The "Emperor Chen Lie" fainted so easily.
Li Shuang used her spiritual power to stimulate him, waking him up again.
However, this "Emperor Chen Lie" merely trembled, muttering that everything had nothing to do with him, refusing to say anything more.
Li Shuang gave him a meaningful look, raised her hand slightly, and gently struck the back of his neck.
This time.
The "Emperor Chen Lie" truly fell unconscious.
"The core of the formation is in Zhaoyang Palace? Is this credible?" Luo Mingyue had a headache. "You guys think about it! Just let me know what you want to do once you've figured it out!"
Luo Mingyue propped her head up and zoned out.
It wasn't that she didn't want to use her brain.
It was just that if she did... it would be better not to.
No, no, that's not right. This is called giving her junior brothers and sisters a chance to shine!
As soon as Luo Mingyue thought this, she immediately cheered up.
Liu Juncheng thought for a moment and said, "Regardless of whether it's true or false, Zhaoyang Palace cannot be overlooked. Someone needs to guard it at midnight tomorrow."
"But if this person is deliberately setting up a decoy to attract our attention, and we focus too much on Zhaoyang Palace, we might miss the true core," Sui Jin said.
Li Shuang looked at the unconscious "Emperor Chen Lie" on the ground, a flicker of thought in her eyes.
She had just tried to ask the Heaven and Earth Furnace where the core of this grand formation was.
But the Heaven and Earth Furnace demanded a price beyond her current means.
It was clear that this formation was extraordinarily mysterious, and to find its core, one had to decipher the entire formation.
And Li Shuang couldn't afford the price to decipher the formation right now.
They could only rely on themselves.
Li Shuang thought through the entire incident from beginning to end.
She always felt that something was a little strange about this matter.
Someone was indeed deliberately luring them into a trap.
But the problem was.
The mastermind shouldn't have lured them into the trap at this time.
Clearly, after tomorrow, the mastermind would be able to steal the nation's fortune.
Their presence should only be an obstacle to the mastermind.
Li Shuang's expression shifted slightly.
She had a vague intuition that the person who led them here and the mastermind might not be working together.
So, who was this fake "Emperor Chen Lie" delivering messages for?
Li Shuang turned and calmly said, "There's still some time until midnight. Let's first search the entire palace, identify a few potential core locations for the formation, and guard them separately. If there's any anomaly, send a message immediately to notify the others."
Li Shuang thought for a moment and added, "I'll take care of Zhaoyang Palace."
"That's all we can do," the others nodded.
"Alright, alright," Luo Mingyue stood up impatiently. "It looks like we'll get to fight tomorrow no matter what!"
Time was pressing, so everyone wasted no time and split up again.
They started by meticulously checking the newly built structures from recent years.
The Wuding Peak disciples were busy in the imperial palace.
Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue, at first, stayed in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, enjoying the most luxurious treatment in the mortal world.
But during the day, they still noticed the actions of the Wuding Peak disciples.
The two couldn't help but find Liu An.
"What are those Wuding Peak people doing in the imperial palace?" Sheng Yuan couldn't help but ask.
Liu An was unaware of the inside story; he just said with a bitter face, "Emperor Chen Lie is missing. They're probably looking for the real Emperor Chen Lie."
Liu An looked at Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue with some confusion. "Didn't the senior brothers and sisters tell you?"
As fellow true disciples of the Sword Sect, and on a mission together, logically, Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue should have a closer relationship with the Wuding Peak disciples than he did with them.
Sheng Yuan's expression immediately changed.
Emperor Chen Lie was missing!
He didn't think it was a big deal.
But!
Why were Li Shuang and the others hiding it from them?
They were all Sword Sect disciples; what was there that they didn't know!
Seeing the strange expressions on Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue's faces, Liu An didn't dare to say more and scurried away.
Sheng Yuan couldn't help but grit his teeth. "She completely considers herself a Wuding Peak person now."
No matter what, she only talked to the Wuding Peak people. What about them?
She didn't even mention it.
Shen Yue remained silent, unsure what to say.
"Do you know what Fellow Daoist Li and the others are busy with?" Ye Zhaozhao walked in.
As soon as she spoke, Sheng Yuan's face became even uglier.
Ye Zhaozhao couldn't help but show a surprised expression. "It's one thing for me not to know. But you don't know either?"
Sheng Yuan couldn't help but grit his teeth. "We don't care to know either!"
"Could it be... related to Sui Jin's mission?" Ye Zhaozhao said softly. "The difficulty of this mission has far exceeded its difficulty when Sui Jin accepted it. The final reward should be very generous. Logically, you've also helped a lot and should receive a portion of the reward. They clearly have some clues now. If you don't get involved, I'm afraid the final reward... won't have anything to do with you."
Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue's expressions immediately changed.
There was such a deeper meaning to it?
Goodness!
These Wuding Peak people were truly despicable!
"I'm going to go ask them right now!" Sheng Yuan stormed out, full of righteous indignation.
Shen Yue looked helpless but followed him.
Ye Zhaozhao's eyes flickered slightly.
The system's voice rang in her mind: "These Wuding Peak people are indeed sharp. They must have discovered something wrong with the imperial palace. If I'm not mistaken, they are looking for the core of the formation. If the core of the formation is destroyed, and the formation cannot take shape, they still have a chance to win. If the formation truly takes shape, the entire Chenrong Kingdom will become a land of death. Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue are brainless, so they should be able to somewhat hinder them."
Ye Zhaozhao nodded, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.
These two were only useful for this much.
She hoped they could cause more trouble for Li Shuang and the others.
Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue searched for a long time and happened to run into Li Shuang, who had just come out of a newly built palace.
As soon as Li Shuang saw the two of them, her expression became slightly speechless.
She and these people from Lingxu Peak truly had some ill-fated connection.
Sheng Yuan narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but say, "Senior Sister Li, we're all doing this mission together. It's probably not right for you to try and monopolize the reward, is it? Whatever clues you have, you should share them now."
Li Shuang sighed.
Sheng Yuan frowned. "Why aren't you speaking? Feeling guilty?"
Li Shuang said calmly, "Do you know why I don't tell you?"
Sheng Yuan said without hesitation, "Naturally, it's because you're afraid we'll take a share of the reward."
Li Shuang said calmly, "Because you're too stupid."
Sheng Yuan & Shen Yue: "???"
Sheng Yuan was even more furious for a moment.
He was about to say something.
The Black Abyss Sword instantly unsheathed.
"Soul Sever."
Li Shuang's thin lips parted slightly.
A strange power spread, and the two's eyes instantly went blank, falling straight down.
Li Shuang casually tied the two of them up, then found an empty palace and threw them in.