Chapter 689 - A Thousand Miles for One Kill, A Timely Return to Peace - Part 3

A month later.

Western Capital, the Divine Palace.

“From darkness we are born, but the heart must remain bright. When knowledge and action are one, there shall be no regret.”

A young man recited the words slowly, his voice low and smooth.

They came from the teachings of the Ink School, wisdom that had endured for over a hundred years.

Then a crooked smile curled across his face.

“Obsession...obsession

is

light. You can’t just know it and act on it. You have to

dig deep

into it. That’s the only way to go further. That’s how you gather more power.”

He was murmuring to himself when a sharp, high-pitched voice rang from outside the chamber: “Your Majesty, Princess Yi has arrived.”

The young man was none other than Sovereign Ye, ruler of the Divine Dominion.

Princess Yi was his aunt, his late father’s younger sister. She had helped raise him and had always been a strict, upright woman.

In his youth, she taught him how to behave, to praise virtue and punish vice. She had been living away from the capital ever since her marriage, but word of Sovereign Ye’s depravity had reached her, and she had rushed back to the divine capital, hoping to reason with her now-sovereign nephew.

As she stepped into the chamber, her face powdered and elegant was strained with suppressed anger. She could hardly believe the nephew she once knew had become

this

.

Inside, Sovereign Ye was writing at his desk. At the sound of her arrival, he looked up and smiled politely.

“Aunt,” he said calmly, “it’s been too long.”

Princess Yi offered a formal bow. “Your Radiance.”

Then she took a seat beside Sovereign Ye, and they began to reminisce about old times, his childhood, the palace, memories that once brought warmth.

But as the conversation wore on, Princess Yi slowly shifted from nostalgia to counsel. She tried to advise him, to urge restraint, to remind him of the principles he had once been taught.

Yet even as she spoke, she began to notice something strange, Sovereign Ye’s eyes were roaming over her with a boldness that bordered on obscene.

“You’ve truly kept your charm, Aunt,” he said, his voice laced with a wicked undertone.

Princess Yi froze, unable to believe what she’d just heard. Fury surged through her, and she was just about to scold him. But then she met his gaze.

His pupils had turned an unnatural shade of pink, ringed with a faint golden glow.

Suddenly, her thoughts grew hazy. Her vision blurred.

And when she looked again...Sovereign Ye was gone.

In his place stood her husband.

“Wife,” he said tenderly, “let’s rest early tonight.”

“...Alright...” she murmured, dazed and entranced.

She didn’t resist as he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

What followed was a night of storm and shadow.

By the time it was over, Princess Yi was still lost in a fog of confusion.

Sovereign Ye rose from the bed, calmly buckling his belt. Without a backward glance, he stepped outside the room, where a palace eunuch was waiting.

“Find a palace maid with a similar build to the princess,” he ordered. “Kill her. Dump her in a well. Tell everyone Princess Yi fell in and drowned.”

His voice was cold, almost lazy.

He had no intention of letting Princess Yi return. He would erase her name, give her a new identity, and take her as one of his concubines.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the eunuch replied. He was one of Sovereign Ye’s most trusted, obedient and ruthless.

Sovereign Ye changed into plain clothes and slipped through the palace grounds. Guards passed him by without blinking, as if he didn’t exist at all—or perhaps as if they had never seen him.

Soon, he stepped onto a painted pleasure boat floating on Long Lake just outside the palace.

Inside, someone was already waiting.

The man was thin, hunched, and gave off a chilling aura. It was a mix of decay and death, the kind that called to mind tombs and graveyards. His very presence conjured silence, as though the world grew quieter when he entered it.

And yet, despite his appearance, he carried an undeniable sense of authority. Not the kind that came from power or rank, but something more innate, like he was

born

to stand above others.

But no one was born like that. Everyone entered this world a blank slate.

So where had this man come from? What was his origin? What power did he serve? No one knew.

When Sovereign Ye saw him, all traces of arrogance vanished. He bowed slightly, respectfully. “Mister Mu.”

The man’s voice was raspy, like wind scraping across old stone. “Please, sit. The other one will arrive shortly.”

