The Longze Marquis Residence.
Within Azure Sea Lake, this residence ranked second in prestige only to the towering Azure Sea Dragon Palace.
It was not merely Marquis Changze's home, but a symbol of power and majesty.
Today, an unusually solemn air hung over the residence.
Inside the great hall, Marquis Changze, Gu Changze, sat at the head of the room. Breaking with his usual practice, he had donned the ceremonial robe embroidered with a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.
It was the official robe the court had bestowed upon him when he was made a marquis. He had never worn it in all these years, yet today, for the first time, he had solemnly draped it over himself.
The golden dragon embroidered on the robe gleamed faintly in the candlelight, lending him an even graver presence than usual.
Behind him stood seven silent figures, their hands lowered at their sides-the Seven Sword Slaves.
These seven demons had once erupted without warning, assassinating the Holy Maiden of the Thousand Mechanism Demon Pattern and attacking Gu Xing.
That incident had caused an uproar, yet for some unknown reason, a major affair had been whittled down to a minor one, then brushed away altogether. Afterward, no one dared mention it again.
Now, however, the Seven Sword Slaves seemed clearheaded, no longer displaying their former frenzy and disorder. More striking still, in just a few decades, their cultivation had advanced another level.
Two of them had already broken through to the seventh-rank realm.
Such progress was truly terrifying.
Aside from the seven sword slaves, an exquisitely beautiful woman sat on the left side of the hall. She was none other than Azure Sea Lake's Fragrant Consort.
Beside her sat Azure Sea Lake's Second Prince, Gu Rui. He remained silent, his expression lacking its former exuberance.
Across