Chapter 280: For Wealth and Glory, a Willing Outlaw

A grand banquet was underway at the First-Grade Myriad Phenomena Villa.

Everyone stared at Qin Tianxuan, who sat at the head of the table, their faces still filled with disbelief.

Qin Tianxuan smiled faintly. “Still worried? Come, Lingsu, Qingzhi. Check my pulse for me now.”

The two Divine Doctors hurried over, extending their delicate hands to gently take his pulse.

Then, their eyes widened in unison.

“Sister Lingsu, the Master is truly fine.”

“Yes. Not only are there no internal injuries, but even his aura hasn’t fluctuated in the slightest.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, yet they felt even more astounded.

Back when they had conquered the Northern Domain together, they already thought their boss, the Night Emperor, was fearless and invincible.

They never expected that the Master had been hiding his true strength all along.

His period of silence at Mirror Lake hadn’t demoralized him. Instead, his power had advanced even further, and he now gave off the air of a Grandmaster of his generation.

The evening banquet was held in secret, surrounded by the Night Emperor’s Guard.

As a result, neither Luo Qilin nor the Qin and Ye Families knew the truth.

They, too, were holding a celebratory banquet.

In the main hall of the Xingtian Martial Arts Arena, Luo Qilin, his face flushed from drinking, raised his cup to thank Steward Qin.

The tables were filled with representatives from the Qin and Ye Families.

“I, Luo Qilin, have nothing more to say. From now on, I’m just a lapdog for the Daqin Royal Family! Come, let’s drain this cup!”

Steward Qin smiled, pressing Luo Qilin’s cup down. “There’s even better news. Would Commander Luo care to hear it?”

Luo Qilin let out a drunken belch, already beside himself with glee. “Damn, what other good news could there be? Spit it out.”

A flash of disdain crossed Steward Qin’s eyes. “This duel at the Xingtian Martial Arts Arena isn’t just about a personal grudge. The great families of the Imperial Capital have all decided: whoever wins this match will take control of both the Northern and Southern Domain Battle Departments and be promoted to Celestial King!”

Luo Qilin trembled with excitement. “R-Really?”

“Of course it is. If this position weren’t so important, why would we, the great families of the Imperial Capital, resort to such a lowly tactic and try to finish off Qin Tianxuan for good?”

Steward Qin’s expression slowly turned grim. “Luo Qilin, those in the Imperial Capital are very displeased with your performance this time. Hmph. If I hadn’t single-handedly turned the tide, you would have already suffered a crushing defeat.”

Luo Qilin was furious.

‘This Steward Qin changes his tune too damn fast, doesn’t he?’

He gripped his wine cup, about to offer a few polite words, when suddenly, all the scions of the great families at the table shot to their feet, revealing sharp combat blades and instantly surrounding him!

“Hmph! Steward Qin, what is the meaning of this?”

Luo Qilin’s expression shifted, but he struggled to maintain his composure.

Steward Qin gave a faint smile. “With our help, your victory is already assured, Luo Qilin. After the battle the day after tomorrow, you’ll be the Celestial King of two Battle Domains. But those of us in the Imperial Capital are a little worried!”

Luo Qilin’s eyes flickered. “Please be more specific.”

Steward Qin stared at him as if he were the master of the house. “You, Luo Qilin, were originally just a minor figure in the Luo Family. It was the great families of the Imperial Capital who gave you resources and supported you relentlessly from behind the scenes to get you where you are today. As for your Luo Family… they’re not doing so well right now!”

After the blow dealt by Qin Tianxuan, the Luo Family was indeed in decline.

“Luo Tianying, that dandy, has become quite something since he started following Qin Tianxuan. He’s about to devour the entire Luo Family. We predict that before long, the Luo Family will be completely under Luo Tianying’s control!”

Steward Qin shook his head coldly. “That’s not what we want to see. If Luo Tianying takes over the Luo Family, Qin Tianxuan’s power will only grow stronger.”

Luo Qilin was horrified. “Are you saying you want me to move against my own family?”

“Correct. You’re a smart man. Tonight. I’ve already prepared an assault team for you. You will command them remotely and exterminate the Luo Family! The entire clan!”

