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"The Western Sea Army?" The Empress was taken aback for a moment, then her surprise transformed into a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, "So that’s how it is... The chess piece you have placed with Chen Qing is Tian Heng?"

The opponent’s smile, for some reason, filled Sparrow Bee with an extremely unsettling feeling.

This time, the plan wasn’t a complete disaster!

Indeed, their presence was something I had not anticipated, but we were not yet at the point of no return.

Just like me, the opponent was a master on the level of a Ghost King, and in the space we were in, it was impossible to use power without limits. If pushed to extremes, I was confident that I could make them die along with me!

Sparrow Bee did not believe that the opponent would trade lives with him, especially since someone who had concealed their noble identity since birth for the sake of survival definitely cherished their own life the most.

If they would not trade lives, the most they could do was to lock me down, having their minions rely on Liu Yu and enter different spatial fragments in succession, to kill my subordinates and leave me without any forces.

But the plans of the Ancient Demons extended far beyond just the Capital City.

All the forces that could currently play a role in the game had been orchestrated by the Ancient Demons, and the most important of these was Jiangnan.

Because, out in the open, Jiangnan now had the strongest military force.

With such a disaster befalling the Capital City, the frontline generals would surely withdraw. At that time, if the plan had not changed, the Western Sea Army led by Tian Heng should have already taken them by surprise and slaughtered all the Warrior Army!

The Western Sea Army was equal in strength to the Warrior Army, and if the plan went smoothly, they should be left with half their combat power, plus the West Sea Aquatic Tribe, which would certainly not be something the Capital City’s less than one-third Ghost Army could withstand.

Then there would still be a chance to take over the Capital City!

However, upon hearing this, the opponent seemed completely unworried, especially after hearing the name Tian Heng. It seemed... her smile was somewhat sinister.

"What do you mean?" Sparrow Bee felt a surge of unease within him and asked in a cold voice.

"Her Majesty thought that, with such a long preparation, you would have observed your choices carefully."

"Of course, we have observed them for a long time," Sparrow Bee said coldly. "The rise of the Tian Family was precisely because the Ancient Demons secretly supported them."

"Is that so?" The Empress nodded slightly, but there didn’t seem to be any hint of panic because of this news.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sparrow Bee grew increasingly irritated.

"Tian Heng... is a very opportunistic man. If the benefits are sufficient, he indeed tends to waver, just like how he did not hesitate to backstab the King of Qin despite his enormous gratitude to him," said the Empress.

"If you knew this already, why are you still smiling?" Sparrow Bee frowned. "Are the benefits we offered not large enough?"

"Her Majesty would think they should be adequate; however, it’s a pity you have overlooked another matter."

"What?"

"This man... detests demons intensely!"

"What did you say?" Sparrow Bee’s eyes changed as he heard that. "Detests demons?"

"To be precise... he hates demons that eat humans," the Empress said with a smile. "Didn’t you know that Tian Heng’s mother and sister were both eaten by demons right in front of him?"

Sparrow Bee: "...."

"Oh, perhaps you did know... But in the eyes of those Ancient Demons, this probably doesn’t count for much, does it?

" The Empress shook her head, amused. "In your demons’ worldview, blood and kinship are not important at all. Once someone becomes part of your race, the past relationships and blood ties no longer matter. Ahh... well, that’s just how beasts are, isn’t it? Why would they care about such things?"

"Are you saying he would betray the Ancient Demons over this?" Sparrow Bee scoffed coldly. "That’s impossible."

"You Reincarnators are also part of the Human Race, aren’t you?

" The Empress said solemnly. "But upon arriving in this world, most of you become demons. Having been demons for so long, it seems you’ve lost the fundamentals of the human race, even thinking like demons. Let me ask you this, what makes you so sure that Tian Heng... wouldn’t turn down significant benefit for the sake of his own blood kin? "

"You..."

"Heh... how about we make a wager?" the Empress looked at the other party, "Senior King Chu Jiang?"

"Wager on what?" King Chu Jiang asked, his voice deep and somber.

"If Tian Heng betrays Chen Qing, and the Western Sea Army reaches Capital City, I shall not resist and will surrender myself!"

The moment these words were spoken, both King Chu Jiang and Sparrow Bee’s eyes flashed with surprise. Was the other party so certain?

Even with only less than a third of the Ghost Army left, if they were to hold Capital City, it wouldn’t be completely without the power to resist. Tian Heng’s Western Sea Army, even with the addition of the West Sea Aquatic Tribe, would have to expend great effort to take down this place, and the other party still had a chance!

If they could surrender directly... preserving the strength of the Ghost Race troop would also be beneficial to their future plans.

Thinking this, King Chu Jiang and Sparrow Bee nearly asked in unison without any prior discussion, "Are you sure?"

"I am the ruler of a nation!" the Empress stated coldly, "My word is as good as gold!"

"But what if Tian Heng doesn’t come?"

Sparrow Bee: "...."

"What do you propose?" King Chu Jiang asked.

"Then I would ask you, Senior, to join under my command and assist me in achieving great undertakings!"

"You certainly don’t lack ambition!" Sparrow Bee said coldly.

"So... do you bet or not?"

"Fine!" King Chu Jiang looked up, "This old man will take that bet with you, young lady!"

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"The Southern Sea is under siege..."

In Yundu, Chen Baifeng received the message from Chen Qing.

Although he had been prepared, Chen Baifeng’s face still turned pale upon hearing the news.

Ao Zhen had exhausted the power of faith and used the briefest of words to explain the situation, which also allowed Chen Baifeng to understand the cause and effect.

He had never imagined that the one to betray the Chen Family in the end, even at the cost of his own mother’s life, would be his youngest son—the one his wife doted on the most on a normal day!

Now, with Nanhai City being schemed against by the Nanhai Dragon Palace, the city was under threat of imminent attack, and they had only seven days to send out a distress call!

"I must meet with Your Majesty!" Chen Baifeng composed himself, looking at the surrounding Four Holy Guard, his eyes filled with suppressed rancor.

In name, the Southern Sea was loyal to the Imperial Court, and the Emperor would not allow the Southern Sea to be taken over. If he knew about this, he would surely give up the attack on the Northern Territory and instead reinforce Nanhai City first.

"It might be difficult to get out..." Chen Qing glanced around, "The third trial is going to be held in the Four Holy Palace, and the place where we’ll watch the performance might be inside the palace.

You should have a chance to meet His Majesty then, but he might not necessarily be able to help you. "

"What does King of Qin mean?"

"This Yundu has summoned the leaders of all our forces here. It’s unlikely they’ll target just the Southern Sea alone, I’ve just received a message—there’s also trouble in Jiangnan."

"Trouble in Jiangnan, too?" A group from the Southern Sea families gasped in shock.

Could it really be... that everyone is being strategized against by the Heavenly Master Mansion?

"Indeed, it is sufficiently troublesome." Chen Qing spoke softly, "There are many masters in Yundu, and there are tens of thousands of Four Holy Guard. If we were to fight outright, there’s no way we could win. Without external help, this is almost... a checkmate!!"