Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 344 Demon Emperor VS Qian Emperor
Just as Lion Mad launched his attack on Huo Xingyuan, Long Qinghuang also received a signal.

"It's time." Long Qinghuang instructed her attendants: "Launch the general offensive and proceed according to plan. Long Xi, Long Yun, you and a few others will lead the troops to destroy the city's formations, control the city's defenses, and intercept the army; Long Lie will hold off Hai Ruyuan, the chief eunuch beside Gu Zhanting. Be careful, this eunuch is very strong, no less than you, just keep him occupied."

These are all top experts of the demon race, including dragons and close relatives of dragons. They are all trusted right-hand men of Long Qinghuang.

Ever since Long Qinghuang began to suspect that there was a mole among her people, the scope of suspicion has been limited to these individuals.

Because other races are weaker than the Dragon Clan, even if they collude with Gu Zhanting, it would be difficult for them to truly gain power within the Demon Clan. Only within the Dragon Clan is there a possibility. If Long Qinghuang is seriously injured, even more severely than she was ten years ago, then these powerful Dragon Clan members might be able to replace the Dragon Clan Chief, thereby suppressing the other races and becoming the new Demon Emperor.

Long Qinghuang had no way of knowing which of her loyal henchmen, who had never abandoned her after her injury, harbored any disloyalty.

Long Qinghuang knew that this large-scale invasion of the Qian Kingdom would be difficult to win.

Although Gu Zhanting was injured, he has been recuperating for ten years, so at least in the short term, the impact of the battle is not significant, and his strength will certainly not be weak. It's unknown what Ye Tinglan is thinking. If the demon race is showing off at the border, Ye Tinglan will most likely be more focused on the sea issues and won't bother with it. However, if the demon race advances unimpeded, Long Qinghuang guarantees that Ye Tinglan won't sit still and will definitely intervene.

In other words, they won't actually achieve much. At most, they can take advantage of Ye Tinglan's inaction to reclaim the territory lost over the years. They also have to bear the risk of Ye Tinglan launching a surprise attack on their rear, which is a reckless move.

No wonder someone previously speculated that this was because she was furious and wanted to steal a man... otherwise it wouldn't make sense.

Long Qinghuang knew perfectly well that she was simply revealing her own weaknesses.

Given the temperamental nature of the mother dragon, no one would suspect that her impulsive and reckless actions had ulterior motives. In reality, she just wanted to find out who the mole was during the crisis. Everything else was just secondary, and whatever results she achieved would be a bonus.

As for crises, she was certainly prepared. Whether it was someone responsible for disrupting the formation maliciously tampering with it, or someone responsible for restraining the eunuchs colluding with them to betray her, she was prepared.

No one had anticipated that someone from the ancient realm would launch a sneak attack on the Holy Mountain. This was a completely new variable, disrupting the established order of things that had prevailed for so many years. In the midst of this power struggle, no one had ever considered this force before.

If Gu Zhanting appears to be cowering and taking a beating, seemingly only hoping for a sneak attack from an insider, but actually aiming at the Holy Mountain, then Gu Zhanting has the upper hand in this game.

Long Qinghuang preferred to believe that Lu Xingzhou was lying to her about withdrawing his troops.

The thought flashed through his mind, and the dragon elites descended from the sky, storming into the main city.

The various restrictive formations in the main city, such as those that prohibit flight and limit power, are meaningless in the face of someone as powerful as Long Qinghuang.

The dragon probes with its claws... This time it's a real claw probe.

The enormous dragon claw slammed down in the center of the city, causing the earth to tremble, houses to collapse, and rocks and dirt to fly everywhere.

With a single strike, half of the city was destroyed, and the city's formations were temporarily rendered ineffective by the overwhelming energy impact.

Such violence.

The residents, who had been dispersed long ago, huddled in the corners, trembling with fear, as the golden dragon transformed into a beautiful woman in a golden robe and appeared in front of the city garrison.

The other dragon species also transformed into various human forms, instantly scattering around to seize the key points of the formation and suppress the army.