“Yes,” Sovereign Ye replied and took his seat.

He treated this man with such reverence because, many years ago, it was Mister Mu who had found him, taught him the secrets of transcendence, and helped him ascend the throne.

The

other one

Mister Mu referred to was no secret, either. It was Song Yu, head of the Song Clan.

The Song Clan had once been one of the Eight Pillars, and its lineage traced directly back to Song Yehuang, founder of the Ink School. The clan still held independent lands and power.

A ruler of the Divine Dominion, and the head of the Song Clan. By all logic, these two should never have joined hands.

But because of the mysterious figure known as Mister Mu, they had.

And Sovereign Ye knew very well what bound them together, the Tang Sect.

Once they had learned the true nature of transcendence, they understood one thing with absolute clarity. There could be no coexistence with the Tang Sect.

Not if they followed a different path.

Different paths meant conflict.

And conflict meant war.

The Tang Sect had grown powerful. And now, with that so-called

Lord Yu

rising to the top, their ambition was no secret.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

As for the rumors of the

reincarnation

, Sovereign Ye didn’t believe a word of it.

This Lord Yu figure was just a name, nothing more.

He had even asked Mister Mu directly, and Mister Mu had been unequivocal. Reincarnation was a lie. Absolutely impossible. Lady Yu of the Tang Sect was simply using clever political theater, leveraging public belief for power.

Sovereign Ye had readily agreed.

Mister Mu went further. “If the Tang Sect plans to expand, their first target will be the Western Capital. The Song Clan comes next. Now is the time to strike together.”

Mister Mu already held leverage over both men. And with logic this clear, the Song Clan had little choice but to ally with the Divine Dominion.

Even though Song Yu personally loathed Sovereign Ye, he still had to pinch his nose and play along.

Moments later, the beaded curtain on the pleasure boat parted, and a figure stepped in, broad hat casting a shadow over his face. He gave a respectful nod to Mister Mu, then removed the hat to reveal a refined, scholarly face.

It was none other than Song Yu.

Sovereign Ye offered him a crooked, mocking grin. “Clan Head Song, must you be so cold?”

Song Yu ignored him entirely. His eyes went straight to Mister Mu. “Sir, how do we deal with the Tang Sect?”

Mister Mu spoke calmly. “The Divine Sovereign has already commissioned a court painter to create

spring palace illustrations

of Lady Yu. When the time comes, His Radiance will publicly humiliate her, disgrace her name to ignite the Tang Sect’s fury.

“At that moment, you, Clan Head Song, will offer your support to the Tang Sect. When they move to attack the Divine Dominion, you’ll send troops to join them in a joint invasion. But in secret, you and I will lead an elite force around the flank and strike the Tang Sect’s heart directly.”

Sovereign Ye smirked. “That spring painting of Lady Yu...it’s truly a masterpiece. Would you like a copy, Clan Head Song?”

Song Yu turned away in disgust, as if Sovereign Ye didn’t exist.

“I will act with Mister Mu as planned,” he said coolly.

Mister Mu’s expression turned serious. “We must proceed with caution. The Tang Sect has powerful masters. Even that minor trial with the Ji Clan in Westgorge was noticed in advance.”

Then he shook his head, almost dismissively. “Still, a small matter. It won’t change the larger game.”

The Song Clan had always held a sterling reputation.

The Divine Dominion was ruled by a tyrant and a madman.

No one would ever believe the two were allies.

In fact, were it not for Mister Mu, even Song Yu and Sovereign Ye themselves would never have imagined working together.

And it was this very impossibility that made their alliance so dangerous...and so intriguing.

This was just one of the quiet manipulations Mister Mu had orchestrated since his own

reincarnation.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

At the same time...

Atop a massive evergreen tree just outside the royal bedchamber, Li Yuan sat cross-legged, looking down over the entire palace of the Western Capital.

He watched as the people below moved through its courtyards, combat power readings flashing faintly above each head, information he quietly absorbed.

He couldn’t quite believe he was here. And yet...he was full of anticipation.

He wanted, desperately, for his theory to be proven true, even if he knew, deep down, it might be nothing more than a wild guess.

And still, he had come.