I alone am the Honoured One!

Rhadamanth Di Gardia had his usual expressionless face as he watched the scene unfold and the woman who was standing beside him leaned forward to him.

"Your Highness, we are running out of time."

Rhadamanth gave a nod and glanced at Zhou Shan "Zhou Shan, we have upheld our end of the agreement. Now it is time for you to fulfill yours."

"We are in a hurry."

Zhou Shan who had been admiring Hanyue's beauty, turned to look at Rhadamanth and nodded his head "Yes, yes... I do remember my part of the deal..."

"The Key of the Hemlock Graven."

The key required to bring out the full potential of the weapon Brynnhilder, which was given to the Jade Eclipse Dynasty family.

The Jade Eclipse Dynasty kept that in a safe vault, which can only be assessed by the members of the Royal family.

Zhou Shan walked to Rhadamanth and raised his palm, as a metallic box engraved with jade appeared on his palm.

As he extended his hand, Rhadamanth took the box and opened it.

Inside, nestled within layers of velvet there was a crimson-red key... a small, intricately crafted artifact, shimmering with an almost ethereal glow, pulsing faintly.

Rhadamanth examined it wordlessly, and a moment of silence passed before he gave a slow, approving nod and closed the box.

He handed the relic to the veiled woman beside him "This concludes our arrangement."

Zhou Shan, pleased with himself, chuckled lightly, his eyes glinting with ambition.

"Yeah. That settles it."

Rhadamanth's gaze flickered around and he asked "Would you require my men's assistance in stabilizing the Dynasty? Surely, an event of this scale will stir... resistance."

Zhou Shan let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Oh, please. Do you take me for an idiot?"

He gestured vaguely toward the corpses and weeping royals, his smile widening.

"I've spent years planting my people in every crevice of this kingdom. Every general, every noble, every minister worth a damn is either loyal to me or will be dead by morning."

"Besides, I don't need outsiders meddling in my empire. I'll handle the cleanup myself."

Rhadamanth observed him for a moment, then gave a slight nod "Very well."

With that, he turned around, his crimson cloak billowing behind him as he made his way toward the entrance.

His followers also walked out of the room with him.

One by one, the vampiric forces released their grip on the remaining royals, abandoning their captives as they too exited the hall.

The Jade Empress, however, could no longer hold herself together.

The moment the last vampire left, she collapsed to her knees, her trembling hands reaching for the lifeless body of the Emperor.

"Dear... No... NO..."

Tears streamed down her face as she cradled his cold body, her shoulders shaking with unrestrained grief.

The other princes and princesses stood frozen, their faces drained of all color and their minds were numb from the horror of what had just transpired.

But through the chaos, Zhou Hanyue stood completely still.

Her emerald eyes burned with rage, yet her body refused to move, locked in place by the sheer weight of what she had just witnessed.

Zhou Shan glanced at Zhou Hanyue "I'll give you a day, Hanyue."

"One day to accept me. One day to accept your place by my side."

He took a step forward, his eyes turning dark with amusement "You don't really have a choice, anyway."

Her breath hitched, her stomach twisting in disgust looking at the smile on his face.

"After that..." He tilted his head, his grin widening. "The wedding will proceed."

Zhou Hanyue's breath came in ragged bursts and her mind screaming in refusal, her hands trembling with barely-contained fury.

Her wedding?

To him?

But before she could react, Zhou Shan leaned in slightly, his next words sending a chill down her spine.

"As for your dear husband… don't worry."

His smirk deepened "He'll die on the battlefield soon enough."

Zhou Hanyue's entire body froze, her eyes widening in horror.

"No…"

Zhou Shan, ignoring her distress, straightened his posture, stretching his arms as if this had all been nothing more than a tiresome formality.

"Well then," he said cheerfully.
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"I have a Dynasty to stabilize. I have to summon the sects, inform the neighboring kingdoms of their new Emperor…"

But then his gaze narrowed slightly "And in the meantime. Don't do anything reckless."

"The entire palace is surrounded by my men now. You can't escape."

But then he smiled and waved his hand playfully "See you tomorrow, my dear fiancée."

...

Stepping out of the grand throne room, Zhou Shan sighed heavily.

The scent of blood still lingered in the air, the echoes of the Jade Empress's anguished cries fading into the distance as he descended the steps leading into the palace's central courtyard.

The red portals still hung high in the sky, their pale glow casting shadows across the massive pavilion, where rows of armored guards... not the imperial guards of the previous reign, but his own private militia stood at attention.

Before him stood Mo Zhen, his right-hand man.

To the left, a group of nobles and officials, those who had pledged loyalty to Zhou Shan long before his betrayal... stood in silence, their faces betraying a mix of fear and greed.

Zhou Shan paused, glancing over the sea of his loyal subjects, and inhaled deeply.

Then, with a slow smile, he spread his arms wide.

"Well… gentlemen, we did it."

He let his words hang in the air for a moment, savoring the sight of his gathered forces, the culmination of years of careful manipulation, of strategic betrayals, of pulling invisible strings behind the scenes

The nobles forced out uneasy laughter, as if still unsure whether they should cheer or shudder in the presence of the new tyrant.

Mo Zhen cracked his knuckles, an eager grin spreading across his lips "So what now, Lord Shan? Are we going to start carving up the Dynasty?"

Zhou Shan chuckled, lowering his hands "Not yet. First, we solidify our rule. The people will resist. The sects will hesitate. The neighboring kingdoms will send envoys, pretending to negotiate while sharpening their blades behind our backs. We need to be… prepared."

His eyes darkened slightly "Execute every noble who refuses to kneel. Publicly."

A chill ran through the crowd as the nobles exchanged uneasy glances.

"Burn their estates to the ground. Take their wealth, their artifacts, their cultivation manuals, and distribute them to those who support us."

Mo Zhen smirked "A show of force?"

Zhou Shan grinned and stepped forward as he placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "A reminder... A reminder of who holds power now."

Mo Zhen let out a deep chuckle before looking at the troops and yelling "You heard Lord Shan! Round up every noble house still clinging to the old regime! If they don't swear fealty by sundown, we'll decorate the capital with their heads!"

with a nod, Zhou Shan ordered "Find out which generals and commanders remain loyal to the Jade Eclipse Sect,"

"Send them a warning. If they do not submit… kill their families first. Then send their heads back as gifts."

"As you command, My Lord."

Zhou Shan's lips curled upward.

He had spent years watching from the shadows, waiting for his brother to make a mistake, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

And now-

He had it all.

Still, he wasn't finished.

He turned toward the assembled generals and loyal sect masters who had backed his coup, who had once served under the Jade Eclipse Sect but had since grown bitter in its shadow.

"Summon the Sects. The ones who have already agreed to my rule… and those who will be forced to."

"It's time for them to recognize the new Emperor of the Jade Eclipse Dynasty."

The sect leaders nodded hastily, already moving to send word across the capital.

Zhou Shan's gaze flickered toward the palace gates, where the forces of the vampiric star were beginning their withdrawal, Rhadamanth Di Gardia and his warriors vanishing into the night with their prize in hand.

It didn't matter.

Because in a day she would no longer be a princess.

She would be his.

He had waited years for this moment.

And nothing... would stop him now.

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!