Chapter 719 718: The Top Five of the Hidden Dragon List

The Divine Land Continent.

Outside the Human Emperor Palace.

Inside the largest of the Saint Prince's main halls.

The majestic Saint Prince Gongsun Xuan stared calmly at the mirror before him.

Inside the mirror,

the scene of Yang Xiao's earlier confrontation with Nangong Miexian was playing out.

And before him,

the nine Divine King Level experts still stood respectfully in attendance.

They remained silent.

One of them had a grim look on his face.

He was the same Peak Divine King who had previously unleashed the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable.

"Your Highness, I never thought this boy would be so fortunate. Should we...?"

the Peak Divine King suddenly interjected.

Gongsun Xuan glanced at him and smiled faintly. "And what might you be suggesting, Heavenly Hidden God King?"

"This boy survived an attack from a Demon Venerable and now one from a Top-tier Emperor. He's even earned the Human Emperor's favor. His luck is uncanny. I believe we can't let him live. We should strike now while his cultivation is still low and kill him once and for all. Otherwise, he will surely become a grave threat to Your Highness in the future."

The Heavenly Hidden God King replied without a moment's hesitation.

He had always walked the path of the shadow assassin, and he owed his breakthrough to the Peak Divine King realm entirely to Gongsun Xuan.

Now, as a newly ascended Peak Divine King and one of Gongsun Xuan's trusted confidants, he was naturally eager to prove his worth by eradicating any and all threats to his master.

This made him far more impatient than the other eight Divine Kings.

Gongsun Xuan glanced at him.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Well said. The fact that you see this far shows you're truly considering the matter. However, this boy is not only under the Human Emperor's protection now, but I fear he has also caught the attention of the Star Emperor. How difficult do you suppose it will be to kill him?"

Hearing this, the Heavenly Hidden God King's expression froze.

Everyone present knew.

Although they hadn't seen how Yang Xiao had defused the crisis involving the Star Emperor, in the scene they had just witnessed, he had clearly executed the Great Star Dominating Body and the Star-Picking Hand. These were two of the Star Emperor's own Ultimate Skills. That, combined with Nangong Miexian's words, made it obvious that the boy was already on the Star Emperor's radar.

If it were only Human Emperor Xuanyuan watching over the boy, then assassinating him, while risky, would still be possible. They could always find an opportunity, as the Human Emperor's power was greatly restricted. And even if the worst happened, even if they were exposed, a battle between two Saint Princes was a natural part of the game.

At worst, it would damage his reputation and make people think that he, Gongsun Xuan, lacked magnanimity.

But now...

the Star Emperor was also paying attention to this boy and had even passed down two Ultimate Skills to him. If they truly made a move, they would very likely incur the wrath of this Top-tier Emperor.

When that time came, and the Emperor unleashed a killing blow,

unless Gongsun Xuan became the Human Emperor and never stepped foot outside the Human Emperor Palace,

otherwise,

no one would be able to protect him.

Therefore, killing this boy would require meticulous, covert planning.

But coming up with a flawless assassination plan on short notice was no easy task.

After all, they had failed before.

"I, however, have an idea,"

Just as the Heavenly Hidden God King was struck speechless, another Divine King—a man with the refined features of a pale scholar—spoke up.

Upon hearing him speak,

Gongsun Xuan immediately smiled.

This man was the Tianyuan Divine King, who served as his chief strategist. Over the years, he had helped him immensely and was the man he trusted and valued most.

For him to suddenly speak up now,

it was clear he had a foolproof plan ready.

"Speak, Tianyuan Divine King,"

Gongsun Xuan said with a faint smile.

"I've observed the boy's cultivation. He is only in the Great Divine Power Realm. The Hidden Dragon Secret Realm is about to open, and with his status and luck, he will certainly not miss it. As you all know, survival within the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm depends entirely on one's own strength. As talented as that boy is, his cultivation is ultimately lacking. If we were to..."

The Tianyuan Divine King didn't elaborate.

But no one present was a fool.

They all understood his meaning perfectly.

And every one of them was visibly tempted by the idea.

