Qi Calendar Year Fifty-Four of the Yuan Feng era – a year indelibly etched into the memory of the Yang Kingdom.

Yet, its resonance was not confined solely within Yang’s borders.

In the sixth month of that year, a devastating plague of rats erupted. The contagion first manifested in Jia City, then swiftly spread to Yue City. Throughout history, such outbreaks of pestilence had always wrought unimaginable death and suffering, a terror of apocalyptic scale for the common populace.

Naturally, those of the extraordinary cultivation realms invariably soared above such mundane calamities. Such was the very essence of transcending the ordinary.

However, the true revelation of the plague’s grip within Yang’s borders to the wider world came not from within, but from the Rong Kingdom.

In Yin Guang City, a border town adjacent to the Yang Kingdom, three individuals were discovered to have succumbed to the plague. Yin Guang City, unlike most settlements, was not governed by a City Lord; as a crucial border outpost, the stationed army general wielded supreme authority.

The name of this general, Jing Ye, would be long remembered, though within the military and political circles of Yang, it would be firmly nailed to the pillar of shame. Upon learning that three under his purview had perished from the same ailment, Jing Ye immediately launched an investigation. Quickly discerning the nature of the affliction as the plague, he decisively imposed martial law and sealed off the entire city. This swift action effectively stemmed the spread of the pestilence into the Rong Kingdom.

Due to Jing Ye’s resolute measures, only five souls in all of Yin Guang City were lost to the plague. In tracing the contacts of the three deceased, Jing Ye unearthed the source of the contagion: an elder, suspected of being a spy, who had crossed the border from the Yang Kingdom.

Jing Ye initially suspected this to be a covert stratagem by the Yang Kingdom, an insidious attempt to cripple the Rong Kingdom. Following this thread, he discovered that the individual hailed from Yue City, within the Ri Zhao Prefecture of Yang. Yet, Yue City itself was already grappling with a severe outbreak.

When Jing Ye’s findings were reported, the Rong Kingdom immediately made the situation public to the world and declared a blockade of the border between the two nations. The world was aghast!

This pivotal day was the thirteenth of June.

Meanwhile, Jia City, the initial point of outbreak, did not disclose the true extent of the situation until the fourteenth of June. Only then did they formally impose martial law across the entire domain and dispatch a plea for aid to the Yang imperial court. On the thirteenth of June, the Yang court had still been issuing official condemnations of the Rong Kingdom’s alleged malicious slander, their missives decrying it as a “secret art, damaging to the body of the nation.”

It was not until the fourteenth of June that they finally confronted the gravity of the situation, immediately dispatching investigators. As for the City Lord of Jia City being slain in the street, a matter that in normal times would have ignited widespread uproar, it now barely garnered attention. By this time, the Yang court’s investigation had revealed a chilling truth: the plague had already consumed the entire Ri Zhao Prefecture, spread to Chi Wei Prefecture, and was advancing upon Heng Yang Prefecture, the very seat of the capital! All three major prefectures of the Yang Kingdom were now gripped by the plague.

Within the grand main hall of the underground palace.

The Saint Lord of the White Bone Dao sat upon a high throne, his countenance utterly devoid of expression.

Below the steps, the White Bone Messenger stood, his tone deferential. “Saint Lord, the plan is nearing completion. Our brethren have successfully unleashed the plague. It is a small nation in the Eastern Domain, personally selected by this subordinate, tens of thousands of li distant from here. The Zhuang court would never conceive of us operating there, nor would the people of the Eastern Domain suspect the White Bone Dao’s involvement. Even if they surmised as much, they would be utterly incapable of locating us!”

“I… said… notify… me… after… the… plan… is… complete.”

The Saint Lord spoke, each word measured and deliberate, yet devoid of any inflection, utterly flat and devoid of emotion, only an endless, chilling indifference.

“Yes. This subordinate knows his transgression.” The White Bone Messenger’s tone was one of abject humility. “Because the matter pertains to the Saint Lord’s grand design, this subordinate is inevitably cautious. Many times I dared not make decisions arbitrarily…”

“Matters… not… decided… are… not… permitted… to… disturb… me… again.”

The Saint Lord’s manner of speech was unnervingly discomforting. Each word seemed to hang in the air, precisely in the most unsettling position for the listener.

Though his expression was hidden beneath the mask, Zhang Lin Chuan bowed respectfully. “As commanded.” His eyes, curved in a faint smile, went unnoticed as he lowered his head.

After the White Bone Messenger withdrew, a profound silence descended upon the great hall once more.

After a long while.

The Saint Lord suddenly spoke. “Glory returns to me, and it returns to you as well.” This time, his voice carried a touch more fluidity. Yet, there was no response.

