"You dare break the contract? You're asking for death!"
Xuan Hao Hongye struck the fourth palm, violating the contract, and Shen Zhao was instantly furious.
He raised a single palm, then abruptly retracted it. The Southern Brightfire, his vast Qi, and the true qi in his dantian erupted simultaneously, forming a righteous Two-Yin Diagram formation. He sidestepped to meet the Xiongnu King's palm strike.
The moment their palms clashed, Xuan Hao Hongye felt a surging Gang Force sweep through his palm, surging into his internal organs.
"Hah!"
With a guttural roar, a ghastly bloodstain appeared on the corner of Xuan Hao Hongye's mouth, and his body was sent flying backward ten zhang.
The moment he halted, the palace wall behind him instantly collapsed into rubble, and the lingering flames ravaged the area, killing all his personal guards in an instant.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhao remained motionless, like a colossal mountain, unyielding and unshaken.
"Ugh, *pfft*~"
A mouthful of blood erupted from Xuan Hao Hongye's mouth, and cold sweat drenched his body.
The force of that palm strike had far surpassed his limits. His gaze toward Shen Zhao was now filled with deep apprehension.
At that moment, Shen Zhao and Di Feijing exchanged a glance.
Di Feijing's pupils contracted, and his gaze toward Shen Zhao showed a flicker of surprise.
But he quickly regained his composure, swiftly pulling out a talisman and rushing to Shen Zhao's side, tearing it apart with force.
A gust of yellow sand suddenly rose from the Broken Wing Terrace, blinding everyone.
When they regained their vision, Shen Zhao, Song Yanran, and Di Feijing had vanished without a trace.
"Pursue them! Don't let them escape!" Xuan Hao Hongye roared.
At his command, the Wind and Rain Pavilion, the Song Yu Imperial Family, and other factions immediately set off in pursuit.
Xuan Hao Hongye was filled with bitter regret. Having missed this golden opportunity, he now faced the likely consequence of the Empress's frenzied counterattack.
"There's no need."
At that moment, a voice rang out.
Venerable Haoyue entered Weiyang Palace, followed by the masked youth.
Seeing Venerable Haoyue, Xuan Hao Hongye's fury surged. He pointed and shouted, "What were you doing? How could you fail to act at such a critical moment? If not for..."
Before he could finish, Venerable Haoyue gave him a meaningful look. "Xiongnu King, are you blaming us for our failure?"
Only then did Xuan Hao Hongye realize he couldn't expose his alliance with Nine Nether.
"Hmph. If you hadn't broken your promise, this great plan would have succeeded by now."
Xuan Hao Hongye was deeply dissatisfied with Nine Nether's complete inaction throughout the operation.
The masked youth said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. The Seven-Star Begonia is extremely toxic. Even if Song Yanran escapes, she won't survive more than six hours."
Xuan Hao Hongye snorted coldly. "Until I see Song Yanran's corpse with my own eyes, everything remains uncertain. Take this Shen Zhao, for example—he's a huge variable."
A flicker of unease crossed Venerable Haoyue's face. "That was unexpected. No one could have predicted Shen Zhao would appear in the Central Region."
"By the sound of it, you know this Shen Zhao quite well?"
Venerable Haoyue's heart ached to tell him, *Know him? I've experienced his cruel and terrifying deeds firsthand! You'd lose sleep for weeks, desperate to flee across the dimensional wall overnight.*
After all, in his past life, the mere mention of Shen Zhao's name in the Nine Nether was enough to make children cry themselves to sleep...
No, even the children had been slaughtered by Shen Zhao.
Of course, Venerable Haoyue couldn't explain this to Xuan Hao Hongye. Such an absurd story would never be believed.
At that moment, the masked youth spoke again. "Your Majesty, rest assured. Even if Song Yanran somehow survives, she will be utterly ruined and stripped of her status as the Dragon Han Celestial Dynasty's empress."
"Who are you to speak so boldly?" the Xiongnu King demanded.
"Your Majesty, please calm your wrath. I am Lin Feng, and I stand with you."
