Chapter Thirty-Five: Inviting the Enemy into the Trap

"If they're going to make their move at the Daqing Hall, then do it there, in front of everyone. Tear off their last veil of pretense and wipe them out in one fell swoop!" Shang Jiuya's eyes sharpened. "Elder Changdong, you are in charge of dealing with Ao Li's garrison. You can feign weakness for now, lure them deeper, lower their guard, and then..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured," Changdong said in a deep voice, "I have already thoroughly investigated Ao Li's garrison, including its deployment, combat strength, and even the temperament of its main generals. At that time, we will only need a detachment to attack one point, drawing away its main force, and then elite troops to directly seize its command post and control points, cutting off its leadership and disrupting its morale! The main force will lie in ambush on the flanks, waiting to encircle and defeat it when it is in disarray! Not a single soldier will interfere with the Daqing Palace!"

"Li Yue, the safety of the palace is entrusted to you and the Shadow Guards. The protective magical artifacts and countermeasures provided by Elder Qingcheng, especially those targeting poisonous fog and soul attacks, must be secretly deployed in advance, with a focus on guarding against Guan Shanyue's insidious methods. Bai Yu will provide information on the properties of the poisons she may use, and the Machinery Hall will configure detoxification and purification modules accordingly."

"I swear on my life!" Li Yue said, his hand on his sword hilt. "The Shadow Guards are all on standby, ready to protect Your Excellency to the death!"

"Elder Xing Yuan, Elder Lian Bo, at that time, I will need the two of you to keep the neutral party in check and, at the critical moment, present some key evidence to help me expose their hypocrisy and the absurdity of their so-called 'legal principles'."

Xing Yuan nodded solemnly.

Lian Bo stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, finally nodding slowly and sighing, "The Demon Realm... cannot withstand another endless infighting. It's time for a thorough purge. I know what to do."

"As for the 'co-governance' promised by Ao Li and Guan Shanyue..." Shang Jiuya sneered, "It's perfect to let them all jump in together, saving me the trouble of cleaning them up one by one later. This time, we'll make sure they never have a chance to rise again!"

Inside the Purple Light Palace, a massive net has been quietly cast to target the rebellion, waiting for its prey to walk right into its trap.

The day that would decide the fate of the demon realm finally arrived amidst a suffocating sense of oppression and turbulent undercurrents.

The Great Celebration Hall, this magnificent palace symbolizing the supreme power of the Demon Realm, seemed shrouded in a heavy, leaden cloud today.

Officials and elders entered in turn, exchanging only minimal pleasantries. Even when they spoke, their voices were hushed, and their eyes darted around, revealing an undisguised tension and scrutiny. Everyone knew that today's meeting was anything but ordinary.

Officials supporting Shang Jiuya wore solemn expressions, secretly clenching their fists or concealing miniature magical artifacts in their sleeves. Following prior instructions, they quietly moved to relatively safe or easily accessible areas. The neutral faction (represented by Lian Bo) mostly frowned, remained silent, and chose positions further back and closer to the palace pillars, clearly determined to observe the situation first.

The atmosphere in the entire hall could explode at any moment.

Shang Jiuya sat upright on the high throne.

Today she was dressed in a solemn dark purple demon lord's robe, with wide sleeves that hung down, concealing her quietly clenched fist and the Kunwu sword that was beginning to hum within her sleeve.

Her gaze calmly swept over the crowd below, who were gradually taking their places. In the depths of her deep eyes lay a cold, composed control over the entire situation. She could see the worry and determination in the eyes of the loyalists, the hesitation and calculation in the eyes of the neutrals, and she could also sense the malice and resolute killing intent that was gradually approaching from the direction of the palace gate.

They've arrived.

The light at the entrance of the hall dimmed for a moment, and then several figures, surrounded by a group of cold and stern guards, entered the hall.

Leading the group was the Grand Elder, You Chi. Today, he was unusually dressed in a dark red elder's battle robe, instead of his usual civilian attire. His eyes were sinister, and every step he took carried a heavy pressure.

