"Manqing, when did you steal the Empress's Binding Immortal Rope?"
"What do you mean 'steal'? That sounds so ugly. It's called 'taking', understand? Taking!"
"Alright, alright, it's 'taking'..." Tang Manqing immediately put the Binding Immortal Rope away again and looked at Liu Yue and Lin Xiang'er. "So, what do you think? With the strength of the three of us, plus the Binding Immortal Rope, surely we can deal with that fraud surnamed Gu, right?"
If Liu Yue and Lin Xiang'er had lacked confidence before, the moment Tang Manqing produced the Binding Immortal Rope, both of them gained it.
This Binding Immortal Rope was forged back in the day by the Yanluo Empress, Tang Henghe, using the essence of the Northern Dipper. Not only was it exceptionally powerful and formidable, but it also contained the profound mysteries of the Northern Dipper and the power of the Seven Stars, like an inescapable net. Once bound, no matter how high your cultivation, how strong your power, or how great your Fortune, you could not break free from the Binding Immortal Rope. Even more terrifying was that this rope had another name: the Soul-Scattering Whip.
As the name implied, a single lash could scatter one's soul and disperse one's spirit. It was said that in the past, when over a dozen Immortals from the Immortal Dynasty came to invade, the Yanluo Empress Tang Henghe used this very Binding Immortal Soul-Scattering Whip. With just a single flick in the air, those dozen-plus Immortals were instantly reduced to ashes.
"So?"
Lin Xiang'er shrugged. "Since you've brought out the Binding Immortal Rope, we'll lend you a hand."
"Hehe, Xiang'er is the best."
Tang Manqing then looked at Liu Yue. "What about you, Little Yueyue?"
"Since you've asked, how could I not help? Besides, if that fraud surnamed Gu continues his wicked deeds, it won't do our Crimson-Letter Sect any good either. It's just..." Liu Yue said with considerable worry, "It's just that the Binding Immortal Rope is far too powerful. You must be careful when the time comes."
"I say, Miss Liu Yue, what do you mean by that? Huh? Do you have feelings for him? Or have you taken a fancy to him?"
"Where did you get that idea?" Liu Yue rolled her eyes, saying with annoyance, "I'm just worried you might accidentally whip him into ashes with a single strike. Don't forget, he did fuse with a remnant wisp of the Monarch's consciousness. Even if he isn't the Monarch's true successor, he's not far from it. Moreover, we don't know what exactly happened in the Great Northwest nine years ago, but I don't think Fairy Hua would shield him for no reason. If you accidentally kill him, how will you explain it to Fairy Hua?"
"Don't worry. I just want to trap him, to stop him from causing trouble everywhere."
"Then when do you plan to make your move?"
"The sooner, the better."
"Do you know where he is right now?"
"No."
"If you don't even know where he is, how are you going to act?"
"Relax, I have my own methods."
"What methods?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
As the three of them were chatting, they suddenly noticed two people walking towards them.
A man and a woman.
The man appeared elegant and graceful, with an extraordinary bearing.
All three—Tang Manqing, Liu Yue, and Lin Xiang'er—recognized this man. His name was Xiao Zibai, a young master from the Xiao Family, one of the four great families of Yanluo. Moreover, he was a leading figure among the younger generation of the Xiao Family, hailed as one of the Eighteen Young Masters of Yanluo.
Since the opening of the Present Era, many young people of great Fortune had emerged within Yanluo.
Among them, the most renowned and influential were the famous Eighteen Young Masters of Yanluo.
It was no exaggeration to say that each of the Eighteen Young Masters possessed great status, great Fortune, and great background. They were either leading figures among the younger generation of the four great families or leading figures among the younger generation of the seven great sects. Their strength was no small matter; each had achieved impressive battle records.
Take this Xiao Zibai, for example.
As early as over twenty years ago, relying on his own powerful multi-colored spirit Fortune, he had defeated an Ancient Earth Immortal. At that time, his cultivation had only just reached the stage of manifesting his Dharma Idol. As for exactly how many multi-colored spirit Fortunes he possessed, no one knew. To this day, the exact level of his cultivation and strength remained unknown, because ever since the Heavenly Destiny descended nine years ago, he had gone into seclusion.
It wasn't just him. Most of the Eighteen Young Masters of Yanluo had been in seclusion for many years.
Although many geniuses of Fortune, including those bearing Edicts and Lesser Heavenly Destinies, and other prodigies born in response to the times, had emerged in Yanluo since the Heavenly Destiny descended nine years ago, no one had thus overlooked the existence of the Eighteen Young Masters.
At the very least,
Tang Manqing, Liu Yue, and Lin Xiang'er hadn't. They knew that when the Heavenly Destiny descended, each of the Eighteen Young Masters had obtained significant Fortune. It was just that due to their seclusion, outsiders were unaware. The reason these three knew was because they had also been present when the Heavenly Destiny descended.
Accompanying Xiao Zibai was a woman.
The woman was dressed in lavish attire. Whether it was the hairpin in her hair, the earrings on her earlobes, the necklace around her neck, or even the bracelet on her wrist, every piece was a priceless treasure. One could say this woman exuded luxury and wealth from head to toe.
Seeing this woman, Tang Manqing curled her lip, Liu Yue also furrowed her brows, and even the charming Lin Xiang'er flashed a trace of disgust in her eyes.
That's right.
Disgust.
All three of them detested this woman.
Her name was Bi Qiao.
She was a noble son of the Yanluo Immortal Court. Relying on her noble status, she was willful, arrogant, and domineering.
If that were all, it wouldn't have made Tang Manqing and the other two despise her so. The truth was, all three had had conflicts with Bi Qiao in previous years, and they had even come to blows.
To speak of their conflict with Bi Qiao, one had to start over a decade ago. At that time, it seemed an elder from the Ancient Era had merely glanced at Bi Qiao a few times too many. As a result, Bi Qiao ordered her people to beat that elder half to death and then forced him to kneel before her. Tang Manqing and the other two happened to be present at the time and stepped in to stop it.
Ever since then, their grudge with Bi Qiao was formed. Every time they met, this Bi Qiao would sneer and mock them, spreading rumors and speaking ill of them everywhere. Initially, Tang Manqing and the others hadn't paid her any mind, but Bi Qiao was relentless. Once, when Lin Xiang'er was performing, Bi Qiao publicly humiliated her.
This finally provoked Lin Xiang'er's anger. In a fit of rage, she gave Bi Qiao a beating. Bi Qiao was no match for Lin Xiang'er in strength, so she called in a group of people from the Immortal Court. Tang Manqing and Liu Yue immediately rushed over to back Lin Xiang'er up. The incident blew up into a huge affair, and it was only after Sister Hong from Linglong Mountain Villa stepped in that things were settled.
In recent years, as Tang Manqing had been busy with royal affairs and Liu Yue with matters of the Crimson-Letter Sect, they had rarely crossed paths with Bi Qiao. Lin Xiang'er spent most of her time performing at Linglong Mountain Villa, only coming to Yunchuan Garden Pavilion on fixed holidays. And since Linglong Mountain Villa was Sister Hong's territory, Bi Qiao didn't dare cause trouble there.
None of the three—Tang Manqing, Liu Yue, or Lin Xiang'er—had expected to run into this woman they loathed, Bi Qiao, here.