Chapter 157: All Things Are Ready

"Senior, I intend to strike first to gain the advantage; I plan to move against the Prince of Pingxi to see if I can behead him.

During this time, I must trouble you, Senior, to look after the Empress, the Crown Prince, and my wife here in Wanfa Tower."

Chen Mo stepped onto the top floor of Wanfa Tower and spoke in a deep voice.

Chu Tianxiu could not easily leave this place now, but as long as he remained within the confines of Wanfa Tower, his movements were not overly restricted.

The Mirage Sea Water did not erupt at all times; he only needed to ensure that when it did, he was by his old friend's side to help suppress it in time.

"The Prince of Pingxi's strength is not weak. Although there is not much difference between the Innate First Layer and the Innate Third Layer, he has, after all, broken through to this realm more than a decade earlier than you."

Chu Tianxiu looked slightly surprised upon hearing this and began to persuade him otherwise.

He did not know Chen Mo's true cultivation level; he only knew that Chen Mo had broken through to the Innate Realm not long ago.

Thus, no matter how good Chen Mo's talent was, in his view, he was at most at the Xiantian First Layer.

Although there is no barrier between the Xiantian First Layer and the Xiantian Third Layer—one can break through naturally with slow cultivation—it is not something that can be achieved so quickly.

"Given the current situation, you have absolutely no need to do anything else; just wait calmly. Once I have finished sorting out the injuries on my old friend, I will go with you to deal with the Prince of Pingxi."

Chu Tianxiu continued; this was indeed the most secure method.

"You are right, Senior, but the longer this drags on, the more problems will arise. If the Prince of Pingxi truly raises an army, many elites of the Imperial Court will die in internal strife. Cutting the Gordian knot and solving it directly is the best way," Chen Mo said slowly.

He certainly understood that continuing to drag it out was not a bad thing for him.

But doing so would result in too many people dying, and it would be even more troublesome to handle.

Although Chen Mo did not claim to be a good person, he was not a bloodthirsty one either; it was naturally best if he could reduce the slaughter.

Since he had the ability to solve the problem, he would use the simplest and fastest way to resolve it.

"Fine, I will not try to persuade you further. Be careful in everything you do; if it truly becomes impossible, retreat toward Wanfa Tower."

Chu Tianxiu was not particularly worried about Chen Mo's safety; a gap existed between the Xiantian First Layer and the Xiantian Third Layer, but it was not large.

Even if Chen Mo could not win, he would absolutely have no problem saving his own life.

Moreover, he cultivated both internally and externally, and his own strength could, to some extent, hold an advantage among those in the same realm.

"This is a wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath I have condensed; take it for self-protection."

With a thought, Chu Tianxiu drew a wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath from his own dantian.

This wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath had evolved from the Heaven and Earth Lock within his body; it exuded a bone-chilling cold, yet it was as gentle as water.

"Many thanks, Senior." Chen Mo used his Inner Qi to receive this wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath and kept it on his person.

He could sense that as long as he wished, he could trigger the power within this wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath at any time.

Of course, with this wisp of Heaven and Earth Breath in his hands, it could only be used this way; it could not suppress other Martial Artists.

This was not power that belonged to him, and he could not fully control it.

Even so, it could still be used as a trump card for self-protection.

"A small matter. With me guarding this place, you can act without worry; there is no need to fear for the safety of the Empress and the others."

Chu Tianxiu waved his hand dismissively, but just as he wanted to say a few more words to Chen Mo, his expression suddenly changed, and he flashed into a side chamber.

There was no need to guess; it must be that the Mirage Sea Water within his old friend had begun to riot again, requiring his help to suppress it.

In fact, Chen Mo could sense that besides Chu Tianxiu, there were at least five other Innate Experts on the top floor of Wanfa Tower.

Two of them were the most severely injured, while the remaining three were slightly better off, and all were in seclusion healing their wounds.

"Since you are occupied, Senior, I shall take my leave." Chen Mo bowed and slowly retreated from the top floor of Wanfa Tower, arriving at the fourth floor.

This place was spacious enough, and although it was crude, it was perfectly sufficient for a temporary stay and rest.

The Storage Bag that Empress Xu carried with her was filled with food, water, and other daily necessities; these items were enough to support them living here for over a month.

The time for Chen Mo's strike was not yet determined, and until the Prince of Pingxi was dealt with, they would absolutely not leave this place by even half a step.

