--Where the last sparks die, the chapter of fate begins
In the bitter depths of winter, in the eighth year of Zhaojing, bone-chilling cold sealed the city, and gloomy clouds blotted out the sky. The Prince Duan's manor was suddenly struck by a bloody massacre. Flames devoured the buildings, and more than 170 people perished in the fire.
"If I cannot avenge this wrongful case, then I will seize this corrupt realm!"
On the northern frontier, he nearly died on the barren plains. Rescued by a mad old Daoist, he obtained a fragment of the Supreme Purity Heart-Calming Art. From then on, the Scarlet Chi Pendant became his means of stealing the throne, while the Heart-Calming Art became a razor-sharp weapon of political intrigue.
At first, he sought only to avenge the wrong done to his family. But as he plunged through bloodshed and chaos, assassins and schemes came one after another. He gradually understood that only by wielding great power could he protect himself and clear the Zhao family's name. His hunger for power, like a wildfire, eventually became the pursuit of his entire life.
He wielded political intrigue as a sword and martial might as a shield, cutting a path through a chaotic age and advancing one careful step at a time. He sowed discord among court officials, framed his political rivals, manipulated public opinion, and controlled the economy. He stopped at nothing. The Scarlet Chi Pendant took the place of the Imperial Seal, becoming the symbol of his power.
After weathering countless schemes, both overt and covert, he finally achieved his ambition. The Scarlet Chi returned to its rightful place, and the wrongful case was avenged. Yet the realm forged in blood became a cold prison that trapped him within. Once a fugitive escaping through the snow, he had become a lonely man with no one left beside him, tasting the bitterness of solitude.
Looking back, he recalled the mad old Daoist's words: "The bloodstains on the throne are not yet dry. Why seek such misery? The weight of power is heavier than the Nine Tripods, while a dream of wealth and glory is fleeting." Now, those words seemed to come from another lifetime. Was this plot to steal the throne a victory of revenge, or a tragedy written by fate?
