"Hong Xuan died a worthy death?"
Even though they were already shocked by the sudden news of guests from the Royal Court, Chong Jingtian and the others could not help but be stunned by Wu Chenpei's words.
He had changed his tune far too quickly.
Lu Kai stared blankly at Wu Chenpei. 'Is this really the Holy Envoy?'
"Heh." Xia Hanshi could not help but sneer. He knew it. It had been exactly like this when his brother was killed back then. He had thought Wu Chenpei was truly going to risk his life, but the man just dropped some harsh words and turned away.
No matter how furious or enraged this man appeared, he didn't have a single risk-taking bone in his body. He sought absolute safety in all things.
But in this world, where were there so many perfectly safe things just waiting to be done?
Meeting everyone's varied, meaningful gazes, Wu Chenpei knew exactly what they were thinking. However, he naturally wouldn't let that affect him. He had his own calculations.
He dared to be angry and lose his temper just moments ago because he had backing. Yuandu was Yuandu, after all. If they fought Yingfeng to the bitter end, neither side would be able to bear the consequences.
But that was before. Now that people from the Royal Court had arrived, the situation was completely different. It had to be known that Yuandu was currently imprisoning an official of the Royal Court.
If this matter was exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Furthermore, the ruin had initially been jointly sealed by the higher-ups of all four cities using a rather extraordinary method. Even if the other three cities joined forces, it would be absolutely impossible to open it.
But now that the Royal Court had arrived, trying to use a sealed ruin to stop them was clearly impossible.
Whether he wanted to or not, right now he could only spinelessly accept Hong Xuan's death.
Of course, in his own view, this was merely a temporary expedient.
As for why the Royal Court had suddenly come, and whether there were any loopholes to exploit, he would have to wait until he made contact with them and figured out the situation before making further plans.
"A worthy death?" Chong Jingtian stared at Wu Chenpei, who was forcing an ugly smile. "Does the Holy Envoy truly believe that?"
"I also did not expect him to get tangled up with the Faceless Divine Son." Wu Chenpei sighed. Having adjusted his emotions, his expression became much more natural. "It was my fault."
Chong Jingtian pondered for a moment and exchanged glances with the others. The arrival of the Royal Court had disrupted their plans. At this moment, the most pressing matter was no longer Wu Chenpei and Yuandu.
"Since that is the case, then please wait elsewhere for now, Holy Envoy," Chong Jingtian said. He had no intention of bringing Wu Chenpei along to meet the envoys.
"The people of the Royal Court are not kind souls," Wu Chenpei's expression changed slightly as he spoke rapidly. "If a planet has no value, they will sit back and watch millions of living beings die without the slightest hesitation."
"The reason we cooperated with the Hong family is exactly because the Royal Court is too massive. We have no capital to resist them whatsoever, and we could be eaten alive and wiped clean at any moment."
"So, are you capable of making them feel apprehensive?" Xia Hanshi asked in a playful tone.
Wu Chenpei choked, before saying in a low voice, "I only know that casting Yuandu aside without even knowing their purpose is not a wise choice."
"Moreover, through Hong Xuan, I already have a considerable understanding of the Royal Court. You need me to screen the information they give you."
...
This time, Xia Hanshi did not argue back. Chong Jingtian pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It's not suitable to have too many people when meeting them. We will have Min Shengrui and Zhong Yanghui stay here to accompany you, Your Excellency. After the meeting, we will relay the relevant information to you."
Wu Chenpei felt resistant in his heart, but he knew this was the best he could get. Yingfeng currently held the advantage; they would never let him casually contact the people from the Royal Court.
Seeing Wu Chenpei silently acquiesce, Chong Jingtian finally called Jiang Shumo inside.
Jiang Shumo had arrived right on the heels of the others and had coincidentally bumped into the group claiming to be from the Royal Court. Although he knew a major event was taking place in the conference room, he still jumped in fright the moment he opened the door.
