Chapter 895: A Slap Louder Than a Firecracker [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Xun Zhen was also seething with anger.

Having his enemy use his pseudonym to do countless unethical things behind his back over the years, without his knowledge, would infuriate anyone. Yet, Qi Yuanliang, relying on his lord's favoritism, acted erratically, arrogantly, and made outrageous remarks.

His once pure reputation has been stained by countless blemishes.

All of this is thanks to Qi Yuanliang.

Qi Shan turned the tables and said, "Xun Hanzhang, how did you become such a vulgar person who only sees material things? What do you mean by 'receiving a salary without working'? If it weren't for my efforts over the years in dealing with the various gods, my lord's great cause would have faced many more setbacks."

Is this considered receiving a salary without working?

This is what he deserves in terms of salary and emotional compensation!

Xun Zhen was provoked and became displeased.

He said sarcastically, "Yes, yes, you're so high and mighty, so impressive. You've claimed all the credit for our lord's great cause with just a few words. Do you have the guts to tell me when you stole my identity? You dare say it was after you joined our lord? Hmph, I wonder which lord made you do such a shameless thing, daring to frame our lord?"

He dared to gamble with Qi Yuanliang's life.

This scoundrel definitely betrayed them, father and son, and then stole their identities. The reason Xun Ding, the unfilial son, didn't have his identity stolen was probably because Xun Ding was a martial artist with martial prowess, which was difficult to disguise. Having worked together for so many years, the two knew that Qi Yuanliang possessed an extraordinary talent for disguise. As long as he put in the effort to get close to someone, he could perfectly imitate that person in the blink of an eye.

Even if the deception wasn't prolonged, it could certainly fool them for a while. This is something that Jiang Sheng, the victim who almost had his heart ripped out, can attest to. This incident also greatly affected the couple's relationship; for a long time, Jiang Sheng couldn't accept his wife appearing behind him.

There is reason to suspect that Qi Shan stole Jiang Sheng's identity after stabbing him, which is what makes everyone most indignant!

Have you no shame?

Does Qi Yuanliang have no shame?

Jiang Sheng sneered: "Can he answer that?"

Liao Jia looked at Qi Shan with complicated emotions and sighed.

Despite being besieged, Qi Shan remained unmoved, standing firm despite the onslaught. Those who colluded with Qi Shan, like Gu Chi, were merely spectators; Qin Li, having already vented his anger, watched coldly; and those with lesser grudges, like Chu Yao, simply observed the spectacle.

Their lord, meanwhile, sat to the side scratching his ear.

Gu Chi clearly heard her internal monologue: [Han Zhang's words sound weird, don't they? It's like Yuan Liang's been cheating on me, and now he's making a scene and I'm stuck with him. It's like I'm being cuckolded? Wang Chao, do you feel the same way?]

Can these sarcastic and unsettling people be targeted for precise strikes?

She, the lord (fish), is completely innocent.

Gu Chi bit his lower lip, holding back his anger.

Sure enough, gossip is most enjoyable when accompanied by the lord's inner thoughts. If she hadn't said it, she herself wouldn't have imagined that Xun Hanzhang's sarcastic remarks could be interpreted in such a way. It's just a pity that Qi Yuanliang is too thick-skinned, unmoved by Xun Zhen's attacks, going all out with a "take my life or I'll give up my money" attitude. If a fight doesn't break out, there's nothing interesting to watch. Gu Chi repeatedly exclaimed, "What a pity!"

Cui Xiao was the last to arrive.

He had long heard of his wicked schemes, and they were legendary.

In Cui Xiao's imagination, someone who could be crowned "wicked schemer" should possess a sinister aura, like a venomous insect dwelling in a stinking ditch, hiding in an unnoticed corner, coldly scrutinizing every prey, valuable or worthless. But upon meeting him in person, the man was completely different from his expectations. Qi Yuanliang looked normal, not like someone capable of spewing venom.

Out of the corner of his eye, he followed Qin Gongsu to one side.

The latter remained calm and composed, showing no intention of taking advantage of the situation.

Cui Xiao waved his sword fan, thinking to himself: [Have you managed to appease him?]

He inquired about the exact date of Qi Yuanliang's arrival, which was only two or three days ago. How could Qin Li have stopped hating him in such a short time? He didn't know whether to say Qin Li was too naive and easily deceived, or that a wicked schemer was good at sweet talk. In any case, it had nothing to do with him, so he put it out of his mind.

Gu Chi felt like he was losing all feeling in his lower lip.

His colleagues were all interesting.

Of course, the most interesting part is yet to come.

Outside the tent, Lin Feng requested an audience.

Shen Tang looked up and asked, "Why is your father here?"

Lin Feng asked suspiciously, "Didn't the lord have something to instruct you on?"

Qi Shan took out an invitation from his pocket. It was a familiar black background with yellow characters. He said, "Shan sent her."

Lin Feng, bewildered, accepted the gift from Qi Shan. The thought that "the invitation is black with yellow text" had just crossed his mind when he heard a clear dragon's roar, followed by his teacher's barely suppressed anger: "Qi Yuanliang, come here and die!"

