Fortunately, at that moment, one or two flashes of cold light shot from behind the wall. The first deflected Fu Lingchuan’s sword, while the second aimed directly at his face. Fu Lingchuan ducked and charged forward, his fingertips almost touching Feng Miaojun’s clothes when suddenly a man nearly seven feet tall appeared before him!
Fu Lingchuan recognized this person—it was none other than General Hong. His pupils contracted as he angled his sword tip upward toward the opponent’s heart, shouting: “Move aside.”
With a resounding “clang” that shook the entire pavilion, Zhao Hongyin deflected the sword with a bronze staff in his hand, his massive fist—as large as a bowl—following through toward Fu Lingchuan’s face.
As a body cultivator, each of his strikes was powerful and majestic, carrying the force of ten thousand pounds, stirring up a barrier of wind that made it difficult to breathe. Fu Lingchuan was unwilling to meet such formidable power head-on and stepped back, while Zhao Hongyin, with his ox-like eyes wide open, shouted: “State Preceptor Fu, you dare commit treason!”
The thunderous roar carried far on the night wind.
Fu Lingchuan snorted: “Changle, what a clever scheme.”
By now, how could he not see that Zhao Hongyin was a piece Changle had positioned in advance, waiting for him to attack the sovereign first, which would substantiate the charge of “disrespect to the monarch and plotting rebellion.”
However, he still believed his strategy was one step ahead.
Compared to Fei Yuan, Changle was full of cunning. Especially since she hadn’t displayed her powers since Spiral Floating Island, despite his several attempts to probe her cultivation depth. It had been difficult to determine the right dosage of Thousand Silk Worm powder to apply to her clothing—too much would attract attention, and too little would be ineffective. How long it could control the target also depended on the target’s cultivation level.
Fortunately, it had finally taken effect.
From the beginning, this battle had to be swift and decisive as lightning. Fu Lingchuan knew he had committed a grave offense; his only option now was to quickly dispose of Zhao Hongyin, capture Changle, and avoid any delay.
However, in that instant, he felt a chill behind him. Without turning his head, Fu Lingchuan swung his sword backward.
The sound of metal clashing rang out as he blocked a sword strike from behind, stepping sideways.
A second powerful enemy was hiding here!
At the same time, the pavilion where everyone stood changed. The white walls disappeared, replaced by another side hall, complete with furnishings and decorations.
Most importantly, three people sat in the side hall—high-ranking court officials, including Prime Minister Wang Yuan!
These three people shared one characteristic: they all held high positions with authority and widespread fame.
They had tea set before them but were staring fixedly at the battle scene, unable to look away, their faces filled with complex emotions. When Fu Lingchuan’s gaze met theirs, he nearly vomited blood in anger.
An illusion!
There were two pavilions here by the lake, one in front of the other, one large and one small. Fu Lingchuan had visited White Horse Lake many times and was thoroughly familiar with the layout of the buildings. It wasn’t easy to deceive him.
But people tend to lower their guard with familiar things. Feng Miaojun exploited this point to set up her illusion. She hadn’t altered the pavilions individually—she had changed the entire layout of the southern shore of White Horse Lake!
The entrance, plants, and the shape and size of the pavilions all appeared unchanged, so who would notice if they had taken a wrong turn? Anyone entering White Horse Lake this time would have followed a reversed sequence. Feng Miaojun was eating sweet soup in the large pavilion, but the side hall was concealed by an illusory white wall that also blocked any sense of human presence. From beginning to end, Fu Lingchuan never realized there were people next door.
These were all witnesses who had seen him “actively” attack the sovereign and heard his disrespectful words.
While it was true that Fu Lingchuan normally controlled the court and wielded great influence, in the current delicate situation, his actions became the perfect justification for certain people to “clear the court of evil influences”—such as Hu Yan Bei, who had thrust a sword from behind him—
Now this man looked at him with a cold smile, his eyes full of triumph.
So Changle had indeed joined forces with the Hu Yan family to deal with him! Fu Lingchuan suddenly turned back, glaring at Feng Miaojun with bloodshot eyes: “What a clever plot!”
He spoke through gritted teeth.
He could kill Zhao Hongyin, he could kill Hu Yan Bei, but what should he do with Wang Yuan and the others—kill them all? These individuals all held crucial positions in the court; removing even one would cause a major shock, let alone if they all died here. How would he explain this to the royal court?
Inviting these people to witness his rebellion firsthand was itself a success in Feng Miaojun’s scheme.
However, she had also fallen into his trap, and perhaps there was still a way to salvage the current situation.
At this moment, Hu Yan Bei attacked while laughing: “Drop your sword and kowtow a few times. The Queen is magnanimous—she might spare you!”
As he spoke, his form flickered, and suddenly there were two more Hu Yan Bei—one went to attack the tiger, while another joined the original in surrounding Fu Lingchuan. Their speed, power, and agility were identical to the original; they were not mere illusions.
These aristocratic family heads were all generals who had led troops against Wei, and most possessed cultivation abilities. The Hu Yan family’s prominence among them was inseparable from the family head’s profound cultivation.
Fu Lingchuan had thoroughly studied the signature techniques of such figures and knew this cloning technique had a time limit and couldn’t last long. Even so, Fu Lingchuan felt greatly pressured—he was now effectively fighting five opponents.
With an ashen face, he pointed his sword tip at the three men and commanded in a low voice: “By heaven’s mandate, withdraw!”
As soon as the words were spoken, the faint blue light surrounding Zhao Hongyin, Hu Yan Bei, and Chen Dachang disappeared.
As State Preceptor, Fu Lingchuan could manipulate New Xia’s fortune and elemental power—he could both bestow and take away. Now he was using this authority to strip the three of their elemental power.
From now on, these individuals could only rely on their inherent cultivation to fight him to the death. Fu Lingchuan himself was a powerful master with profound cultivation and abundant elemental power. At this moment, it was unclear who would emerge victorious.
Fu Lingchuan raised his hand, revealing a small blue cauldron in his left palm.
Feng Miaojun urgently called out: “Don’t let him use it!”
Both Zhao Hongyin and Hu Yan Bei were battle-hardened veterans. Without waiting for her to finish, they pounced forward, not giving their opponent a chance to act. However, Fu Lingchuan blew a breath into the small cauldron, from which a wisp of blue smoke emerged, instantly transforming into a giant tiger and two huge armadillos.
The tiger immediately pounced on Hu Yan Bei. It was clear now who Fu Lingchuan despised more.
This tiger demon was nearly two zhang long (over six meters), not counting its tail. The pavilion wasn’t spacious, and with such a large creature inside, everyone was forced into corners. Moreover, the tiger had wings growing from its sides, with tips like daggers that split the sandalwood flower stand by the wall in two.
As for the two giant armadillos, though they lacked sharp teeth and weren’t as agile as the tiger, their claws were sharp enough to split mountains and stones. Their bodies were covered in heavy armor—even Zhao Hongyin’s bronze staff left nothing more than a couple of dents when it struck them. These creatures also had a peculiar method of attack: they could curl their bodies into balls and roll directly toward their opponents.