Volume One: The Femme Fatale Chapter 1: Marital Upheaval

The Central Continent, the Flame Sun Kingdom.

"With reverence to Heaven and Earth, this marriage covenant is presented to the celestial courts above and declared to the underworld below. Let it resound through the nine heavens, witnessed by the patriarchs of all realms."

"Should he betray his beloved, he commits a sin against Heaven itself. The punishment for defying Heaven is death and the dissolution of his soul."

"Should she betray her lord, she acts against the divine will, to be erased from the Three Realms, never to enter reincarnation again!"

Inside the magnificent Golden Dragon Hall, red silk draped the walls and golden lanterns hung high, casting a warm and festive glow. The civil and military officials of the court gathered together, offering their blessings to the newlyweds.

At the front of the hall, Jiang Hao and Ji Yue stood dressed in splendid wedding robes, looking like a pair of immortal lovers, captivating the gaze of everyone present.

Jiang Hao's wedding robe was embroidered with golden dragon patterns, symbolizing authority and nobility. The glittering gems embedded along his collar shone brilliantly, as if gathering all the light in the hall onto his figure alone.

Ji Yue, meanwhile, resembled a blossom in the morning mist, clad in a gorgeous red bridal gown embroidered with delicate plum blossoms and auspicious clouds, symbolizing good fortune and beauty.

Her headdress, woven from gold thread and studded with pearls, accentuated her delicate beauty and grace. A light veil covered her face, rendering her features half-visible and adding a touch of mystery and softness.

"Yue'er, I must have accumulated boundless merit in my past life to be blessed with marrying you in this one," Jiang Hao said softly, gently taking Ji Yue's hand. His expression was tender and affectionate, his eyes shining with hope for their future.

"Yes," Ji Yue nodded softly, her expression somewhat dazed, her eyes betraying a hint of reluctance.

"Yue'er, you seem a bit different today," Jiang Hao asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Ah? I am fine, just overwhelmed with joy," Ji Yue quickly explained.

"I see. As long as you are well," Jiang Hao said, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth!"

Following the master of ceremonies' solemn announcement, Jiang Hao and Ji Yue slowly knelt, pressing their palms together to pay their deepest respects to heaven and earth.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I would never have believed that the young sect master of the Illusionary Moon Sect would marry a mortal who lacks a cultivation spiritual meridian."

"So what if he lacks a spiritual meridian? Even if he is a mortal, he is still a prince of the Flame Sun Kingdom, the hegemon of the Central Continent."

"Indeed! Moreover, the Emperor of our Flame Sun Kingdom has reached the peak of the Spiritual Dao Realm, only a single step away from the Spiritual Immortal Realm."

"It is rumored that the young sect master of the Illusionary Moon Sect is only eighteen, yet she has already entered the Spiritual Dao Realm. Her cultivation talent is astounding. With such peerless cultivation, why would she willingly humble herself to marry a mortal?"

"Now that you mention it, that does make sense. After all, cultivators have never coveted mortal power."

Inside the Golden Dragon Hall, the guests exchanged glances, their whispers rising and falling. It seemed not everyone looked favorably upon this marriage.

"Second bow to the parents!"

As the master of ceremonies continued the announcements, Jiang Hao and Ji Yue slowly rose and turned to face the middle-aged man seated upon the throne—Jiang Yuan.

This man was Jiang Hao's imperial father and the Emperor of the Flame Sun Kingdom.

"Father!"

Jiang Hao and Ji Yue exchanged a tacit glance, then bowed deeply, expressing their boundless gratitude and respect to Jiang Yuan.

"Haha! Please rise!"

Jiang Yuan immediately stood from his throne, walked over to Ji Yue, and gently helped her up, his face beaming with a gratified smile.

"Hao'er's mother, if only you were still here to see this," Jiang Yuan lamented, tears of emotion glistening in his eyes.

However, no one could have anticipated that in the next instant, Ji Yue would draw a sharp sword from her wedding gown, thrusting it into Jiang Yuan's chest with lightning speed, before sending him flying with a heavy palm strike.

