While Fu Zhen and his group were resting on the hillside and discussing their plans, the elite team on the east side of the hillside had already climbed to the upper part of the mountain and received a telepathic warning from the Supreme Emperor: "You must quietly climb to the top without leaving any trace, and wait for an opportunity to fight against the people who are sneaking up from the north slope and catch the thieves."
Beware of Wu Wei planting spies...
“Your Majesty, Wu Wei has already left the Northern Territory. It is necessary to put on a show and set up a trap…” The leader of the men in black paused for a moment, then realized what was going on and slowed down his climb.
The 120 men following him slowed down, mistakenly believing that the general had discovered something amiss and dared not advance rashly.
Little did the Emperor Emeritus know that Wu Wei had planted spies around him, and Wu Wei had already released three drones, which hovered 300 meters above the Emperor Emeritus, monitoring the movements of the three parties.
Wu Wei, who was heading to Jiangnan from 800 miles away, received a drone monitoring alert. The fourth drone transmitted live video footage of the area around the lava pool, allowing Wu Wei to realize that Fu Zhen and the black-clad team had sneaked up the mountain, plotting against the retired emperor.
Unfazed, Wu Wei controlled the drone and issued commands. The drone turned and flew back, and Wu Wei immediately strode southward.
The retired emperor was completely unaware of this and rebuked him telepathically: "You fools! I have risked my life to survive, and endured hardship to achieve my goal. How can I let you suffer a complete defeat because you disobeyed my orders?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your humble servant knows his crime!" The black-clad general was taken aback, a bitter expression spreading across his square face. He then turned his attention to the north hillside and waved his hand.
The soldiers following behind nodded in understanding, and the whole group turned to the north slope, climbing diagonally towards the top of the mountain.
The nearly 60-degree mountain wall was no challenge for the entire group of cultivators and elite warriors to climb.
However, it would be difficult to conceal one's aura and climb upwards without leaving a trace.
After all, the entire mountain was not defended by Wu Wei's formation, but he also set up a net on the mountaintop, waiting for them to come to him!
Anyone who touches the array's defensive shield will be surrounded and killed by the Flame Dragon Iron Cavalry.
Therefore, the time left for outsiders to break through the formation and plot against the retired emperor was no more than half an incense stick's time.
This requires climbers to be cautious and careful, and to ascend to the top quietly, so as to save more time to plan things inside the formation.
Moreover, the situation has reversed, with someone on the north slope plotting something sinister, increasing the likelihood of hardship.
The general in black understood that the Emperor Emeritus had made a decision to postpone the rescue operation and instead ambush the enemy on the north slope, putting on a show for others. Only the Emperor Emeritus himself knew the real purpose behind it.
Thus, with one side monitoring, another secretly setting up ambushes, another quietly climbing the mountain, and the retired emperor sitting calmly on the fishing platform, a grand drama of four-way competition officially began.
At this moment, Zheng Ya, who was secretly monitoring Xie Baochai's meeting with the clan elders from the sky above the isolated manor on the Qiantang River in Jiangnan, was not calm. Something was about to happen.
The Xie clan elders exerted pressure, forcing Xie Baochai, who had just returned, to marry Prince Rong as a concubine. They pushed her to the brink, giving her no chance to speak.
The reason was that rumors were spreading that the Xie family was hiding the key to unlocking the secret realm of the seal, which made the Xie family panic and uneasy. They discussed forcing Xie Baochai to marry him and seeking the protection of Prince Rong.
The key was to demand that Xie Baochai and her two children hand over the key and present it to Prince Rong, thus diverting attention and ensuring safety.
More than 300 members of the Xie clan gathered inside and outside the manor and forcibly tortured them.
Standing in the center of the hall, Xie Qianshi pleaded bitterly, "Elders, I beg you, please consider the hard work my mother and I, mother and daughters, have done for the entire Xie clan. We have been able to survive only because we were under the control of Prince Rong's business guild. Please do not believe the rumors outside..."
