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Chapter 599: The Trap

In the center of the palace cluster near the icebergs stood a grand crystal palace. Above its entrance hung a plaque with three bold, imposing characters.

Xuanwu Palace!

The supreme residence of the Xuanwu clan! Inside Xuanwu Palace, a white-haired elder was playing a game of Go with a young man. The young man was deep in thought, while the elder sipped tea, smiling as he watched.

Suddenly, a man in white robes entered.

"Greetings, Supreme One. Greetings, Young Master!" the man in white immediately said.

Upon hearing this, both the elder and the young man looked up.

"Reporting to the Supreme One, the task has been completed. Xuanwu King Xuan Yan should arrive at the Frozen Empire within two months at most," the man in white reported respectfully.

"Very well," the white-haired elder nodded.

"Have you found out anything about the situation to the east?" the young man asked.

"Reporting to the Young Master, not yet!"

"Not yet? It\'s been a year and a half, and you still haven\'t found anything?" The young man frowned deeply.

"We are doing our best!"

"Dismissed!" the elder commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The man in white bowed and left.

"Ancestor, it\'s been a year and a half. Who could this Heaven Extreme Realm expert be, causing such turmoil?" the young man asked with a furrowed brow.

"Shenzhou is full of hidden talents. On the surface, there are those known Heaven Extreme Realm experts, but there will always be a few who remain hidden. Just like at the recent Ten Thousand Pills Convention, that Xu Fu, even I had never heard of him before!" the elder sighed.

"But this is too unusual. It\'s just a deserted island. Destroying a deserted island and killing thirty thousand miles\' worth of living beings, what is the point? By the time we arrived, everyone was gone! It\'s bizarre! Bizarre!" the young man exclaimed.

"Perhaps it won\'t be long before we find out," the elder said in a deep voice.

"Oh?"

"The chaotic times are coming. No matter how well he hides, he will be exposed during this chaos," the elder said.

"Yes, but Ancestor, do we really have to attach ourselves to the Longevity World?" the young man suddenly showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Shenzhou has not entered a period of chaos for eighty thousand years. Do you know that every time chaos arises, Shenzhou undergoes a great reshuffling? How many forces will be wiped out by the chaos? Whether they are empires or holy lands, none can escape the fate of chaos. Many demon beast clans will also face extinction. If we do not prepare now, do you want to wait until the true day of annihilation comes? We cannot be the eternal sinners of the Xuanwu clan!" the elder sighed.

"But attaching ourselves to the Longevity World..."

"The Longevity World is ultimately a holy land, the most profound holy land in Shenzhou. No one knows how strong it truly is. Moreover, the Longevity World has an alliance with the Taisui Empire. Together, they should be able to survive this chaos! Once we get through the chaos, we won\'t need to depend on them anymore!" the elder said with a hint of bitterness.

"Will the Longevity World agree to that then?" the young man asked worriedly.

"They will. They definitely will!" the elder sighed.

"Alright," the young man replied, but his eyes held a hidden determination—

Frozen Empire! The imperial palace!

In a grand hall, three men stood.

The leading figure, clad in white, had snow-white hair and no eyebrows above his eyes. Standing beside him was a blue-haired, wickedly charming man of striking handsomeness. If Zhong Shan were present, he would instantly recognize him as the \'Bing Xuan\' he had seen before—the current emperor of the Frozen Empire.

The eyebrowless, white-haired man was Jing Xue Shen, a significant elder of the Water Branch in the Longevity World, the very one who had ambushed Bei Qingsi and sealed her cultivation.

In front of them stood another man, carrying a sword on his back.

"Reporting to the two True Lords, Bei Qingyan should have arrived at Sirius Island by now," the swordsman reported respectfully.

"Good! You may leave. Continue monitoring Bei Qingyan\'s every move and report to us at once," Jing Xue Shen commanded in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!" The swordsman bowed and exited.

"Master, what does this mean? Did you intentionally let Bei Qingyan lead Zhong Shan here?" Bing Xuan asked, frowning.

"Indeed," Jing Xue Shen replied solemnly.

"Why?"

"Don\'t you want Bei Qingsi back?"

"Of course, disciple desires Bei Qingsi, but why bring Zhong Shan here?"

"Do you not remember the message Bei Qingsi sent through Bei Qingyan? What does she intend to give Zhong Shan?" Jing Xue Shen asked.

"Could it be that treasure?"

"It must be. Ever since Dao Lord Shenyao listed Zhong Shan as a future enemy of the Longevity World, I\'ve been gathering information on him and closely observing Bei Qingsi. The item she intends to give Zhong Shan is undoubtedly that treasure, which belongs to the Longevity World. How can we allow it to strengthen our enemy?" Jing Xue Shen spoke gravely.

"Moreover, as long as Bei Qingsi holds that treasure, I cannot approach her safely. Do you want to marry a mere flower vase?" Jing Xue Shen continued.

