Chapter 428

For a moment, Cang Qu nearly lost his composure.

You can't be this cruel!

Does your Qinglong Society deal in bulk?

One Dao-vein Jade Pendant per person?

This is cheating! This is foul play!

In Cang Qu's heart, a silent scream echoed.

263—I came here to find a woman for the Great Dragon Head!

Looking at the old Taoist Zhang, whose smile was warm as spring breeze.

Cang Qu felt deep inside that he was utterly wicked!

You think having a Dao-vein Jade Pendant makes you special?

Unfortunately, he truly dared not gamble on whether Zhang Sanfeng had something similar.

After all, if he did, and Cang Qu used it, he'd have to flee in disgrace.

In the Great Ming Palace, with Tang's information sealed, few knew of his humiliation.

But now this was Great Ming—Great Ming under Qinglong Society's control.

Deyue Pavilion was a famed pleasure house of the Wu Lin.

If he were blasted away today by Zhang Sanfeng using something like a Dao-vein Jade Pendant, tomorrow the Wu Lin might spin any tale about him.

The reputation of the "Heavenly Demon" Cang Qu would be utterly ruined.

After much deliberation, his expression shifted several times; Cang Qu gritted his teeth.

"Fine. For the sake of your Great Dragon Head, I'll spare this boy this time. Farewell."

If I can't beat him, can't I at least run away?

Cang Qu retracted his Heavenly Demon aura and grabbed Lin Shiyin, preparing to leave.

"Lord Heavenly Demon, Lin Shiyin is the cousin of the Zhengyue Hall Master, his childhood friend."

"Please grant this old Taoist a small favor—let her go?"

Zhang Sanfeng had come here representing the Qinglong Society to claim Lin Shiyin and the Devoted Heart Pill.

"Don't push your luck!"

Cang Qu's head throbbed, but he forced himself to speak.

"This Lin Shiyin was ordered by Empress Wu Zetian of Tang to be brought back by me."

"Then destroy the Devoted Heart Pill, and I'll allow you to take Lin Shiyin."

At that moment, Jiang Yuyan arrived late, speaking with outright authority.

"No…"

Li Xunhuan had been calming his injuries; upon hearing Lin Shiyin was to be taken, his face showed clear reluctance.

"Hall Master Zhengyue, the matter is urgent."

Jiang Yuyan's face was resolute; she gave Li Xunhuan a look.

"This…"

Cang Qu was about to refuse.

"Didn't you say Empress Wu Zetian of Tang only wanted Lin Shiyin?"

"The Qinglong Society will grant Empress Wu Zetian and Lord Heavenly Demon this favor—let you take Lin Shiyin."

"Isn't that enough?"

"Are you truly saying Tang will go to war with the Qinglong Society?"

Jiang Yuyan's words were sharp; before Cang Qu could refuse, she threatened war on behalf of the Qinglong Society.

Cang Qu's expression shifted again—he was now Tang's chief imperial protector.

Tang and the Heavenly Demon shared the same fate: prosperity or ruin together.

At this moment, Tang's full-scale war against the Qinglong Society would be like an egg striking a stone.

But if he agreed to Jiang Yuyan, his entire mission would be in vain.

After all, Lin Shiyin and the Devoted Heart Pill complemented each other.

Lose one, and both became useless.

"Since Tang wants Lin Shiyin, perhaps Lord Heavenly Demon will grant this old monk a small favor—hand over the pill?"

At that moment, the Void trembled; the Lotus Life Buddha appeared with the Three Dragon-Elephant Monks.

Originally, according to Yelu Chu's plan, the most critical matter for Great Yuan was to transport Lin Shiyin into Great Yuan Realm using the reincarnation burden cultivation method.

But the Qinglong Society had intervened directly—despite Cang Qu's strength, even he was momentarily powerless.

How could the Lotus Life Buddha let the plan fail? He now represented Great Yuan and boldly demanded the Devoted Heart Pill.

Had the Qinglong Society not intervened, Cang Qu would never have agreed.

Now that the Qinglong Society had disrupted things, the Lotus Life Buddha's appearance was effectively an alliance with Tang and Cang Qu.

Cang Qu was no fool—he understood the stakes perfectly.

"Fine! Since the Master wants this pill, and it's useless to me, I'll give it to you."

Since he couldn't obtain both, getting one was acceptable.

Most importantly, the killing move still existed.

Cang Qu didn't wait for Lin Shiyin's reaction—he unleashed his demonic seed's spiritual power and plucked the Devoted Heart Pill from her bosom.

With a gentle push, the pill floated toward the Lotus Life Buddha.

"Amitabha."

Lianhua Living Buddha was overjoyed. He immediately pressed his palms together, accepted the pill, then tucked it into his kasaya.

"Thank you, benefactor, for your kindness. From now on, the Great Tang and the Great Yuan may consider themselves allied."

A verbal pact can be broken at any time, so right now dealing with the Fuqinglong Society is indeed the most important thing.

"Does this mean the Great Yuan and the Great Tang intend to go to war with the Qinglong Society?"

It looked as if that killing move had been broken apart, but the hidden danger was still there—this was something Jiang Yuyan could not accept.

"War is too strong a word. But if the Qinglong Society insists on going its own way, I may have to step forward on behalf of Great Qin and see to a bit of justice."

Prince Zichu of the King Xiang lineage, head held high and stride broad, led a group of Great Qin's top experts and made his timely, dazzling entrance.

The three great dynasties now formed a tripod-of-power standoff.

Whether by design or by chance, they seemed to have Jiang Yuyan's group surrounded at the very center.

The atmosphere in the air instantly froze.

Zichu, Lianhua Living Buddha, and Cang Qu—each of the three possessed terrifyingly formidable strength.

If Jiang Yuyan and Zhang Sanfeng did not have the contingencies Ximen Wudi had left behind, any one of them could have swept through them all.

But then again, a Dao-Rhyme Jade Pendant truly isn't some common cabbage.

Ximen Wudi's heading to the Sword Realm was also a spur-of-the-moment decision.

He really hadn't left any contingencies behind for Jiang Yuyan or Zhang Sanfeng.

For a moment, Jiang Yuyan's heart was turned upside down, while her face betrayed not the slightest flicker.

Zhang Sanfeng and the Water God Ancestor were also groaning inwardly, but right now a hard line truly wasn't appropriate.

Yet if they didn't take a hard line, the Qinglong Society's long-standing domineering image would be ruined in an instant.

Just then, a faint voice drifted from the void,

"Oh? The three great dynasties are making things difficult for my Qinglong Society?"

No one knew when, but there, floating above the void, was a young man whose bearing and looks alike transcended the mortal world.

He appeared to be all smiles.

Yet everyone present felt that the moment his expression shifted, countless people would fall.

"Great Dragon Head, how did you get here?"

Zhang Sanfeng and the Water God Ancestor were utterly stunned and hurriedly bowed with full ceremony.

"Great Dragon Head, Ximen Wudi…"

The people of the three great dynasties all changed color at once.

Although through his bearing they had vaguely guessed this man to be Ximen Wudi,

the Ximen Wudi hailed as the foremost taboo expert of the Nine Provinces had a strange air about him—nowhere near as invincible as they had imagined.