"You insolent woman, Xie Qianshi! Don't forget that our clan elders are the pillars of the Xie clan, not you, the matriarch, who should be in charge!" Elder Xie Ming slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
The Xie clan has always relied on the clan elders to decide on major clan matters, including marriages and the appointment and removal of clan members.
Each generation of clan chief is a member of the clan elders' council and has the right to make decisions, but these decisions can only be implemented with the approval of the clan elders' council.
The second elder angrily replied, "Back then, the clan chief was out of touch with reality and died during the interrogation, almost provoking Prince Rong to exterminate the Xie clan."
For this reason alone, your whole family are sinners.
Harboring the key and playing with the lives of the entire Xie clan is simply courting death!
"How dare our Xie clan possess such a key?"
“Yes, the Xie family can’t keep the key. We should hand it over to Prince Rong as soon as possible to avoid being surrounded and intercepted by cultivators from all over the world, so as to prevent the extermination of the entire family…” The two elders spoke up, and the other elders echoed them.
With just a few words, Xie Qianshi and her two children were drenched in sweat.
Even if one wanted to refute and resist, one was powerless to do so!
The whole house and garden is full of ungrateful wretches. She can't beat them, and she can't escape them. Xie Qianshi is almost driven crazy with worry.
On the other hand, Xie Baochai was so angry that her teeth ached, her fists were clenched, and she was sweating profusely from nervousness, but she showed no sign of being intimidated.
This made Zheng Ya very curious; what made her so calm?
Unless Xie Baochai is arrogant or disregards the safety of her mother and younger brother, and can teleport away at any time with the protection of the golden hairpin talisman, she would not be worried or moved.
Anger filled Xie Baochai's entire being.
The clan elders also noticed Xie Baochai's unusual expression. Xie Ming mistakenly thought she was trying to resist and warned her sternly, "Baochai, is your expression a sign of disobeying clan rules?"
"How dare she?" the elders roared, their voices filled with a murderous intent that prompted the clansmen outside the hall to draw their swords.
In an instant, the entire manor was filled with murderous intent.
Little did they know that a faint shadow was lurking among the crowd near the main hall of the manor, waiting to observe from the sidelines.
Even Zheng Ya didn't sense this shadowy figure.
Xie Baochai laughed in exasperation. After the elders' reprimands, she found an opening to speak: "The elders are right. Since it has been decided that Baochai will marry into the Rong Prince's Mansion, let's discuss how the marriage will proceed."
“Baochai, sister, please don’t…” Xie Qianshi and Xie Da tried to stop her from the left and right, but Xie Baochai shook her head and refused.
Their willingness to risk their lives to protect each other was evident in their words!
This caused Xie Qianshi and Xie Da great distress, leaving them heartbroken and in tears, unable to speak.
Instead, the elders of the Xie clan all smiled, and then they began to worry about Xie Baochai's marriage.
Given the current situation, cultivators from all over the world are flocking here, using all sorts of cruel tortures to pressure the Xie family into handing over the key.
It's like a trap that can't be escaped!
Anyone who shows their face will die; there is no way they will survive.
Not to mention those who secretly plot against the Xie family, once they've got their eyes on them, the Xie family will have no way out. No one can predict who will ultimately get the key.
After a moment of contemplation, Elder Xie Ming finally spoke: "Baochai, since things have come to this, we can only ask you to keep this secret and marry alone..."
"No, I disagree. You're pushing Baochai into the eye of the storm to attract the firepower of cultivators from all over the world. It's clearly sending her to her death..." Xie Qianshi angrily objected, and was immediately reprimanded by the clan elders: "You scoundrel, what's wrong with you?"
Every decision made by the clan elders was for the benefit of the entire clan!
The same applies to Baochai's marriage. For the sake of the Xie family's continuation and prosperity, Baochai's solo marriage diverts the trouble. What's wrong with that?
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