Chapter 1663: Fisherman

Some of these leaves clung to the waists of the stone beasts, others to their heels, and some to their bellies. Almost every stone beast had leaves stuck to different parts of its body.

"Aim for the leaves!" Qingyang reminded Baitian. "The core of the stone beasts is hidden there!"

A colossal stone lion, having just mauled a palace guard, turned its blood-stained fangs toward Qingyang and lunged. Qingyang, staff in one hand, conjured a green jade duster with the other and whipped it at the beast.

The duster's tail lengthened, transforming into three thousand fine threads that bound the lion's head and neck. Qingyang swiftly sidestepped two paces to evade the beast's lunge, then swept the duster.

The massive lion, unable to stop its momentum, was slammed directly to the ground!

The force applied was remarkably subtle; others couldn't discern how much strength Qingyang had used. They only saw the immense impact as the colossal lion toppled like a mountain, shaking the very ground.

Before the giant lion could rise, Qingyang raised her staff and plunged it into its flank.

Her vital energy surged, and the staff's tip pierced the lion's tough body with a dull thud, like an awl through a crab shell.

When she withdrew the staff, a white orb was impaled on its tip.

A direct hit!

The massive lion stopped moving.

King Yao watched, fury rising to his scalp. This old woman was attacking his palace-guarding stone beasts, and she was even using Yao Kingdom's vital energy!

Yet, he was utterly helpless.

The Overseer sent by Beijia was special; she had been appointed by the Demon Emperor and formally endorsed by King Yao. While King Yao could remove Baitian from his position with a mere official decree, he couldn't strip Qingyang of her role as Overseer, and therefore, he couldn't take away her vital energy.

At most, he could slightly weaken it.

This was precisely the purpose of the Overseer. If King Yao could control her at will, what would be the point of "overseeing" the kingdom?

Thus, Qingyang could comfortably use Yao Kingdom's vital energy to kill the king's ministers and palace guards, and then attempt to depose him!

However, Qingyang also noticed that, at some point, a white mist had begun to pervade the Frost Immortal Hall.

The mist seemed to drift from Jade Spring Palace, carried by gusts of wind, growing denser and denser. Within the mist, people felt bone-chilling cold, their joints stiffening, naturally slowing their movements.

The appearance of this mist was peculiar. Qingyang had passed Jade Spring Palace countless times, and its mist had never before drifted into the Frost Immortal Hall; otherwise, no one could possibly live there.

In other words, had the barrier around Jade Spring Palace been opened?

"Stay alert," she commanded all the Green Guards. "Something is about to emerge from Jade Spring Palace."

While chaos unfolded both inside and outside Tianshui City, where was He Lingchuan?

He was at Secluded Lake.

After using the Mountain-Moving Array to transfer out of Gushing Spring Villa, He Lingchuan swiftly headed north to rendezvous with Wan Qifeng, Wang Fubao, Granny Zhu, and others at the Secluded Lake Villa.

The villa project had been suspended for a long time, and the gatekeepers overseeing the site had been taken away by the Green Guards. The now-empty construction site was a perfect place for He Lingchuan to stay.

Another gust of cold wind howled past, carrying a few ice crystals.

"It's snowing again," he said, reaching out to catch a snowflake. It was tiny and delicate, melting instantly in his palm.

But he knew tonight's snow was destined to grow heavier.

Even bad weather was joining the fun—excellent.

He wasn't in a hurry to leave, partly because he was certain that Qingyang and King Yao's conflict was in full swing, leaving them no time to hunt him down. Secondly, he couldn't venture too far from Tianshui City, or he would exceed the range of the eyeball spiders and lose real-time updates from within the city.

After Dong Rui left, they lacked aerial surveillance. But that was fine; He Lingchuan had hired the same bird demons who had delivered messages for him before: an owl, a pond heron, and a bluebird.

The task for these bird demons was simple: carry the eyeball spiders and circle above Tianshui City and the palace, flying slowly and varying their altitude.

This allowed Granny Zhu to receive information from the eyeball spiders from multiple positions and angles.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror, seeing nothing at the moment, anxiously asked, "Any new developments? Who's winning, King Yao or Qingyang?"

"Qingyang remains quite composed, but Baitian's army is wavering, and some of his subordinates are beginning to surrender. The stone beasts guarding the Frost Immortal Hall kill very quickly. These creatures also possess vital energy, so the attacking side doesn't have much of an advantage," Granny Zhu said, making herself a comfortable spot in the sand and settling down. She then asked He Lingchuan, "Do you still think Qingyang will win?"

"Yes," He Lingchuan nodded. "Since the battle began, Qingyang has held back; she hasn't used her full power at all."

The former Grand Imperial Preceptor of Beijia was capable of much more. It wasn't just a matter of holding one trick back; she had held back several.

"Exactly. This battle isn't intense, at least not for her." As a master of combat, Granny Zhu saw through it immediately. "This overthrow heavily relies on speed. What is she waiting for?"

Since ancient times, what palace rebellion hasn't required haste? If the monarch recovers and reorganizes his forces, the rebels easily become trapped.

The outcome would be disastrous.

Qingyang had meticulously planned this beforehand, so why did its execution seem so lackadaisical?

Granny Zhu didn't understand, and the mirror also exclaimed, "Ah, why?"

"Haven't you noticed that one party in this power struggle hasn't made a move yet?"

Granny Zhu was puzzled. "Who?"

The mirror blurted out, "The Divine Temple?"

"At least three parties planned this coup. Qingyang and Baitian are already involved, but the Celestial Deity has only made an appearance and shown a minor spiritual manifestation, providing no substantial support," He Lingchuan chuckled. "It's clearly the strongest force, yet it has remained hidden in the background."

Granny Zhu was surprised. "Qingyang doesn't want them to reap the benefits without contributing?"

