Seven-Colored Splendor

Heaven Dou City, an unknown location.

In the gloom, a mysterious figure clad entirely in black gazed at the object before him. His gentle voice echoed through the cramped space.

"The things on this table are Seven-Colored Splendor? After refining it for so many years, you finally managed to produce it."

Clang~ Clang~

The sound of metal scraping against the floor came from the darkness. Before long, a man wearing shackles on his wrists and ankles emerged.

The man was extraordinarily gaunt, his eye sockets deeply sunken. His throat bobbed as a hoarse, low voice sounded.

"That's right. The seven medicines on this table are my clan's forbidden poison—Seven-Colored Splendor."

"Each of these seven medicines is harmless when used alone. Even when mixed together, as long as one is missing, the poison will not take effect; it will merely erode the body."

"But once all seven medicines are consumed, the poison will immediately flare up."

"It is not severe at first, but the poisoned person will suffer extreme agony, because Seven-Colored Splendor will continuously corrode their life force until their life comes to an end."

"Still, before this was presented to you, your subordinates had already tested it on living people. Why come ask me?"

"Oh? Is that true?" Upon hearing this, the man in black turned his head toward the side, where two figures stood within the shadows.

When one of the figures saw the black-clad man's gaze sweep over him, he immediately dropped to his knees and said, "Young Master is occupied with countless affairs every day. This subordinate only dared report back after confirming the authenticity of this item, so I acted on my own authority. I beg Young Master's forgiveness."

Seeing this, the black-clad man raised a hand, signaling for the kneeling man to rise.

"Uncle Snake, what are you saying? There is nothing wrong with being careful and prudent. Besides, you were acting for my sake, so naturally you are not at fault."

"In any case, this item needed to be tested. Only after I understand its toxicity can I use it without concern. Testing it sooner or later makes no difference."

Afterward, the man in black looked once more at the shackled man, his gaze appraising.

The man's clothes were tattered and gave off a strange stench. Every patch of exposed skin bore traces of being corroded by something.

Calluses had formed around his wrists and ankles. It appeared that he had worn those shackles for many years.

His face was hidden beneath his loose white hair. In the dim surroundings, only a pair of eyes beneath deeply sunken sockets could be seen, making him look especially eerie.

"What? Not going to reconsider?" The black-clad man's gentle voice reached the man's ears.

"Submit to me, and not only will you live, but your family will benefit from your protection. That is the greatest of honors."

"Hehe!" The man gave a dry laugh and replied in his hoarse, low voice, "This old man does not hope to live. I seek only death, so that I may preserve the last of my dignity."

"However, you promised me that if I helped you accomplish this, you would not bring disaster upon my family."

As he spoke, the man stared fixedly into the black-clad man's eyes.

Yet the black-clad man's entire face was concealed beneath his hood, impossible to make out in the dim light.

"Of course." Seeing the man stare at him, the black-clad man did not grow angry. Instead, he turned around and spoke with his back to the man.

"This Young Master keeps his word. Your family is nothing more than a pack of defeated dogs; they are not worth making a fuss over."

"As long as they do not seek death themselves and do not oppose this Young Master, all past matters will be written off."

"However, before that, I must confirm this once more." The man in black suddenly turned around, his tone changing.

"Are you truly the only one capable of refining Seven-Colored Splendor? And aside from you and your elder brother, no one can identify it?"

Clang~ Clang~

The man dragged his chains forward and said, "Of course. I, Yang Wushuang, have been upright all my life and never deceive anyone!"

Yet inwardly, he secretly thought, "Seven-Colored Splendor is the Breaking Clan's forbidden poison. Under our ancestral rules, my elder brother is capable of refining it, but he will not do so."

"Therefore, this old man has not lied."

On the surface, the man calling himself Yang Wushuang continued, "Didn't no one discover anything about the poisons I provided you before?"

"So you may rest assured. My elder brother is far away in the Star Luo Empire; he neither will nor can interfere in Heaven Dou's royal affairs."

"Once I die, no one in this world will know that this poison is called Seven-Colored Splendor, much less be able to counter its toxicity."

The black-clad man had no idea that the man before him was playing a word game with him. He merely waved toward the side.

The two figures in the shadows received the signal. One of them stepped forward and conjured a spear out of thin air, nine Soul Rings appearing in succession beneath his feet.

Without hesitation, the spear pierced through the man's heart, ending his life.

"Hmph! He actually refused Young Master's recruitment. He truly deserved to die!"

At this moment, the other figure from the shadows also stepped forward. After bowing to the black-clad man, he asked, "Young Master, shall we begin administering Seven-Colored Splendor to Xue Ye now?"

"No!" The black-clad man refused decisively and explained:

"My foundation is not yet secure, and there still aren't enough ministers in court supporting me."

"If anything were to happen to Xue Ye rashly, and Xue Xing supported Xue Beng at all costs, we would still risk failure."

At that moment, the figure pulled the spear from the man's body and interjected:

"Young Master, I say we should just kill both Xue Xing and Xue Beng, those troublesome obstacles."

"Then, you would be the only candidate for the next Emperor."

"Foolish!" Upon hearing this, the man in black flicked his sleeve and turned to glare at the figure, rebuking him:

"Since ancient times, struggles within the Royal Family have been exceptionally treacherous. Even death merely means one was inferior in skill."

"Therefore, after my second and third brothers died, although I, as the one who benefited the most, was suspected, no one dared expose the matter openly without evidence."

"But everything has its limits. As long as my fourth brother, Xue Beng, remains alive, I am not the sole candidate to inherit the throne. That is the Emperor's way of balance."

"I may be Xue Ye's best choice, but I cannot be his only choice."

"Thus, Xue Beng may be a wastrel, may be incompetent, and may even serve to highlight my excellence, but he absolutely cannot die!"

"If Xue Beng dies, Xue Ye will have more younger brothers for me. He might even replace the crown prince to warn me."

"Therefore, maintaining the current state of affairs and proceeding gradually is the only way to ensure absolute success!"

In the darkness, the figure who had appeared later raised a hand and gave the rebuked figure a heavy pat on the back, speaking up in his defense:

"Young Master's reprimand is correct. Old She has always been used to relying on brute force, and his mind has never been particularly sharp. I hope Young Master will forgive him."

"It's nothing." The man in black stopped their movements.

"There is an order to learning, and each profession has its specialty."

"The Imperial Heart Technique was never suited for ordinary people. Besides, martial strength is precisely the specialty of you two uncles."

"Even I have greatly delayed my cultivation progress by dividing my attention between political affairs and the art of power."

"Enough. I can't stay out of sight for too long. I must return at once."

As the words fell, the man in black had already put away the Seven-Colored Splendor on the table and vanished from the secret chamber.