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Chen Qing had not guessed wrong; as the third trial began, a group of expressionless Four Holy Guards coldly stepped forward, requesting all present to enter the Imperial Palace to watch the competition.

Faced with these nearly ten thousand Transcendent soldiers, the heads of several factions now had no ability to resist whatsoever.

Even Chen Qing was aware that a straight fight would be suicide unless the Shenwu Guild woman could unleash all her power; otherwise, they would all die here!

Thus, the group was escorted with expressionless faces into the interior of the Imperial Palace.

Sensing the surroundings, Chen Baifeng whispered, "Lord King of Qin, these Four Holy Guards are no ordinary matter; none seems like a living person, yet the energy within their bodies is even stronger than the Yaksha unit leaders in the Southern Sea.

With tens of thousands of such beings, what do you think.

.. with such a force, why would Yundu still need to play these petty tricks? "

"Lord Chen, you evidently see through much, why bother testing your junior?"

"I wouldn’t dare assert to be an elder in front of you, Lord King of Qin.

.." Chen Baifeng, steadying his breath, continued in a low voice, "These Four Holy Guards must have a fatal flaw.

They cannot be used as true soldiers to attack and capture cities.

Even within this city, I feel there must be a significant defect. "

"Your insight is as sharp as a torch..." Chen Qing responded with a chuckle.

The moment he saw these Four Holy Guards, he sensed something amiss.

His realm was now extremely close to Dragon King level; of course, he could tell what sort of beings these Four Holy Guards were.

In terms of energy alone, these fellows each had the standard of a Ghost General.

To take out just ten of them would likely be enough to send Murong Yunji fleeing defeated.

In this state of affairs, these beings approached an invincible army—if they could be used openly in battle, then all the forces combined wouldn’t be enough against them.

In such a scenario, and yet the opposition still chose to use schemes—it didn’t require any thought; these so-called Four Holy Guards certainly had limitations.

Moreover, he had noticed that although the eyes of these Four Holy Guards carried the Elemental Light of the Four Saints, deep within their pupils was a blood-red hue.

If he wasn’t wrong, the true forms of these Four Holy Guards were Human Race beings controlled by Ancient Demons, and very likely.

.. they might have already lost control!

As to why uncontrolled Ancient Demons could become obedient Four Holy Guards, that remained unknown.

The things within the Sorcerer Dynasty came from Pu YunChuan’s latest research, that is, they were based on things in his own memory that had not existed in this world before, created from his own recollections.

"Lord King of Qin..." Chen Baifeng gazed at the grand hall ahead. If he was not mistaken, that was the Qiankun Hall. Looking at the most magnificent palace ever built in the history of the Human Race, his heart held extreme unease.

"I feel our time is running short. The people from Heavenly Master Mansion invited us here surely not just to trap us. I always have this feeling... they have other plots at play. If we don’t figure it out soon, I fear something very bad will happen later on."

Chen Qing nodded upon hearing this, approving of the other’s viewpoint.

Ostensibly, assembling them seemed to be merely for the convenience of activating agents within each major power, to seize the fruits of their efforts.

But if that were the case, why would there be any need for something like a Heavenly Master selection?

From the first day everyone arrived in the city, they could simply control them with the Four Holy Guards; why make such a big show of holding a Heavenly Master Tournament?

The true purpose was certainly not simple...

Chen Qing felt, especially their attitude towards Zi Yue, was warmer than he had imagined.

Zi Yue, an experimental subject for research, why did it seem that the Old Celestial Master treated Zi Yue... often with compliance?

He felt the same as Chen Baifeng; the Heavenly Master Mansion was secretly plotting something momentous!

"Now, the pace is in their hands; we mustn’t act rashly.

" Chen Qing comforted Chen Baifeng. He had watched Chen Baifeng’s performance, and while this man might not possess Liu Yu’s depth of cunning, his composed nature in the face of issues made him someone to discuss significant matters with.

Now, with everyone in the same boat, he did not wish for impulsive actions.

"We don’t know the details of those Four Holy Guards, nor how the enemy will make their move; acting blindly would definitely harm us. To clear up the intelligence, we must disrupt their rhythm."

"How can we create chaos?" Chen Baifeng frowned. At this moment, all the factions found themselves calculated within the enemy’s plans, with his Southern Sea in urgent trouble and Chen Qing’s Jiangnan equally at risk.

He guessed there was a high chance that troubles had also emerged at the Emperor’s end, with the rhythm completely in the enemy’s grasp.

They were barely maintaining their own composure, let alone waiting for the opposition to become disordered.

"Let’s meet with His Majesty first," Chen Qing said, looking at the entrance of the Qiankun Hall. "In this final trial, I believe His Majesty will not easily let the fruits be usurped. The variable might well come from His Majesty!"

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"So it is... You have a sister too? Then who is the true master of the Central Plains? Your destiny is authentically reflected upon you, which was crucial in my decision to ally with you. Now you’re telling me that there is another person above the throne?"

"She and I are twins, sharing the same boat through thick and thin, dependent on each other in life and death!" the Emperor laughed. "My empire is also her empire!"

King Xiang fell silent for a long time before finally speaking, "I’ve always thought that your affections were for the Empress. When the Empress died, your grief did not seem feigned; it appears you are better at acting than I imagined."

"It was never an act," the Emperor said, looking outside the hall, feeling the breath of air coming from afar, his mind filled with memories from the past.

His twin sister had been inseparable from him in life and death, enduring the worst circumstances in silence until today. No one knew that the most formidable woman of the Siao Family was actually her.

A person of unparalleled talent, she bore humiliations for so many years, willing to coordinate from the shadows even when her own brother became the Emperor. What extraordinary endurance, and what profound trust?

In this world, no one could trust another more than they trusted each other.

But this did not mean his feelings for the Empress were untrue.

In those hopeless days, a gentle woman without schemes approached him unreservedly, offering him tenderness like that of soothing water.

That was during his most downtrodden moments, when he was most overlooked—the purest form of affection.

She had never thought she would become the Empress. From the moment she met him, her liking for him was pure, simply liking; how precious was that to someone like him who had to carry the darkness?

But to mislead others, for the sake of the greater cause... he had no choice but to watch, eyes wide open, as the Thousand-Faced Fox killed her!

How could a mere low-level demon infiltrate the Imperial Palace and kill the Empress right under his nose?

And let her die so miserably at that.

He could hear her agonized screams before her death.

And he could feel her waiting for him to save her in those final moments.

"You seem a bit agitated..." King Xiang furrowed his brow. "Did I say something wrong?"

The Emperor fell silent for a moment, the warmth in his eyes fading as he shook his head slightly, "No, you are right, I... am indeed quite good at acting."

"The motives of the Heavenly Master Mansion aren’t simple; this third trial must contain some mystery. If we do nothing, we might... end up trapped here together. If we act now, despite risking damage to my origin, I am confident I can take you out of here."

"No need..." The Emperor shook his head. "If we can think of this, so can Chen Qing. He won’t just sit and wait for his doom."

"You’re putting your hopes on an outsider?"

"Not hope... but certainty!" the Emperor grinned. "He is like me, the kind who does not mind trouble, preferring to spend time preparing countless fallbacks. My Capital City will not be lost, and his Jiangnan... will not be lost either!"