Chapter 236: The Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord Are Fighting Over a Man!

It was obvious that the demon race held the advantage on the battlefield; Long Qinghuang was still pressing the Bone Dragon hard. It was hard to imagine that, even with their trump cards pinned down and beaten into a pit, not a single person from the Tian Shuang Kingdom had deserted.

If this were an elite, powerful army, such performance would be normal.

But for the Tian Shuang Kingdom, a system of a sect alliance, this was far from normal; even offering great rewards would make it difficult to achieve such unity of will.

What were they after?

Unless they had a follow-up move, or firmly believed that reinforcements were certain to arrive.

In other words, they had prepared for the possibility of being discovered and had a second plan. Even in their current situation, they were confident they could drag the Tian Yao Holy Land into the mess.

Where did that confidence come from?

Lu Xingzhou's mind raced; he immediately leaned close and whispered to Ye Tinglan, "Who told you about the dragon bone fragments? Control him, quickly!"

But it was already too late.

A sword beam suddenly erupted from their hiding spot, heading straight for a certain demon in the midst of the fierce battle.

Ye Tinglan turned her head abruptly; it was the old man who had shown her the dragon bone fragments earlier, also the "successful bidder" in Hanlan City.

Ye Tinglan roared, "Who gave you permission to act on your own!"

The old man spoke with righteous indignation, "I apologize, but I cannot bear to watch demons slaughter humans while we sit idly by, especially when you are still cooing over a little puppy! What is this? If you won't act, we will!"

Before Ye Tinglan could respond, Long Qinghuang in the distance laughed loudly, "The Tian Yao Holy Land is indeed nothing but a bunch of chicken-stealing, dog-snatching scoundrels!"

Ye Tinglan grabbed the old man, stopping him, and declared decisively, "It's too late! Prepare for battle!"

Sure enough, countless demonic energies and various powers from the demons in the distance, like a violent storm, were bombarding their hiding place.

Whenever anyone from the Tian Yao Holy Land appeared in the field, the demons' first reaction was always to turn their attention to them.

They were the demons' greatest enemy for the past few decades, with unparalleled hatred and vigilance; compared to them, the Tian Shuang Kingdom wasn't even a shrimp.

The people of the Tian Yao Holy Land were forced to strike back; amidst the clash of various powers, their concealment was completely broken.

Lu Xingzhou's worry had become reality—the Tian Shuang Kingdom had hidden agents within the Tian Yao Holy Land, so they were certain they could drag the Tian Yao Holy Land into the conflict. Once the Tian Yao Holy Land was involved, to avoid their own people being instantly killed by the opponent's strongest, the strongest of both sides would naturally have to engage each other first.

No matter how Ye Tinglan had considered things before, at this moment, she had to join forces with Si Han and the Bone Dragon to attack Long Qinghuang first.

Otherwise, if Long Qinghuang were to free her hands, the others of the Tian Yao Holy Land would surely suffer heavy casualties.

"Bang!" Long Qinghuang shook off the Bone Dragon and punched Ye Tinglan.

Ye Tinglan's slender hand lightly brushed aside; a Tai Chi shadow appeared in the void. Long Qinghuang's fist force, capable of shattering mountains and destroying cities, sank into it like a mud ox entering the sea, vanishing without a trace.

Both sides were momentarily locked in stalemate, but Long Qinghuang's gaze passed over Ye Tinglan, landing on Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo in the distance. Her expression was somewhat cold, "You captured them?"

Ye Tinglan: "?"

"No wonder the Tian Yao Holy Land arrived at the same judgment as me, coming to the Tian Shuang Kingdom's hiding place to play the oriole behind the yellow bird. It turns out they received information from him."

Ye Tinglan did not want Lu Xingzhou dragged into a battle with such overwhelming power, fearing collateral damage, so she said, "This battle is not of my own choosing. If you withdraw now, both sides can remain at peace, and we can fight another day."

Long Qinghuang clearly did not expect that, even with the advantage of attacking alongside the Bone Dragon and Si Han, Ye Tinglan would still be willing to stop the fight. She was momentarily stunned by the words before responding, "Stopping the fight is fine, but let me take the two people behind you."

