While Prince Duan's Manor was bustling with the activity of planting flowers and trees, the Court of State Ceremonial and the Capital Prefecture were intensively hunting down the fugitive. The two main parties involved, however, had become idle, able to roam and wander around the entire Capital under the pretext of investigating the case.

Unfortunately, such carefree days did not last long, and in the blink of an eye, it was the third month. According to the customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the third month was the beginning of sunny spring, and the first day was the "Shangyang Festival." On this day, The Emperor would lead the civil and military officials to the Sweet Dew Terrace by the Rou River to offer sacrifices to the gods and pray for rain, while the common people would bring their families to the outskirts for spring outings. In the past, Wei Ming would have already left the Jade Capital by this time, but since he was delayed by the case this year, he had no choice but to leave the city with the other princes. As for Chi Lian, he belonged to the Zixiao Academy, and this was part of his duty. Although Ye Jintan didn't quite dare to trouble him, the necessary appearances still had to be maintained. The two could only return to their respective duties and leave the city with the crowd to offer sacrifices to heaven.

Emperor Qiansheng had not been feeling well recently, and he also intended to give the Crown Prince some training, so he assigned the duty of presiding over the sacrifice to the Eastern Palace. On the day of the Shangyang Festival, the banks of the Rou River were packed with a dense crowd of imperial clan members and commoners. The Crown Prince, dressed in dark robes and crimson skirts and wearing a crown with nine tassels of beads, solemnly ascended the Sweet Dew Terrace amidst the sounds of drums and music.

Inside the giant nine-dragon cauldron on the terrace, God-Summoning Incense was lit, and a plume of green smoke soared into the sky. The Crown Prince performed three kneelings and nine prostrations before the spirit tablet, then took the sacrificial text from Chi Lian and read it aloud in a rhythmic voice. Below the terrace, the officials and commoners stood respectfully in utter silence, with only the ceaseless sound of the flowing river to be heard.

Following the sound of the Crown Prince's chanting, the originally bright and clear daylight gradually dimmed. Water vapor from all directions gathered over the Jade Capital, brewing into thick, heavy clouds that covered half the sky. The wind blowing from the river carried a damp, cold, and fishy smell. At first, there were only a few sparse drops, then a sudden cry of surprise rang out from the crowd: "It's raining!"

The fine, needle-like raindrops gradually turned into bean-sized drops, and the murmurs from below the terrace grew louder: "It's really raining!"

"His Highness, the Crown Prince, is deeply blessed, he actually succeeded in praying for rain!"

Although the third month was indeed the season for spring rains, never in the spring sacrifices of previous years had a prayer for rain been so miraculously answered. It was unknown who started it, but the common people vied with one another to kneel in the rain, kowtowing and praying regardless of the muddy puddles on the ground, begging for heaven's protection.

At the side of the terrace, the various princes and civil and military officials looked at each other in consternation. The Crown Prince, using the sacrificial scroll to shield his view, glanced at the magnificent sight of the countless people kneeling. He was inwardly pleased, but his expression remained impassive as he held his posture even more upright and chanted with greater dedication.

Upon the brocade-canopied throne, Emperor Qiansheng's expression was inscrutable as he silently watched the curtain of falling rain. The Empress, seated beside him, leaned close and said softly, in a volume only they could hear, "This rain has come at the perfect time. The Crown Prince's sincerity has reached the heavens; he has finally lived up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Emperor Qiansheng gave a noncommittal "hmm" and did not respond to her words. The Empress's painted lips parted as if to say more, but Emperor Qiansheng's vision suddenly blurred. It was as if a transparent dome had been placed over him; the figures on the Sweet Dew Terrace seemed to recede into the distance, the voices around him faded, and only the torrential sound of the rain filled heaven and earth.

What happened?

He stood up as if in a dream, uncertain if he had suddenly fallen into an illusion. As he puzzled over it, he suddenly heard the Empress's terrified, hoarse cry from behind him: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"What is it?"

