Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Looking at Lin Jianhong, Lin Yun frowned slightly. ’I’m still severely injured. It’s impossible for me to fight Lin Jianhong right now. Forget holding him off—I probably can’t even survive a single one of his moves.’

Lin Yun was trying to come up with a plan. Seeing him remain silent, Lin Jianhong assumed he was scared and roared with laughter. "Haha, listen up, members of the Flawless Palace! Hand over your treasures, and I’ll let you pass. Otherwise, you will all be killed without mercy."

Without Taiqing Academy and the Spiritual Light Pavilion, Lin Jianhong didn’t take the Flawless Palace seriously at all.

’Having allied with Taiqing Academy and the Spiritual Light Pavilion, the Flawless Palace must have gotten their hands on treasures from the ruins.’ The thought of both snatching those treasures and killing Lin Yun made Lin Jianhong ecstatic.

Lin Yun was still thinking, but he truly had no good options. He couldn’t unleash his Combat Power at all. Just as he was about to tell Lu Bingning and Lan Xi to flee, he suddenly sensed the auras of another group approaching.

A faint smile appeared on his face. ’Heaven always leaves a way out.’ In this situation, the approaching group had to be either the Spiritual Light Pavilion or Taiqing Academy. A corner of Lin Yun’s mouth curled up.

Lin Yun sensed them, and so did Lin Jianhong. They both looked in the direction of the approaching auras. Before long, a group did indeed arrive—it was the disciples from Taiqing Academy.

Their leader, Wei Yunhang, saw the standoff between the Flawless Palace and Celestial Eagle Valley and chuckled teasingly, "Well now, my two Brother Lins, the expedition to the ruins is almost over. What kind of scene are you putting on here?"

’Wei Yunhang is definitely no friend,’ Lin Yun knew this perfectly well. He had only offered to form an alliance because Lin Yun’s Combat Power had earned his acknowledgment.

’If Wei Yunhang finds out I’m severely injured, he’ll probably turn on me in an instant and join forces with the Celestial Eagle Valley to take me down.’

’When dealing with people like him, everything is driven by self-interest. Wei Yunhang knows the Flawless Palace disciples have a lot of treasures. If he finds out I have no Combat Power left, he’ll likely become Lin Jianhong’s accomplice.’

’Time to put on an act.’ So, before Lin Jianhong could say a word, Lin Yun spoke up. "Brother Wei, we just so happened to run into the Celestial Eagle Valley disciples. Since we’re all about to leave anyway, I’d rather not pass up this chance to make a little profit."

As he spoke, Lin Yun intentionally shot a cold smirk at Lin Jianhong.

Hearing this, Lin Jianhong’s expression instantly turned cold. ’What is Lin Yun talking about? I’m the one who set an ambush here to rob the Flawless Palace! How did he twist it to sound like the Flawless Palace is trying to rob the Celestial Eagle Valley?’

Lin Jianhong, however, failed to see Lin Yun’s true intentions. But Lin Yun, who had been secretly watching Wei Yunhang the whole time, keenly noticed a peculiar glint flash in Wei Yunhang’s eyes the moment he finished speaking. It was fleeting, but Lin Yun caught it.

Wei Yunhang glanced at Lin Jianhong, then his gaze fell back on Lin Yun. He smiled, "Brother Lin, the Celestial Eagle Valley never made it into the pavilion. What kind of treasures could they possibly have on them? I’d say you should be merciful where you can."

At this, Lin Yun smiled faintly. "Brother Wei, do you really mean that? After leaving the pavilion, did your Taiqing Academy not obtain any Spirit Grass? If you still consider me a brother, Brother Wei, I have no other request. Just stay out of this."

Seeing how brimming with confidence Lin Yun was, it really did look as if he had been the one to corner the Celestial Eagle Valley to rob them.

In truth, Lin Yun’s plan was quite simple, based on an old saying: few will offer a helping hand in a time of need, but many will kick a man when he’s down. This was especially true among the Five Great Forces, where the struggle for personal gain was endless. Wei Yunhang wouldn’t lift a finger to help him, but Lin Yun was sure he’d be more than happy to kick a man who was already down.

The more powerful Lin Yun appeared, the more convinced Wei Yunhang would be that Lin Yun had the situation completely under control and could easily deal with the Celestial Eagle Valley. In that case, all the Spirit Grass they carried would belong to Lin Yun.

If Wei Yunhang decided to help now, wouldn’t they have to split the Spirit Grass from Celestial Eagle Valley? Conversely, if Wei Yunhang saw that Lin Yun’s side was at a disadvantage, he would most likely help the Celestial Eagle Valley deal with the Flawless Palace.

To put it bluntly, Wei Yunhang wanted to gain the greatest reward for the least amount of effort. He would undoubtedly side with whoever had the upper hand.

That was why Lin Yun was deliberately creating the illusion that his side held all the cards.

"Lin Yun, you want to rob *me*? Are you dreaming?" Lin Jianhong had no idea that Lin Yun was intentionally manipulating Wei Yunhang; all he could think was that Lin Yun was being incredibly arrogant.

Hearing this, Lin Yun sneered inwardly. ’This fool is just helping my case.’ And just as he expected, upon hearing Lin Jianhong’s outburst, Wei Yunhang subtly and almost imperceptibly edged a little closer to the Flawless Palace group.

Seeing Wei Yunhang’s subtle movement, the smile on Lin Yun’s face deepened. He then roared at the Celestial Eagle Valley disciples, "Disciples of the Celestial Eagle Valley! Hand over your Spirit Grass, and I’ll spare your lives! Otherwise, I’ll kill every last one of you!"

"You... Lin Yun! Fine! If that’s how it’s going to be, let’s fight! I’d like to see what the Flawless Palace is truly capable of!" Lin Jianhong was completely enraged. He hadn’t noticed Wei Yunhang’s shift at all; his eyes were fixed solely on Lin Yun.

Ignoring Lin Jianhong’s roar, Lin Yun cupped his fist toward Wei Yunhang and said with a detached air, "Brother Wei, I hope you won’t interfere in this matter. I will be sure to pay you a personal visit to express my gratitude another day."

The more Lin Yun insisted he stay out of it, the more determined Wei Yunhang became to get a piece of the pie. The Celestial Eagle Valley might not have many treasures, but they ought to have plenty of Spirit Grass. How could he possibly miss out on such a golden opportunity?

Hearing Lin Yun’s words, Wei Yunhang also cupped his fist and replied with a show of magnanimity, "Brother Lin, there’s no need to be such a stranger. Since our two factions are allies, how could I possibly stand by and do nothing? This is a matter the Taiqing Academy will see to."

"You... Wei Yunhang, what is the meaning of this?" Lin Jianhong demanded, still not understanding what was happening.

"It means exactly what it sounds like," Wei Yunhang replied coolly. "The Taiqing Academy and the Flawless Palace are allies. That being the case, is there any reason why we wouldn’t step in?"

Lin Jianhong had absolutely no idea that Wei Yunhang’s change of heart had been entirely orchestrated by Lin Yun. To this moment, he still believed that Wei Yunhang truly considered Lin Yun an ally.

"Brother Wei, since that’s the case, I won’t say any more. Let’s take down the Celestial Eagle Valley together. How about we split the Spirit Grass we get equally?" Lin Yun proposed.

"Brother Lin, you’re too kind. I’m not doing this for the Spirit Grass. I genuinely wish to be your friend," Wei Yunhang replied.

Hearing this, Lin Yun just smiled, not believing a word of it. ’Act without any benefit? You? If you knew I was severely injured right now, you would have teamed up with Lin Jianhong to attack me without a second thought.’

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