Details: Infighting

Following this, Xu Yang and his group of five were led by Wu Ming to a side hall. Once inside, everyone exchanged introductions and took their seats. Liu Yuan immediately asked Wu Ming, "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, please tell us the details of the situation so we can be prepared."

Upon hearing Liu Yuan's inquiry, Wu Ming smiled bitterly and said, "This matter is truly a family scandal. I originally did not want others to know, but now that I am truly helpless, I have no choice but to seek help from Senior Qing Yuanzi." Following this, Wu Ming explained the situation in detail.

After listening, Xu Yang had a sudden realization; he had already been aware of this matter. It was the rebellion of Prince Fu that he had encountered before stepping into the world of cultivation. Over the past year, Prince Fu's influence had expanded rapidly, to the point where he had actually suppressed Wu Ming, who was the emperor.

The reason for this was entirely because Prince Fu had recruited cultivators to his side. They were numerous and powerful, having killed all the rogue cultivators Wu Ming had hired. Fortunately, Wu Ming himself was a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, or he would have long since been captured by Prince Fu.

In desperation, Wu Ming had turned to Qing Yuanzi for help. He knew that the favor was being depleted with every use, and if he hadn't been completely out of options, he would never have sought help from Qing Yuanzi.

Hearing the details of the matter, Liu Yuan felt relieved. He immediately said to Wu Ming with full confidence, "So that's how it is. These rogue cultivators are truly bold. The cultivation world clearly stipulates that cultivators cannot participate in secular disputes, yet they dare to ignore it."

At this moment, Li Qingqing, who was sitting to the side, said coldly, "Where would these rogue cultivators get such courage to openly defy the iron laws of the cultivation world? Is there something fishy going on here?"

Hearing Li Qingqing's words, Liu Yuan, Xu Yang, and the others immediately looked at Wu Ming. Wu Ming's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "Fairy, please rest assured. I have already dispatched elites to investigate clearly, and there is absolutely nothing amiss."

"The reason these rogue cultivators are doing this is because the rebel Prince Fu promised them that once the matter is successful, he will give them a portion of the Spirit Stones collected by the Wu Kingdom."

With a "slap," Liu Yuan slammed his hand onto the armrest of his chair, shattering it into pieces. He said angrily, "What a Prince Fu! He dares to give the Spirit Stones meant for the sect to rogue cultivators, openly undermining the sect's foundation. He truly deserves to die."

Xu Yang, Li Qingqing, and the others also wore expressions of rage. Seeing this, Wu Ming quickly tried to persuade them, "I ask the seniors to calm your anger. Once Prince Fu is captured, this junior will certainly have him torn to pieces."

After hearing this, Liu Yuan's anger subsided slightly. He sat back down and asked Wu Ming, "Where is Prince Fu now? How many rogue cultivators does he have under his command? What is their strength?"

"Replying to the senior, Prince Fu is currently outside the capital, thirty miles to the north. There is an Imperial Manor there, and that is where Prince Fu resides. He has five rogue cultivators under his command: two at the ninth level of Qi Refining, two at the eighth level, and one at the seventh level," Wu Ming replied respectfully.

"Oh, so they are just outside the city. It seems they are quite confident! Very well, let us rest for a while, and tonight we shall go to the Imperial Manor to meet them. Let's see what they are relying on," Liu Yuan said with a cold sneer.

He then turned to look at Xu Yang and the others, saying, "Fellow junior brothers and sisters, what do you think? If you have no other ideas, we will go meet them tonight." Xu Yang thought helplessly to himself: You have already made the decision, what opinion could I possibly have?

Xu Yang immediately spoke first, "This junior has no objections and will follow your instructions, Senior Brother." The others nodded in agreement upon seeing this.

Liu Yuan nodded with satisfaction and said to the four of them, "In that case, let us go and recharge our energy. We shall give those rogue cultivators a surprise tonight."

Seeing this, Wu Ming immediately stood up and said, "Then this junior will immediately prepare quiet rooms for the seniors." Afterward, Wu Ming walked out of the side hall to arrange accommodations for everyone.

After Wu Ming left, Liu Hao rolled his eyes and said, "Since we arrived at the Imperial Palace so openly today, the rebel Prince Fu must already know. I wonder if those rogue cultivators will run away. Perhaps Senior Brother should send someone to keep an eye on the Imperial Manor."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan was immediately tempted. He turned to look at the four of them and said to Xu Shaoyang, "Junior Brother Liu's suggestion makes sense. Why don't you go, Junior Brother Xu?"

When Xu Shaoyang heard Liu Yuan's request, his face turned extremely ugly. He knew in his heart that this was Liu Yuan's retaliation, but he could not refuse the proposal, as Liu Yuan was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator and the leader of this operation.

Helpless, Xu Shaoyang had to bite the bullet and agree. Seeing this, a look of schadenfreude flashed in Liu Hao's eyes, and Liu Yuan nodded with satisfaction. Afterward, Xu Shaoyang reluctantly flew toward the Imperial Manor on his sword.

