Undying Life

Chapter 207: Execution of the Envoy

Inside a side hall at the very center of the palace in the Sky City, three dining tables were laid out, adorned with delicacies like dragon liver and phoenix heart. Seated at the two lower tables, one to the left and one to the right, were the Deer King and Yiyan. The head seat was occupied by a man dressed in a golden dragon robe, exuding an aura of arrogance so intense that even a mere glance at him seemed to pierce through the clouds. His eyes gleamed with a golden light, emanating an unmistakable air of authority.

This man was Nalan Piaoxue, the Emperor of the Great Yu Empire.

"After the banquet, what gains did you two achieve?" Nalan Piaoxue inquired.

"Your Majesty, at my pavilion, I discovered that the Shui Jing gentleman is indeed a great talent in the world," Yiyan replied first.

"Shui Jing? The one who served under the Great Xuan King but was never put to good use?" Nalan Piaoxue asked with a frown.

"Yes, had the Great Xuan King employed him, the chaos of a hundred years ago in the Great Yu Empire might have turned out differently," Yiyan sighed.

"How does his talent compare to that of the Grand Marshal?" Nalan Piaoxue asked, looking at Yiyan.

"His talent is on par with mine. The presence of Mr. Shui Jing is not a blessing for the Great Yu Empire," Yiyan commented with a sense of admiration.

"Indeed." Nalan Piaoxue nodded slightly, then turned his gaze towards the Deer King.

"Deer King, I heard that your Deer Hall was destroyed by someone from Princess Qianyou's entourage?" Nalan Piaoxue said with a smile, looking at the Deer King.

"Your Majesty, during this banquet, Princess Qianyou's advisor, Mr. Zhongshan, disrupted everything. His abilities are quite peculiar," the Deer King reported.

"Oh?" Nalan Piaoxue looked at the Deer King with interest.

The Deer King then recounted everything that had transpired at the Deer Hall.

As he spoke, Nalan Piaoxue maintained a slight smile, while Yiyan listened with a furrowed brow.

"Deer King, this Mr. Zhongshan you mentioned, was he the unremarkable-looking man standing beside Princess Qianyou, the one with a cultivation level of Jindan Stage?" Yiyan asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yes, he is at the fourth level of the Jindan Stage," the Deer King confirmed.

"I noticed him earlier. Anyone who can stay by Princess Qianyou's side is certainly not an ordinary person. However, he is too unfamiliar; I have never heard of him before. By the way, do you know when he started following Princess Qianyou?" Yiyan inquired.

"I'm not sure, but according to Nian Youyou, he is a disciple of the Kaiyang Sect, recommended by the Seven Stars Hall. He had the incredible fortune to come across an ancient book and learn how to transform water into fire," the Deer King thought for a moment and replied.

"A disciple of the Kaiyang Sect? Tiexue mentioned that two years ago he encountered Zixun Fairy from the Seven Stars Hall. At that time, she was taking some people to Wushuang City. This coincided with the Wushuang City Lord election. The southern city candidate, Shui Tianya, backed by the Shui Jing gentleman, eventually won in an astonishing reversal against the northern city candidate, Mo Baili. Although Shui Tianya lost, the tactics used by the Shui Jing gentleman didn't align with Princess Qianyou's style. Could this Mr. Zhongshan actually be Shui Jing?" Yiyan suddenly asked in surprise, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

"Zhongshan?" Nalan Piaoxue asked with a frown.

"Everything is still unclear. I need to find some time to meet this Zhongshan," Yiyan said, squinting and deep in thought.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my failure," the Deer King immediately said.

"The failure that day was not your fault," Nalan Piaoxue said calmly.

"Your Majesty, I request permission," Yiyan suddenly bowed deeply to Nalan Piaoxue.

"Really? Yiyan, what do you have in mind?" Nalan Piaoxue asked, puzzled.

"Your Majesty, I request permission to create a rift between the Great Luo and Great Guang Empires. Since their envoys are currently in the Sky City, we can kill Princess Qianyou and her entourage, and then frame Prince Han Jue for the crime," Yiyan respectfully proposed.

"Clang~~~"

Startled, Nalan Piaoxue accidentally knocked over his wine cup. Even the Deer King, at this moment, looked at Yiyan with utter astonishment.

"Grand Marshal, the two empires just signed a ceasefire agreement. How can we possibly kill the Great Luo Empire's envoy?" the Deer King asked, wide-eyed.

"Why did the Great Luo and Great Yu Empires sign a ceasefire agreement in the first place? For Great Yu, it was because the Great Guang Empire and two other empires continuously launched attacks. Continuing the war with Great Luo would have inevitably led to a repeat of the situation from a hundred years ago, where four empires besieged us. That would have spelled disaster for the Great Yu Empire. As for the Great Luo Empire, they agreed to the ceasefire because they were constrained by the other three major empires. But the situation is different now," Yiyan quickly explained.

"What's different? If war breaks out, the Great Guang Empire and the other two empires will certainly once again bring their armies to the Great Yu Empire," the Deer King said with a frown.

Giving the Deer King a glance, Yiyan said, "Over the past two years, I have driven out all the garrisons of the two empires from within the Great Yu Empire. As for the Great Guang Empire, as long as Princess Qianyou and the Crown Prince of Great Luo are killed by the Great Guang Empire's prince, we won't have to worry about their involvement in the conflict. In fact, the Great Guang Empire might even help us clear out the armies of the other two empires, ensuring that our Great Yu Empire has no threats from behind."

