The Great Yan Imperial Capital stood beneath a sky of gold and crimson.
Towering palace walls stretched across the horizon like the spine of a sleeping dragon, guarded by thousands of elite soldiers in black-gold armour. Above them, the royal banners danced in the wind, each carrying the symbol of the imperial dragon.
At the centre of it all—
the Imperial Palace.
Luxury.
Power.
Blood.
Everything that had once belonged to the Fifth Prince.
Everything that had been taken from him.
Inside the Crown Hall, ministers stood in two silent rows beneath the jade pillars, their heads lowered as the morning court began.
At the highest seat sat the Emperor of Great Yan.
Emperor Chen Tianlong.
Cold-eyed.
Majestic.
A ruler whose single word could decide the fate of millions.
To his right stood the Crown Prince.
To his left—
The man was smiling faintly as if the world already belonged to him.
The Third Prince, Chen Lie.
Tall.
Handsome.
Talented.
Cruel.
The man who had personally shattered the Fifth Prince's meridians.
The man who had arranged the exile.
The man who believed Chen Sheng should already be dead.
A royal messenger rushed into the hall and dropped to his knees.
"Urgent report from the Northern Border!"
The entire hall fell silent.
Emperor Chen Tianlong's voice was calm.
"Speak."
The messenger swallowed hard.
"The Northern Border Outpost has fallen."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the ministers seemed to stop breathing.
Then—
The Crown Prince frowned.
"Fallen? To whom?"
The messenger lowered his head further.
"To… to the Fifth Prince."
The jade floor seemed to freeze.
Several ministers lifted their heads in shock.
"The Fifth Prince?"
"Impossible!"
"Wasn't he sent to a labour camp?"
Even the Emperor's expression shifted slightly.
Only slightly.
But enough.
His cold gaze sharpened.
The messenger continued with a trembling voice.
"Vice Commander Zhao Ming is dead. General Han Luo is dead. The border outpost has been seized, and a new banner has been raised…"
His voice shook.
"…the banner of the Fifth Prince."
The entire court erupted.
"This is rebellion!"
"He dares!"
"How can a crippled prince do this?!"
At the centre of the storm, Chen Lie remained silent.
But only for a moment.
Then he smiled.
A small smile.
Dangerous.
Interesting.
His useless little brother was alive.
Not only alive—
He was causing trouble.
Very good.
Very interesting.
He stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Father."
The Emperor looked at him.
Chen Lie's voice was calm.
"It seems Fifth Brother was not as broken as we believed."
The Crown Prince frowned.
"Or perhaps someone is helping him."
That made the ministers murmur again.
A prince who had lost everything should not have been able to take an outpost.
Not without powerful backing.
Emperor Chen Tianlong's fingers tapped once against the dragon throne.
"Investigate."
One word.
Enough to make the air colder.
"Find out who stands behind him."
The messenger pressed his forehead to the floor.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Chen Lie lowered his eyes, hiding the darkness within them.
He already knew one thing.
Chen Sheng had changed.
This was no desperate survival.
This was war.
And if war had begun—
Then he would make sure it ended in blood.
After court, the Third Prince returned to his private palace.
Unlike the main royal halls, this place was silent.
Elegant.
Deadly.
Every servant here moved like shadows.
In the inner chamber, a woman knelt before him.
Black robes.
Silver mask.
The leader of his personal intelligence network.
Shadow Sparrow.
Chen Lie sat by the window, calmly pouring tea.
"Report."
Her voice was emotionless.
"Zhao Ming and Han Luo were both killed personally by the Fifth Prince."
That made Chen Lie pause.
Personally?
Interesting.
He had shattered that man's cultivation himself.
There should have been nothing left.
"How strong?"
"Qi Gathering Realm."
The teacup cracked in his hand.
At last—
emotion.
Real emotion.
His smile disappeared.
Impossible.
From crippled waste to Qi gathering in days?
There were only two explanations.
Either Chen Sheng had found some heaven-defying inheritance—
Or someone far stronger was protecting him.
Neither answer pleased him.
Shadow Sparrow continued.
"There are also reports of strange women appearing beside him."
Chen Lie slowly looked up.
"Women?"
She nodded.
"One controls divine flames. One uses frost-sword arts. One is skilled in illusions. Another commands elite guards."
Silence.
Then Chen Lie laughed softly.
Low.
Cold.
"So my little brother found himself quite the fortune."
He stood and walked toward the window overlooking the capital.
Far beyond the palace walls, somewhere past the mountains and frozen border, Chen Sheng was raising his banner.
Good.
Let him.
The higher a man climbed—
The more painful his fall.
Chen Lie's voice became ice.
"Send the Blood Wolf Battalion."
Even Shadow Sparrow lifted her eyes slightly.
The Blood Wolf Battalion.
His personal elite killers.
Every member was at least in the Qi Gathering Realm.
They were not soldiers.
They were executioners.
"For capture?" she asked.
Chen Lie smiled.
"No."
His eyes reflected nothing.
"Bring me his head."
At that same moment, in another palace courtyard—
A young woman in white stood beneath the plum blossoms, reading the same report.
Cold beauty.
Sharp eyes.
Royal elegance.
The Seventh Princess, Chen Yao.
Unlike most of the royal family, she did not smile when reading the Fifth Prince's name.
Instead, she whispered,
"So… Fifth Brother survived."
A maid beside her lowered her head.
"Your Highness?"
Chen Yao folded the letter.
"Prepare a gift."
The maid looked surprised.
"A gift?"
Her gaze turned north.
"Yes."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"If someone dares raise a banner against that palace…"
Her voice became softer.
"…then perhaps the capital is about to become interesting again."
Far away, snow still covered the northern border.
But in the capital—
The first storm had already begun.