129: The Net Sends "Gifts"

Prince Jing's Palace, Secret Chamber.

Zhao Ye paced anxiously, clutching a jade pendant tightly in his hand. The character “Jing” carved on the pendant was already damp with sweat. Three days ago, the messenger he dispatched returned with news: the Netherworld Old Freak had agreed to act, provided he was given the netherworld ore vein. This was originally a worthwhile transaction, but the continued lack of movement made him increasingly uneasy.

"Your Highness, there is news from Beyond Heaven." The trusted eunuch quietly entered and presented a secret letter sealed with wax.

Zhao Ye snatched the secret letter and tore it open. His face instantly turned ashen. The letter contained only a few words, but each one was like a knife—"The Netherworld Old Freak has been intercepted by The Net at Soul Severing Cliff and fled westward in defeat. This Young Lord appreciates Prince Jing Your Highness's 'kindness'." The signature was "Beyond Heaven, Jun Xiaoyao."

"Trash! A bunch of trash!" Zhao Ye slammed the secret letter onto the floor, his chest heaving violently. "The Netherworld Old Freak couldn't even get past Soul Severing Cliff, yet he dares to call himself the Overlord of the Western Regions!"

"Your Highness, please calm your anger; be careful of eavesdroppers." The eunuch quickly advised, "Since Beyond Heaven knows about this, they might act against us. Should we first..."

"First what?" Zhao Ye interrupted him, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "No matter how strong Beyond Heaven is, it is merely a Jianghu faction. Although Jun Xiaoyao is the Prince of Zhenbei, this Capital City is still this King's territory! Pass on my order: strengthen the palace guards, closely monitor Beyond Heaven's movements in the Capital City, and kill any Luowang Assassins on sight!"

"Yes, this servant will go and handle it immediately."

After the eunuch withdrew, Zhao Ye picked up the secret letter again, his fingertips white from gripping it tightly. He suddenly thought of something—would the Netherworld Old Freak, having fled westward, vent his anger on him? That old monster was famously vindictive; if he were to believe that Zhao Ye had colluded with Beyond Heaven, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I must find a way to make the Netherworld Old Freak believe that Beyond Heaven intercepted the news and ruined the cooperation." A sinister look flashed in Zhao Ye's eyes. "Perhaps, it's time to send a 'gift' to the Netherworld Cult."

*** Meanwhile, at the Tianwaitian Headquarters.

Zhao Gao placed a dossier in front of Jun Xiaoyao. Attached to the dossier were the Prince Jing's Palace defense map and portraits of several core strategists.

"Young Lord, Prince Jing has strengthened the palace guards and secretly mobilized three thousand private soldiers, stationing them in the dense forest outside the city. It seems he fears our retaliation," Zhao Gao reported. "Additionally, The Net's hidden agents in the Capital City sent back news that Prince Jing secretly summoned the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works last night, apparently inquiring about the mining status of the netherworld ore vein."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the portrait, his gaze falling upon an old man with a refined, lean face—this man was Prince Jing's Chief Strategist, known as "Poison Strategist" Chen Ping. It was said he once presented Zhao Ye with the "Seven-Step Succession Plan," a scheme involving sinister methods.

"Chen Ping..." Jun Xiaoyao tapped the portrait with his fingertip. "This person is quite an interesting character. Zhao Gao, have you delivered the 'gift' according to the plan?"

"As the Young Lord instructed, the Capital City's hidden agents have delivered the 'evidence' to the Netherworld Cult's contact point in the Central Plains," Zhao Gao bowed and said. "The 'evidence' consists of two forged secret letters: one written by Prince Jing to his subordinate, instructing the subordinate to 'cooperate' with Beyond Heaven in intercepting and killing the Netherworld Old Freak; the other is the subordinate's 'reply' to Prince Jing, claiming that Dark Blade had been persuaded to act."

"Well done." Jun Xiaoyao put down the portrait, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Prince Jing wanted to kill with a borrowed knife, so this King will let him taste the feeling of setting himself on fire."

*** Three days later, at the Netherworld Cult in the Western Regions.

The Netherworld Old Freak sat on the White Bone Throne, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. In the battle at Soul Severing Cliff, although he was not physically injured, he had damaged centuries of his cultivation Foundation, and Shadow Slave was critically wounded and near death. He simply could not swallow this grievance.

"Cult Master, news has arrived from the Central Plains." A Cultist hurried in and handed over an Oiled Paper Package.

The Netherworld Old Freak opened the Oiled Paper Package, revealing two yellowed secret letters. The more he read, the darker his expression became, until finally he slammed the armrest, and the White Bone Throne instantly shattered.

"Zhao Ye, you wretch! How dare you scheme against this Cult Master!" The Netherworld Old Freak roared, black mist surging around him, instantly extinguishing the candles in the palace. "Good! Very good! This Cult Master originally intended to help you eliminate Jun Xiaoyao, yet you colluded with Beyond Heaven to scheme against me! Do you truly think my Netherworld Cult is easily bullied?"

"Cult Master, please calm your anger!" The Cultist knelt down in terror. "That Prince Jing has the ambition of a wolf cub; this must be a collusion between him and Beyond Heaven, hoping to reap the benefits of the conflict!"

"Collusion?" The Netherworld Old Freak sneered. "How arrogant is that brat Jun Xiaoyao? How could he collude with a despicable wretch like Zhao Ye? It must be Zhao Ye, fearing that this Cult Master would demand the netherworld ore vein after the deed was done, who came up with this vicious plan!"

