The Yue Kingdom's Imperial City occupied a fifth of the entire Yue Capital, and a third of that space was taken up by the resplendent Imperial Palace.
Palaces rose in layer upon layer, each exquisitely carved, as though built from jade;
Between them lay countless elegant corridors of differing styles, along with colorful gardens adorned with exotic flowers and rare plants.
Even eunuchs and palace maids who had lived there for years occasionally lost their way in this intricate layout, a testament to the palace's grandeur and complexity.
Night hung low. It was the third watch, and the vast palace, bustling by day with eunuchs and maids of every description, had fallen unusually quiet.
Yet beneath that stillness lay stringent security: a sentry stood every five paces, a fixed guard post every ten. An invisible yet omnipresent net enveloped the entire palace, lending it an especially solemn air.
Deep within the palace, a forbidding aura permeated a little-known, shadowy hall.
The interior was dim, lit only by the wavering flames in a few bronze lamps, which cast uncanny shadows across the mottled palace walls.
A faint fragrance of Sandalwood Incense drifted through the air, unable to conceal the chill that seeped into the marrow.
Li Poyun sat straight as a pine in the seat of honor. The man who served as both Cult Master of the Black Fiend Cult and chief palace steward wore a black python-patterned robe, his face cold and sharp as though carved by a blade.
A cold gleam moved through his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes. His authority needed no anger to make itself felt, and the entire hall seemed to freeze beneath it.
His slender fingers tapped the gilded armrest, each crisp sound seemingly striking the hearts of those present.
Four people sat below him.
Their expressions