To the cadence of Kong Qi's chanting, Jin Li slowly climbed the steps of the God-Worshiping Platform.
It should have been a grand national sacrifice, yet only the Minister of Rites presided over the ceremony. How utterly tragic.
Aunt Qin and the Duke of Yu stood beneath the platform, gazing up at Jin Li. A profound sense of helplessness flickered in both their eyes.
Jin Li's ascent of the God-Worshiping Platform to pray for the Divine Court's army to descend was nothing more than grasping at flowers in a mirror or the moon on water—a fleeting, empty illusion.
They were utterly powerless to turn the tide.
Meanwhile, several civil and military officials standing beside Sima Ting watched Jin Li as if watching a play.
In particular, those officials who knew the origins of the God-Worshiping Platform wore sneers of ridicule. Others felt a twinge of private sorrow; the Empress had truly reached the end of her tether.
What a pity that beauty was destined for an ill-fated life; Empress Jin Li would ultimately be buried alongside this dying empire.
Beneath the gaze of thousands, Empress Jin Li ascended the God-Worshiping Platform with steady grace.
This time, her footing was unwavering.
Tumultuous emotions churned within her heart.
Foremost among them was worry for Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan had not replied to her messages for four days.
Yet at this crucial juncture, the grand matter took precedence, and anxiety would serve no purpose. Setting aside her doubts, she followed the steps Qi Yuan had outlined to conduct the rite.
Holding a long, flat jade ritual tablet in her hands, her expression was devout.
When Empress Jin Li had scaled two-thirds of the steps, Kong Qi prostrated himself on the ground, his body curled tight, old tears streaming down his face.
This was the most humiliating ceremony he had ever officiated in his life.
Far more humiliating than even the Empress's coronation.
And this would likely be his final ceremony—and the final rite of Southern Qian.
Like the Empress, he would become nothing more than a few fleeting strokes in the history books, leaving behind no lasting trace.
Sima Riyue sat among the assembly of officials with his legs sprawled out, devoid of any decorum. Pointing a finger toward the God-Worshiping Platform, he remarked, "Tell me, if Her Majesty were to leap from that God-Worshiping Platform, wouldn't it be quite the swan song?"
The final empress of the empire, leaping from the God-Worshiping Platform—it would surely become an eternal legend.
The officials remained silent; no one answered him.
Instead, the demon sovereign opened his mouth, revealing a row of sharp, gleaming white teeth. "I just hope she doesn't land headfirst. Otherwise, my exquisite wine vessel will be ruined."
As he spoke, he continued to drink on his own.
His manner of drinking, however, was peculiar: he crushed the cup with his teeth and swallowed the porcelain down into his stomach.
This bizarre display caught the attention of many onlookers.
Watching the demon sovereign swallow the wine cup and then glancing up at Empress Jin Li's elegant, cloud-like coiffure and lovely head, Sima Riyue felt an inexplicable prickle of dread rise in his chest.
Knowing that this extraordinary man before him seemed to hail from the Heavenly Fortune Sacred Sect, he could not help but remark, "Your tastes are truly distinct, sir—a man of refined culture indeed."
The demon sovereign picked up the wine jar, poured a cup for Sima Riyue, and the two resumed drinking to themselves.
As for the empress atop the God-Worshiping Platform?
Who cared to pay her any mind?
Empress Jin Li reached the top of the God-Worshiping Platform.
Standing atop the twenty-foot-tall terrace, she raised the jade tablet with her left hand and cast a jade ring into the stone braziers with her right. The ring instantly shattered into pieces.
Empress Jin Li's voice rang clear as a mountain spring, yet solemn and majestic as the chime of a bronze cauldron.
"The Gods descend to pity my yearning; pitying my yearning, I raise the jade scepter!"
As her voice rang out, flames leaped into life.
"With fearful heart, I bring solace to Heaven above."
"O radiant Heaven, cast Thy light upon the mortal realm below!"
...
The sacrificial incantation for the summoning ritual was brief, part of it provided by Kong Qi.
Yet the most crucial part of the ceremony had been bestowed by Qi Yuan.
It was very short—only two lines in total.
Jin Li earnestly chanted the first line aloud.
The final line did not need to be chanted; holding it in her mind was enough.
"By decree of Qi Yuan, Master of the Robe Division: Robe Division Imperial Guard, heed my command!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the sun in the sky remained the same sun.
