For a moment, everyone's expressions were extraordinarily complex.
Prince Zhao's face was equally grave. He called Jiang Chen over. "Xiao Cheng, tell us everything you know in detail."
Jiang Chen had long prepared his story. He replied without hesitation, "I was ambushed by Golden Needle Granny and Lord Miao. For some reason, the two of them suddenly turned on each other. Golden Needle Granny couldn't match Lord Miao and tried to flee the Bengyun Mountain Range. When she reached the edge of the formation, she was directly consumed by a wave of force. The formation passage was then completely sealed by an unknown power."
"And Golden Needle Granny was consumed — then what?" Prince Zhao had heard of Golden Needle Granny's reputation. She was a third-level Royal Realm expert.
"After being consumed, there was no sign of life at all. She's probably dead." Jiang Chen sighed.
"And Lord Miao?" Prince Zhao pressed.
"Lord Miao was killed by me." On this point, Jiang Chen told the truth. He continued, "After eliminating Lord Miao, I saw the formation passage was sealed and rushed here immediately to regroup. But these people blocked me outside and wouldn't let me in. If Your Highness hadn't intervened, I probably wouldn't have gotten through at all."
Jiang Chen's account was half-truth, half-fiction, but it cleverly exonerated him while avoiding any mention of the Demon Clan. He wasn't afraid to bring them up — he feared that if he did, these people would instantly lose all morale and scatter like frightened birds, each one becoming a sacrifice for the Demon Emperor.
Though Jiang Chen had no fondness for any of them — and would have been happy to see them meet misfortune — they couldn't be allowed to die just yet. He still needed them to counter the Master of Cuihua Pavilion's scheme.
Even if they had to die, Jiang Chen would rather be the one to eliminate them himself than let them become fuel for the Demon Emperor.
Being sacrificed to the Demon Emperor would undoubtedly cause his cultivation to surge. That would be catastrophically unfavorable for Jiang Chen's position.
Jiang Chen could handle these people on his own now. Even if he couldn't wipe them all out, he could certainly protect himself against them.
But facing an ancient, peak-stage Demon Emperor? Jiang Chen had no chance of winning. Unless he invoked the protective formations within the ancient Heavenly-tier powerhouse Guo Ran's cave dwelling.
But those formations only worked if the Demon Emperor actually walked inside.
With the discernment of an ancient Demon Emperor, once he recognized the dwelling's extraordinary nature, he wouldn't necessarily rush in blindly.
If the Demon Emperor refused to enter, the formations would be utterly useless. They could at best keep Jiang Chen alive, but they couldn't prevent the Demon Emperor from emerging into the world.
So the ideal outcome was for these people and the Master of Cuihua Pavilion to inflict devastating losses on each other, while ensuring the Demon Emperor couldn't gain what he needed to break free and wreak havoc upon the world.
"Your Highness, if all the routes in and out have been sealed, then the Master of Cuihua Pavilion certainly has an appetite beyond the ordinary," Elder Zhang couldn't help but warn.
Prince Zhao frowned. "What's he after? Could he really be planning to wipe us all out? Does he have that kind of appetite?"
Everyone fell silent. For a moment, the atmosphere grew oppressive.
Prince Zhao waved his hand, revealing the mettle of a born leader. "Forget the Master of Cuihua Pavilion for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. With so many of us gathered here, are we really going to cower before the likes of him? He's been hiding like a frightened turtle — how much of a threat can he be?"
At this point, Prince Zhao had no choice but to say this to shore up morale.
But deep down, he knew there had to be a conspiracy behind all this. Still, the pressing priority right now was to obtain the treasure of the Earth Pulse.
Everything else, no matter how urgent, would have to wait.
Even if this was a trap — even if the treasure was nothing but bait dangled by the Master of Cuihua Pavilion — the bait was simply too tempting. Prince Zhao knew it was a lure, but he would bite regardless.
Because he had a premonition: this treasure could absolutely shift the fate of the Red Cauldron Central Domain!
If they could obtain it, the Central Domain's years of decline would be reversed once and for all. In its place would come prosperity and surging momentum.
Perhaps one day, with its fortune greatly enhanced, the Central Domain could even qualify to challenge the Upper Eight Domains.
"Elder Zhang, take a squad and hold the perimeter. If the Master of Cuihua Pavilion shows himself, kill him on sight!" Elder Zhang was also a sixth-level Royal Realm cultivator — on par with the Master of Cuihua Pavilion.
With capable reinforcements at Elder Zhang's side, even if the Master of Cuihua Pavilion had three heads and six arms, they could handle him.
Prince Zhao turned his gaze to the three great sects. "Gentlemen, the Master of Cuihua Pavilion has schemed to involve all of us. This concerns everyone's survival. Surely the three great sects can contribute some manpower, at the very least?"
As the three great sects hesitated, a voice suddenly rose from the crowd. "Prince Zhao, I may be merely an independent cultivator, but even I find this whole affair rather suspicious."
Prince Zhao's expression darkened. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. "I'm a nobody — hardly worth mentioning. But I am curious: this Fellow Daoist Cheng — can his word really be trusted?"
"What do you mean by that?" Prince Zhao's expression was flat. "My subordinate has served the royal house with absolute loyalty. If you're trying to sow discord with such a clumsy tactic, you're rather bad at it."
"I have absolutely no intention of sowing discord. Quite the opposite — I'm looking out for the royal house. Your Highness, this Fellow Daoist Cheng can't be a core member of your court, can he? Could he really have killed someone as notorious as Lord Miao in such a short time? And doesn't everyone feel that his account is vague and evasive — that it doesn't hold up to scrutiny?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, his gaze deep and piercing as he regarded the man. "I'm curious — how is it that an outsider knows more about my royal house's internal affairs than I do?"