The night in the Thang Long Imperial Capital was as heavy as lead. The north wind blew past, carrying a biting chill and the muffled, rhythmic thrum of war drums echoing from all sides, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe. The entire perimeter surrounding the Estate of the Marquis of Vinh An had been transformed into a colossal iron cage. Outside stood tens of thousands of soldiers from Duke Dinh Quoc and the Six Gates; their torches lit up the sky as intimidating battle cries rang out ceaselessly. Inside, the opulent and magnificent Marquis's Estate was eerily, unnervingly silent—like a ferocious beast drawing into itself, awaiting the perfect moment to unleash a final, lethal bite.
In the shadows of a small, narrow alley adjacent to the rear wall of the estate, five silhouettes had taken their positions. Tran Kien, Uncle Sword, Shangguan Van, Ly Tin, and Trinh Cong. The loyal old protector, despite his wounds not fully healing, had resolutely insisted on joining them.
"The defenses of the estate are incredibly tight," Ly Tin whispered after returning from a reconnaissance sweep. "There are restrictive spells on the walls, and countless traps and hidden deathsworn inside. The secret route we uncovered has likely already been compromised."
"I know," Tran Kien replied, his voice placid. He wasn't surprised in the slightest. He knew an old fox like the Marquis of Vinh An wouldn't leave such an obvious flaw exposed. "Our plan is not to infiltrate. It is to 'open the door'."
He offered no further explanation. He merely retrieved an item from his robes: the ledger of the Black Dragon Stronghold. Flipping to a specific page, it revealed a profoundly complex array diagram.
"This is the 'Soul-Shattering Array', an auxiliary formation of the Sacred Dynasty specialized in weakening defensive restrictive spells," he explained. "The Marquis of Vinh An has undoubtedly used a version of it to reinforce his estate. But every array has an Array Heart. And its Array Heart..." He pointed toward a dried-up ancient well in the courtyard of a nearby commoner's house. "...is located on the outside."
Without a single wasted word, the group immediately sprang into action. Uncle Sword and Ly Tin took up guard positions. Tran Kien, with his profound comprehension of arrays, swiftly approached the ancient well alongside Trinh Cong and Shangguan Van. Using his Primordial Chaos Qi, he effortlessly located the hidden mechanism. A pitch-black subterranean tunnel revealed itself.
They did not enter. Tran Kien merely unleashed a sliver of Saber Intent, cleanly severing several crucial spiritual energy conduits within.
HUM...
The invisible barrier enveloping the Marquis's Estate suddenly vibrated violently, its radiance dimming significantly.
"Move!"
Like five hunting panthers, the five silhouettes vaulted over the estate walls without making a sound, infiltrating the interior. Yet, the scene that greeted them left them utterly stunned. The estate was not teeming with deathsworn as they had expected. On the contrary, it was deathly quiet. Only high-hanging red lanterns cast an eerie glow over the empty corridors. However, the air was permeated with a bizarre, sweet fragrance and a chilling, yin-cold evil aura.
"Careful! Poison!"
But it was already too late. They felt the circulation of spiritual energy within their bodies begin to stagnate, their minds growing somewhat hazy. At that exact moment, from the surrounding shadows, dozens of Shadow Guards silently materialized, forming a lethal encirclement.
"You have finally arrived," a hoarse voice echoed from the highest pavilion. The Marquis of Vinh An stood there, devoid of any panic. Instead, he radiated an eerie, uncharacteristic madness and supreme confidence. "Welcome to my 'Seven Souls Banquet'."
"Lac Viet Heavenly Cycle Array - Solar Essence Guardian!" Tran Kien was the first to react without a shred of hesitation. An illusory sun manifested, its warm golden light enveloping all five of them, instantly dispelling the toxic miasma and beguilement.
"Bravo for the Lac Viet legacy," the Marquis of Vinh An sneered. "But do you truly believe that you alone can ruin the millennium-old grand design of the Sacred Dynasty?"
He said nothing more. With a flick of his sleeves, he turned and retreated into the secret chamber behind him. He had absolutely no intention of fighting them.
"Kill them!" The Shadow Guards roared, lunging forward.
A chaotic melee erupted. Uncle Sword, Shangguan Van, and Ly Tin—three grand experts—formed a tripod stance, their sword-light and spear-shadows running rampant as they fended off the torrential assault of the deathsworn. But Tran Kien did not join the fray. His gaze was glued to the doors of the secret chamber where the Marquis had just vanished. He knew that was the true epicenter of it all.
"I leave this place to you!"
With those words, without ever looking back, his figure shot forward like a loosed arrow, tearing through the encirclement and charging straight for the secret chamber!
He smashed the doors open. The scene inside caused his pupils to violently constrict. The secret chamber had been transformed into a literal blood sacrifice altar!
The Marquis of Vinh An stood at its center. But he was not the one presiding. He was kneeling, his face a portrait of absolute reverence. And before him, the eerie emerald flame of yesteryear had now erupted, twisting into a warped spatial portal. From within that portal, an aura ten times more terrifying than the Sacred Envoy of the Sacred City was slowly, very slowly, descending.
"Descendant of Lac Viet," a voice—neither male nor female, carrying the vicissitudes of an entire epoch—echoed out from within the portal. "You are... too late."
Right in the heart of the Thang Long Imperial Capital, two forces—one representing the hope of a millennium of civilization, the other representing the ambition of a millennium of darkness—finally collided. The ultimate battle determining the destiny of all Dai Viet had, at last, truly begun.