Imperial City, inside a luxurious restaurant, Mo Long stood with dignified authority.
He took a deep breath and sighed, “I didn’t expect the Lanlan Empire to have such a woman. If she’s allowed to grow for a few more years, she might become my greatest rival.”
“Your Highness, Meng Ying’s words were as good as nothing. It’s unclear which side the imperial family will take,” an elder beside him asked respectfully.
“She didn’t say she’d support the Feng family, nor did she oppose them, only that everything depends on the greater good, with the nation’s stability as the priority,” Mo Long said quietly. “But it’s clear the Lanlan Empire’s imperial family desperately wants to break free from the Feng family’s control.”
“However, since the Moyu Empire and the Lanlan Empire have always been enemies, she naturally wouldn’t trust us. I can guess what she’ll do.”
“Most likely, she wants us to fight, holding back or pretending to act, using us to eliminate the Feng family before turning on us.”
“That would benefit us too, giving us enough energy to deal with the Feng family.”
“Don’t be fooled by the Feng family’s apparent control over all forces. In reality, the Lanlan Empire is a mess. With our two empires allied, whether the Lanlan Empire’s imperial family and other forces betray them or not, we hold the advantage.”
Mo Long continued, but a trace of doubt crossed his face. “Still, Meng Ying seems to be hiding something. From her expression, it’s as if she doesn’t have more than fifty percent confidence in our two empires.”
The elder responded, “That’s understandable. The Lanlan Empire doesn’t know our full strength. With Feng Yuntian having reached the Martial Monarch realm, even if our two nations’ experts join forces, they’re confident they can suppress us.”
Mo Long nodded slightly. “It’s possible Feng Yuntian has an even stronger trump card, but it shouldn’t surpass the combined strength of our two empires.”
…
Lanlan Empire Imperial Palace.
Ling Hu, Hu Yue, Fire Spirit Rabbit, and Xutian Wangyue were arranged to wait in the palace’s reception hall.
Lin Xiao, however, was led by Meng Ying alone into a secret chamber. With the Blue Corpse Puppet at hand, Hu Yue and Ling Hu weren’t worried about his safety.
Meng Ying bringing Lin Xiao alone into the chamber showed her immense trust in him; otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken him into the imperial family’s secret chamber.
Hu Yue was deeply worried about her father, but since Meng Ying and Lin Xiao had prior acquaintance and she requested a private talk, Hu Yue didn’t insist on joining.
Soon, Lin Xiao followed Meng Ying into the secret chamber.
The imperial secret chamber was far simpler than the palace’s grandeur, but its stone walls shielded it from external probing.
Now, only Meng Ying and Lin Xiao remained. Lin Xiao removed his mask, revealing an ordinary yet clean face to Meng Ying.
Seeing the once-youthful face now tempered with maturity and resolve, Meng Ying was momentarily stunned, then inexplicably excited. “It really is you, Lin Xiao. I didn’t expect you’d return after three years.”
“Princess Meng Ying, it’s been a while,” Lin Xiao said calmly, formally greeting her.
“It has been a while. These three years, were you at Shengyuan Academy?” Meng Ying asked curiously.
“Yes,” Lin Xiao nodded, then urgently asked, “Princess Meng Ying, I want to ask…”
“Call me Yingying,” Meng Ying interrupted.
“…” Lin Xiao paused, then continued, “Alright, Yingying, I want to ask, does the imperial family know anything about the disappearance of my father and clan?”
This was his most pressing concern.
“I knew you’d ask this,” Meng Ying said, answering directly. “Three years ago, after you fled the imperial city, the Feng and Chen families focused their efforts on tracking you and searching for your clan.”
“At that time, our imperial family and Tianxuan Sect were also searching for your clan to protect them. But suddenly, Sect Leader Yi and several of his elders vanished overnight.”
“Later, our imperial family, along with the Feng and Chen families, found traces of your Lin family. They were hiding in the Spirit Beast City’s lord’s mansion. But when we investigated, we found they, too, had vanished without a trace.”
“For these three years, we’ve kept searching, but there’s been no news of them. One thing is certain, though: the Feng and Chen families haven’t found your clan or Sect Leader Yi either. It’s highly likely they secretly escaped the Lanlan Empire.”
“They weren’t found by the Feng family?” Hearing this, Lin Xiao let out a slight sigh of relief.
Not being captured by the Feng and Chen families was a silver lining in the worst-case scenario.
Though his father and others’ disappearance still weighed heavily on him, knowing they hadn’t been caught or killed by the Feng and Chen families meant there was a strong chance they were still alive.
“Could it be Cousin and Ge Mu who took them out of the Lanlan Empire?” Lin Xiao speculated inwardly.
Ge Mu, the leader of the Moyu Empire’s Dark Reincarnation Sect, was a Martial Venerable. His cousin, Lin Qinglun, had become Ge Mu’s disciple. If Lin Qinglun had asked, Ge Mu would likely have done everything to save them.
Moreover, Yi Xuanfeng and several loyal elders vanishing suggested they might have worked together to escort the Lin family out of the Lanlan Empire.
Still, Lin Xiao felt things weren’t that simple; something seemed off.
“After dealing with the Feng family, I’ll search for Father and the clan with all my strength,” Lin Xiao decided inwardly.
Not eliminating the Feng family would always be a threat to the Lin family.
Besides, in just two or three days, even with his full effort, he likely couldn’t find his father and clan.
“By the way, what’s the current situation in the Lanlan Empire? I heard the Feng family controls all its forces?” Lin Xiao asked next.
Nodding slightly, Meng Ying replied, “Three years ago, after Feng Yuntian reached the Martial Monarch realm, the Chen family and Tianxuan Sect, now back under Yan Yitian’s control, allied with the Feng family. Originally, if the imperial family, the Zhou family, and the Spirit Controller Alliance had resisted fully, the Feng family wouldn’t have gained control. However…”
At this, a trace of apprehension crossed Meng Ying’s face. She continued slowly, “A mysterious powerhouse suddenly appeared behind the Feng family, instantly taking control of them.”
“Then, the Feng family, Chen family, and Tianxuan Sect shifted their focus from pursuing you and your clan to searching for a mysterious item.”
“After months of fruitless searching, that mysterious powerhouse turned their attention to the other forces in the Lanlan Empire. The Zhou family, the Spirit Controller Alliance, and even our imperial family were visited by this figure. Under their strength, we all had to submit.”
“Rather than saying the Feng family controls the Lanlan Empire’s forces, it’s more accurate to say this mysterious powerhouse controls the entire empire.” Meng Ying’s tone carried a trace of resentment.
For the mighty imperial family, rulers of the nation, to be controlled was a profound humiliation, impossible not to resent.
“The Feng family is controlled by a mysterious powerhouse?” Hearing this, Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed deeply.
This was unexpected, suggesting his revenge wouldn’t be straightforward.
“Have you found out what realm this mysterious powerhouse’s cultivation is in?” Lin Xiao pressed.
