Flames roared toward the heavens, and the butler stood frozen in shock, only to turn and see Yang Ying and Du Ran disappear from the spot, now standing inside the exploding room.

Marquis Du Neihou used one hand to erect a barrier, enveloping a large bed and the few individuals beside it. He surveyed the chaotic room, where the floor was scorched with a gaping hole. The surrounding walls bore black burn marks. "It was a Blazing Sun Pellet. While the blast radius of this type of individual weapon isn't vast, it can generate temperatures akin to a stellar core in a minute area. Furthermore, the bomb was etched with a fourth-level concealment rune, sufficient to veil the senses of a third-level Zenith master. It's unrivaled for surprise assassinations."

"It is fortunate we have a fourth-level powerhouse like His Excellency Marquis Du Neihou. Had Your Excellency not foreseen the explosion and appeared to assist just before it detonated, we would surely have perished in this assassination. I never imagined the Azus family would devise such a malicious chain of assassinations, even embedding willing martyrs among our core attendants." a noblewoman spoke with bitter hatred.

"It's truly terrifying," a noble girl, who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, whimpered fearfully. "The moment that attendant heard Marquis Du Neihou was arriving, his expression turned utterly dreadful. Without a word, he self-detonated. Heaven knows how he managed to bring the bomb into the sickroom. The exterior of the room had first-level security measures; even my mother would require rigorous inspection to enter."

"The micro Blazing Sun Pellet is only the size of a grain of rice, and he implanted the bomb into his spinal cord, detonating it via nerve signals. For assassination purposes, the bomb's casing must also be specifically designed to evade detection; most security measures would struggle to find it." Du Neihou, who witnessed the attendant's self-detonation firsthand, was one of the people with the most insight in the room. The other was, of course, Yang Ying.

At this point, Du Neihou's tone shifted. "However, if your security protocols are truly first-level, these methods should have been difficult to conceal. You should investigate the attendants who conducted the security checks." With that, he dissolved the barrier.

"I'll attend to it immediately," a young noble rushed out.

"Marquis Du Neihou, please examine my husband quickly; his injuries cannot be delayed any longer." The noblewoman, recovering her composure, immediately pleaded.

"Hm." Du Neihou moved swiftly to the large bed, where an elderly man lay unconscious, his breathing shallow.

"Old friend, I am here." A faint white light shimmered in Du Neihou's eyes as he examined the elder's body—he was employing the High-Level Spiritual Sense Eye to scan the injuries within.

"Eh? Who are you?" Yang Ying's presence was finally noticed. The noble girl who had just been crying out in fear asked curiously.

"I think I've seen you somewhere before," the noblewoman mused, then snapped her fingers. "Yes, I saw your image—you are His Excellency Yang Ying, the Zenith master who escorted the Princess home."

"I am indeed Yang Ying," Yang Ying smiled.

"Oh." A wave of surprise passed through the group.

"A pleasure to meet you. I have long heard that Your Excellency Yang Ying is visiting various major families. I never expected you to be here today. It is only due to the suddenness of the event that our hospitality is lacking; please forgive us," the noblewoman said immediately. As a Duchess, she had experienced many grand occasions and handled social interactions flawlessly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she realized Yang Ying was easy to get along with—not some eccentric or fourth-level being who viewed everyone below that rank as inconsequential—and she relaxed.

Suddenly, Yang Ying’s eyes snapped open, his gaze becoming intensely sharp as he looked toward Duke Anker on the bed. At the same moment, Du Neihou, who was also observing Duke Anker, turned ashen, as if struck by a punch, recoiling backward two steps.

"What is it? What happened?" The Duchess and the young Countess saw both fourth-level entities react so strongly, and their hearts leaped into their throats. They understood that anything capable of making fourth-level masters serious was certainly beyond their own capabilities.

They looked toward the large bed and saw that Duke Anker, who had been unconscious, had opened his eyes. But the eyes that opened were deeply bizarre: the sockets were filled entirely with white, and the pupils were nowhere to be seen!

The bloodshot, stark white eyes turned toward them, causing a chill to run through their hearts.

"Isn't that Du Neihou? Old friend, long time no see." The white-eyed Duke Anker emitted a chilling, dreadful laugh.

"How audacious!" Du Neihou stepped forward, roaring in anger.

The Duchess shielded her daughter behind her and also stepped forward, shouting fiercely, "You are not my husband! Who are you! To use Soul Transference Art to control my husband's body!"

This Soul Transference Art was a sinister technique circulated within the Empire, used to suppress a person's will and turn them into a puppet. The external manifestation was exactly like Duke Anker’s condition. True nobility was generally well-educated, and the Duchess was a leader among them; she recognized this evil art.

Even though the Duchess understood in her heart that her husband had cultivated to the Zenith of the Third Level, meaning only a fourth-level existence could control his spirit, something supported her, rendering her fearless.

