After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator who rose to power through women... I'd like to see just how long that Empress behind him can protect him!"

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, turned to look at the gloomy sky outside the door, and said in a low, resolute voice, "Guards! Prepare the sedan chair! This old man wishes to enter the palace to meet the Emperor!"

"I want to ask Her Majesty the Empress herself—what crime should her husband be charged with for killing General Zhenyuan, who has guarded the country's borders for thirty years!"

Zhou Shan's eyes were filled with madness and hatred; his bloodshot eyes were almost dripping blood.

He slammed his palm down, shattering the jade table made of ancient black ironwood beside him.

"The hatred for killing Sun is irreconcilable! If the Empress insists on protecting that little beast, she will be making an enemy of my Zhou family!"

"To oppose the loyal and valiant Zhou family, who have protected Fengming for generations! Today, I will risk my old life to make that little thief surnamed Lin pay for his blood debt!"

He suddenly stood up, his purple marquis's robe fluttering and rustling even without wind.

A terrifying pressure from a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage was released without reservation, sweeping across the entire Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion like a flood bursting its banks.

Dust fell steadily from the roof beams, and the flowers and trees in the courtyard bent over as if their spines had been forcibly bent by an invisible giant hand.

The servants kneeling below the hall were almost breathless, their faces ashen, their heads pounding against the ground.

They didn't even have the courage to look up, and several people were so intimidated by the oppressive aura that they trembled and their teeth chattered.

"Is that little thief Lin Fengmian still in the Empress's harem?"

Zhou Shan's voice was low and hoarse, as if each word was squeezed out from the depths of his throat, each syllable carrying a burning killing intent and an almost manic obsession.

"Reporting to, Your Excellency..." A trusted follower stammered, raising his head, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"I've investigated, and he is indeed still in the palace. The Empress has arranged for him to stay in... in a side hall next to the Phoenix Palace."

There were few guards, only a few Foundation Establishment stage guards on duty. It was said that Lin Fengmian rarely went out and spent most of his time cultivating in the hall…”

"Great! Excellent!"

Zhou Shan said "good" twice, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

He flicked his sleeves and strode towards the door, his footsteps heavy like drumbeats, each step causing the blue brick floor to tremble slightly.

"Get me a car ready immediately! No—I don't need those slow-moving wheels!"

He paused, turned abruptly, and his gaze swept across the crowd below like a knife. His voice suddenly rose, almost making the roof tiles vibrate:

"I need to make some preparations today before I go and see for myself."

Just how dangerous and dangerous is that inner palace? Can that imperial palace really protect that little beast's life?

Before he finished speaking, crimson spiritual energy erupted from his body.

It was as if a blazing flame enveloped his entire body, the spiritual power containing a ferocious killing intent and oppressive aura.

The blue brick ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly in all directions, extending all the way beyond the threshold.

Several attendants below the hall were thrown backward by the shockwave, staggering and falling to the ground in a sorry state.

"I, Zhou Shan, will risk my old life to tear that little beast surnamed Lin to pieces and avenge my grandson!"

"Slay gods if they stand in my way, slay Buddhas if they stand in my way!"

The moment the last word fell, he took a step forward.

His figure suddenly transformed into a violent crimson streak of light, carrying boundless killing intent and raging flames, and shot towards the direction of the Phoenix Cry Imperial Palace!

No wonder Zhou Shan was so angry.

Zhou Ye is the only heir of the Zhou family in this generation, carrying the bloodline continuation and family glory of the entire Zhou family.

Zhou Shan secluded himself for half a century, detached from worldly affairs.

His greatest concern was for his only grandson.

He had thought that after leaving the pass, he would see that Zhou Ye had married and had children, continuing the Zhou family line. He had even already decided in his heart what name to give his great-grandson.

But to his dismay, he was met with a cold corpse, a humiliating death from a single punch, utterly powerless to resist.

They couldn't even block a single blow, and didn't even have time to draw their weapons.

Bloodline severed, hope extinguished, lineage broken.

This excruciating pain caused the old marquis, who had been in seclusion for thirty years and whose heart had long been as hard as stone, to completely shatter the shackles of reason and fall into a frenzied abyss of revenge.

At this moment, in the main hall of the palace, Su Miaoxue sat regally on the phoenix throne, her snow-white phoenix robe making her appear as serene and aloof as the moon.

Her stunningly beautiful face showed no trace of emotion, as if nothing in the world could stir even a ripple in her heart.

Below the main hall, the report presented by the representatives of the nine major immortal sects had just concluded.

The elders were still discussing in hushed tones the changes to the Demon Abyss seal after the revival of spiritual energy; the atmosphere in the hall was peaceful and serene.

The fragrance of incense wafts through the air, and the light and shadows dapple the room.

At that very moment—

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!!!"

A panicked, shrill cry came from outside the palace gates, shattering the tranquility like a sharp blade.

A man dressed as a eunuch had a face as pale as paper.

He scrambled into the palace gate, his sleeves covered in dust, and collapsed to his knees with a thud, trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind, unable to speak coherently.

Su Miaoxue's delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, her cool gaze falling upon him.

Her voice remained as calm and clear as ever, yet it possessed a reassuring power.

"What's the matter with this panic? What kind of behavior is this?"

The eunuch took a few deep breaths, finally managing to calm himself down somewhat. He raised his head, his face still showing barely suppressed fear, and his voice trembled:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! It's...it's the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence...something terrible has happened!"

He took a couple of breaths and then continued speaking rapidly:

"Yesterday, Young Master Lu killed General Zhou Ye of Zhenyuan with a single punch in the harem. Who would have thought that Zhou Ye's grandfather, Marquis Zhou Shan of Zhenyuan, was still alive!"

Moreover, he didn't die in meditation thirty years ago; he was in seclusion cultivating diligently. Now he has reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage and has one foot in the Nascent Soul stage!

The eunuch's voice was choked with sobs, almost pleading:

"When Lord Zhou learned of his only grandson's tragic death, he smashed half of his mansion on the spot and vowed to personally tear Young Master Lu to pieces to pay for his grandson's life!"

He's currently gathering his old guard and personal soldiers, their killing intent palpable...heading straight for the palace! I heard...I heard he's already set off, moving incredibly fast, and will likely arrive in the capital in no time!

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials in the hall, who had not yet dispersed, gasped in shock.

Whispers rose and fell, and the elders exchanged glances, their eyes all showing solemnity.

Zhou Shan?

The Marquis of Zhenyuan, who was already famous thirty years ago?

That legendary old general who once led his troops to guard the northern border and single-handedly slew three second-tier savage beasts? He's still alive?