Though both belong to the second rank, ZHANG LONG did not see any hesitation on his face when facing ZHAO WANLI and XUE XING. Instead, he showed a relaxed expression as if killing the two of them was as easy as breathing.
CHEN MO gave a glance to the side, where LIU WUXIN was sitting, and worried about her condition. After a moment of thought, he entrusted a few words to ZHANG LONG and then carried LIU WUXIN off in a mad dash towards the SHENGJIAN ZONG.
XU ZHEN died in the SHENGJIAN ZONG. With no one left who could carry the banner, only LIU FUI, a second-rank cultivator, revealed some faint spiritual energy, causing everyone to run away in fear.
Within less than fifteen minutes, CHEN MO and his companion had prepared to leave the SHENGJIAN ZONG. Just then, they saw two figures approaching from afar.
Yun Chunqiu and Feng Banxia.
"CHEN MO?"
The two women also noticed CHEN MO's presence at this moment. They saw him holding a woman in his arms from a distance. FENG Banxia couldn't help but slightly furrow her brow, while YUN Chuuniu secretly spat and called him 'good-for-nothing lecher'. After cursing, she quickly approached.
But as soon as she got closer, YUN Chunqiu's expression changed instantly, "Your Majesty?"
YUN Chunqiu blinked her eyes, staring at CHEN MO angrily, "You dirty scoundrel! How do you treat the king like that? Quick, give me the king!"
FENG Banxia, however, was slightly frowning, her face full of confusion, "How come the king is here?"
CHEN MO glared at YUN Chunqiu with disdain and shouted at her as she came to snatch the person away. Then, turning to FENG Banxia, he asked, "What do you mean? Wasn't WUXIN summoned by you two?"
FENG Banxia shook her head and said, "We, YUN Chunqiu and I, were concerned that the Shengjian Zong might pose a threat to us. We retreated thirty miles away and waited, but we never called for the king. It was only after we noticed the commotion here that we dared to come take a look."
YUN Chunqiu also noticed the change in CHEN MO's expression. She turned her attention to the woman in his arms, WUXIN, and tentatively waved her hand. However, WUXIN didn't respond verbally and had an unpleased look on her face. "What happened? What's wrong with the king?" she asked.
"It's not appropriate to explain here."
CHEN MO's face suddenly became serious. "Go, call a beast carriage over. We need to use a flying beast. We need to leave here as soon as possible and return to the imperial capital."
FENG Banxia, upon hearing this, didn't dare to delay. She quickly turned around and went to buy a beast carriage in Pingshan Town.
CHEN MO held the immobile WUXIN in his arms and boarded the beast carriage. The narrow carriage was crammed with four people, with FENG Banxia driving in front.
YUN Chunqiu stared at the unmoving, blinking occasionally, and increasingly unsightly WUXIN, her face showing a restrained worry.
"What happened? What's wrong with the king?" she asked urgently.
YUN Chunqiu anxiously pressed for an explanation.
"She was betrayed."
CHEN MO's brief words made YUN Chunqiu pause. She couldn't believe that someone could betray WUXIN, who was already a first-rank cultivator and the most powerful woman in the world.
"No matter whether you believe it or not, that is the truth, and let me tell you honestly, the person who planned against her is not simple..."
CHEN MO spoke simply and clearly, and YUN Chunqiu had previously been in the Tianlong Empire. She knew some things, and CHEN MO didn't hesitate to tell her the truth.
Among them was Zhang Tianlin's scheme.
Initially, CHEN MO thought that WUXIN's arrival was a coincidence. However, after experiencing ZHAO WANLI's careful calculations and FENG Banxia's full disclosure today, CHEN MO realized that WUXIN's arrival might also have been orchestrated by ZHANG Tianlin.
CHEN MO lay on the carriage and heaved a sigh, "If my guess is correct, there are traitors inside the palace."
