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"Why do I always feel that you are guarding against Her Highness?"

Chen Qing glanced at Zhang Zhiyun, who had been weakly silent not far away.

Zhang Zhiyun had been silent this whole time, only speaking through voice transmission now.

Zhang Zhiyun always scorned to talk to that "waste," irritated that such a setup could actually lose to some upstart and even misplace the White Tiger Sorcery—truly, a sheer waste.

However, with emotions pent up in his heart, and rarely having someone to talk to, he eventually chose not to reply with cold ridicule, instead replying coolly, "Shouldn’t I be cautious?"

"Her Highness sacrificed herself back then, made such a risky decision, and upheld the responsibility owed by the Imperial Clan—an unprecedented contribution. When it comes to contributions, all of the elders combined don’t compare to hers."

"So what?" Zhang Xiaoyun felt even more irritable inside.

He hatched late and had grown up only to look up to his elder sister.

The whole Ancient Demon Realm praised that woman—elders and commoners alike.

He admitted that even if he had been born in the same era, he couldn’t have taken the same step as her, but.

.. he still insisted it was a foolish decision!

Ancient Demons had lain hidden for many reincarnations and had already acquired some memories of the Creator, Pu Yunchuan. Just a bit more patience, and what was unsolvable in this reincarnation could perhaps be remedied in the next one.

The Sorcerer Dynasty’s plan carried a very high risk of exposure. One misstep could lead to annihilation of the whole clan. There was a safer way, so why take the risk now? Generously, it could be called daring, but more harshly, wasn’t it simply gambling?

Using the safety of one’s entire clan to gamble with one’s own future, what respect is there to be had in that?

Of course... he understood what was going on.

The Ancient Demon Clan had remained hidden for too long.

To avoid detection, an entire reincarnation cycle forced all clan members to live in the dark.

They had the talent for parasitism but couldn’t use it, and in their short lifespans of mere decades, they could only die in despair and spend their lives eating rot found underground.

No one wanted to continue such an existence, not even under the guise of passing down a legacy.

Everyone hoped that the generation to rise would be their own. After all, the idea of sacrificing oneself for the next generation appealed to only the few. Thus, the daring Princess Zi Yue became a national hero.

Watching Zhang Zhiyun speak so self-righteously, disdain grew in his heart, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue.

After all, what’s done is done, and arguing was pointless now.

What concerned him more was the instability within Princess Zi Yue, so he spoke up, "Even now, she can’t explain what exactly she did during the days she disappeared, can she?

How can you all be so sure she’s still the Princess Zi Yue you admire?

What if... she’s the second Demon Buddha? "

"Prince, please watch your words!" Zhang Zhiyun’s voice sharpened suddenly.

"Scared?" Zhang Xiaoyun sneered.

"It is you who are afraid, isn’t it? You don’t need to rush to slander Princess Zi Yue. It does you no good. Just now, Princess Zi Yue immediately handed over Chen Ying, which is proof enough of her loyalty to the Ancient Demon Clan."

"What does that prove?" Zhang Xiaoyun scoffed: "If she hadn’t handed her over, the... um... cough... the Guard Commander would have killed her. She’s not a fool. Of course, she would hand her over. What does that prove?"

"But she didn’t intervene when Chen Qing was in danger."

"Just because she and Chen Qing are not necessarily aligned, Chen Qing’s misfortune makes it easier for her to control Jiangnan, doesn’t it?"

"So, according to you, whatever Her Highness does is premeditated?"

"Hmph..." Zhang Xiaoyun snorted coldly: "I’m just reminding you not to trust her too much..."

He couldn’t find any evidence to prove there was something wrong with Princess Zi Yue, but couldn’t rule it out either, right? For someone who had caused trouble before, shouldn’t the safest course be to lock her away completely? He really didn’t understand what the High Priest had been thinking.

As he pondered this, the person who had reported the military situation earlier suddenly came with an update: "Princess."

"Speak!" Princess Zi Yue stepped forward and asked.

Zhang Xiaoyun frowned and followed close to listen.

"The Western Sea Army in Jiangnan has started to move!"

"Oh?" Princess Zi Yue’s face showed surprise: "Who is leading the troops? Tian Heng?"

