Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace.
"Has the matter with Zhao Gao been handled?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. As you instructed, we did not kill him, but gave him a lesson he will never forget."
"Heh, interesting. I want to see if he will stir up more trouble in the future, or if he'll completely fade into obscurity. Either that, or become even more insane."
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng, may suspect us."
"It doesn't matter. As long as there is no solid evidence, what does a mere suspicion count for? Do you think I would fear him?"
Now that the Heavenly Dao Gold Rankings had appeared, Zhu Houzhao was confident he would earn a spot on the list.
Soon, all the strongest figures in the Nine Provinces would turn their eyes to the Ming Dynasty.
A mere Ying Zheng was no longer worth worrying about.
Compared to those ancient monsters who had lived for thousands of years in hiding, the rulers of these dynasties were simply insignificant.
"Send someone to Baiyue City in the Qin Dynasty and monitor the situation in secret."
"If Princess Su Yue encounters danger, you may intervene and help her. If not, then there is no need to reveal yourselves."
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, do not expose your identities."
"The degree of involvement, you can decide on your own."
The leader of the Dark Guards bowed respectfully. "I will not let Your Majesty down."
==========
Qin Dynasty Imperial Palace.
Boom!
"Zhao Gao, what on earth happened?"
"How did things turn out like this?"
Ying Zheng's face was filled with anger as he stared at Zhao Gao.
Someone had dared to commit such acts within the borders of the Qin Dynasty.
Zhao Gao was one of his most trusted officials, and now someone had severely injured him. This was a blatant slap in the face.
As an emperor, how could he tolerate this?
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for your humble servant!"
"Those villains are too wicked. They dared attack a court official in broad daylight. They clearly have no respect for Your Majesty."
Zhao Gao wore a pitiful expression.
Gone was the usual sinister and cunning look.
His disguise was so convincing that even Ying Zheng had nearly been fooled.
"National Master, can you explain this?"
"Zhao Gao seems to be under your Yin Yang School's Six Soul Curse."
"Why would your clan target him? Is this your way of showing dissatisfaction with me?"
Ying Zheng's eyes grew sharp as he looked at Yue Shen. His imposing aura surged forth.
Even Yue Shen felt nervous under the pressure.
"Your Majesty, this is impossible."
"There are only a handful of people in the Yin Yang School capable of using the Six Soul Curse."
"At the time Zhao Gao was attacked, Lord Eastern Sovereign was pursuing the Eastern Monarch. There's no way it was any of them."
"This must be a deliberate attempt to drive a wedge between Your Majesty and our Yin Yang School."
Yue Shen quickly explained.
"Oh? The Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi is pursuing the Eastern Monarch, Yan Fei?"
Ying Zheng's interest was piqued.
Yue Shen paused briefly before replying.
"The Eastern Monarch has now confirmed her breakthrough into the Land Immortal realm and has completely betrayed the Yin Yang School."
"Even with Lord Eastern Sovereign's strength, he was unable to defeat her."
Ying Zheng was secretly pleased. This outcome was even better.
If the Yin Yang School had two Land Immortals, it would pose a serious threat to the Qin Dynasty.
Now, this situation brought him relief.
Even if it was all just a show between Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi and Yan Fei, he was happy to see it play out.
Then, the topic shifted back to Zhao Gao.
"National Master, can you determine what actually happened here?"
"Your Majesty, although Lord Zhao Gao appears to be afflicted by the Six Soul Curse, it is fundamentally not Yin Yang School's Yin Yang Technique. Instead, it resembles Dao School True Qi."
"Hmph, are you implying this was done by the people of Dao School?"
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes and gave a cold snort.
Naturally, Yue Shen could not admit anything.
Whether it was their doing or not, the blame had to be pushed onto someone else.
"It is highly likely that this is the work of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and someone who harbors deep hatred for the Yin Yang School."
Yue Shen responded calmly.
"The Hundred Schools of Thought? Heaven Sect of Dao School? Human Sect? Mohist School? Confucian School? Agricultural School? Diplomatic School? Or perhaps, the Yin Yang School itself?"
Zhao Gao's heart stirred, and the names of the Hundred Schools of Thought flashed through his mind.
A deep hatred welled up in his eyes.
Their internal struggles had turned him into a pawn.
Outrageous.
Detestable beyond words.
At that moment, Zhao Gao's hatred wasn't only directed at the Yin Yang School, but at all the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Daoism, Confucianism, Mohism, Agriculture, Diplomatic, all were added to his blacklist.
If the opportunity came, he would make them pay dearly.
Though his heart burned with fury, on the surface he still looked pitiful.
He had become a cripple and was under a curse. If he made a single wrong move, Ying Zheng might completely abandon him.
If that happened, his fate would be worse than death.
He had to protect his life and the power still in his hands.
"Your Majesty, this may be a conspiracy devised by the remnants of the Six Kingdoms in collusion with the Hundred Schools of Thought."
"Over the years, I have repeatedly sent people to eliminate their remaining influence. They must bear great hatred for me."
"This ambush was meant to harm me, but their real target is still Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty must be cautious. These remnants will not stop so easily."
Yue Shen nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhao Gao's words make sense."
"National Master, you may withdraw. I will handle this matter myself."
As he watched Yue Shen leave, Ying Zheng's face grew dark.
Remnants of the Six Kingdoms?
The Hundred Schools of Thought?
Did they really think he was so easy to deal with?
Could the Yin Yang School also be involved?
From now on, they could no longer be trusted.
This incident might not have excluded the Yin Yang School after all.
On the surface, it appeared to be an attack on Zhao Gao, but the true target might have been Ying Zheng himself.
Suddenly, as if something occurred to him, a flash of light passed through his mind.
His expression grew thoughtful.
"Zhao Gao, do you think this might have been the work of other major dynasties?"
"The Han, the Sui, the Tang, the Song, or perhaps even Yuan and Ming?"
Hearing Ying Zheng's question, Zhao Gao's heart skipped a beat.
It was definitely possible.
He knew for a fact that he had long standing grudges with the Sui and Tang dynasties.
He had a deep enmity with Emperor Yang of Sui.
Given Yang Guang's personality, it wouldn't be surprising if he wanted him dead.
The Tang Dynasty as well.
The conflict between the Bad People and the Net Trap was constant.
Hatred ran deep on both sides.
And the other dynasties could not be ruled out either.
The struggle between imperial dynasties was far more complex and terrifying than mere martial sect feuds.
In the eyes of those supreme emperors, Zhao Gao, the leader of the Net Trap, was nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
Targeting him was merely a step toward a larger goal.
The real objective was likely Ying Zheng himself.
With that realization, Zhao Gao was filled not only with anger but also deep frustration.
And worst of all, he had no way to retaliate.