Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 989 Night Talk
The capital city was in turmoil overnight.

The stench of blood and chaos had not yet completely dissipated when the faint light of dawn struggled to pierce the thick night, casting dappled shadows on the palace walls.

After a long and perilous journey, Qingyao finally sneaked back to the secluded palace where he was under house arrest.

The night's harvest far exceeded expectations.

Lord Sanen's intervention helped him complete his mission that night.

It was thanks to Lord Shan Yan's cover and guidance that he was able to not only successfully meet secretly with the important demon forces entrenched in the capital before dawn and convey Lord Lan Yuhe's cooperation plan, but also return to this magnificent prison unscathed at the last moment when the palace was heavily guarded.

"grown ups!"

Almost the instant he stepped into the room, the pot-bellied man who had been impersonating him immediately writhed and shrank with relief, instantly reverting to his original appearance.

He rushed forward excitedly, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "My lord! You...you've finally returned!"

His whole body was trembling violently, and his lips were completely bloodless, as if he had just been pulled out of ice water.

It wasn't just excitement, but also immense fear of surviving a catastrophe.

He knew that if the Azure Demon Envoy had returned even a quarter of an hour later, his disguise would likely have been exposed by the patrolling officers.

The agreed time was the boundary between life and death. Every second of delay was like a sharp blade hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

The Azure Demon Envoy holds a high position and wields great power, with demons backing him up. Perhaps he can manage to get by and his crime doesn't warrant death.

But for someone as insignificant as him, once exposed, he would be doomed, leaving not even a trace of his bones.

Therefore, Qingyao's timely return was tantamount to saving his lowly life.

"I should thank you."

Qingyao's voice remained calm, but when she looked at the pot-bellied man who had risked his life to become her substitute, a barely perceptible trace of gratitude flashed deep in her eyes.

Without Lord Sanen's great help, he would never have been able to complete this adventurous journey so smoothly.

The greatest gain from this trip was not the contact with those demon leaders, nor the successful relay of Lan Yuhe's plan, but... he unexpectedly met Fang Yu, whom he had not seen for a long time!

The joy of this long-awaited reunion flowed through his heart like a warm current. Even now, back in this heavily guarded, prison-like palace, that warmth still sustained him, keeping his mood unusually bright.

As Lord Shan Yan waved his hand, leading the still-frightened, pot-bellied man away, Qing Yao slowly sat back down on the cold sandalwood chair.

He was the only one left in the room, and the dim light coming through the window outlined his pensive profile.

He began to carefully analyze the details of his secret conversation with the demons of the capital the previous night.

Surprisingly, these unruly demons showed an unusually positive and cooperative attitude towards cooperating with the demon capital.

As for their request for Qingyao to resolve the issue of the "masked man" who was stirring up trouble in the capital, Qingyao considered it a trivial matter.

The masked man was Fang Yu, his own brother. Making him stop was just a matter of a word.

At that time, all that is needed is to announce that the masked man has been killed, and who will investigate further? In addition, Qingyao has also solemnly warned the demons that if they encounter Fang Yu in the city, they must take good care of him.

However, Qingyao knew that this successful trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Despite this successful precedent, finding another suitable opportunity to slip out of the palace remains incredibly difficult.

This not only requires Lord Shanyan to risk his life again to cooperate, but also requires a perfect match of timing, location, and people.

In the days to come, he will probably only be able to passively wait for the next opportunity to come.

Of course, he also set an unshakable bottom line in his mind.

If any demons in the capital dare to do anything to Fang Yu, he will break through the impregnable palace and settle scores with them!

"The matter that Lord Lan entrusted to us can finally be moved forward."

Qingyao muttered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest, "Next, we'll see... whether the former lord of Tianyuan Town, that Second Prince, intends to contact us."

His decision to remain deep within the palace was partly due to the helplessness of being under house arrest, but the deeper reason was that he was waiting for a response from the Second Prince.

However, judging from the current situation, the second prince does not seem to have any intention of taking the initiative to contact him.

Therefore, we can only proceed according to our own plan for now, and wait and see how that unfathomable prince will react after the situation changes.