"Ridiculous! You had troops protecting Princess Qianyou on her journey here, and now that she is in our Sky City, you want to kill her? If that happens, the Great Yu Empire will bear full responsibility," the Deer King immediately rejected the idea.

"The Deer King has a point," Nalan Piaoxue nodded in agreement.

Seeing this reaction from Nalan Piaoxue, Yiyan became anxious.

"Cough~~~cough~~~cough~~~"

Yiyan broke into a fit of harsh coughing, which made Nalan Piaoxue frown and sigh softly.

Once the coughing subsided, Yiyan spoke again, "Your Majesty, the other three empires are currently fully engaged in battle with the Great Luo Empire. This presents a golden opportunity for the Great Yu Empire. A ceasefire would only nurture a greater threat. We should seize this chance to join forces with the other three empires to attack the Great Luo Empire. Only by destroying the Great Luo Empire can the Great Yu Empire be free of future worries. I assure you, I can handle the assassination of Princess Qianyou and her entourage quietly and discreetly, making even Prince Han Jue believe he was responsible for her death."

Yiyan looked at Nalan Piaoxue with anticipation, while Nalan Piaoxue furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

"No, absolutely not. Assassinating Princess Qianyou is one thing, but it cannot happen in the Sky City, and it cannot happen in the Great Yu Empire. You can arrange for them to die elsewhere, but not within the Sky City. Otherwise, the Great Luo Empire and the Great Yu Empire will be at each other's throats with no end," the Deer King quickly interjected.

Hearing the Deer King's words, Nalan Piaoxue nodded. If Princess Qianyou were to die in the Sky City, regardless of who the actual perpetrator was, the Great Luo Empire would hold the Great Yu Empire responsible, leading to endless conflict.

"Cough~~~cough~~~cough~~~"

Yiyan started coughing violently again, clearly infuriated by the Deer King's words, feeling a sense of suffocation.

After the coughing ceased, Yiyan said urgently, "Your Majesty, the Great Yu Empire and the Great Luo Empire are already in a state of irreconcilable enmity. With the Great Luo Empire currently constrained by the three other major empires, if we wait for them to free up their forces, the Great Yu Empire will face certain destruction. Rather than regretting it later, we should strike decisively now. Once the Great Luo Empire is eliminated, the Great Yu Empire will have peace and security for a thousand years in this region."

"Grand Marshal, since when have you become so impulsive? Assassinating Princess Qianyou could be done outside, in another dynasty. Why insist on doing it within our Great Yu Empire? If Princess Qianyou and her entourage were to die here, we would have no room for maneuver. Are you suggesting that everyone in our Great Yu Empire burn all bridges and risk everything with you for some unknown outcome?" the Deer King immediately objected.

"Deer King makes a valid point. Yiyan, you should drop this idea," Nalan Piaoxue decided promptly.

Upon hearing Nalan Piaoxue's decision, Yiyan suddenly glared at the Deer King, his eyes blazing with fury. Pointing at the Deer King, he shouted, "Fool! Foolish ignoramus! You are a traitor to the nation!"

Yiyan's outburst left the Deer King grim-faced, and even Nalan Piaoxue looked displeased. A traitor to the nation? Wasn't that implying that he was also a traitor?

"Cough~~~cough~~~cough~~~"

Yiyan began coughing violently again, pulling out a white handkerchief to cover his mouth. After a fit of intense coughing, the handkerchief was stained with spots of fresh blood.

Seeing the blood, Nalan Piaoxue's initial anger faded. He looked at Yiyan and sighed softly—

Western Palace

At this moment, only Princess Qianyou, Gulin, Mr. Shui Jing, Zhongshan, Ah Da, and Ah Er were present. Everyone else had been cleared out.

In the center of the group, there was a jade table, and on it was a projection. The projection showed a partial view of the Deer King's mansion. It wasn't recorded at the time but rather conjured up by Ah Er using a spell from memory, highlighting key details.

"Qianyou, what's going on? Why the secrecy?" Gulin asked curiously.

"I'm about to tell you something very important, a secret decree from His Majesty. Apart from the six of us, no one else should know," Princess Qianyou said solemnly.

"Understood," everyone nodded in agreement, even Gulin became serious immediately.

A secret decree from His Majesty?

Princess Qianyou looked at everyone and said, "This trip to Sky City is not just to celebrate and observe the battles. We have two main objectives: one is to rescue a person from our Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, and the other is to retrieve a valuable artifact."

"Rescue someone and retrieve a treasure? Who and what treasure?" Gulin asked with a frown.

"Former city overseer of Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, Wu Wanli, and the 'Wan Cheng Treasure Mirror'," Princess Qianyou said seriously.

"Wu Wanli? Wan Cheng Treasure Mirror? In Sky City?" Gulin exclaimed. Mr. Shui Jing also furrowed his brows, while Ah Da and Ah Er, who were already informed, remained calm. Zhongshan, however, still had no idea about the significance of these two items.

"Exactly. They are in Sky City. Our task is to bring both of them back to the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty," Princess Qianyou confirmed confidently.