Just as Shikang launched his attack on Huo Xingyuan, Long Qinghuang also received the signal.

“It’s time,” Long Qinghuang ordered her subordinates. “Launch a full assault, according to the plan. Long Xi and Long Yun, you two lead the forces to destroy the city’s formations, control the city defenses, and intercept the army. Long Lie, you are to engage the grand eunuch Hai Ruyuan, who is by Gu Zhanting’s side. Be careful, this eunuch is very strong, he won’t be inferior to you. Just hold him off.”

These individuals were all top experts of the Yao race; some were Long race, others were closely related subspecies of dragons. They were Long Qinghuang’s most trusted confidants.

Since Long Qinghuang began to suspect an internal spy, her suspicion had been limited to these individuals.

Because other ethnic groups were weaker compared to the Long race, it would be difficult for them to truly gain control of the Yao race by colluding with Gu Zhanting. Only within the Long race was there a certain possibility. If she, Long Qinghuang, were seriously injured, even more so than ten years ago, then these Long race powerhouses might be able to replace the Long race patriarch, thus subduing the other races and becoming the new Yao Sovereign.

Long Qinghuang couldn’t determine which of these loyal and devoted lieutenants, who had remained by her side after her injury all those years ago, harbored ulterior motives.

Long Qinghuang knew that this large-scale invasion of the Gan Kingdom would not be easy.

Although Gu Zhanting was injured, he had been recuperating for ten years. At least for short-term combat, the impact would not be too great, and his strength would certainly not be weak. Ye Tinglan’s exact thoughts were also unknown. If the Yao race acted aggressively at the border, Ye Tinglan would probably focus more on problems in the sea and pay little attention to them. But if the Yao race advanced deep into the territory, Long Qinghuang was certain that rascal Ye Tinglan would not sit still and would definitely intervene.

This meant that they wouldn’t actually gain much in terms of military results. At most, they could use the opportunity while Ye Tinglan wasn’t paying attention to reclaim the lost territories of recent years. They would also have to bear the risk of Ye Tinglan attacking their rear, which was a reckless move.

No wonder someone previously guessed that this was perhaps due to a fit of anger to snatch a man… otherwise, it was illogical.

How could Long Qinghuang not know? She was merely exposing a weakness.

Given the temperament of a fiery mother dragon, others would not suspect that her impulsive, aggressive action had another purpose. In reality, she simply wanted to test who the internal spy was during a crisis. Everything else was secondary, and any gains made would be a bonus.

As for the crisis, she had, of course, prepared countermeasures. Whether the people responsible for destroying the formations maliciously activated them, or those tasked with containing the eunuch maliciously colluded with him to backstab her, she was ready.

She just hadn’t anticipated that people from the Ancient Realm would attack the Sacred Mountain. This was a completely new variable that disrupted the established order of the world after so many years. In the multi-party game, no one had ever considered this force.

If Gu Zhanting seemingly retreated and took a beating, ostensibly only hoping for an internal spy to assist with a surprise attack, but in reality was aiming for the Sacred Mountain, then Gu Zhanting had won a round in this game.

Long Qinghuang would rather believe that Lu Xingzhou was deceiving her into withdrawing her troops.

The thought flashed through her mind, and the elite forces of the Long race had already descended from the sky, breaching the main city.

Various restrictive formations in the main city, such as those that prohibited flight and limited power, were meaningless in front of someone as powerful as Long Qinghuang.

Cloud Dragon’s Claw… this time, it was a real claw.

A huge dragon claw slammed into the center of the city, the earth trembled, houses collapsed, and stones flew everywhere.

With just one strike, half the city was destroyed, and the city’s formations were temporarily disabled by the overwhelming energy impact.

Such was the violence.

The residents, who had been evacuated earlier, huddled in corners, trembling and watching in horror as the golden dragon transformed into a golden-robed beauty, appearing before the City Governor’s residence.

The other dragon species also transformed into various human forms, instantly dispersing to seize formation eyes and suppress the army.

