This time is different from before; once you're on board, there's probably no going back.
The emperor's words weren't just about one's attitude; they meant one's effort!
Of the four directions, Fei Jun of the Vermilion Bird Palace has already been reserved by the Xiao Household, and they must take him down no matter what. In the north, judging from the position of those giant snakes, they are clearly determined to take over the Black Tortoise Palace where White Plain is located. As for the remaining two directions, the situation is more chaotic.
The Four Saints Guard were mostly gathering towards the Azure Dragon Palace in the east, clearly intending to control at least one of them first. Chen Ying was Chen Qing's man, but Chen Qing obviously couldn't protect Chen Ying now. And coincidentally, the White Tiger Palace in the west was also under Chen Qing's control.
This is quite interesting. In the Four Saints Trial, Chen Qing had the biggest advantage because there were actually three of the Four Spirits Successors that Chen Qing could have won over. Chen Ying and Shen Yuan go without saying, and even Fei Jun was a close friend of Chen Qing. If Chen Qing had enough strength, it wouldn't be impossible for Fei Jun to join Chen Qing's side.
But now Chen Qing's fate is unknown, West Sea Army is under control and unable to enter. It's likely that no one has anything to do with Chen Qing anymore, including Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan, a former illegitimate son of the Shen family in Jiangnan, belonged to a third-rate family in the capital. He was one of the first to join Chen Qing, learned a technique of array mastery, and returned to the capital to amaze everyone with his skills, becoming famous throughout the land. But is such a person truly loyal to Chen Qing?
If the Xiao Household emperor offers even better terms, and if Chen Qing were to perish here, it wouldn't be impossible to acquire them all.
Of the four parties, Shen Yuan is the least valued, yet he is the most likely to be contested by all of them!
Of the four, Shen Yuan appears to be the least talented, so no one chose him immediately. However, as the second choice, he is the most likely to be contested. Since the armies of the three factions did not clash immediately but chose to play it safe, the final dispute should be over the most inconspicuous Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan is Chen Qing's man. If he were to take advantage of Chen Qing's weakness to seize his man and kick him while he's down, he would be setting a bad example and cutting off his future path to rely on Jiangnan!
The emperor's question was forcing himself to make a choice.
Chen Baifeng looked at the emperor, while his spiritual sense swept over the heads of the powerful families behind him. Apart from the Nie Family, almost all the elders of the families seemed very interested.
Many families left the capital for the South Sea because they saw the emperor was weak. They never expected that the Xiao Household had been hiding so well. Once they broke out, they had such a strong momentum. Not only was he himself comparable to the Ghost King, but he also had experts under his command who were no less powerful than him. In addition, with the support of the legendary Ghost King Xiang and the hundreds of thousands of elite Ghost Army, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they are the strongest force on the surface right now!
The South Sea Family has now had their ancestral home stolen, and the South Sea Dragon Palace is clearly using them. Returning to the capital now, with their previous foundations and official positions still intact, is obviously a very good choice, and it's no wonder so many people are interested.
But Chen Baifeng genuinely disliked it.
He'd seen the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple before; how would a leader who treated humans like livestock sacrifices treat you in a crucial moment?
He didn't dislike ruthless and ambitious figures, but he always felt that sometimes it might be worthwhile to consider a different kind of life.
Taking a breath, Chen Baifeng cupped his hands and said, "We are His Majesty's subjects, and naturally we obey His Majesty's orders, but..."
"But?" The emperor smiled slightly, looking at the other party. He hadn't expected Chen Baifeng to actually refuse!
"However, His Highness the King of Qin has been kind to me and to the Chen Household. Now that his fate is unknown, I cannot forgive myself if I were to take advantage of his misfortune. Of course, this is my personal motive, and as such, I cannot hold others hostage."
Chen Baifeng turned around and said, "You are His Majesty's subjects, and it is your duty to serve him. Now that His Majesty needs your help, what do you say?"
The group of people were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that Chen Baifeng was trying to extricate them from the situation.
Is this guy crazy?
But they all hurriedly bowed and said, "We will obey Your Majesty's orders!"
