When Ling Shoujing recalled everything that he had done after he arrived at the Fire Rude Clan’s town, he realized that he had been doing exactly what his enemy wanted him to do in every step.

　　The entire scheme was seamless and flawless.

　　Despite Master Black Moon’s cunningness, such a scheme was too much for him.

　　Ling Shoujing had long known that Han Yuantai, Lord of Behemothic Eagle, was a general of both wisdom and courage and Han Baling’s right hand in Ghost Qin. The scheme was certainly his work. The guy truly deserved his name!

　　If one Appeasing Ambassador was killed, the court could send out a second one, a third one… and even a hundredth one.

　　However, if the Great Qian Dynasty’s image was shattered and everybody lost their faith in it, it would be hopeless.

　　Ling Shoujing smiled bitterly.

　　He could see through everything right now, but what more could he do?

　　As he expected, long snakes made of torches were zigzagging close from the Fire Rude Clan’s town. They were the chiefs, leaders, sorcerers, and other big shots in the Southland of Sorcerers.

　　They had been invited by Master Black Moon to judge the Hundred Victories Great Arena.

　　But at this moment, they were the best eyewitnesses for the Great Qian Dynasty’s shameless violation of the rules.

　　In such a case, it did not seem very implausible that the previous leader of the Fire Rude Clan was actually assassinated by the court.

　　The bank was collapsing, and nothing could stop the flood. Ling Shoujing was a hundred times more desperate than his daughter.

　　As he expected, Master Black Moon completely ignored Ling Lanyin’s question. He simply smiled at her and said in a voice that was barely audible, “I’ve long been told that the Purple Pole Sword Sect is one of the most respected sects and has a secret technique for body build-up. My young friend, since you have advanced into the peak of the Core Formation Stage at such an early age, you must’ve grasped the technique and built marvelous flesh on your body, right?

　　“I’ve remained stagnant in the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage for decades and couldn’t make any progress how much flesh and blood I devoured. With your body in the peak of the Core Formation Stage, I may be able to break into the middle level of the Nascent Soul Stage. Haha. Hahahaha!”

　　Ling Lanyin’s face paled.

　　Although she did not completely understand what he meant, the malicious aura of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator was too much for her to resist.

　　At this moment, the morning glow had dyed the eastern sky red, and the chiefs and sorcerers of the tribes had arrived at Huo Wujiu’s camp in commotion.

　　The fact that the father and the daughter of the Ling family and so many Black Tiger Iron Guards had appeared in Huo Wujiu’s camp, along with the broken limbs on the ground, were all undeniable proof!

　　“Warriors of the southland, look at what the sordid people of central plateaus have done!”

　　Master Black Moon’s evilness was suddenly concealed. When he slowly ascended to the sky, he was full of righteous fury.

　　Changing to a tone of indignity, he bellowed, “We clearly made a deal and swore in front of all the deities and devils in the mountains that the leadership of the Fire Rude Clan shall be decided by the ‘Hundred Victories Great Arena’ with the valor of the two parties!

　　“But the shameless and cowardly people of the Great Qian Dynasty turned a blind eye to the rules and ambushed Huo Wujiu’s camp while the night was dark. They have killed too many soldiers of the Southland of Sorcerers!

　　“They are scared. They do not have the courage to fight our warriors and the warriors of Cloud Qin in the arena and chose such vicious, clandestine methods!

　　“If I hadn’t run into them in time, they certainly would’ve killed Huo Wujiu!

　　“Our tradition that has been passed on for a thousand years has been insulted! The dignity of all the warriors of the Southland of Sorcerers has been insulted! All the mountains in the Southland of Sorcerers have been insulted!”

　　Master Black Moon’s every word was like thunder echoing next to the barbarian Cultivators and chiefs’ ears.

　　Master Black Moon was well respected in the Southland of Sorcerers. The sorcerers of many tribes were deeply connected to him. Moreover, the proof was obvious. The Black Tiger Iron Guards there could not have been dragged to this place, could they?

　　The court was too shameless!

　　The barbarian Cultivators on Huo Wujiu’s side were naturally roaring in fury.

　　The wavering, neutral ones were also frowning, feeling that such an approach was too dishonorable for the emperor’s army.

　　Even the barbarian Cultivators and chiefs on Ling Shoujing and Huo Wuji’s side could not help but feel embarrassed, their stance slightly shifting.

　　The barbarian Cultivators who had been intoxicated by Ling Shoujing at the feast burst into even more fury after they woke up from their hangover.

　　What was that supposed to mean? Hiding the night assault from them and making all of them drunk. It was obvious that they were not trusted, and they were merely camouflage.

　　More importantly of all, they would have no share of the crystals and magical equipment at all!

　　It was too sordid, shameless, and disgusting!

　　For a moment, everybody was whispering. Few people were still firmly on the Great Qian Dynasty’s side.

　　After a momentary vicious smile, Master Black Moon slashed his right arm. “Kill them all!”

　　Hundreds of Ghost Qin Knights above the Refinement Stage had been hiding inside the forests like ice melted into the water just now, showing absolutely no sign of their presence.

　　But right now, they revealed themselves and charged at the Black Tiger Iron Guards in dozens of arrowheads.

