The Tide of Events

Zhuang Yue said, "These past few days, you've been fanning the flames, leaving him no way out. The atmosphere of conspiracy is too strong. Have all the martial arts practitioners in your Imperial Court died out? Can't you find a single person who can challenge Xie Chucai?"

"Don't you pride yourself on being incredibly intelligent? Why do you think this is just a simple challenge? Do you really think he did it for me?" Jiang Ning asked.

Zhuang Yue said, "I know this isn't a simple challenge, which is why I'm even more aware of its dangers. He's not a martial artist from the Imperial Court; he has no backing Imperial Court, unlike you. Your Jiang family has a transcendent Old Ancestor and the Second Palace Master as your master. He will die!"

After a long silence, Jiang Ning said, "I know, so I will stay with him tonight, whether he wins or loses."

Then, Jiang Ning added, "I can only tell you that this battle is inevitable. You probably don't understand him at all. My goals are the same as his. As for your Zuoqiu Courtyard, you are only pursuing your own ambitions!"

"Zhuang Yue" said, "Your words have angered me. I can understand that, but are you declaring war on me?"

"I have no intention of declaring war on you, much less on anyone else. However, the fact that you've only cultivated for a year or two longer than me doesn't mean your cultivation will always be ahead of mine. If you consider me an enemy, I'll fight you to the end. My advice to you is to leave the city as soon as possible."

Jiang Ning gracefully dismounted from the back of the strange beast and headed towards the convoy bearing the flag of the West Sea Royal Mansion.

Zhuang Yue stared in astonishment at Jiang Ning's departing figure, then laughed in exasperation, realizing she needed to get to know her all over again. It was clear that her fiancé's best friend had truly found a female confidante.

The motorcade was accompanied by a grand procession and military escort.

At a glance, it was clear that a very important person from the Prince's mansion had arrived.

The carriage at the very front was incredibly luxurious, pulled by rare beasts and shrouded in clouds; it seemed to have flown directly off the ground.

The chassis came to a stop.

Song Qingli was the first to walk out and nodded slightly to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning bowed and said, "Jiang Ning greets County Princess Yun Chang. May the Princess enjoy boundless blessings and live a thousand years!"

The surrounding martial arts practitioners were all dumbfounded, and then a heated discussion broke out.

Who would have thought that a clash between two juniors would attract the attention of such an important figure?

County Princess Yun Chang is the only surviving child of the West Sea King, and is several hundred years old. For nearly sixty years, she has never shown her face.

It can be said that, under the purview of the Imperial Court, she held the highest position.

Even Chao Ran had to give her some face.

Three days ago, Taishi Yu, Jiang Ning, and Ge Xiantong contacted many members of prominent families who were willing to join them in this great undertaking. Each had their own tasks and were working hard to bring about today's battle.

Some of them sealed off the four city gates, not giving Xie Chucai a chance to leave quietly.

Some of them stayed by Xie Chucai's side at all times.

After the Imperial Court's deliberations, the shocking news of the "Mother-Child Spring Crisis" had quietly spread among the core members of powerful clans, and naturally many people got involved, unwilling to sit idly by and wait for their doom.

Song Qingli's task was to invite County Princess Yun Chang to come forward.

In any case, we must use our momentum to force Six Thoughts Zen Temple to open its doors.

Inside the carriage, a smiling, aged voice rang out. "Without breaking through to the other shore, how can one live to be a thousand years old?"

"Old Ancestor, you can definitely do it," Song Qingli said gently.

"The great war in the Western Territory is about to begin. I have come here to pray for the soldiers of the West Sea Slaves Army. Qingli, go and knock on the door with a sincere heart, hoping that the Bodhisattva will bless the soldiers to return in triumph."

County Princess Yun Chang spoke very softly.

But it was clearly transmitted to the ears of every martial artist present.

Song Qingli climbed the steps, holding a copper ring, and gently knocked on the door.

After several attempts, there was no response.

Song Qingli infused her voice with Buddhist energy, and it resounded like thunder. "County Princess Yun Chang of the West Sea Royal Mansion has come to pray for the soldiers of the Western Territory. She requests Six Thoughts Zen Master to open the Buddhist gate and grant her this favor."

