The resplendent golden palace carried a faint chill; moonlight shone upon the gilded floor like a layer of frosty dew. Emperor Liu Ran sat upright on the throne, his face emotionless. Below him, the Star Holding Elders wore dark expressions. “Elder Liu Chang actually perished within the borders of the Divine Xia Empire—this matter must be accounted for!!” one of the family elders said furiously. “Hmph! What’s there to account for? That elder fell only after stepping into the Moon-Grasping Realm. The Divine Xia Empire may well harbor some ancient monster who long ago entered Moon-Grasping Realm!” “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If Divine Xia had such a monstrous old freak, they wouldn’t have let us be the ones to initiate the ‘Bestowment War’…” “But now, who was it that got their bestowed character stripped?” Liu Ran’s cold voice cut through the previously noisy hall. Everyone fell silent at his words. The inheritance trial within Divine Xia’s Secret Realm wasn’t over yet, but all of Tianhan’s participants had perished—this Bestowment War was already lost for Tianhan. And just moments ago, the Divine Xia Empire had officially proclaimed to the heavens that Tianhan’s bestowed name had been revoked. The invisible fortune once enveloping the Tianhan Empire quietly dispersed at that moment. This also meant the Tianhan Empire had lost the divine protection once granted by the celestial state that governed the myriad realms. The other empires that had long suffered suppression at Tianhan’s hand would no doubt unite in retaliation. And the root of all this disaster— “The Su Family!!!” a Star Holding cultivator growled through gritted teeth. “We thought this mission would be easy… who would’ve thought… who would’ve thought!” His voice brimmed with deep resentment. “Your Majesty, I recommend that we destroy the Su Family at all costs. If we complete this task, that Lord will surely shield us.” “At that point, even without the bestowed name, our Tianhan Empire can slowly rise again!” A red-robed civil official at the Star Holding level bowed as he spoke. The others also voiced their agreement. Liu Ran, hearing this, gave a slight nod. In his hand, he held a golden scroll glowing with divine radiance. He slightly parted his lips to speak— But in the next instant… A dragon’s roar shook the skies like thunder. Countless citizens within the Tianhan Empire instinctively looked up at the heavens. High above, an unimaginably massive shadow slowly began to blanket the skies over Tianhan. With each pulse of the shadow, it felt as though something in the world was fracturing. As if a horrifying, primordial beast was stirring in the firmament. The moon turned faintly blood-red, like a sea of death. Many cultivators stared at the increasingly eerie moon. “Ahhh!!!” A martial artist on the verge of stepping into the Heaven Origin Realm let out a cry of terror. He trembled as he looked skyward, feeling the blood in his veins slowly crystallize into ice. “Sect Master, what’s wrong!” His disciples rushed to him in concern. They saw that half-step Heaven Origin cultivator raise a shaking hand, pointing at the blood-red moon. “An eye… that’s an eye!” His words seemed to drain all the strength from his body. Everyone stared at the crimson moon with utter dread. They couldn’t believe it—if the moon was an eye, then how vast must its owner be…? Yet in the very next moment… They let out cries of horror, like souls witnessing the coming apocalypse. They saw within the depths of the blood moon… a vertical pupil emerged. Then… the blood moon moved forward, and a monstrous silhouette that blotted out the heavens began to unfurl… At its front was a colossal azure dragon, emanating a breath as ancient as time itself. Its blood-red eyes replaced the moon in the sky. Behind it trailed countless transformed dragon-serpents, each radiating an unimaginable aura of dread. They shrieked and hissed in frenzy, heralding despair to all life. The azure dragon led the way, its body formed of myriad giant serpents—what unimaginable terror this was. Even more astonishingly, above the azure dragon and the ten thousand serpents floated a palace, radiating endless divine light. To ordinary citizens, the night simply felt unfathomably dark. But to Tianhan’s cultivators, it was like a natural calamity descending from the heavens. Many cultivators began fleeing the empire in a panic. They couldn’t imagine what kind of terrifying entity the Tianhan Empire had provoked—for even its mount alone was this monstrous. A majestic and ancient bell tolled across the sky. Immediately, all cultivators attempting to flee felt their true essence surge and churn uncontrollably. Then, to their horror, they realized—they could no longer sense any spiritual power within themselves. These high-and-mighty cultivators had suddenly become no different from mortals. Across the entire Tianhan Empire, all cultivators below the Star Holding Realm had their cultivation completely sealed. Moonlight poured like a waterfall; starlight glittered like fireflies. Su Zhou stood with hands behind his back atop the head of the azure dragon. The night wind swept through his dark robes, making him appear like a deity ruling from the ninth heaven. He slowly raised one hand, within which floated a small, ancient bell. The bell shimmered with radiant light and was inscribed with infinite secret runes. Beneath the bell was a floating projection—upon close inspection, it was a miniature Tianhan Empire! [Morning Bell]: A Primordial Treasure. Engraved with the Dao of Sealing the Heavens. Can seal the cultivation of all cultivators below the user’s realm for the duration of one quarter-hour. The terrifying azure dragon beneath him now seemed no more than an obedient pet in his presence. Behind him, within the radiant palace, stood disciples of the Su Family. They gazed upon Su Zhou with expressions of utmost reverence, as if worshiping a god. “This Dusk Bell and the Ten Thousand Serpents Dragon… not bad at all,” Su Zhou looked down at the azure dragon, a faint smile tugging at his lips. [War Behemoth: Ten Thousand Serpents Dragon, Moon-Grasping Stage 4]: Led by the Azure Dragon, formed from myriad giant serpents. Possesses a trace of forbidden ancient bloodline—becoming an unnamable, terrifying monstrosity! These two treasures were rewards from Su Nan’s recent investment. Perhaps sensing Su Zhou’s gaze—The azure dragon let out an excited howl. Instantly, a terrifying blood mist spread across the skies of the Tianhan Empire. Within that mist, one blood dragon after another began to twist and take form. Inside the Tianhan imperial palace— Everyone’s expression changed drastically. They hurried out of the halls, staring into the heavens at the expanding, nightmarish shadow. Their faces turned incomparably grave.