Closely following him was the Third Elder, Gong Liang, whose shrewd eyes flickered uncertainly.

Eighth Elder Jiang was walking on the other side, holding a thick scroll bound with black and gold thread in his hands. His expression remained unchanged, cold and hard, as if he were just conducting a routine legal review.

Following these three elders were the Fourth Prince Ao Li and the Ninth Prince Guan Shanyue.

Ao Li, dressed in a black military uniform with a long sword at his waist, walked with a powerful stride and a cold, stern expression. He deliberately lagged behind You Chi by half a step, both to show "respect" for the elder and to highlight his special status as a military backer and the future new emperor.

Guan Shanyue, dressed in a gorgeous yet dignified palace gown, with exquisite makeup and a cold smile playing on her lips, glanced silently over Shang Jiuya on the throne and over various key positions in the hall, assessing and calculating.

The arrival of this group instantly brought the tense atmosphere in the hall to its peak.

All eyes were on them. Those who supported Jiu Ya were on tenterhooks; the neutral faction instinctively took a half step back; even some officials who had previously been vaguely inclined towards You Chi were shocked by this undisguised coup attempt and turned pale.

Yu Chi and his men ignored the eerie atmosphere in the hall, or rather, this was exactly the effect they wanted. Accompanied by their trusted guards, they headed straight for their seats at the very front below the throne. The guards then seemingly "unintentionally" spread out, occupying several key entrances and strategic locations within the hall, subtly separating the throne area from the other officials.

Several trusted generals brought by Ao Li placed their hands on the hilts of their swords and stared fiercely at the direction of the palace gate.

Shang Jiuya took it all in, her expression remaining calm. Only those who knew her best could sense that her aura was becoming more refined and sharp, like a blade slowly being drawn from its sheath.

The meeting began according to procedure in this suffocating atmosphere of confrontation.

The official in charge of chairing the meeting read out some trivial topics: adjustments to the annual tribute amount for a certain peripheral region, funding applications for the repair of the Demon Palace's books... The voice echoed hollowly in the hall, and almost no one was really listening.

All eyes were focused on the silent confrontation.

Yu Chi's eyes were half-closed, and his fingers were tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the seat, as if he was calculating the time.

Gong Liang kept swallowing, his eyes darting around.

Jiang Zheng silently flipped through the thick "crime" file in his hand.

Ao Li's gaze would occasionally sweep towards the outside of the hall, as if he were waiting for some signal.

The cold smile on Guan Shanyue's lips became even more pronounced.

Shang Jiuya lowered her gaze, seemingly listening intently to those boring topics, but in reality, the "Shadow Secret Knowledge Chapter" was already operating at its peak, and her spiritual senses clearly captured the emotional fluctuations, subtle changes in energy, and even the tension in the muscles of everyone below.

She could "hear" the suppressed yet violent energy within You Chi's body gradually increasing;

You can "hear" Gong Liang's heart pounding wildly with fear;

One can "hear" a hint of disorder beneath Jiang Zheng's seemingly calm exterior;

He could "hear" Ao Li's fighting spirit, which was like an arrow about to be released from a bow.

Furthermore, one could "hear" the extremely faint hissing sound of some kind of sinister energy being activated within Guan Shanyue's sleeves...

Time passed little by little.

The light outside the hall seemed to have become even dimmer.

The air, thick with the smell of gunpowder, was incredibly dense.

Finally, after a discussion about taxes on the pelts of certain low-level magical beasts on the border of the Demon Realm was finished, the hall fell into a brief silence—

Yuchi's eyes, which had been half-closed, suddenly opened.

He suddenly stood up from his seat, the huge movement knocking over the chair behind him with a screeching sound.

Everyone's heart skipped a beat! It's here!

You Chi raised his hand and pointed directly at Shang Jiuya on the throne:

"Jiuya! You vixen who harmed your elder brother and younger sister, seized the throne illegitimately, waged endless wars, and wreaked havoc on the demon realm! What face do you have to continue to hold this position of Demon Lord?"

In their final frenzy, their true colors were finally revealed!