Long Qinghuang led Long Lie slowly into the City Governor’s residence. The original commander was nowhere to be found. In the empty front courtyard, Gu Zhanting stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at the flowerbeds in the courtyard.

An old eunuch stood behind him, vigilantly watching Long Qinghuang’s movements. This was Hai Ruyuan, Gu Zhanting’s most trusted eunuch. The eunuch Hai Xian, who had previously “rewarded the northern border,” was his godson.

Long Qinghuang suddenly stopped.

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

Long Qinghuang suddenly spoke, her tone sarcastic, “Huo Xingyuan is leading the capital army to rescue you.”

Gu Zhanting “hmm-ed,” still looking at the flowers. “Xingyuan has always been very loyal.”

“They are coming to rescue you, caught in a bitter fight, and you are still looking at flowers.”

“I am not looking at flowers, but at your qi,” Gu Zhanting smiled. “Since you arrived, these flowers appear as before, but in fact, their inner spirit is withering.”

Long Qinghuang asked with interest, “What does that mean?”

Suddenly, she thought of Lu Xingzhou. If it were him, he would probably say that the Yao Sovereign’s beauty eclipsed the moon and shamed the flowers.

Gu Zhanting said indifferently, “It fears you. Plants have spirits, and Your Excellency is undoubtedly one of the creatures most feared by all.”

Long Qinghuang found it uninteresting. “You don’t need to tell me, I know that.”

Neither of them referred to themselves as “Zhen” in this conversation.

In a sense, Long Qinghuang actually respected Gu Zhanting, not the status of the Gan Emperor. The mother dragon always respected power, whether in cultivation or intellect.

Gu Zhanting’s cultivation was undoubtedly very strong. Their mutually destructive battle back then was a genuine fight.

But she added, “I also know that not only this creature fears me, but you do too.”

Gu Zhanting finally turned to face Long Qinghuang, saying indifferently, “You are right.”

The injury that had troubled him for ten years was caused by the woman before him, and her injuries from that time had now healed.

To say he feared her might be an exaggeration, but to say he was wary of her was an understatement.

Gu Zhanting wanted to suppress Ye Tinglan, but his most desired opponent to eliminate was not Ye Tinglan… after all, Ye Tinglan had no lust for power and would not be detrimental to anyone, whereas Yao Sovereign Long Qinghuang was capable of sweeping across the world.

This time, entering the fray himself, placing himself in such a dangerous situation, allowing rumors to spread throughout the capital, allowing Huo Xingyuan’s reinforcements to be sacrificed… it all seemed very disgraceful, but it was all for one purpose.

To eliminate Long Qinghuang.

And to eliminate Long Qinghuang in Ye Tinglan’s absence… or at least defeat her.

In the battle of that year, almost all the glory was taken by Ye Tinglan. When people spoke of him, they only mentioned a mutually destructive outcome… which resulted in Gu Zhanting being subordinate to Ye Tinglan for a full decade. This had almost become Gu Zhanting’s inner demon.

If this campaign succeeded, everything would be worth it.

Long Qinghuang said, “Since you fear me, why do you dare to face me alone? For these three days, you seem to have been besieged, but I know your abilities well. If you wanted to leave, you would have left long ago.”

“Wouldn’t that be surrendering the border city?” Gu Zhanting smiled. “Although I, Gu, am not talented, I would not do such a thing. Whether the city can be preserved, one must fight to know. As for your ability to bypass defensive loopholes and conquer cities in the rear, I truly did not expect that beforehand. It seems there are many problems within Da Gan; I will rectify them after I return.”

“First, you must be able to return.” Long Qinghuang was not in the mood for much small talk. After leaving her last words, her robes moved without wind.

A dragon’s punch had already reached Gu Zhanting’s face.

The cultivation of a yao is very different from that of humans.

In ancient times, their realm designations weren’t even the same… for transcending grades, humans called it Huiyang, and yao called it Wanxiang.

