Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Guang Xuanji’s words were puzzling. Gong Lingqi didn’t understand at first and asked uncertainly, "What do you mean?"

Covering her mouth with a smile, Guang Xuanji explained, "Senior Brother Gong, in the current situation, it’s impossible for you to get out of this unscathed. The same goes for Chang Jing. If you want to get through this safely, you’ll have to pay a price."

According to Guang Xuanji’s plan, the first thing Gong Lingqi had to do was distance himself from the two who died. That was the first step. After all, Gong Lingqi hadn’t been present tonight.

After he had done that, Guang Xuanji told Gong Lingqi to find Chang Jing that very night. The two of them were to go to their respective masters. With their masters stepping in, they could turn a big problem into a small one, and a small one into nothing at all.

Of course, asking their masters for help would certainly earn them a scolding. However, Guang Xuanji was certain that their masters would intervene in this matter.

"Xuanji, how do you know Master will help? He’s never helped me with conflicts between Core Disciples before," Gong Lingqi asked, his confidence wavering.

"It’s simple. Not many people know about this, unlike the incident between Lin Yun and Chang Jing, which is common knowledge. Besides, didn’t I tell you to find Chang Jing first, Senior Brother Gong? If you both go to your respective masters at the same time, they will surely suppress this matter," Guang Xuanji said with a smile.

Hearing this, Gong Lingqi thought for a moment and ultimately did as Guang Xuanji said. That very night, Gong Lingqi found Chang Jing.

The two talked for a long time at Chang Jing’s residence. By the time Gong Lingqi left, it was already early morning.

At almost the same time, both of them went to their masters and recited the story they had prepared.

It had to be said, Guang Xuanji’s prediction was spot on. Although they each got a scolding from their masters, the matter was indeed suppressed by them.

Meanwhile, in the Flawless Palace Main Hall, Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders were gathered. Because of Lin Yun, the conflict among the Core Disciples had been escalating recently, and as the ones who made the rules, they were run ragged every day.

"I’m talking to you two," the Supreme Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall said, his voice tinged with anger after hearing from the masters of Chang Jing and Gong Lingqi. "Didn’t we agree not to interfere in the disciples’ affairs? Why are you meddling in this?"

Hearing this, Gong Lingqi’s master, who was the only old woman among them, said, "We didn’t interfere. It’s just that this matter shouldn’t be handled with a lot of fanfare. The conflict between the three of them is escalating, and I was just trying to maintain stability."

Hearing the old woman’s words, the Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall fell silent for a moment, then said with dissatisfaction, "If they keep fighting like this, something big is bound to happen sooner or later."

"Alright, it can’t be helped. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot house two tigers. Unless one of the three can dominate the others, you simply can’t stop them," a Supreme Elder said.

"I think we should just wait for the outcome in three days. Although we will ultimately lose one of them, either Lin Yun or Chang Jing, it can’t be helped. The more you suppress them, the harder it is to control what they do behind the scenes," another Supreme Elder said.

After some discussion, Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders all agreed to wait and see the result in three days.

Some might think that Luo Feng and the others shouldn’t turn a blind eye, that they should issue a restriction to stop the conflict among the three of them.

But honestly, such a thought was just too naive.

Just think about it. If they really could stop it, wouldn’t they have? The more you try to stop them, the more you’ll be caught off guard by the eventual backlash.

Rather than letting the situation spiral out of control, it was better to abandon the loser among them. This was simply winner takes all.

The events of last night didn’t spread, and neither Chang Jing nor Gong Lingqi were punished. When Lin Yun heard this news, he just smiled faintly, as if he had expected this outcome all along.

"Senior Brother Lin, we went through all that trouble for nothing, and you can still smile?" the Direct Disciple who came to report asked, puzzled.

Hearing the disciple’s words, Lin Yun first gestured for him to sit and poured him a cup of tea before saying calmly, "The Palace Master and the others are waiting. They’re waiting for the result of the three-day agreement."

Flawless Palace was like a cruel jungle right now, teeming with Demon Beasts. The ones who established this law of the jungle were Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders.

The strong prey on the weak. Luo Feng and the others had only one goal in doing this: to have a Demon Fiend emerge from Flawless Palace as soon as possible.

If either Gong Lingqi or Chang Jing became the sixth great Demon Fiend of the Eastern Domain right now, there’s no doubt the conflict among the Flawless Palace’s Core Disciples would stop immediately.

To put it bluntly, Lin Yun becoming the eleventh Core Disciple of Flawless Palace was like a spark landing on a pile of dry tinder, instantly accelerating the conflict.

"By the way, what about that woman?" Lin Yun asked the Direct Disciple after taking a sip of tea.

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother Lin. As you instructed, we’ve locked her up in the Inner Sect Disciple area. There’s no way Chang Jing can find her," the Direct Disciple replied.

Nodding slightly, Lin Yun noted that it was already the second day. The three-day period was more than halfway over. Now, the only piece left was this young woman.

As the two were talking, the three Direct Disciples who had narrowly escaped the previous night secretly arrived at Lin Yun’s residence.

When the Direct Disciple went to get the door, he was stunned for a moment to see it was them.

Seeing the three of them, Lin Yun knew they would come looking for him. Given the current situation, they had nowhere else to go.

"I’ve been waiting for you," Lin Yun said calmly, looking at the three’s miserable appearances.

Hearing this, all three of them had ugly expressions. It wasn’t hard to imagine the difficult internal struggle they went through to come to Lin Yun.

"We’ll help you, but you have to guarantee our safety," one of them said, directly stating the condition they had decided on beforehand.

"Agreed. Not only can I guarantee your safety now, but I won’t treat you poorly in the future either," Lin Yun agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

He arranged for the three to stay at his residence. Now, it could be said that everything was in place, waiting only for the final trigger. As long as Li Tian handled his part, Chang Jing’s defeat in three days was certain.

"I really hope this tedious conflict ends soon." After having someone lead the three away to get settled, Lin Yun sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard, looked up at the sky, and sighed.

’Flawless Palace shouldn’t be like this,’ Lin Yun thought. ’But it can’t be helped. An era of heroes vying for supremacy is an era of chaos. And in an era of chaos, someone must rise above the rest to quell the turmoil.’

Now, Lin Yun was like that hero destined to quell the turmoil. The process might be bloody and cruel, but to bring about a Golden Era, a certain amount of darkness was unavoidable.

(Chapter 22. Please add to your library, vote with a Monthly Pass, recommend, and support with a tip!)