At noon, a mournful cry suddenly erupted within the Royal Palace.

The newly ranked tenth on the Heavenly List, Thief Saint Ye Wuzong, who had shone brilliantly in the Battle of Slaying the Dragon and had swollen Bo'e's face like a pig's, had passed away in the guest courtyard of the Royal Palace.

Recognized by the Thief Saint as his direct disciple, who had actually been taught the Thief Saint's Cultivation Technique thoroughly for only a month or two, the Queen of the Spirit Clan, Simeng, wept with tears streaming down her face like rain through pear blossoms, "vomiting blood in triple bouts, and fainting several times."

She also beat up all the nearby unimportant guards, scolding them for not guarding her master properly and ordered them to quickly procure white banners and garments for the funeral, creating such a commotion that instantly, the entire Holy Mountain knew of it, and the news swiftly spread throughout the entire Spirit Clan.

The innate ability of this news to spread was faster than sending them to investigate unusual commands in different places; many tribe villages hadn't even received the orders before knowing about the Queen's master's demise.

The Spirit Clan people didn't have the slightest affection for the Thief Saint; in fact, they were secretly glad he was dead. With his death, the Spirit Clan had a chance to control the Divine Axe on their own, which had otherwise always belonged to the old man, who claimed, "Sisi, you can't handle it; let master keep it for you," but in reality, if he hadn't interfered, the Spirit Clan people could have found a way to control the Divine Axe themselves.

In the eyes of the Spirit Clan people, the old man never intended to give the axe up; he was purely taking refuge due to injuries.

Taking refuge without the consciousness of a refugee, acting like a father with all his unreasonable demands. The Queen had sent the best witch doctor of the Spirit Clan to treat him. He refused to accept it, cursed it as "nonsense" and "what in the devil's name," asking "do you want me to eat bugs?" Only willing to take the medicine he was familiar with, he angered the witch doctor so much that his beard quivered.

Everyone was an old man; why did you have to act like you were the most senior? If you don't die, who will? It would be better if you died sooner, so everyone could celebrate with fireworks.

Now he was truly dead, placed in a fine coffin inside the Holy Temple, beside his beloved Divine Axe, which symbolized his greatest achievement in life. The Queen, not even having eaten her lunch, sat beside the coffin in mourning attire, sobbing and staring blankly.

It must be said, she looked remarkably beautiful in her mourning attire...

The chiefs who came to pay their respects, although very familiar with their Queen, couldn't help but sneak glances at her. In such times, the Queen lost her usual spirited and quirky demeanor and displayed a rare vulnerability and wisdom. It was said that in Central Earth, Tang Wanju was praised as the most beautiful woman under the heavens due to such a quality...now I understand... Right, the Queen had been very studious these past few months, much more cultured...

However beautiful, she was untouchable to others; she was a St. Envoy's forbidden affair. Theoretically, her spiritual inheritance meant ruling over her tribes in place of the Ancestor God; any disrespect towards her was blasphemy against the Divine.

But some people were thinking that the so-called St. Envoy, who was fighting in battles far from north to south, did not possess the ubiquitous Divine Presence. Was he really a St. Envoy? Many knowledgeable people knew he wasn't; and the spiritual phenomenon during the Queen's ascension was probably an effect of Illusion Technique, not real.

Zhao Changhe couldn't really represent the Ancestor God, and neither could the Queen.

Once they couldn't represent, Sisi's authority was greatly reduced, as a young girl without her own clan's support, her standing in the tribe was wanting.

Her core supporters were two groups: the young tribe members eager to escape the Spirit Clan's confines and explore the outside world, and the Xia people who had previously been given shelter. The former were often restricted by their elders' commands, unable to voice out within the traditional framework significantly, while the latter, who had long forgotten the past agony of their refuge and started to seek personal gains...

So, was it possible to do something under the circumstances that the so-called St. Envoy wasn't here...

In the shadows, there were discussions that the Divine Axe had a destiny with them, which was essentially a provocation against the Queen's authority, to see whether she would prioritize the Divine Axe for the clan or suppress the clan for the old man. In fact, she had chosen to respect the old man, causing many neutrals to become discontented.

The old man was on the Heavenly List; no one dared say much, but he was dead now.

It was indeed good that he was dead...

Many chiefs, on their way to give their respects, began to subtly coordinate and stir undercurrents.

