Over a hundred thousand streams of black smoke defied all understanding, passing through layer upon layer of worlds, charging into the Heavenly World, and scattering across its four great regions.
Only the First Imperial District saw no black smoke appear.
And yet:
The Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers of the First Imperial District, the Stargazing Observatory, the high priest, and other beings received word immediately.
After receiving the news, they all fell silent, merely writing memorials and burning them to report to Young Master.
Wisps of smoke curled upward. Once the memorials had burned to ashes, the many officials and the beings of institutions such as the Stargazing Observatory and the high priesthood carried on as usual, running the First Imperial District step by step.
It was as though they had expected this all along.
The beings in the other four great regions, however, noticed nothing unusual about the black smoke.
For after the black smoke appeared, it merged into the dark clouds, keeping a low profile, just like real dark clouds, with nothing unusual about it.
And yet:
At that instant, the hundreds of top experts in the four great regions sensed something.
Their gazes pierced layer upon layer of mountains and seas, crossed trillions of stretches of space, and locked onto the ominous black smoke.
They looked at the black smoke, then finally turned toward the First Imperial District.
"Are they starting to settle accounts with us?"
Some experts wore ugly expressions, anger simmering in their hearts.
Some remained expressionless, their feelings complicated.
Some quietly packed their bags, ready to flee at any moment.
Others sharpened their blades eagerly, ready for a fight to the death.
But the ordinary beings of the Heavenly World knew nothing of any of this.
The living beings of the Mortal World were