Great emperors, especially those of Emperor Pillzenithâs level, were extremely sensitive to danger. The restriction inside the palace wasnât meant to be a trap and little effort had been put into keeping it hidden. Thus, it was much easier to notice. The group remained frozen where they were with dark expressions.
Outside, they were beings that could shake the entire human domain with a single stomp. But inside the palace, they were at a mercy of a sharp blade over their heads, one that could descend at any moment. They had to be cautious.
âYour Majesty, did you find something?â Emperor Tallpeak asked quietly.
Emperor Pillzenith was still observing the restriction with his consciousness. âWe canât take a step further.â He sighed gently. A dark fear flashed through his eyes.
âIs there something up front?â Alarmed, Emperor Tallpeak asked yet again.
Emperor Pillzenithâs expression darkened. He raked the area with a glare and gnashed his teeth. He was almost certain that Jiang Chen had something to do with this residence. Emperor Heartcloud was most likely already dead.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. If he entered within range of the frightening restriction, the consequences were unimaginable. He scoured the surroundings again to look for a way to bypass the restriction, but the place was a complete maze. There simply wasnât any viable paths.
âYour Majesty, what do we do?â Emperor Tallpeak quietly inquired.
Emperor Pillzenith pondered deeply and made a sweeping gesture.âWe mustnât proceed any further. Weâll sit here and wait.â
The crowd was a little skeptical but didnât dare disobey. Emperor Pillzenith was incredibly wise and knowledgeable. If he believed there was something was wrong, then there must be something wrong.
Moreover, Emperor Heartcloud hadnât returned from his excursion yet. Some began to wonder if Jiang Chen was really inside the palace.
The young lord had seen everything and was rather dejected when Emperor Pillzenith stopped just a few hundred meters out of range. Pillzenith is as patient as a wolf and sly as a fox. Heâs truly a difficult opponent.
Jiang Chen was prepared to use the restriction for the final time. After eliminating Emperor Pillzenith, Pillfire City would no longer be the threat it was. Unfortunately, the sly fox had sensed the danger and decided to sit back and wait. He was clearly planning to set up camp and wait for the hare to fall into the trap.
Jiang Chen would naturally never fall for such a dumb trick. Hmph! You want to guard the entrance? What an idiotic plan! He wasnât threatened at all. He was more than willing to wait it out in the palace as he could cultivate twice as fast in here.
Sitting in here for a decade or two would absolutely be fine. The same couldnât be said about Emperor Pillzenith. It was a battle of patience now.
The days flew quietly by. Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Many of Emperor Pillzenithâs companions were growing restless. They wouldâve rioted already if not for his incredible reputation and presence.
Jiang Chen, however, was still relaxed as before. According to his calculations, his parents should now be well within reach of Veluriyam territory. Once they returned to the young lord residence, not even Emperor Pillzenith could do anything to them.
Freed of his worries, hewas even more relaxed and spent his days cultivating and meditating. With the passage of time, he continued to make progress and inch towards third level emperor realm.
Will I break through in the palace? He wasnât really feeling the pressure. The palace was his territory and finding him wasnât going to be easy.
While he cultivated at an extremely relaxed state, the great emperors on Emperor Pillzenithâs side were losing their cool, especially the two from the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
Emperor Dragontyrant was fuming. âEmperor Pillzenith! When will we stop this fruitless waiting! What can possibly be in front of us that makes you tremble in your boots?â
The Heavenly Dragon Sect was the only first rank sect that would dare speak to Emperor Pillzenith in such an insolent manner. The latter frowned. He was clearly offended by Emperor Dragontyrantâs manner of speech.
âDaoist Baxiang, if you donât believe me, why donât you go and take a look yourself?â Emperor Pillzenith answered indifferently.
Heâd only invited the Heavenly Dragon Sect because Jiang Chen had been in the company of many great emperors. Since that group had dispersed, there was no longer a reason to keep the sect around. Thus, he no longer felt the need to accommodate Long Baxiang.
This only made the person in question angrier.