Anyone with eyes can see how much Chu Yao values ​​Lin Feng.

To Chu Yao, Lin Feng was not only his disciple but also his own daughter; even the simple-minded Tu Rong paled in comparison. He could bear to see Lin Feng suffer hardships outside because he knew these setbacks would help her grow, but that didn't mean Chu Yao was completely laissez-faire towards her. That damned Qi Shan actually wanted to drag Lin Feng into the Gods' Guild? Did he really think he couldn't lift a sword anymore?

"Today I'll teach you a lesson about what's important and what's not!"

Qi Shan, however, seemed to have anticipated this, drawing his sword to defend himself while provoking, "Chu Wuhui, how dare you! You dare to draw your sword in front of our lord, showing no respect for the emperor and committing treason! I'm just borrowing a disciple from you, why are you being so aggressive?"

"Can someone be considered talented if they aren't invited by the Council of Gods?"

"You, a second-rank upper-middle-level student, were invited by the Gods' Guild, but your disciple isn't? Why are you meddling so much? I'm just trying to lower the Gods' Guild's guard. You can't catch a wolf without risking your disciple..." Qi Shan spoke confidently. As the mole in the Gods' Guild's eyes who was undermining Shen Tang's power, he had to improve his performance. A second-rank upper-middle-level student like Wen Xin was a rare find.

Previously, because the lord's female identity was not publicly revealed, other female scholars naturally could not publicize it either, so Qi Shan had never touched Lin Feng's identity. Now that the truth has been revealed, why still hide Lin Feng? What's wrong with borrowing his identity for a while?

This is a special team-building event for the Gods' Assembly. Even though the meeting is being held in a neighboring town, not everyone can attend. Chu Yao needs to stay at the camp in place of the lord and cannot leave, which means we're short one person. Why can't Qi Shan use Lin Feng to fill in?

Qi Shan: "Chu Wuhui, we should prioritize the overall situation!"

He's incredibly adept at using moral blackmail against his colleagues.

Lin Feng was still unaware of what had happened until his teacher angrily sheathed his sword. Qi Shan smiled and sheathed his sword: "That's right. Ling De is your student, but I've also watched her grow up. How could I harm her? Not only Ling De, but I also plan to drag Wei Heng into this. As for the Council of Gods..."

Chu Yao poured cold water on Qi Shan's enthusiasm with an icy expression, his tone extremely aggressive: "Qi Yuanliang, do you really think you can calculate everything perfectly? The outer members of the Gods' Guild may still be kept in the dark, but did the inner members really not notice your tricks? Tell me, do you know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal that disappeared from Huang Xiguang and Zhang Yongqing's hands?"

Judging from Zhang He's belongings and the items seized from Huang Lie, all the clues point to the Gods' Society as the source of the Imperial Seal's whereabouts. Did Qi Yuanliang, as the deputy in charge of the Northwest region, know this?

If you knew, why did you hide it from your lord?

If they didn't know, the gods were on guard against him!

Why is Qi Yuanliang so smug here?

For their lord's sake, they were willing to accompany Qi Yuanliang to test the strength of the Gods' Alliance, but that didn't mean Chu Yao could tolerate Qi Shan's designs on Lin Feng! Everyone has their Achilles' heel, and Chu Yao, now all alone, has his Achilles' heel as his lord, Lingde, and Xianrong. If any of them were to be harmed, he would fight to the death! Qi Yuanliang had seriously crossed the line this time!

The air inside the tent suddenly froze for a moment.

The men who had been blocking the fight between the two exchanged glances, some of them wondering what was going on. They wanted to ask, but since it involved Qi Shan, they hesitated. Partly, they wanted to see Qi Shan court death; another part was out of respect for his scholarly principles and the absolute trust their lord placed in him. The scholarly principle of "killing one's lord" was essentially holding the lord hostage, preventing anyone from acting rashly.

In addition, the lord has several lives tied to him...

To put it bluntly, we were hesitant to act for fear of harming the innocent.

They couldn't allow a crisis of trust to arise between their lord and Qi Shan, for once suspicion arose, it could never be completely erased. However, they also couldn't allow Qi Shan to be so arrogant and smug. Chu Yao, on the other hand, had no such concerns. In terms of seniority and the lord's trust, the two were evenly matched.

Qi Shan smiled and said, "I didn't know that the external organization of the Gods Society has a loose system, and there are many enemies among the members who are wary of each other, while the National Seal is the responsibility of the internal organization."

This answer secretly relieved Chu Yao.

Chu Yao didn't want Qi Shan to have any problems, but he still rejected the suggestion: "Then I can't let you do that. Ling De isn't like you who can stir up trouble and get away unscathed. There's no need to bring this up again. Aren't there enough people here for you to achieve your goal?"

"It's enough, but it's not enough either."