With over a hundred sorcerers, more than half of whom were Dragon Vein sorcerers, plus the potential of the younger generation, they were indeed a formidable force. The emperor looked at these people and frowned slightly.
Theoretically speaking, if it were only the Chen Household who refused to align themselves with him, it wouldn't be a big problem. The Chen Household currently only has Chen Baifeng as a capable member; while there are potential members in the next generation, they're not that great. He took the lead in persuading others to join his faction, while distancing himself from it. His purpose was clear. "I'll give you everything you want; I just want to get out unscathed."
To be honest, if I were to go after him now, it would be too ruthless. My reputation was already bad after the incident at the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple, and I would need at least ten years to make up for it. If I couldn't even tolerate someone as harmless as Chen Baifeng, it would only backfire.
"Minister Chen is indeed a clever man," the emperor said with a gentle smile, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The other party was indeed very clever. If they had refused immediately, I could have used the pretext of establishing my authority to directly eliminate them. But instead, they helped me get what I wanted first, and then used the pretext of gratitude to absolve me of responsibility, making it much harder to take action.
The Chen Household is truly blessed to have produced a Chen Baifeng, but since they've chosen Chen Qing, they might become adversaries in the future. Of course, Chen Baifeng isn't qualified to be an adversary.
"Your Majesty flatters me," Chen Baifeng bowed. "I am unable to serve Your Majesty at this time; I am guilty. If I manage to return alive this time, I will certainly go to the capital to plead guilty!"
Having gone this far with pleasantries, the emperor naturally had nothing more to say, and sneered, "Very well, then I'll be waiting for Minister Chen!"
Then he looked at the head of the Nie Family family and asked, "Does Minister Nie also wish to stay?"
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty," the Nie Family patriarch knelt down, saying, "My beloved son is still in Chen Qing's hands."
The emperor nodded upon hearing this, said nothing more, and with a flick of his sleeve, led the way westward. A group of family elders quickly followed, glancing back at the Chen and Nie families with some confusion as they left.
I don't understand what they're thinking. The Xiao Household is clearly the most promising investment right now, and instead of seizing this excellent opportunity to join them, they're actively trying to distance themselves. What are they thinking?
Whether Chen Qing is alive or dead is unknown, and whether Jiangnan will even exist in the future is also a question. Isn't this bet a bit too risky?
Regardless, Chen Baifeng didn't drag them into this mess. It was his own choice, so they couldn't say anything. They simply bowed, wished him well, and hurriedly followed the emperor northward.
Chen Baifeng looked at everyone. The powerful families he had painstakingly won over were so fragile. After sharing so many resources, only the Nie Family was willing to stand with him at this crucial moment. It seemed that the path of the powerful family Alliance was indeed a dead end.
He sighed, then looked at the members of the Nie Family and smiled, "Have you all made up your minds?"
"Since they've already stayed, chasing after them now might not even earn their respect," the eldest elder of the Nie Family laughed. "It's alright. My Nie Family was once a reclusive family. If Jiangnan doesn't live up to our expectations, we can simply return to tradition. In this world, forcing things isn't necessarily a good thing, especially when following a powerful figure like His Majesty. In crucial moments, he won't hesitate to sacrifice anyone. Although there are risks everywhere in chaotic times, I still prefer being sacrificed by those above to being destroyed because of my own choices."
"Old Nie sees things clearly." Chen Baifeng smiled immediately, then without further ado, led the way towards the location of the West Sea Army.
At this moment, after being taken hostage by the mysterious man, the West Sea Army remained motionless, seemingly trying to stay out of the fray while all sides were vying for the Four Spirits.
Chen Baifeng took a breath and used his wind magic to leap directly into the spatial fragment. This action naturally attracted the attention of countless West Sea Army, whose already tense nerves tightened even more. They didn't know what the sudden arrival of an outsider meant, or if it might disrupt the current situation.
Strangely, after Chen Baifeng entered, the mysterious man who had taken Tian Heng hostage did nothing, as if he hadn't seen anything, and continued to sit there coldly, like a statue.
Chen Baifeng saw this and his tense mood immediately relaxed. A guess came to mind!