Chapter 1566: If We Die, I'll Die Before You

Every gaze turned toward Niu Youdao.

All of them clearly shared the same suspicion.

Niu Youdao said only, "If I intended to tear down the bridge after crossing the river, right now would be the best possible opportunity to eliminate all of you."

That stopped Zhuge Chi cold.

Thinking about it, he had to admit the point.

Still suspicious, he asked, "Then what do you mean by this?"

Niu Youdao paced over and stopped in front of him.

Looking down from above, he said, "Everything needs a proper way to be resolved."

"Can you guarantee that once this is over, those people won't turn around and compete for supremacy?"

"At least I don't have that ability."

"What matter can't be settled by sitting down and discussing it properly?"

"I'm having all of you seized precisely so we can discuss things properly."

Zhuge Chi had spent years inside the imperial palace and had seen every kind of conflict of interest and old grievance.

He knew perfectly well that some matters were extremely difficult to settle through discussion.

He could not help asking, "And if we can't reach an agreement?"

Niu Youdao answered cleanly and without hesitation.

"Then I'll kill all of you."

"..."

Zhuge Chi was speechless.

Watching from the side, Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming exchanged a look.

They knew Wu Chang was dead.

Looking at the situation before them, they also understood what that death meant.

More importantly, they knew that in what came next, the two of them could only watch.

There was no place for either to speak.

Silence was wiser.

Those who needed treatment were treated.

Those who needed to be placed under control were restrained.

The hundred thousand Crow Generals seemed to have completed their present task as well.

Their commander came before Shang Shuqing, cupped his hands, and reported back.

More than thirteen thousand of the hundred-thousand-strong army had fallen in battle.

Pain filled Shang Shuqing's heart.

She ordered the army to rest and reorganize.

The others could not understand what the Crow General commander was saying.

All they heard was a low droning sound.

Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming stared at the scene.

Both had also noticed the great royal standard bearing the character "Shang" floating in the black mist behind the Crow General commander.

There were holes in the royal standard where arrows had pierced it.

The sight struck Meng Shanming as strangely familiar.

Then the Crow General commander turned.

Meng Shanming caught sight of his face.

Meng Shanming's features trembled.

His voice shook as he called, "Long Bao... is that you?"

The Crow General commander merely glanced back at him.

Eerie red light drifted like mist from both eyes.

There was no further reaction.

He ignored Meng Shanming and continued walking.

After several steps, he stopped and let out one deep droning shout.

Then he was the first to dissolve into mist and condense again, transforming into a ghostly black-feathered crow with red light glowing in its eyes.

It beat its wings and took flight.

Black mist exploded across the sky.

Countless ghostly black-feathered crows condensed out of it.

The great flocks circled for a time, then descended one after another.

Shang Shuqing looked toward Niu Youdao.

Only after he gave a slight nod, granting permission, did she walk to Meng Shanming and crouch beside him.

"Uncle Meng, yes. That truly was General Long."

Meng Shanming stared at her. "How did this happen?"

Shang Shuqing said, "The hundred thousand Crow Generals Mister Lan spoke of truly did exist..."

She explained the sequence of events.

Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming listened in profound shock.

They had never imagined Prince Ning had truly carried out something so enormous behind everyone's backs.

After Shang Shuqing finished, she removed the false face covering her and revealed her true appearance, further proving that what she had said was true.

It was not only Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming who were stunned.

Others who had not known the truth were equally shocked.

Was this truly the supposedly ugly Commandery Princess?

She had suddenly become extraordinarily beautiful.

It was difficult to believe.

"Good. Good. Good."

Meng Shanming stroked his beard and repeated the word several times.

He and Shang Chaozong both instinctively glanced toward Niu Youdao.

It seemed both had finally found the reason why Niu Youdao and Shang Shuqing had lately been behaving so intimately.

Standing there with her true appearance exposed before everyone, Shang Shuqing looked somewhat shy.

She had been ugly for so many years that suddenly appearing like this made even her feel strange.

But after the initial happiness passed, Meng Shanming turned his gaze toward the nearby flock of ghostly black-feathered crows.

Tears glimmered in his eyes.

He murmured, "Long Bao..."

Niu Youdao paid no attention to any of this.

At a signal from Zhao Xiongge, the two walked away side by side.

Once they were some distance from the others, Zhao Xiongge suddenly sighed.

"The greater situation is settled."

"The revival of our Shangqing Sect is now within sight."