Ye Tinglan was even more surprised by this response, blurted out, "No!"

Long Qinghuang sneered, "The Holy Lord of Tian Yao has also fallen in love? Actually fighting me for a man."

Ye Tinglan: ""

What are you talking about?

Nearby, the people of the Tian Yao Holy Land fought silently with the demons. Between the two sides, the fire seemed to have diminished considerably.

This might be the battle with the least fighting spirit between the Tian Yao Holy Land and the demons in recent years; everyone was pricking up their ears to listen to the gossip.

Oh my god, the Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord of Tian Yao are publicly fighting over a man in front of everyone!

What kind of ridiculous script is this?

Unfortunately, someone didn't want everyone to listen to the gossip properly.

Si Han, the Lord of the Tian Shuang Kingdom, sat atop the head of the Bone Dragon, charging from behind Long Qinghuang, "Holy Lord Ye, I know you are confused and dissatisfied. Let's capture the Demon Emperor first, then we can discuss it, shall we? I will surely give the Holy Lord an explanation!"

Such was the righteousness; Ye Tinglan had indeed decided to defeat Long Qinghuang first before considering anything else, but she was still dazed by Long Qinghuang's remark about fighting over a man.

Long Qinghuang's left hand, a dragon fist, roared, shaking off the Bone Dragon, while her right hand struck Ye Tinglan again, "In that case, let's see if you can take it down!" No, I haven't even done much, why aren't you leaving? Really just to fight over a man? Ye Tinglan blocked the attack, feeling as if she had fallen into a dream.

The three-way chaotic battle eventually evolved into humans from two nations besieging the demons. From the demons pressing the Tian Shuang Kingdom, it shifted to a temporary stalemate, with humans holding a slight advantage.

Lu Xingzhou did not observe the battle over there; his gaze fell on the ground beside him.

The old man who had dragged the Tian Yao Holy Land into the mess was held down by Ye Tinglan, collapsed on the ground, and no one had the leisure to pay him any attention.

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo simultaneously revealed benevolent smiles.

The old man's face was expressionless.

Lu Xingzhou squatted in front of him, smiling, "Is it worth it? You were doing quite well in the Tian Yao Holy Land, so why become a traitor?"

The old man said coldly, "I am not a traitor; I just cannot stand it!"

"Stop playing games. Your little tricks might fool a stupid woman, but do you think you can fool me?" Lu Xingzhou pulled out a small dagger and pressed it directly against the old man's lower body, "Besides, if not standing it means causing trouble, then I also can't stand you having this, so can't I just clean it up on the spot?"

The old man's eyes bulged, "You dare! I am an Elder of the Tian Yao Holy Land! If you kill me, the Holy Lord will have a hard time explaining!"

"What is there to explain about making a traitor?" Lu Xingzhou played with the dagger, sneering, "From the moment you bid on the Bone Dragon fragment at the auction, weren't you already deliberately cooperating with the Tian Shuang Kingdom? The other bidder was probably someone from the Tian Shuang Kingdom, playing a duet?"

"Do you have evidence?"

"Do you think this is a female-oriented novel? When is the time to look for evidence?" Lu Xingzhou stabbed the dagger into the old man's thigh.

The old man let out a wretched cry, covered in cold sweat, and pointed at Lu Xingzhou with trembling fingers, "You, you..."

"I don't want to argue with you, I'll just ask you one question." Lu Xingzhou spun the dagger, saying coldly, "The Tian Shuang Kingdom has no qualification to make you betray us. Who is behind you?"

The old man roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? It's all speculation!"

"Speculation?" Lu Xingzhou pointed back with his thumb at the fierce battle in the sky, "Long Qinghuang isn't withdrawing at a time like this. Do you really think she is willing to risk her life just to fight over me?"

The old man: "..."

That's for you to ask; how would I know?

