Chapter 272: The Vengeful Little Woman

"Imperial Advisor, wait a moment."

Ye Tinglan turned her head. It was the old man from the Gu family calling out from behind her: "Imperial Advisor... could I have a word with you?"Ye Tinglan nodded, signaling Si Han to enter the hall by himself, and then followed the old man to a corner outside the hall.

The old man said gravely, "Does the Imperial Advisor know what she is doing?"Ye Tinglan replied calmly, "Then does the King of Dingxi know what he is doing?"

The old man was none other than Gu Shaoli, the King of Dingxi of the Great Qian Dynasty and Gu Zhanting's grand-uncle. Years ago, he had failed to break through a barrier and almost died. He managed to extend his life to the transcendent rank by accumulating heavenly treasures, but perhaps due to the forced breakthrough, he remained at the elementary stage, unable to advance even half a step further, no matter how many more heavenly treasures he consumed.

The *Imperial Ultimate World-Shocking Scripture* was a very special cultivation method. Its power was immense, magnificent, and overwhelming, capable of dominating all under heaven. However, it had no particular strengths in health preservation, granting a much shorter lifespan than other cultivation methods. While most cultivation methods could grant several hundred, or even nearly a thousand, years of life if one reached the transcendent rank, and potentially double that if they excelled in life-preserving techniques, the *Imperial Ultimate World-Shocking Scripture* conversely halved that general lifespan.

It was a classic case of gain and loss.

Many years had passed, and Gu Shaoli's lifespan, which he had extended through his forced breakthrough, was nearing its end. He usually cultivated in seclusion within the imperial secret grounds, staying out of worldly affairs. If it hadn't been for the so-called "ancient bone dragon still active today" that lured him out, he would have remained the type of person who ignored everything and didn't want to be bothered.

Upon hearing Ye Tinglan's rhetorical question, he coldly replied, "Of course, I know. Abolishing Si Han and propping up a puppet force will allow us to control Tianshuang."

"And then?"

"What do you mean, 'and then'? This is the Great Qian's way of gaining control over Tianshuang with minimal cost, without shedding a single drop of blood! What more could you possibly need?"

"Does the King of Dingxi mean that he will permanently reside here and manage Tianshuang himself from now on?"

Gu Shaoli choked. He knew it was impossible for him to expend energy on the Great Qian's cause. With only a few years left to live, why would he, instead of seeking to prolong his life, work his heart out for Great Qian? The empire wasn't his; unless Gu Zhanting were to abdicate and pass the throne to his descendants, he might grudgingly show some interest.

Yet, he still verbally declared, "It's not impossible for this old man to stay here."

Ye Tinglan showed a mocking smile: "How many years can you stay?"

Gu Shaoli: "..."

It felt like he had been insulted. Especially with Ye Tinglan's mocking gaze, it was particularly hard to endure.

"Even if the King of Dingxi is willing to stay, he might be overestimating his deterrent power," Ye Tinglan said coldly. "Tianshuang is riddled with sects and its people are fiercely independent. To think of controlling this land with a useless puppet is far too naive... Just look at how the higher-ups of Shadowmoon Sect dared to form an array and resist with the power of a single sect today. Even if the King of Dingxi suppresses them in this battle, the future troubles will be endless. I believe the King of Dingxi, with all his efforts, would at most control a single Shadowmoon Sect, and even then, it would be a Shadowmoon Sect simmering with dissent. So much for 'controlling Tianshuang'."

Gu Shaoli retorted, "Does the Imperial Advisor mean we should, on the contrary, support Si Han? Wouldn't it be better then to simply help him unify Tianshuang? That's a joke! You are creating enemies for Great Qian; do you still consider yourself the Imperial Advisor of Great Qian?"

Ye Tinglan smiled faintly.