YUN Chunqiu reacted without thinking, "This is impossible. Anyone who can enter the palace has undergone multiple layers of screening..."
CHEN MO did not speak, his eyes fixated on YUN Chunqiu with a serious intensity. Upon seeing this, YUN Chunqiu immediately shut her mouth, feeling a bit unconfident.
After some contemplation, LONG Feiwei responded seriously, "All those who can enter the Tianlong Empire's palace have undergone multiple layers of screening. But with so many people, those who try to fish in muddy waters will find an opportunity. Even the Tianlong Empire has such loopholes. The palace of Tianmo Sect is even larger than that of the Tianlong Empire, so there will definitely be more problems..."
Upon hearing this, YUN Chunqiu's face turned exceptionally dark, and she clenched her fists. Biting her silver teeth, she spoke fiercely, "When I return, I will find out the truth to the bottom. To poison the king is unforgivable; I will have him stripped of his skin and bones..."
Seeing WUXIN being poisoned by someone made CHEN MO feel uneasy. He didn't intend to prevent YUN Chunqiu from taking action, but only instructed her, "Either don't move, or if you do, use decisive means. Otherwise, it will give those people a chance to escape."
While he didn't have to personally handle the matter of identifying the traitor, there was another matter that made CHEN MO unconsciously worried.
As he had mentioned earlier to WUXIN, the Tianmo Sect had many enemies outside and only one top cultivator, WUXIN. If she fell, the Tianmo Sect would undoubtedly become the target of everyone's attacks.
However, he never imagined that a hypothetical scenario would become reality.
CHEN MO gripped his knees with both hands, and his expression became increasingly difficult to read. LONG Feiwei, seeing him in this state, felt uncomfortable in her heart as well. She opened her mouth to say, "CHEN MO, I may be in a poor condition now, but I will recover after resting for some time. If you need anything, just give the order."
CHEN MO shook his head, "You are the Empress of the Tianlong Empire, and the empire cannot do without a ruler for a single day. You can't always stay in the Tianmo Sect... But there really is something that I need your help with."
"Say on, I'm listening."
LONG Feiwei moved closer to CHEN MO.
"Is Xiao Dou Ding in the Tianlong Empire?"
"He is."
LONG Feiwei nodded slightly, "Early on, Xiao Dou Ding was driven away by WUXIN but remained dissatisfied. At this moment, he is practicing diligently in my palace and often seeks out Lin Lao..."
"Good."
CHEN MO was overjoyed and quickly spoke, "You go back now, and have Xiao Dou Ding and Fu Bei come over together as soon as possible."
LONG Feiwei was startled, thinking that it was hard to meet CHEN MO this time and she wanted to spend more time with him. However, the situation now seemed to be contrary to her wish. She was not a petty woman either, so she immediately stood up and agreed in a flash.
Turning around, she kissed CHEN MO secretly when he wasn't looking, then transformed into a beam of light and disappeared within the carriage.
CHEN MO gently touched the kiss mark on his cheek. Just as he was in a daze, he suddenly felt a big white eye from YUN Chunqiu and couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.
"Boo, scoundrel"
YUN Chunqiu spat and her gaze was filled with disdain for CHEN MO.
CHEN MO opened his mouth, wanting to refute but ultimately stopped. After thinking for a moment, he spoke seriously, "Our main business is about to begin."
"Information about WUXIN being poisoned must not be leaked, and no hint of it should be given out. Otherwise, the enemies of Tianmo Sect will all attack at once, and at that time, with your current strength, you will definitely not be able to withstand it."
YUN Chunqiu nodded slightly, "Don't worry. I am well aware of the stakes involved here."
CHEN MO continued lying back, muttering to himself, "WUXIN needs detoxification. I wonder if the imperial physicians can help. If not, we'll have to look over at Xiao Dou Ding's side..."
"And the second thing is the poisoning of WUXIN. ZHANG Tianlin has been planning for so long, and he must have some backup plans. What should we do next...?"
