Chapter 265: Slander
“An explanation? What explanation do you want?”
“All of my sons and daughters have died in Tianqing Mountain, while the three spiritual root
cultivators of Yun Cang Yun clan used Master Tong’s mountain-leaving token to escape.
Their deaths are undoubtedly connected to those three!”
At Baili Xi’s demand for a reasonable explanation, Dong Zilong exploded in rage.
“Dong Zilong, you must provide an explanation!”
“Indeed! The spiritual root cultivators and immortals of Chu Kingdom cannot die such senseless
deaths!”
“And what of my Nan Kingdom! You dare to conspire and use a monster that devours spiritual
root cultivators to target the heirs of the Four Kingdoms? This is unforgivable!”
As Dong Zilong and Baili Xi argued, the monarchs of Nan, Bei, and Chu Kingdoms stepped
forward, their voices sharp with anger.
All eyes, burning with hatred and suspicion, turned to Dong Zilong.
“What conspiracy? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dong Zilong retorted coldly,
regaining his composure at the sight of the other monarchs closing in.
“Still feigning ignorance?”
“Was it not you who conspired to block the escape routes for spiritual root cultivators, forcing
them to face that monster? Was it not your actions that led to this massacre of heirs and
immortals alike?”
Baili Xi’s gaze bore into Dong Zilong, his tone cold and unyielding.
Dong Zilong’s plan had failed.
Now, it was time for Baili Xi to set his own plan into motion: incite the other three kingdoms to
turn their rage fully against Wu Kingdom, forcing it into a defensive position.
“Utter nonsense! My own sons and daughters, along with spiritual root cultivators from Wu, were
also slaughtered!
How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”
Dong Zilong’s voice was laced with fury, but deep inside, he was growing increasingly wary.
Though the old monster had been eliminated as planned, the situation had spiraled far beyond
his expectations. He had to tread carefully, for any slip of the tongue could ignite a four-nation
alliance against Wu Kingdom.
“And who’s to say you didn’t orchestrate this yourself, staging a tragedy to divert suspicion from
you and your kingdom?”
Baili Xi’s calm, measured tone cut through Dong Zilong’s protestations.
Even though Baili Xi couldn’t fathom why the princes and princesses of Wu had also perished,
he wasn’t about to relinquish this opportunity to stoke the flames of anger against Dong Zilong
and Wu Kingdom.
“A tragedy? You think I’d sacrifice my children’s lives for a ploy like that?”
“Baili Xi, do you hear yourself? Have some basis for your accusations!”
Dong Zilong’s fists clenched tightly as he glared at Baili Xi. He knew exactly what the monarch
of Yue was plotting and was determined not to let him succeed.
“Am I wrong?”
“The princes, princesses, and spiritual root cultivators of Nan, Bei, Chu, and Yue Kingdoms are
all dead. Their corpses lie here before us, staring coldly at you, Dong Zilong.
And yet, you accuse me of baseless claims? What are you trying to do—wash your hands of
this entirely?”
“If you dared to plan this in secret, why don’t you have the courage to admit it in public?”
Baili Xi’s composed words were like daggers, each one pushing Dong Zilong closer to the edge.
Yet, Dong Zilong dared not lash out against him.
“Everyone, there must be some misunderstanding here. I will personally investigate the matter
and uncover the truth,” Dong Zilong said hastily, trying to pacify the growing anger of the other
monarchs.
“Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?”
“When we encountered that monster in the mountain, our first instinct was to escape.
But when we tried to contact Wu’s scattered cultivators using our transmission tokens, there
was no response!”
“Even when we attempted to reach out to our respective elders and clans, our efforts were
deliberately blocked!
Tell me, Dong Zilong, wasn’t this all orchestrated by Wu Kingdom?”
The words came from Prince Beiyuan, who struggled to stand despite his injuries. Supported by
two scattered cultivators from Bei Kingdom, he stepped forward, glaring fiercely at Dong Zilong.
“If Wu’s scattered cultivators had acted immediately to bring us out, the spiritual root cultivators
and immortals of the Four Kingdoms would not have suffered such devastating losses!”
“This is all Wu Kingdom’s doing!”
“Prince Beiyuan, how can you draw such conclusions based on a single-sided account?” Dong
Zilong retorted, though his voice betrayed his unease.
“Single-sided account? The three survivors from Yue’s Yun Cang Yun clan are also here. Why
don’t we hear what they have to say?”
Beiyuan shot back, his gaze sweeping the crowd as he pointed toward Yun Yanshuang and her
nieces.
