It was said that a prominent figure’s departure from a group would cause a chain reaction. The imperial family and House Xiahou had never felt the truth to the saying more keenly than they did so now.

The emperor and Duke Xiaoyao exchanged a silent look, their hearts bleeding as the major factions pulled out from the alliance. Everything seemed so surreal and detached from reality. How could things have taken such a wild, sudden turn?

Where had the Vermilion Bird come from?

Why had the assaulting army so suddenly collapse from the Soulless Powder of Wind and Cloud?

Duke Xiaoyao believed that the house had taken effective measures to keep the poison’s recipe confidential. Only their core members and geniuses knew of it. How had the sacred land gotten a hold of the recipe?

Perhaps they’d never find the answers to those questions.

Once the tide turned, the sacred land’s credibility surpassed that of the imperial family’s. Factions of all...