The Saint Lord’s expression remained as if it would never change, his eyes perpetually still. However, upon closer inspection, one could discern subtle distinctions in his gaze. One eye held indifference, the other, a chilling calm.

Walking through the long corridor, where candlelight flickered and danced, his footsteps echoed steadily, a lonely rhythm.

Zhuang Gao Xian, with his Dong Zhen realm power, held sway in Xin An, the capital. Du Ru Hui, relying on his divine ability of “End of the World,” patrolled and hunted across the four directions. As long as their intelligence apparatus identified a target, none could escape. Furthermore, a contingent of elite disciples from the Dao Academy participated in the pursuit and slaughter, the Zhuang Kingdom seemingly treating the extermination of the White Bone Dao as a military exercise.

At this juncture, the White Bone Dao was all but eradicated within the Zhuang Kingdom’s territories. Only a few of their high-ranking members clung precariously to life. Yet, neither the Saint Lord nor the elders and messengers felt despair. Even Du Ru Hui, who spearheaded the pursuit, had to concede that these followers of the evil cult possessed an incredibly tenacious will. Even if reduced to ashes, one had to remain vigilant for the possibility of their resurgence.

Returning to the side hall of his solitary residence.

Zhang Lin Chuan extended his left hand, palm flat. Resting upon it was a circular mirror, held aloft by two interlocking bone teeth. The mirror’s surface was initially bone-white. After the passage of approximately three breaths, a face of unparalleled beauty materialized within it. The scenery behind her was indistinct, shrouded in shadow.

“Saintess Adult.” Zhang Lin Chuan smiled. “Where are you?”

Miao Yu also smiled, a smile that seemed to illuminate the entire dark underground palace. “Where do you hope I am?”

“As a loyal devotee of the White Bone, I naturally hope for your return, to assist our supreme and great Saint Lord. To swiftly realize the ideal of establishing the divine kingdom in this world, and to welcome the White Bone Era.”

“How could I not wish to?” Miao Yu said with a hint of resentment. “But if I am to aid Him, He must first feel at ease. Is He willing to let me assist Him?”

“Hahaha ha.” Zhang Lin Chuan finally laughed aloud. “Perhaps not unwilling, but rather, he dares not. Wang Chang Ji is truly formidable; he keeps the Venerable God in a state of constant unease. Before, I truly overlooked him. Feng Lin City still harbored such a figure.”

“Hundreds of thousands perished, the entire domain annihilated. Fortunately, some survived. There will always be a few who carry forth wishes and rise, achieving great fortune.” Miao Yu’s eyes flickered, lost in thought.

“Yes, and that other one, Zhu Wei Wo, also truly surprised me. Before, I felt that his invincible aura was merely because he resided in shallow water, never encountering the raging waves; truly laughable. Now…” Zhang Lin Chuan tsked in admiration.

Miao Yu did not pursue that topic, but instead shifted the conversation. “At that time, with Wang Chang Ji’s endless resistance from within, Du Ru Hui’s forceful intervention to erase the White Bone imprint from without, Huang Fu Duan Ming’s watchful covetousness, and Zhuang Cheng Qian’s support, secretly hidden with his injured body, the Venerable God saw that the matter was unfeasible. Thus, He deliberately allowed Wang Chang Ji to escape, dragging the entire Feng Lin City domain into the Netherworld gap, drawing attention. In reality, this was to ensure His descent was undisturbed, and to then plot the resurgence of the divine kingdom.”

“Therefore, according to your observation,” she inquired, “after such a long time has passed, the Venerable God has still not succeeded?”

“It seems the Saint Lord truly wounded you deeply; there is not a hint of regret in your tone…” Zhang Lin Chuan countered, “The Saintess, pure and undefiled, with a clear divine soul, seeking to save all beings and spread fairness. What does it feel like when the ideals nurtured from childhood are utterly erased?”

“You and I are not people who live by ideals.”

“Yes, indeed,” Zhang Lin Chuan sighed. “To speak of ‘the Saint Lord and God Lord co-governing and co-respected, the Saint Lord guarding the human realm, the God Lord residing in the Netherworld.’ In the end, it was all just a deception from beginning to end. The Dao Zi was merely a vessel for the God Lord’s descent; the so-called awakening of the Dao Zi was merely the complete erasure of consciousness by the God Lord. The Saint Lord is the God Lord, and the God Lord is the Saint Lord…”

Miao Yu interrupted him. “I do not believe you are a person who would care about such matters.”

“No, I must care.” Zhang Lin Chuan spoke softly, then laughed. But he had no intention of explaining further.