Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Never mind Chang Jing; no one else at the scene knew what was happening either—except, of course, for the men Lin Yun had sent.

Gong Lingqi’s ten subordinates were completely bewildered when they saw Lin Yun’s ten men charge in. Once the two sides clashed, Gong Lingqi’s men quickly lost track of who was an ally and who was one of Lin Yun’s people.

In contrast, Lin Yun’s men each carried a sachet. The fragrance allowed them to easily distinguish between their own people and Gong Lingqi’s.

In the ensuing melee, three of Chang Jing’s men and two of Gong Lingqi’s men were quickly killed. As for Lin Yun’s side, not a single person died.

"They have a strange scent on them! Kill anyone who smells of it!" By now, Gong Lingqi’s men in black had also noticed the fragrance, and one of them roared the order.

They had only just discovered the scent, but it was too late. Lin Yun’s ten men had already achieved their objective. Using the night and the surrounding chaos as cover, they escaped with ease.

Such a fierce battle was naturally noticed by the Elders of Flawless Palace and Luo Feng. Although Chang Jing still didn’t know what Lin Yun was up to, he knew he had to leave immediately.

"Withdraw," he hissed, and Chang Jing was the first to melt into the darkness.

Following Chang Jing’s command, everyone retreated under the cover of night. However, because time was short, they had no choice but to leave the bodies on the ground.

Before long, two Main Seat Elders arrived. The moment they entered the courtyard, they saw the six bodies on the ground. Three belonged to Chang Jing’s group, two to Gong Lingqi’s, and the last was one of the four people Chang Jing had been trying to kill.

"This..." Six people dead, just like that. While the identities of the two in Night Travel Clothes couldn’t be confirmed, the other four were all Direct Disciples.

A matter of this magnitude naturally had to be reported to Luo Feng.

Rushing back to his residence, Chang Jing knew there was no way to cover up what had happened tonight. But the men in black who had charged in were clearly two different groups. One belonged to Lin Yun, so who did the other belong to?

’Damn it, who was trying to profit from the chaos?’ Chang Jing cursed angrily upon returning to his room.

At this moment, two other residences in the Core Disciple Area were as brightly lit as Chang Jing’s. One of them, naturally, was Lin Yun’s.

All ten of the men he had sent out returned safely. Aside from two who had sustained minor injuries, the rest were unharmed.

Lin Yun gave each of the two injured men a Spring Breeze Soft Rain Pill and said with a smile, "You’ve done well."

Lin Yun was very satisfied with the outcome; it had played out almost exactly as he’d expected. ’Now, I just need to sit back and watch the show,’ he thought. ’After something like this, Chang Jing probably won’t have the energy to deal with me anymore.’

Meanwhile, just like Lin Yun and Chang Jing, Gong Lingqi’s courtyard was also brightly lit. Listening to his subordinate’s report, Gong Lingqi had already smashed several teacups in a rage.

"What did you say? Two men dead? And you didn’t even recover the bodies?" Gong Lingqi snarled at his subordinate.

Hearing this, the eight Direct Disciples, still in their Night Travel Clothes, replied fearfully, "Senior Brother Gong, everything was going smoothly at first. But then, ten men dressed exactly like us suddenly charged out. In the confusion, we were completely thrown off."

Hearing this, Gong Lingqi muttered to himself, "’Men dressed exactly like you?’"

Calming himself, Gong Lingqi saw that three of the eight men were injured and still in their operative gear. He waved a dismissive hand. "Go treat your injuries first. And get rid of those clothes."

At his words, the eight men respectfully withdrew. After they had all left, Gong Lingqi sat down alone. Just then, a young woman in the uniform of an Inner Sect Disciple emerged from an inner chamber.

"Senior Brother Gong, it seems someone with a grudge has their eyes on us," the young woman said with a smile as she began to massage his shoulders.

The young woman was well-known among Gong Lingqi’s circle. Though her cultivation was only at the Qi Sea Realm, she was undeniably his top strategist.

In fact, many of Gong Lingqi’s schemes were her ideas.

The bewitching young woman was gently massaging Gong Lingqi’s shoulders when, suddenly, Gong Lingqi—whose eyes had been closed—pulled her into his lap.

His hands caressed her smooth, jade-like arms as he asked in a cold tone, "Who do you think it was?"

"Haven’t you already guessed, Senior Brother Gong?" the young woman purred with a seductive smile.

It had to be said, the young woman’s beauty was enough to tempt a man to sin. She seemed naturally able to awaken a man’s deepest desires, making it impossible for him to control himself.

The young woman’s name was Guang Xuanji. Hearing her words, Gong Lingqi sneered, "Are you saying this was all Lin Yun’s doing?"

"Who else could it be?" Guang Xuanji replied with a smile.

"You tempting little minx. If we weren’t in such deep trouble, I really wouldn’t be able to hold back. Quick, tell me, what should we do now?" Gong Lingqi’s grip tightened slightly, drawing a soft whimper from Guang Xuanji.

In truth, there was something no outsider knew. To the world, it appeared that Gong Lingqi gave the orders to Guang Xuanji. In reality, she had long been playing him like a puppet, a fact that even Gong Lingqi himself seemed oblivious to.

Ever since meeting Guang Xuanji, Gong Lingqi had done almost everything she told him to do.

Even his previous attempt to make improper advances toward Lu Bingning and the other woman had, in fact, been orchestrated by Guang Xuanji from behind the scenes.

"Senior Brother Gong, you really tried to pull a fast one and ended up losing out this time," Guang Xuanji said with a seductive smile, using the moment to slip from his grasp.

Staring at Guang Xuanji’s tempting curves, Gong Lingqi felt his lust flare, but she stopped him. "Senior Brother Gong, now is not the time for that. I imagine the bodies have already been sent to the Punishment Hall by now."

Hearing this, Gong Lingqi cooled down a bit. Indeed, today’s incident was a huge problem.

’So many Direct Disciples are dead,’ he thought. ’Once the Punishment Hall investigates, they’re bound to discover the men were my subordinates. It will be very difficult for me to get out of this.’

In their past struggles, plenty of Direct Disciples had died, but the bodies had always been disposed of. Without a corpse, you could just make up an excuse and brush the matter aside.

This time, however, was different. The bodies were in the hands of the Punishment Hall, which meant this matter would not be so easy to resolve.

"Quick, tell me your idea. I know you must have a plan." Looking at Guang Xuanji, Gong Lingqi’s eyes still held a trace of lust, but for now, he restrained himself.

Hearing his words, Guang Xuanji smiled faintly. "Oh, there is a way. It just depends on whether you have the determination to see it through, Senior Brother Gong."

(Twenty-first update! Please add to your collection, recommend this story, vote with a Monthly Pass, and show your support with a gift!)