Immortal cultivation holy lands rarely involve themselves in worldly affairs and genuinely care little about national distinctions. The reason for their deep entanglement with Great Qian was twofold: firstly, the founding patriarch of their sect was considered a partner in the Gu family's establishment of the dynasty, a pleasant tale of companions working together to eradicate worldly evil, one establishing a dynasty and the other an immortal sect. Secondly, and more importantly, Great Qian was the primary secular force against the demon race. This is why the two maintained such a long-term partnership: Great Qian needed the Heavenly Jade Holy Land, and the Heavenly Jade Holy Land also needed Great Qian.

Therefore, many disciples from Heavenly Jade Holy Land were deployed in the army, also for the purpose of resisting demons. Few sect leaders throughout history had personally gone to serve as Imperial Advisors, as it was both demeaning and detrimental to their cultivation.

Ye Tinglan personally took on the role, firstly, for better coordination during the war ten years ago, and later because she sensed that Gu Zhanting was acting improperly. Her purpose was to restrain him from close proximity and to monitor the pulse of the world, not to preserve his Gu family dynasty.

In this game between the two parties, their relationship was both cooperative and adversarial. Originally, she had felt her situation was awkward and her path uncertain. Lu Xingzhou's statement about not just being the holy land of Great Qian, but something more, was like clearing the clouds to reveal the sun, suddenly broadening her horizons.

Gu Shaoli's challenge, "Do you still consider yourself the Imperial Advisor of Great Qian?" was utterly harmless to Ye Tinglan.

Did he really think she was a mere subject of his Gu family?

"The one creating enemies for Great Qian, isn't that His Majesty himself?" Ye Tinglan said coldly. "Wasn't it Gu Zhanting who helped Si Han obtain the bone dragon and aided him in unifying Tianshuang?"

Hearing this, Gu Shaoli also felt a bit displeased, but he still argued, "The Imperial Advisor has no basis to claim that Si Han's bone dragon was acquired with His Majesty's help. Perhaps Si Han obtained it himself, and His Majesty's arrangements were precisely for seizing the bone dragon."

"Ha..." Ye Tinglan sneered. "So when the King of Dingxi attacked me, was it because he harbored a private grudge against me?"

Gu Shaoli had already prepared an explanation for this matter and quickly said, "Misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! At that time, this king's attack was directed at the Demon Emperor. The situation was simply chaotic, and perhaps it caused the Imperial Advisor to misunderstand."

Because she had been warned by Lu Xingzhou, Ye Tinglan had evaded in advance. That strike hadn't even grazed Ye Tinglan; instead, it was a three-way collision between Gu Shaoli, Long Qinghuang, and Si Han's bone dragon. At this point, it was truly impossible to say whom his attack was truly aimed at.

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "If I had truly been injured at that time, His Majesty would undoubtedly have later claimed that the King of Dingxi attacked indiscriminately in his attempt to seize the bone dragon, and that he himself knew nothing about it."

Gu Shaoli froze, his expression changing slightly.

Ye Tinglan had successfully planted a seed of doubt and did not continue to press the topic. Gu Zhanting had already distanced himself from everything, presenting himself as completely uninvolved. It would be difficult to argue further, and it wasn't the right time to openly fall out.

She then shifted the topic: "The main purpose of my emergence from the mountains is to deal with the demon race. In matters concerning demons, a Tianshuang nation capable of maintaining the strength of its past sect alliance is far more useful than a Tianshuang nation that becomes a disorganized mess due to the support of a puppet. This is the larger strategy."

Gu Shaoli said, "But the threat this poses to Great Qian..."

"As for the so-called threat of Tianshuang to Great Qian... Tianshuang's power has always been far inferior to Great Qian's, and it's remote and desolate. Si Han has ruled for many years without any conflict with Great Qian. Why would there suddenly be one now? Don't you know why?"

Gu Shaoli fell silent.

Ye Tinglan said coldly, "Tianshuang is not entirely peaceful either. Shadowmoon Sect is not the sole dominant power; sects like Listening Snow Pavilion are watching keenly. If Si Han merely organizes resistance against demons, that's fine. But if he tries to organize against Great Qian, Great Qian has countless ways to incite other sects against him. What threat could there be? King of Dingxi, why not enjoy the rest of your life instead of toiling in this desolate land?"