Before long, other young disciples brought out a highly respected elder from the clan, Longevity Realm Giants, to knock on the door.

Some came to pray for the Great Palace Master. Others came to worship the statue of the Mist Son of Heaven.

Gradually, many people realized that something was wrong.

Even if Six Thoughts Zen Master's cultivation is high and his status is noble, can he compare to County Princess Yun Chang? Can he compare to the lives of the soldiers in the Western Territory? Isn't he afraid of shaking the morale of the army?

More than ten young disciples of the Lei Xiao Sect, led by Lu Cangsheng, were preparing to spend the New Year in Lingxiao City and only entered the city today.

"Something's not right. This so-called decisive battle is very strange," Lu Cangsheng said.

Someone asked, "How so?"

Lu Cangsheng said, "The stage is too high! Even if two juniors at the Dao Seed Realm are highly talented, it shouldn't warrant so many Longevity Realm Giants coming out to set up a stage for them. Among them is even County Princess Yun Chang."

Lu Wensheng sneered, "What's even more absurd is that Li Weiyi a five-star Mind Master. How could he possibly win? If he suffers a crushing defeat, how will these Longevity Realm Giants who set up this stage clean up the mess? The entire Imperial Court will lose face."

Qin Qian frowned. "Is Xie Chucai really that strong?"

Lu Wensheng said, "Having crossed the Dao Fruit realm, I have defeated ten Dao Seed Realm Seventh Heaven experts in the past three days. I withstood a punch from Shi Liuyu, an eighth-level Dao Shi Liuyu realm expert, without a scratch. A five-star Mind Master could be killed with a casual wave of his hand!"

With his keen observation skills, Lu Cangsheng noticed Qin Qian's extremely worried expression with just a glance. His heart stirred with displeasure, but he feigned nonchalance. "Senior Brother Xie possesses the purest bloodline of the Sacred Dark Family, and his physical body is incredibly powerful. Even Young Son of Heaven of the same realm might not be his match. Li Weiyi was manipulated by the Imperial Court and dragged into a storm he couldn't bear because of Jiang Ning."

"Whoosh!"

The Phoenix Pavilion, towering a thousand feet high, was shrouded in a protective array. The clouds and mist trembled, and the phoenixes cried out loudly, their ripples spreading throughout the entire Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain.

All the martial arts practitioners in the city were watching with bated breath, deeply shaken.

Since the Great Palace Master locked the palace, Phoenix Pavilion has never experienced such intense energy.

A moment later.

Ge Xiantong descended the mountain, riding the clouds straight to Six Thoughts Zen Temple, and shouted, "By order of the Great Palace Master, the Six Thoughts Zen Master is to open the temple gates immediately!"

The situation instantly erupted, and all the martial arts practitioners were in an uproar.

Has the Great Palace Master emerged from seclusion?

Many martial arts practitioners who regarded the Great Palace Master as their idol knelt down and bowed in the direction of the Phoenix Pavilion.

Finally, a response came from within the Zen temple. "Ge Xiantong, do you know the consequences of falsely conveying a Dharma decree?"

Ge Xiantong stood before the temple gate, gazing up at the vast Buddhist light within. "Falsely conveying a decree is a capital offense. Therefore, I could never have done so falsely; the decree I just spoke of is absolutely true. Six Thoughts Zen Master, you wouldn't have the Great Palace Master come to beg you to open the gate, would you?"

From the crowd, Shi Jiuzhai shouted, "This is outrageous! Even I, a barbarian bandit, can't stand it anymore! It's just a mere Buddhist temple, and even the Great Palace Master's decree is useless. Is Lingxiao City still in charge of the Lingxiao Palace? Has Lingxiao Palace become so weak that it no longer has any absolute deterrent power in Lingxiao City?"

Shi Liuyu, eager to see more drama, shouted, "This is utterly disrespectful to my most respected Great Palace Master! This is outrageous! I think we should just attack! Everyone, attack together! Ge Xiantong, you lead the charge!"

Ge Xiantong's eyes sharpened as he summoned the fifth-grade Thousand Character Artifact, the Kanglong Whip.

"Boom!"

It struck the ground heavily.