All five elders were gathered here. This was clearly extraordinary.
He subconsciously scanned the room as numerous speculations arose in his mind. Chong Jingtian immediately asked, "What is the specific situation with the arrivals from the Royal Court?"
"There are eighteen people in their party. I happened to run into them as they were entering the city when I returned. The vast majority appear to be guards or soldiers of considerable strength. However, four of them are the most noteworthy."
Jiang Shumo had observed them very carefully. "The leader seems to be a middle-aged man with scales on his head. The remaining three are quite young, and they looked at me with unabashed scrutiny. Their status should not be low."
"One older, three young..."
Everyone present was highly experienced and knowledgeable. Looking at this group composition, they could glean some information.
Shi Yunzhou hesitated and said, "They don't seem like standard personnel. They must have come with a specific purpose. Could they be here for the Great Venerable Scarlet Flame Thunder?"
As the matter they were currently most focused on, their thoughts naturally gravitated toward this Morning Star tier class.
"For the Great Venerable Scarlet Flame Thunder?" Zhou Yanwu frowned. "But the Royal Court shouldn't know we have it. Otherwise, why would they only come now?"
"Perhaps they didn't know before, but they might have found out through some method," Shi Yunzhou argued. "Otherwise, it's too much of a coincidence. Not long after we shifted our focus to this class, the Royal Court sends people down."
"Could it be because someone finally gained its recognition?" Chong Jingtian quickly made a deduction. This was the only abnormal situation related to the Great Venerable Scarlet Flame Thunder during this period.
Reaching this conclusion, everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon Wu Chenpei.
"I'm not sure. Hong Xuan never mentioned that gaining its recognition could lead to discovery by the Royal Court," Wu Chenpei quickly answered, understanding their implications. "This might be a secret even he was unaware of. The Hong family isn't a particularly powerful clan within the Royal Court."
"Regardless," Xia Hanshi spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, "this is a secret of the Scarlet Thunder Planet. Before we make contact with them, let's operate on the assumption that they are here for the Great Venerable."
"Exactly." Chong Jingtian nodded. "First is the issue of why we hid it. The last time the Royal Court's people were here, they didn't find it. We need to have an explanation ready."
"That's simple. We just discovered it within the last ten years, and since we didn't know what the situation was, we never reported it." Zhou Yanwu said, "As long as all four cities unify our story, it shouldn't be a major issue."
None of them knew what the consequences would be if their cover-up was exposed, nor did they wish to test the waters. Aligning their stories wouldn't be difficult.
"And what if they try to forcefully take the Great Venerable away?" Shi Yunzhou countered. "Do we just hand it over on a silver platter, or..."
"What is the highest tier of class-holder Yingfeng can deal with?" Wu Chenpei suddenly asked.
Chong Jingtian fell silent for a moment before replying, "With the aid of the defensive spirit ring and by joining forces, we can barely handle an eighth-tier class-holder."
Wu Chenpei quietly drew a sharp breath and couldn't help but say, "An eighth-tier probably isn't safe enough."
"Bullshit," Zhou Yanwu sneered. "If they really want to take it, no one can stop them. When that time comes, it would be best if we can exchange it for as many substantial benefits as possible."
Everyone's minds were in a tangled mess. Wu Chenpei's expression was just as unsightly. He realized that even if Hong Xuan hadn't died, things probably wouldn't have gone according to Yuandu's envisioned script anyway.
Furthermore, even though things weren't following Yingfeng's predetermined script either, in terms of the grand scheme of things, it couldn't be considered good news.
"The situation might not be too terrible," Shi Yunzhou interjected. "If they intended to forcefully take it without any scruples, they probably wouldn't have sent such a strange lineup. Besides, they might not even be here for the Great Venerable."
"Mhm." Chong Jingtian concluded, "In that case, when we make contact with them, if they don't ask, we don't speak. However much they ask is exactly how much we answer."
