"Who'd have thought that secretive kid from Luo clan would reveal his entire hand only now. A truly unpredictable man!"
In the Imperial Palace, Zhuge Changfeng stood on a hundred meter tall gate tower, watching, sighing. Next to him were the yin yang elders.
With a frown, the white haired elder's eyes turned hard, "How did he reach such an inconceivable level? It's mind boggling. It makes me recall that man…"
"You mean…"
The black haired elder's eyes flashed and he shuddered at the mere mention, "Invincible Scamp, Gu Santong?"
The other nodded, "Besides that little devil, I've never seen anyone in the Profound Heaven Stage capable of taking a peak Radiant Stage expert's attack with such ease. It used to be only him, but now…"
"Ha-ha-ha, Zhuo Fan is far worse than Gu Santong."
Zhuge Changfeng smiled, "Gu Santong is but a humble man. With a bit of trickery he'd fall for anything. With the Imperial Palace trapping him for three hundred years, it makes his godlike feat back then look like a lie. He is but a mere child."
Zhuge Changfeng's eyes squinted and he turned to the white haired figure, "But Zhuo Fan is a true master of cunning and trickery. To play or con him is harder than taking the throne! Now that he has Gu Santong's power as well, no one in Tianyu can deal with him."
The yin yang elders looked at each other puzzled.
The white elder paused then, "Prime Minister, didn't you say everything was put in place by the Emperor? He wanted to incite the Regent Estate and Luo clan to sink further into killing each other. The two were so close to doing it as well, with Zhuo Fan's high and mighty display, and killing two of Regent Estate's Venerables, doesn't that mean he fell for it? As far as my old eyes see, Leng Wuchang just had to endure and the two houses would be tearing each other apart by now."
"Ha-ha-ha, you guys only see what's in front and not from every angle."
Zhuge Changfeng shook his head, "The Emperor might have set the stage, but couldn't care less about how this drama played out. Be it Zhuo Fan or Leng Wuchang, both are wise enough to see it. Neither of them wishes to fight and to let the Emperor win.
"But with this, Zhuo Fan has found Leng Wuchang's limit. Because of what transpired in the Esoteric Debate, Zhuo Fan's actions had gone beyond human understanding leaving Leng Wuchang in the dark about his next move. It had robbed him of his initiative in this situation, ending up getting smacked around like a child. Even if Zhuo Fan had been stronger, he'd still not do it. A trained eye would see that the Emperor wanted to use this excuse to force Luo clan to show its hand and thus, was a partial winner. While Luo clan used the stage to push back at the Regent Estate and shake their public image, also winning some. While only Regent Estate, suppressed by a new house, suffered the worst, ha-ha-ha…"
The two elders shivered, eyes stunned.
A mere scuffle between the two houses actually had so many implications and consequences, fighting over interests below the surface.
If humble people like them were caught up in it, they reckoned they'd be toyed with and spat out mangled. The complexity of the ploys were mind boggling.
Now they understood why Zhuo Fan was more dreadful than Gu Santong.
If Gu Santong had but half of Zhuo Fan's smarts, no one could've been able to fool him into ending up trapped.
Zhuo Fan was a combination of Leng Wuchang and Gu Santong in one.
"Prime Minister, it's best this threat is dealt with fast, before it affects sir's plan!" The black elder cupped his hands, "While the kid isn't invincible, we two can still handle him. Please let us cull him and spare you the suffering."
Zhuge Changfeng waved, "Now, now, he isn't my enemy yet. Quite the helper in fact. Taking him out earlier will only benefit the others. I don't take kindly to letting others enjoy the fruits of my work."
The elders were puzzled.
Zhuge Changfeng merely shook his head, "I have figured out that old bean's mind. Eight houses, a thousand year old secret order, they have all been long in play, ha-ha-ha…"
Zhuge Changfeng stepped down the tower, "Come, the ceremony is about to begin…"
The elders followed in silence.