Qi Shan raised his hand and added another layer of anti-eavesdropping spells near the tent, revealing an important piece of information: "The deputy of the Pantheon in the Northwest region comes from the Northern Desert. He has been dedicated to securing a national seal for the Northern Desert. However, there are some special rules within the Pantheon that have consistently vetoed this matter. I previously found an opportunity to eliminate him, but the Northern Desert has not given up."

Looking at the astonished expressions of the crowd, he sneered, "Surprised? I was surprised too when I first found out. Now I finally understand the extent to which the Gods have been secretly manipulating the situation on the continent. You think the Imperial Seal is only what's outside? How could that be! It seems the Gods knew about the existence of the Thief Star a long time ago, and they collected a batch of Thief Star fragments before the first ruler discovered their wonderful uses. The Imperial Seal is nothing more than a fragment of the Thief Star to them, something they can have whenever they want."

The national seal is important, but not that important.

Only one is needed.

This is the ticket to the game.

As far as he knew, when the world needed a relatively complete regime, the Gods would secretly step in and collect the scattered national seals, which were the fragments of the Thief Star. When the world needed to be shattered into pieces, the Gods would quietly scatter them away again.

The total number of national seals on the surface has not fluctuated much.

This world is a game of chess where the gods vie for power.

"Currently, the Council of Gods has suddenly loosened its restrictions on the Northern Desert." Qi Shan said, somewhat relieved. "Fortunately, our lord used the inscription to sow discord and infighting among the Ten Crows, completely crippling them and making unification impossible. Otherwise, we would all know what it's like to wake up one day to find two fierce neighbors suddenly erecting a border barrier. The current head of the Northwest Continent division is also close to the Northern Desert. I want to take this opportunity to cause some trouble for the head, so we can avoid some problems."

After one of the Ten Crows was rendered useless, the Northern Desert was brought out.

Chu Yao: "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

"This is related to our lord."

It's really frustrating to talk about this.

"Is it related to our lord?"

Shen Tang: "..."

She didn't do anything.

"Because the initial national seal in the Lord's possession has no record within the Council of Gods, I was instructed to investigate what happened." Although Qi Shan had no access to Huang Lie and Zhang He's national seals and was unaware of their whereabouts, he knew the basic information and location of every national seal in the Northwest Continent. Shen Tang's national seal seemed to have appeared out of thin air…

He said, "I only recently learned about this."

Qi Shan believed she had enough secrets.

Unexpectedly, our lord is no less capable.

Unfortunately, she herself couldn't remember, and there was no way to investigate.

Shen Tang: "The person in charge was killed, won't you be suspected?"

"My lord, who do you think the members of the Gods Society are playing chess with?" More often than not, it's members against each other, using the common people as pawns in their games and games of chance. Mutual attacks and assassinations are commonplace. How can one climb high without trampling on the lives of these members?

In the assembly of gods, this is a great achievement.

If he can take down the Northwest official, that would be a testament to his skill.

"Be prepared that the Northern Desert will have the Imperial Seal." It's fortunate, really. When the lord was targeted by the inner circle of the Gods' Guild, she was already powerful enough and strong enough that assassination and poisoning couldn't harm her; they could only annoy her.

The imperial seal was distributed to the Northern Desert to restrain the development of the lord's power.

Shen Tang showed no sign of worry: "This is a small matter."

Even if the Northern Desert obtains the Imperial Seal, it won't have a significant impact on Shen Tang in the short term. Even if the Northern Desert doesn't come after her, she'll need to take two years to recover and deal with Wu Xian before settling things with the Northern Desert. Alternatively, she could first join forces with Wu Xian to deal with the Northern Desert, and then turn her attention to Wu Xian.

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

The only thing to blame is that it was too close, making her feel insecure.

Shen Tang: "Does the Gods' Alliance have a large army?"

Qi Shan shook his head: "As far as I know, the Pantheon only maintains some highly skilled and courageous martial artists for self-protection and deterrence. They have connections in various places, but they don't have any troops, nor could they. The Pantheon has never been eradicated because it is gentle and harmless to outsiders. While they manipulate the changes of secular power, they are also guarded and restrained by informed forces, preventing them from making any major moves."

The system of the Pantheon was loose, and members were free to come and go.

The interests of these members are not aligned with those of the Pantheon.

A unified stance fosters cooperation, while opposing stances create checks and balances.

If armed forces are deployed, countless national leaders will be unable to sleep or eat in unease, and then they will carry out large-scale purges of members and spies within their borders.

Shen Tang scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? Are you afraid that they'll come up with such a foolish trick out of desperation, giving the Imperial Seal to the Northern Desert to annoy me? Is the Northern Desert a match for me? No, it's a slap in the face I gave to the All Gods! Louder than a New Year's firecracker!"

"The Assembly of the Gods?"

"Is it a god, or an insect?"

You'll find out soon enough.

Ah, the assembly of gods?

To call oneself a god is arrogant indeed.

Ultimately, they are nothing more than a swarm of bloodsuckers who greedily leech off the corpses of the old civilization and then pretend to be gods and demons in the new world.

|ω`)

Good morning everyone, this chapter is scheduled.

I'll fix any bugs or imperfections when I wake up.

(End of this chapter)