If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The air in the Emperor's father-in-law's residence seemed frozen.

Qin Shuang's appearance brought no warmth whatsoever. Her eyes were colder than the icy iron in the underground palace.

The Blackwater Dharma King hovered in mid-air, the night wind billowing his wide black robes, making him look like a giant owl poised to pounce. He stared at Qin Shuang, then glanced at Zhou Yang, who was leaning against the wall by the door, his breath faint, and finally, his gaze settled on the deathly pale-faced father-in-law of the emperor.

An absurd feeling of being manipulated gripped his heart instantly.

"Excellent. What a fine residence for the Imperial Father-in-Law."

The Dharma King's voice was hoarse, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

The emperor's father-in-law opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. What could he say? That he was also a victim? A cult leader wanted by the court had broken into his residence in the dead of night, bringing with him a seriously wounded Imperial Guard. Who would believe that?

This in itself is a capital offense.

He looked at Zhou Yang, his eyes filled with resentment and regret. He never imagined that the game he had meticulously planned would ultimately become his own grave. This kid had schemed against him from the very beginning.

"Your Excellency, Father-in-law," Qin Shuang spoke, her voice calm and utterly unwavering, "there's been a commotion at the mansion late at night. An assassin has broken in; what is his purpose?"

Her question was brilliant. She didn't mention the Dharma King or Zhou Yang, only asking about the "assassin." Instantly, she placed the Emperor's father-in-law in a position where he needed to explain himself to the court.

The emperor's father-in-law broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

"Commander Qin, what...what is the meaning of this?" He forced himself to remain calm. "A thief has entered my residence, and I was just about to arrest him when your Imperial Guards barged in. What is the reason for this?"

"A thief?" The Dharma King laughed, his laughter filled with chilling murderous intent. "I, the mighty Blackwater Dharma King, am a guest in your residence, and you call me a thief?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature in the entire courtyard dropped a few degrees.

The Imperial Guards behind Qin Shuang already had their hands on their sword hilts. They weren't there to arrest the Dharma King; their mission was to seal off the area, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, and ensuring no one saw anything they shouldn't.

This is a huge urn. And now, the two dogs inside the urn are about to tear each other apart.

"A guest?" The Grand Tutor finally found a point of attack. He shouted sternly, "As a heretic of the Heavenly Principle Sect, you have infiltrated the capital and broken into the Prime Minister's residence, which is tantamount to treason! I, the Prime Minister, am doing this to rid the people of a scourge!"

"To rid the people of a scourge?" The Dharma King descended step by step from the air, his toes lightly touching the roof ridge without making a sound. "Then tell me, why did the core of my Heavenly Principle Sect's alchemy furnace appear in your residence? Why did the traitor I was tracking escape into your courtyard? Why did the Embroidered Uniform Guard appear at precisely the right time?"

He took a step forward with each question he asked.

The emperor's father-in-law's face paled slightly.

He couldn't answer any of these questions.

The subtle clues of the conspiracy became crystal clear under the King's furious insight. He saw the most plausible explanation, an explanation he absolutely did not want to believe, yet had no choice but to accept.

The emperor's father-in-law and the Embroidered Uniform Guard conspired to set a trap for him.

They tricked him and stole the core that allowed him to reforge the Black Water Iron.

"You have betrayed me." The Dharma King stopped in the center of the courtyard, no more than ten steps from the Grand Tutor. His voice was no longer roaring, but instead became unusually calm. "You have betrayed the Heavenly Principle Sect."

"I didn't!" the Grand Tutor roared, knowing that if he didn't resist, he would die here today. The cultivation he had accumulated over decades erupted without reservation at this moment.

An invisible wave of energy suddenly spread outwards from him. The surrounding potted plants and artificial hills were instantly crushed into dust. Behind him, a phantom image of a golden dragon appeared.

"First-class, top-tier expert." Qin Shuang felt a slight chill in her heart, but her face remained expressionless.

She knew that this dog-eat-dog show was only just beginning.

Faced with the full force of the Emperor's father-in-law's attack, the Dharma King merely sneered.

"It's too late."

He raised his hand, his jet-black palm, fingers spread, aimed at the Grand Tutor's chest. He didn't care about the Grand Tutor's cultivation level, nor about the golden dragon behind him. He only wanted to do one thing.

That is to tear this traitor in front of me apart, and then reclaim what belongs to me.

"Hand over Danmu," the Dharma King said.

The Grand Tutor roared, and the golden dragon behind him howled as it lunged at the Dharma King. This was his trump card; with the golden dragon coiled around him, he was impervious to all magic.

However, the Dharma King simply extended one finger.

The jet-black fingertips touched the golden dragon's forehead.

There was no earth-shattering noise.

That majestic golden dragon vanished instantly, like a punctured balloon. Not even a glimmer of light remained.

The emperor's father-in-law's body jolted violently, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer. He flew backward, crashing heavily into the study door with a dull thud. The door shattered into pieces, and he fell into the study, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The Dharma King's figure followed him inside like a ghost.

