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"So the master’s contingency plan was you..."

A trace of surprise flashed in Tian Heng’s eyes when he saw Wang Ye again.

He had met the disciple of the Duke of Song several times back in the day.

Knowing the Duke’s formidable pride, it was natural that his direct disciple would be exceptional.

At that time, Tian Heng had thought the boy overly upright but lacking cleverness.

Later, he discovered that this fellow was an extremely well-hidden demon!

Even more unexpected was that, even after his identity was exposed, Chen Qing continued to trust him deeply. Could it be simply because this guy had saved Chen Qing once before?

"General Tian, you’re too kind." Wang Ye quickly returned the courtesy.

Tian Heng was from his teacher’s generation. In terms of actual age, Wang Ye was far older than both of them combined, but as Liu Yu’s disciple, his status was different, and he had to address them with junior etiquette.

"Lord Wang..." Tian Heng did not make much of Wang Ye’s insistence on junior etiquette.

Instead, he hurriedly said, "You’re well aware of the current situation.

The Princess Royale and King of Qin completely control the gate now.

If either of them colludes with external forces, they could open the gate at any time.

Yet, I dare not turn against them hastily.

In terms of personal strength and military capability, I am no match for them. "

"I understand..." Wang Ye nodded, "Wei Gongcheng’s brother already informed me before I came."

"Lord Wei Gongcheng, then?" Tian Heng immediately asked upon hearing this.

Compared to the man in front of him, he trusted Wei Gongcheng more.

He also wanted to know how someone who had been at Daqing Mountain managed to reach the gate in such a short time.

Given the current quality of spiritual energy, even a King Level cultivator attempting to traverse that path at full speed would likely burn out.

The only plausible explanation would be through Hell!

Ever since the Princess Royale appeared, he had felt uneasy. It was very possible that Wei Gongcheng...

"Lord Wei Gongcheng appeared first and misled them..." Wang Ye said in a low voice. "But... something seems to have gone wrong. The King of Qin is an exceedingly cautious and ruthless man. It’s highly probable that..."

Hearing this, Wei Gongzhan felt his heart tighten.

His elder brother had indeed gone silent without any news—could it really be...

"Lord Wei will be fine..." Tian Heng tried to offer comfort, glancing at Wei Gongzhan before shifting his gaze to Wang Ye.

"Given that you mentioned Lord Wei Gongcheng was here to mislead them, this implies that the Princess Royale’s ability to transport through Hell was something Lord Wei Gongcheng had foreseen beforehand, correct? "

"What exactly is your plan?"

"A hypothesis. An experiment..." Wang Ye said quietly.

"General Tian doesn’t need to know too much.

Even if I explained, it would be difficult to make sense of it.

This time, the hypothesis involves a top-tier faction.

If it proves accurate, then in the upcoming era of ancient calamities, we will at least know who the true enemy is. "

"The upcoming era of ancient calamities..." Tian Heng murmured, glancing at the vast Buddha Light in the heavens and the gigantic Ladder to Heaven above. His heart began to speculate.

The master clearly knew many secret truths. This phenomenon, of which there was no intelligence record, guaranteed something momentous was about to occur.

But in such monumental events, what role would the King of Qin play?

And the Princess Royale and Emperor Siao of the Siao Family... What roles would they assume?

---------------------------------------------

"Three days..."

On the city wall, the Princess Royale gazed at the pitch-black wilderness outside, her impatience increasingly evident.

"That Taoist Sect you spoke of still hasn’t contacted you!"

"This little girl is getting more impatient with time." The King of Qin sighed helplessly. "Given the current situation, forget three days—you may have to wait ten days."

The word "little girl" caused the Princess Royale’s cold expression to stiffen slightly.

Once upon a time, she and her brother suffered excessive bullying within the Siao Family. Yet it was this seemingly carefree King of Qin who had taken interest in the siblings, not only imparting secret techniques but also secretly providing many resources.

Back then, she enjoyed calling him "elder brother," and he liked calling her "little girl."

To be honest, during that time, her younger brother became the King of Qin’s right-hand man, and she worked covertly as one of his confidants. If the King of Qin had not revealed his demonic identity, her ideal fate would have been marrying him.

She had indeed believed... she would marry him.

But unfortunately... beneath that warm facade was a repulsive worm!

"Do you think you’ve locked in my inability to lead troops away?" The Princess Royale said coldly, glaring at him.

"It’s not that I’ve locked it in, but rather, the current circumstances make it inevitable.

.." The King of Qin pointed outside. "Do you even know what’s happening out there? Without Jiangnan’s Flaming Sun Array, would you dare to take the soldiers and leave?

How many monsters lie outside? How many awakened ancient entities?

Recklessly taking the troops outside—what difference does it make from sending them to their deaths?

If you end up sacrificing the soldiers your brother painstakingly cultivated, will you feel happy then? "

"Don’t you dare threaten me!" The Princess Royale laughed coldly. "Staying here doesn’t guarantee survival either! Besides, the Capital City’s defenses are weak. If something happens to my brother, will the Great Jin Dynasty not fall into pieces all the same?"

"If your brother dies, it would only mean he wasn’t the chosen one.

Even if the Great Jin collapses, the soldiers you’ve trained can still become a vital force for the Human Race.

The worst-case outcome is they’d be absorbed by Jiangnan.

Even if they end up following Chen Qing, it would still be better than dying pointlessly outside! "

"Oh?" The Princess Royale raised her brows, looking amusedly at him. "Those words coming from your mouth are quite novel. Chen Qing has pushed you to the brink multiple times, yet you can think like this?"

"My conflict with him... stems from differing principles. But no matter how fiercely we clash, it’s better than those demons outside.

Between him and me, whether one of us ultimately triumphs, neither would resort to mutual destruction, because neither of us wishes for this world to become what those monsters desire it to be! "

These words caused the Princess Royale’s icy demeanor to slightly soften. Her gaze toward him carried a trace of complexity.

She believed these words...

The King of Qin’s passionate ideals were genuine back then, as was his desire to save the world. Although he held demons in higher regard, he was indeed different from those monstrous ancient entities. He truly sought harmony and peace for the world.

What set him apart from Chen Qing was his staunch loathing of outsiders!

The current state of the world was due to those outsiders, and even the design of this world was intentionally made to turn the Mortal World into Hell.

His hatred... was completely understandable!

This, in truth, was also the root of her brother’s greatest conflict with Chen Qing. If Chen Qing were not an outsider, he might very well have been her brother’s best ally. However, unfortunately...

"Are His Highness’s words sincere?"

A soft, jade-like voice suddenly interrupted, startling the two.

Their respective fortuitous encounters had elevated both the Princess Royale and the King of Qin to the pinnacle among King Levels. If they fully unleashed their trump cards, they would easily rival the King Gui Xiang of days past.

Yet, despite their prowess, someone had managed to approach them unnoticed. If this person had been an assassin...

The King of Qin was the first to turn and look. It was an exceedingly beautiful woman, but her visage left him dumbfounded.

That face... was actually...