He paced back and forth for a moment, a trace of madness flashing in his eyes: "Though Shadow Slave is wounded, the Cult still has 'Blood Fiend'! Pass on my order: have Blood Fiend lead three hundred Death Warriors, infiltrate the Capital City, and bring me Zhao Ye's head! This Cult Master wants to see who Jun Xiaoyao can rely on without Prince Jing!"

"Yes! This subordinate obeys your command!"

*** Capital City, Prince Jing's Palace.

Zhao Ye was playing chess with Chen Ping. Black and white pieces were intertwined on the board, and the situation was deadlocked.

"Mister, do you think the Netherworld Old Freak might..." Zhao Ye's hand paused slightly as he was about to move a piece.

Chen Ping picked up a black piece and said calmly, "Your Highness, rest assured. If the Netherworld Old Freak dares to come, he will be walking right into a trap. The three thousand private soldiers outside the city have already set up a Heaven-and-Earth Net, and within the palace, there are three Great Grandmaster Realm Envoys, which is enough to handle any assassination."

"But I always feel unsettled." Zhao Ye frowned. "That secret letter from Jun Xiaoyao arrived too strangely."

"Strange is good." Chen Ping placed the black piece, capturing a cluster of white pieces. "The more Jun Xiaoyao acts this way, the more it shows he fears Your Highness collaborating with the Netherworld Cult. As long as we stand still and watch them fight among themselves, that is the best strategy."

Just as Zhao Ye was about to speak, he suddenly heard screams coming from outside the Prince's Palace. He abruptly stood up and pushed open the window, only to see raging flames rising above the palace, with shouts and cries echoing continuously.

"What is going on?"

"Your Highness! This is bad! A large number of Men in Black have broken into the palace and are slaughtering their way in!" A guard, covered in blood, ran over. Before he could finish speaking, a blood-red figure flashed past like a ghost, and the guard's head had already fallen to the ground.

"Blood Fiend is here! Zhao Ye, prepare to die!" The blood-red figure landed in the courtyard. The blood dripping from the blood knife in his hand corroded small, sizzling holes in the ground.

"People from the Netherworld Cult?!" Zhao Ye's expression drastically changed. "How dare they..."

"Your Highness, flee quickly! Your subordinates will hold them off!" The three Envoys rushed out from the shadows and engaged Blood Fiend in battle. However, Blood Fiend's strength had reached the Early Earthly Immortal Realm, and the corrosive power on his blood knife was incredibly bizarre. The three Envoys quickly fell into a disadvantage.

"Chen Ping, quickly think of a solution!" Zhao Ye grabbed Chen Ping's sleeve, his voice trembling.

A flicker of panic crossed Chen Ping's eyes, but he quickly calmed himself and said, "Your Highness, take the secret passage. Your subordinate will draw them away!"

Zhao Ye couldn't care about anything else and rushed toward the secret passage in the study with Chen Ping. But just as they reached the entrance of the secret passage, a black shadow darted out from within, its short blade stabbing straight toward Zhao Ye's heart—it was actually the Prince's Palace Guard Commander, who had long been subverted by The Net's hidden agents.

"Pfft!" The short blade sank into flesh. Zhao Ye stared in disbelief at the blood on his chest before collapsing onto the ground.

Chen Ping turned to flee but was blocked by Blood Fiend. Blood Fiend gave a cold laugh, swung his blood knife, and Chen Ping's head rolled onto the ground.

"Zhao Ye is dead! Retreat!" Blood Fiend glanced at the corpse on the ground and quickly led his people away, as if they had never appeared.

*** Tianwaitian Headquarters, Study.

Zhao Gao finished reporting the news from the Capital City. Jun Xiaoyao was currently fiddling with a white jade chess piece.

"Prince Jing is dead?"

"Yes, killed by the Netherworld Cult's Blood Fiend. The three Envoys and Chen Ping are all dead, and the three thousand private soldiers have scattered," Zhao Gao said. "The Imperial Court has ordered a thorough investigation, with the spearhead pointing directly at the Netherworld Cult."

Jun Xiaoyao placed the chess piece on the board, perfectly connecting a line and capturing a large cluster of black pieces.

"A mutual defeat. It saves this King a lot of trouble," he said lightly. "With Prince Jing dead, the powers in the Capital City must be reshuffled. Zhao Gao, instruct The Net's hidden agents to seize this opportunity to infiltrate the Six Ministries, especially the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War."

"Yes, Young Lord."

"Also, keep a close eye on the Netherworld Cult," Jun Xiaoyao added. "Since Blood Fiend killed Prince Jing, he will definitely draw the Imperial Court's encirclement and suppression. This is a perfect opportunity for us to seize the netherworld ore vein."

Zhao Gao bowed in affirmation, his heart growing increasingly awed by Jun Xiaoyao's planning. From the interception at Soul Severing Cliff, to the forging of secret letters, and then the subversion of the guard commander—the links were tightly connected. Ultimately, he used the Netherworld Cult to eliminate Prince Jing, and then used the power of the Imperial Court to contain the Netherworld Cult. Beyond Heaven never showed its face throughout the entire process, yet it was the biggest winner.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. Jun Xiaoyao gazed at the crescent moon on the horizon, his eyes completely calm. The conflict between Prince Jing and the Netherworld Old Freak was nothing more than two chess pieces on his board. The true game of chess had only just begun. And all he had to do was sit behind the scenes, watching those who tried to challenge him walk step by step toward destruction.