"King Yao still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve and hasn't revealed his trump cards yet. Qingyang probably doesn't want to exert herself too much," He Lingchuan said, his eyes sharp. "Any struggle requires effort and will incur damage. If her strength is compromised, her influence after the war will diminish, making it easy for someone else to reap the rewards."

"The 'fisher' is the Celestial Deity?" Granny Zhu chuckled. "I feel like you're the true 'fisher.'"

Was the Celestial Deity hiding in the background? It was clearly this young man pulling the strings!

If he hadn't stirred things up, could Qingyang and King Yao have started fighting so soon?

The mirror also exclaimed, "Oh, right! I remember now, the note you wrote to Qiu Long didn't mention the Celestial Deity at all!"

He Lingchuan's tip-off letter, left in the red jade box, only stated that Baitian and Qingyang were plotting rebellion, deliberately omitting any mention of the Celestial Deity.

He clearly knew that the root cause of this rebellion lay with the Celestial Deity!

He Lingchuan shrugged. "I didn't lie to him; I merely concealed part of the truth."

And it was the most crucial part of the truth.

He tipped off King Yao hoping the king would resist fiercely and not allow his opponents to seize power easily.

Having stirred up trouble in Yao Kingdom for so long, He Lingchuan absolutely did not want Qingyang and the Celestial Deity to easily defeat King Yao and take over the kingdom.

If his opponents were only Qingyang and Baitian, King Yao would still have the confidence to defeat them. But if he had known then that the Celestial Deity was the true mastermind, He Lingchuan couldn't predict how that revelation would affect him—would it invigorate his fighting spirit or plunge him into despair, causing him to abandon resistance entirely?

It was better to save that surprise for now.

So Granny Zhu was right: he was the true 'fisher'!

In the northern reaches of Yao Kingdom, snowflakes were also fluttering down.

Faced with the invasion from Luodian, Yao Kingdom's northern garrison immediately retaliated.

In northern Yao Kingdom, a chaotic battle erupted.

Here, it's necessary to describe the terrain of Yao Kingdom's northern front:

Guarding a narrow mountain pass were two large camps, Manying and Bailing'an, both with existing structures and fortifications suitable for stationing troops.

Yuwen Yong arrived in the northern frontier first, thus he held Manying Camp, right by the border.

Due to the Xue Zongwu investigation, General Chongwu was kept in Tianshui City and arrived in the northern frontier ten days later than Yuwen Yong. He therefore led his troops to Bailing'an, approximately four li from the northern front.

Geographically, Yuwen Yong was positioned ahead, with Chongwu behind him. The two forces should have mutually supported each other and collaborated in defense.

The problem, however, was that Yuwen Yong had already received King Yao's orders, suspecting Chongwu of rebellion. If Wang Sili hadn't arrived at the front by that night, Yuwen Yong was instructed to directly apprehend Chongwu.

But before he could act, the Luodian forces launched a full-scale invasion!

Was this a mere coincidence, or a coordinated attack from both inside and outside?

The positions of the two armies were particularly awkward. If Yuwen Yong engaged in battle to the north, would Chongwu stab him in the back, colluding with Luodian from within?

In that scenario, Yuwen Yong's army would be like the meat in a sandwich, bitten from both sides.

There was only one solution!

Yuwen Yong immediately dispatched someone to Bailing'an Camp, inviting Chongwu to the Manying military tent for a discussion.

As it was a frontline war council, Chongwu was expected to come, both by custom and reason. If he came, Yuwen Yong would immediately apprehend him and take control of his army.

If he didn't come, Yuwen Yong would demand that he lead his troops into battle first, allowing Yuwen Yong to hold the rear, thus avoiding being caught in a pincer movement. Chongwu had only led his troops for three months; Yuwen Yong didn't believe the entire army would be completely loyal and subservient to him.

However, before his plan could be put into action, a startling piece of news came from a spy in Chongwu's camp:

General Chongwu had just withdrawn his troops!

Yuwen Yong immediately dispatched bird demons to investigate. After several rounds of reconnaissance, he confirmed that the main camp and supplies were still there, but almost all the troops had departed.

It was hasty, but decisive.

Where had the main force gone? According to the spy, General Chongwu had suddenly produced an urgent order stating that the foreign merchant He Xiao had colluded with domestic renegade generals to rebel, and Tianshui City was in distress. Therefore, the entire army was ordered to turn south and return to the capital to defend the king!

The urgent order General Chongwu displayed bore King Yao's handwriting, all necessary official seals, and even the Azure Grand Seal. Thus, the border soldiers recognized its authenticity and promptly followed him back.

This explanation left Yuwen Yong stunned for a moment, then he angrily slammed the table.

He knew without looking that any urgent capital order or King Yao's handwriting was forged! If a rebellion truly broke out in the capital, King Yao's urgent order would have reached him first, not Chongwu.

A general may not return without a supreme order. General Chongwu only needed a pretext to move his troops back to the capital.

Yuwen Yong received a clear and unmistakable signal:

Chongwu was committing treason!

The bird demons expanded their search and finally located General Chongwu's main force thirty li to the south!

They moved remarkably fast.

Yuwen Yong certainly wanted to pursue, but Luodian cavalry were pressing hard, relentlessly engaging Yuwen Yong's army, preventing him from withdrawing from the front line!

If he retreated even a few steps, Luodian would immediately seize the easily defensible Manying pass and invade Yao Kingdom's territory.

Yuwen Yong could only send an urgent message, a desperate report to the Yao capital:

General Chongwu has committed treason and is leading his army back to attack the capital!

He had initially guarded against General Chongwu and Luodian launching a pincer attack from north and south. Now he understood that Chongwu had been prepared to withdraw from the very beginning!