"Ah!"

Caught completely off guard by Ji Yue's ferocious assault, Jiang Yuan crashed heavily against the throne, ultimately collapsing helplessly into a pool of blood.

"It is the Nine-Star Spiritual Weapon, Frostmoon Astral Chill!"

"You... you have actually reached the Spiritual Immortal Realm..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Yuan's eyes slowly closed, and he drifted into the darkness of unconsciousness.

"Someone... someone come!"

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor..."

At the front of the hall, the master of ceremonies cried out in a trembling voice, but no matter how loudly he shouted, no guards appeared from outside.

"Heavens! Murder!"

"The ruler of a nation, killed by his own daughter-in-law!"

"In this world, who would ever guard against their own daughter-in-law!"

"Our Emperor is a powerhouse at the peak of the Spiritual Dao Realm. How could he fall so easily to her?"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it! How could there be a woman so cruel and ruthless under heaven?"

Instantly, the hall fell into utter chaos. Panicked and terrified, the crowd scrambled toward the exit.

Only a few military officers drew their swords and lunged at Ji Yue with all their might, but they were no match for her. In the blink of an eye, they all fell dead beneath her blade.

"Father! Father!"

Recovering from his shock, Jiang Hao rushed to Jiang Yuan's side. Seeing his father lying in a pool of blood, his heart felt as if it were being sliced by knives.

"Yue'er! You killed Father!"

"You actually killed my father!"

"Yue'er! Do you even know what you are doing?"

Overwhelmed by disbelief, anger, and despair, Jiang Hao turned and roared at Ji Yue in hysterics.

Ji Yue remained expressionless, ignoring his cries. She merely held the Frostmoon Astral Chill, blood still dripping from its blade, and walked slowly toward Jiang Hao.

"What? Yue'er, are you going to kill me too?" Jiang Hao asked hesitantly at the sight.

"Only with your death can my mind be at peace," Ji Yue replied coldly, her face expressionless. With a flash of her sword, the Frostmoon Astral Chill pierced Jiang Hao's chest.

"Pfft!" Jiang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at her in agony as he growled, "Ji Yue, I am your husband!"

"Why... why must you kill me?"

With the blade embedded in him, Jiang Hao gasped for breath, clearly feeling his life force draining away as rapidly as sand through an hourglass.

"Heh," Ji Yue turned away slowly, sneering with her back to him. "Why?"

In her fleeting daze, a subtle trace of pain briefly flickered across her face. It was so faint that even Jiang Hao, close as he was, failed to notice it, and she wiped it away in an instant.

"Since things have come to this, I don't mind telling you that for the past eighteen years, my feelings for you were all a lie!"

"Think about it. You, Jiang Hao, are nothing but a useless wretch without even a spiritual meridian. What right do you have to make me, the young sect master of the Illusionary Moon Sect, humble myself for you?"

"To tell you the truth, I have waited eighteen long years for this very day to kill your father!" With that, Ji Yue swept her hand, pulling the Frostmoon Astral Chill out of Jiang Hao's chest.

"Ah!"

With a miserable cry, Jiang Hao slowly collapsed into the pool of blood. His vision blurred, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and a suffocating pain ripped through his soul.

Meanwhile, the officials who had fled toward the exit were now stumbling back into the hall. Standing before them was a crowd of Illusionary Moon Sect disciples, all brandishing spiritual weapons.

Clearly, this was a meticulously planned conspiracy!

"Leave none alive!"

"Today, the Flame Sun Kingdom changes hands!"

"Soon, this Empress will sweep through the six kingdoms, unite the hundred sects, and rule over all under heaven!"

As Ji Yue's voice fell, screams echoed one after another within the once-magnificent Golden Dragon Hall. The grand hall was instantly dyed red with blood.

"Why did it turn out like this? Why..."

Jiang Hao's consciousness began to fade, but the pendant on his chest started to emit a faint, dim glow...