The crowd in the square was stunned by the powerful aura radiating from Li Yuhan, and those who had intended to confront him immediately backed down.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
This Emperor Puppet was not only secretly cultivating immortality, but he also appeared to possess considerable strength, which took them by surprise.
This sudden turn of events disrupted the plans that many had arranged in advance.
The Feng and Yun families had originally intended to kill Li Yuhan during the rain-seeking ceremony and swiftly suppress the remaining three families.
After Li Yuhan’s death, they would bring out the child in Yun Zhiruo’s womb as a Death Immunity Gold Medallion, leaving the other three families no reason to oppose the Yun family, allowing them to smoothly become the head of the five great families and control Dazhou.
But Li Yuhan suddenly revealed his extraordinary power, making the assassination much more difficult.
“Family Head, what shall we do? Should we continue?”
The Yun Family Second Elder approached Yun Hai, the Yun Family Head, and asked in a low voice.
Gazing up at Li Yuhan standing on the high platform, Yun Hai fell into deep thought.
If the assassination failed, the Feng and Yun families would become rebels, likely to be surrounded and slaughtered by the other three families.
Five hundred years ago, Yun family ancestor Yun Lan, the leader of the Hehuan Sect, was exterminated by Ji Yexue, head of the Divine Phoenix Sect, and Hua Chuyan, head of the Hundred Flowers Sect, along with many righteous sects.
Yun Lan was viewed by his family as a traitor and was expelled from the ancestral lineage, completely cut off, and the family turned to the Orthodox Path Alliance to save themselves.
The Yun family received a promise from the Orthodox Path Alliance that after wiping out the Hehuan Sect, Ji Yexue would no longer attack the Yun family, and so they left the matter alone.
For the past five hundred years, the elders of the Yun family have remained silent on the matter of Yun Lan.
In this generation, except for the Family Head and a few elders, the rest of the Yun family was unaware that their clan had ever produced an Origin Infant Stage cultivator.
Although contact between the sect leaders who remained in Dazhou was rare, the five great families maintained a facade of peace through jointly suppressing the imperial family and other officials.
Occasional intermarriage further strengthened this fragile peace.
In reality, during their resource competition, the Ji and Hua families always held the upper hand.
If conflict escalated, the other three families often yielded to these two.
If a full-blown feud broke out, and outside forces like the Divine Phoenix and Hundred Flowers sects were called in, it would be disastrous.
The Feng family, after years of effort, had finally established the Wuling Gate in Dazhou.
The Ye family maintained their standing by currying favor with the Ji family.
Meanwhile, the Yun family’s territory and assets had been steadily encroached upon by the Ji and Hua families amid open and covert struggles, and because of the dark history of Yun Lan, they had to endure at every turn.
Assassinating Li Yuhan and installing the child in Yun Zhiruo’s womb as the new emperor was the Yun family’s last chance for a comeback—they could not afford to give up.
“The plan remains unchanged. The arrow is on the string; it must be released,”
Yun Hai said firmly.
“Inform the Feng family. Act on the signal. When the signal is given, kill Li Yuhan.”
“Yes.”
The Yun Family Second Elder acknowledged the order and quietly withdrew.
At the same time, Zhang Yuge, disguised as the Imperial Concubine, led Li Yuluo, dressed in palace maid attire, to the constructed altar.
The altar was arranged with a variety of ritual items for prayer and Soul-Calling, all kinds, as far as one could see.
The Imperial Concubine nodded to Li Yuluo, who picked up a basket filled with copper coins and white paper slips, scattering them around.
The Imperial Concubine held a Bell in one hand and a Staff in the other, took a deep breath, and prepared himself.
On the altar, Zhang Yuge looked every bit the part, drawing the attention of all present as they awaited his next move.
Suddenly, a black-robed figure wearing a strange mask began reciting unintelligible verses, followed by a series of howls.
“Hmph, hmph, hmph, ahhhhhhhhh…”
The rhythm rose and fell dramatically, carrying an eerie and mysterious religious tone.
“One elder at a time, pressure Massnei!”
“Yi! Wu! Ge Wu En here to rap for you, L, T, C!”
Merely chanting wasn’t enough; to enhance the effect, the Imperial Concubine continued with a frenzied, demonic dance—unfortunately, without suspenders.
The audience was dumbfounded, watching the Imperial Concubine’s bizarre performance with a mixture of awe and confusion.
“Esteemed Imperial Concubine, reputed to be knowledgeable, have you ever seen the dance the Imperial Concubine is performing?”
“To be honest, I have never heard of such a strange dance or the incantations being spoken.”
In the corner of the altar, Li Yuluo continued scattering copper coins and paper slips, feeling utterly embarrassed.
She had previously suggested that Zhang Yuge rehearse, but he had flatly refused, saying it was unnecessary and that he was confident they could bluff their way through.
The palace was full of spies, and rehearsals would only raise suspicion.
Li Yuluo now regretted trusting Zhang Yuge’s nonsense.
But at this point, regret was useless; she could only make the best of the mistake.
Li Yuhan sat on the throne steps, resting his chin on his fist, coldly observing the crowd’s every move.
Noticing the black-robed masked man’s ridiculous dancing, his gaze shifted to the palace maid beside him, locking onto her.
“What’s wrong? Feeling soft-hearted?”
A familiar and irritating voice echoed in his ears, and Li Yuhan frowned impatiently.
“Your adorable little sister seems utterly obsessed with that Zhang family young master. Based on my experience, I’d say her mind and body are already shaped like that fellow’s.”
The Dark Blood Divine King, whose face was exactly the same as Li Yuluo’s male form, stood beside Li Yuhan, though none of the palace maids or eunuchs could perceive him.
Li Yuhan’s mouth twitched as he asked,
“What gives you the right to make such a conclusion?”
“Ha ha ha, Li Yuhan, at this point, you’re still deceiving yourself? How amusing.”
The fake Li Yuluo sneered mercilessly.
“Didn’t you see your sweet little sister’s expression yesterday? When she learned that her little lover didn’t have to die, she was ecstatic. Surely you’re aware of this yourself, or else you wouldn’t have deliberately arranged for her to deliver pastries as a test of her loyalty. You and Zhang Qingyao seem to stand on opposite sides of a scale in your sister’s heart, and you’re currently balanced equally, but the scale is slowly tipping toward Zhang Qingyao. Before long, your weight will be completely overshadowed by Zhang Qingyao, and the scale will tip entirely in his favor.”
Li Yuhan remained silent, his gaze fixed tightly on Zhang Yuge’s frenzied dance atop the altar, clenching his fist.
The fake Li Yuluo noticed this and smiled wickedly.
“Zhang Qingyao is inevitably an obstacle on your path to becoming a deity and ascending; eliminating him is only a matter of time. Either you don’t do it, or you do it decisively, cutting off all ties. Spare Li Yuluo’s life, and you’ll only be planting a disaster for yourself.”