Chapter 1668: Not even one ten-thousandth of you

The two hundred or so palace guards behind Qing Yang were all subordinates of Bai Hengbo, and their livers trembled at the sight of his severed head. The operation hadn't even begun, yet their leader had been killed; what were they to do now?

Should they still go through with it? Could they even do it? Surrounded by imperial guards, the air was thick with the glint of blades and shadows of spears.

King Yao even let out a stern shout: "You degenerate beast, kneel down at once!"

Having reigned for decades, his eyes widened and his hair and beard bristled, truly possessing a certain majesty. Even the two deputy generals under Bai Hengbo felt their hearts drumming at the sight.

The situation seemed to be completely one-sided; now that the Regent had been exposed, was there any chance of victory?

The palace guards all looked toward the two of them. Seeing no indication from them, seven or eight men weighed the situation and were about to kneel on the spot.

These few men all had their backs to Qing Yang.

Only a few "chi-chi" sounds were heard; before their knees could touch the ground, flowers of blood burst from their chests! The atmosphere in the arena froze, and the other palace guards who had intended to kneel dared not move. Qing Yang said to the two deputy generals: "Bai Hengbo is dead. You two will take his place. The moment to test your conviction has arrived!"

The current numbers of enemy and friend were not vastly different, and these two deputy generals had also participated in the Bai family's secret discussions, knowing what kind of power stood behind their side. Besides, rebellion was a crime punishable by the extermination of one's clan; once they failed, there would be no escape from death.

They had reached this point; they could only walk this path to the end! They gritted their teeth and immediately declared: "We swear to follow the Regent to the death!"

More than half of the personnel selected by Bai Hengbo were believers of Miao Miao Zhantian, having already taken oaths and sworn curses beforehand. Hearing the words "test your conviction," their hot blood surged, and they also shouted one after another: "We swear to follow the Regent to the death!"

This old hag simply refused to shed tears until she saw the coffin. King Yao was agitated and about to speak, but he heard Qing Yang ask him: "How did you know we were acting tonight? Who leaked the secret?"

Who had dug up the clue of Shi Song Wei? King Yao sneered: "Isn't the Regent supposed to be a master of foresight? Why don't you guess?"

Qing Yang could guess even with her knees: "He Xiao?"

King Yao's cheek muscle twitched, which Qing Yang noticed.

She had guessed right.

As expected, she had felt that this series of events tonight seemed to have been designed by someone, leading her by the nose.

Someone was manipulating things from the shadows! In the Flash Gold Plains, she couldn't think of anyone else who could pull this off.

Qing Yang sighed: "So He Xiao never entered the palace at all. After stirring up trouble, he fled at the very last moment. You can't find this person either, can you?"

King Yao sneered.

Qing Yang looked at him, her tone conveying a sense of "iron not becoming steel": "You really have been played in circles by the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds, and you won't wake up even in death. I told you long ago that this person harbors malicious intent. If you trust him, you will definitely suffer a great disaster."

King Yao's face turned iron-blue: "The thief crying 'thief'! He Xiao's malicious intent doesn't even amount to one ten-thousandth of yours! How have I wronged you, how has the Yao Nation wronged you, that you would plunge it into fire and war!"

He already knew He Xiao had ill intentions. But the ones truly threatening him, the ones truly harboring malice toward the Yao Nation, were Qing Yang and Between Beijia!

Yet this old woman still wore a look of heartbreak, as if he were the culprit behind the destruction of the Yao Nation. It was truly preposterous!

Qing Yang said leisurely: "I am merely a Regent. The one who wants to plunge it into fire and war is not me at all. Do you still not understand?"

Why talk about who wronged whom? She had never taken the Yao Nation seriously, nor had she taken King Yao's offense to heart.

King Yao frowned.

What did that mean? It wasn't her? Then it was Between Beijia? He saw torches gathering nearby, heading this way. The other guards in the palace had finally arrived to protect the sovereign.

Enough, kill her quickly and resolve today's disaster: "Today, this Frost Immortal Hall shall be your burial ground!"

Before the last word was finished, the Fourth Prince suddenly tugged at his robe: "Father King, I, I am not feeling well."

Not well? King Yao looked back, only to see his son's face pale and his breathing rapid. Under the illumination of the fluorescent spores beneath the eaves, more than a dozen black lines were emerging beneath his skin, extending upward.

King Yao first pointed at Qing Yang and ordered: "Kill her!"

Then he turned to the Fourth Prince and asked urgently, "What is going on?"

"My right side is numb." Prince Rui found it increasingly difficult to speak. He had felt something wrong earlier but didn't dare interrupt his father's conversation with Qing Yang. As a result, his body's reaction became increasingly severe: "The Regent just, just patted my shoulder."

King Yao was shocked. Ignoring everything else, he reached out and tore open his robe.

No wound could be seen on Prince Rui's right shoulder, yet from his shoulder to his chest and ribs, the skin had turned grayish-brown, and cracks were blooming like the surface of tree bark.

King Yao reached out to touch it; it was hard as rock.

Not only did it look like wood, but it also felt like wood to the touch.

"How could you let her pat your shoulder!" King Yao was shocked, his eyes spitting fire as he looked at Qing Yang: "What have you done to my son again!"

His eldest son had died because of this demoness, and today she had struck at his fourth son!

With national hatred and family grudges, he would not rest until he had skinned her and pulled out her tendons!

"It's just Wood-Transformation Art, a type of divine art." Qing Yang fought while still having the energy to answer questions: "Within an hour, he will become a wooden man, from the inside out, completely!"

"Remove his poison!" King Yao gritted his teeth and made a promise that went against his heart: "And I will spare your life!"

"So generous?" Qing Yang laughed: "Unfortunately, I cannot remove it."

King Yao was shocked and furious: "You..."

"This is a divine art; you must beg the gods for help."

Speaking of which, Qing Yang remembered something else.

When the three parties were discussing the plan beforehand, Bai Tan had suggested that it might be good to plant a divine art on the Fourth Prince. Since the imperial physicians would be helpless, King Yao would have no choice but to take Prince Rui to the temple to seek help from Miao Miao Zhantian.

In the process, King Yao would leave the palace, leave this suspicious Frost Immortal Hall and Jade Spring Palace, and then enter the Miao Miao Zhantian temple to pray.

The Goddess Temple was no ordinary place; how could one barge in with thousands of soldiers? Therefore, the guards King Yao would take into the temple would be limited. If Bai Tan made his move there, the chances of victory would increase greatly.

Then everything would be simple.

The proposal was perfect, but as soon as it was brought up, it was directly rejected by the other two sides: "No."

"Not appropriate."

Chief Envoy Liang said no, because "the temple is not a slaughterhouse; we cannot harm a sovereign of a nation here!" What a joke—if a sovereign were harmed in the temple, and the Heavenly God or the divine attendants were even the masterminds, which country in the Flash Gold Plains would dare let the temple take root in their capital in the future? Which sovereign would dare enter the temple to pray? The spread of divine grace required the full support of royal and political power.

Therefore, this was a matter of principle. Miao Miao Zhantian could not lure and kill King Yao in its own temple. It had to maintain the sanctity, majesty, and safety of the temple, rather than coveting short-term gains or the gains of a single nation.

Qingyang, however, did not agree with Bai Tan's proposal, because "the King of Yao is suspicious and selfish; at most, he will send someone to escort the Fourth Prince to the temple, but he will never step out of the palace himself."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1669 =====