"Would you be willing to return to Shangqing Sect and take the position of Sect Leader?"

He was probing Niu Youdao's attitude.

Zhao Xiongge understood the situation perfectly.

Niu Youdao might not yet have broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, but he influenced the entire group behind them.

It was almost absurd.

A cultivator who had not reached the Nascent Soul Realm possessed enough authority to overawe and direct a group of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Of course, Zhao Xiongge knew that this was the accumulation of everything Niu Youdao had built over many years.

More importantly, he knew Niu Youdao still had one Wuliang Fruit in his hands.

Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm was therefore only a matter of time.

In other words, Niu Youdao personally had already become someone capable of determining the fate of all beneath Heaven.

If he returned to Shangqing Sect, the sect would rise with astonishing speed.

There was no doubt it would become the number one sect beneath Heaven.

But if Niu Youdao refused to return, whether Shangqing Sect could become the foremost sect was another question entirely.

After all, Nascent Soul cultivators still existed among other factions.

And Niu Youdao was presently a disciple of Zijin Cave.

That was what worried Zhao Xiongge.

He therefore hoped Niu Youdao would return to Shangqing Sect.

People were like this.

Once the greater situation was settled, thoughts inevitably turned toward interests and benefits, even if those interests were not one's own.

Niu Youdao smiled, but did not answer the suggestion.

Zhao Xiongge immediately guaranteed, "Don't worry. I'll speak to Shangqing Sect."

"By sentiment and reason alike, you should have been Shangqing Sect's Sect Leader in the first place."

"You would merely be taking back what belongs to you."

"I guarantee that no one in the sect, from top to bottom, will object."

Niu Youdao smiled. "We'll talk about it later. I'm not considering that right now."

Zhao Xiongge grew anxious.

He feared Niu Youdao might return to Zijin Cave and wanted to press the matter further, but Niu Youdao raised a hand and stopped him.

Seeing that Niu Youdao truly had no interest in discussing it further, Zhao Xiongge did not dare force him.

He feared pushing too hard and provoking words that could not be taken back.

For the moment, he had no choice but to drop it.

Still, he surveyed the devastated scene before them and thought of the terror of the earlier battle.

"If we'd truly listened to you before and withdrawn, who knows how long we'd have dragged this out before finally dealing with Wu Chang."

Niu Youdao said, "The Stellar Command Token is in my hands."

Zhao Xiongge stared.

The answer seemed completely unrelated.

"The Stellar Command Token?"

Niu Youdao reminded him, "Wu Chang read the Demon Canon."

"If I activated the formation eyes of the Five Domains Stellar Grand Formation across the various regions, do you think Wu Chang would sit by while I cut off the passages between the Five Domains and sever the circulation of spiritual qi between Heaven and Earth?"

"The moment he noticed, he would have rushed to the Fifth Domain to stop me."

Zhao Xiongge froze.

Then realization dawned.

"You intended to lure Wu Chang into the Fifth Domain and seal him there?"

Niu Youdao nodded.

Zhao Xiongge stared at him for a while, then asked heavily, "If you had such a sound plan, why did you still let everyone take this risk?"

Niu Youdao looked into the distance.

There was naturally a reason.

He simply did not want to explain it yet.

Once the proper moment came, Zhao Xiongge would understand on his own.

For now, Niu Youdao brushed the matter aside.

"Better to have one more contingency than one less."

With that, he turned and walked back.

He strode to Shang Chaozong's side.

"Your Highness, the greater situation is settled. It's time to finish this."

"Send orders to assemble the armies and fight Jin."

"Crush the Jin army in a single battle. Let all beneath Heaven see Your Highness's strength."

"Let some people die to deter the unruly and silence suspicion. That will accomplish more than ten thousand explanations and save even more lives."

Shang Chaozong was full of confidence.

He nodded. "Good. We'll do as Master Dao says."

Far away, scouts who had come with Wu Chang and remained hidden observed the scene after the Crow Generals withdrew.

Then they slipped away quietly...

Beside the river and its reed beds stood the large warehouse.

Nantian Wufang was still there, recuperating from his injuries.

He stood on the waterside platform where he had once been beaten.

A figure descended from the sky and landed outside the warehouse.

Uncle Chen and Wu Zhaoxing, who were guarding the place, immediately appeared in vigilance.

When they saw the newcomer was Guan Fangyi, and then saw one of her sleeves hanging empty, Uncle Chen was shocked.

"Hongniang, what happened to your arm?"

Guan Fangyi stared at him coldly and sneered.