"As for Su Chen and Hong Xuan, we will not mention them for the time being. We'll cover it up as best as we can and decide our next steps after we have a clear grasp of the situation."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Soon after, Wu Chenpei was confined to the room. Chong Jingtian left with only Zhou Yanwu and Shi Yunzhou, preparing to head outside the city.
But the moment they stepped out of the Central Judgment Court building, they spotted a sneaky figure skulking downstairs.
"Su Chen." Chong Jingtian frowned slightly and called him over.
"Chief," Su Chen greeted, before turning to the other two. "Director Shi, Director Zhou."
He was quite surprised inwardly. Hearing that the Chief had returned, he had immediately come to inquire whether Chief Judge You had also returned, hoping to come into contact with the Life Fire as soon as possible.
However, it seemed a major event had occurred today. He saw three of the five elders, and they all wore solemn, grave expressions.
Shi Yunzhou, having interacted with him before, nodded in acknowledgement, while Zhou Yanwu looked at him with an appraising gaze.
"What brings you here?" Chong Jingtian asked, reining in his emotions.
Su Chen hurriedly replied, "Has Chief Judge You returned? I need her help with something."
"You Shan..." Chong Jingtian thought for a moment before saying, "The place she is stationed at is a bit further away. It will probably take her another two or three days."
"Alright, I understand." Su Chen nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Chong Jingtian say with slight hesitation, "For these next few days, do not show your face in public unnecessarily."
'Hm?' Su Chen froze slightly. 'Did something happen?'
But Chong Jingtian didn't elaborate. He had already leaped into the sky. "We will tell you the specific details once we finish dealing with the matter at hand."
Watching the backs of the three disappearing figures, Su Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What happened this time?"
Outside the city, Qing Cang and his group had already been arranged in a temporary resting area by Jiang Shumo. They were surrounded by a guard squad wearing dark, heavy combat armor, the pupils of their visors gleaming with a crimson light.
Inspectors patrolled the vicinity, occasionally casting scrutinizing and vigilant glances their way.
Qing Cang looked up at the massive city before him and couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "This city is magnificent..."
The three youths glanced over and subtly shook their heads. 'How is this city magnificent at all? It's simply not worth mentioning.'
Though they thought this inwardly, they remained silent on the surface.
"Don't underestimate it." Without even turning his head, Qing Cang guessed what they were thinking. "You rarely visit such desolate planets, especially ones plagued by the Nether Mist and Eldritch Gods."
"In some places, if it's not the savage ages where people resort to cannibalism, it's pretty close. Even in slightly better areas, they can barely scrounge up enough clothes to cover their bodies. Yet here, they managed to build a massive city that shelters so many people. It can absolutely be called grand."
As he spoke, his voice was laced with emotion. Wan Chen and the other two exchanged glances. Having almost never visited such a planet, they found it hard to empathize and simply chimed in, "So that's how it is."
"Moreover, that thing... is not simple." Qing Cang's eyes locked onto the giant metal ring encircling Yingfeng. "This place was once a battlefield and left behind quite a few ruins. It seems the people here have excavated many things from them."
The three youths behind him didn't care at all. Their eyes swept across the surroundings. 'No matter how 'not simple' it is, how impressive could it really be?'
Qing Cang retracted his gaze and looked at the three figures flying out from the city. "They're here."
Wan Chen and the others followed his line of sight, appraising the approaching trio.
Chong Jingtian and his two companions were similarly observing the other party. From the fully armed guards alone, they could sense something extraordinary; they exuded a fierce, ferocious aura.
Almost all of them were fifth-tier class-holders, and there was even a sixth-tier one, seemingly their captain.
And the man leading them radiated a life-force aura that made even them feel a sense of dread.
"You gentlemen must be the rulers of this city." Noting the grave expressions in their eyes, Qing Cang retracted his radiating life-force aura and spoke warmly. "I am Qing Cang, a disciple of the Ancient Bronze King. Greetings, everyone."