After carefully analyzing the current situation in his mind and confirming that there were no obvious oversights, Qingyao's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

His thoughts drifted involuntarily to Fang Yu, that stubborn figure he cared about, and a rare, genuine smile appeared on his lips.

In that tender moment, a faint, sweet fragrance suddenly filled the air.

It turns out that Lord Shanyan has returned!
Qingyao was slightly taken aback, but quickly composed herself and regained her usual calm.

With Lord Shan Yan's unfathomable strength, it would not be surprising if he came and went freely in the palace as if strolling in a garden, appearing at any time.

Qingyao had gradually gotten used to this, but... a question arose in his mind: what could possibly make this lord turn back so urgently?
He didn't ask, because he knew that Lord Shanyan would explain.

"Lord Shan Yan." Qing Yao nodded slightly in greeting.

As expected, Lord Shanyan had already leaned back on the brocade-covered bed in the room with an extremely natural and languid posture, yet he exuded an undeniable aura of power.

Her eyes, which seemed to see right through people, held a smile as she looked at Qingyao with great interest.

She was actually quite satisfied with Qingyao's performance last night.

Not only because he successfully reached an initial cooperation with the demons of the capital, but also because the turmoil he indirectly caused in the capital became the perfect cover for another exciting drama.

When she thought about how the Second Prince had personally revealed that news to her, she was so excited that she almost wanted to stick close to him and share her joy. Unfortunately, the prince was oblivious to her feelings and pushed her away.

However, Shan Yan was already used to this. Without using her charm, there were many people who could ignore the allure of her appearance.

Even so, the news brought by the Second Prince still left her in a state of near-trembling excitement. At this moment, she couldn't wait to pass on this news, which was enough to ignite the entire capital, to Qing Yao, and share with him the ultimate pleasure brought by the chaos.

"I just got some new information." Shan Yan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

"What news?" Qingyao asked in a low voice, a vague premonition in her heart that this news was no small matter.

Shan Yan parted her red lips slightly and uttered a few words that exploded like thunder in Qing Yao's ears: "Seventh Prince Hei Tianxia is dead."

"What?!" Qingyao jumped to her feet, her pupils contracting sharply, her face filled with disbelief and shock. "The Seventh Prince... Hei Tianxia, ​​is dead?!"

That's the prince!
His own flesh and blood!

It is one of the most noble bloodlines in the Great Xia Dynasty!

Even a great demon like him only dared to occasionally entertain a disrespectful thought deep in his heart, and never dared to put it into practice.

The demons in the city may have had similar delusions, but any demon that dared to cross this line would probably have already turned into bones.

Princes are an absolute taboo, an inviolable bottom line for the empire!
The fall of any prince would inevitably trigger a massive upheaval that would engulf the entire capital, causing the already turbulent situation to spiral out of control!
This is exactly the situation that Lady Shanyan has always dreamed of, and it is also one of the important motivations for her to cooperate with the Demon Capital.

But Qingyao originally thought that Lord Shanyan was just using them to stir up trouble, but he never expected that... the depth and intensity of what this lord was planning and promoting were far more insane and deadly than he had imagined!

Qingyao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart and forcing herself to calm down.

Ultimately, he and the Seventh Prince were not related. As a human being, no matter how noble one's status, death was nothing to him, and he would not feel the slightest pity for the prince.

The shock I felt just now stemmed purely from the earth-shattering nature of the news itself.

"It seems that... the entire capital city is about to undergo a complete transformation."

Qingyao's voice was low and solemn. The capital city was not without earth-shattering events, and there were precedents of important court officials and powerful families falling from grace over the long years.

But the assassination of a prince... this is absolutely unprecedented since the founding of the nation! The symbolic significance and impact of a death of this magnitude are worlds apart from the death of a subject, enough to shake the very foundation of the country!

A twisted sense of anticipation involuntarily rose in Qingyao's heart.

He eagerly awaited... what terrifying, thunderous rage would erupt from the supreme ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty, who sat enthroned on the dragon throne, overlooking all living beings, upon learning of the tragic death of his own son? And to what horrifying heights would he unleash upon this upheaval in the capital?!

To be honest, Qingyao had always felt that Lord Shanyan acted eccentrically, even somewhat madly.

