He paused.
Blinking a couple of times, he said with sincerity, "So, Your Majesty sent me here primarily to persuade you two elders to work together with Her Majesty in one accord!"
"The Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect were never of one heart and mind. They are only here because a shared interest drives them..."
"If we can keep our own ranks from falling into chaos, and then send someone to sow discord between the Buddhist and Demon Sects, we might even be able to claim final victory without losing a single soldier or shedding a drop of blood!"
Hearing Li Chang’an’s words,
the five or six members of the Royal Family and Relatives present fell deathly silent.
However, they weren’t lost in thought over Li Chang’an’s plan. On the contrary, their silence was for the purpose of probing and assessing Li Chang’an’s background.
The timing of Li Chang’an’s appearance was too strange.
Before they made a move, they had to figure out his origins and background.
The middle-aged man spoke up. "If Su Ying has an idea, she can come discuss it with my father and the Second Elder personally. Why send an outsider of unknown origin like you? Did you use some kind of trick on her?"
Li Chang’an said nothing.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man thought he was scared, and his courage grew.
Although they still hadn’t figured out how Li Chang’an had appeared behind them like a ghost, the fact that he seemed afraid suggested that his Cultivation was likely not as exaggerated as they might have imagined. It was highly probable that he had used some special Magical Treasure for Concealment.
This answer also best fit the intelligence the middle-aged man had gathered.
After all, just yesterday, they had finished investigating Li Chang’an’s identity and background. They knew he was only thirteen or fourteen this year, and they knew he had no special origins or backing.
No matter how much of a heaven-sent genius he was, the most he could have cultivated to by now was the Peak of the Innate Realm.
The Peak of the Innate Realm might make one a regional powerhouse out in the wider world.
But here, it was nothing worth mentioning.
The Grand Elder and the Second Elder were long-renowned Royal Grandmasters whose strength had already reached the Transformation Realm.
Even taking a step back, if Li Chang’an had broken through to the Grandmaster realm, the two of them working together could still kill him with ease!
Having figured out Li Chang’an’s background, the middle-aged man gained a measure of confidence, and his tone became aggressive.
He rebuked him harshly, "Since you are here on official orders, why didn’t you announce yourself first? Why threaten two Grandmasters? Do you realize that trespassing in the rear courtyard of the Prince’s Mansion is a capital offense!?"
While he was still running his mouth, too afraid to make a move,
the far more experienced Grand Elder and Second Elder, veterans of the Jianghu, had already taken action the instant Li Chang’an’s attention was divided by his conversation with the middle-aged man.
The Grand Elder had been holding a game piece in his hand.
At this moment, that piece became a lethal weapon in his grasp, shooting toward Li Chang’an’s temple from an extremely difficult and tricky angle.
The Second Elder’s movements were even more discreet.
He drew several Silver Ropes from his sleeve. With a sharp flick of his five fingers, the Silver Ropes spread out into a spiderweb-like formation, sealing off all of Li Chang’an’s potential escape routes.
If Li Chang’an dared to move an inch,
the sharp and durable Silver Ropes would tear him to shreds.
Before these two experienced Grandmasters, the series of attacks was nearly instantaneous. Having silently laid their trap, the two were about to see how Li Chang’an would counter.
But when they looked up, they discovered that Li Chang’an, who had been standing there a moment ago, had once again vanished from their sight.
A look of astonishment appeared on both of their faces.
They had originally assumed Li Chang’an had relied on a Magical Treasure to sneak up behind them for a surprise attack.
They never imagined that even while they were fully focused on him, Li Chang’an could still disappear from their perception!
That ghostly speed... As he moved, they couldn’t even detect the slightest trace of his aura.
What did this mean?
It meant that Li Chang’an’s control over his power had long ago reached a godlike state of perfection—lifting the heavy as if it were light.
This was not a simple matter of a cultivation Realm.
It was a kind of absolute mastery over one’s power and body, a profound and mysterious state.
Only by being in such a state could one write a Martial Arts Mythology.
And only in such a state could one break through the limits of the human body.
Even though both the Grand Elder and the Second Elder were long-renowned Grandmasters, and even though they had painstakingly sought to comprehend this state for many years, to this day, they still hadn’t grasped the true essence of lifting the heavy as if it were light.
But now, this state, which represented the absolute peak of the Martial Dao, had appeared in a youth who was far, far too young.
’What kind of monster *is* this?’
Sensing that something was terribly wrong, the muscles and Inner Qi throughout their bodies tensed up, preparing to defend against an attack that could come at any moment.
"WHOOSH!"
The wind from a fist strike rushed toward them.
The Second Elder sensed the danger. The threads in his hands coalesced into layers of nets, as if they were free, attempting to block Li Chang’an’s punch.
But these threads, which on any other day could kill a Grandmaster, snapped like ordinary spider silk under Li Chang’an’s simple, unadorned fist.
Li Chang’an’s fist passed through the web of threads.
It landed squarely on the Second Elder’s chest. The bones at the point of impact let out a sickening "CRACK."
The Second Elder coughed up a mouthful of blood as his entire body was sent flying backward.