The Simplest Solution: Kill Them All

There's something fishy going on here!

This was Chen Chang'an's first thought.

It was understandable for the imperial family to oppose this, given the Empress's status. Doing so would mean directly offending the Heavenly Sword Pavilion and provoking a Celestial Emperor.

Yet, neither the Empress nor the Heavenly Sword Pavilion had reacted at all—this was rather puzzling.

"Old man, you seem to know quite a bit."

"Then tell me, do you think this wedding will actually happen?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.

"Ah, I’ve only heard rumors."

"Whether it happens or not isn’t for me to decide."

"Still, there are only three days left."

"At this point, it doesn’t seem like anything unexpected will happen," the old man chuckled.

Chen Chang'an glanced at him, then smiled without pressing further.

Right now, it was unclear whether only the Princess of Qi Manor had defected to the demonic race or if the entire Qi Manor had turned traitor.

"Old man, you can have all this food."

"Order more if you’re still hungry—eat well."

"I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave."

Seeing Chen Chang'an about to leave, the old man was taken aback and quickly said, "T-this is too much!"

"Don’t worry about it—it’s just a meal."

"Then… thank you."

"No need for thanks."

After eating and drinking his fill, the old man prepared to leave, only to be stopped by the inn’s waiter.

"Sir, you haven’t paid yet."

"Huh? Pay for what?"

"What? Are you trying to dine and dash?"

"But… I didn’t order any of this! That man earlier—"

"You mean the one who left first? Wasn’t he your friend? He said you’d pay."

"What?!"

"I—"

He thought he’d gotten a free meal, but instead, he’d been tricked?

"He seemed honest, but he’s actually cunning and deceitful."

"Ah, even after all these years, I still misjudged someone," the old man sighed.

Meanwhile, when Chen Chang'an returned to the inn, he found Chen Qingqing had also come back.

"That fast?" Chen Chang'an asked in surprise.

"They’ve arrived in the Immortal Capital, so of course I followed," Chen Qingqing replied.

"They’re already here?"

"It seems they were well-prepared."

"How many are there?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"A lot."

"Over a hundred thousand."

"Not all of them can be demons, so most must be humans."

"They’ve likely already pledged allegiance to the demonic race," Chen Qingqing analyzed.

A hundred thousand?

That number surprised even Chen Chang'an. After all, the demonic race wouldn’t accept just anyone.

These people’s strength couldn’t be weak—at the very least, they’d have to be Golden Immortals or even Celestial Immortals to qualify.

The Heavenly Abyss Domain was vast, with many powerful figures, but to recruit so many… it seemed the demonic race had been scheming here for years, not just a year or two.

"Even the Nine Great Immortal Clans have been infiltrated. It must be even easier for the demonic race to penetrate other factions."

"By now, many forces in the Heavenly Abyss Domain have likely already been compromised."

"Their goal this time is to take control of the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty. The best way would be to drag the imperial family into it—turning them into demons as well."

"But last night, those two were talking about…"

From Chen Chang'an’s perspective, the best approach would be to make the imperial family defect to the demonic race.

First, it wouldn’t attract much attention. Second, it wouldn’t require open conflict, allowing them to quietly seize control of the entire Heavenly Abyss Domain.

Yet, the conversation last night clearly indicated they wanted the Princess of Qi Manor to take over the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty.

"Forget it!"

"Keep things simple."

"Just kill them all—that’ll solve everything," Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.

"Big Brother, your methods are truly brilliant."

"You’re absolutely right. Kill them all, and no matter what schemes they have, they’ll be useless once they’re dead," Da Huang said admiringly.

"Then should we act now?" Little Qiuqiu asked curiously.

Act now?

"Wait until the wedding day."

"Let them all gather first, then kill them."

"It’ll also help us see who reacts suspiciously when things go wrong."

"We’ll root out any hidden traitors too."

"That’s the plan."

Three days wasn’t long for Chen Chang'an.

When the time came, Chen Chang'an and his group headed straight for the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty’s imperial palace.

"Halt!"

"Do you have an invitation?"

"No."

"But my name is Chen Chang'an."

Huh?

Chen Chang'an?

The guard was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing.

"You’re the Chen Chang'an, ranked first on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard?" the guard asked excitedly.

"That’s right."

"I was passing through and heard about the imperial wedding. Thought I’d drop by for the fun."

"No invitation, no entry?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.

"Well…"

"Sir Chen, please wait here for a moment."

"I’ll go report this."

"Fine."

The name Chen Chang'an carried great weight in the Ancient Immortal Domain. As the undisputed top prodigy, no one dared to slight him.

Meanwhile, the other guests who heard Chen Chang'an was here were equally shocked.

"That’s Chen Chang'an?"

"I never imagined the legendary Chen Chang'an would appear here."

"The Yongyang Celestial Dynasty must have quite the reputation."

"What does that have to do with them? They didn’t invite him—otherwise, why wouldn’t he have an invitation?"

"But isn’t it even more impressive that Chen Chang'an came uninvited?"

"Well, the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty does have a Celestial Emperor-level expert. Chen Chang'an may be a prodigy, but he hasn’t fully matured yet. Showing them respect makes sense."

"Not necessarily. Even if Chen Chang'an isn’t at his peak, I’ve heard he has good relations with the Nine Great Immortal Clans. No matter how powerful the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty is, it can’t compare to them, can it?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but no one dared approach him. After all, who knew what kind of temper Chen Chang'an had? If he was the arrogant type, trying to talk to him would only invite humiliation.

"Sir Chen."

"Please come in."

The guard who had gone to report returned, eagerly ushering Chen Chang'an into the palace.

Inside, the palace was packed with guests, bustling with excitement.

"So you’re Chen Chang'an, ranked first on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard?"

"I am Prince Yun of the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty."

A prince?

So, a member of the imperial family?

"Let me ask—when does the wedding start?"

"Has the Qi Manor arrived yet?" Chen Chang'an asked.

Hmm?

His question made Prince Yun frown. What did this mean? Was he here for Qi Manor?

Could it be… a bride snatching?

"Is this about stealing the bride?"

"Need any help?"