"Shangguan Yunyue, that woman, is truly too malicious!" Dugu Jingtian cursed, "To actually demand a sliver of our souls! She wants to use this to control us, it's utterly despicable!"
Xin Lie nodded, "Indeed, quite despicable! But also very clever!"
"Clever?" Dugu Jingtian was taken aback, "You say she's clever?"
"Is she not?" Xin Lie said, "She doesn't trust our guarantees, nor our oaths. In the end, she sets conditions for us to give up a sliver of our souls. If we do as she says... then she's completely safe. With our souls in her hands, we dare not harm her. Not only will we not dare to harm her, but we'll have to protect her as much as possible. Such a clever tactic."
"Immortal, what should we do?" Dugu Jingtian sought Xin Lie's advice.
"I don't know," Xin Lie shook his head, "My mind's in turmoil right now, I don't know what to do at this mont."
"What a headache," Dugu Jingtian sighed deeply, "If we don't hand over our souls, we'll be burned to death; if we do, we'll be at soone else's rcy. Whichever option we choose, it's a dead end."
...
Elsewhere.
Shangguan Yunyue was speaking with Nangong Qi.
"Have they agreed?" Nangong Qi inquired.
"Not yet," Shangguan Yunyue shook her head, "But they will soon! They can't hold out for much longer! I simply don't believe that they truly aren't afraid of death." As she said this, Shangguan Yunyue paused, "Where are the imperial troops now?"
"They've reached the Three Gorges Mouth and are only thousands of miles from Piaomiao Palace, they could attack at any mont," Nangong Qi said worriedly, "According to the reports from my disciples, the officials have mobilized tens of millions of troops..."
Shangguan Yunyue waved her hand dismissively, "I've said it before, as long as we have the Emperor in our grasp, the official troops wouldn't dare go too far."
"I've contacted other Sects and noble families in hopes of getting their help."
"And the result?"
"They all made excuses to refuse."
"For years, Piaomiao Palace has lood over them, lorded over them," Shangguan Yunyue huffed, "They'd surely be glad for Piaomiao Palace to fall quickly so they can vie for the title of number one Sect in the world." She continued, "Even without their help, Piaomiao Palace can still overco this crisis."
"Right," Nangong Qi nodded emphatically, "We can definitely overco this crisis!"
...
Several days later.
The official troops had surrounded Piaomiao Palace. From a high vantage point, looking down, there were densely packed heads as far as the eye could see.
"Hand over His Majesty the Emperor at once! Or else Piaomiao Palace will be leveled!"
"Hand over His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Level Piaomiao Palace!"
The tens of millions of troops shouted in unison, their voices booming and echoing far and wide, clearly heard by everyone in Piaomiao Palace.
"Swoosh!"
A streak of white light shot out from Piaomiao Palace at an astonishing speed, arriving at the gate in the blink of an eye. As the white light dissipated, it revealed the figure of a woman.
"Hiss..."
Many onlookers drew in a sharp breath, their eyes showing astonishnt. Such a beautiful woman! She was even three notches more beautiful than a fairy!
The newcor was none other than the current Palace Master of Piaomiao Palace, Shangguan Yunyue. She was dressed in a pristine white jumpsuit today, her long hair was gathered up high, and her hands were placed in front of her chest. Standing there, she exuded an aura of pure, untainted beauty.
"Who is this person? How can she be so beautiful?"
"My little heart, thumping and racing."
"Ah, I'm getting a nosebleed..."
"So beautiful, she's so beautiful. I've never seen such a beautiful woman in all my life."
"Imagine marrying her and cuddling up to sleep, how wonderful that would be."
"Enough dreaming, you think soone like you could marry her?"
...
As soon as Shangguan Yunyue appeared, the scene turned into chaos.
"Shut your mouths!" A stern shout suddenly rang out, its reverberation buzzing in everyone's ears. A man in a purple robe, his face pale and beardless, strolled forth. The soldiers quickly bowed respectfully, showing expressions of great veneration.
"I was wondering who had such a loud voice, turns out it's the Grand Steward, Liu Yifei." Shangguan Yunyue said indifferently.
"Shangguan Yunyue," Liu Yifei said with a sullen face, "I don't want to waste words with you, hurry up and hand over His Majesty the Emperor!" Liu Yifei was the Imperial Household Chief Steward, the most trusted man of the Emperor, Dugu Jingtian. Since the age of ten, he had been following Dugu Jingtian, and when Dugu Jingtian beca Emperor, he appointed Liu Yifei as the Imperial Household Chief Steward. Liu Yifei was passionate about cultivation, not much concerned about power or status, spending most of the year in closed-door cultivation, rarely ddling in secular affairs.
If it weren't for the need to rescue Dugu Jingtian, Liu Yifei would not have shown himself at all.
In this world, there was only one person Liu Yifei cared for, and that was Emperor Dugu Jingtian. With Dugu Jingtian trapped and the four great princes having defected, it fell to the Grand Steward, Liu Yifei, to take control of the situation.
Shangguan Yunyue and Liu Yifei had t a few tis in earlier years, so they were old acquaintances.
"Liu Yifei, you listen to ," Shangguan Yunyue said in a very cold tone, "The Emperor is currently a guest at Piaomiao Palace, and he does not wish to leave yet..."
"Bullshit!" Liu Yifei was famously quick-tempered, prone to cursing when angered, "The Emperor is clearly imprisoned by you, yet you claim he is a guest at Piaomiao Palace. You're blatantly lying, what are you plotting!" Liu Yifei's hair and beard were bristling, and his eyes were ablaze with anger, making him look rather terrifying.
"The Emperor's cultivation is profound, how could I possibly imprison him?"
"Who knows what vile sches you've employed! Shangguan Yunyue, I'm telling you for the last ti, bring out the Emperor imdiately, or else I will lead my army to flatten Piaomiao Palace!"
"You dare!" Shangguan Yunyue's expression darkened as she emitted a strong murderous aura. She glared at Liu Yifei and said deliberately, "If you dare make a move, I'll kill the Emperor!"
"You..."
"If you don't believe , you can try it!"
Liu Yifei was stunned into silence, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.
"If you want the Emperor to co out unhard, then behave yourself." With that, Shangguan Yunyue turned and left.
"Motherfucker, damn it all! Once I rescue the Emperor, I will never forgive you!" After Shangguan Yunyue walked away, Liu Yifei started to curse vehently, realizing it had been many years since he'd been this angry.
"Grand Steward! What should we do next?" Bai Daqing, the lord of Chaotic Wind City, ca up to ask.
"Let's wait and see," Liu Yifei said irritably, "The Emperor is in their hands, we can't act rashly for now."
Bai Daqing nodded, "I understand."
And so, millions of soldiers began to set up camp around Piaomiao Palace, with tents rising from the ground and forming rows, creating a unique sight.
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