　　The barbarian Cultivators loyal to Huo Wujiu who were deployed at the periphery of the camp also jumped out to prevent the enemy from fleeing.

　　Han Yuantai—riding the Dragon Wolf that was thicker than a rhino, faster than a leopard, and deadlier than a cobra—trampled upon Ling Shoujing.

　　Master Black Moon, however, licked his lips and went to Ling Lanyin!

　　Huala!

　　Ling Shoujing was blown almost ten meters away, his spiritual shield and his armor both shattered. He threw out mouthfuls of blood and was obviously no match for Han Yuantai at all.

　　If Han Yuantai had not intended to humiliate the ’emperor’s envoy’ of the Great Qian Dynasty more, the attack alone would have blown him into smithereens.

　　Hiu!

　　Ling Lanyin’s orchid sword blossomed brilliantly in midair.

　　Pu!

　　A cluster of black air condensed into the shape of a crescent moon and cut the orchid flower in half easily. Ripples that looked like halos spread out and swallowed all the sword auras.

　　There were two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators on the enemy’s side, while there were heartbreakingly one Cultivator at the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage and one at the peak of it. It was a game without any suspense.

　　Ling Shoujing, Ling Lanyin, and all the Black Tiger Iron Guards were grasped by desperation. Their countenance was exactly like that of the Cultivators of the Purple Pole Sword Sect whose heads were rolling on the ground.

　　“Death is our only destination today!” Ling Shoujing struggled to his feet. He vomited blood while he roared, “Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty, die before retreating!”

　　The Black Tiger Iron Guards, each of whom had three to five sharp arrows stabbed into their body, roared, too. “Warriors of the Ling family, die before retreating!”

　　The panic and confusion that flashed on Ling Lanyin’s face was soon replaced by determination and nonchalance. She pointed her longsword at Master Black Moon, the aura from her blade piercing through the morning sun that had just leapt out from the clouds!

　　Master Black Moon burst into laughter and, stepping on the ground, thrust himself toward Ling Lanyin, as unpredictably as the moon in the clouds.

　　The game of lions verses rabbits was about to be concluded, when Han Yuantai, the emotionless noble from Ghost Qin, suddenly lost his composure.

　　“Watch your back!” he shrieked in alarm, utterly losing the calmness of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. He was even more nervous than Ling Shoujing when Ling Shoujing first saw him.

　　Abandoning Ling Shoujing, whom he could kill with a cough, he darted toward Master Black Moon like an arrow just released from a bow!

　　At this moment, Master Black Moon was only one step away from Ling Lanyin.

　　But his back was right toward the enormous pit at the center of the camp where Huo Wujiu’s main tent had been standing.

　　The giant pit was a trap that Han Yuantai and Master Black Moon had carefully prepared. A lot of grenades, lethal oil, and poisonous fire had been planted inside, which had killed dozens of barbarian Cultivators who were loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty in a row just now.

　　With the dead bodies of the barbarian Cultivators as fuel, the green, ghostly fire did not die down even to this moment. Instead, it was burning even more violently when Master Black Moon jumped over the pit to attack Ling Lanyin!

　　The green, ghostly fire was dancing unpredictably as if it were alive. Weird chuckles echoed deep inside the fire, while two fiery tentacles as thick as boas extended out, one slashing at Han Yuantai and the other moving to Master Black Moon without a sound!

　　Pa!

　　Han Yuantai did not dodge at all when he crashed into one of the two tentacles, raising glamorous shockwaves!

　　Then, after a few weird noises, the Lord of Behemothic Eagle from the Dark Cloud Prairies screamed most miserably and fell backward while he scratched his face!

　　As it turned out, the seemingly empty fire actually contained long needles that were thinner than hair!

　　Han Yuantai had thought that it was an attack of pure spiritual energy. Confident in the abundance of the spiritual energy inside his body, he had not been scared of a head-on clash.

　　But the weird existence hiding inside the pit was brazen enough to hide weapons inside the fire!

　　There was no telling what the needles were made of and how long they were, but the needles were so thin that they seemed nonexistent. They escaped his attention despite his senses in the Nascent Soul Stage!

　　As it happened, the needles were extremely hard, too. They pierced his spiritual shield easily into his mouth and nose!

　　The long needles, through whatever uncanny techniques they entailed, were even squirming forward into his brain like caterpillars after they pierced into his face!

　　What kind of evil arts are these?

　　Greatly shocked, Han Yuantai quickly flew backward as if he had run into a ghost. He focused his whole attention on pushing out the long needles and could not have cared less about Master Black Moon anymore.

　　Master Black Moon was merely in the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage. He was weaker than Han Yuantai in the first place, and he was the main target of the tentacles of ghostly fire. Before he realized what was going on, his entire right thigh had been tied up. The dozens of venomous needles hidden inside the ghostly fire darted into his body and flowed throughout his body along his veins!

　　“Ahhh!”

　　Master Black Moon felt such excruciating pain that all his veins and nerves seemed to be gnawed by thousands of ants. The circulation of his spiritual energy was entirely blocked, too!

　　Shua!

　　All the barbarian Cultivators, the Black Tiger Iron Guards, and the Ghost Qin Knights watched Master Black Moon be snatched by the tentacles of ghostly fire into the seemingly bottomless pit without putting up any resistance!