Chapter 466: Gathering Together

Crimson smoke winds around the banner, feather fan sweeps through incense—

This time, the palace attendant led Chen Hang into a magnificent, solemn hall; before its gates, a long imperial avenue was lined with crimson-armored divine generals holding spears and halberds, their guard strict and imposing, while banners soared high and emerald canopies fluttered, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.

Each of these divine generals radiated an immense, unfathomable aura, holding in hand a fire lion a zhang tall, its body covered in hard, bluish-gray scales; the lions’ eyes glowed with intelligence, clearly ancient spirits who had attained sentience, far beyond mere ferocious beasts.

Qiu Yu Ning was like a snow lotus amid ice—beautiful, aloof, one could not bear to pluck her; while Li Feier was like a seductive red rose—beautiful, yet too perilous to touch.

Because he had activated his ultimate ability, he didn’t die—but during resurrection and retreat, he was directly rammed into the sky by the veteran driver, never even getting a chance to press flash before he was downed.

Inside the tea room, Official Zhao Lian sat with the Fourth Imperial Prince, while Gu Yi personally attended to the prince.

She had planned three concerts in Lücheng this month, plus numerous commercial performances, but after finishing only the first concert, before the second could begin, her voice gave out; the concerts were forced to postpone, and all remaining performances were canceled.

Of course, not everyone at the auction succeeded in trading; for instance, the white-haired old woman had brought forth a supreme-grade cloud artifact, “Water Cloud Cone,” and specified she wished to exchange it for a metal-type supreme-grade cloud artifact.

At that moment, having reloaded, Lin Fan glanced at the upper-right corner and was startled—his gun discharged accidentally.

Lin Fan had fought many battles; he never froze in sudden situations, and his body, conditioned by years of fighting, reacted instinctively without needing input from his mind.

Instantly, the entire hall—and all space within sight—turned a blinding crimson.

The three could not decide who should take which path, so they came up with a game of drawing lots to determine their routes.

“Feng’er, you’re injured?” At once, Qin Qiong rushed forward in three strides, reaching Qin Feng’s side, his voice tense with concern.

All knew the Emperor Taizong intended to question the Duke of Bao on grave matters, likely concerning succession; no one dared breathe, waiting silently outside.

Finally, after flying for an unknown duration, Jiang Yun and the others landed, entering the First Layer of Hell.

Observant eyes could easily see that Long Aotian’s uprising was no impulsive act—perhaps even before he declared himself king, he had already seized Rongcheng and other regions, waiting only for the proclamation of his kingship to officially change his banners.

Shu Ao had been a trusted retainer of the Third Prince Ji Chui; he originally disapproved of the Third Prince’s ambush plan, but unfortunately, among all the prince’s subordinates, he alone opposed it—and thus became isolated.

He believed Ji Ya could do it, and this moved Ji Ya deeply; even her own people did not fully trust her governance, yet her enemy Du Chang believed in her—and even risked his life to cooperate.

At this moment, the Jiang family’s patriarch emerged, clearly siding with Jiang Yun, and also acting for the greater good of the Jiang clan.

“Nothing, it’s all past now—just something from a while ago…” Su Qing did not conceal it, briefly recounting how Yang Yi had once saved her.

Glancing ahead, he saw Mei Jie struggling to sit up, raising a bottle of orange-red potion to his lips; instantly, he surged forward, snatched the potion from Mei Jie’s hand, and kicked Mei Jie away again.

Shen Yiguan did not show surprise, but smiled ambiguously, making Zhang Weixian feel uneasy.

Some rejoiced, others grieved; the men ahead of Yang Yi had not unearthed anything valuable—the best was a half-palm-sized piece of golden-thread jade, its color streaks thin and dull; yet the gambler’s expression suggested he believed he’d found a hidden treasure.