Wuyao Kingdom, the Capital.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind swept through the imperial palace, sending countless dead leaves fluttering to the ground.
Dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and lightning flashed and thunder rolled in an instant.
Rumble!
Within the thick clouds, lightning darted about like countless flood dragons.
Before long, the dark clouds turned pitch-black. Hurricane winds shook the palace violently, while the dragonlike lightning converged madly, forming what looked like a river of thunder.
Whoosh, whoosh...!
Dozens of experts hidden within the palace shot into the sky, all staring upward, dumbstruck.
A few reclusive elders among them vaguely glimpsed a pair of cold, merciless eyes flickering into view behind the clouds.
Within the city, countless citizens were stunned by this strange phenomenon. They looked up at the firmament, their hearts filled with dread.
"Why are the dark clouds gathering only above the Capital?!"
"This has never happened before!"
"No, it has! Legend says this happened when the previous dynasty fell!"
"Bull-fucking-shit! Are you saying our Wuyao Kingdom is about to fall?" a blunt man cursed just as bluntly. "I'll beat you to death, you fearmongering little shit."
In midair.
A white-haired elder looked at the clouds overhead. "This is bad. It's... it's a disturbance in our nation's destiny. The Heavenly Dao is about to send down a lightning punishment!"
"Nothing has happened at court, and there hasn't been a major war on the borders, just minor skirmishes at most. Why would our nation's destiny be disturbed?!" someone asked in confusion.
"His Majesty must have committed some grave immoral act. I'll go persuade him to issue an Edict of Self-Blame." An old fellow holding a nominal post in the Ministry of Rites turned to go back and berate Emperor Wanwu. "Don't be hasty...!"
"Don't be hasty...!"
"I will make him issue