Uncle Chen understood the mockery in her expression and immediately became somewhat embarrassed.

Guan Fangyi said, "Call your master out."

The two men exchanged a glance and hesitated.

She had already beaten Nantian Wufang badly once.

If she did it again, wouldn't she beat him to death?

Guan Fangyi flashed forward.

She passed directly between them and entered the warehouse.

Her gaze swept around and caught sight of a long shadow cast diagonally across the floor by sunlight from the rear doorway.

She walked quickly toward it.

But when she reached the doorway, she stopped.

For a moment, she seemed nervous.

In the end she took a deep breath and stepped outside.

Nantian Wufang turned.

Seeing her, he froze briefly.

Then he faced her fully and studied her appearance.

Last time, he had not seen Guan Fangyi's true face.

This time he did.

Time had indeed been merciless.

She no longer possessed the same splendor of youth she once had.

Uncle Chen and Wu Zhaoxing appeared at the doorway behind her, both looking deeply worried.

Nantian Wufang glanced toward them.

"Withdraw."

Wu Zhaoxing said anxiously, "Left Envoy..."

Nantian Wufang rebuked him. "Withdraw!"

The two exchanged a hesitant look.

In the end, they slowly retreated.

Guan Fangyi stared at Nantian Wufang for a while, then gradually stepped toward him.

A gust of wind came.

The empty sleeve at her side fluttered.

Only then did Nantian Wufang notice what was wrong.

He was shocked.

"Fangyi, your arm?"

Smack!

Guan Fangyi slapped him across the face and snapped, "What business is it of yours? What right do you have to concern yourself with me?"

Nantian Wufang's body was still weak.

The slap sent him staggering, almost knocking him to the ground.

Once he steadied himself, he looked at her again with bitterness all over his face.

Guan Fangyi raised an eyebrow.

"What? I want to kill you, and you still don't intend to explain yourself?"

"You're at death's door. Don't blame me for not giving you the chance to speak!"

Nantian Wufang smiled.

"Everything was my fault. Even if I die, I deserve it."

"As long as you're safe, that's enough."

Tears instantly spilled down Guan Fangyi's face.

They came against her will.

Nantian Wufang wanted to step toward her, but feared provoking her.

"Don't cry. Who did that to your arm?"

Guan Fangyi suddenly choked out a laugh and shook her head.

"I'm old. I'm crippled."

"You only appear again when I'm at my ugliest. What meaning does that have?"

"Why didn't you just hide for the rest of your life?"

Nantian Wufang understood.

She knew the truth.

He hurriedly said, "You're not old. You're more beautiful than before."

"You were too green back then. Only after weathering the vicissitudes of life have you become even more beautiful."

"In my eyes, no matter what you become, you are still the most perfect woman in this world."

"I swear to Heaven, every word comes from the bottom of my heart. If even half a sentence is false, may Heaven strike me down!"

Guan Fangyi gave a hollow laugh.

"You think I'm still that yellow-haired little girl from back then, someone who'll casually believe a man's sweet words?"

"What kind of man haven't I seen?"

"Save your schemes."

"I won't kill you."

"Go. Go be your Demonic Sect's Left Envoy."

"From this day forward, every debt and grievance between us is settled."

Nantian Wufang said, "Now that you know the truth, you should also know I violated the sect rules long ago."

"Before, I stayed because I had to consider the Demonic Sect as a whole."

"Now the Demonic Sect has already withdrawn from Demon Ridge. What face would I have to continue serving as Left Envoy?"

"Before coming here, I already handed over my authority in the Demonic Sect."

"I have left the Demonic Sect."

Guan Fangyi said, "That's your affair. It has nothing to do with me."

She turned to leave.

Nantian Wufang shouted after her, "Give me a chance to atone!"

"I'm willing to stay by your side and serve you like an ox or horse to repay what I owe!"

Guan Fangyi stopped with her back toward him.

"I was wounded by Wu Chang."

"Our side suffered dead and wounded everywhere."

"Now Wu Chang has the upper hand and is hunting me down."

"My whereabouts have already been exposed."

"Better not to drag you into it."

Nantian Wufang was shocked.

Then his voice became utterly resolute.

"If Wu Chang comes, I'll stay behind and cover your retreat."

"If we die, I'll die before you."

Guan Fangyi suddenly broke into a smile through her tears.

She cried and laughed at once, until it was impossible to tell whether she was laughing or weeping.

[End of Chapter 1566]