In an instant, all eyes turned toward the trio, including those of Baili Xi and Dong Zilong.
“Prince Beiyuan speaks the truth. When we first learned of that monster’s presence, we
attempted to contact Wu’s scattered cultivators for extraction.
But there was no response. Even when we tried to reach our elders outside, we were
deliberately cut off!”
Yun Yanshuang’s voice was clear and resolute. She knew what she needed to do: reveal the
truth and ensure that Wu Kingdom bore the full brunt of the other nations’ ire.
If she remained silent, the horrors she and her nieces endured would be for nothing.
“You’re lying! You dare accuse me while your Yun Cang Yun clan is clearly the one responsible
for the deaths of my sons and daughters?!”
Dong Zilong roared, his fury boiling over as he pointed an accusatory finger at Yun Yanshuang.
Hearing Yun Yanshuang’s words, Dong Zilong was furious beyond restraint.
“Baseless accusations? Yanshuang is merely recounting the facts of what she experienced!”
“As for the deaths of your sons and daughters, it’s far more likely they conspired to harm
Yanshuang and her nieces, only for their plans to be uncovered.
Their demise? They brought it upon themselves. This is nothing more than the result of your
own machinations, Dong Zilong!”
Baili Xi stepped forward, positioning himself between Dong Zilong and the Yun trio. His cold
gaze locked onto Dong Zilong, whose fury teetered on the brink of madness.
“Brother Zilong, there’s nothing more to say,” the monarch of Chu Kingdom declared, his tone
icy.
“Prepare to face the wrath of Chu Kingdom!”
He glared at Dong Zilong, his gaze filled with disdain as he stood over the mangled body of his
son, Churan. By now, he had pieced together enough to understand that this was all part of
Dong Zilong’s scheming.
Dong Zilong’s words, feeble attempts at deflection, were nothing but a last-ditch effort to escape
responsibility and avoid the Four Kingdoms’ inevitable fury.
“Brother Chu, you…” Dong Zilong stammered.
“Nan Kingdom will also march to war!” the monarch of Nan declared, his face equally cold as he
stood over the remains of Nangong Chun.
“And Bei Kingdom shall trample Wu beneath our hooves!”
“And Yue Kingdom will join them,” Baili Xi added with a faint smile.
Everything was progressing exactly as Baili Xi had planned.
Dong Zilong would pay dearly for his schemes today.
“Everyone, can’t we sit down and talk this through?” Dong Zilong asked, his voice trembling
slightly.
For the first time, panic seeped into his tone. He hadn’t expected his carefully laid plans to
unravel so completely, nor for the situation to spiral this far out of control.
Was he now pushing Wu Kingdom straight into the fire?
“Talk? There’s nothing left to talk about,” the monarch of Chu responded coldly.
Without waiting, he gathered the Chu delegation and left decisively.
The delegations from Nan and Bei Kingdoms followed suit, preparing to return home and
marshal their armies to strike against Wu.
“Brother Zilong, take care,” Baili Xi said with a mocking smile as he turned to leave.
“Oh, and about the rewards from this contest—since Yue Kingdom has won, you should hand
them over.”
Baili Xi held a flag in his hand, the same one Yun Yanshuang had given him earlier.
“Baili Xi, you’re pushing your luck!”
Dong Zilong’s fury flared. He was certain that Baili Xi had orchestrated the disruption of his
plans, using the spiritual root cultivators of Yun Cang Yun as pawns. How could he now
shamelessly demand the contest rewards?
He was already restraining himself from ordering Yun Yanshuang’s execution—yet Baili Xi dared
to press for the prizes?
“Not handing them over? No matter. Sooner or later, when the Four Kingdoms march on Wu,
Yue Kingdom will claim what is ours,” Baili Xi said indifferently, turning to leave.
“Wait!”
Dong Zilong’s voice rang out, halting Baili Xi in his tracks.
“What is it, Brother Zilong?”
“I’ll give you the rewards—but I have one condition!”
“Oh? What condition?”
“Yue Kingdom must not ally with the other three kingdoms.”
“Agreed.”
“So quick to agree? How can I trust you won’t deceive me?”
“If you doubt my sincerity, there’s no need for further discussion,” Baili Xi replied with a cold
laugh, making to leave.
“Fine! Take it!”
Weighing his options, Dong Zilong begrudgingly chose to hand over the contest rewards to Baili
Xi.
The current situation left him no room for deliberation. He could only try to stabilize one front to
ease the pressure on himself and Wu Kingdom.
For now, he had no choice but to accept defeat.