At the same time.
Longwind Capital, the Eastern Palace.
Inside the pavilion deep in the courtyard, the lights were on.
Longwind Divine Dynasty Prince Qin Mingjun of Changfeng stood before the stone railing, his hands behind his back, listening to He Jingming report the news that had just been relayed from various places:
"Your Highness, since the destruction of Red Furnace Mountain and Life-Extending Temple, Ye Li has not chosen to return to the capital as ordered."
"In the past two days, he traveled through the Eastern Province and the Southern Territory, successively pacifying the Blood Spirit Valley and the Blackwater Sect."
"Just this evening, an urgent report came back from the Mystic Gale Sect... saying that the Mountain Protection Array had been destroyed and all the sect's high-ranking members had been executed."
"Including those who fell before, in just three days, more than ten Fortune-Mastery True Cultivators have died at the hands of this man!"
"The Mystic Gale Sect Master is none other than a renowned Fortune-Mastery Fourth Stage True Person who has been in charge of destiny for many years in our dynasty!!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
A brief silence fell over the courtyard.
Qin Mingjun clenched his fists tightly within his sleeves, and a rare hint of irritation appeared between his usually gentle brows.
He walked behind the stone table and sat down, slamming his teacup down on it. He said in a deep voice:
"He wiped out five Mountain Gate in two days; even Fortune-Mastery Fourth Stage couldn't stop him for a moment..."
"Minister He, is this person truly not some old True Person has long since broken through the Fortune-Mastery in disguise?!"
He Jingming gave a wry smile and bowed in reply:
"Your Highness, when I first received the urgent report, I also had such doubts, but after having people investigate repeatedly, there is absolutely no such possibility."
"When he crossed the border into the capital, the city gate restrictions and the ritual implements of the Imperial Sky Observatory secretly verified his aura."
"Secondly, he has risen from humble beginnings in the Three Continents Alliance in just a few short years."
"During this period, many elders from the Supreme Clarity Palace and Yin-Yang Sect personally contacted him. If he were True Person an old master in disguise, he would not be able to fool the eyes of the Palace Master of the Supreme Clarity Palace."
"Moreover, judging from the images transmitted back from various states, this person only activated the Dao traces of the Path Opening Realm Dao Realm when he made his move, and never once used even a fraction of the Heavenly Authority of the Fortune-Mastery Realm!"
Qin Mingjun rubbed his temples as he listened, his face growing increasingly gloomy.
Oh shit...
It is precisely because it is not a True Person elder in disguise that this matter seems even more absurd and troublesome!
After a moment, he sighed again, his tone full of dissatisfaction:
"This man has made such a fuss, and Father Emperor still hasn't ordered the annihilation of Ye Li... Is he really getting senile?!"
"In my opinion, even now, Father Emperor still harbors the intention to recruit this person!"
Hearing this, He Jingming's heart tightened slightly, and he hesitated before lowering his voice to say:
"Your Highness, if His Majesty truly still wishes to protect him, then wouldn't all the arrangements we're making now be going against His Majesty?"
"In case they investigate later..."
Don't worry about that.
Qin Mingjun waved his hand impatiently and said coldly:
No one knows Father Emperor's temperament better than I do.
"He has neither sent royal retainers to protect Ye Li nor issued an edict strictly prohibiting others from interfering, clearly indicating that he wants to see his subordinates act on their own."
"Whoever has the ability to subdue Ye Li, that's their method. If Ye Li dies outside, Father Emperor will never be angry and pursue the matter for the sake of a dead man."
At this point, Qin Mingjun's gaze darkened slightly, and his voice lowered a few decibels:
"What I'm truly worried about now is whether Father Emperor will actually keep this person in the court in the end!"
He Jingming's expression changed slightly.
Qin Mingjun tapped the stone table lightly with his naturally thick fingers and said in a cold voice:
"This person has wiped out many Divine Dynasty dynasties in the past two days, causing panic among local officials and powerful families in the north and south."
"The things behind the forces at Life-Extending Temple have now all fallen into the hands of the Supreme Clarity Palace Master. He must have already obtained a lot of clues about my conduct!"
"He's probably already considering taking me down."
"If he were to become a new nobleman of the royal family and gain a foothold in the court... given the way this Supreme Clarity Palace Son has acted all along, he might just turn on me directly next!!"
