The Blood Demon Lord eyed the Han border, sensing a terrifying presence he could not face, so he turned toward the Great Zhou.
In the Han border general's mansion, the First Prince in armor demanded of kneeling subordinates: "Where is Sun Linpu? He should have returned from Zhou by now."
"Your Highness, his last message said he'd eliminate your '心腹大患 (ardent foe), then vanished. Zhou claims he left the post station and disappeared," a man reported.
"Eliminate my foe? In Zhou? Does he mean that废物 (useless) Lin Yu?" The prince sneered as subordinates exchanged glances.
"Attendants!"杀意 (killing intent) flashed in his eyes.
"Your servant is here!" They rose.
"I've gained much by sacrificing to the Demon Ancestor through northern campaigns, and you've benefited too. But with peace, blood sacrifices are hard to come by. It's time to prepare another."
"Your Highness, will we attack Zhou? The emperor forbids provocation—you could lose your command!" the leader protested.
"Hehe, we need a pretext. My useless brother shall serve it. Assassinate him in Zhou, and I'll have cause to wage war. Father can't object," the prince grinned.
"Brilliant, Your Highness!" They bowed in admiration.
Gazing at Zhou, he laughed: "Lin Yu, you're nothing but my plaything. I ruined your southern campaign, crippled you, and now I'll use your death to conquer the world!"
...
After Su Miaozhen left, Zhou's attitude toward Lin Yu shifted strangely. The emperor sent envoys to ask if he missed Han, while the chief minister hinted at helping him return. But Lin Yu refused—he would not leave until reaching Void Formation to kill the prince. His stubbornness infuriated Zhou's court, who had to focus on the impending Profound Heaven Gate inquiry.
...
Deep in Cloudreach Ridge, Peng Wudi followed Feng Yifei's soul lamp to a ravaged forest. "Here lies where Feng师弟 (younger brother) fell." He lit a golden Time-Space Candle, whose light reversed time within hundreds of zhang.
Feng Yifei's figure appeared, wielding Blooddrinker and taking the Demon Blood Pill to reach Myriad Manifestations Grade Eight—only to be slain by an invisible foe. Their form was erased from time.
"Damnation!" Peng Wudi extinguished the candle, clueless. "I must demand answers from Zhou."
At Zhou's palace gate, Peng Wudi, in green robes with a sword, announced: "Peng Wudi, elder of Profound Heaven Immortal Gate, requests an audience with the Zhou Emperor." His voice thundered, deafening guards who collapsed bleeding. The entire palace heard him, plunging it into chaos.