The victory over Old Man Ghost-Blade had changed everything. The palace was no longer a place of mourning; it was a place of frantic whispers. Everyone wanted to know who the "Iron Ghost" was, but Kaelen remained at his post, his armor still covered in the dust of the collapsed roof.
"The Spirit Spring," Empress Yue announced, her voice echoing through the silent hall. "The battle has stained the palace with foul Qi. I must undergo the Bathing Ritual to cleanse my meridians. Sentry—you will guard the inner chamber. Inside the steam."
The court gasped. A man—even a guard—inside the Empress's private springs? It was scandalous.
But Yue didn't care. She didn't trust her generals. She didn't trust her maids. She only trusted the silent wall of iron that had caught a mountain-sized blade for her.
[System Quest: The Jade Spring Vigil]
Objective: Guard the Empress during her breakthrough.
Hazard: The "Heavenly Maiden" physique emits a scent that can break a cultivator's heart-core.
Reward: [Passive Skill: Heart of Absolute Zero] (Immunity to seduction).
The Bathing Ritual
The air in the private grotto was thick with white mist and the scent of crushed lotus. The water of the Spirit Spring bubbled with liquid Qi.
Kaelen stood by the stone pillar, his back to the water. Behind him, he heard the soft rustle of silk hitting the floor. Then, the sound of a body sliding into the water.
"You don't look, do you?" Yue's voice was teasing, yet vulnerable. "Even now, with no one watching, you stand like a mountain. Are you even human, Sentry? Or did the Gods forge you from a star?"
Kaelen's grip on his halberd tightened. The steam was beginning to seep into the joints of his armor.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered in the mist. It wasn't the Empress.
From the ceiling of the grotto, a woman descended like a falling petal. She wore translucent violet robes and moved with a grace that suggested she had no weight. This was Princess Mei from the Southern Solar Empire—a legendary spy known as the "Soul-Stealer."
She didn't attack the Empress. She landed directly in front of Kaelen.
"So, this is the Iron Wall of Oakhaven," Mei whispered. She didn't draw a sword. Instead, she blew a puff of pink smoke directly into the slit of Kaelen's helmet.
[Warning! High-Level Aphrodisiac: 'The Thousand-Year Itch' detected!]
[System: 'Heart of Absolute Zero' activated. Effect neutralized.]
Mei leaned in, her lips almost touching his visor. She began to unfasten the silk ties of her robe. "Why stay in this small, dying country? My father can give you a kingdom of your own. He can give you a thousand beauties... or he can just give you me."
She pressed her warm hand against his cold breastplate. "Take off the mask, hero. Let me see the face of the man who breaks Nascent Souls."
Behind them, Empress Yue rose from the water, her eyes flashing with a murderous light. "How dare you enter my sanctuary!"
Mei laughed, not moving away from Kaelen. "Oh, hush, little Empress. Your guard is about to choose a new master. No man can resist the 'Solar Seduction' art."
Kaelen looked down at the spy. She was stunning—a 10/10 beauty whose very presence could cause a war.
Then, he looked at his System screen.
[Hidden Objective: Trash the Trash.]
Reward: [Divine Grade: All-Seeing Eye] (Upgraded).
Kaelen didn't move his hands. He didn't even drop his halberd. He simply stepped forward, walking through Princess Mei as if she didn't exist.
The physical force of his walk—powered by his 5,000-ton strength—sent a shockwave through the air. Princess Mei was sent flying backward, slamming into the stone wall so hard her "Solar Aura" shattered instantly.
"He... he didn't even look at me?" Mei gasped, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Her legendary beauty meant nothing to the man in the suit. To him, she was just an obstacle on the path to finishing his shift.
Kaelen walked to the edge of the grotto, picked up the Empress's discarded silk robe with the tip of his halberd, and held it out toward the water without turning around.
The Empress stared at the robe, then at the back of her guard. A deep, crimson blush crept up her neck.
"You... you really are a block of wood," she muttered, though she was smiling. She took the robe and wrapped herself in it. "But you're my block of wood."
[Quest Complete!]
[Reward Unlocked: Eyes of Truth (Upgraded)]
[New Perk: You can now see through any illusion, invisibility, or 'Hidden' cultivation level.]
Kaelen's vision flickered. Suddenly, the world changed.
He looked at the unconscious Princess Mei. Underneath her "Princess" disguise, he saw a black brand on her soul—the mark of a Demon God.
He looked at the Empress. Underneath her beauty, he saw a swirling vortex of golden light—the Ancient Phoenix Bloodline, still sleeping.
And then, he looked toward the horizon, through the palace walls.
Ten miles away, a massive army was approaching. But they weren't humans. They were Shadow Husks—an undead legion from the Dark Abyss, led by a general at the Soul Severing Realm.
Kaelen checked his watch.
Shift ends in 20 minutes.
He would have to work overtime.