Chapter 14: The Serpent Revealed

Vermilion Palace – Secret Tribunal Chamber

The air was heavy, thick with unspoken accusations.

Li Tianming stood at the center, flanked by Kisuke and loyal guards. Around them sat the kingdom's highest officials—some wary, some openly hostile.

The silence was broken only by the soft scratch of Lian Guo's fingers tapping on the mahogany table.

"I am loyal to the kingdom," Lian Guo said smoothly, eyes cold but calm. "These accusations are baseless."

Tianming's gaze didn't waver."Your meetings with the Western Tiger Basin envoys say otherwise."

He tapped the map displayed behind them, tracing the kingdom's position—an unassuming gem at the crossroads of ancient ley lines, fertile lands, and crucial trade routes.

"Though small, Vermilion sits on the Heartline Corridor—vital for grain, spiritual ore, and mercantile flow between realms. Control it, and you choke the eastern regions."

Kisuke stepped forward, adding gravely,"The ley lines beneath Vermilion amplify cultivation and spirit techniques. The sects covet this power; the Tiger Basin wants the trade and influence. Whoever holds Vermilion commands the doorway to the Outer and Middle Realms."

Tianming's voice grew colder, sharper,"That's why the Western Tiger Basin funds the Shadow Lotus—to weaken us from within, so they can move in without resistance."

Kisuke projected intercepted letters, hidden ledgers, and secret courier routes—proof of Lian Guo's collusion with the Shadow Lotus Sect and foreign powers.

"The Tiger Basin seeks to weaken us," Tianming explained, voice steady. "They want control over our borders, our resources, and most importantly—our legacy."

Though battered and small, Vermilion's true value lies buried in its ancient legacy.

Legend holds that beneath the kingdom's soil rests fragments of an ancient Immortal's Core—powerful remnants capable of granting longevity, perhaps true immortality.

"This is not just a kingdom," Tianming said, eyes blazing. "It is a key to a power, older than any empire."

The Western Tiger Basin and the Shadow Lotus see Vermilion as a prize, a gateway to influence the balance of power itself.

Lian Guo's face twisted, rage barely concealed."You think you hold the strings? The kingdom will fall under their hands, and you will fall with it."

Tianming's voice cut like a blade."I will protect this kingdom, and the secrets it holds—no matter the cost."

The court's verdict was swift. Lian Guo was stripped of titles and imprisoned under strict surveillance—his allies hunted quietly to prevent civil unrest.

But the threat remained. Tianming knew this was only the beginning.

That night, Tianming stood alone in the ancient vaults beneath the palace.

Faint pulses of energy throbbed beneath his feet—the heartbeat of the kingdom's hidden legacy.

He traced his fingers over worn runes carved into the stone. The Immortal's Core awaited, buried deep and forgotten and with it, the true power to change fate.