Chapter 866: Dajing Advances

Outside the divine empire of Dahan, in a certain empire's imperial study, the emperor sitting behind the desk was livid. "Who can explain to me what's going on? Isn't Han Gucheng supposed to be dead? How did he end up showing up again?"

"We didn't expect this either, Your Majesty. Our armies were already assembled and poised to attack Dahan, but Han Gucheng appeared in the capital at the last moment..." an official replied with a bitter smile.

The emperor suppressed his fury and muttered in frustration, "Han Gucheng is utterly despicable."

"Your Majesty, while we've been forced to halt our advance on Dahan, the empire of Dajing, which has been feeding off Dahan's chaos, will surely face disaster now," the official continued.

"Have we figured out who this Liu Miaoyin is? Why are Xiao Nanfeng's people fully supporting her?" the emperor asked.

"We've uncovered some leads."

"Oh?"

"This woman once helped Xiao Nanfeng during his conquest of Dayin. She was reportedly a Boundless Immortal at the time, but was believed to have fallen in battle. Somehow, she's back. Word has it that Xiao Nanfeng is repaying a debt to her by supporting her bid for dominance," the official explained.

"Oh? So she's actually a Boundless Immortal, not one of Xiao Nanfeng's kept mistresses?" the emperor exclaimed, startled.

He had considered launching a surprise attack on Liu Miaoyin, but upon learning that she was not only protected by Xiao Nanfeng's people but also a Boundless Immortal in her own right, he realized that it would have been a suicidal move.

"Indeed. We acquired this information from a reliable intelligence network, and are confident of its truthfulness. However, her precise identity remains unclear."

"Find out everything. I want to know exactly who she is," the emperor commanded.

"Understood!"

Similar discussions were unfolding in the domains of various forces in the vicinity as the war between Dahan and Dajing escalated.

The fake Han Gucheng was, of course, planted by Xiao Nanfeng. He had thrown Dahan into chaos. Loyal officials were quickly dismissed, and those harder to remove were sent to battles they were destined to lose.

Thanks to the groundwork laid by Xiao Nanfeng in Han Bing's name, nearly half of Dahan's key officials had already pledged loyalty to him. They played a pivotal role now. Even with a few defectors, the overall situation remained firmly in his favor.

On the surface, the conflict appeared to be a war between Dahan and Dajing—but in reality, this was all a carefully orchestrated ploy by Xiao Nanfeng.

Dajing surged forward triumphantly, capturing twenty cities, then fifty, then eighty, and finally a whole hundred. It expanded its territory at an astonishing pace in just two months. The rapid expansion left the surrounding kingdoms stunned and uneasy.

"Dajing is winning? How is that possible? Their opponent is Han Gucheng! He's never lost a campaign. How can he be suffering repeated defeats now?"

"It doesn't make sense. Just what is Han Gucheng doing? Is he just sitting in the capital?"

"Something's very wrong with Han Gucheng."

The leaders of countless forces began to suspect that something was amiss, but Han Gucheng's formidable reputation had cowed them into inaction. Many comforted themselves with the thought that Liu Miaoyin might simply be extraordinarily strong, especially with Xiao Nanfeng's expert support. After all, Xiao Nanfeng had already toppled two divine empires. Perhaps Dajing was simply too powerful.

These rulers weren't genuinely concerned about Han Gucheng; they were merely envious. Why was Dajing able to expand so effortlessly while they could only watch from the sidelines?

Unfortunately, Han Gucheng's lingering influence kept them cautious.

A month later, Dajing had annexed a whole two hundred Immortal cities, half of Dahan's territory.

By then, everyone had realized that something was amiss.

"That Han Gucheng isn't a fake, is he?" someone finally speculated.

Once the idea was voiced, suspicion spread like wildfire. Han Gucheng's behavior was completely out of character for the once-dominant emperor.

The leaders of various forces began sending spies to investigate Dahan's capital.

As more evidence surfaced, Dajing stopped concealing its actions and began to accelerate its conquest of Dahan.

In just two days, the empire had claimed another hundred Immortal cities.

"Han Gucheng has to be fake. Some of these cities must have been captured by Dajing months ago—they were just hiding it to lull us into complacency!"

"Liu Miaoyin, Xiao Nanfeng, how despicable you are!"

"Let's head to Dahan's capital and expose the truth about this fake Han Gucheng!"

A massive number of leaders and spies converged on Dahan's capital.

While they were confident that this Han Gucheng was a fake, without overwhelming evidence, some still feared him. They wanted to learn about the situation firsthand.

Furthermore, they were certain that Dahan's destruction was nigh. It was too late for any of them to send out their troops. The best option left to them now was to expose the fake Han Gucheng immediately and allow the people of Dahan to realize that all this was part of Liu Miaoyin's conspiracy. Once Dahan began to retaliate against Dajing, the chaos would last longer, allowing them an opportunity to seize the dregs of Dahan that Dajing had yet to claim.

