Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Li Tian’s Cleverness

After a silent night, early the next morning, He Yuntian and a Direct Disciple under Gong Lingqi left the Flawless Palace at almost the same time.

This Direct Disciple was, of course, heading to Wood City to hire an assassin. The two left the Flawless Palace one after the other. Although Lin Yun received news of this, he paid it no mind.

After leaving the Flawless Palace, the Direct Disciple flew straight out of the Flawless Waters. Meanwhile, in Wind City’s He Family estate, Li Tian looked at the Patriarch of the He Family beside him and said, "Patriarch He, it’s about time to make your move. Remember, don’t harm him. Just bring him back first."

Hearing this, Patriarch He gave a faint nod, then rose and left Wind City.

Sitting in the He Family’s main hall, Li Tian toyed with a Jade Pendant. It was a gift from his father, proof of his status as the Li Family’s heir. Ever since he was a child, Li Tian had loved to play with this Jade Pendant.

’Gong Lingqi, so eager to hire an assassin already?’ While playing with the Jade Pendant, Li Tian chuckled and murmured.

During his time in Wind City, Li Tian had already thoroughly investigated the power bases of Gong Lingqi and Chang Jing. At the same time, he had long since planted a few informants within the Flawless Palace.

It was hard to imagine that Li Tian, who had never even been to the Flawless Palace, had secretly cultivated a batch of his own informants in such a short time. One had to admit, Li Tian’s intelligence was truly terrifying.

The moment this Direct Disciple left the Flawless Palace, Li Tian received the news. He immediately had Patriarch He go and bring the man back.

Lin Yun was completely unaware of these actions Li Tian had taken. From Li Tian’s perspective, these were minor matters not worth bothering Lin Yun over. Since he was to become Lin Yun’s right-hand man, he naturally had to prove his own usefulness.

After waiting in the main hall for more than three hours, Patriarch He and He Yuntian returned to the He Family estate. With them was the Direct Disciple, whom Patriarch He carried in his grasp.

This Direct Disciple was only at the Eighth Layer of Primordial Ocean Realm. Though his combat power was impressive, it was nothing compared to Patriarch He, who was at the Celestial Spirit Realm. With his Cultivation completely sealed, the man was brought directly before Li Tian.

"Senior Brother He, what is the meaning of this?" Thrown onto the floor of the main hall by Patriarch He, the Direct Disciple immediately roared angrily at He Yuntian.

Hearing this, He Yuntian first sat down in a chair and took a light sip of tea before slowly drawling, "It wasn’t I who wanted you to come. Rather, Brother Li invited you to my He Family for a visit."

"Brother Li?" At his words, the man looked toward Li Tian, who had been sitting silently in his chair, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. He had never seen Li Tian before.

"I don’t know you. What business might you have with me?" Not knowing who Li Tian was, the man asked coldly.

With a faint smile, even though Li Tian’s Cultivation was only at the First Layer of Primordial Ocean Realm, he appeared completely confident as he faced the Flawless Palace’s Direct Disciple. "Gong Lingqi sent you to Wood City," he said lightly. "I didn’t think he’d be in such a hurry."

Li Tian’s words hit the nail on the head, and the Direct Disciple’s expression changed drastically. Seeing his reaction, Li Tian smiled inwardly. ’I was just guessing, but judging by his expression, I must have guessed right.’

"Who are you?" he roared at Li Tian. Gong Lingqi had only told him yesterday about going to Wood City to hire an assassin from the Death Row Shelter. How could this young man before him possibly know?

"You don’t need to know who I am. I just want to make a deal with you," Li Tian said.

"A deal?" The man didn’t understand what Li Tian meant.

Li Tian then explained his purpose. As he listened, the man increasingly felt that Li Tian was no simple character. Although his Cultivation was not high, his intellect was simply heaven-defying; Li Tian was able to guess many of the thoughts hidden in his heart.

For example, Li Tian had even pointed out that he wasn’t sincerely willing to follow Gong Lingqi.

Finally, Li Tian said faintly, "A storm is brewing in the Flawless Palace, and neither Palace Master Luo nor the Six Supreme Elders have any intention of intervening. If you want to survive this struggle, choosing the right side is very important."

"You want me to follow Lin Yun?" the Direct Disciple asked upon hearing Li Tian’s words.

"Haha, you’re very smart," Li Tian replied with a small smile.

"Dream on. Lin Yun has only just entered the Flawless Palace. You people have no idea how much power Senior Brother Gong wields within the Palace," the Direct Disciple said.

Hearing this, Li Tian’s expression didn’t change. He remained smiling, as he had already thoroughly investigated Gong Lingqi’s power base in the Flawless Palace.

After some more discussion, Li Tian told the Direct Disciple that he wouldn’t gain any benefits in the end by following Gong Lingqi. Besides, what Li Tian wanted him to do was very simple.

Handing the man a pre-written letter, Li Tian told him only that when he met the contact from the Death Row Shelter, he was to give them this letter. For everything else, he could just follow Gong Lingqi’s instructions.

"In such a perilous situation, don’t you think it’s better to have another way out?" Li Tian said faintly, holding the letter out to the man.

Hearing this, the man fell silent for a long while before finally accepting Li Tian’s letter. "Are you sure all I need to do is give this letter to the Death Row Shelter’s contact?"

"Yes. For everything else, just follow Gong Lingqi’s instructions," Li Tian confirmed with a nod.

Although the man didn’t understand the meaning behind Li Tian’s words, he still nodded and agreed. Just as Li Tian had said, doing this wouldn’t harm him, nor would it offend Gong Lingqi.

Moreover, through this matter, the Direct Disciple could secure a fallback for himself. No matter who won or lost the struggle between Lin Yun and Gong Lingqi, he would not be implicated. It was a win-win situation with a hundred benefits and no drawbacks.

"Patriarch He, please undo his seal," Li Tian said faintly to Patriarch He, seeing the man accept the letter.

At his word, Patriarch He stepped forward and quickly removed the seal on the man. With his Cultivation restored, the man looked at Li Tian, his eyes filled with even more confusion.

’This person had me brought to the He Family... what was his ultimate goal? Was it really all for this one letter?’

He didn’t understand why, but since it allowed him to secure a fallback for himself—and delivering a letter was a trivial matter—the man quickly left the He Family estate.

After the Direct Disciple had gone, He Yuntian, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "Why didn’t you detain him? You knew he was one of Gong Lingqi’s men."

Hearing He Yuntian’s question, Li Tian gave a sly smile and said faintly, "By the time he returns from Wood City, I’m afraid he will no longer be one of Gong Lingqi’s men."

Not understanding what Li Tian was planning, He Yuntian watched as Li Tian turned to him and said, "Brother He, since you’ve come to Wind City, we can begin our operation."

The operation Li Tian spoke of was naturally aimed at the Bai Family and Bai Zhicheng. The He Family of Wind City had already submitted to Lin Yun. Now, there was still the Bai Family. If the Bai Family also submitted to Lin Yun, then the entirety of Wind City could be said to be in Lin Yun’s grasp.