Taiyi Dao Fruit

Bado.

Between the mountains, one could see the encampments spread out, banners fluttering, inscribed with the words "Jingping," indicating the Jingping Army sent by the court to Liangzhou Province.

Protected by the encampment of three hundred thousand soldiers, atop a central hill were two individuals gazing toward the northwestern sky, observing the changing winds and clouds, thunder booming, lightning flashing, a destructive storm filling the space between heaven and earth.

"The Jiang family's junior has truly become a major concern," said the speaker, appearing to be in his forties, clad in gold armor with a dragon pattern, signaling his royal clan identity.

At this moment, he rested one hand on the hilt of his sword by his waist and stroked his beard with the other, revealing a chilling expression, "The people of the Jiang family are born defiant and are indeed a threat to both court and field. With the Jiang family's return today, it is no fortune for us, Xiu Fan, my dear nephew."

Standing next to him was Meng Xiufan, who wore light blue armor without a helmet, exposing his handsome face.

This man was the commander of the Forbidden Army, a member of the Meng Family, who had previously clashed with Jiang Li in the palace. By faction, Meng Xiufan belonged to the camp of the Eldest Prince.

While the other, was the current commander of the Jingping Army from the Second Prince's faction.

Faced with the Princess's and Tianxuan's relentless pressure and the return of the Jiang family, the relationship between the camps of the Eldest and Second Princes had somewhat eased, beginning a conscious effort to join forces to counteract the Princess's growing power.

The Jingping Army was the result of their cooperation.

With the army leader a member of the royal clan and the deputy from the Meng Family, this seemed to also represent a further alliance between the Eldest and Second Princes to target those two women.

"This battle is crucial for the pacification of the Taiping Sect, Marquis. If you and I sit idly by as onlookers, I fear the Princess will seize the opportunity to strike after the battle," Meng Xiufan said lightly, looking at the distant sky.

"Can anyone blame me if the Jiang family's junior recklessly acts, leading those remnants of Feng Manlou to attack and kill?" Marquis Huaiyuan, Ji Mingfang, scoffed, "Besides, if that Jiang family junior dies in this fight, it won't be them causing trouble afterward, but us."

While they spoke, a faint white light began to manifest on Meng Xiufan's person.

He reached into his bosom and pulled out a jade pendant, the source of the white light.

"The Immortal Queen has arrived," Meng Xiufan said, closing his eyes to sense it.

On hearing this, Marquis Huaiyuan was overjoyed.

It was at this moment that a bodyguard from behind Marquis Huaiyuan ran up the hill, reporting, "Marquis, Princess Zhao Yuan seeks an audience again."

"Anxious, haha," laughed Marquis Huaiyuan.

This was the third time Princess Zhao Yuan, Gongsun Qingyue, had requested an audience, having been rejected by Marquis Huaiyuan the previous times, seeming quite annoyed, even leaving with a flick of her sleeves the second time. Yet now, she was compelled to come again.

Naturally, the cause was urgent.

With an army of three hundred thousand soldiers whose combat power was absolutely superior to those of the Taiping Sect, if they could join the battle, they could indeed influence the fourth-rank confrontation. Marquis Huaiyuan felt he still held a significant bargaining chip.

Unfortunately, this chip did not belong to Gongsun Qingyue.

"Reply to her that the Marquis is preoccupied with military affairs and cannot receive guests; tell Princess Zhao Yuan to return," ordered Marquis Huaiyuan with a wave of his hand.

Having said that, Marquis Huaiyuan was about to turn when—

"Come, Xiu Fan, let's continue to watch—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a shadow appeared abruptly behind Marquis Huaiyuan, the bright red Sky Dog revealing its claws, and three streaks of cold light slashed across Marquis Huaiyuan's body.

"—the excitement."

The upper part of Marquis Huaiyuan's body was divided into three sections, the top two, including the head, slowly slipping off and falling to the ground.

"Marquis!"

The bodyguard shouted loudly at the sight, about to draw his sword, but was intercepted by a shadow of a spear.

Meng Xiufan thrust forth his spear emotionlessly, the lance wound with an Azure Flood Dragon piercing through the bodyguard, then with a twist, the bodyguard's torso was rent into pieces.

At the same time, there was a flurry of brief, intense clashes of soldiers below, with the scent of blood turning from faint to strong.

In just over twenty breaths of time, the sound of the clash was silenced, only faint qi still spreading.

A graceful figure ascended the hill, her lotus steps gentle, arriving in front of Marquis Huaiyuan's corpse and said lightly, "Humans always take living for granted, insistent on walking the path of death. I gave you two chances, yet you just had to seek death."

As she spoke, Gongsun Qingyue drew a talisman with her finger, casting a Hundred Solutions Disaster Relief Talisman into Marquis Huaiyuan's head, dispersing his resentment and residual soul.

Meng Xiufan turned a blind eye to this, simply sheathing his spear, bowing politely, and saying, "I have seen the Commandery Princess."

In his left hand, he still held the jade pendant, its white light faintly resonating with Gongsun Qingyue.

This jade pendant wasn't for communicating with the Immortal Queen, but with Gongsun Qingyue. When the white light shone, it signified that the time to act had come.

And when would it shine?

Naturally, it depended on when the Immortal Queen would arrive.

Using the Immortal Queen's arrival to connect with the Meng Family, tipped the scale of the Second Prince's faction towards the Princess.

'We stand no chance, Marquis. With the Immortal Queen and Gongsun Family Master joining forces, if we were to persist as enemies of the Princess, we would either be crushed by her or absorbed by you. So, don't blame me,' Meng Xiufan thought to himself as he looked at Marquis Huaiyuan's broken body.

The Immortal Queen couldn't command the Meng Family, but her stance determined the Meng Family's direction.

Without the Immortal Queen's support, the Meng Family would lose their Third Grade Combat Power, while the side of the Eldest Prince and the Princess still had it; hence, the best outcome would be to be devoured by the Second Prince's faction.

For self-preservation, the Meng Family had no choice but to change their allegiance.

Furthermore, the arrival of the Immortal Queen brought the greatest uncertainty to this battle.

"Issue the order, Marquis Huaiyuan intended to rebel and has been beheaded. The Jingping Army is now temporarily under this palace's command. Now, strike camp, march forward," ordered Gongsun Qingyue.

Anyone with a palace within the Imperial City could refer to themselves as 'this palace.' Although Gongsun Qingyue was a Commandery Princess, she was the future Gongsun Family Master, a position on par with that of a Princess, and also possessed her own palace residence within the Imperial City.