Long Qinghuang led Long Lie slowly into the city garrison. The original owner of the house was nowhere to be found. In the empty front yard, Gu Zhanting stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at the flowers in the courtyard.

An old eunuch stood behind her, watching Long Qinghuang's movements warily. That was Hai Ruyuan, Gu Zhanting's most trusted eunuch. Hai Xian, the eunuch who had previously "rewarded the northern frontier," was his godson.

Long Qinghuang suddenly stopped.

The old eunuch was surprised to realize that she was exactly three zhang away from Gu Zhanting, not an inch more or less.

Long Qinghuang suddenly spoke, her tone sarcastic: "Huo Xingyuan led the capital army to rescue you."

Gu Zhanting hummed in agreement, still looking at the flowers: "Xingyuan has always been very loyal."

"They came to rescue you and got into a fierce battle, and you were still looking at flowers."

“I’m not looking at the flower, I’m looking at your aura.” Gu Zhanting smiled. “Since you arrived, this flower has appeared to be the same, but in reality, it is withering inside.”

Long Qinghuang asked with great interest, "What does this mean?"

Suddenly, Lu Xingzhou came to mind. If it were him, he would probably say that this was the Demon Emperor's beauty that could shame the moon and flowers.

Gu Zhanting said calmly, "It fears you. Plants have spirits, and you are undoubtedly one of the most feared by all living beings."

Long Qinghuang felt bored: "You don't need to tell me, I know that."

In both of these conversations, neither person referred to themselves as "朕" (the imperial "I").

In a sense, Long Qinghuang actually respected Gu Zhanting, not for the Emperor's status. The female tyrant always respected the strong, whether in cultivation or intellect.

Gu Zhanting's cultivation is undoubtedly very strong. The mutual destruction they suffered back then was a result of real fighting.

But she added, "I also know that the creatures that fear me are not only it, but also you."

Gu Zhanting finally turned to face Long Qinghuang and said calmly, "That's right."

The injury that had plagued him for ten years was caused by the woman in front of him, but the woman's injury from back then had now healed.

To say I feared them might be an exaggeration, but to say I was wary of them was definitely an overstatement.

Gu Zhanting wanted to suppress Ye Tinglan, but the opponent he most wanted to eliminate was not Ye Tinglan... After all, Ye Tinglan had no desire for power and would not harm anyone, while the Demon Emperor Long Qinghuang was likely to sweep away the world.

This time, he personally entered the game, putting himself in such a dangerous situation, letting rumors spread throughout the capital, and letting Huo Xingyuan's reinforcements be used as pawns... making a complete fool of himself, all for one purpose.

Eliminate Long Qinghuang.

And this was done while Ye Tinglan was away, to eliminate Long Qinghuang... or at least defeat her.

In that battle, almost all the glory was stolen by Ye Tinglan, and people only talked about him as someone who suffered heavy losses... This led to Gu Zhanting being subordinate to Ye Tinglan for a full ten years, which almost became a demon in his heart. If this battle is successful, everything will be worthwhile.

Long Qinghuang said, "Since you are afraid of me, why do you dare to face me alone? These past three days you have seemed to be surrounded, but I know your abilities very well. If you wanted to leave, you would have left long ago."

"Wouldn't that be handing over the border city?" Gu Zhanting smiled. "Although I am not very capable, I would never do such a thing. Whether the city can be defended or not, we'll only know after the battle. As for how you were able to bypass the defensive loopholes and attack the rear city, I really didn't expect that beforehand. It seems that there are quite a few problems within the Great Qian Dynasty. I will reorganize it when I return."

"Then first you must be able to go back." Long Qinghuang had no mood for pleasantries, leaving behind her last words, her robes fluttering even without wind.

A dragon fist had already reached Gu Zhanting's face.

The cultivation of demons is very different from that of humans.

In ancient times, they didn't even have the same titles for their realms... For those of the highest rank, humans called them Huiyang, while demons called them Wanxiang.

