Before Ye Chutang opened the storage room door in the imperial kitchen, she vanished underground and reappeared at the Ziyun Pavilion in the southeast corner of the palace.
Ziyun Pavilion was the residence of Heavenly Master Zhang.
He was the Taoist priest summoned by Eunuch De to guide the emperor in seeking immortality, consulting the heavens, and concocting elixirs for eternal life.
Thanks to Qi Yanzhou’s detailed palace layout map, Ye Chutang was well acquainted with the structure of Ziyun Pavilion.
Just as she was about to emerge from the southern herb garden, a strong stench of blood and the foul odor of decaying corpses forced her to delve more than ten meters underground.
Her fingertips brushed against the damp earth, sensing the entire subterranean layout of Ziyun Pavilion.
The herb garden was nourished with fresh blood and rotting flesh; the lotus pond was littered with the skeletal remains of many children.
The whole pavilion was actually a massive soul-locking formation.
However, the person who set up the formation was a mere amateur in Taoist arts—the array was flawed.
In other words, Heavenly Master Zhang was nothing but a cold-blooded fraud who had murdered countless people!
Ye Chutang peeked out from beneath a locust tree in the northwest corner.
The locust tree stood beside the alchemy workshop.
Inside the workshop, the lights blazed and heat radiated intensely.
The mingled scent of medicinal herbs and blood seeped out, making one nauseous.
Ye Chutang peered through the crack in the door.
Two young apprentices sat by the alchemy furnace, tending the fire.
Four other apprentices were grinding herbs.
Among the ordinary herbs, there were also the white bones of infants!
They chatted casually as they worked.
“The Master is at it again, balancing yin and yang. I really envy him!”
“Envy? Those women aren’t ordinary; you wouldn’t be worthy of them.”
“That’s true—they even grind infant bones into powder to apply on their faces to maintain their beauty.”
“That’s nothing—I’ve seen them eat tiny hearts too!”
Ye Chutang’s fists clenched tightly.
“Monsters!”
She wielded her earth-element abilities to overturn the massive alchemy furnace.
The furnace toppled, crushing the two apprentices guarding the fire.
Burning wood tumbled out, igniting the dry alchemy workshop.
“Run—”
One of the grinding apprentices barely opened his mouth before Ye Chutang silenced him.
The remaining three were terrified.
Before they could scream for help, their throats were slit.
Karma Points +289.
The number shocked Ye Chutang.
She hadn’t expected six apprentices to carry such a heavy burden of sins.
“Beichen Kingdom, your time has come!”
With that, she vanished underground again, heading toward the Ascension Tower where Heavenly Master Zhang resided.
The Ascension Tower had nineteen floors.
On the first eighteen floors, each wall was painted with haunting depictions of hell, and the floors themselves were constructed to resemble hellish realms.
The nineteenth floor depicted the blissful paradise of ascension and immortality.
The symbolism was clear: only by climbing through eighteen layers of hell could one purify their soul and attain eternal life.
But Heavenly Master Zhang did not seek immortality on the top floor; instead, he wallowed in debauchery on the first floor.
He had selected eighteen stunning women who, on the surface, bore the emperor’s sins, but behind closed doors, indulged his lust.
Ye Chutang pushed open a hidden floorboard in a corner of the first floor and lit the strongest incense.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, Heavenly Master Zhang and the eighteen women were all drugged into unconsciousness.
Ye Chutang emerged from beneath the floor and unleashed the tortures of the eighteen hells upon the eighteen women.
The more terrifying the hell depicted on each floor, the more gruesome their deaths.
As for Heavenly Master Zhang, his progeny line was severed—he was hung naked and exposed at the very top of the nineteenth floor.
When the palace attendants and imperial guards arrived to put out the fire,
they saw four blue-flamed characters floating above the Ascension Tower:
“Demonic Taoist, doom the kingdom.”
The characters were written by Ye Chutang using alcohol on a piece of transparent gauze, which was then set alight.
In the dark night, the light was dim; only the burning characters were visible, while the gauze itself remained unseen.
Then, she used her earth-elemental powers to create a small earthquake.
