Devour

Nie Ziqiong seemed confident of victory and said slowly, "I have a plan to resolve this unfavorable situation. Tomorrow, the Emperor's daughter will come to meet me, and I would like to request a marriage. If the two emperors can join forces, it will surely be a win-win situation for everyone!"

Tu He nodded slightly in agreement. "If they can successfully form an alliance through marriage, they can win over the Ranger Association and the Heaven-Swallowing Sect, greatly increasing the Crown Prince's influence. Even when facing Bei Yin, they will have the capital to negotiate openly."

Nie Ziqiong's eyes gleamed as he made further plans, "I've visited the Snow Fox Palace many times, but never managed to meet the renowned Northern Hidden Saint. This is a great opportunity to see her in all her glory. I will do my best to persuade her to join us in this great undertaking!"

Hearing this, Cheng Bai was stunned: "Emperor Nie is actually targeting Ningxiang... Otherwise, don't let her go to Xiangmanlou tomorrow."

Diao Zha was the only one in the building who showed hesitation. He asked cautiously, "What if Emperor Ning's daughter doesn't agree to the marriage?"

Nie Ziqiong was full of confidence, smiling and sipping tea in silence.

Min Wushuang consoled him, "Elder Zha has never seen the prince's true abilities. Even at his worst, he can secure strong support."

Tu He explained, "Your Highness possesses the Dizang body. His generosity and tolerance can inspire beautiful aspirations and inspire hope in others. If used appropriately, he can guide events towards success without anyone noticing."

Nie Ziqiong displayed his usual carefree smile and said loudly, "Elder Diao Zha, let me tell you something. If you hadn't interrupted me today, when I was about to have a long conversation with Emperor Ning, there might have been several more people sitting around the table right now, joining hands to dominate the world!"

Cheng Bai listened with a hint of surprise: "Could it be that Emperor Nie possesses some special vision, similar in function to my secret art of communication?"

Diao Zha hurriedly apologized, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was reckless and unintentionally disrespectful and offensive."

Nie Ziqiong was humble and spoke with conviction, "Elder Diao Zha is also a pillar of talent. I don't take these trivial matters to heart. We will gather here for a discussion tomorrow. Everyone, watch me turn the tide and reverse the situation!"

The four continued their discussion, and the topics were mostly trivial construction matters and internal personnel deployment arrangements, which had little to do with outsiders.

As the meeting at Xiangmanlou concluded, the four people dispersed. The fly, hiding in the potted plant, returned to its original form, transforming into a dead branch. No one noticed the subtle change.

Inside the Black Blade Flying Armor, Kua E'yang and Jin Lian terminated all spell effects, withdrew their prying gazes, and turned to look at Cheng Bai together.

Kua E's brow furrowed slightly, and she said cautiously, "This prince is an outstanding man with a long-term vision and considerable courage. It's a pity he doesn't know... How about we not go there tomorrow?"

Jinlian smiled playfully and continued, "In the eyes of the Tumin Society and Prince Nie, both the Youxia Society and the Tiantun Sect belong exclusively to Your Majesty. It's a rare opportunity that we should strive to secure. Marriage is undoubtedly the best way to form an alliance, and from now on, we're both on the same boat."

Cheng Bai cursed inwardly, "I don't want to be cuckolded." But he smiled and replied, "Haha! Let me leave as agreed and go to Xiangmanlou to pay a visit. I'll make it clear to Nie Ziqiong not to have such crooked thoughts."

Jinlian's lips twitched slightly as she suppressed a smile. She stood up and whispered, "Tomorrow at noon, someone will propose marriage to Your Majesty. What a joyous occasion! I must go and see the excitement."

Kua E'yang scratched his head and stood up, but he didn't know what to say.

Cheng Bai handed him two Bingqing Zhenshen Pills and said casually, "This is the pill I promised to refine for you. It's already done. Take it!"

Kua Eyang happily took it and held it in her arms. She secretly looked at Cheng Bai's face and said softly, "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. Otherwise, I will teach that despicable prince a lesson tomorrow so that he will never dare to have any such thoughts again."

Cheng Bai quickly waved his hand and said, "Nie Ziqiong's cultivation is far inferior to mine, but his status is noble. A rash move will be futile. Please don't interfere. I will find a way to resolve this and prevent him from succeeding."

"I understand." Kua Eyang nodded obediently, then turned around and left happily.

Cheng Bai was left stunned for a long time, muttering to himself: "What should I do? I might end up in an embarrassing situation."

There may not be too many secrets between women.

After a moment, the faint fragrance of osmanthus wafted in the air. Nana came over and said softly, "Sister Lian just said that Nie Ziqiong plans to propose an alliance with me through marriage. Don't worry, I will never agree to this marriage."

