Martial Continent
Great Qian Dynasty
Longxing Era, 18th Year
Third Month
Hour of the Dragon (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
---
Within the Imperial Capital...
Qianping Palace stood majestically at the heart of the Great Qian Dynasty. Towering vermilion pillars supported a vast golden roof, while countless dragon carvings coiled around the marble columns that lined the grand audience hall.
Inside the imperial cabinet, an emergency court meeting was already underway.
The Emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne, his youthful appearance making him seem no older than thirty. Yet the calm authority within his eyes was enough to silence every minister present.
Below him, civil and military officials stood according to rank as heated discussions filled the hall.
"The Incense Fire Cult has become increasingly active throughout the southern provinces."
"Our intelligence suggests that several local forces have secretly begun supporting them."
"Their numbers have grown far beyond previous estimates."
One minister stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, if this continues, the southern prefectures may soon become unstable."
The Emperor remained expressionless.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the Minister of War.
"The western frontier."
"How is the situation?"
The Minister of War immediately stepped forward before bowing.
"Your Majesty."
"Both the Chu Kingdom and the Wei Kingdom have recently concluded a marriage alliance."
"Their diplomatic exchanges have become unusually frequent."
"Our scouts suspect military cooperation."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A marriage alliance..."
"So they finally intend to pressure Great Qian together."
He lightly tapped the armrest of the Dragon Throne.
"We cannot allow a two-front conflict."
"Minister of War."
"I issue an imperial decree."
"Mobilize additional frontier troops to the western border."
"Suppress any instability before it develops."
The Minister of War immediately bowed deeply.
"This minister obeys."
The Emperor's attention then shifted elsewhere.
"As for the south..."
His voice became noticeably colder.
"Issue another imperial decree."
"Send it directly to the Demon Suppression Division stationed within Jiangnan Province."
"They'll know what to do."
No further explanation was needed.
Several ministers immediately lowered their heads.
Unlike ordinary government offices, the Demon Suppression Division answered directly to the Imperial Court and specialized in dealing with matters involving evil cults, strange phenomena, rogue martial artists and supernatural disasters.
If they were being dispatched...
The situation had already become far more serious than the public realized.
The Emperor slowly rose from the Dragon Throne.
"Cabinet dismissed."
Every official immediately bowed.
"Long live Your Majesty."
The Emperor left the audience hall accompanied only by the Grand Advisor.
The remaining ministers maintained their bows until his figure completely disappeared beyond the palace doors.
Only then did they quietly depart.
---
Meanwhile...
Qinshan County.
The cheerful atmosphere brought by the New Year had long since disappeared.
Instead...
An enormous crowd had gathered within the town square.
Thousands of commoners stood shoulder to shoulder behind temporary barriers erected by the Yamen.
Dozens of armed officers maintained order while crossbowmen occupied the surrounding rooftops.
Lou Feng silently observed everything from the edge of the crowd.
His sharp eyes quickly noticed something unusual.
The number of Yamen officers deployed today far exceeded what was necessary for a simple execution.
Almost every street surrounding the square had patrols.
Hidden observers occupied nearby buildings.
Even several martial artists stood quietly among the crowd pretending to be ordinary civilians.
It looked less like an execution...
And more like a battlefield waiting to erupt.
Lou Feng frowned slightly.
Something isn't right.
Originally, he had merely intended to watch the execution before returning home.
Now...
He decided to remain a little longer.
Soon...
The prisoners were escorted onto the execution platform.
Each cultist wore heavy iron shackles while their cultivation had long since been sealed.
They were forced onto their knees one after another.
The chief executioner stood quietly beside them, his massive execution blade resting upon his shoulder.
Beside him, a Yamen officer slowly unfolded an official document.
His loud voice echoed throughout the square.
"The condemned are members of the Incense Fire Cult."
"They stand accused of murder..."
"Conspiracy..."
"Destroying public property..."
"Causing the deaths of countless innocent civilians during the northern district explosion..."
"...and numerous additional crimes."
With every accusation read aloud...
The anger within the crowd steadily increased.
"Kill them!"
"Those bastards deserve death!"
"They murdered innocent people!"
The shouts became increasingly furious.
The cultists, however, remained strangely calm.
One after another...
They simply smiled.
The chief executioner slowly raised his blade.
Just as he prepared to swing—
One of the kneeling cultists suddenly lifted his head.
His eyes stared directly toward the clear morning sky.
A fanatical smile spread across his face.
"The Great Fire..."
"...shall descend."
No one paid attention.
To everyone present...
He was already a dead man.
The executioner's blade began falling.
At that exact moment...
Lou Feng's expression suddenly changed.
His recently awakened Qi Refining spiritual sense violently trembled.
Danger!
Without the slightest hesitation, he erupted backward with all his strength.
Almost simultaneously—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted from within the eastern side of the crowd.
The terrifying shockwave instantly blasted dozens of people into the air while fragments of stone and timber flew in every direction.
Before anyone in the crowd could understand what had happened, countless commoners suddenly began chanting the same words as the cultists.
"The Great Fire shall descend!"