Zhao Changhe, who had secretly observed all these changes with a detached eye, extended his watchful gaze to its utmost limit, covering the entire Holy Mountain vicinity. He suddenly realized that someone had gone in the direction of the ancestral tombs he had once retreated to.

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred slightly; what was there? It was not just a mere mound. While he was in retreat there firing cannons, he discovered a higher level of enlightenment; later, Sisi must have arranged for strong warriors from the clan to take turns at nearby locations to receive the Ancestor God's legacy and set up rigorous defenses.

In other words, besides the Holy Mountain, that place was possibly the location of the strongest martial force within the Spirit Clan at the moment.

And furthermore... Once his thoughts were led to the grave mounds, he immediately recalled the inexplicably chilling climate—could it be related to Yin Corpses?

Unexpectedly, Thief Saint, aiming to fish for the Divine Axe, ended up hooking other clues... Zhao Changhe cast a final glance at Sisi, and after some deliberation, still decided to unfold his figure and head to the grave mounds first.

The real drama might likely lie there.

...

In Dali at this moment.

Yue Hongling, after observing the movements of Pan Wan and Dao Qingfeng's forces, initially saw no issues, and Dali itself felt nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet, instinctively, she felt something was amiss. Her clear sword heart told herself that extreme, sinister danger was hidden here, causing her to continually feel tense—a rare warning in her many years of solitary ventures in the Worldly Society.

Therefore, instead of leaving to find Zhao Changhe, she continued to patrol the area, searching for the source of this discomfort.

Just when she found nothing and was squatting in a shop outside the White Miao Village eating rice noodles, suddenly, a rider sped forth, seemingly with urgent news. Yue Hongling swiftly abandoned her rice noodles and followed this person into the White Miao Village.

White Miao Clan Leader Dao Qingfeng was also dining, but as the newcomer rushed in, he laughed from afar, "Still in the mood to eat?"

Dao Qingfeng was shocked, glanced around, gestured to dismiss his subordinates, and lowered his voice, "What are you messing around for, meeting me so openly?"

"What does it matter?" the visitor laughed. "Thief Saint Ye Wuzong died in the Spirit Clan Secret Realm half an hour ago. This news is now spreading like wildfire, I came to inform you."

Dao Qingfeng was stunned, not immediately grasping the significance, "What great significance does his death hold? He was merely a weakened force to begin with; even though he possessed some deterrent power, it's not just him everyone is cautious of."

"What we are cautious about isn't him, but his control over the Longevity Heaven God Axe. Divine Thunder is potent, greatly restraining our prepared matters. Once he is dead and no one controls the axe, our opportunity arises."

"How could no one control the axe? Xiang Simeng herself can control it."

"Because there will be those who do not wish for her to continue controlling the axe. Right now, it's time for a bit of internal strife within the Spirit Clan. This is a perfect moment, as they are embroiled within, we coordinate from outside… These schemers do not realize, with their petty desires, they will cause the Miao Region to change hands within a day, and the entire Spirit Clan would become our servants."

Dao Qingfeng's expression finally shifted, "Are you sure the Spirit Clan will internally fight and not just control the Divine Axe immediately?"

"I'm certain," the visitor replied hastily. "The window is only a few hours. If Xiang Simeng is powerful enough to squash all opposition swiftly and dominate the Divine Axe, we'd be too late. Now is the time, right now!"

Dao Qingfeng hesitated, "Isn't this a bit sudden..."

"Everything is sudden. Xiang Simeng losing her master is also sudden. Our long planning wasn't done hastily. Xiang Simeng suddenly facing internal and external changes, that's truly hurried," the visitor said. "I know you might suspect a trap, but the body is truly lying in the coffin. Even if there are some traps, we will have to act sooner or later; we can't keep waiting endlessly. When else would the time be right?"

Dao Qingfeng finally got up and paced several steps: "Then it's now!"

The White Miao Clan's elite forces suddenly mobilized, but their destination was not Taoyuan Town, it was... the graveyards to the west of Dali, where the tomb of the slain former Black Miao King by Xia Longyuan was located.

Since Lei Zhentang's failure and the decline of Black Miao, relying on other powerful tribes had occurred. Among the most significant was their conquer by their sworn enemy, the White Miao, which during these past months, the tomb of the Black Miao King was gradually excavated by Dao Qingfeng, and many treasures sold for money, while his body remained.

Nobody knew why Dao Qingfeng didn't destroy the body of the Black Miao King he deeply despised, but now it seemed Yue Hongling understood.

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