I Can Extract Divine Power

Zhu Qingyao’s brow furrowed. "I admit what you said about there being no conflict of interest, but what about the fact that he humiliated us?"

Nan Huang shrugged. "A great man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. You want to compete among the Celestial Prides and reach the summit, but you don’t even have that kind of mindset? You’re not as impressive as you think."

Li Ruofeng slammed his hand on the table. "Nan Huang, we called you here to discuss this as equals. If this is how you’re going to be, then don’t come crying to us for help when Shen Bai decides to deal with you."

Nan Huang shook his head. "I’ve observed Shen Bai. As long as you don’t provoke him, he will absolutely not come after you."

"Wang Jiu was just asking for death. Believe it or not, I can’t be bothered to work with you."

At this, Nan Huang stood up and yawned again, looking as if he hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

"I came this time out of respect for the connections between our elders. If you call me for this sort of thing again, don’t bother. I’m going back to sleep."

He didn’t linger, turning on his heel and leaving the room without another word.

Zhu Qingyao watched Nan Huang leave. After the door closed, her tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed a little.

"He’s exactly like the rumors in the Jianghu say. Among his people, Nan Huang’s strength is outstanding, worthy of the title of Celestial Pride, but his personality is extremely lazy."

"I heard he’s so lazy that to reduce the effort of breathing, he even spent a great deal of time learning a breath-holding Cultivation Technique."

Li Ruofeng said, "Someone like that relies entirely on his own talent. Once that talent isn’t enough to carry him, if he doesn’t put in the effort, he’ll be surpassed sooner or later."

Although his tone was dismissive, it was laced with a sourness that sounded a lot like jealousy toward Nan Huang.

Zhu Qingyao also picked up on the jealousy in Li Ruofeng’s tone and changed the subject. "Since that’s the case, shall I lay out my plan?"

She had brought the two of them here precisely to discuss how to deal with Shen Bai.

Now, Nan Huang was unwilling, but Li Ruofeng was.

Since Li Ruofeng had no plan of his own, she put forward her idea.

Li Ruofeng nodded. "Go ahead and lay it out. If it’s doable, we can work together. But you have to understand, with the power of just our two factions, pinning down Shen Bai will be very difficult. The Celestial Pride Hall is massive. We can’t be sure he won’t escape or hide in some corner. We need a foolproof plan."

The unspoken message was clear: Shen Bai would not be spared. Both Zhu Qingyao and Li Ruofeng understood this perfectly.

They were going to kill Shen Bai in the Celestial Pride Hall.

For Celestial Prides like them, strength was one thing, but face was another entirely.

Shen Bai had publicly humiliated them on that street. If word of this got out, it would reflect poorly on both of them.

Then, Shen Bai would become the hero of every story told by the Jianghu People, while they would be reduced to insignificant side characters.

Therefore, only by ensuring Shen Bai’s death in the Celestial Pride Hall could they wash away the shame of that day.

As for whether killing was permitted in the Celestial Pride Hall, it didn’t matter to them. After all, strength was paramount there. If someone died during the competition, they could only blame their own misfortune. The same would apply to them.

After listening to Li Ruofeng, Zhu Qingyao nodded. "That’s right. Completely crushing Shen Bai in the Celestial Pride Hall will be difficult, but it’s something we must do."

"You and I both know that the Great Zhou Country’s younger generation is faltering. As long as we completely suppress them, it’s only a matter of time before their older generation has no successors. They’ll be left with a fatal gap."

"Now, this Shen Bai has emerged. If we eliminate him, our countries will reward us upon our return."

Li Ruofeng said, "Correct. I understand all that, and the logic is sound. But that brings us back to the main point. I don’t have a plan. What’s yours?"

A slight smile played on Zhu Qingyao’s lips. "Only four countries are entering the Celestial Pride Hall this time. Besides the Great Zhou Country, there’s just our Great Nan Country, your Great Yue Country, and Nan Huang’s Great Qi Country. So, what if we enter with a shared purpose and kill Shen Bai on the spot?"

Li Ruofeng frowned. "It’s not just Shen Bai going in this time. There are other Celestial Prides from the Great Zhou Country. What do you suppose they’ll do when they see that?"

"Don’t tell me you plan to kill all of them."

"And why not?" Zhu Qingyao replied.

Li Ruofeng’s brow furrowed deeply as he seemed to contemplate her words.

After a moment, he shook his head in disagreement.

He was no fool.

Zhu Qingyao’s idea was simply too audacious.

Killing the entire younger generation of the Great Zhou Country inside the Celestial Pride Hall... if word of such a plan got out, the Great Zhou Country would likely declare war on the spot.

Even if they actually did it and had an excuse, would the Great Zhou Country believe them?

In any case, Li Ruofeng believed it would only bring immense trouble down on his Great Yue Country.

The other three countries had been established for a long time. But the Great Zhou Country, despite its Saint Martial Emperor being plagued by a chronic illness, was a nation forged in blood and fire.

When it came to war, they were truly fearless.

Zhu Qingyao saw through Li Ruofeng’s hesitation. "Strength is paramount in the Celestial Pride Hall. As long as we have a legitimate reason, the Saint Martial Emperor of Great Zhou will absolutely not retaliate. You can trust me on this."