"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please, Your Majesty, seek justice for my younger brothers."
The Spirit Consort clung to the Azure Emperor's leg, weeping bitterly just like Ling Xuntian.
The entire hall was filled with the anguished cries of father and son.
They paid no attention at all to the fact that the Azure Emperor's expression was growing colder and colder.
Beside the Azure Emperor, Lu Chen saw his icy expression, then glanced at the Spirit Consort and secretly curled his lips.
This Spirit Consort was a foolish woman too.
She had joined forces with her father to embarrass the Azure Emperor in front of so many people.
What kind of pig brain could come up with something like this?
"Your Majesty, for the sake of the Ling Family Head and the Spirit Consort, I implore Your Majesty to seek justice for the Ling Family."
Just then, an old man in his sixties stood up from below.
It was none other than Ouyang Hao, the head of one of the four top aristocratic families.
Ouyang Hao stood and cupped his hands toward the Azure Emperor, directly voicing his support for the Ling Family.
Yet when the Azure Emperor saw this scene, disdain appeared deep within his eyes.
Beside him, Lu Chen only felt that the lamb leg in his hand had become even more delicious.
Good, good, good. What an opportunity.
Then I'll use this chance to see exactly which forces in the entire Great Qian Divine Dynasty are allied with the Ling Family.
I can settle the accounts afterward!
The wailing and sobbing at the scene continued, while the Azure Emperor still kept his eyes half-lidded.
Next, from among the four great sects, the Taixu Sword Sect, Tanyang Sect, and Haoran Academy stepped forward. From among the four great aristocratic families, the Western Sima Family did as well. Even envoys from the Great Zhou Empire and Great Chu Dynasty, which bordered the Great Qian Divine Dynasty, came forward to support the Ling Family.
In an instant, the situation had directly put the Azure Emperor over a blazing furnace.
At this moment, flames were already burning furiously deep within the Azure Emperor's eyes.
Just then, Lu Chen wiped his mouth.
That's about enough. Nearly everyone who was supposed to come out has blown their cover.
It's time to cast the net.
Then Lu Chen slipped his hand into his robes and gently rubbed the Emperor's Jade Pendant hidden inside.
At that moment, the Azure Emperor also spoke.
"Everyone, rise. Elder Ling is already my father-in-law. We are all family. I should have helped with this matter in the first place. If an assassin has taken action today, I naturally cannot stand idly by."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xuntian and the Spirit Consort immediately stopped crying.
Behind them, the various forces supporting the Ling Family also revealed satisfied smiles.
On the surface, this appeared to be support.
But in reality, it had already become a display of pressure from the aristocratic families and sects against the Azure Emperor.
An attempt to seize more rights.
For now, it seemed they had succeeded.
Compared to several years ago, the Azure Emperor had now become indecisive and weak.
He had even begun to retreat.
Since that was the case, the sects and aristocratic families could afford to make their moves a little bolder.
However, just as the Azure Emperor finished speaking, a red strip of paper suddenly appeared in front of the Spirit Consort.
The instant the red strip of paper appeared, the Spirit Consort froze completely.
When she recovered, the Spirit Consort let out a hysterical shriek.
"Your Majesty, save me! The assassin is coming to kill my younger brother! Your Majesty, save my younger brother!"
The Spirit Consort's hysterical scream resounded throughout Tianyuan Hall.
In an instant, everyone in Tianyuan Hall changed expression, and even the Azure Emperor instinctively rose to his feet, sweeping his gaze around.
However, at this critical moment, dense Yin aura suddenly spread beside the trembling Ling Baijian.
Accompanied by that Yin aura, Emperor Fengdu descended without anyone noticing.
"It's him, Your Majesty! Save my son, Your Majesty!"
Seeing this scene, Ling Xuntian's eyes widened as he shouted hysterically.
"You insignificant wretch, how dare you run wild in My imperial palace!"
The instant the Azure Emperor saw Emperor Fengdu, he was also deeply shaken.
As a powerhouse of the Heaven Human Realm, the Azure Emperor could tell at a glance that Emperor Fengdu was nothing like the Land Immortal Realm powerhouse Ling Xuntian had described.
Emperor Fengdu was a powerhouse of the Heaven Human Realm.
At this moment, the Azure Emperor's expression was extremely grave.
Then the Azure Emperor vanished from where he stood and charged toward Emperor Fengdu.
"Cackle, cackle, cackle. What a lively scene. You're the Azure Emperor, aren't you?"
Emperor Fengdu spoke in a hoarse voice.
Facing the Azure Emperor, who had appeared before him in an instant, Emperor Fengdu had no time to kill Ling Baijian and was forced to strike back against the Azure Emperor's attack.
In the blink of an eye, the Azure Emperor and Emperor Fengdu were locked in battle.
The people present were utterly shaken by the sight of their battle.
They were simply too powerful. The immense pressure even made these Heavenly Phenomenon Realm and half-step Land Immortal Realm powerhouses struggle to breathe.
When Ling Xuntian saw Emperor Fengdu and the Azure Emperor battling, he let out a sigh of relief, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face.
This move had been the right one.
Treating the Azure Emperor as a Chess Piece had indeed saved his son's life.
However, at this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the Azure Emperor and Emperor Fengdu battling one another.
No one noticed that another dense mass of Yin aura had appeared beside Ling Baijian.
Accompanied by that dense Yin aura, a middle-aged man holding a hoe appeared out of thin air, dressed like a simple, honest farmer.
Squelch...
"Ah..."
With a squelch, the hoe pierced straight through Ling Baijian's heart.
In an instant, Ling Baijian's agonized scream rang throughout Tianyuan Hall.
"My son!"
"Fifth Brother..."
Ling Xuntian and the Spirit Consort saw this scene, and their expressions changed drastically.
At this moment, Emperor Fengdu, who was battling the Azure Emperor, suddenly cackled.
"Azure Emperor, and everyone else here, what kind of pig brains do you have to think that the Underworld organization consists of only this Emperor?"
"The people who needed killing have been killed. This Emperor is off too. Bye-bye, everyone."
Emperor Fengdu's voice was filled with mockery. Then he broke free of the Azure Emperor and vanished directly into thin air.
Only Emperor Fengdu's cackling voice echoed throughout the scene.
"Cackle, cackle, cackle. Since this occasion is so lively, this Emperor will take the chance to run an advertisement. The assassin organization, the Underworld, is officially open for business. No matter whom you want killed—even a powerhouse of the Land Immortal Realm—as long as you can pay, the Underworld can kill them..."
"As for how to contact the Underworld, just go to the foot of Yangji Mountain in the Underworld's eastern territory. At the Yangji crossroads, find the third tree from the left, and you'll be able to contact the Underworld."
"As for our killings, if you want revenge, don't even dream of it. The Underworld takes money to do a job. The people we kill aren't people we want to kill—they're people someone else wants dead. Cackle, cackle, cackle..."
Only Emperor Fengdu's voice echoed through the scene. The man himself was nowhere to be seen.
After Emperor Fengdu's voice completely faded away, the scene fell into absolute silence.
Only Ling Baijian's corpse remained, along with Ling Xuntian's screams and the Spirit Consort's sobs.
The Azure Emperor stood where he was, frowning slightly. He looked toward the place where Emperor Fengdu had departed, where a strange black jade pendant had appeared.
The Azure Emperor walked toward the mountain and bent down to pick it up.
The front of the token bore the words "Death-summoning Talisman," while the back bore the words "Underworld."
"The dignified Azure Emperor of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty actually allowed one of his subjects to be assassinated right before his eyes. How laughable!"
Yet just then, a low, disdainful voice came from within the crowd.
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