Venerable Haoyue added, "Xiongnu King, Young Master Lin is a distinguished guest of Nine Nether and my subordinate. You may trust his capabilities implicitly."
Xuan Hao Hongye snorted, clasping his hands behind his back. "Then explain the meaning of your earlier statement."
Lin Feng replied, "The Dragon Han Imperial Family is clearly determined to force Song Yanran to abdicate, while organizations opposing the Empress's tyranny are stirring in the shadows.
If we expose Song Yanran's lifelong crimes to the world, making the people of the Central Region see her as a foolish ruler, do you think she could ever return to power?"
Venerable Haoyue elaborated, "Indeed. If both the court and the public unite against the Empress's tyranny, the armies and seventeen Quasi-Emperors in the northern and southern Dragon Han territories who support her will be unlikely to interfere in this palace coup.
Once the Empress's reputation is ruined beyond repair, even if she survives, she will pose no threat to our plans. When the Xiongnu King has unified the entire Central Region, why would he fear a rootless rogue cultivator?"
Lin Feng continued, "From what I know of Song Yanran, she is so proud and arrogant..."
"If even the common people cease to support her, her Dao heart will inevitably be damaged. Even if her cultivation were fully restored, she would never regain the will to fight."
Xuan Hao Hongye pondered for a moment, deeply convinced that their words held truth.
Yet he still raised two points of concern.
"The infuriating thing is that Song Yu actually launched his coup ahead of schedule, which was not part of the plan."
If Song Yu preemptively launched his coup, whether successful or not, the Song Imperial Clan would still be the nominal rulers of the Central Region.
The seventy-two vassal states opposed Song Yanran, not the Dragon Han Celestial Dynasty. They would still regard the dynasty as their suzerain state, and even if their loyalty was no longer as strong as before, they would still maintain the outward appearances of respect.
This had indeed caught Venerable Haoyue by surprise. After years of planning and scheming, they never expected the first to disrupt the situation would be the seemingly insignificant Song Yu.
"It will just require a bit more effort to negotiate with the seventy-two states. Xiongnu King needn't worry excessively."
Lin Feng seemed unconcerned.
"I believe that with the right incentives, the seventy-two vassal states will readily switch their allegiance to the Xiongnu."
Xuan Hao Hongye's face remained impassive, showing neither approval nor disapproval of Lin Feng's words. He continued:
"What about Shen Zhao? How should we handle him?"
Shen Zhao's current strength far exceeded Xuan Hao Hongye's expectations; one might even say he was stunned.
Leaving such an unpredictable variable by the Empress's side could significantly jeopardize Xuan Hao Hongye's ambition to seize the entire Central Region for himself.
Venerable Haoyue smiled. "Shen Zhao is indeed an anomaly, but Your Majesty need not worry. He is also a target for elimination by the Nine Nether, and we are fully prepared to deal with him."
"Hmph..." Xuan Hao Hongye glanced at Venerable Haoyue with disdain, clearly unconvinced that the venerable could handle Shen Zhao alone. Only after personally sparring with Shen Zhao would one truly understand the terrifying nature of his opponent.
Seeing Xuan Hao Hongye's skepticism, Venerable Haoyue immediately produced a booklet. "This contains Shen Zhao's techniques, the characteristics of his martial arts, and methods to counter his moves. If Your Majesty follows these instructions, Shen Zhao will surely fall, and this hidden threat can be eliminated."
Xuan Hao Hongye took the booklet and flipped through it, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "Well done, Shen Zhao. I never imagined such a man existed in this world. His mastery of every technique is peerless, and many are entirely unknown. He is truly no ordinary man."
He closed the booklet, clenched his fist, and his gaze turned icy. "This boy must not be allowed to live."
Venerable Haoyue added, "We are willing to join Your Majesty in eliminating this threat!"
Xuan Hao Hongye closed his eyes in silence, thinking to himself: *Fortunately, I had prepared a backup plan long ago. Next, the life of Song Yanran will be yours to claim.*
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)