Amidst the chaos and panic, she swiftly removed the nearly burnt-out gauze, slipped underground, and headed to the Imperial Study to steal the imperial jade seal.
Afterward, she returned to the Ministry of Personnel’s residence.
Ye Chutang did not kill Heavenly Master Zhang for two reasons.
First, because he was closely connected to the emperor and the fate of the kingdom.
Second, even if she killed him, there would still be Master Li and Master Wang.
She couldn’t control the fate of the nation, but she could do her best.
***
The next day.
Before dawn, the Imperial Kitchen was completely ransacked. News that Heavenly Master Zhang was a sorcerer who had brought the Eighteen Hells back to the mortal realm had already spread throughout the capital.
Because the jade seal was stolen, the emperor unusually held an early court session.
He looked at Qi Yanzhou with a terrifyingly dark expression.
“Prince Chen, you’re in charge of investigating the ‘Ghost Thief.’ Why is there still no news?”
Stealing from the Longevity Palace, the Imperial Kitchen, and the jade seal — what’s next? Stealing his very head?
Qi Yanzhou bowed deeply.
“Your Majesty, the ‘Ghost Thief’ comes without a trace and leaves without a shadow. I am but a mortal and truly powerless.”
The emperor slammed his palm on the armrest of the Dragon Throne, his eyes blazing with fury.
“What do you mean by that, Prince Chen?”
“Your Majesty, to steal so many things from the palace in such a short time is beyond human capability. I suspect—”
Qi Yanzhou deliberately paused. The emperor shouted, “Continue!”
“I suspect it is the work of a powerful cultivator who holds a grudge against Heavenly Master Zhang.”
The emperor looked toward Eunuch De.
Eunuch De recalled the secret letter he had received last night, glanced at Qi Yanzhou, and nodded in agreement.
“Your servant believes Prince Chen’s words are reasonable.”
This statement stunned all the court officials.
The emperor’s intention was clearly to use Eunuch De’s words to punish Prince Chen, wasn’t it?
Why was Eunuch De suddenly siding with Prince Chen?
They didn’t know whether to refute or agree, and lowered their heads in silence.
The emperor coldly questioned, “You say it’s reasonable?”
Eunuch De nodded, “Your Majesty, your servant’s Longevity Palace was emptied in two short hours during broad daylight, and the Imperial Kitchen’s storeroom was cleared out in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. This is truly beyond human strength.”
The implication was clear: since the ‘Ghost Thief’ was not human, naturally no one could catch him.
If Prince Chen were punished for this, the people would surely believe the emperor was deliberately targeting him.
Qi Yanzhou said, “Your Majesty, I admit my failure in not capturing the ‘Ghost Thief’ and am willing to forfeit half a year’s salary as punishment.”
This gave the emperor a way to back down.
“That is appropriate.”
After saying this, the emperor looked toward the court officials.
“My ministers, regarding the ‘Sorcerer Who Destroys the Nation,’ what do you have to say?”
Qi Yanzhou had long wanted to kill this troublemaker, Heavenly Master Zhang, and now that the opportunity was before him, he would not let it slip away.
“Your Majesty, with you at the helm, the Beichen Kingdom will surely prosper. The talk of the nation’s destruction is mere rumor. But the story of the Eighteen Hells has already spread. Only by killing Heavenly Master Zhang can we calm the people’s hearts.”
The Crown Prince shared the same view as Qi Yanzhou regarding Heavenly Master Zhang.
“Father, the people see the ‘Sorcerer Destroying the Nation’ as a divine warning. If we do not kill Heavenly Master Zhang, there will be no explanation for the people.”
The Second Prince was close to Heavenly Master Zhang and wanted to protect him.
“Father, Heavenly Master Zhang could never commit treason against the kingdom. He must have been falsely accused by his enemies. If he truly wanted to harm you, why would he toil so hard to refine elixirs and seek immortality on your behalf?”
As soon as the two most favored princes spoke up, the ministers immediately voiced their own opinions, erupting into a heated argument.
Some sided with the Crown Prince, while others supported the Second Prince.
The two factions clashed fiercely, neither willing to yield an inch.
The emperor then turned to Eunuch De and asked, “What is your opinion?”