"But with Bei Qingsi\'s cultivation sealed, we could ask the Dao Lord for assistance and retrieve the item ourselves," Bing Xuan suggested, frowning.

"If we, the Water Branch, request help from another branch, it would be a laughingstock in the Longevity World!" Jing Xue Shen said proudly.

"Understood!" Bing Xuan nodded.

"Besides, this is also Dao Lord Shenyao\'s intention," Jing Xue Shen said, taking a deep breath.

"Oh?"

"Almost two years ago, Crown Prince Lietian of the Taisui Empire came to the Longevity World and had a secret discussion with Dao Lord Shenyao for three days and nights. After that, Zhong Shan was officially listed as a significant enemy of the Longevity World. Although Zhong Shan is undoubtedly not our match, Dao Lord Shenyao still chose to lure him out of his lair, so we can capture him and eliminate a potential threat," Jing Xue Shen explained earnestly.

"Even Dao Lord Shenyao is involved?" Bing Xuan asked in surprise.

"Dao Lord Shenyao is only concerned with Emperor Xuan Sha. If Emperor Xuan Sha doesn\'t come, neither will Dao Lord Shenyao!" Jing Xue Shen said.

"No wonder half of our Water Branch\'s forces are mobilized. Regardless of the outcome, Zhong Shan is doomed this time!" Bing Xuan said gravely.

"Precisely. We\'ve invested a tremendous amount of power into this trap—half the forces of the Frozen Empire, the Xuanwu clan, and our Water Branch, along with Nu Qinghui Dao Lord. Zhong Shan will certainly have no escape," Jing Xue Shen declared.

"To die under such an array is an honor for Zhong Shan!" Bing Xuan said with a wicked smile.

"Although this method might seem underhanded, the rewards are enormous. You will get Bei Qingsi, the Longevity World will reclaim the treasure, the Xuanwu clan will become our vassals, Zhong Shan will perish, and the Daeyi Empire will fall! It\'s a perfect plan!" Jing Xue Shen said excitedly.

"Then let\'s just wait for Zhong Shan to walk into his doom!" Bing Xuan said with satisfaction in his heart—

Two months later, Zhong Shan and Wang Ku arrived in the territory of the Frozen Empire.

In a large city, Zhong Shan found a contact from the Da Rong Merchant Guild.

In a backyard, Zhong Shan, accompanied by the black-robed Wang Ku, faced the contact.

"Deliver this letter to Daming Temple and hand it personally to the abbot, Zhong Tian," Zhong Shan said in a deep voice.

"Understood!" the contact nodded respectfully.

Zhong Shan found three different contacts to ensure the letter was delivered without fail. Only then did he leave the city with Wang Ku.

"Your Majesty, where are we heading now?" Wang Ku asked.

"To Yixiantian to intercept the wedding procession," Zhong Shan replied solemnly.

"Understood!"

Yixiantian, or "A Line of Heaven," was a place in the Frozen Empire. From the information Zhong Shan obtained from the Da Rong Merchant Guild, it was a crucial point on the wedding route.

Yixiantian was a massive mountain nearly ten thousand feet high, with a chasm splitting it from top to bottom, as if a giant blade had cleaved it in two.

A narrow gorge that the wedding procession would inevitably pass through.

Zhong Shan and Wang Ku waited there early.

The next day, the two stood before the gorge, hearing the distant rumble of the grand wedding procession approaching. A dark mass of nearly a million people slowly came into view.

Trumpets and drums resounded, creating a jubilant and lively atmosphere.

The emperor of the Frozen Empire was marrying his empress, so the celebration had to be grand. Despite its seeming vulgarity compared to the refined elegance of cultivators, the grandeur showcased the emperor\'s respect for his empress.

Bing Xuan highly valued Bei Qingsi and thus spared no effort in ensuring the ceremony was as grand as possible.

The million-strong procession was solely for the wedding, ensuring Bei Qingsi\'s safety throughout.

Zhong Shan stood quietly at the base of the mountain, waiting patiently by the path through Yixiantian.

In the distance, the highly trained elite troops of the Frozen Empire approached, a formidable force.

Zhong Shan, however, was alone except for Wang Ku.

"You don\'t need to intervene. I\'ll handle this," Zhong Shan instructed Wang Ku.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Ku nodded and stepped back further.

The million-strong army drew closer, soon reaching within a hundred feet of Zhong Shan.

The sight of a million soldiers was overwhelming, a vast wall of people, trained to perfection, moving with the force of a collapsing sky.

The leading general, riding a lion-like beast, halted the army with a wave of his hand.

Zhong Shan\'s gaze fixed on the massive flower palanquin at the center of the procession.

The palanquin was shielded by an array, revealing nothing of its interior. According to custom, it should contain the future empress, Bei Qingsi.