Shenjing is in turmoil.

Recently, many people have died, many officials.

The attackers are not strong, but truly hidden; the ones killed are all from the lower ranks of various departments, responsible for the actual coordination and operation.

Though they hold significant positions, their power is light, they have few guards, and lack self-defense techniques, making it difficult to trace the murderers once they die.

No matter how the Divine Capital Forbidden Army searches, no matter how the Heavenly Official Sorcerers divine, they cannot uncover the murderers’ traces.

There are suspicions that the Tianyi Demon Sect or the True Demon Sect is acting, trying to paralyze the empire’s grassroots, taking advantage of the recent Cang Linzu chaos to further expand the state of disorder, but no one has found concrete evidence.

However, within the empire, those secretly collaborating with the Tianyi Demon Sect are instead filled with suspicion and uncertainty, because they know, behind these assassination actions, there are actually traces of the Tianyi Demon Sect!

Theoretically, the Tianyi Demon Sect wouldn’t meddle randomly at this time; though they would create chaos, fishing in troubled waters, they wouldn’t resort to such... simple and crude assassination.

Indeed, they have representatives on the court, have their own voice, entirely without the need for such primitive means as murder.

But the facts are right in front.

The Tianyi Demon Sect has changed its mind, and hasn’t informed these cooperators within the Great Chen Dynasty.

There must be a reason, someone has caused this series of transformations.

But who?

Some have a guess appearing in their hearts, relating to the Tianyi Demon Sect’s valuation of the Heavenly Mandate, they think of the Sect Master of the Bright Mirror Sect from the Hanging Fate Manor, the senior brother of the General Canglinzu... the answer is ready to emerge.

Yet no one is willing to ponder deeply.

Meanwhile, as the quiet chaos in Shenjing unfolds, many things originally obscured by the facade of prosperity start to surface.

Some families lost children, reported to the authorities yet the whole family disappeared without a trace; some families had their ancestral cultivation techniques heritage stolen, the whole family descended into chaos overnight.

Some people suddenly went mad in the streets and alleys, babbling nonsense, discussing mysterious news within Shenjing, moreover some families were slaughtered at home, blood soaked through the door slit, rotting and stinking until neighbors couldn’t stand it, and the government sent people to clean up, only then was it discovered.

Some caught nasty illnesses, some clashed with officials and struggled, choosing to jump to death, some were trapped losing all belongings, some sold themselves as servants.

Originally, each misfortune happened to different people separately, not known to others, assumed to be each individual’s bad luck.

Yet as these news suddenly spread widely, many were astonished to discover that in the seemingly peaceful and serene Shenjing, there are actually so many chaotic things.

Even someone found that an elite patrol unit of the Divine Capital Forbidden Army also suddenly died.

Their corpses frozen in frost, vines winding around their bodies, the members of this unit have martial meridian at least, yet the leader is a true person, but still died silently, unclear what was the doing.

For a moment, the populace was in uproar, those neighbors who considered themselves well-informed were amazed to realize that they knew nothing about this capital city they’ve lived in for decades.

Whether joy or sorrow, all are things some will wants them to see, the real truth, they know nothing of.

Yet these noisy noises were soon overshadowed by an even greater sound.

General Zhenbei of Hanhai, General Gu Yunzhi, suspected of rebellion, soon to be escorted to the Divine Beheading Platform for execution!

This big news overshadowed many trivial noises. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Gu Yunzhi is to be disposed of as he is the source of all recent chaos in Shenjing, not only that, he is also the mastermind behind the Northern Border Dust Li invasion, was the origin of Northern Border Demon Disaster years ago, even the Tianyi Demon Sect’s infiltration, True Demon Sect’s big moves, and King Jing’s death, all mistakes are tied to him.

——At least, this is the official statement.

"Is it true?" "Impossible, how could General Gu..." "But that’s what the authorities say..." "Isn’t it just a conflict with the family!" "Shh, watch your words, how dare you speak!"

This news came suddenly and swiftly, like the cloudburst and light of Shenjing, indiscriminately enveloping the whole city.

Large numbers of Forbidden Army and Heavenly Officials blocked the square leading to the Divine Beheading Platform, the towering Heavenly Sacrificial Altar also sealed by formation.

As the great bell atop the clock tower rang, heavenly light surged, the originally solemn Divine Beheading Platform lit up brightly.

On the Divine Beheading Platform, an old man focused intently on the candlelight illuminating the execution platform not far away.

Beyond that candlelight, a faint morning glow could be seen, behind the red clouds, a hint of golden dawn emerged, like the candle flame, the edge of the golden core is red, a blood-like light.

The flame burns.

The simple person sees the light, feels the heat, the profound person sees the devoured firewood, the drifting ashes, the wise person sees the whole of fire, that relationship of firewood and light, extinguishment and ash, they realize fire is not any matter or element, but a complex reaction, thus constructs the essence known as the aspect of fire.

But if you were to ask Gu Yunzhi...

Fire is life.

Fuel, oxygen, and the heat that makes them react... these three elements of fire, exchanged for any kind of life, or any organization and environment constituted by life, all correspond.

The human will is an extremely complex reaction integration, naturally the body is material, but the soul and spirit like fire, require fuel, oxygen, and heat to appear, so from ancient times to now, people use fire as a metaphor for human soul and thought.

And human society is also so, it seems to have a material entity, actually, the consensus constituting the core of society is a collective spirit, a complex reaction formed by countless human thoughts, also needing firewood, environment, and heat to operate.

The flame is easy to extinguish. Whether lacking fuel, or lacking oxygen (environment), or lacking heat (drive), from house to nation, down to individual, will stagnate, cease to operate, cease to burn.

But the flame is also enduring, just like there is always residual embers under the extinguished stove, transmittable firewood, if they are moved away, bringing heat elsewhere, then a new flame will ignite.

Indeed.

Just like human inheritance, the inheritance of faith, humans and firewood may no longer be the same, the ignited flame and faith may not be the same, the aiding oxygen and environment may not be the same batch.

But the flame still burns on.

Without the initial flame, the final flame cannot burn, this ’aspect’ born since the creation of heaven and earth in the universe, never severed from beginning to end.

So...

"To die, seems to be no more than this."