Very quickly, all manner of strong cultivators arrived in Dahan's capital.

By then, there was already chaos within the Dahan court. News of defeat was pouring in daily, sparking heated arguments among officials. The fake Han Gucheng remained indifferent and watched the turmoil unfold.

Some officials suspected that he was an imposter, but others staunchly defended him, leaving them uncertain and confused.

Suddenly, a golden arrow shot through the air, blazing like a meteor toward the fake Han Gucheng on the throne.

"What powerful energy. It's a Golden Immortal's might! Protect His Majesty!"

"Save His Majesty!"

The court descended into panic, but the false Han Gucheng merely narrowed his eyes and reached out. With a loud snap, he caught the golden arrow between his fingers.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Impossible!" a figure in the sky exclaimed, holding a massive bow.

The fake Han Gucheng leapt out of court and flew toward the archer.

"Help me!" the archer shouted.

He tried to flee, but the fake Han Gucheng waved his hand and summoned a massive phantasmal fox tail that slammed into the archer.

"No!" he cried out.

The archer spat out blood and was sent flying as he lost his ability to fight.

The figures hidden in the shadows hesitated as they stopped in their tracks.

"A Boundless Immortal? How could it be? Even the imposter's a Boundless Immortal!"

"His aura is identical to one of Xiao Nanfeng's Boundless Immortals!"

"He really is one of Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates, then!"

Many of the leaders of neighboring forces were filled with dread. Though they had confirmed that the imposter was part of Xiao Nanfeng's plot, they couldn't act.

"Come forward if you wish to die," the fake Han Gucheng stated coldly.

The leaders hesitated.

Challenging a Boundless Immortal directly was tantamount to suicide. One by one, they retreated.

"Scram!" the fake Han Gucheng commanded.

The leaders of the various forces, who had just shown themselves, had no choice but to slink back in retreat.

They were certain that, if they had challenged the Boundless Immortal before them, they would surely have been killed.

The fake Han Gucheng didn't make a fuss upon seeing them leave. After all, this period of time was critical for Dajing, which was swallowing up the final bits of Dahan. He didn't want to cause any more trouble at the moment. Killing these cultivators would be easy, but what followed would be a mess to handle.

Amidst the chaos, a figure shrouded in white fog remained, drawing the fake Han Gucheng's attention.

"Another fool? Who dares face me?" the fake Han Gucheng called out.

The figure didn't attack. Instead, he sent the fake Han Gucheng a mental transmission. "I am Saint Lun Hui. I want to meet with Xiao Nanfeng."

The fake Han Gucheng froze. His killing intent vanished. He was, of course, Tu Feng disguised as Han Gucheng. For weeks, he had hoped to lure the real Han Gucheng into a trap, only to end up catching Saint Lun Hui instead.

Tu Feng stared at the figure for some time before nodding. "Very well. Follow me."

The figure nodded and followed Tu Feng to the imperial palace, piquing the curiosity of many onlookers.

Inside the palace, the figure dismissed the shroud of white fog, revealing his true form and unmistakable aura. He was indeed Saint Lun Hui.

"Stop staring. You aren't the one I'm here to talk to. Summon Xiao Nanfeng," Saint Lun Hui said.

"Very well. Wait here," Tu Feng said, nodding.

Half a day later, Xiao Nanfeng and Liu Miaoyin arrived at the palace.

Inside a hall, they found Saint Lun Hui calmly sipping tea.

Xiao Nanfeng raised an eyebrow. "Saint Lun Hui? You're the last person I expected to seek me out."

The saint set down his teacup, a complicated expression on his face. "I've been watching Dahan for some time. You're trying to lure out Han Gucheng, but it looks to be a failure."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "Han Gucheng is too cautious. He won't fall for bait easily."

It was clear that Saint Lun Hui had been hiding nearby and biding his time. He had clearly been hoping for a confrontation between Xiao Nanfeng and Han Gucheng, after which he would sweep in and claim all the spoils of the fight. Unfortunately, with Han Gucheng unwilling to show himself, he had no choice but to join in.

"I can help you find Han Gucheng," Saint Lun Hui said.

"Hm?"

"From your actions, it's clear that you and Han Gucheng are sworn enemies now. I have my own grudges against him. We should join forces to take him down."

"Why should I trust you?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"You have no choice. Han Gucheng grows stronger by the day. If we wait any longer, he'll become unstoppable," the saint warned.

"But we also have a score to settle between ourselves," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Indeed. You've killed several of my avatars, but they're nothing compared to my main body, which Han Gucheng indirectly destroyed. My hatred for him runs far deeper. Let's set our feud aside for now. Work with me to eliminate Han Gucheng instead," Saint Lun Hui offered.