However, Wu Wei just watched coldly, as if he knew that it would be useless to stop him, and he did not make any move at all.
Strange things suddenly happened.
The figures of Han Chi and the others, who were about to disappear, reappeared after a moment of stillness, just like those of Lingyan Hou before!
An unknown formation... also prevented them from leaving.
Marquis Liegu, Duke Tianqing, and the others looked at Han Chi with puzzlement.
They all assumed that the formation was controlled by Duke Yanshan, so they naturally didn't know where the problem lay.
Duke Han Chi of Yanshan's expression changed drastically, but unlike the others, he suddenly turned his gaze to another side, to a corner of the main hall.
Everyone followed his gaze and was utterly astonished, because Han Chi was staring at... Gu Donglai, the Secretary-General of the Royal Council!
"Donglai, what's going on?" Han Chi asked coldly.
Gu Donglai, who had been largely unnoticed since the conflict began, sighed upon hearing this, stepped out from the corner, and said with his head bowed, "I was just following your instructions. Once this formation is activated, it cannot be withdrawn... Master!"
Upon hearing Gu Donglai's answer, the entire hall erupted in uproar.
Today, one shocking thing after another has happened to them, and even after being bombarded with these continuous shocks, everyone is still quite shaken by the short conversation between the two.
This was the first time Shen Qian had felt such a shock to his soul. Even Wu Wei's reversal of the situation hadn't made him feel this outrageous.
This question and answer revealed at least two startling pieces of information.
The first piece of information is obvious: the high-level mysterious array that sealed off the space around the main hall was actually set up by Gu Donglai himself!
But then I thought about it again, and it all made perfect sense.
As a place where kings and nobles usually gathered, only Gu Donglai, a king and noble who was stationed here, had the convenience and time to set up a formation that could trap kings and nobles.
With his previous mastery of formations, Shen Qian naturally knew how difficult it was to set up such a formation. Even if he were to do it, it would take at least a month to prepare it to be flawless and undetectable.
If Gu Donglai was the one who set up the formation, then everything makes sense.
What truly shocked Shen Qian was Gu Donglai's last address as "teacher".
Even though he had vague suspicions based on some scattered information he had received before, Shen Qian still found it hard to believe when the facts were presented to him.
The truth is already quite obvious.
Lord Yanshan had eight direct disciples, but the one Shen Qian had never met was the mysterious seventh person.
And this person was none other than Gu Donglai.
"Xiao Qi... Dong Lai became a disciple of Duke Yanshan not long after he was expelled from the sect by his teacher."
A soft sigh rang in Shen Qian's ears, "It is precisely because of this that we never mention him in our daily lives... Otherwise, with the teacher's magnanimity, even if he expelled Donglai from the school, he would not have any reservations about him."
Shen Qian subconsciously turned his head and saw his third senior brother, Shi Dingyan, who had appeared next to him at some point.
Shi Dingyan patted Shen Qian on the shoulder as a greeting after not seeing him for a long time, and then said in a complicated tone, "At the time, we all thought that he turned to his enemy's school because he was pursuing his own path to kingship or because of his resentment towards his teacher... But now it seems that the truth may be more than that."
"Perhaps we've all misunderstood."
Listening to Shi Dingyan's account of the past, Shen Qian turned his gaze back to Gu Donglai, who was silently facing many strange looks.
What's this?
A double agent?
It is clear that Gu Donglai, who became the seventh disciple of Duke Yanshan, has successfully been promoted to the rank of a king, but for some unknown reason, he has betrayed Duke Yanshan today.
He used the formation that Yanshan Gong had secretly instructed him to set up... No, given Yanshan Gong's mastery of formations, this formation was probably taught to Gu Donglai by Han Chi himself, but at this moment, it became the "tomb" that buried the Divine Emperor Palace.
Judging from Wu Wei's completely unsurprised expression, it was clearly within his expectations, or perhaps he and Gu Donglai had a tacit understanding from the beginning.
In other words, this betrayal was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Gu Donglai.
Furthermore, it is highly likely that the plan of Yanshan Gong and others to overthrow the Council of Kings and Nobles today was leaked by Gu Donglai himself.
"Why!"
Han Chi's heart was clearly not as calm as it appeared. Upon hearing Gu Donglai's tacit admission, his expression showed signs of losing control again, and he said in an almost roaring tone, "Why is this happening?!"
In full view of everyone, Gu Donglai, facing Han Chi's fury, suddenly knelt down with a thud.
"Teacher, I'm sorry... This is the last time I will call you 'teacher'."
“Back then, Donglai was expelled by the Marquis of Jingcheng and became a disgraced disciple despised by everyone. It was you, teacher, who took me in. It was you, teacher, who disregarded the past and taught me with care, helping me to open the door to the world.”
Gu Donglai's eyes were red, and he choked up as he said, "For more than thirty years, Donglai has never forgotten his teacher's kindness. Donglai has never dared to shirk responsibility for the many sordid things that happened in the Divine Emperor Palace, but... why did you target Marquis Jingcheng?"
Gu Donglai couldn't hold back his tears. He smiled sadly and said, "Although I hate the Marquis of Jingcheng, he is like a teacher and a father to me!"
"At this critical juncture for humanity, Donglai is caught between loyalty to the country and filial piety. He has no choice but to make his own decision. He hopes that Master will realize his mistake and return to the right path, for it is not too late!"
After Gu Donglai finished speaking, he pounded his head on the ground and remained there for a long time.
"Damn it, damn it!"
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