War of Words, Blades Drawn at the Banquet

Outside the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion, four figures stood straight, their robes fluttering in the wind.

Qin De held a high-grade spirit weapon long saber, his Golden Core early stage aura condensed but unreleased; Qin Yu looked heroic and spirited, his eyes sharp as he stood upon Yun Ce's flying sword; Feng Yuzi had the spiritual light of a high-grade spirit weapon flying sword swirling around his fingertips, standing at the ready. Yun Ce remained as white as snow, hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the three of them before six glowing, iridescent talismans suddenly appeared in his palm, divided into two stacks and extended through the air.

"These are two types of lightning-attribute spirit talismans. Each of you take a set, and remember to act according to the situation. If that Xiang Yang discards his status to launch a sneak attack, do not hesitate to activate the talismans I have given you."

The three took the talismans, feeling waves of tingling thunder energy radiating from their palms; the seals inscribed on the paper flowed with light, and the faint sound of thunder could be heard.

Yun Ce's voice was cold and detached as he slowly explained their power: "The first is the Thousand-Fold Thunder Strike Talisman. Once triggered, it can summon a thousand Purple Heaven Divine Thunder bolts in a chain bombardment, specifically designed to break the protective artifacts of Nascent Soul Cultivators; even a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator would be severely injured by it."

He paused, pointing to the other talisman: "The second is the Nine Heavens Thunder Shield. It can draw upon the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder to condense into a shield, which has a powerful neutralizing effect on the spell attacks of Nascent Soul Cultivators and can even reflect thirty percent of the damage."

Qin De, Qin Yu, and Feng Yuzi were shaken to their cores, quickly tucking the talismans away as if they were precious treasures, and bowed solemnly: "We will remember your teachings, Brother Yun!" "Yes, Master!"

With these two Nascent Soul-level spirit talismans in hand, combined with Yun Ce, a Nascent Soul Late Stage grand cultivator, acting as their vanguard, the last shred of worry in Qin De's heart vanished into thin air.

"Let's go."

Yun Ce spoke softly, taking the lead as he and Qin Yu transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the Imperial Palace. Qin De and the other followed closely behind, their four figures cutting through the sky and landing outside the main gate of the palace.

At the palace gate, guards were already lined up waiting. Seeing Qin De and his party arrive, their expressions were filled with awe yet tinged with vigilance as they bowed to lead the way: "Prince Qin, Immortals, please follow me."

Inside the Imperial Garden, the banquet had already been set.

Amidst the pavilions and towers, under the jade halls, Xiang Guang sat high in the main seat, with that black-robed ancestor of the Xiang Family, Xiang Yang, whose aura was unfathomable, by his side. The civil and military officials on both sides accompanied them, yet each was as silent as a cicada in winter; the vast Imperial Garden was devoid of even a single sound of chatter.

The four from the Qin party stepped into the garden, their gazes instantly colliding with Xiang Yang in the main seat.

What a sharp pair of eyes those were! Like a falcon overlooking the earth, or thunder lurking in an abyss. A single glance was enough to make Qin De's Golden Core tremble, while Qin Yu and Feng Yuzi felt their hearts sink; had they not been protected by the spirit talismans, they might have already been unable to breathe under this pressure.

Xiang Yang sat motionless, merely lifting his eyes slightly. His gaze lingered on Yun Ce for a moment before sweeping over the three Qins, a faint, mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing Qin De and his party arrive, Xiang Guang felt emboldened. He immediately slapped the table, began his provocation, and said in a deep voice: "Qin De! Do you know your crimes?"

Qin De frowned slightly and said loudly: "Your Majesty, what crimes have I committed?"

"What crimes?" Xiang Guang stood up abruptly, pointing at Qin De's nose, his tone harsh and severe, "You practiced immortal arts in secret, deceiving the heavens, and reached the Immortal stage through tribulation without reporting it to the Imperial Family. This is a crime of great disrespect!"

"Your Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion has been recruiting soldiers and buying horses, your power growing day by day, and you even dared to kill the Immortals I sent. This is the crime of treason!"