Their expressions became vacant, their eyes dull and unfocused, as though they had become puppets.
Without hesitation, they turned on the people around them.
Some seized nearby civilians by the throat, squeezing with frightening strength.
Others picked up stones, wooden poles and market tools before attacking indiscriminately.
Screams instantly filled the execution grounds.
The Yamen officers reacted immediately.
"Subdue them!"
"Don't kill the civilians!"
Several officers rushed forward, trying to restrain the seemingly possessed townspeople. However, they quickly discovered that these commoners felt no fear or pain, forcing the officers to use far greater strength than expected.
At that moment, the smoke surrounding the execution platform finally dispersed.
"They're escaping!"
A Yamen officer shouted in alarm.
The cultists who had been kneeling moments ago were already fleeing under the protection of several black-clothed figures.
The nearby Yamen officers immediately gave chase.
Just as they closed the distance, one of the masked men casually threw out a seemingly ordinary yellow talisman.
The officers barely spared it a glance.
It was only a piece of paper.
The talisman drifted onto the street.
The instant it touched the ground—
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted.
Several officers were blasted backwards.
Those closest to the blast screamed as blood covered their bodies, while the rest staggered in confusion from the violent shockwave.
The pursuing officers immediately slowed.
No one dared underestimate those strange yellow papers anymore.
"They're using bizarre techniques!"
"Be careful!"
The fleeing cultists reached a major intersection before immediately splitting into two separate groups.
"Split up!"
The leading Yamen captain roared.
Half the officers pursued one group while the remainder chased the other.
...
Several streets away...
Lin Sheng quietly observed everything through his Mental Perception.
His eighty-five li perception field covered almost the entire county.
Every explosion...
Every fleeing cultist...
Every strange fluctuation...
Appeared clearly within his senses.
However...
He wasn't smiling.
Instead, his brows gradually knitted together.
"The talismans..."
His expression slowly became serious.
Those yellow papers clearly weren't ordinary explosives.
The instant they activated, they communicated directly with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi before producing their effects.
That...
Shouldn't have been possible according to the information he currently possessed.
At least...
Not on this martial continent.
His Mental Perception carefully replayed every fluctuation.
The more he analysed them...
The more certain he became.
"They're genuine talismans."
Not merely imitations.
Actual Daoist talismans.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
"It seems..."
"I'll have to thoroughly investigate this so-called Incense Fire Cult."
...
Meanwhile, on a street leading toward the Western District...
Lou Feng suddenly stopped.
Five crimson-robed cultists rushed directly toward him.
The instant both sides saw each other—
They simultaneously realised there was no avoiding battle.
Lou Feng's hand immediately reached for the saber hanging at his waist.
Shing!
The standard Yamen saber left its scabbard.
The leading cultist had only enough time to widen his eyes before Lou Feng stepped forward.
The saber flashed.
It was as though the air itself split apart.
The blade swept cleanly across the man's chest, opening a horrifying wound from shoulder to waist.
Blood erupted.
The cultist collapsed immediately.
Lou Feng chose to strike first.
The surprise attack proved decisive.
One of the remaining cultists hurriedly reached into his robes before producing a yellow talisman.
Seeing Lou Feng's strength, he no longer dared treat him as an ordinary Yamen officer.
"Kill him!"
The remaining three Acquired Realm martial artists charged simultaneously.
Lou Feng calmly met them head-on.
Their sabers clashed repeatedly.
His Body Forging cultivation completely overwhelmed them.
Within only a few exchanges, all three had been forced onto the defensive.
Then...
The cultist at the rear finally threw the talisman.
The instant it left his fingers—
Lou Feng's Qi Refining spiritual sense screamed in warning.
An overwhelming feeling of danger exploded within his mind.
Without even thinking...
He abandoned his current opponent and threw himself sideways.
Boom!!
A terrifying explosion erupted where he had stood only an instant earlier.
The surrounding wall exploded into countless fragments.
Dust and broken bricks filled the street.
Even Lou Feng was thrown several metres away by the shockwave.
He quickly rolled to his feet.
His expression became extremely solemn.
If he had reacted a heartbeat slower...
That explosion would have struck him directly.
The talisman-wielding cultist stared in disbelief.
"How..."
"How did you dodge—"
Before the final word left his mouth—
A cold flash crossed the street.
Lou Feng had already appeared before him.
The saber swept horizontally.
A thin line appeared across the cultist's neck.
His eyes widened.
His body slowly fell to its knees while blood poured from the severed artery.
He died without finishing his sentence.
The remaining three injured cultists turned pale.
Their courage instantly vanished.
"Run!"
Unfortunately...
Lou Feng had no intention of allowing anyone to escape.
His figure blurred.
Three short screams echoed through the empty street.
Silence soon returned.
Lou Feng stood quietly among four corpses.
After confirming no more enemies remained nearby, he crouched beside the talisman-wielding cultist and began searching his belongings.
Among the bloodstained robes...
His fingers soon found several folded yellow talismans.
Lou Feng picked one up carefully.
"This..."
"...is definitely not a martial artist's method."