âTake a look myself? Emperor Heartcloud isnât part of my sect. But if he was, Iâd be the first to investigate why heâs missing!â This was obviously a veiled insult.
âLong Baxiang! What are you implying!â A bearded emperor from Pillfire City flung back furiously. He was one of the top three great emperors in the city, widely known as Emperor Cloudsurge.
âHmph! Nothing at all!â Emperor Dragontyrant burst into an odd cackle.
Emperor Cloudsurge remained extremely irked. âEmperor Pillzenith naturally has his plans. You may leave if you wish. No one will stop you.â
âHeh. You talk as though I volunteered for this! I wouldnât be here if you hadnât sought my sectâs help!â Long Baxiang continued being contrary.
âEnough!â Emperor Pillzenith glared at Emperor Dragontyrant coldly. âLong Baxiang! My patience has its limits! Cut the nonsense and scram if you want to leave! Do you think Iâm scared to offend you just because youâre one of the most eminent sects?â
Pillzenith was still incredibly terrifying when he lost his temper.
Color drained from Emperor Dragontyrantâs face. Allowing his companion to calm him down, he silently huffed back to his seat. However, one could tell from his eyes that he was incredibly aggrieved.
âYour Majesty, I have a plan.â Emperor Tallpeak suddenly stated.
âWhat plan?â A glint appeared in Emperor Pillzenithâs eyes. Emperor Tallpeak was Pillfire Cityâs strategist and incredibly resourceful.
âDidnât that brat go to the Moon God Sect to arrange his parentsâ marriage?â
âIndeed. Many years ago, the Moon God Sect lost an infant who eventually became Jiang Chenâs birth mother.â Emperor Pillzenith had only recently received this intelligence.
âI heard that Jiang Chen took his mother on his journey back, but his sister, Holy Maiden Xu Qingxuan was left behind at the Moon God Sect.â Emperor Tallpeak smiled faintly.
âOh? Do you mean to say...â Emperor Pillzenith seemed to have caught the gist of the plan.
âYour Majesty, hasnât Jiang Chen always billed himself as righteous and virtuous? Wonât he be forced out of hiding if we take his sister hostage?â
A sinister smile instantly blossomed out of the gloom on Emperor Pillzenithâs face.
âItâs worth a try!â A great emperor beside Emperor Pillzenith exclaimed.
âAgreed! Jiang Chen will give up without a fight if we capture his sister. And if he chooses to be a coward, will his guilt allow him to defeat his inner demons? Once an inner demon manifests, the apex of martial dao will no longer be within his grasp!â
âYour Majesty, the plan sounds good. You can leave the task to me.â
âMe too!â
âYour Majesty, we should also take the Empyrean River Palace and Sublime Chord Temple with us just in case the Moon God Sect doesnât cooperate!â The crowd quickly burst into raucous chatter.
A ruthless expression appeared on Emperor Pillzenithâs face after deep contemplation. In for a penny, in for a pound. The Moon God Sect had already crossed his bottom line after interacting so many times with Veluriyam.
He was clearly moved by the opportunity.
He previously had to pay heed to his reputation and status, but such things were no longer of concern since the two factions were at each otherâs throats. The entire human domain was split into two sides by now.
One with Veluriyam, the other under Pillfireâs banner.
Of course, there were also a few neutral parties, but with the escalation of the enmity, those parties would have to pick a side, sooner or later. Since the situation was beyond redeeming, there was no longer a reason to hold back.
He swept his gaze across the crowd. âThere needs to be at least six fellow daoists to put my mind at ease.â
The Moon God Sect had three great emperors. When taking home-field advantage into account, any less than six great emperors would be inadequate to contend with the sect itself, much less come away with Xu Qingxuan.
Emperor Cloudsurge was the first to volunteer. âYour Majesty, I wish to join the cause.â
âMe too!â another great emperor exclaimed.
âCount me in as well.â
âMe too.â
Idling in the palace was too boring. Kidnapping a disciple of the Moon God Sect wasnât exactly glamorous, but it gave them an opportunity to release pent up stress.