Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Because Too Stupid

Emperor Chen Lie went limp and fainted on the spot.

Li Shuang roused him with a small pulse of spiritual power, waking him again.

But Emperor Chen Lie only trembled and kept saying it had nothing to do with him, refusing to speak about anything. Li Shuang gave him a long look, raised her hand, and tapped the side of his neck.

This time, Emperor Chen Lie truly passed out.

Luo Ming Yue rubbed her temples and asked in a low voice: “Is the formation core really in the Radiant Sun Hall? Can we trust that?” She waved a hand: “You all think it through. Once you decide what to do, just tell me.”

Luo Ming Yue propped her chin and stared into space. [It is not that she hates thinking. It is that when she thinks, the result is worse than not thinking.] [No, wait. This is giving our junior brothers and junior sisters a chance to shine.] With that thought, she cheered up.

Liu Jun Cheng thought for a moment and said: “True or not, we cannot skip the Radiant Sun Hall. Tomorrow at midnight, someone has to guard that place.”

Sui Jin said with a frown: “But if this is a decoy meant to draw our eyes, and we spend too much effort on the Radiant Sun Hall, we might miss the real core.”

Li Shuang glanced at the unconscious Emperor Chen Lie. A trace of thought flashed in her eyes.

She had tried asking the Heaven and Earth Furnace where the formation’s core lay.

But the Heaven and Earth Furnace named a price far beyond what she could bear.

That showed how strange this formation was. To find the core, one had to crack the whole thing.

And the price to crack it was something Li Shuang could not pay yet.

They would have to rely on themselves.

Li Shuang reviewed everything from start to finish. [Something about this is off.]

Someone had indeed lured them into the game.

The problem was this: the person behind the plot should not have brought them in now.

After tomorrow at midnight, that person in the shadows could steal a whole nation’s fate.

Their team’s presence could only get in the way.

Li Shuang’s eyes moved a little. [The one who drew us here and the true mastermind might not be on the same side.]

Then whose message was this fake Emperor Chen Lie passing along?

Li Shuang turned and said calmly: “We still have time before midnight. Let’s sweep the whole palace first and mark a few places that could be the core. We split up to guard them. If anything odd happens, send a message at once to call the others.”

She paused, then added: “Leave the Radiant Sun Hall to me.”

“It’s the only way,” the others agreed.

“Good, good,” Luo Ming Yue said as she sprang up: “Looks like we’ll get to fight tomorrow no matter what!”

Time was short, so they stopped wasting it and scattered again.

They began with the buildings put up in recent years and inspected them one by one.

The group from Emotionless Peak kept busy throughout the palace.

Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue had been staying in the Hall of the National Preceptor at first, enjoying the finest service in the mortal world.

But during the day they noticed the moves made by the Emotionless Peak group.

The two went to find Liu An.

Sheng Yuan could not hold back his question: “What are those Emotionless Peak people doing in the palace?”

Liu An did not know the inside story. He only pulled a face and said: “Emperor Chen Lie is missing. They should be looking for the real Emperor Chen Lie.” He looked at Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue, confused: “Didn’t your senior brother and senior sister tell you?”

They were all direct disciples of the Sword Sect, and they had taken on this mission together. By rights, Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue should be closer to the Emotionless Peak group than Liu An was.

Sheng Yuan’s face changed.

Emperor Chen Lie was missing.

He did not feel that was a big deal.

But still.

Why did Li Shuang’s team keep it from them?

They were all Sword Sect disciples. What right did the others have to know something they did not?

Seeing the two look sour, Liu An did not dare say more. He ran off at once.

Sheng Yuan ground his teeth: “She already treats herself as one of Emotionless Peak.” He snorted: “She only tells them anything. What about us? She does not even bring it up.”

Shen Yue stayed quiet, not sure what to say.

Ye Zhao Zhao walked in and asked: “Do you know what Fellow Daoist Li and the others are busy with?”

Sheng Yuan’s face grew even darker at once.

Ye Zhao Zhao showed surprise: “I did not know, fine. You two do not know either?”

Sheng Yuan bit back: “We do not care to know.”

Ye Zhao Zhao said softly: “Could it be tied to Sui Jin’s mission? The difficulty has already gone far beyond what it was when he took it. The final reward should be very rich. You two helped a lot, so you should get a share. They clearly found some clue. If you do not take part now, you may get nothing in the end.”

Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue both changed color.

So that was it.

Those Emotionless Peak people were truly shameless.

“I am going to ask them right now,” Sheng Yuan snapped, then stormed out.

Shen Yue looked helpless, but he still followed.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes flickered.

The System’s voice rang in her mind: “The Emotionless Peak group is sharp. They should have felt something wrong in the palace. They are looking for the formation core. If the core gets broken and the formation fails, they still have a chance. If the formation forms, the whole Chenrong Kingdom will become a land of death. Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue do not have much brain. They should be able to slow the others down.”

Ye Zhao Zhao nodded, a hint of expectation in her gaze. [Those two are only useful for this. I hope they make trouble for Li Shuang’s team.]

Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue searched for a long time and happened to meet Li Shuang as she came out of a newly built hall.

Li Shuang saw them and fell silent for a second. [Why am I fated to keep running into the people from Ling Xu Peak.]

Sheng Yuan narrowed his eyes and said: “Senior Sister Li, this mission is ours together. If you plan to keep the reward to yourselves, that is not right. No matter what clue you have, you should share it now.”

Li Shuang sighed.

Sheng Yuan frowned: “Why are you not speaking? Feeling guilty?”

Li Shuang said lightly: “Do you know why we did not tell you?”

Sheng Yuan said without thinking: “Because you are afraid we will take part of the reward.”

Li Shuang said evenly: “Because you are too stupid.”

Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue: “???”

Sheng Yuan flushed with anger and opened his mouth.

The Black Abyss Sword flashed from its sheath.

“Soul Severing,” Li Shuang said.

A strange power rippled out. The two men’s eyes went blank, and they fell straight to the ground.

Li Shuang tied them up, found an empty palace, and tossed them inside.