When Zhang Xiaoxia led the imprisoned girls out, Ye Ling had already cleared out the members of the Black Coffin Society.
The vast factory was now empty, eerily silent.
Zhang Xiaoxia released the girls from the restrictions within their bodies and, after letting them go, walked over to Ye Ling. "Senior, how is it? Did you find any useful information?"
Ye Ling replied, "I did get some information from Bai Yu. Things are much more complicated than we imagined."
Zhang Xiaoxia frowned. "Much more complicated?"
"Mmm," Ye Ling nodded. "To attack the Wuhou Sect, the Cloud Palace hired nearly a hundred forces of varying sizes, along with the rogue cultivators they've gathered and their own disciples. It's likely that one-third of the people attending the Wuhou Sect's birthday banquet are preparing to attack them."
"O-one-third?" Zhang Xiaoxia thought she misheard, her face filled with disbelief. "That's too outrageous!"
If Zhuge Feng knew that a third of his banquet guests intended to kill him, she wondered what he would think.
This birthday banquet might turn into a funeral.
The Wuhou Sect had only two to three hundred disciples. Over ten thousand people were attending the banquet. If that calculation was correct, in the event of a fight, each Wuhou Sect disciple would have to face more than ten enemies.
This didn't even account for those who would take advantage of the chaos to loot.
Facing enemies more than ten times their number, even the most elite disciples of the Wuhou Sect would be wiped out in this catastrophe!
Even with the Dragon Division's help, it wouldn't be enough!
In an instant, Zhang Xiaoxia realized the gravity of the situation and asked anxiously, "What should we do now? The Wuhou Sect is one of the top sects in China, and they guard the dragon脉 for China. If the Wuhou Sect falls this time and the dragon脉 is damaged, the entire country will suffer!"
Although there had been some misunderstandings and friction between the Zhengyi Sect and the Wuhou Sect before, both were renowned righteous sects. If the Wuhou Sect were to be destroyed, the Zhengyi Sect would also be unable to stand alone.
Zhang Xiaoxia understood the principle of "lips and teeth" very well.
Ye Ling shook his head. "There are too many forces serving the Cloud Palace this time. It's unrealistic to eliminate them one by one, and there isn't enough time to prevent it."
Zhang Xiaoxia asked anxiously, "Then can we only watch the Wuhou Sect fall into chaos?"
Ye Ling replied, "It's already unavoidable for the Wuhou Sect to be mired in war. However, you can rest assured. I won't stand by and watch regarding the Wuhou Sect's affairs. They won't be able to stir up much trouble."
"Judging by the time, the birthday banquet is about to start. Let's head back first."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Zhang Xiaoxia understood that there was no way to stop the Cloud Palace at the moment. She sighed slightly and rushed back to the Wuhou Sect with Ye Ling.
At this time, the Wuhou Sect was becoming increasingly lively.
A large number of extraordinary individuals came to offer their birthday wishes, being seated in an orderly fashion, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Wang Die sat on the roof of a pavilion within the manor, propping her chin with one hand, gazing at the bustling crowd below. Her beautiful eyes were bright and lively, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
"What are you thinking about?"
At this moment, Ye Ling appeared behind Wang Die and asked with a smile.
After returning to the Wuhou Sect, Ye Ling had asked Zhang Xiaoxia to temporarily find her sect and prepare for battle, while also warning the Wuhou Sect and the Dragon Division.
Ye Ling, on the other hand, had come to find Wang Die to discuss the next course of action.
"Emperor."
Seeing Ye Ling appear, Wang Die immediately greeted him and then asked with a smile, "Have you met your friend?"
"Mmm, and I also handled some matters and discovered something."
Ye Ling hid nothing, telling Wang Die everything about the Black Coffin Society.
After all, Ye Ling's presence at the Wuhou Sect was partly due to Wang Die, and the Black Coffin Society was closely related to the safety of the Wuhou Sect. Ye Ling naturally had no reason to hide it from Wang Die.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die also frowned deeply. "I didn't expect the Cloud Palace to summon so many forces. It's double what I estimated!"
Ye Ling asked with a smile, "Aren't you the minister of the Cloud Palace's branch? Why don't you even know these things?"
Wang Die said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, you may not know, but before the Cloud Palace began planning against the Wuhou Sect, they started guarding against me and stripped me of all my power within the Cloud Palace."
"Now, I don't even control the branch. To be honest... I'm not very clear about what plans the Cloud Palace is currently plotting."
Ye Ling asked, "Then what are your plans now? Most of the sects attending the birthday banquet have arrived. Shouldn't we make our appearance?"
Wang Die shook her head. "It's not time yet. We should go out after the key figures make their appearance."
"Key figures?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow.
Wang Die replied, "The Cloud Palace will also come to offer birthday wishes openly this time, and the leader of the delegation is the Palace Master of the Cloud Palace, Feng Li, a half-step ninth-grade Crimson Immortal."
"The Cloud Palace is making such a big move this time?" Hearing Wang Die's words, Ye Ling was also somewhat surprised.
Ye Ling had heard a lot about Feng Li from his divine soldiers.
Although Feng Li was not well-known in China, he was a top-tier powerhouse internationally with extremely terrifying influence.
A single word from Feng Li could affect the survival of some small countries.
Moreover, the strength of a half-step ninth-grade Crimson Immortal was unmatched in the mortal world.
Globally, he was a formidable opponent.
Given Feng Li's status and position, he was undoubtedly a major figure on Earth. Ye Ling truly did not expect such a person to attend Zhuge Feng's birthday banquet.
Ye Ling mused, "Although the dragon脉 is precious, with Feng Li's status, he could easily seize the dragon脉 of some small and medium-sized countries. There's no need for him to personally come to China to deal with the Wuhou Sect, right?"
Although China outwardly had no cultivators beyond the eighth grade, it was vast and had a profound history. Beneath this continent, there were definitely Crimson Immortals, and more than one.
If Feng Li came in person and provoked a Crimson Immortal, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
Wang Die explained, "Feng Li has received a promise from the Shadow Hall that all Crimson Immortals in China will be restrained by the Shadow Hall. This time, when Feng Li comes, even if he causes utter chaos, no one in China will come out to stop him."
"However, while the Shadow Hall can restrain China's Crimson Immortals, they cannot restrain the Emperor. If Feng Li comes to the Wuhou Sect to cause trouble, and the Emperor takes action to kill him, then China will be stable for three hundred years!"
Hearing Wang Die's words, Ye Ling finally understood. "So, the reason you've made me wait until now is specifically to wait for Feng Li to appear and then slap his face?"
Wang Die nodded seriously. "This is naturally the best way to display our national prestige. Otherwise, if these overseas upstarts are allowed to be so presumptuous, they'll truly think China has no one."
Looking at Wang Die's serious expression, Ye Ling smiled and shook his head. "I didn't expect you, this little girl, to elevate your personal agenda to the national level."
"However, this suits me just fine. Let's wait a little longer."
Ye Ling looked at the sea of people below and smiled lightly. "Let's wait for Feng Li to arrive."