"Now, you have even brought two Immortals to break into the Imperial Palace, showing no regard for your sovereign and treating the imperial court as nothing. This is the act of a rebellious subject!"

A string of charges rained down like hailstones. Xiang Guang used every bit of his ability to embellish the truth, painting Qin De as a heinous rebel.

The civil and military officials were deathly silent, not daring to utter a single word. They all saw that this banquet was far from ordinary.

Qin De's expression remained calm as he listened to Xiang Guang's slanders, his inner anger gradually rising. He stepped forward, his gaze like a torch, staring directly at Xiang Guang: "Your Majesty, I have guarded the Eastern Frontier, exhausted myself, and never once harbored a heart of rebellion. The two Immortals Wu De and Wu Xing ambushed me during my tribulation, intending to put me to death. What is wrong with me defending myself?"

"As for reaching the Immortal stage, there has never been a rule on the Hidden Dragon Continent that cultivators must report to the Imperial Family! Did you set this banquet today to settle scores with me, or to eliminate dissidents for the Xiang Family?"

"Presumptuous!" Xiang Guang shouted angrily, "Qin De! You dare to talk back to me? It seems you are determined to be a rebellious subject today!"

"A rebellious subject?" Qin De looked up and laughed, his laughter filled with disdain, "Xiang Guang, you are narrow-minded and jealous of talent. For your own selfish interests, you did not hesitate to collude with outsiders to harm me. Now that you rely on Xiang Yang coming out of seclusion, you think you can cover the sky with one hand?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Yang finally opened his mouth.

The old man's voice was hoarse yet majestic, like the tolling of an ancient bell: "Qin De, considering you have just formed your Golden Core and your foundation is not yet stable, I intended to give you a chance to submit to the Xiang Family and preserve your Qin Family clan."

"But you do not know what is good for you, daring to be so presumptuous in front of me! This makes things a bit difficult for me."

Xiang Yang tapped the table lightly with his palm.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the entire Imperial Garden trembled, and a terrifying Nascent Soul Realm pressure swept out like a tsunami, bearing down on the four of them!

Feng Yuzi's expression changed drastically, and Qin Yu's entire body tensed up. Under this pressure, the Golden Core within the Golden Core-stage Qin De's dantian began to tremble violently, his blood surging.

Qin De's anger was instantly ignited, and his temper flared; he immediately flipped the table: "If it's difficult, then don't bother!"

At this moment, Yun Ce moved.

He stood with his hands behind his back and simply spat out a single word: "Retreat."

The word seemed light and airy, yet it exploded like a thunderclap, directly blocking Xiang Yang's pressure.

A look of deep gravity flashed in Xiang Yang's eyes: "Nascent Soul Realm?"

Yun Ce glanced at him indifferently without a word, merely giving Qin De a look.

Qin De's heart tightened, and he understood instantly.

With Yun Ce backing him, what did he have to fear?

Seeing the ancestor make his move while Qin De remained defiant, Xiang Guang immediately shouted sternly: "Qin De! You rebellious subject, if you do not submit to the law today, I will leave you without a corpse!"

"Submit to the law?"

Cold light surged in Qin De's eyes. The high-grade spirit weapon long saber appeared in his hand, the blade's light soaring into the sky, pointing directly at Xiang Guang: "Xiang Guang, are you even worthy of speaking of the law?"

"Since this banquet today is a trap, then I will play along with you properly!"

As the words fell, Qin De struck first!

With a wave of his long saber, ten thousand feet of golden light erupted, and a sharp, peerless blade aura slashed toward Xiang Guang!

Feng Yuzi followed closely behind, his high-grade spirit weapon flying sword transforming into a streak of light, piercing directly at Xiang Yang to distract him.

Qin Yu held his long sword, his eyes locked on the restless imperial guards, ready to engage at any moment.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Inside the Imperial Garden, the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. With blades flashing, shadows dancing, and thunder lurking, the ultimate showdown between the Qin Family and the Xiang Family had finally begun its bloody prelude at this palace banquet!