"Your Majesty, please rest here with the Crown Prince for now," Chen Mo said in a deep voice to Empress Xu, then turned and walked away.

Zhao Yu followed closely behind him, intending to see him off.

"Alright, no need to see me off any further, go back quickly." Chen Mo held her hand, and the two walked all the way to the bottom floor of Wanfa Tower.

"Mm." Zhao Yu responded softly, opened her arms, and hugged Chen Mo tightly.

She naturally knew what her husband was about to do.

"Take care of yourself; I will be here waiting for your return." Zhao Yu had ten thousand words in her heart, but when they reached her lips, only this one remained.

"Rest assured, I will definitely return. Think about it, when have I ever lied to you?" Chen Mo smiled, brushed her hair, and quietly left Wanfa Tower.

He did not go directly to find the Prince of Pingxi, but instead returned to his own home first; Wei Xia was still there.

She was not human, after all, and when Zhao Yu entered the palace earlier, she had not brought her along.

The reason Chen Mo went to find her was, first, to take some Nourishing Spirit Liquid to nourish his own Divine Sense.

A Martial Artist's Divine Sense is definitely not considered strong compared to a Qi Refiner's; even though Chen Mo was already in the Innate Realm, the Nourishing Spirit Liquid could still nourish his Divine Sense.

This point was quite important; whether it was for condensing the Heaven and Earth Breath or opening the Purple Mansion, there were certain requirements for a Martial Artist's divine intent.

Naturally, the stronger the divine intent, the better.

Furthermore, there was another point: as a Ghost Spirit, Wei Xia possessed a Ghost Domain and could, to a certain extent, resist the Mirage Sea or the Ruins Realm.

If the Prince of Pingxi was truly connected to something within the Ruins Realm, or even borrowed some power from within the Ruins Realm, then bringing her along would provide an extra layer of insurance.

Such precautions could never be too many; even if they were not needed in the end, they must not be absent.

He returned quietly to his home, alerting no one, and walked to the side room where Wei Xia was kept; Chen Mo knocked gently on the door.

There was no response from inside the room; he pushed the door open and entered, seeing the Mysterious Ice Bead being worshipped to the side.

Since Zhao Yu entered the palace, Wei Xia could not speak with others, so she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Chen Mo picked up incense from the side and lit it; the smoke drifted upward, and before long, the scenery before his eyes shifted abruptly.

The side room before him had turned into an independent small courtyard.

Wei Xia was in the room at this moment; it was clear she had just awakened from her deep sleep.

Walking out of the room and seeing Chen Mo's figure, she appeared exceptionally happy.

"Benefactor, you've returned!" With a smile on her face, she took two steps to reach Chen Mo's side.

"The Imperial Court's diplomatic mission has concluded, so naturally, I have returned."

As Chen Mo spoke, he took a few more items out of his Storage Bag, most of which were food.

"These are specialties from Li Capital; you can taste them."

These items were not worth much money, but they had the advantage of being fresh and rare.

Chen Mo had brought quite a lot from Li Capital to give to friends and family, just for them to have a taste of something new.

However, although they had been stored in the Storage Bag, isolated from external interference, they had still been kept for several months; they hadn't spoiled, but the flavor was slightly different from when they were freshly made.

Wei Xia was very happy; she first thanked Chen Mo, then manifested a pot of tea, unwrapped the oil-paper packages, and tasted these flavors from a distant land.

"I have another matter to attend to next, and I need you to accompany me. If an accident occurs, you must follow my orders and unfold your Ghost Domain.

It's just that going there this time might be very dangerous, so you should consider it carefully," Chen Mo said slowly.

He was not a person who held favors over others to demand repayment; although he had been a benefactor to Wei Xia, the returns Wei Xia had given him were also very significant.

Asking her to help this time, if she were unwilling, Chen Mo would not force her.

"If Benefactor has a task, this young woman will serve as a beast of burden at your command!" Wei Xia stood up and declared.

Chen Mo had shown her great kindness, not to mention taking good care of her mother and siblings.

Some time ago, that salt merchant He Luoyun had also sent a letter detailing the situation of her family; although they were not wealthy or noble, they were better off than some and worse off than others.

Being able to eat their fill and having meat every few days was a very good life in the village.

Her younger brother had even arranged a marriage, and calculating the time now, they might already be married.

For her, this was enough; even if she were to go to reincarnation now, she would not have to worry about her family's life.

