"Yun Zhong, you four sovereigns are to set out at once and make for the Myriad Domains immediately. Seal every entry and exit. Under no circumstances are the remnants of the Red Cauldron Central Domain to escape through the Myriad Domains."
Jiang Chen issued the order without hesitation.
The four sovereigns sprang into action without delay.
The Geng brothers had not even lingered at the Langya Sect. They had already departed for the Myriad Domains the moment the order came.
Everything was in place.
"Palace Master Dan Chi, when the sun rises tomorrow, it will mark the day Danqian Palace rises again — and the day the Red Cauldron Central Domain is struck from the records. It is time to harvest."
Jiang Chen's gaze was cold and sharp as it fixed on the distant direction of the Red Cauldron Central Domain.
…
That night in the Red Cauldron Central Domain, a strange, nameless dread hovered over the still air. The Red Cauldron Emperor could not sleep at all. An inexplicable unease had settled over his heart like a shroud.
His eyelids twitched without cease throughout the night. Ever since he had sent off the Crown Prince and a batch of elite members of the imperial household the day before, the emperor had felt somewhat lighter.
But for reasons he could not explain, once darkness fell, his mood plunged into blackness as well.
By the time a pale fish-belly glow crept across the eastern sky, the Red Cauldron Emperor still had not closed his eyes. He sat up on the bed, and in a sudden glance at the bronze mirror before him, saw that his own reflection had become haggard and withered. The imperial majesty of the Lord of Ten Thousand was gone; he looked like a stooped old man, his temples already frosted white.
"Is this truly me?" The Red Cauldron Emperor rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he saw. How much time had really passed? How had he aged so suddenly?
He studied his reflection in the bronze mirror for a long moment. Then a surge of nameless fury rose in his chest. He seized the mirror and smashed it to the ground.
At that very moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
The steps were so rushed, so frantic, that they carried a unmistakable thread of panic.
The Red Cauldron Emperor felt an immediate premonition of something terrible. Those were Old Guo's footsteps. Old Guo served as his personal Chief Steward — responsible for his safety, his daily routine, everything.
Old Guo had always been dignified and composed, everything in perfect order, the very picture of steadiness.
Yet now even his footsteps trembled with alarm. That alone was enough to fill the emperor's heart with dread.
"Your Majesty — are you awake?" Old Guo's voice came urgently from beyond the door.
"Old Guo, wait a moment." Despite his rage, the emperor was unwilling to let a subject see him in such a wretched state.
He straightened his robes, changed into a dragon robe, and stepped out from his chambers.
Old Guo did not dare meet the emperor's gaze. He prostrated himself at the foot of the steps. "Your Majesty — the imperial princes and nobles we secretly sent out last night… two or three of them have fled back in the dead of night."
"What? Fled back? Why on earth would they return?" The Red Cauldron Emperor flew into a fury.
"Your Majesty, please hear this old servant out. They did not return of their own will — they were forced. The passes connecting the Red Cauldron Central Domain to the outside world have been sealed! There is no way out!"
"What?" This time the shock cut even deeper. The Red Cauldron Central Domain — sealed? In an instant, the emperor's mind went blank. He felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his whole body rigid as stone, speechless and spiritless for a long time.
"Your Majesty… the armies of Crystal Royal City have arrived." Old Guo's voice was laced with bitterness. "Your Majesty, please change your clothes at once. This old servant will escort you out. While they have not yet fully secured their positions, the full might of the Empire should be enough to punch a path for Your Majesty's escape."
"Escape?" The Red Cauldron Emperor suddenly burst into hollow laughter. "Old Guo — do you really think escape is still possible? The ancestors of my Yan family are watching me. If I flee now — even if I die, how could I face them in the underworld?"
"Your Majesty — as long as the mountains remain, there will always be firewood!" Old Guo kowtowed again and again, his voice thick with desperation.
"There is no need to say more. I am not one who clings to life out of cowardice. As long as a single drop of the imperial bloodline escapes, the Yan family will not perish. Is there any news of the Crown Prince?"
"None… The Crown Prince departed earlier than the others. Perhaps — before the blockade was in place — he had already left safely?" Old Guo's tone was uncertain.
"The Crown Prince left first — he must be safe! That boy Jiang Chen cannot divine the future. How could he have known that my Crown Prince had already slipped away? As long as the Crown Prince reaches Alchemy Fire City, there is still hope to save the Red Cauldron Central Domain!" The emperor was grasping at straws now.
"Your Majesty, if the Crown Prince has escaped safely, that is certainly a blessing. But the Red Cauldron Central Domain still needs you as its backbone. As long as you remain, even if they turn this domain upside down, there will come a day when we rise again." Old Guo was only trying to persuade the emperor to flee.
"I will not be persuaded. Go — bring those princes who fled back to me. I want to question them closely." The Red Cauldron Emperor was still worried.
Soon, the three princes who had returned were brought before him.
"You three — what exactly did you encounter? Tell me everything!" The emperor frowned as he demanded.
"Your Majesty — every route leading out of the Red Cauldron Central Domain has been cut off. The direction toward the Sword Field Central Domain in particular is guarded by heavy forces. If the three of us had not been quick-witted, we would have long since become their captives." The three of them still looked shaken, their faces pale with lingering fear.
"If that is the case — then none of the other imperial princes managed to escape?" The emperor's thoughts were a tangled mess.