The side courtyard bristled with armored soldiers, and a murderous air spread through it.
"15!"
"14!"
"...!"
Tang Feng mingled with the crowd, listening to the countdown warning that his Disguise State was about to expire. He had already prepared himself for a desperate fight.
He had no choice. Once the disguise ended and his boobs showed, everything would be exposed.
As he sensed the Spring Breeze Wish-Fulfilling Painting with his mind, he prepared to call his father, Er Leng.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft...!"
At that critical instant, every palace lantern, brazier, torch, and other source of light throughout the Chief Secretary's Residence went out simultaneously.
It was as though an evil spirit had blown out the lights. It came without warning, striking fear into people's hearts.
In an instant, the entire courtyard grew even darker. Only faint moonlight outlined the people there; unless they came close, they could not make out one another's faces.
"The... the torches went out?"
"Are... are there ghosts?!"
"...!"
An uproar filled the courtyard. The soldiers all drew their blades and ordered everyone to be quiet. But before they could fully control the situation, something even stranger happened.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!"
Countless dark shadows swept across the sky, engulfing the entire Chief Secretary's Residence in the blink of an eye.
Still among the crowd, Tang Feng abruptly looked around. He discovered that the surrounding buildings, tables, chairs, benches, and even the ground and walls had all turned pitch-black. Their surfaces twisted, seemingly flowing with black liquid.
On closer inspection, the buildings and furnishings, along with every blade of grass and every tree around them, looked as though someone had splashed a layer of ink over them. Their outlines began to blur.
It was as if someone had poured an enormous basin of ink down from