"Good, then prepare yourself, and we shall set off now. Don't worry, although this matter is dangerous, I will do my best to keep you safe.

Also, do you still have any accumulated Nourishing Spirit Liquid from this period? Bring me some more," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Wei Xia nodded repeatedly and brought out sixteen or seventeen prepared porcelain bottles, all filled with Nourishing Spirit Liquid.

Putting away the porcelain bottles, Chen Mo exited Wei Xia's Ghost Domain and left, carrying the Mysterious Ice Bead close to his body.

Without directly seeking out the Prince of Pingxi, Chen Mo set off to return to the Palace City and began to mobilize the Imperial Forest Guard within the Palace City.

If he truly killed the Prince of Pingxi, there would inevitably be some of his die-hard loyalists in the Border Army who needed to be purged.

Relying solely on the Imperial Guard was uncertain; the true elite he could rely on were these Yulin Guards.

Although the Yulin Guard officer was surprised by Chen Mo's radical approach, he did not refute it, nor did he offer any unnecessary opinions.

In military matters, there was no room for refutation; all he could do was obey orders.

"My Lord, the Prince of Pingxi has come in person and wishes to see you." A Imperial Forest Guard officer ran over hurriedly, holding an invitation in his hand.

Chen Mo was slightly surprised, but upon reflection, it was not unexpected.

For him, the longer things were dragged out, the more advantageous it was, but the Prince of Pingxi could not afford to wait.

Coming in person this time, he was likely bringing more sincerity and would offer higher terms.

However, he probably did not expect that he was already prepared to act at any moment.

"Good, tell the Prince of Pingxi to wait a moment; this official will go to see him now." Chen Mo smiled, accepted the invitation, and gave instructions.

The Zhonglang General bowed and hurried away again.

"Bring all the Martial Artists of the Postnatal Realm in the Palace City; have them go to the Array Eyes of the Palace City to connect with the Heaven and Earth Power and reinforce the Array."

Chen Mo used secret sound transmission to instruct the Yulin Guard officer.

In a battle between Innate Experts, Post-Heaven Martial Artists could not intervene, but the Palace City was equipped with a large number of Arrays.

Post-Heaven experts connecting with Heaven and Earth and reinforcing the Array could further enhance the power of the Array.

With the help of the Array, he could suppress the Prince of Pingxi and provide himself with some reinforcement.

With one side gaining and the other losing, even if the Prince of Pingxi's strength was originally greater than his, he would definitely not be his match near the Palace City.

Chen Mo had originally planned to take the initiative and find an opportunity to ambush the Prince of Pingxi, taking advantage of being prepared against the unprepared to strike first.

However, he had not expected the Prince of Pingxi to deliver himself to his doorstep.

Since that was the case, there was no reason for him not to act.

"This subordinate understands!" The Yulin Guard officer bowed; he could naturally guess Chen Mo's purpose and hurried off to prepare.

There were actually quite a few Post-Heaven experts in the Palace City; besides the five Post-Heaven experts in the Yulin Guard, there were also two old eunuchs left over from the previous dynasty who also possessed Post-Heaven strength.

These old eunuchs were, of course, loyal to the Emperor and the Imperial Court, and Chen Mo had also mobilized them during this time to guard the Ancestral Temple.

In addition, there were two Post-Heaven experts beside the Empress; one accompanied the Empress to the Wanfa Tower, while the other remained to manage the situation in the inner palace.

These Post-Heaven experts were mobilized one by one to guard various nodes of the Array.

Chen Mo took out the Beast-faced Swallowing-head Linked Armor he had removed not long ago, and his True Qi divided into thousands, like nimble hands, helping him put on the armor.

Besides the armor, Chen Mo also wore an extra piece of leather armor tanned from Blood Spirit Deer Skin; when fighting others, he could stimulate his True Qi to form a Gang Qi Armor around his body.

Thus, there were three layers of protection, and coupled with Chen Mo's formidable physical body, even an Innate Expert of the same realm would find it extremely difficult to injure him.

After completing all preparations, he waited for about half a quarter of an hour.

Confirming that all the Post-Heaven experts had reached their respective Array Eyes, they would connect with Heaven and Earth to reinforce the Array as soon as he gave the order.

Only then did Chen Mo stride toward the Palace City wall, where the Prince of Pingxi was waiting for him.

(End of chapter)