Cheng Bai smiled and said, "I'm worried that he might use some special means to make it happen. If I could see a thing or two, I'd be more prepared."

Ningxiang's beautiful eyes flickered with a strange light, and she said firmly, "The emperor's sons cannot coexist. Either he dies or I die! The so-called marriage proposal most likely has ulterior motives, and I will firmly reject it."

Cheng Bai felt a little puzzled: "Because the two great emperors are incompatible with each other, it is impossible for me and him to coexist in the world?"

The relevant topic was too sensitive, so Ningxiang deliberately avoided it and didn't want to talk about it in detail for the time being.

The night was long, with only Cheng Bai's place ablaze with light. All was quiet, a perfect time for him to devote his energy to the task of refining the elixir, meticulously blending the remaining Hellfire Lotus with precious herbs like Suan Ni's fur and True Dragon Marrow to create the Fire Soul Rejuvenating Pill.

The maroon holy pills in front of him were plump and round, containing powerful fire potential, and surrounded by strands of flame patterns like rising flaming stars.

The alchemy process calmed Cheng Bai's mind, and he gradually formed a response strategy: "Notify Sister Yingying to lead the army and rush to Tianning Village to call the shots before the invitation time. This will disrupt their plans, turn the situation into my own, and naturally avoid those embarrassing and troublesome situations."

After thinking the key point clearly, Cheng Bai took out a talisman, injected his spiritual consciousness into it, and gently crushed it, letting it turn into a flash of light and disappear.

The speed of the talismanic message is as fast as the speed of light and arrives in an instant.

However, as the message passed through a certain place, a scholar in brocade clothes sat under the night sky, counting with his fingers. Three ancient coins jumped happily in his palm, as if he had captured the subtle mystery of the flow.

The light flickered between his fingers, gradually solidifying and stabilizing, revealing the clear outline of the text - the broken talisman was reunited by magic power!

"Tianning Village is about to face a catastrophe. We must not allow a bloody war to break out. The old incident at Wucan Mountain must be suppressed..."

The scholar in brocade robes was deep in thought. He looked up at the sky, which seemed to span the endless void. After a moment, he turned his gaze towards the direction of Mount Sumeru, his face full of worry. "The contents of the message cannot be hidden from the Confucian scholars. It turns out that the Sun Chaser has extended his hand to the Five Continents. The future military offensives will be wave after wave, and the pressure will be enormous... Hmm?"

The flow of his magical power was suddenly interrupted, and the talisman on his fingertips cracked and spread like a spider web, then shattered with a bang. Before dissipating, a dense mass of pupils appeared in the splattering light crystals, bloodshot and glaring fiercely at the scholar in brocade clothes, issuing a silent threat in an instant.

The scholar in brocade clothes' eyes twitched slightly, and he quickly threw away the ancient coin in his hand, muttering to himself, "Grandmaster, bless me and sever the cause and effect."

Watching the three coins fall to the ground after being sacrificed, he said in horror, "A higher-level prophet is peering into the mysteries of cause and effect... Is this a game of chess among the great powers? Confucian scholars must expedite their actions."

……

Before the hour of Si the next day, a low rumbling sound drifted over Tianning Village. Fifty Sky Patrolling Spiritual Boats, arranged in a strict wall-like formation, advanced steadily.

The decks of the ship were dotted with sword cultivators, each clad in armor and wielding sharp blades. The sunlight reflected off the metal, casting a chilling, sharp edge.

"They're here so quickly!" Nie Ziqiong stood in front of the sixth-floor window of Xiangmanlou, looking up slightly at the invading army with high morale, his lips slightly raised to reveal his signature smile.

Min Wushuang hurried up the stairs and came to his side. He hurriedly whispered, "The smallest Sky-Prolling Spirit Boat is also a medium-sized warship, with a comprehensive strength comparable to three or four Howling Wind Spirit Boats. There are no more than five sects in Beilin that possess such a large number of troops. It must be the Beiling Sword Sect."

Nie Ziqiong asked, "We only have one Sky-Splitting Spirit Boat left now, right?"

Min Wushuang lamented, "The Sky-Splitting Spirit Boat was lucky enough to escape the disaster because the Wantong Xuanmen hadn't completed its delivery. The other spirit boats were all taken away by Di Xuan, and the entire army was destroyed in vain."

Nie Ziqiong remained calm and said, "When two armies are engaged in battle, do not kill the envoys. Immediately send someone to negotiate a peace treaty with them. This battle must not be fought!"

Min Wushuang hesitated for a moment and suggested, "I'll send Elder Diaozha to negotiate."

Nie Ziqiong shook his head without hesitation and said, "He can't do it. I will do it myself."