Zhang Xiaoyun also looked puzzled; Tian Heng was obviously seriously injured, and held hostage by that mysterious Sky Totem. At this time, who else could command the Western Sea Army?

"It’s the monster that kidnapped Tian Heng."

"How is that possible?" Princess Zi Yue frowned: "Even if the Deputy General of the Western Sea Army lacks resolve, he wouldn’t just follow an outsider who’s holding their commander hostage, would he? Where are they heading?"

"The White Tiger Hall—it’s exactly where the Demon is battling the Guard Commander!"

"Are you sure?" Princess Zi Yue’s brow furrowed tighter, and Zhang Xiaoyun also felt a surge of urgency upon hearing this. The people by the Guard Commander’s side were the real elite, the true foundation of the Blood Demon Clan, with inconceivably powerful combat abilities.

And there’s still another ace up their sleeve that hasn’t been used, but.

.. even so, being surrounded and attacked by two forces always feels unsettling.

"Could the Sky Totem actually be a ploy of the Northern Territory?"

The speaker now was Zhang Zhiyun, who had followed behind.

"That’s a possibility..." Princess Zi Yue stroked her chin in thought, "But even if that’s the case, how would it be able to command the Western Sea Army?"

The guard was also anxious, his voice heavy, "Considering the reasons now is meaningless; Your Highness, please make a decision as quickly as possible."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Xiaoyun was taken aback and looked at the other party, "What decision do you want her to make?"

It was not until then that a hint of suspicion arose in his heart—this messenger, a general named Ling Sheng, was a descendant of the previous generation’s High Priest, always following the Guard Commander’s orders.

Why, at such a critical time, did he not report to the Guard Commander immediately but instead come to seek Princess Zi Yue’s opinion?

No sooner had this thought emerged than Zhang Zhiyun on his side voiced the doubt for him, "General, isn’t everything decided by the Guard Commander in the Council of Elders’ Guard Squad? Princess Zi Yue, she..."

"Before leaving, the Guard Commander instructed me..." Ling Sheng seemed puzzled as well but still said earnestly, "He said that after he left, the elite guards’ movements would be decided by Princess Zi Yue!"

"What kind of joke is this?" Zhang Xiaoyun could not help but blurt out loud.

Zhang Zhiyun’s brows were also tightly knitted; he could not believe that the Guard Commander would make such a decision.

There were two divisions of the Ancient Demon Clan’s Four Holy Guard, one of which was the Holy Army, formed by the ordinary descendants with bloodlines, led by the War Priest with eight thousand soldiers.

The second group was different, consisting of two thousand elite troops directly descended from the Council of Elders’ lineage whose strength and potential were incomparable to the ordinary Holy Army.

Crucially, they could temporally return to their ancestral bloodlines, activating special powers within the Four Holy Guard’s bodies to reach the level of a Deputy General of the Holy Army!

Two thousand Deputy Generals—that was an incredibly frightening force, the very ace of the Ancient Demon Clan!

To meet the enemy in the North, the Guard Commander only took a thousand of these ace guards, yet he entrusted the other half of the force to Princess Zi Yue?

That sounded utterly absurd.

Even if Princess Zi Yue had reached the pinnacle of renown in the past, still...

"Please, Prince, do not question the orders of the Guard Commander!" The messenger’s tone suddenly turned ice-cold, causing Zhang Xiaoyun to choke and then fly into a rage.

The King’s Elite Guard Squad only took orders from the Guard Commander, not even the High Priests could command them, all because of the Guard Commander’s true identity...

But why... Why would he make such a muddle-headed decision?

No, that’s not right... There must be something wrong!

"You..." Zhang Xiaoyun looked at Princess Zi Yue, exasperated, "What exactly did you do?"

Princess Zi Yue shrugged, "Are you out of your mind? Without any troops or authority, with my life and death in your hands, what could I do?"

Zhang Xiaoyun: "....."

Something’s off...

"It might be..." Zhang Zhiyun furrowed his brow, finally suggesting an explanation, "Your Highness didn’t hesitate to hand over Chen Ying, so the Guard Commander trusted you."

Trust my foot!

Zhang Xiaoyun rolled his eyes. If the Guard Commander trusted her, he would have never asked Princess Zi Yue for Chen Ying in the first place.

Something’s very off!!