“Tsk tsk, Long Lingtian, I really did overestimate your bottom line. I didn’t expect you to be this deranged—laying hands on a woman who was loyal to you. Pathetic.”
Hearing that voice, Long Lingtian’s body froze.
A chill crept up his spine, indescribably cold, making his entire body tense and his scalp tingle.
Xu Ning?
How was he here?
Why hadn’t he sensed anything? Was it Yuwen Shuang who leaked his plan?
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Long Lingtian turned around and saw Xu Ning standing with his group.
Xu Ning had his hands behind his back, his expression calm as ever. His mocking gaze looked at Long Lingtian like he was watching a clown jumping around.
Yao Ling’er looked at him with obvious wariness, her brows furrowed tightly, the disgust between her brows unhidden.
Zhou Shuxian’s delicate body trembled. The scene of Long Lingtian forcing Yuwen Shuang earlier had been fully witnessed by her.
So this was Long Lingtian’s true face?
Shuang’er had always been loyal to him, and yet he pushed her into a hopeless abyss!
She hadn’t expected His Highness’s words to be true!
If it weren’t for His Highness stopping me, would I have been the one sitting on that throne now?
Zhou Shuxian’s heart ached like it was being sliced open. Subconsciously, she stepped behind Xu Ning for protection.
“Xu Ning, what are you doing here!” Long Lingtian shouted angrily, his face twisted with rage.
His gaze swept to Zhou Shuxian from the corner of his eye, and his fury surged, fists clenched tightly!
“Long Lingtian, don’t you think that’s a stupid question?” Xu Ning scoffed, “You’re the only one with the Demon Lord’s token. Of course I followed you in.”
As he spoke, he beckoned toward Yuwen Shuang, who had just been rescued.
Still shaken from her brush with death, her eyes were slightly red. The lingering fear hadn’t left her chest.
But seeing Xu Ning’s gesture, she quickly approached like a timid bird, pressing her curvaceous figure softly against him.
“Thank you, Your Highness. If not for you, I would have already fallen into Long Lingtian’s hands.”
Seeing this, Long Lingtian’s expression completely contorted. A blaze of jealousy erupted in his heart. His nails dug so hard into his palms that blood gushed out, but he didn’t even notice.
He never imagined that the woman he saw as a useless vase and tool would turn out to be a spy planted by Xu Ning!
What drove him even more insane was her betrayal!
In his eyes, Yuwen Shuang was his possession. He could use her however he liked, but he would never allow anyone else to touch her—much less betray him!
Fury!
As Long Lingtian’s face darkened and brightened by turns, the mockery in Xu Ning’s eyes only deepened.
“According to the original plot, this part of the story should have had Long Lingtian charging through with unstoppable momentum, bringing a few beautiful companions to explore the Demon Lord’s tomb and walking away with immense fortune.”
“In the end, just as he was about to inherit the Demon Lord’s mantle, someone else would jump ahead and serve as the guinea pig, only to be consumed, leaving Long Lingtian to reap all the benefits.”
“Finally, under the admiring gazes of several women, Long Lingtian would successfully inherit the Demon Lord’s legacy. That was the original plot.”
“But because I barged in, Long Lingtian’s selfish, cold-blooded nature got exposed instead!”
Xu Ning sighed mockingly and stepped forward, walking slowly toward Long Lingtian.
The surroundings stirred with fierce winds. A terrifying spiritual pressure surged like a towering mountain, crashing down upon them.
Though he was suppressing his cultivation, Xu Ning was a Heaven Venerable Realm expert. He could still control the Power of Heaven and Earth—his strength far surpassed Long Lingtian’s.
Long Lingtian’s face flushed red, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
By now, he had nothing to hide. His expression turned savage, his eyes filled with pure hatred.
His gaze swept across Xu Ning and the three women who had betrayed him, killing intent overflowing.
“Yao Ling’er, Zhou Shuxian, Yuwen Shuang—you dared to betray me and side with Xu Ning, that dog raised by the female Emperor! You’re courting death! Today, I’ll grind your bones to dust!”
His expression grew even more crazed, “Xu Ning, I won’t kill you quickly. I’ll tie you to this throne and defile your women right in front of you!”
His deranged appearance, along with his cruel words, terrified the three women, their faces pale.
As he spoke, he pulled out the twelve-armed demonic idol from his robe. The red light in its eyes flared violently as the Power of Heaven and Earth surged around them. The formation patterns within the hall activated all at once!
“Xu Ning, did you really think I came unprepared? I control all the formations and mechanisms here! This place will be your grave!”
Long Lingtian roared as terrifying energy exploded from all directions. Divine light interwove and laws of the Dao surged, all crashing toward Xu Ning!
“Just a patch of weeds, and you think you can stir a storm?”
Xu Ning’s expression remained composed. He turned to the royal experts from the Great Zhou Empire and instructed, “Everyone, please protect them.” He pointed at the four women, including Zhou Shuxian.
The four, trembling under the overwhelming power that seemed enough to shatter the heavens, froze.
They hadn’t expected that even at this critical moment, Xu Ning was still thinking of them.
Zhou Shuxian’s heart trembled.
Though His Highness appeared unruly on the surface, his heart was that of a true gentleman.
And me? I was deceived by someone like Long Lingtian. Only now do I finally see the truth!
She stared at Xu Ning’s upright and resolute back. Her eyes grew misty, and she was briefly entranced.
Yao Ling’er and Yuwen Shuang’s reactions were entirely different.
A perfect man like Xu Ning stood right in front of her, but she had to turn him down.
That pain cut deep.
“Die!”
Seeing the dazed looks of the four women, Long Lingtian could no longer restrain his murderous intent.
His face turned purple with rage as he drove his spiritual power to its peak, pushing the mechanisms and formations to their limits.
BOOM!
Countless divine beams intertwined into pillars of light and blasted toward Xu Ning—but just a few meters away, they were blocked by an invisible barrier. Only ripples appeared in the air, leaving Xu Ning completely unharmed.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Xu Ning smiled confidently, stepped forward, and vanished. A moment later, he reappeared in front of Long Lingtian like a phantom.
Spiritual energy surged through his body like a mighty river, roaring through his meridians. He raised a palm and chopped down, forming an unstoppable gust of astral wind!
The wind howled fiercely. The terrifying power within caused everyone present to change color!
In the blink of an eye, Long Lingtian raised his arms to shield himself, activating a defensive secret technique. A silver light shimmered around him, gradually forming the phantom of a Black Tortoise.
“That’s the long-lost Black Tortoise Art from the Celestial Wheel Holy Land!”
“Long Lingtian really is something!”
“Can His Highness beat that?”
The royal experts from the Great Zhou Empire were all stunned. Some even wanted to step in and help Xu Ning.
But in the very next instant—
The Black Tortoise phantom that Long Lingtian had painstakingly formed couldn’t withstand Xu Ning’s strike. With a crisp crack, fractures spread rapidly, and the entire projection shattered into pieces!
The residual force of the attack was so terrifying that it caused blood to flow from Long Lingtian’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His spiritual energy went into chaos as he was blasted backward through the air!
“In the face of absolute power, all schemes are worthless.”
“This ends here… little treasure-seeking mouse.”
The corners of Xu Ning’s lips curled slightly as he reached out across the air from several meters away and caught Long Lingtian in his grasp.
With a flick of his arm, he threw him down and slammed him onto the throne in the center of the hall.
Heaven has a cycle. No one escapes retribution.
The wicked meet their match. Today, Xu Ning was that match.