In another area, Fang Qiubai and Sima Hui saw the two houses cease hostilities. But even with Regent Estate losing two Venerables, the two were cursing them for being useless and running scared on their way to the Imperial Palace.
Zhuo Fan had rejoined Luo Yunchang with the elders and went to the ninth gate.
Watching the aloof white haired figure not once glance over, Yongning glared at him annoyed and pouted, "Humph, what's with being all pretentious-like? You're nothing but a steward of a no-name clan."
"Yongning, he isn't your normal steward. In his hands, the Luo clan has become Regent Estate's equal. You know what power the Regent Estate has, even we have to show respect. Keep in mind the next time you meet people from the Luo clan to show some courtesy!" Crown Prince instructed.
Yongning was having none of that. Second prince came over and looked at Luo clan as he said, "Luo clan isn't to be taken lightly. Their steward is a man to befriend."
"Second brother, don't forget about our imperial family's rules."
"Leave me be!"
Second prince didn't give a damn about the Crown Prince's warning.
"Princess, princess, are you alright?" A shout revealed the child coming running from among the crowd.
The princess smiled while the Crown Prince sighed and facepalmed, "Almost forgot, Yongning, how did you get out?"
"Uh, snooping." Yongning and the child hanged their heads in shame.
Crown Prince turned blue from anger and barked, "Yongning, you not only snuck out of the Imperial Palace by yourself but even dared to snoop to do it? You're only making it worse for yourself!"
"How's it my fault? The entire Imperial Palace is filled with tunnels with no guards around them. How else did you expect me to get out with my 5th layer of Bone Tempering Stage cultivation?" Yongning grumbled.
Crown Prince was royally pissed now. He couldn't vent as Yuwen Cong came laughing, "Ha-ha-ha, eldest brother, breathe, breathe. Sister likes to mess around. The ninth gate will soon open and we'll take her back. What's the point of making the matter worse than it is?
"Third brother, you're the best! Your head looks like a pig, but your brain is sharper than one!" Yongning giggled.
Yuwen Cong turned cold, "Eldest brother, I think handing her over to imperial father is best. Ground her for half a year and seal all the tunnels in the Imperial Palace. See how she'll get out then!"
"No! Third brother, I was wrong. Please forgive me! Don't tell the imperial father! You're the most handsome man ever. Even… even more than Zhuo Fan!"
That had all of them laugh and look at her with a shaking head.
They were all brothers and sisters and had no reason to hate each other.
After fifteen minutes, with a sharp creaking sound, all the gates rumbled open to reveal the refined interior of the Imperial Palace.
"Open!"
The eight houses each had a gate, while the three princes and Yongning took the center one.
The other clans walked behind the houses as they entered. But this time Regent Estate had far less people following them, even less than the other houses.
While Luo clan, a newcomer, had the longest trail, making it hard to even pass the gate. The previous fight had done wonders for the Luo clan's prestige.
They all knew Luo clan was above Regent Estate as the new head of all clans and houses. Only around ten elders, but each was valiant and hardy like true warriors.
This also meant that Luo clan cared about quality not quantity.
Following the entrance of the eight groups into a wide hallway, the two sides were lined with guards. From their bearing it was easy to see that they were hardened soldiers and one could even detect arrays all over the place.
Looking ahead, one could guess them to be above a thousand in number!
Zhuo Fan's eyes trembled and he nodded inwardly. Based on every house's legacy, the imperial family's legacy ruled supreme.
Once they passed the eight golden bridges, they arrived an hour later before a lofty palace. There, the second of the Four Pillars, Marshal Dugu Zhantian, was standing guard on the right side of the throne with Dragonslaying Crescent Blade in hand.
While on the left was Prime Minister Zhuge Changfeng.
The two looked at Luo clan, Zhuo Fan in particular. Dugu Zhantian took a deep breath with a calm gaze as Zhuge Changfeng tended to his beard with a faint smile.
With another loud shout, an old man in yellow gown entered their sight.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The eighth noble house award ceremony was about to begin…