But at this moment, upon hearing the news with his own ears, he felt an indescribable excitement welling up inside him, a strong desire to witness and experience firsthand the storm that was about to sweep everything away!
He wanted to see just how wildly this seemingly calm, stagnant pool could be stirred up!
"This is getting interesting, isn't it?" Lord Shan Yan was incredibly perceptive; he immediately saw through the barely suppressed excitement in Qing Yao's eyes.

A playful smile appeared on her lips.

Faced with this terrifying being who could easily see through people's hearts, Qingyao made no attempt to hide her feelings and readily nodded in acknowledgment: "Yes!"

But then, he changed his tone, regaining his calm and strategic demeanor: "However, the court's response will likely be more intense than we can imagine. This will inevitably have a huge impact and create many uncertainties on the progress of our subsequent plans."

"Where there is a plan, there will be change; this is the natural order of things."

Shan Yan waved her hand dismissively, her eyes gleaming with an air of shrewdness. "Don't worry, we just need to go with the flow and ride the wave. Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the capital, turbulent currents surge. It's not just you, a mere outsider, who wants to completely stir things up. Too many people, too many forces, have long been disgusted by this rigid order and yearn to shatter it completely, so that this ancient capital... can usher in a revolutionary rebirth!"

Qingyao frowned slightly, immediately gleaning deeper information from Shanyan's words.

Within humanity, in this center of power, factional infighting and ideological struggles have long been at their peak, and the conflicts have intensified to the point of breaking out. They have only been suppressed by a powerful force and have not yet erupted.

This time... because of his intervention as the envoy of the demon capital, because of the instigation of various forces, and because of the fuse of the death of the Seventh Prince, an unprecedented and violent upheaval has become unavoidable.

opportunity!

This is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

But opportunities are often accompanied by deadly risks.

Will she ride the waves and soar to new heights, or will she be crushed to pieces by these towering waves? A sense of unease rose in Qingyao's heart.

He wasn't worried about his own safety. Having chosen to follow Lord Blue Feather Crane on this thorny path, he had long since disregarded life and death.

Even if he ultimately perishes here, he will have no regrets.

His only worry was Fang Yu's safety.

The capital city is about to be hit by an unprecedented storm, and he is deeply afraid that Fang Yu will be caught in it and crushed to pieces in that vortex that can crush everything.

Perhaps... we must arrange an escape route for Fang Yu in advance, a way to ensure his safe departure from the capital city that is about to turn into a battlefield.

Thinking of this, Qingyao turned her gaze to Shanyan again, with unprecedented solemnity: "Lord Shanyan, I have a request..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Shan Yan's eyes.

Although their time together was short, Qingyao gave her the impression of someone with an inherent arrogance and aloofness, who would never easily lower himself to ask for help if he could handle things himself. The last time he asked for help was to secure a chance to go out, and that was also for the sake of that human named Fang Yu.

Could it be another one...?

As expected, Qingyao's next words confirmed her guess: "I implore you, sir, to leave a way out for that little fellow named Diao Deyi. If the situation in the capital deteriorates to an uncontrollable point, I hope you can help him leave safely."

"Leave that little guy an escape route?" Shan Yan looked at Qing Yao with interest. "It seems you're quite pessimistic about the upcoming changes in the capital. But... no problem."

She readily agreed, "If it really comes to that, I can find a way to move that little guy out of the capital without anyone noticing. However..."

She changed the subject, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "Qingyao, I've helped you so much, from helping you get out of here to cleaning up your messes, and now I've promised to save the little guy's life, and it seems... you haven't repaid me for anything yet?"

As Shan Yan spoke, she suddenly reached out her hand, her slender fingers carrying a hint of coolness, and gently lifted Qing Yao's chin.

However, all she saw were Qingyao's calm, unfathomable eyes.

"Thank you for your help, Lord Shan Yan! I thank you on behalf of Diao Deyi!" Qing Yao's voice was steady and powerful, without the slightest hesitation. "As for the reward... I wonder what Lord Shan Yan's instructions are? As long as it is within my power, I will certainly do my best without hesitation!"

(End of this chapter)