Emperor Qiansheng turned around in astonishment, only to see a massive, bluish-black snake peering from a gap in the clouds. As if it had finally locked onto its prey, it slithered from mid-air onto the Sweet Dew Terrace, dragging its long tail, its bright yellow eyes fixed unblinkingly upon him.

Emperor Qiansheng staggered backward, his legs giving way, and fell back onto his throne, nearly fainting on the spot. "Guards... Guards! Protect me!"

But an ominous, dead silence enveloped the Sweet Dew Terrace. Besides him and the Empress, no one in sight moved; they were all as rigid as stone statues. Between heaven and earth, only two living people remained, in a standoff with this Snake Demon, which was thicker than the beams of a palace in the Imperial City.

A faint whoosh cut through the air. It was Chi Lian, having broken free of the illusion, the edge of his sword instantly appearing in his hand. Even though he had been psychologically prepared, he couldn't help but be startled when he finally saw the scene before him.

A transparent barrier that had appeared from nowhere enveloped the Sweet Dew Terrace. Outside, nearly ten thousand commoners, Imperial Guards, and officials stood in complete silence. Inside was the Emperor's family. The Crown Prince, as if possessed, was still obliviously reciting the sacrificial text. Directly above his head, the giant Snake Demon leaned down, its head facing Emperor Qiansheng and the Empress. These two supreme nobles of the realm were not even a mouthful for it combined. No matter how they struggled or begged for mercy, there was no response; they had clearly fallen into panicked despair.

He gave the Emperor and Empress's situation only a single glance. Once he saw clearly, Chi Lian immediately shifted his gaze to Wei Ming among the crowd at the side of the terrace. Seeing that nothing was amiss on his end, he relaxed slightly. The angle of his sword shifted, and his entire body shot into the air, transforming into a cyan shadow carrying a stream of fiery, golden-red light as he ruthlessly slashed at the giant snake.

As the force of his sword neared the transparent barrier, a phantom-like figure suddenly shot across the air. With a deafening "CLANG," two weapons clashed head-on. This impact was far beyond what mortal weapons could withstand; the collision of spiritual power stirred a gale that swept out and ripped the roofs off nearby houses. Chi Lian was forced to pull back and retreat from the powerful impact, his robes fluttering as he landed lightly atop the stone railing of the Sweet Dew Terrace.

The person who had intercepted his sword landed opposite him. He was tall and slender, draped in a long grey cloak. What he held in his hand was not a sword, but a bladeless pillar of ice. It could loosely be called an ice mace, but to be precise, it most resembled an icicle casually snapped off from the eaves in winter.

"Immortal Lord Chi Lian, must you be so eager to fight and kill?" His voice was soft and clear, tinged with a smile and a bewitching intimacy. "There is a reason for all this. Even if Emperor Cangze were here, he would have to allow me to explain—"

If blocking Chi Lian's sword had only slightly annoyed him, then that sentence was what lit the fuse. Chi Lian's expression darkened abruptly. A lightning-fast sword thrust appeared before the man's eyes. He dodged hastily, but with a flick of his wrist, Chi Lian's sword swept upwards, grazing the tip of his nose. The resulting gust of wind blew back his hood, revealing a full head of silver hair as white as fresh snow.

A cut about an inch long appeared on his translucent, pale skin, and light blue blood slowly trickled down his cheek.

"Since you recognize me, you should know what kind of person I am." Chi Lian pointed his sword to the ground and said coldly, "Even the Emperor could not keep me in check. Who do you think you are, to dare bargain with me here?!"

The man took a step back, raised a hand to touch the wound on his cheek, and when he lowered it, his skin was flawless once more. In all fairness, he had bright eyes and pearly teeth, so handsome as to be almost effeminate—truly a beauty one in ten thousand. Yet, there was an indescribable aura of wickedness about him, which was especially conspicuous when he stood near Chi Lian. A flash of killing intent glinted in his eyes, but he suppressed it, maintaining a smile on the surface. "True," he said, "an unknown nobody such as myself certainly cannot compare to the Immortal Lord. After all, you are the one who ascended to the heavens from a lowly birth, only to be cast out of the White Jade Capital like a stray dog after the fall of a revered deity."