At this point, his meaning was quite clear.
Ye Li must be eliminated; there can be no room for escaping him!
He Jingming's throat moved slightly, and he asked tentatively:
"But didn't His Majesty already send the Second Prince with the edict of punishment the day before yesterday?"
"Ye Li killed the Third Prince and beheaded so many officials and True Person. Once he returns to the capital, will His Majesty use the pretext of questioning him to personally deal with him?"
"That's even more impossible!"
Qin Mingjun shook his head without hesitation and sneered:
"If Father Emperor really intended to kill him, he wouldn't have bothered issuing any decree of punishment. He would have simply ordered the Consecration Hall to surround and suppress him, or even personally eliminated him!"
"Did you know that the Ministry of Ministry of Rites has yet to receive any official decree canceling the imperial banquet scheduled for the day after tomorrow?"
He Jingming's heart skipped a beat.
Qin Mingjun stood up, his tone growing increasingly cold:
"That decree of punishment was merely a way out left for both sides by Father Emperor!"
"We must strike first and eliminate Ye Li completely before the imperial banquet the day after tomorrow!"
"Otherwise, once he's gone through the motions and truly becomes a member of our Divine Dynasty, even with Father Emperor's protection, he most likely won't let me off the hook!"
He Jingming felt a chill run down his spine.
The images of the Mountain Gate leaders who had been murdered in the past two days involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Whether it was the True Person Red Cauldron or the Mystic Gale Sect Master, before their deaths, which one didn't invoke the Imperial Court and the emperor's decree?
But that Supreme Clarity Palace Son never held back in the slightest!
If this killing god were to enter the imperial court, I, an official of the Eastern Palace who has handled many past affairs, would have absolutely no chance of survival!
Thinking of this, He Jingming no longer hesitated and quickly lowered his head to agree:
"Your Highness is absolutely right! I understand!"
Qin Mingjun's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, and he then asked:
What's the situation with my second sister right now?
He Jingming composed himself and replied respectfully:
"We're still not sure about the specific details over there."
"Yesterday, after the Second Prince arrived at Life-Extending Temple, he only stayed inside for less than a quarter of an hour before leaving by boat. After returning to the capital, he has remained secluded and has not come out. It seems that he encountered some obstacles and was unable to reach an agreement."
"However, according to several Sky-Patrolling Ship Manager who recently encountered Ye Li's Treasure Ship in the Southern Territory, Ye Li has already handed over those Mountain Gates to his subordinates for management."
"I myself traveled north by boat and should be on my way back to the capital now."
"On my way back to Beijing..."
Qin Mingjun murmured something under his breath, his eyes flashing slightly:
"So, although he rejected Mingshu, he still accepted the Father Emperor's decree."
Since you have been summoned back to the capital,
Then this person's intentions are completely out in the open!
Qin Mingjun immediately made a decision and ordered in a deep voice:
We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die.
"Go and make preparations now. Use An Ziqing's connections to see if you can win this person over. At the same time, send Communication Transmission to the other True Person involved in this matter, telling them to come here immediately and prepare!"
"Yes!"
He Jingming responded, but thinking of Ye Li's excessively fierce performance in the past two days, a hint of worry still appeared on his face:
"Your Highness, this boy was able to kill several True Person on the spot; his strength is truly astonishing."
"Although we have the Divine Dragon True Person and several other elders working together, I still feel somewhat uncertain. I don't know how likely we are to succeed in this ambush... What if something goes wrong? How will we handle the situation then?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Mingjun glanced at him, but his expression remained quite calm.
He turned around, looked at the deep night outside the courtyard, and spoke softly:
You don't need to worry about that.
"Even if the Divine Dragon True Person behind you fails, I have my own way of covering for him, and I will definitely not let him walk into the imperial banquet alive."
"Time is running out, hurry up and prepare!!"
Judging from the confidence in the Crown Prince's words, it was clear that besides the several Fortune-Mastery True Cultivators, there was a backup plan that could deliver the final blow.
He Jingming's heart finally settled down, and he immediately bowed and accepted the order:
"I obey your decree!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
He didn't linger any longer, turned around and quickly walked out of the pavilion, soon disappearing into the night of the Eastern Palace!