"You...!" The Grand Tutor struggled to get up, but the Dharma King had already grabbed his neck and lifted him up with one hand.

"I told you, hand over Danmu." The Dharma King's voice rang close to the father-in-law's ear. "That thing is on you. I can smell it."

Genuine fear flashed in the eyes of the Grand Tutor. He hadn't expected the Dharma King to be so powerful. The dignity of a first-rank master was as fragile as a piece of paper before him.

"I...I don't know...what Danmu..."

"Still being stubborn?"

The Dharma King applied slight pressure with his fingers, and the father-in-law's neck made a "crackling" sound.

In the courtyard, Qin Shuang's gaze remained fixed on the hole in the wall. She didn't look at the fighting in the study, nor did she care about the fate of the Emperor's father-in-law. She was waiting, waiting for the person she was meant to wait for.

Just as the Dharma King's hand was about to crush the throat of the Grand Tutor.

A dark figure darted out from another window of the study like a raccoon. His movements were incredibly fast; he landed silently and disappeared into the shadows of the backyard in a few flashes.

It's Zhou Yang.

A barely perceptible smile curved the corners of Qin Shuang's lips.

Her people have been safely evacuated.

She raised her hand and made a gesture.

"blockade!"

The Imperial Guards behind her sprang into action instantly. They weren't there to arrest anyone, but to completely contain the commotion within the Imperial Father-in-Law's residence.

In the study, the Dharma King sensed the disappearance of that aura. He turned around abruptly, only to see a swaying figure. He understood instantly.

There are two fish in this mansion. One is big, and the other is small.

He had been chasing the small fish, but he had overlooked the fact that there was another fish following the big fish, ready to reap the benefits.

Now, both fish have escaped.

"ah--!"

The Dharma King's reason was completely consumed by rage at that moment. He grabbed the father-in-law by the neck and slammed him to the ground. The floor cracked instantly, and countless wood chips flew everywhere.

"You all deserve to die!"

He no longer sought any elixir mother. All he wanted now was to kill. To slaughter everyone here, to vent the destructive rage within him.

boom!

A black aura, more terrifying than ever before, erupted from the Dharma King. The entire Imperial Father-in-Law's mansion shook violently under the impact of this black aura. Tiles slid off in pieces, and beams and pillars groaned in pain.

He was like a monstrous beast that had completely lost control, determined to destroy the cage that had imprisoned and deceived him.

Qin Shuang's eyes finally changed.

She hadn't expected that the Dharma King's rage would be so terrifying. It had far exceeded the capabilities of an ordinary first-grade expert.

"Walk!"

Without the slightest hesitation, she issued the second order.

The Imperial Guards immediately began to evacuate. Their mission was complete; there was no need for them to die here with the madman.

The moment they left, the entire sky above the capital was enveloped by a beam of black light that shot into the sky.

Within that black light, there were golden dragon shadows and towering flames.

Inside the palace, the emperor, who was reviewing memorials, suddenly looked up. He glanced in the direction of his father-in-law's residence, and his pupils contracted sharply.

At that moment, the city garrison's bell was struck with a fierce roar.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The sharp, heavy tolling of the bell pierced the night sky of the capital.

That was the highest level of alert.

In the west of the city, towards the direction of the Emperor's father-in-law's residence, a tremendous energy fluctuation appeared. This fluctuation was powerful enough to shake the entire capital.

At the Imperial Guard camp, countless soldiers were awakened from their sleep, donned their armor, mounted their horses, and surged toward the Emperor's father-in-law's residence like a tidal wave.

The capital city was in chaos.

In the heart of the chaos, Zhou Yang's figure moved like a slippery eel, weaving through countless alleyways. He was still injured, but he ran faster than ever before.

He climbed over a wall, and on the other side of the wall was a secluded courtyard.

Qin Shuang was standing in the courtyard waiting for him. Beside her stood several Imperial Guards carrying a stretcher.

"Get in the car," Qin Shuang said succinctly.

Without a word, Zhou Yang lay down on the stretcher. The Imperial Guards lifted him up and quickly left through the back gate of the courtyard, boarding a plain-looking carriage that had been prepared beforehand.

The carriage drove into the darkness and disappeared into the chaotic streets of the capital.

No one noticed the carriage.

All eyes were focused on the mansion of the emperor's father-in-law, which was being razed to the ground.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of all the high-ranking officials in the capital within just half an hour.

The Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, the Inner Court, the Six Ministries, and the various princely residences.

The content is simple, yet it is powerful enough.

"The Imperial Father-in-Law's Mansion and the Black Water Dharma King have started fighting."

At that moment, countless eyes turned to the night sky ablaze with flames. Each shrewd politician was rapidly calculating their next move.

What does this mean?

This means that the Heavenly Principle Sect's most important pawn in the imperial court has been rendered useless.

This also means that the seemingly unshakeable position of the emperor's father-in-law will be completely overthrown after tonight.

A perfect dog-eat-dog fight.

The person who orchestrated this game is now lying in the carriage, eyes closed, a weary smile on his lips.

He got everything he wanted.

The price was merely the burning of a tiny, insignificant portion of one's lifespan.