The white-eyed Duke Anker rolled his eyes; his right pupil rotated down from the top of the socket, and his left pupil rotated up from the bottom of the socket. Two streams of blood simultaneously flowed outward from his eye sockets, causing the peeking young Countess to cry out and clamp her eyes shut, as did the nearby servants and attendants.

"Shedding tears of blood—this indicates Anker's soul is still struggling," Du Neihou moved forward again, intending to help his old friend expel the invading spirit.

"Stop, if I leave this body, Anker dies too!" Duke Anker’s face twisted into a sinister smile as he said gloomily.

Du Neihou frowned and halted his action.

Yang Ying felt that the spirit occupying Duke Anker's body was quite familiar. He swept it with his High-Level Spiritual Sense Eye and instantly understood. He stepped forward, saying, "Millum, your injuries have healed?"

"Duke Anker’s" face turned his bleeding eyes toward Yang Ying and sneered, "Heh, what is Your Excellency saying? I don't understand."

"Playing dumb—you haven't learned much of this skill," Yang Ying said lightly. "Haven't you noticed? You are emanating a sinister, foul odor that even my eyes can perceive."

In Yang Ying's High-Level Spiritual Sense Eye, this presence was identical to that of Millum a few days ago—the one cloaked in a black robe, wielding two scythes, who had been heavily wounded by Dao Feng's piercing thrust.

"Millum, so it's you!" Du Neihou hadn't recognized him until Yang Ying mentioned it. His voice was filled with fury. "I should have known. How many people in the Empire are capable of using such dark arts against a Duke? The concealment rune etched on that Blazing Sun Pellet—that was your work, wasn't it!"

"Heh heh heh," Millum, seeing his true form exposed, stopped babbling nonsense and burst into a sinister, strange laughter that made the Duke's relatives grimace.

"Silence!" The Duchess pointed at him and shouted angrily several more times.

Millum’s laughter stopped as abruptly as if a brake had been applied. He stared at Yang Ying and said, "Your Excellency Yang Ying, since I ran into you here, let me convey the Regent Lord's regards. We have plenty of time!"

After uttering these words, he closed his eyes and collapsed. "Not good," Du Neihou rushed forward, catching the falling Duke Anker. His movement paused, and his face grew extremely grim.

The Duchess's fingers were white from clenching, and the young Countess, along with the Duke’s son who had just returned, watched Du Neihou with tense eyes. Although they possessed third-level spiritual power and could sense the Duke's condition internally, none wanted to believe it, hoping the fourth-level existence, Du Neihou, would pronounce a conclusion opposite to their fears.

Unfortunately, Du Neihou placed Duke Anker’s body back on the bed, covered him with the quilt, placed his hands across his chest, and said in a low voice, "Anker is dead. Millum has reaped his soul."

"Waaah!" Upon hearing the devastating news, the Duke's relatives burst into tears, rushing to the bedside.

"Father!" The Duke’s daughter threw herself onto his body, clutching his hand and crying out, "How could you leave us like this?"

"Regent Lord Sandwo!" The Duke's son roared in anger. "It must be because Father sternly refused his recruitment that they are taking revenge on him! I always felt the timing of those two hostile families' attack was suspicious; nine times out of ten, Sandwo was behind it, creating the opportunity for them! Millum's appearance is the proof!"

"What use is discussing this now?" the Duchess said mournfully.

"What exactly happened?" Yang Ying asked the Duke's son.

The Duke's son, still filled with grief and indignation, spoke haltingly, "Two days ago, Duke Xico from the Regent Lord's faction came to speak with Father, but Father cursed him out and sent him away. When Xico left, he said Father would regret it. And today, our hostile families launched an assassination attempt. The resources they deployed during the attack far exceeded what they should possess. The Regent Lord's faction must have provided them the opportunity to assassinate Father, and even sent Millum, a peak fourth-level expert, to guarantee success!"

Du Neihou sighed, "I have heard of such coercion and temptation in the shadows. It seems Anker's straightforward temper cost him; it made him a target for Sandwo to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."

"Sandwo wants to use Duke Anker's death to warn other nobles allied with the Imperial Family. We cannot let him succeed," Yang Ying walked to the Duke's bedside, looking at the pale, lifeless face, and stated.

"Can't we let my husband rest in peace?" the Duchess asked with a touch of sorrow. "We are exhausted. Let us rest. Please, stop mentioning the Imperial Family or the Regent Lord here; please leave."

This was exactly the outcome Sandwo desired. If the Duchess’s attitude influenced others, the subsequent developments could become very troublesome.

Yang Ying let out a soft sigh, flicked his wrist, and a briefcase appeared in his hand.

"Madam, I cannot leave yet. In a way, Duke Anker's death bears some responsibility on our side too. Please allow me to offer this as compensation."

Yang Ying slowly opened the case. As he did so, Du Neihou's eyes were immediately captivated by its contents.

"This... these are the materials for the Resurrection Elixir!" D