Luo Qilin went weak all over and collapsed into his seat. “No, that’s impossible. That’s the family that raised me.”

“Don’t want to do something so heinous? Then you can just skip the duel at the Martial Arts Arena the day after tomorrow. Qin Tianxuan is already a cripple anyway. We can just pick any newcomer from our families to fight! It’s still a guaranteed win!”

“But the glory of defeating the Night Emperor and becoming a Celestial King won’t be yours!”

Luo Qilin clenched his fists, a war raging between gods and demons in his heart.

He wasn’t a fool.

‘If I personally command the assassins to wipe out the Luo Family tonight, the Daqin Royal Family will record everything!’

‘This is a sin that will ruin my reputation and damn me to Hell after death!’

‘With this leverage over me, the Daqin Royal Family will be able to control me like a puppet!’

The demonic Steward Qin leaned over him. “Stop struggling. You’ve already started down this path. Let me give you some more good news. For the grand duel at the Martial Arts Arena, Prince Lanling himself will be in attendance. The Prince is also bringing his only daughter, Commandery Princess Qingcheng. Surely you understand what that implies?”

A flash of delight appeared in Luo Qilin’s eyes.

What he yearned for most was to advance his station and marry a daughter of the Emperor Clan, one with immense power and status.

Steward Qin knew him all too well. He patted him gently on the shoulder. “The future is yours. As long as you perform well, it’s not impossible for the Prince to marry his daughter to you!”

Commandery Princess Qingcheng, Li Qingcheng!

The daughter of a Prince!

Luo Qilin’s hands began to tremble.

She was true royalty, far beyond the reach of any ordinary great family.

Glory and riches were right before his eyes.

But if he didn’t agree to annihilate his family, these men would hack him to a pulp in an instant!

Luo Qilin’s eyes turned vicious. He shot to his feet. “No man is truly great without a ruthless streak! I’ll do it!”

The assassins were already prepared. The operation was about to begin.

He would command them via a remote video feed, all under Steward Qin’s arrangement.

But Luo Qilin didn’t even dare to look at the video feed, merely gritting his teeth as he gave the order to exterminate the entire clan.

Not far away, Steward Qin sneered. ‘Worthless trash. More disgusting than anyone. He’s clearly a shameless villain, yet he still has to put on that act. Not ruthless enough, not vicious enough. He’ll never amount to anything great!’

The Luo Family, who had been driven out of the Imperial Capital and were barely managing to survive on the outskirts of Jinling, vanished overnight!

In Jin City, at the First-Grade Myriad Phenomena Villa, Qin Tianxuan was sipping tea. Not long after the banquet had ended, Venerable Yuan of the Intelligence Hall knocked and entered, his expression grave.

He took a few steps to stand before the Master and said in a low voice, “Urgent news from the Jinling intelligence branch. The former Luo Family of the Imperial Capital has been exterminated!”

A glint appeared in Qin Tianxuan’s eyes as he set down his teacup. “Luo Tianying is one of us. What’s his status?”

“Rest assured, Master. Luo Tianying was not at the family estate at the time. He was out on business and was found by our Personal Guard. He is being escorted to Jin City now! He should know more.”

Qin Tianxuan tapped his fingers on the table. “The Luo Family was suddenly exterminated right before the grand duel? Have everyone come in to discuss this.”

Venerable Yuan had already notified Wutian and the others.

The Night Emperor’s subordinates gathered in the study. They discussed for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it.

“They all think the Master is severely injured. This should be Luo Qilin’s moment of triumph. Why was his family wiped out?”

Qin Tianxuan waved his hand dismissively.

Updates continued to stream in from the front lines.

“Luo Tianying is gravely injured. He rushed back to his family estate to fight for his life but was taken down by the assassins. Luckily, we found him quickly.”

“Master, Luo Tianying suspects the assassins were from the Daqin Royal Family. He also saw several of Luo Qilin’s men on the perimeter!”

What?!

Everyone in the room was stunned.

“Could Luo Qilin have done it? That makes no sense!”

But a flash of understanding crossed Qin Tianxuan’s eyes. He suddenly slammed his hand on the table. “How vicious, how ruthless!”