Zhao Chong now deeply understood that he was merely a puppet Emperor, and the powers he once had were stripped away the moment he ascended the dragon throne.

Without the power of life and death in his hands, what could he do?

Let alone punish Xiao Yunqi, who held great power, even his position depended on the other’s whims.

He also couldn’t afford to provoke Wu Lu, and now Wu Lu pushed this matter before him, making Zhao Chong feel as if he were caught between ice and fire, unable to find peace.

If only he had stayed quietly in the palace and never ventured out.

Furthermore, Wu Lu’s actions left no room for negotiation, tearing away all pretenses and placing everyone in a life-and-death situation.

The people gradually realized tonight that the Witch Mansion was raising arms, and Wu Lu’s earlier words implied that everyone present was also facing a calamity.

"Lord Wu, I suddenly recall an urgent matter I must attend to. I beg your pardon for taking my leave."

One minister immediately stood up, cupped his hands toward Wu Lu from afar, and prepared to leave.

"Shua!"

"Shua!"

"..."

Suddenly, figures holding crossbows appeared on the surrounding rooftops, all aiming at the guests in the courtyard.

A large number of soldiers clad in armor and holding heavy shields emerged from the corridor.

The abrupt scene startled everyone present.

"Wu Lu, the Emperor is here, do you intend to rebel?" A minister shouted at Wu Lu.

The next second, a crossbow arrow pierced through his True Qi Defense, striking his forehead and killing him instantly.

"Treasure..." The ministers were shocked to find that the crossbow arrow was a high-grade treasure with terrifying power, evidently planned in advance.

Someone had died, and chaos erupted immediately.

Zhao Chong shrank into a ball, holding his head, no longer resembling an Emperor at all.

Seeing the corpse not far away, Xiao Yunqi squinted his eyes slowly, and his grip on the wine cup tightened.

The next second, he crushed the cup, spilling wine across the long table.

The six people beside him stood up abruptly, surrounding Xiao Yunqi.

"Lord Wu, I never thought you summoned us tonight to slaughter us all here for usurping power."

Xiao Yunqi also stood up, spreading his five fingers behind him.

With a scream, a soldier was pulled in front of him.

With a crack, Xiao Yunqi twisted the soldier’s neck with one hand.

Xiao Yunqi then took the soldier’s large knife in hand, saying coldly, "I didn’t expect you to have such wild ambitions; tonight, I will kill you here myself."

After speaking, he looked towards Chen Mo and said, "Aren’t you going to act?"

But at this moment, Chen Mo turned toward him, the point of his sword aimed directly at him, saying, "I, Chen Mo, am a loyal servant of the Great Song, loyal to the Emperor and the state, how can I take your orders..."

As Chen Mo swung his sword, the long table in front of him split in two, "From now on, between you and me, we are like this table, no longer connected. However, for the favor you have shown me, I will spare your life after this."

With these words, the air in the room seemed to fall silent.

The head general under the Duke of Anyang, Deputy Commander of the Infantry Department and Governor of Nanyang County, Chen Mo, had unexpectedly betrayed at the last moment.

This shocked not only the ministers but also Zhao Chong.

Our Great Song still has such loyal ministers like Chen Aiqing...

In an instant, Zhao Chong suddenly felt hope for the revival of the Great Song.

"You intend to betray me?" Xiao Yunqi looked at Chen Mo in disbelief, never expecting him to stab him in the back, his face full of shock and distress as he said, "I raised you to this position, yet you turn out to be such an ungrateful wretch."

Chen Mo’s words made him feel he’d never seen such a shameless man.

Too shameless.

His righteous facade almost made Xiao Yunqi believe that it wasn’t him who profited during the recent confiscations.

No, I almost forgot, it wasn’t him.

But Chen Hong.

Chen Hong and Chen Mo...

It seems this has been planned for a long time.

"I’ve played with hawks all my life, yet today I’ve been blinded by one."

Xiao Yunqi looked at Chen Mo, his gaze deep and cold, sending chills through others.

"Hmph." Chen Mo snorted coldly, saying, "The nation is in peril, yet you, for personal gain, chose to cede territories and make reparations, betraying your country. Faced with such a great national crisis, I must maintain clarity..."

In truth, Chen Mo owed him nothing.

He had done enough for him over this time.

Suppressing the rebellion in Nanyang and helping him establish authority in the Imperial Court.

Assisting him in the coup, opposing the world.

To quickly stabilize the political situation, leading troops in Qinyang County to resist King Yan’s two million allied forces for him.

As Chen Mo’s personal prestige grew, it incited Xiao Yunqi’s jealousy instead.

Chen Mo knew that one day, they would fall out.

He never believed himself to be a gentleman from start to finish.

Now the opportunity had come, it was time to strike first.

Moreover, he had no intention of taking Xiao Yunqi’s life.

Xiao Yunqi’s expression darkened, then he laughed, "I long knew your rebellious nature, did you really think I had no means to counter you?"

Everyone was shaken.

Wu Lu also looked at Chen Mo with a changed expression.

If Chen Mo were subdued, the situation tonight would become difficult.

"Are you talking about the Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture?" Chen Mo chuckled.

"Celestial Tier Basic Level Cultivation Technique, Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture?!" Everyone was astonished upon hearing it.

Cultivation techniques of the Celestial Tier were rare throughout the Canglan Continent, almost countable on one’s fingers.

Each was a secret not to be passed on to others.

"Exactly." Xiao Yunqi said, "Now, should I still call you Chen Mo, or Chen Hong? Do you remember cultivating that book of ’Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture’ in the harem?

Let me tell you, it’s the Child Fire version of Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture, while the Mother Fire is with me. From the moment you cultivated the Child Fire, it was destined that your life would be under my control. With one word, I can decide your life or death."

As Xiao Yunqi delivered this shocking news, everyone felt their scalps tingling.

Even Wu Xin’Er was taken aback.

No one expected Chen Mo to actually be Chen Hong.

But Wu Lu paid more attention to the Child Fire and Mother Fire Xiao Yunqi mentioned; he knew a bit about the Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture.

If one cultivated the Child Fire version of the Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture, they would be controlled by the Mother Fire version for life, unable to turn the tables.

If Chen Mo truly cultivated the Child Fire version without knowing, wouldn’t that mean...

Wu Lu prepared for Chen Mo’s attack, preventing a surprise attack from him.

Chen Mo, however, remained calm and said, "I did cultivate the Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture, but who told you I cultivated the Child Fire version?"