hands against the stone steps, he scrambled up and looked toward Qilin Virtue Hall-the Phoenix-Imprisoning Cage had already landed.
Yet its golden afterimages still crisscrossed in midair.
"Wh-what is that thing?!"
The commander's Adam's apple bobbed twice, his voice dry.
Behind him, a young Inner Guard still clutched his saber's hilt, but his fingers had gone so stiff he could not pry them loose. "Sir, that cage... there's someone inside that cage!"
The commander narrowed his eyes for a closer look. Sure enough-a figure was dimly visible inside that enormous golden birdcage.
A moon-white robe, a lean frame...
Who else could it be but the Immortal Master, Diwu Chijin, who had killed the Sword Ancestor Eunuch with a single move that day?
Then came a soft clack.
The saber in the Inner Guards commander's hand had fallen onto the steps.
He did not even think to retrieve it. As though struck by a spell that froze him in place, he stood with his neck craned and mouth wide open, staring blankly.
"The supposedly invincible Immortal Master has actually been imprisoned inside that golden cage?!"
Immediately afterward, three figures descended from the sky.
None of their feet touched the ground; all three hovered in