"Indeed, an excellent idea. However, while the boy's cultivation is weak, his talent is exceptionally high—the Human Emperor wouldn't value him so much otherwise. Therefore, whoever we choose to assassinate him must be a prodigy in their own right. Do any of you have a candidate in mind?"

Gongsun Xuan nodded lightly.

He was in full agreement with the Tianyuan Divine King's suggestion.

However, only cultivators below the True God realm could enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm. From what he knew of Yang Xiao, even with his weaker cultivation, anyone below the True God realm who hoped to defeat him would need to be ranked among the top one hundred on the Hidden Dragon List.

"Though his cultivation is weak, the boy is ultimately someone the Star Emperor values," the Tianyuan Divine King said. "And despite his arrogant and conceited clash with Nangong Miexian just now, once he enters the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, he will likely still be under the protection of the Nangong Family. Nangong Miexian is at the Demigod Peak, ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon List. To kill Yang Xiao right under his nose, I'm afraid only someone in the top five—or even the top three—of the Hidden Dragon List would have any certainty of success."

At this, the expressions of the many Divine Kings in attendance changed subtly.

Even they, as Divine Kings, dared not underestimate the top three prodigies on the Hidden Dragon List. After all, none of the powers backing those individuals were to be trifled with.

"Number one on the Hidden Dragon List is Li Yunxiao, the Direct Disciple of the Longevity Emperor. He's at the Demigod Peak and can hold his own against a Divine Marquis—a truly stunning talent. Number two is the new Saint Son of Chaofeng Pavilion, Fengg Tianyi. He's also at the Demigod Peak and once fought a Tier Seven Divine Marquis, but ultimately lost by a single move. And number three is Yuann Xiaotian, the Saint Prince of the Vajra Demon Ape Clan. He's at the Demigod Peak and once killed a Tier Six Divine Sect expert with a single punch. Rumor has it that if he had a battle record against a Tier Seven Divine Marquis, his ranking might be even higher."

The Tianyuan Divine King continued.

Although the Divine Kings present knew of these individuals, they were not privy to such detailed information.

They were nowhere near as well-informed as the Tianyuan Divine King, who understood the origins, strength, and even the personalities of these prodigies.

Beyond them,

the Tianyuan Divine King also gave a detailed account of the fourth-ranked Lin Bingyun, the new Saintess of the Nine Nether Sacred Palace, and the fifth-ranked Shui Yuntian, a disciple of the Holy Water Palace.

He laid out all the facts for everyone's consideration.

"Of these five, with the exception of Li Yunxiao, the other four all hail from Saint Emperor Level powers. Especially the second-ranked, Yuann Xiaotian, who is the noblest of all and would be very difficult to persuade. From this perspective, Li Yunxiao seems to be the best candidate."

After some discussion,

the nine Divine Kings reached a conclusion.

The Vajra Demon Ape Clan, Chaofeng Pavilion, the Nine Nether Sacred Palace, and the Holy Water Palace—all four were formidable powers that had produced a Saint Emperor in their history.

Not a single one was weaker than the Human Emperor Palace.

Persuading them to act would be extremely difficult.

This was especially true for Yuann Xiaotian, the Saint Prince of the Vajra Demon Apes. Although his personal strength was somewhat lacking in comparison, his status was significantly higher than even Gongsun Xuan's.

It would be nearly impossible to persuade him.

Of course, the statuses of the remaining two, Saint Son Fengg Tianyi of Chaofeng Pavilion and Saintess Lin Bingyun of the Nine Nether Sacred Palace, were by no means low either.

Persuading them would also require paying an enormous price.

This left the number one ranked Li Yunxiao. Although he was the Direct Disciple of the Top-tier Emperor, the Longevity Emperor, his status was comparable to that of Shui Yuntian, the disciple from the Holy Water Palace.

He would be the easiest to persuade.

However,

just as they thought Gongsun Xuan would choose Li Yunxiao and work with him to plot Yang Xiao's demise,

a single sentence from Gongsun Xuan

left every one of them staring in stunned silence.