"To think you've now fallen to the point of being ordered around by mortals. If your former colleagues were to find out, they would surely be so impressed, wouldn't they, Immortal Lord Chi Lian."

But these words failed to have the intended effect. Chi Lian paid his taunts no mind, saying coolly, "Who I take orders from is no concern of yours." He glanced at the giant snake above the Sweet Dew Terrace, and as a flash of inspiration struck him, he suddenly uttered a name: "Chou Xinwei?"

"Correct." The man's smile deepened, with even a hint of approval. "I miscalculated this time. However, if you hadn't been here helping them, those mortals would have racked their brains and still never traced this back to me."

"That's not necessarily true," Chi Lian said. "Putting that aside, the Heavenly Court established an iron rule ten thousand years ago that gods, immortals, spirits, and ghosts are forbidden from entering the Mortal Realm without authorization. Since you're not a mortal and you have a Snake Demon with you, how exactly did you get in?"

Chou Xinwei's eyes darted away, avoiding the question. Instead, he said playfully, "Chi Lian, you're no longer an Immortal Lord of the Celestial Realm. How is it that the moment you open your mouth, you still have that disgusting White Jade Capital tone? Surely you don't think you'll be able to return one day, do you?"

Chi Lian: "Are we close? You seem to care an awful lot about the fact that I was expelled from the Celestial Realm."

"Never mind, let's save the idle chat for later." Chou Xinwei did not continue the verbal spar, changing his tone as naturally as if he hadn't been the one to start the provocations. "Let's return to the matter at hand. I wasn't lying when I said there's a reason for all this. There is indeed an unsettled score between them. Since you are here today, you might as well listen in and see whether our visit has any justification."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, dispelling the barrier on the Sweet Dew Terrace that had isolated Emperor Qiansheng. The Empress's face was drained of all color. She stared rigidly at the giant snake as it drew ever closer, not daring to move. Tears streamed down her face as a faint, death-like whimper escaped her throat, and she desperately reached out to grab Emperor Qiansheng's sleeve. "Save me... Your Majesty, save me..."

Emperor Qiansheng gripped the arms of his throne, his old body trembling like a leaf in the wind. His eyes were wide, but he did not utter a single word in reply.

Chou Xinwei raised his hand and flicked his fingers, shooting a speck of silver light into the center of the Snake Demon's forehead. Instantly, as the snake's mouth opened and closed, everyone present heard a deep voice echoing under the heavens: "Give it back to me..."

"Give it back to me..."

"What?"

Emperor Qiansheng was stunned at first, but then, a moment later, he suddenly stopped trembling and became strangely calm. It was as if once the demon could speak and make demands, he was once again the supreme emperor, and all beings in the world were his subjects. "Give what back to you?"

"Tell Us who owes you something, and We shall see that justice is done for you."

But the Snake Demon seemed not to hear, its bright yellow eyes staring unblinkingly at the Empress beside him. Its throat continued to emit a low, mournful sound: "Give it back to me..."

Emperor Qiansheng immediately asked, "Is it the Empress? What did the Empress take from you?"

The Empress's face was ashen, and the meticulously cared-for nails on her right hand snapped from the force of her grip. She bit the inside of her lip, trying to use the pain to calm herself. The deep voice awakened certain memories—the nightmare of her entire life, a fear more intense than a mortal's upon suddenly seeing a demon.

"I do not know what you want!" she shrieked, a sudden surge of courage appearing from nowhere. "Humans and demons have walked separate paths since ancient times! Instead of staying quietly on Mount Yao, you come to the Mortal Realm to stir up trouble. Are you not afraid that the heavens will strike you down!"