47. When the Battle Begins
Indeed, Gong Yiling felt she had some talent for writing novels.
Her lies were truly masterful!
What was her plan?
Shangguan Qingyun coveted the throne and wanted more power, so he secretly contacted the Immortal Master, and they reached an agreement.
The Immortal Master would provide support, and the First Prince would offer financial and resource aid, along with empty promises of establishing a friendly relationship between the Heartflame Empire and the Cloud Rainbow Sect.
Of course, Shangguan Qingyun couldn’t do this alone, so he also involved Shangguan Yaochang, a powerful royal prince.
This fabricated story was… plausible.
Why plausible?
Because it was based on actual events.
Gong Yiling simply replaced Shangguan Yaochang’s accomplices, the Myriad Demons Palace, with herself.
Yes, herself.
In a sense, this was self-sabotage, a truly impressive feat.
“See those twin guards over there? They’re our people. And those two cultivators? Also ours.”
Gong Yiling was being “honest.” She was indeed pointing at cultivators from the Myriad Demons Palace.
“On my command, we’ll launch a three-pronged attack. One to kill Shangguan Qingyun, one to kill Shangguan Yaochang, and one to assassinate that Immortal Master’s two disciples.”
“What about the Immortal Master herself?”
“We don’t know her location. And as you saw, Senior Ghost, we’re short-handed. We can’t cover everything.” Gong Yiling sighed dramatically.
Her words made Ghost Lord Nine’s lips twitch.
They were the ones who chose to launch an assassination attempt in the imperial palace.
This wasn’t just an assassination; it was practically a full-frontal assault.
But this sounded exactly like something that ridiculously ambitious Young Palace Master of the Myriad Demons Palace would do.
As a fellow leader of the Five Demonic Abysses, he couldn’t interfere directly, so he just frowned and said, “You’re short-handed?”
“Yes.”
“Then,” Ghost Lord Nine offered, “I can handle Shangguan Qingyun and Shangguan Yaochang. Just leave two of your men with me. The rest can track down the Immortal Master. I’ll provide further assistance if needed.”
Perfect!
Gong Yiling almost burst out laughing.
This was an unexpected bonus.
She had intended to distract the other demonic sects and deal with the Myriad Demons Palace separately, but she had somehow roped in Ghost Lord Nine.
And… she wouldn’t make things too difficult for this apple enthusiast.
She would have him kill the traitors within the Heartflame Empire, avoiding any accusations and giving the Myriad Demons Palace no grounds for complaint.
—*You were the ones who leaked your secret code. And did I kill your people? I killed righteous cultivators. What does that have to do with you?*
She could even imagine what Ghost Lord Nine would say.
Now, everything was ready.
As Gong Yiling discussed the plan with Ghost Lord Nine, the second round of the competition began.
Surprisingly, Shangguan Long didn’t pair Qiu Shui with Shangguan Qingyun, but with Lu Xinyao instead.
And Qiu Shui, with incredible luck, faced another one of Ghost Lord Nine’s puppets.
The outcome of these matches was predictable, probably within half a minute.
The first match was between Young Master Xuli and an ordinary contestant.
And this ordinary contestant was almost beaten to a pulp.
Young Master Xuli, ruthless as always, crippled his opponent’s hands and kicked him out of the arena.
Although competitions were supposed to be ruthless, there should be some restraint.
But Young Master Xuli, with his “my daddy is Li Gang” attitude (a reference to a spoiled rich kid in China), had no limits.
Although everyone was disgusted, Emperor Shangguan Long didn’t intervene.
The next match was between Shangguan Qingyun and Lu Xinyao.
As soon as he stepped onto the arena, Shangguan Qingyun chuckled. “We had a misunderstanding during the first round. As compensation, I’ll go easy on you. I’ll even let you have three moves. If you can’t win, just surrender.”
Today was an important day for him. He didn’t want to waste too much energy or lose face in the arena.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Lu Xinyao—Shangguan Ziyuan.
With new and old grudges, she had been waiting for this opportunity.
So many of her loved ones, and even she herself, had died at his hands.
Only Gong Yiling and she knew how important this chance was!
“Let me… have three moves?”
Lu Xinyao’s eyes narrowed.
She had never heard such an absurd request.
“Actually, I suggest you surrender now—”
Suddenly, Shangguan Qingyun felt a terrifying surge of hostility.
It wasn’t just hostility; it was pure killing intent!
“What…?”
He froze, then felt the temperature around him rising rapidly.
The increase was dramatic. Within seconds, it reached a scorching one or two hundred degrees, and even the audience felt the heat.
“First move.”
A giant fireball suddenly appeared, engulfing Shangguan Qingyun.
The fireball, like molten lava, dripped onto the arena floor, creating clouds of steam.
Such a powerful technique right from the start made everyone gasp, worried for the First Prince.
But the next moment, Shangguan Qingyun punched a hole through the fireball’s outer layer, the force of his attack sending Lu Xinyao’s hair flying, almost blowing off her hat.
But clearly…
He had broken his promise. He used a martial skill.
“I underestimated you.” He sneered. “I take back my words. Let me see how strong this fire-wielding spiritualist truly is—”
His response wasn’t a long-range fire attack, but a sudden, powerful punch from Lu Xinyao, appearing right before him.
“Bam—!!!!”
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