Huiyang, meaning "bright hall shining, a thousand miles of radiance," refers to the cultivation of the spirit and soul. Therefore, cultivators who cannot survive at this stage are most fond of possessing other bodies, and their yin spirit can remain for far longer than their physical body.

All phenomena are the manifestations of all things. Their myriad forms and endless changes are the work of creation. Regardless of the role the spirit plays, the actual outward manifestation remains in the transformation of the physical body.

Modern people don't make such distinctions; they all call them "super grade." Even those who understand some ancient terms would probably only categorize the cultivation of demons as "Huiyang." That doesn't matter; what's important is that Gu Zhanting understands.

The dragon race's physical body has been cultivated to the point of perfection, and its strength is far beyond what ordinary humans can imagine.

Some people may not even be able to break their hymen.

But facing this fist that was powerful enough to shatter a mountain, Gu Zhanting's sleeves billowed as he actually met it head-on with a punch of his own.

Purple clouds rose from the sky, as if this punch had brought about a change in the celestial phenomena, with purple clouds floating across the sky.

The imperial power astonished the world, and purple clouds came from the east.

"boom!"

The two fists collided, and the city garrison was instantly reduced to ruins, and then even the ruins were reduced to ashes.

At the center where the two stood, the ground collapsed, creating a deep pit that radiated outwards from them, encompassing a significant portion of the city. The flower that Gu Zhanting had been so arrogantly observing hadn't even had a root left.

Evenly matched.

The domineering and unparalleled Dragon Fist was actually blocked head-on by the Imperial Extreme World-Shaking Scripture, without being at a disadvantage.

I wonder if Dugu Qingli would think that the Huangji Jingshi Jing is a good technique if she saw it... No wonder Shen Tang's domineering and fierce explosive power when facing opponents often leaves them at a loss.

Long Qinghuang's prediction was correct; at least in the short term, Gu Zhanting's injuries would not hinder him too much.

The men on both sides tacitly engaged in battle, each restraining the other from interfering with their own emperor's duel.

Above the East China Sea, the night waves hang suspended in mid-air, looking back westward.

"Sect Master, the Northern Frontier..."

Ye Tinglan withdrew her gaze and landed on the island not far away: "Is this the last secret place of the ancient people that you discovered?"

"Yes."

"You must seal off the surrounding area and not let a single person escape. There's no need to worry about the situation in the northern border; Lu Xingzhou is making plans, and nothing serious will happen."

"...No, Lu Xingzhou is only a third-rank..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Tinglan had already rushed straight to the island.

The elders behind him were speechless and had no choice but to follow.

The two from the northern border had exchanged hundreds of blows in the blink of an eye. For them, it would often take a whole day and night to determine a winner.

Any external interference could cause this balance to tip instantly.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Long Qinghuang suddenly burst out laughing: "Your elite capital troops couldn't even hold out for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, ha... hahaha..."

Their divine senses covered a thousand miles, though there was no need to extend that far; the battle situation over there was clearly under their observation. Long Qinghuang attempted to provoke Gu Zhanting's anger or sorrow with Huo Xingyuan's defeat, which could be fatal in a duel.

Gu Zhanting's expression didn't even change: "Victory and defeat are common in war. That's just Lion Madman's ability."

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow.

Long Qinghuang also exclaimed, "Who is this girl? Such a sharp sword... Coming to the battle in a wheelchair, how reckless! The Imperial Supreme Scripture?"

Gu Zhanting smiled slightly: "My daughter is unruly; please forgive her."

"Your daughter..." Long Qinghuang was quite curious: "Why do I hear people calling her Sect Leader Shen? Your daughter even founded a sect? What kind of sect?"

"Heavenly Sword Sect".

Gu Zhanting took it as just casual conversation, but he didn't expect that Long Qinghuang's heart would flutter.

Heavenly Sword Sect, why does that name sound familiar?

Is Lu Xingzhou a guest elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect? Is he working for this woman?

(End of this chapter)