Gu Shaoli remained silent for a long while before finally cupping his hands and saying, "This king does not usually involve himself in court politics and is not very clear about these matters. Since the Imperial Advisor has made a decision, let it be done according to the Imperial Advisor's wishes. This king shall take his leave."

Seeing Gu Shaoli turn to leave, Ye Tinglan suddenly said, "Wait."

Gu Shaoli stopped. "Is there anything else, Imperial Advisor?"

Ye Tinglan looked up at the sky. "I also made a move against the Demon Emperor."

Gu Shaoli: "?"

Before he could react, Ye Tinglan suddenly thrust her palm forward, striking directly at Gu Shaoli's chest.

Gu Shaoli never expected Ye Tinglan to suddenly attack him. Caught off guard, he tried to parry, but how could he withstand Ye Tinglan's long-prepared strike?

With a "bang," Gu Shaoli violently spat out a mouthful of blood, soaring into the air as if on clouds, and crashed against the mountain rocks behind him, creating a deep crater.

"You... you..." Gu Shaoli struggled out of the pit, trembling as he pointed at Ye Tinglan: "You..."

Ye Tinglan calmly said, "I indeed just witnessed the Demon Emperor's divine descent. If I hadn't made a move, the King of Dingxi would have been injured by the Demon Emperor by now. No need to thank me."

Gu Shaoli was both injured and in pain. He felt that the few remaining years of his life had been halved by that palm strike, and in his fury, he vomited another mouthful of blood.

Everyone said the Imperial Advisor was very tolerant for the sake of the bigger picture. What was this petty, vengeful woman acting like?

Ultimately, it was he who had first launched a sneak attack in the ice plain. At this moment, he could only swallow this bitter pill, unable to even utter a harsh word. He angrily ascended into the clouds and vanished without a trace in an instant.

Lu Xingzhou emerged from behind the hall and smiled at Ye Tinglan.

Ye Tinglan's indifferent expression quickly broke. She rolled her eyes and said, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing much. Just seeing you willing to hit him brings me great comfort."

"Do you take me for some meek, obedient young wife?"

"I almost did."

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then sighed, "I just... didn't want to cause internal strife with the Qian Emperor, and thus allow the demon race to profit unnecessarily. But since his schemes have targeted me, how can I simply swallow my anger?"

"But in fact, there's no solid evidence. Even that traitor from your Heavenly Jade Holy Land might not have direct proof that Gu Zhanting orchestrated it. Everything is just my analysis and speculation. What if it's wrong?"

Ye Tinglan looked at him for a moment and smiled faintly, "You've predicted the course of events perfectly, so the root cause cannot be wrong. What's more..."

"Hmm?"

Ye Tinglan tilted her head slightly: "I trust you."

Lu Xingzhou blinked.

Ye Tinglan, a little exasperated, said, "Why are you standing there? Come inside the hall and talk."

Lu Xingzhou sighed, "What's the hurry? We haven't cleaned up the mess yet."

Ye Tinglan: "?"

"You said something good just now: Shadowmoon Sect isn't the sole dominant power, and sects like Listening Snow Pavilion are watching keenly. That's your confidence in being able to control Si Han, right?"

"Isn't it?"

"That's true, but what if Listening Snow Pavilion is gone?"

Ye Tinglan froze. "How is that possible? I've been here the whole time and haven't noticed any signs of Shadowmoon Sect members pursuing them."

"Si Han is the national ruler, not just the leader of Shadowmoon Sect. He has managed things for many years, and the forces he can deploy are certainly not limited to his own sect... If things go wrong, there might even be demonic cultivators involved," Lu Xingzhou said. "If you can astral project, you should try to save the Listening Snow Pavilion master and his group. If you wish to be Tianshuang's holy land, you'll need to do more than just bestow favors upon the ruler. There's still much for you to do."