The civil and military officials below still wore bored, indifferent expressions. Not a single person took this sacrificial rite seriously!
Having long anticipated this outcome, the Duke of Yu watched as the last remaining sliver of hope vanished from his eyes.
Aunt Qin looked toward Jin Li, recalling everything that had occurred in the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground. A solitary thought still lingered in her heart.
The God-Worshiping Platform might be incapable of summoning the legendary Robe Division Imperial Guard, but what if Qi Yuan—mysterious, formidable, and rivaling a Supreme Sovereign—were to arrive?
Given his strength, he might not be able to contend with the demon sovereigns joining forces, nor could a single Supreme Sovereign unravel the array enveloping the city outside. Even so, he would surely be capable of whisking Empress Jin Li away.
That was already the best possible outcome.
Jin Li had been coerced into ascending the throne in the first place, and she was ill-suited to rule as empress.
If Southern Qian must end, then let the ruler survive.
Kong Qi lay prostrate on the ground, his eyes burning with tears, his weathered face showing neither sorrow nor joy.
Yet at that very moment, Jin Li felt an unseen, mysterious connection bridge the void.
She could sense that with a single thought, the Robe Division Imperial Guard Qi Yuan had spoken of would manifest instantly.
Her faith in Qi Yuan was practically absolute.
She did not immediately recite the final command. Instead, she looked down from the platform at the civil and military officials gathered below.
Jin Li's voice turned cold, carrying an undercurrent of righteous wrath: "Sima Ting, I ask you: is there a Soul-Burying Banner Array erected outside the imperial city?
"You colluded with the demon race to lay such an array beyond our walls. Do you intend to plunge every single subject of Southern Qian into utter doom?"
Jin Li's cultivation was not high, yet her voice echoed across the open square like rolling spring thunder.
Many of the civil and military officials were visibly shaken, while many others assumed this was merely Empress Jin Li's dying struggle!
A few stole furtive glances at Sima Ting, awaiting his response.
Sima Ting rose to his feet. Already a tall and imposing figure, he stood head and shoulders above the crowd. Facing Empress Jin Li's interrogation, he remained perfectly composed. "Your Majesty, why must you sow discord and twist the truth?
"Do you truly believe such petty parlor tricks can alter the greater situation?
"As a ruler, one must act openly and honorably, using righteousness to triumph over evil.
"Sinister underhanded ploys are not the way of a sovereign!
"Your Majesty, raised in the inner quarters by women's hands, you are indecisive, dull-witted, and lacking in strategy. You are unfit to govern!"
"I ask you once more: is there a Soul-Burying Banner Array outside the city?" Jin Li demanded again.
Hearing Chancellor Sima Ting's reply, the officials felt their hearts settle.
All of Southern Qian already belonged to the Chancellor; why would he dig his own grave by colluding with demons to ruin his very foundation?
Beside them, Sima Riyue could no longer sit still. Standing up, he sneered arrogantly, "Empress Jin Li, this is getting utterly tiresome! I was actually hoping to watch you use that God-Worshiping Platform to summon some so-called Divine Court army to slaughter every last one of us!"
Sima Riyue's words elicited a burst of roaring laughter across the assembly.
Practically no one held any respect for the empress.
The master of Southern Qian had ceased to be an imperial scion twenty years ago—it had long belonged to the Sima clan.
Jin Li remained unmoved, her expression solemn and imposing. "Is there an array outside the city?"
Three consecutive interrogations only convinced many officials that Empress Jin Li had exhausted all her options.
Several chuckled under their breath, while others sighed in lament at the tragic fate awaiting such a young, beautiful ruler.
Just then, the demon sovereign, who had been quietly drinking all this time, spoke up to everyone's astonishment: "Fair beauty Jin Li, you are not mistaken. Outside the imperial city right now lies the Soul-Burying Banner Array laid down by my demon race!"
The moment those words fell, the entire court was thrown into uproar.
"Chancellor?"
"Who is this man? The Soul-Burying Banner Array... it's real?!"
The civil and military officials froze in stunned disbelief before horror washed over their faces.
A ferocious, bloodthirsty grin spread across the demon sovereign's visage. "Sima Ting, am I telling the truth or not?"
Confronted by this, Sima Ting's face remained impassive, devoid of sorrow or joy. "Yes."