Watching this scene, Xu Yang shook his head incessantly. With a formidable enemy ahead, their own people were already fighting among themselves. Liu Yuan's character was too narrow-minded and lacked the capacity for tolerance; Xu Yang did not believe Liu Yuan could defeat Huo Lian.

At this moment, Liu Hao turned to Xu Yang and said, "Junior Brother Xu, you must think carefully in the future. Don't be as inflexible as Junior Brother Xu." Xu Yang said to Liu Hao with a serious expression, "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Liu. This junior will seek advice from both of you seniors in the future."

Liu Hao laughed out loud, stood up, patted Xu Yang on the shoulder, and said to Liu Yuan, "Senior Brother, it seems Junior Brother Xu is a sensible person!" Liu Yuan coughed dryly and said, "Alright, Junior Brother, say no more." He secretly gave Liu Hao a look and glanced at Li Qingqing.

Liu Hao glanced sideways at Li Qingqing and, seeing her looking at him with a frosty expression, his face changed immediately, and he tightly shut his mouth. Xu Yang, who was standing to the side, was stunned. He hadn't expected the two of them to be so wary of Li Qingqing; it seemed her background was far from simple!

Xu Yang's heart stirred, and he was just about to say a few words to Li Qingqing to build a rapport when Wu Ming walked into the side hall and said to them, "Seniors, the quiet rooms are ready. Please proceed." At this point, Wu Ming suddenly noticed that one person was missing from the hall. He hurriedly asked Liu Yuan, "Senior Liu, may I ask where Senior Xu has gone?"

"Oh! We discussed it just now and decided to send someone to the Imperial Manor to monitor the enemy's movements. Junior Brother Xu has already gone to the Imperial Manor to keep watch," Liu Yuan replied.

Hearing this, Wu Ming said with admiration, "So that's it. You are truly thoughtful, Senior. This junior is impressed. Now, please proceed to the quiet rooms!"

Following this, Wu Ming led the way, and Xu Yang and the others followed him to the quiet rooms. Afterward, the four of them dispersed and entered their respective rooms to rest.

Xu Yang scanned his surroundings and saw that the interior was decorated with extreme luxury and exquisite beauty. He couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself: It's no wonder Wu Ming's cultivation is so poor; he focuses too much on these external things and is dedicated to enjoyment, so naturally, he has no heart for cultivation.

Xu Yang sat on the bed and was about to circulate his energy to adjust his state for the battle tonight. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He was startled, stood up, and walked toward the door. Standing outside was an old eunuch who, upon seeing Xu Yang, said respectfully, "Greetings, Immortal. I have come to deliver a gift on the Emperor's orders."

Xu Yang was stunned and looked at the old eunuch, saying, "Oh! What is it?" The old eunuch quickly raised his hands, holding a Qiankun Bag, and said, "This servant does not know; the item is inside this Qiankun Bag."

Xu Yang's brows twitched. He reached out to take the Qiankun Bag and waved his hand to signal the old eunuch to leave. The old eunuch bowed and turned to leave.

Xu Yang held the Qiankun Bag and returned to the quiet room. After sitting on the bed, he probed it with his divine sense and saw more than twenty Spirit Stones inside. Xu Yang's face lit up with joy, and he immediately took one out to examine it in his hand.

Afterward, he transferred the Spirit Stones inside into his own Qiankun Bag, feeling very satisfied with Wu Ming's tribute. It must be said that Xu Yang's own Qiankun Bag didn't have a single Spirit Stone left, as he had absorbed them all; this time, he finally had some Spirit Stones in his bag again.

Suppressing the joy of obtaining the Spirit Stones, Xu Yang began to circulate his cultivation technique to adjust his state for the battle tonight.

Time passed quickly, and night fell. Xu Yang slowly exited his meditative state. He was now full of energy, his internal energy flowing vigorously through his body, and he looked spirited—he could be said to have reached his peak state.

Xu Yang stood up, pushed open the door of the quiet room, and walked out into the courtyard. He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds covering everything, completely blocking the moon. It was pitch black all around, and one could not even see their own fingers.

Seeing this, Xu Yang thought to himself, "It really is a dark and windy night for killing. I just don't know who will be killing whom. I must be careful not to capsize here."

At this moment, Xu Yang's ears twitched, and he heard sounds coming from the other quiet rooms. He immediately turned to look and saw Liu Yuan, Li Qingqing, and the others walking out.

Liu Hao and Liu Yuan still had faint smiles on their faces. Even the cold and frosty Li Qingqing had a change in expression; clearly, Wu Ming's tribute to them was very generous, making all three of them very happy.

After Xu Yang stepped forward and exchanged greetings with the three of them, Liu Yuan said, "Let's set off now! Once we resolve the rebel, we can return to the sect and report to our master." Xu Yang and the others immediately agreed, and the group flew off on their swords toward the Imperial Manor.

Inside a luxuriously decorated hall, Wu Ming looked up at the four streaks of sword light disappearing into the distance and thought silently, "I hope these cultivators can succeed in one go; it would make this massive expenditure of mine worth it."