Chapter 665: Seven-Star Sword Tomb (Part 2)

Chapter 665: Chapter 352: Seven-Star Sword Tomb (Part 2)

“…”

Xing Man looked at the message on the treasure, and the last bit of resentment in her heart dissipated along with it.

She gazed at the Sword Tomb below, now sealed, and the coldness on her face was replaced by guilt.

“I understand,” she replied.

Inside the Sword Tomb.

Han Court received the message, and an almost imperceptible sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Then, communicating with his Heart Spirit, he sent out another message.

“Spread the news that I have entered the Sword Tomb.”

The message was sent to the Han Family.

Soon, the news that Han Court, a cultivator at the National Guardian Realm, had entered the Sword Tomb, leaving the Imperial City under the sole protection of Xing Man, spread secretly throughout the Seven Stars Kingdom.

…

Seven Stars Kingdom, outside the Imperial City.

Black-clothed Chu Ming walked on the main street, the Sword Gourd Spirit covering the Imperial City ahead.

As expected, the grand array of the Seven Stars Kingdom Imperial City was activated, with strict security measures in place.

Fortunately, after breaking through to the Late Stage of the Sea of Qi Realm, the Sword Gourd Spirit strengthened again, greatly enhancing his detection ability, now able to cover the entire capital of the Seven Stars Kingdom.

Before long, the Sword Gourd Spirit successfully penetrated the Imperial City, detecting the aura of the Seventh Realm.

“This person should be Xing Man.”

Confirming Xing Man’s location, Chu Ming didn’t pause and continued scouting, but he was unable to detect the most powerful figure in the Seven Stars Kingdom, Han Court.

“Is he really not in the Imperial City?”

Just as he covered the capital, he heard people secretly discussing that Han Court had personally led a group at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm into the Seven-Star Sword Tomb and was indeed not in the Imperial City.

What was initially suspected to be a trap now seemed that Han Court truly was not in the Imperial City.

In other words, at this moment, the Imperial City was guarded only by Xing Man.

Chu Ming sat at a tea stall on the street, ordered a cup of tea, and continued to probe with the Sword Gourd Spirit.

He felt that something was amiss.

A cup of tea later.

“Secretly spreading, ordered dissemination?”

Chu Ming’s eyes flashed slightly.

“It seems that Han Court intentionally spread it…”

“So, is this Seven Stars Kingdom’s strongest using Xing Man as bait, setting a trap, or are the two of them colluding?”

From the current situation, the Imperial City indeed seemed like a trap, with multiple layers of schemes in place.

Just like the Imperial City of Yi Yang Kingdom back then, the Imperial City of Seven Stars Kingdom was the home of Seventh Realm powerhouses like Han Court and Xing Man, full of hidden dangers, and rash entry posed too great a risk.

Not to mention, just the grand array based on the seven major palaces, with its contained energy, once activated, even someone like Han Court at the Middle Stage of the Returning to the Origin Realm might perish.

“I possess the strength to slay someone at the Seventh Realm, but truly entering like this would likely be a one-way trip.”

Arrays are largely unpredictable, and just the energy detected can reach such a level; once activated, the power would only increase.

The Imperial City is not easy to raid; ordinary methods won’t suffice.

After some thought, Chu Ming came up with two solutions.

“The first is to enter the Imperial City actively, but with disguised methods, approach Xing Man, and catch her off guard.”

“There’s a premise—the Han Court is truly not in the Imperial City.”

Approaching Xing Man is not difficult, and taking down someone at the early stage of the Returning to the Origin Realm isn’t much of a challenge; the main concern is that the Imperial City itself is a trap, with Han Court, a Middle Stage powerhouse, hiding in the shadows, waiting to activate the array within the city.

“The second method is to lure Xing Man out.”

Luring Xing Man out is safer and more secure, but how to lure her out and whether it’s possible, all require re-planning.

Apart from that, he also had to consider one other matter—whose hands the True Intent Soldier Embryo was in.

If Xing Man hadn’t handed the True Intent Soldier Embryo to Han Court, then capturing Xing Man would secure the Soldier Embryo, and there’s no need to remain in the Seven Stars Kingdom.

If the True Intent Soldier Embryo had already fallen into Han Court’s hands, capturing Xing Man wouldn’t be as meaningful.

But precisely because it’s unknown whose hands the Soldier Embryo is in, and currently, only Xing Man is overtly in the Seven Stars Kingdom’s Imperial City, Chu Ming’s tentative target is Xing Man.

After contemplating for a moment, he devised a plan.

“The risk of entering the Imperial City is too great, so it’s not worth considering for now. The priority is to find a way to lure Xing Man out of the Imperial City.”

“…Xing Man wants to take revenge on me, that can be utilized.”

“…”

Half an hour later.

A figure flew out of the Imperial City, but it wasn’t Xing Man; it was a middle-aged man with the cultivation of the early stage of the Sea of Qi Realm.

This man was named Pang Chong, none other than the Seventh Star Lord of the Seven Stars Kingdom.

Before Han Court entered the Sword Tomb, Pang Chong had seen Han Court.

“Seventh Star Lord, once I enter the Sword Tomb, spread the news that I’m not in the Imperial City.”

“Also, half a day after I enter the Tomb, send a message to the Second Star Lord, saying you’ve discovered the tracks of the culprit who killed Xing Hong and Xing Rong.”

Although Pang Chong was at the National Guardian Realm of the Seven Stars Kingdom, he was groomed by Han Court and naturally obeyed him.

Therefore, once the time was right, he left the Imperial City, planning to find a place to send a message to Xing Man.

“No, no…”

Pang Chong flew some distance and suddenly felt something was wrong.

“Han Star Lord has deep feelings for the Second Star Lord. Is it possible that just because of the recent conflict between the Han Family and Xing Family, he would target the Second Star Lord?”

“If things go wrong, then I, Pang Chong, and my Pang Family might not even need things to go wrong for Han Star Lord to silence us, following the footsteps of Xuan Jing and Xuan Yun….”

Pang Chong felt a chill down his spine.

He originally thought that once Han Court dealt with Xing Man and the Xing Family, he, Pang Chong, would become the Second Star Lord of the Seven Stars Kingdom, and his Pang Family would become the second-largest family.

But after deep consideration, he realized the serious implications.

“No, I, Pang Chong, struggled hard to cultivate to the Sea of Qi Realm, I can’t just become someone else’s tool so easily.”

When faced with life and death, all training, all favors, seemed insignificant.

“Han Court originally gave me the Sword Tomb’s opportunity, thinking that one day I’d become a scapegoat!”