“What do you mean?”
The Second Heavenly King sneered.
He raised his head, looking askance at Gu Ming. A cold smirk played across his gloomy yet handsome face. “Are you truly ignorant, or are you just pretending to be?”
“Fifth Heavenly King!”
As he uttered the title, his voice grew heavy with emphasis.
The atmosphere in the room was incredibly tense. No one spoke up for Gu Ming. Whether it was the other Heavenly Kings or the Sect Leader, they all remained silent, watching him with cold, detached eyes.
The way they looked at Gu Ming made it seem as though they already viewed him as a traitor to the Demon Cult.
Under their scrutiny, Gu Ming suppressed the anxiety in his heart, though his expression remained dark on the surface. His face was grim, as if shrouded in a layer of haze.
If he said a single wrong word now, not only would he suffer, but his entire territory would be destroyed in an instant. Therefore, he had to remain calm. He had to stay composed.
Gu Ming’s gaze turned frigid, and a mocking smile curled on his lips. “Second Heavenly King, I know you have always had a problem with me, but you cannot slander me like this.”
He was in no hurry to explain himself.
An explanation was a defense, and a defense was a cover-up. The more he explained, the less they would believe him. Instead of explaining, it was better to provoke a confrontation.
As Gu Ming expected, the cold smirk on the Second Heavenly King’s face vanished, replaced by a piercing glare. “Whether it is slander or not, you know the truth in your heart.”
“Oh? Are you angry? Resentful?” Gu Ming spread his hands, acting completely nonchalant. “Since you all find me in the way, then just arrest me. Regardless, everything I have was given to me by the Sect Leader. If the Sect Leader wants to take it back, then take it.”
“But — “
Gu Ming’s tone shifted abruptly. His face contorted, and the veins on his forehead pulsed. “You cannot frame me without any cause or evidence!”
Bang!
At the height of his feigned excitement, he suddenly stood up and slammed his hands onto the table, shouting in anger, “Do you have any idea how many men I lost in this incident? Nearly 10,000 soldiers! Moreover, if I hadn’t arrived in time, my most trusted General would have almost lost his life. Yet, you are telling me that I intentionally let the Divine Maiden go?”
“What a joke!”
Gu Ming glared directly at the Second Heavenly King.
The Second Heavenly King’s lips curled slightly in a contemptuous sneer. “Then, could you please explain how the Divine Maiden managed to escape from your hands? Or are you saying that with your strength, you couldn’t handle her? But that’s strange… Why is it that if you weren’t her match, the Divine Maiden didn’t take your life and chose to flee instead?”
‘This guy…’
‘He clearly knows the Divine Maiden lost her virginity to me, yet he hasn’t mentioned a word. Obviously, he’s waiting for me to say something wrong. Or perhaps, he’s waiting for me to bring it up myself so he can spring a trap?’
Gu Ming’s eyes grew colder.
Heh.
In an instant, Gu Ming adjusted his emotions and said with an air of indifference, “She ran, and that’s that. Why care so much? She has already lost her virginity to me, and her Goddess Cultivation Technique is broken. A Divine Maiden without her Goddess Cultivation Technique is no threat to the Demon Cult. I don’t care about her.”
“What I care about is that damned bastard who killed nearly 10,000 of my soldiers…”
By the end of his sentence, the fury in Gu Ming’s voice was unmistakable.
“The Jade-Faced Young Master…” The Second Heavenly King’s tone turned playful as he spoke with a beaming smile. “He — wouldn’t happen to be you in disguise, would he?”
Gu Ming’s mouth twitched slightly. ‘This guy… as expected of someone from a background of conspiracies, his brain really is sharp.’
Heh —
Gu Ming’s body trembled slightly, and then he covered his face and laughed toward the ceiling.
“HAHAHA — HAHAHA —”
Everyone in the room froze. This included the Second Heavenly King, the other Heavenly Kings, and even the Sect Leader. Gu Ming’s reaction was beyond all their expectations. For a moment, they couldn’t grasp what he was trying to do.
Gu Ming sneered, his gaze icy. “I said, you framed me from the start, and now you’re framing me again. What exactly do you want? Do you want to strip me of my position as a Heavenly King? Just say it! I’ll just quit!”
Gu Ming turned his face away and crossed his arms, throwing a tantrum.
The Sect Leader couldn’t sit still any longer and glanced at the Second Heavenly King. “Second Heavenly King, do you have any actual evidence?”
“I do not.”
The Second Heavenly King shook his head and began to analyze the situation. “However, according to the intelligence I have gathered, there have been many unusual occurrences in the Fifth Heavenly King’s territory over the past month. Within this month, many people from the Righteous Factions who attempted to infiltrate the Fifth Heavenly King’s territory were captured, but before long, they were rescued by a man named the Jade-Faced Young Master.”
“Point one: How did this Jade-Faced Young Master know immediately when someone was captured? How was he able to rescue them immediately? Why is he able to come and go as he pleases within the Fifth Heavenly King’s territory?”
“Point two: Why does this Jade-Faced Young Master only visit the Fifth Heavenly King’s territory and not the territories of the other Heavenly Kings?”
“Point three: Why has the Fifth Heavenly King never personally fought him?”
“Therefore, I highly suspect the identity of this Jade-Faced Young Master.”
As he finished speaking, his gaze drifted toward Gu Ming. The others also looked toward Gu Ming.
Gu Ming remained calm on the surface, but in his mind, he had already rubbed the Second Heavenly King into the dirt a hundred times.
‘Damn it.’
The veins on Gu Ming’s forehead bulged, but he suppressed his displeasure and said airily, “I killed his whole family. I’m his enemy.”
“Then why did you kill his whole family?” the Second Heavenly King asked with a smile.
“Heh, I think your brain has gone soft.” Gu Ming looked at him with disdain. “I didn’t like the look of his family, so I killed them. Is that not allowed?”
The Second Heavenly King’s mouth twitched, and a cold light glinted in his narrowed, smiling eyes.
“Furthermore, how do you know I haven’t fought him face-to-face?” Gu Ming leaned forward and mocked him. “Is it necessary for me to have a duel with him in front of your spies?”
“Then he truly is impressive, being able to escape from the hands of a great Heavenly King time and again.” The veins on the Second Heavenly King’s forehead throbbed, his tone unfriendly.
Time and again?
Gu Ming smiled contemptuously. ‘You little brat, still trying to set a trap for me?’
His lips curled, and he said dismissively, “I wouldn’t call him impressive, but he does have some skill. His escaping techniques are top-notch, and he’s caused me quite a bit of trouble. Previously, I didn’t think much of him, but this time, he really went too far.”
“So, everyone, as long as you can help me capture or kill him, I am willing to pay 10,000,000 High-grade Spirit Stones as a reward.”
10,000,000 High-grade Spirit Stones?
Hearing this number, everyone in the room looked at each other in shock.
The Third Heavenly King couldn’t help but ask, “Where would you get that many High-grade Spirit Stones?”
“If the payment isn’t enough when the time comes, I hope the other Heavenly Kings and our Great Sect Leader will be generous enough to help out. I would be immensely grateful.”
Gu Ming smiled and cupped his hands toward everyone.
However, the room remained deathly silent. No one dared to make a sound.