Chapter 381

Chapter 381: Holy Power Martial Arts Techniques That Could Predict Immortal Energy

Zhang Yang couldn’t help but marvel, the older the ginger, the spicier it gets.

He had never considered that targeting the Taixu Dynasty’s habit of secretly infiltrating forces throughout the Western Desert would become the ultimate counterattack, striking the snake at its seven-inch mark, the most lethal point.

From Taixu Emperor Jin Shengtian’s perspective, this dilemma was a severe headache.

On one side stood the Black Cloaked Strategist, an irreplaceable figure equivalent to three hundred saints.

On the other side were the insiders cultivated over generations by the Taixu Dynasty, now scattered and hidden across the Western Desert.

Which would he choose?

It was a difficult, no, rather an excruciating decision.

At that moment, Jin Liuli acutely felt the consequences of her previous failure at Star Tiger Mountain, where she had lost the Hunters’ Guild personnel list from the Cold Moon Dynasty.

Her arrogance and excessive pride as a princess of the Taixu Dynasty had led to a reckless operation. Looking back now, regret weighed heavily on her.

She silently gritted her teeth, vowing to tear Gu Qianmu to pieces and to rip Zhang Yang apart in revenge. Yet, none of it could resolve the crisis at hand.

Only Jin Shengtian could make the final decision.

The atmosphere inside the Zi Tian Pavilion grew increasingly stifling.

Prince Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, the Holy Son of the Sunlit Sacred Land, Yun Tianhuang, and the others exchanged glances. Though their expressions remained calm, the flicker of excitement in their eyes betrayed their inner thoughts. They understood a deeper truth, Zhang Yang and Gu Qianmu were using this chance to force the Taixu Dynasty into once again becoming enemies with the entire Western Desert.

If Jin Shengtian revealed that name, it would undoubtedly stir a massive reaction among other insiders, granting them the opportunity to retaliate and reorganize their strategies. It would unmistakably signal an open conflict with the Taixu Dynasty.

As a result, everyone felt a complex blend of anticipation, repressed excitement, and growing tension.

Would Jin Shengtian choose to abandon the Black Cloaked Strategist?

In fact, Yan Chihuo preferred that he did. In his eyes, the strategist alone outweighed the value of all the hidden agents.

The tense silence dragged on.

Finally, Jin Shengtian lifted his drooping eyelids, revealing deep, abyss-like eyes that sent chills down spines. It was as if endless terror brewed within that darkness.

He was furious, but had to endure it.

“Make your choice. I’m a kind-hearted person, and I only ask for a name,” Zhang Yang said with a hint of mockery. “Does the prince think I’m being unfair?”

Yan Chihuo nearly jumped, was this guy trying to drag him into the fire?

He certainly wasn’t going to respond.

Zhang Yang muttered, “Forget it. I won’t press you too hard. If it were Yan Donghuang, he’d definitely call it unfair and go even tougher.”

Yan Chihuo pinched himself to hold back his reaction. He realized that this con artist had a vindictive streak.

Zhang Yang then turned his gaze to Lu Hengkong.

Lu Hengkong immediately looked away, pretending to admire the scenery.

Next, he glanced at Yun Tianhuang, Xue Jianyi, and Jin Poxu, but they all turned their eyes elsewhere as well.

This coordinated avoidance only served to enrage Jin Shengtian, Jin Liuli, and the other members of the Taixu Dynasty further.

It was a calculated provocation.

As for the so-called Black Cloaked Strategist, who had once claimed that if he didn’t wish to die, no one could kill him, he was now on the verge of death, incapable of even thinking, lying limp like a lifeless snake.

The Western Desert’s top assassin genius now lay unconscious at Zhang Yang’s feet.

Jin Shengtian glared at Zhang Yang, grinding his teeth. “Anyone who offends the Taixu Dynasty, regardless of who they are or where they come from, will meet a tragic end.”

“Are you threatening me?” Zhang Yang chuckled, then abruptly applied pressure, intending to kill the Black Cloaked Strategist on the spot.

In that instant, the atmosphere turned suffocating.

