Chapter 82: The Shadow Master

“Hehe, of course—how could I not give my all when serving the Young Master?” said the Lord of Qinglong Kingdom with a smile.

“Correct. With this, plus the corner of the compass you presented to this Marquis, we now have three pieces—only the final piece from the Zhuque Ancient Kingdom remains.”

A voice came from within the gauze curtain.

“The Zhuque Ancient Kingdom? This…” The Lord of Qinglong’s expression hesitated slightly.

“What’s the problem?” The voice grew slightly colder, its tone seeming capricious.

The Lord of Qinglong’s forehead broke into sweat as he quickly replied: “Young Master, you misunderstand. Previously, Zhuque and Qinglong did have some ties, but now? There are no ties—only enmity.”

Xiao Chen was broken off from by Bai Yuer, cast out of the Jun family in the most humiliating manner, even stripped of his dragon qi.

The Lord of Qinglong naturally held no affection for Zhuque or Bai Yuer.

In fact, they were already enemies.

“Oh? What’s the reason?” The voice asked.

The Lord of Qinglong replied: “The Zhuque Kingdom’s princess may have some connection to the Jun family’s Divine Son.”

“The Jun family’s Divine Son?”

The voice, too, carried a faint hint of hesitation and confusion.

In the Huangtian Immortal Realm, few may have seen Jun Xiaoyao, but nearly everyone has heard his name.

“The Jun family’s Divine Son wouldn’t care about such a minor kingdom,” the voice said coolly.

“I’m merely reminding you, Young Master,” said the Lord of Qinglong.

After Jun Linglong subdued Zhuque, the kingdom never publicly announced it.

After all, it wasn’t a particularly honorable matter.

So now, aside from the Zhuque Emperor, Bai Yuer, and the ministers who witnessed it firsthand,

everyone else remains unaware that Zhuque Ancient Kingdom has become Jun Xiaoyao’s private force.

“Hmph, remind me of what? Even if Zhuque has ties to Jun Xiaoyao, do you think I’d be afraid?”

The voice spoke with a touch of irritation.

“Of course not! Young Master is a great figure, destined to stand atop the Immortal Realm, looking down upon all beings,” the Lord of Qinglong flattered.

“Good. Then gather the three kingdoms’ armies and march on Zhuque Ancient Kingdom. Force their submission and seize the bronze compass fragment.”

“Yes, my lord,” the Lord of Qinglong bowed.

“By the way, I’ve heard the Zhuque Empress Bai Yuer is a rare beauty. Don’t harm her—bring her to me as my concubine.”

“Yes,” the Lord of Qinglong nodded, secretly relieved.

Fortunately, Bai Yuer had severed ties with Xiao Chen—otherwise, wouldn’t he be personally putting a green hat on his own son?

“Don’t worry—when this is done, you won’t lack rewards. Once the four ancient kingdoms merge into the Four Symbols Ancient Kingdom, you’ll be its sole ruler,” the voice chuckled lightly.

“Thank you, Young Master!” The Lord of Qinglong’s eyes gleamed with delight.

Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?

Then the Lord of Qinglong took his leave.

The voice murmured to itself.

“Once all four fragments are gathered and the complete bronze compass is assembled, perhaps we can trace the faintest clues to that bronze immortal palace.”

“If successful, this Marquis will gain a great fortune—and then I’ll have absolute certainty in winning Wu Mingyue’s hand.”

“Then, enter Panwu Tomb to claim its fortune, gradually seizing control of the Panwu Divine Dynasty’s power.”

“Finally, I, Yang Pan, shall stand atop the Nine Heavens and Ten Realms, at the pinnacle of all existence!”

The voice, brimming with vast ambition, echoed with laughter throughout the entire palace.

…

Not long after, the Lord of Qinglong had united the three kingdoms’ armies and marched toward Zhuque Ancient Kingdom.

And they made no attempt at concealment—marching openly toward Huozhou.

The news quickly reached Zhuque Ancient Kingdom.

Instantly, the entire nation was thrown into panic.

Previously, rumors that Qinglong had swallowed Baihu and Xuanwu had already unsettled many Zhuque ministers.

Now that the news was confirmed, Zhuque Ancient Kingdom erupted into chaos.

With Zhuque’s current strength, even Qinglong alone could bring about its annihilation—let alone the combined forces of three kingdoms.

The three-kingdom alliance was effectively a death sentence for Zhuque Ancient Kingdom.

Within the Zhuque Ancient Kingdom’s imperial palace,

a group of ministers approached Bai Yuer.

“Princess, please send word to the Jun family’s Divine Son—see if he can help!”

“Yes! The Emperor is in seclusion—only the Jun family can save us!”

All ministers who knew the truth strongly urged Bai Yuer to beg Jun Xiaoyao for aid.

“Very well, my lords, don’t panic—I’ll try,” said Bai Yuer.

She too was anxious, pulling out her communication jade slip to send word to Jun Linglong.

She had no direct way to contact Jun Xiaoyao.

Meanwhile, at the Jun family, Jun Linglong received the message.

But Jun Xiaoyao was still in seclusion—Jun Linglong could not disturb him over something like this.

Upon receiving the news, Bai Yuer’s heart sank slightly.

Jun Xiaoyao was in seclusion—she couldn’t reach him.

And Jun Linglong’s status was far beneath Jun Xiaoyao’s—she could never mobilize the Jun family’s power to aid Zhuque.

Only Jun Xiaoyao himself could save Zhuque Ancient Kingdom.

But he was in seclusion, and no one could disturb him.

Bai Yuer relayed this news to the ministers.

“How could this happen? Is heaven determined to destroy Zhuque Ancient Kingdom?” Some ministers turned pale.

“Not necessarily. Qinglong likely only wants our submission—let’s see how they behave,” said Bai Yuer.

Next, Zhuque Ancient Kingdom entered a state of war readiness.

Outside forces held no hope for Zhuque.

Many considered it a battle of a pebble against a boulder.

The outcome was certain—only a matter of time.

Of course, this assumption stemmed from their ignorance: they didn’t know Zhuque Ancient Kingdom was already Jun Xiaoyao’s private force.

Had they known, they’d never hold such a view.

In just a few short days,

the three-kingdom alliance had entered Huozhou’s territory, heading straight for Zhuque’s imperial capital.

Along the way, every city they passed was destroyed without resistance.

Most of Zhuque’s military forces were concentrated in the capital.

No matter the outcome, Zhuque Ancient Kingdom would never sit idle.

Just as the final great battle among the four ancient kingdoms was about to erupt,

within the Jun family’s Heaven Emperor Palace,

a supreme aura spread, radiant light rose.

Misty divine radiance drifted outward, making it feel as if an exalted true immortal sat within the palace.

Outside the Heaven Emperor Palace stood Jun Linglong, Jun Xuehuang, Jun Zhangjian, and Jun Wanjie.

Their eyes revealed astonishment and joy.

“The Divine Son is finally emerging from seclusion!”