'Ancient Bronze King?'
Chong Jingtian had never heard of this name. Based on the few words dropped by those explorers ten years ago, he only knew that the Royal Court was ruled by the "Emperor," who governed all directions.
However, the title of "Ancient King" sounded extraordinary just from hearing it, and the other party's strength was already astonishing enough.
Chong Jingtian didn't dare to be negligent and replied, "As Your Excellency guessed, the three of us are considered the rulers of this city. My name is Chong Jingtian, and these are Zhou Yanwu and Shi Yunzhou."
After introducing everyone one by one, Chong Jingtian didn't rush to inquire about their purpose, but instead said, "Please, enter the city first."
Qing Cang nodded and calmly led his group aboard the large aircraft Chong Jingtian had prepared.
However, upon getting closer, the expressions of the three Yingfeng elders shifted slightly. Setting aside the heavily armed guards, Qing Cang and those three youths were all covered in an almost imperceptible, transparent membrane.
The three elders exchanged looks. After a brief moment of thought, Chong Jingtian asked, "Your Excellency Qing Cang, what is this membrane attached to your bodies?"
"You mean these Mist Cloaks?" Qing Cang was somewhat surprised. "You don't know? Didn't the four investigators who came last time tell you?"
"No." Chong Jingtian initially shook his head, but then he froze. 'What four? Weren't there only three people?'
"Ah." Qing Cang suddenly chuckled softly, roughly deducing what that previous group had been thinking.
They were probably afraid of being pestered by the locals. Moreover, since they were already entangled by the Nether Mist themselves—no different from the people here—they decided that less trouble was better than more, so they never mentioned the matter of isolating the Nether Mist.
He waved it off nonchalantly and explained, "This is used to isolate the Nether Mist."
"Isolate the Nether Mist?" Chong Jingtian's heart skipped a beat as he vaguely guessed something. He couldn't help but ask, "Does this mist carry a harmful effect?"
"Naturally." Qing Cang nodded. "It's rather troublesome to explain, but simply put, being entangled by the Nether Mist will sever one's lifespan. The higher your life tier, the more severe the reduction."
Chong Jingtian's expression stagnated.
"Sever... lifespan?" Beside him, Zhou Yanwu's expression shifted wildly. He forced out the words, "But we've studied it and haven't found any harmful effects at all..."
"Hehe." Lin Yue let out a laugh. Qing Cang shot her a frown, and she hurriedly reined herself in.
Qing Cang explained, "The Nether Mist requires special methods to isolate. Since you cannot completely cut it off, you naturally lack a pure control subject, making it impossible to detect the mist's harm."
He had seen similar situations many times and knew exactly why they couldn't discover the danger.
"Is there a way to solve this?" Zhou Yanwu couldn't resist asking.
Qing Cang nodded. "There are methods to cleanse the Nether Mist, and the damage done to your lifespans will also be restored."
Hearing that there was a solution, the expressions on the faces of the three elders eased significantly.
"May I ask Your Excellency, how much of our lifespan has been severed?" Shi Yunzhou was also unable to hold back his question.
Qing Cang pondered for a moment before replying, "At your tier, I'd estimate about fifty percent."
'Fifty percent?!'
Their faces inevitably contorted into ugly grimaces. Their desire for the Royal Court suddenly grew unprecedentedly strong. That was two hundred years of living, breathing lifespan!
Qing Cang took in all of their reactions, his smile growing even warmer. He walked over to the window, looked down, and said sincerely, "Everyone here lives in peace, and the construction of this city is not inferior even to some places in the Royal Court. Your achievements are worthy of praise."
"We rely entirely on the generations of cultivation by our ancestors."
Chong Jingtian snapped out of his daze regarding the sudden revelation of their lost two hundred years of life. Forcing himself to remain composed, he slowly broached the main topic. "I wonder if Your Excellency has suddenly arrived because there is something you need our help with?"