Jin Shengtian’s pupils contracted. He could feel the strategist’s life force fading rapidly—this was no bluff.

“Gu Qianhan!” he finally roared through clenched teeth.

The oppressive atmosphere in the Zi Tian Pavilion immediately eased.

Everyone turned to look at the Black Cloaked Strategist.

This figure, once towering above all in the Western Desert, controlling life and death with a glance and feared even by saints, still had a sliver of breath left, but he had long since lost consciousness.

Gulp.

Prince Yan Chihuo swallowed hard. Just moments ago, the Black Cloaked Strategist had nearly died. If he told anyone, they probably wouldn’t believe it.

Lu Hengkong and the three other Holy Sons felt their hearts racing.

“Gu Qianhan? That sounds a lot like Gu Qianmu. They’re not related, are they? You’re not lying to me, are you?” Zhang Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jin Shengtian ground his teeth. “How could I stoop to your level?”

“What! You dare call me despicable?” Zhang Yang exploded in mock outrage. “Say that again, I dare you!”

Jin Shengtian’s eyes twitched with fury.

Zhang Yang pressed on. “What do you say, Lord of the Sacred Forest? Speak. Right now. At once!”

Jin Shengtian felt a powerful urge to lash out, to throw everything aside. Despite the calm he had cultivated from years on the throne, he was on the verge of breaking. But he could not let all prior efforts go to waste over one sentence.

He clenched his teeth and declared, “I say you are straightforward, noble in character, and remarkably talented.”

Everyone was stunned by this unexpected statement.

Looking back at Zhang Yang, who nodded in satisfaction, he said, “That’s right! This is my quality, I act with transparency. If I take action, it won’t be through schemes, only through fair and open means!”

Jin Shengtian cursed his shamelessness inwardly but said, “Can we let him go now?”

“Not yet. Look at my hand.” Zhang Yang raised the limp hand of the Black Cloaked Strategist. “Do you see this? My hand is shaking because of your despicable, inhumane methods! As the Lord of the Sacred Forest, I can’t let this end here. Where is my dignity? Where is my respect? I…”

Before he could finish, Jin Shengtian quickly retrieved a secret scroll from his storage bag and said, “The earth’s holy power originates from earthly immortal power, predating the Eternal Night. This is the foundation. If you truly have the ability, you can derive immortal power from this holy power.”

Zhang Yang’s eyes lit up.

It was the first time he had felt such a surge of excitement since entering the Western Desert.

A martial arts technique of holy power derived from immortal power.

With his current cultivation as a saint and his mastery of Slaughter Thunder Saint Power, he was undoubtedly one of the most promising candidates to extract immortal energy from it.

“That might work,” Zhang Yang muttered as he reached out his hand.

Jin Shengtian tossed the scroll to him without even infusing it with energy.

Zhang Yang skimmed its contents, confirmed its authenticity, and then stored it away.

“Now we can let him go,” Jin Shengtian said.

Prince Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, the Holy Son of the Sunlit Sacred Land, and the others watched Zhang Yang with bated breath.

Letting the Black Cloaked Strategist go was akin to releasing a tiger back into the mountains, it was like unleashing a force of destruction, one that could bring untold devastation to the Vast Forest.

But with Jin Shengtian, the Taixu Emperor, standing right there, who could refuse his will?

Zhang Yang locked eyes with Jin Shengtian, then kicked Ye Wolf aside.

The unconscious Ye Wolf was jolted awake. Shamed and humiliated, he glared at Zhang Yang with venomous hatred, like a snake lurking in the shadows.

“The Black Cloaked Strategist, huh?” Zhang Yang looked at the legendary figure of the Western Desert, now unconscious and at their mercy. He smirked and casually tossed the strategist aside.

Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, Yun Tianhuang, Xue Jianyi, and Jin Poxu all felt as if a storm were about to sweep across the entire Western Desert.

This Black Cloaked Strategist, who had carved his name into the world atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, would never swallow such humiliation.

They could only imagine the bloodshed that might follow.

Even Yan Chihuo began to seriously consider whether it was time to end the summit for the peak of power, just to avoid being caught in the inevitable storm the strategist would bring.