"This current situation is the result of your second plan. The original scheme was to expect the demons and the Tian Yao Holy Land to fight in the center of the glacier. On the surface, it seemed beneficial to the Tian Shuang Kingdom, letting the demons and the Great Qian exhaust each other so they could pick up the scraps. But actually, thinking carefully, the Tian Shuang Kingdom's system is scattered and lacks a Super-Grade expert, so it is not an opponent for the Great Qian in the first place. Even if the Tian Yao Holy Land suffers losses, it won't affect the Great Qian crushing the Tian Shuang. What practical meaning does Si Han's operation have? If the plan fails, it will only invite the Great Qian to retaliate against the Tian Shuang. Is Si Han an idiot?"

The old man fell silent.

"Besides Si Han, there is actually another person who would be delighted to see the Demon Race and the Heavenly Yao Holy Land destroy each other... This person hates the Demon Race and is thoroughly fed up with being suppressed and constrained by the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord. Back when they attacked the Demon Race together, he and the Demon Emperor both suffered heavy losses, yet allowed your Holy Lord to become the number one under heaven. This regret and unwillingness gnaw at his heart like ants; he wants the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord to taste the same bitterness. At the same time, only he has the ability to turn people from the Heavenly Yao Holy Land, such as you."

The old man's eyes were filled with sheer terror.

"To deal with the Heavenly Yao Holy Land, this person has few allies to join forces with; the Tian Shuang Kingdom is one of them. He may have even made heavy promises, such as helping Si Han establish a unified Tian Shuang Dynasty. Si Han feels that no matter what, he loses nothing. The Great Qian Imperial Family is stirring up internal strife against the Heavenly Yao Holy Land, so of course he is happy to see it happen, which is why Si Han is working so hard."

"But now the situation has changed. You have activated the second plan. Although this can still cause conflict between the Demon Race and the Heavenly Yao Holy Land, as long as both leaders are not fools, they will try to clarify the situation and cease hostilities, no longer falling stupidly into someone's trap. It is obvious that your Sect Master already intends to stop the war; why does Long Qinghuang not accept it?"

"It cannot be because of snatching a man; that is not worth pressing the entire Demon Race here... It can only be that she reached another agreement with someone, switched sides, and is now targeting your Sect Master together with them. This is the minimum result the planner wants to achieve, for which he is willing to cooperate temporarily with the Demon Race." Speaking to this point, Lu Xingzhou smiled self-mockingly: "So-called snatching a man, even if there is some truth to it, is merely a side effect."

The old man: "..."

"Long Qinghuang will drag your Sect Master down stubbornly. At the necessary moment, Si Han will switch from attacking Long Qinghuang to attacking your Sect Master. At her most unexpected moment, the mastermind behind the scenes will strike, and the outcome will be sealed." After Lu Xingzhou finished speaking, he stared into the old man's eyes and said coldly: "I only want to know: did Gu Zhanting come in person?"

The old man's face changed in horror.

He had remained silent throughout, but upon hearing the end, his lips were already trembling slightly. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Lu Xingzhou was as if he were looking at a monster.

"Most likely not." Lu Xingzhou sneered: "Even if his injuries had not yet healed, that would be one thing; but he is even less willing to expose his identity, causing a rift between himself and the Heavenly Yao Holy Land. In that case, the only person left who can prove he is the villain is you. Do you think that by stubbornly insisting there is no evidence and claiming you only intervened because you couldn't stand by, Ye Tinglan will be powerless against you? No. The person who will want to kill you then will not be Ye Tinglan, but Gu Zhanting. He will not leave you, this living witness, alive in the world."

The old man looked dazed, and only after a long while did he speak hoarsely: "He... did not come in person."

"It must have been a supreme elder of the Imperial Family, who also concealed his appearance." Lu Xingzhou said: "If you want to live, you only need to do one thing."

The old man stared fixedly at him.

Lu Xingzhou said: "You must have a means of long-distance communication with them; it is impossible to rely entirely on tacit understanding. Now you only need to send a notification, causing this person to appear early. When the reckoning comes, I will guarantee your life."

(End of this chapter)