Driven by the magical energy, the five-foot whip rapidly expanded into a golden pillar tens of meters high, with a Golden Dragon formed from scriptures coiled around it.

"This whip was bestowed upon me by my master, who commanded me to slay evildoers and heretics. Today, I will see if this whip can cleave open the gates of this monastery. Everyone, follow me and attack!"

He hugged the pillar with both arms and took the lead in rushing forward.

"Boom!"

The resounding sound of the Kanglong Whip striking the Six Thoughts Zen Temple, along with the roar of Dragon Roar and the sounds of countless martial artists unleashing their magical weapons, echoed endlessly from the summit of Qilin Platform.

Are you trying to force me to resign?

The Third Palace Master, dressed in colorful robes, with her hair tied high in a bun and skin as white as jade, suddenly rose from her throne in the main hall.

A burst of six-colored celestial light erupted, illuminating the entire world.

"Bang bang."

The group of Old Man had been kneeling inside and outside the hall, pleading with the emperor to the death, were all sent flying by the radiant light, like scarecrows.

She was tall and slender, with a pair of phoenix eyes that exuded frost, and ice crystals hissed as they spread throughout the three palace complexes of the Lingxiao Palace.

Taishi Qingshi immediately scrambled to his feet, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. He knelt on the ground, hands on his hands, and shouted, "The tide cannot be turned! If we do not open the Six Thoughts Zen Temple today, allowing everyone to pray and the decisive battle to take place, Lingxiao Palace will lose the hearts of the people. If we lose the hearts of the people, we will perish without a fight!"

Another Old Man banged his head on the ground. "If even the gate of a Zen temple can't be opened, who will still respect Lingxiao Palace? Please, Third Palace Master, order Six Thoughts Zen Master to open the gate!"

"I'm going to smash my head against the gate of Six Thoughts Zen Temple and die right now!"

A powerful, monstrous, and armored warrior of Deformed Race strode out of the Qilin Platform Hall.

"Get back here!"

After the Third Palace Master uttered this cold and sharp shout, his tone softened considerably. He continued, "Before you crash to your death, go to the City Defense Camp and activate all the City Protection Array. Also, have the three major camps and the Embroidered Uniform Divine Guard assemble immediately and await my orders."

The powerful figure among the Deformed Race soldiers was overjoyed, knowing that the Third Palace Master was finally forced by circumstances to assess the strength of the Six Thoughts Zen Temple.

He knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the Third Palace Master!"

Afterwards, he descended the mountain with six or seven influential figures, heading in different directions.

The Third Palace Master's wide sleeves were draped behind her back, her skirt like phoenix feathers, her figure shrouded in six-colored fairy clouds. She slowly walked to the jade window, which was ten feet long and wide, and her cloud-like eyes quietly looked at the Earth Demon Pine and the Six Thoughts Zen Temple in the distance.

She wasn't sure if the "Ghost Infant incident" was related to those people.

But the situation has already put her in this position, so why not take this opportunity to probe the truth of the matter? If she can truly resolve the problem, then the risk is worth taking.

"Xing Yenu, go to Six Thoughts Zen Temple and give the order to Six Thoughts Zen Master to open the temple gates. Tonight is New Year's Eve, and all martial arts practitioners in the city will be celebrating the New Year together. The City Protection Array is fully activated. He should understand the consequences of not opening the temple gates," said the Third Palace Master.

"Disciple obeys."

Xing Yenu, who was kneeling outside the hall, descended the mountain at top speed.

The Third Palace Master glanced at Taishi Qingshi and said coldly with displeasure, "With your family putting in so much effort to create momentum, what are the chances of winning this decisive battle representing the younger generation of Lingxiao Shengjing and Du'e Temple?"

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Taishi Qingshi smiled broadly and said, "Not even a fraction of it; it wasn't meant for a decisive battle in the first place."

"If you're going to force me with such a grand gesture, you'd better have the ability to win! This is shameful, utterly shameful! It's not just a disgrace to Lingxiao Shengjing, but also a disgrace to all of us Nian Masters. Get lost, go keep an eye on things at the City Defense Camp," the Third Palace Master said angrily.

My mental state is terrible, my typing speed is incredibly slow, I can't even write more if I want to, sigh. Anyway, it all comes down to these three words: Please vote for me...