Huiyang refers to the radiant brilliance of the mind, glowing for a thousand li, emphasizing the cultivation of the soul. Therefore, cultivators who couldn’t survive this stage often resorted to body snatching, as their Yin spirit could persist much longer than their physical body.

Wanxiang refers to the manifestations of all things. Countless forms, infinite changes, attributed to the power of creation. Regardless of how much the soul contributes, what is actually displayed outwardly still lies in the transformation of the physical body.

Modern people don’t make such fine distinctions; they all simply call it transcending grade. Even those who know some ancient terms would probably just classify the yao race’s cultivation as Huiyang. That doesn’t matter; what’s important is that Gu Zhanting understood.

A dragon’s physical body cultivated to Wanxiang, its strength was already beyond what an ordinary human could imagine.

Some people might not even be able to penetrate their skin.

But facing this fist, capable of smashing a mountain, Gu Zhanting’s sleeves puffed out, and he met it head-on with a punch of his own.

Purple qi surged from the sky, as if this punch brought about a change in celestial phenomena, purple clouds drifting across the long sky.

Emperor’s Grand World-Shocking Art, Purple Qi Coming from the East.

“Boom!”

As the two fists collided, the City Governor’s residence instantly turned into ruins, and then even the ruins vanished into thin air.

At the epicenter where the two stood, the ground collapsed into a deep pit, which spread outwards with them as the center, encompassing a good portion of the city. The flowers Gu Zhanting had been pretentiously gazing at didn’t even leave a single root.

They were evenly matched.

The overbearingly powerful Dragon’s Fist was actually met head-on by the Emperor’s Grand World-Shocking Art, without losing an inch of ground.

One wonders if Dugu Qingli would still think the Emperor’s Grand World-Shocking Art was a good cultivation method if she saw this… No wonder Shen Tang’s overbearing and fierce explosive power often left her opponents at a loss when facing them.

Long Qinghuang’s prediction was correct; at least in short-term combat, Gu Zhanting would not be too hampered by his injuries.

Their respective entourages also tacitly engaged in battle, each holding off their opponents to prevent interference with their majesties’ duel.

Above the East Sea, Ye Tinglan hung in mid-air, looking back westward.

“Sect Master, the Northern Border…”

Ye Tinglan retracted his gaze, landing on a nearby island. “This is the last secret location of the Ancient Realm people you’ve discovered?”

“Yes.”

“Block off the surroundings; don’t let a single one escape. There’s no need to worry about the Northern Border. Lu Xingzhou is planning something; nothing major will happen.”

“…No, Lu Xingzhou is just a third-grade…”

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Tinglan had already lunged straight for the island.

The elders behind him were utterly speechless and could only follow.

In the Northern Border, the two had already exchanged hundreds of blows in an instant. For their level, it often took a full day and night to determine a winner.

And any external interference could instantly tip the scales.

In the fierce battle, Long Qinghuang suddenly burst out laughing. “Your elite capital army couldn’t even hold out for an incense stick’s time, ha… hahaha…”

The two’s divine sense covered a thousand li, and although there was no need to extend it that far, the battle situation over there was clearly under their observation. Long Qinghuang tried to provoke Gu Zhanting’s anger or sadness with Huo Xingyuan’s defeat, which could be fatal in a duel.

However, Gu Zhanting’s expression didn’t even change. “Victory and defeat are common in war; that is Shikang’s capability.”

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow.

Long Qinghuang also let out an “Oh?” “Who is this girl? What a sharp sword… and she’s coming to fight in a wheelchair, how reckless… Emperor’s Grand World-Shocking Art?”

Gu Zhanting smiled slightly. “My unruly daughter, I apologize for her rudeness.”

“Your daughter…” Long Qinghuang was very curious. “Why do people call her Sect Master Shen? Your daughter also founded a sect? What sect?”

“Tianxing Sword Sect.”

Gu Zhanting casually mentioned it, but he didn’t expect Long Qinghuang’s heart to stir.

Tianxing Sword Sect, why did it sound familiar?

Was Lu Xingzhou a guest elder of the Tianxing Sword Sect? Was he serving this woman?

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