The assembled officials were gripped by petrifying dread, and the court descended into chaotic clamor.
Yet at that instant, the demon sovereign suddenly bellowed, "A bunch of useless trash!"
He lashed out, the power of a Sovereign-rank expert surging forth. A single wave of light instantly obliterated dozens of officials.
A cruel smirk danced in the demon sovereign's eyes.
Let it be more chaotic. More chaotic still.
He struck again, slaughtering hundreds of officials loyal to Sima Ting's faction.
In an instant, most of these officials collapsed in pools of blood, meeting a gruesome end.
Watching the turmoil unfold, the demon sovereign let out a hearty, exhilarated laugh.
The more chaos gripped the imperial city and the more blood flowed, the stronger the forged Bloodless Sovereign Staff would become.
After wreaking havoc among the officials, his gaze fell upon Aunt Qin, who stood guard beside the God-Worshiping Platform, contempt flickering in his eyes.
Even in her peak condition, Aunt Qin had been no match for him, let alone now while nursing severe wounds.
"My wine vessel, here I come!"
As the demon sovereign spoke, his frame swelled abruptly. Within a breath, he stood thirty feet tall, towering even higher than the God-Worshiping Platform.
Before another Sovereign-rank combatant, he still granted her a measure of respect.
The hideous, ferocious beast peered down mockingly upon the mortals below.
Seeing this, Aunt Qin vaulted into the air, using her slender frame to shield the God-Worshiping Platform.
Right at that moment, Aunt Qin heard Empress Jin Li's solemn and commanding decree.
"Armies of the realm, hear my command—slay!"
With that single utterance, something occurred that defied every expectation.
Above the God-Worshiping Platform, an immense bank of black clouds materialized out of nowhere in what had been a clear, azure sky.
The dense, heavy black clouds gathered tightly together.
In that single heartbeat, the entire imperial city plunged into pitch darkness.
A chilling, mysterious, and unfathomably profound aura blanketed the land.
Terror seized everyone present. It felt as though they could hear the thundering stampede of a vast army, or the awakening of ancient gods.
"What is this?" For the first time, shock cracked the demon sovereign's face.
Beyond the capital, several other demon sovereigns also revealed expressions of sheer bewilderment.
Right then, an icy voice resonated from the heavens above.
"By decree of Qi Yuan, Master of the Robe Division!"
"Summoned by Jin Li, Empress of Southern Qian!"
"Robe Division Imperial Guard of the Divine Court's Four Divisions, purge the treacherous and wicked!"
The instant the words concluded, a beam of brilliant sunlight pierced through the dense black clouds.
The world lit up.
Then, in the next instant, darkness returned.
Looking up toward the sky, one could see countless ranks of troops massed near the God-Worshiping Platform.
Clad in black armor and black robes, grasping golden halberds, they stood suspended in midair.
They clustered closely around Empress Jin Li. Leading at the very vanguard were ten terrifyingly powerful figures, each draped in black armor.
Not a single one spoke, yet they exerted an unbearable, crushing pressure.
They seemed to have traversed the long river of history, like an army of demons crawling out from the depths of the underworld.
They did not even spare a glance at the people below, as though disdaining to look, yet everyone present felt an overwhelming weight bore down upon them.
At this moment, the Robe Division Imperial Guard took formation, raising long spears and golden halberds to proclaim their arrival to the world.
Seeing this scene, the Duke of Yu's eyes widened to their limits.
"The Divine Court's Four Divisions... the Robe Division Imperial Guard has truly come!"
Prostrated on the ground, the Great Worthy Kong Qi was utterly dumbfounded, weeping tears of pure joy. "Heaven bless Southern Qian! Heaven bless my Emperor!"
Aunt Qin's heart quaked in shock. "It's all real... Master of the Robe Division? Qi Yuan?!"
After countless tens of thousands of years, did the Divine Court still exist in this world? Did the Robe Division still remain?
Yes!
Just then, the chilling, silent ranks of the Robe Division Imperial Guard finally stirred. An imperial guard clad in a wedding robe and red armor drifted noiselessly before Empress Jin Li, her voice mechanical.
"Our Master brings two messages.
"The Master says he wants to deliver a cheesy line: with him around, no one throughout the four seas and eight wastes shall dare touch you.
"The Master also says..."
Hearing these words, two streams of clear tears spilled from Jin Li's eyes.
Chapter 53