322: Chapter 322 Palace Intrigue

Upon entering the gates of the Jinyue Martial Arts Hall, Tang Long immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere.

The students and staff looked at him with strange expressions, avoiding his gaze as if terrified of speaking to him.

Even sworn friends like Mad Dog and Golden Scorpion didn't show their faces, and even his loyal little brother, Lu Xiaohu, had a stiff expression and was stuttering.

"Tang... Big Brother Tang, Miss Shang and... that someone are all in your room, and Sister Miao and Sister Jiang just went over there too. And..."

Tang Long's face twitched. "And what?"

Lu Xiaohu's little face wrinkled as he leaned in close and quickly reported in a whisper, "The High Priest is here."

Tang Long let out a dry laugh, ruffled his hair, and walked quickly upstairs.

Princess Lai Anniya had not come alone; she was accompanied by two Spirit Map Realm clan Elders.

In the main reception hall on the top floor of the Jinyue Martial Arts Hall, Dr. Shi was sitting there awkwardly. In the other corner of the living room, High Priest Shang Yuleng sat in his red priestly robes, not saying a word.

"You two, please have some tea." Dr. Shi made a gesture of invitation.

But the two Blue Blood Clan Elders only nodded slightly, not daring to reach for their teacups, for fear of angering the Huagai Realm powerhouse beside them.

The host couldn't speak, the guests dared not say anything, and the air felt as thick as cement.

Just then, Tang Long pushed the door open and walked in.

Dr. Shi and the two Blue Blood Clan Elders quickly stood up and greeted him.

"President, you're here."

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Tang Long nodded at Dr. Shi, then frowned as he looked at the two Blue Blood Clan Elders.

"Why did you suddenly come here?"

"This..."

"Something has happened that requires Your Majesty's decision. Furthermore, Her Highness misses Your Majesty, so we..."

"Fine. Put your matters aside for now. Dr. Shi, take them to the guest room to rest first. We'll talk after I finish speaking with the High Priest."

Dr. Shi, as if granted amnesty, quickly put on a smiling face and ushered the two clan Elders out.

Then, Tang Long sat directly in the main seat of the sofa and called out to High Priest Shang Yuleng, "Come on, Old Shang, tell me what this is about? You're not here because of women, are you?"

High Priest Shang Yuleng only then silently stood up and sat beside him.

"When I first received the news, I was also very shocked. To say I didn't mind at all would be a lie."

"However, I believe Your Excellency has your own reasons for doing things."

"King of the Blue Blood Clan, brother-in-law of the Howling Queen, that is... brother-in-law of Ye Baiqiao. I cannot currently understand the significance of this identity."

"But... you have already received the baptism of the Holy Dragon Power, haven't you?"

Tang Long took a sip of tea. "It's more than just a baptism. I also led the Blue Blood Clan and fought a battle against the Alien God's army. An Alien God Saint called Badamon was killed by me."

High Priest Shang Yuleng was shocked. "Badamon, one of the Nine Saints of the Alien God, is a legendary powerhouse above the Huagai Realm. Your Excellency, how did you manage that?"

Tang Long waved his hand. "I'm not that powerful; it was mainly relying on God Descent."

God Descent.

The weight of these two words made High Priest Shang Yuleng's face stiffen.

Originally, he felt that since he had achieved the Huagai Realm, his status and position would naturally rise. Even if Tang Long hadn't taken Shang Yuqing seriously before, he should reconsider their relationship now.

But he never expected that just as the situation was improving, such a thing would happen. He had just seen Princess Lai Anniya, and indeed... she was stronger than his sister in all aspects.

He didn't dare to hope for his sister to be the sole object of Tang Long's affection; after all, Tang Long's reputation and power were growing day by day, making him an unrivaled bachelor in the country. There were already excellent girls like Miao Manman and Jiang Xiaolan eyeing him, and there would only be more in the future.

He would settle for second best, even if she could just be on par with Princess Lai Anniya. But after just a few words, he felt... the weight of the Huagai Realm might not be that high in Tang Long's heart.

He could only put these thoughts aside and continue to ask: "Your Excellency, I would like to ask you to be honest with me."

"Speak."

"Are you really a Saint? And which Saint are you exactly? Have you remembered yet? Can you give me an idea?"

"After all, the Holy See's delegation is coming."

Tang Long let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-cry, and shook his head.

"We are grasshoppers on the same rope; I should tell you, but you won't like the answer."

"I am indeed a Saint, but I do not belong to the Red Religion."

High Priest Shang Yuleng was shocked. "What! You are not a Red Religion Saint! Then how do you possess the mask of calamity?"

A flash of golden and red light appeared on Tang Long's hand, and the mask of calamity and the Torch Spirit Blood Spear appeared in his hands together.

High Priest Shang Yuleng's face twitched.

"You... this..."

"Then your..."

High Priest Shang Yuleng stammered, but Tang Long answered very concisely.

"My boss is, of course, the one in the temple."

High Priest Shang Yuleng's face twitched even more violently. It took him a long while to recover, and he let out a long sigh.

"I should have guessed it earlier; if that weren't the case, why would that one be so cooperative in staying to help us?"

"In that case, we absolutely cannot agree to the so-called screening by the Holy See's delegation."

"It would be best if they didn't even see you."

Tang Long nodded with a smile. "That's what I think too. If they come politely, we refuse; if they come hard... you handle it first, and if you really can't hold them off, we'll talk then."

High Priest Shang Yuleng looked up and sighed. "The problem now is that I am not actually a High Priest of the Red Religion~~"

"My power, especially at the Huagai Realm level, is entirely from the Yuanwu God's cultivation system."

"According to normal religious etiquette, when receiving Archbishop Meng Fan, one should invite him to the Sacred Fire Hall to worship the Red God."

"But now... the Sacred Fire is extinguished, and I am a fake... this worship ceremony is absolutely impossible."

"Even if there is too much contact, someone like Archbishop Meng Fan might notice something unusual."

"By then, you and I will become public enemies of the Red Religion!"

"Your Excellency, the Red Religion is in Dongyu because the Holy See is in Dongyu. But the Red God is the God of Blood and Fire; wherever blood and fire exist, His faith exists, as do many branch religions—even Yuanwu is no exception."

"If such a serious act of blasphemy spreads, I fear even the Red God Realm will send envoys to hold us accountable, or even bring down divine punishment!"

"This, this, this..."

Seeing High Priest Shang Yuleng getting more and more agitated and his expression becoming increasingly fearful, Tang Long poured a cup of tea and shoved it into his hand. "Calm down!"

"The number one priority for the gods right now is dealing with the Alien God; they are very busy. Otherwise, why would the Red God have made no move even after their own church has been occupied for so long?"

"Taking a step back, even if it does spread, so what? Who doesn't have a god behind them?"

High Priest Shang Yuleng muttered to himself, 'You are a Saint and can invoke a God Descent at any time. But my Old Ancestor has too many descendants; I'm afraid he doesn't have time to directly take care of me.'

"Since you understand the consequences of being exposed, keep it hidden tightly."

"Use the Holy See's attitude toward me as an excuse, and let Lv Yang and the others just fob off the delegation."

"Anyway, we'll fall out sooner or later, so what if we don't meet them?"

"However, just in case, we should start arranging an escape route. It would be best to send Shang Yuqing away in advance."

High Priest Shang Yuleng took a deep breath, but then frowned. "Shang Yuqing is stubborn and her heart is tied to you. Now that this has happened, I'm afraid I won't be able to persuade her."

Tang Long sighed and stood up. "I'll go talk to her."

He went downstairs to his room and pushed the door open. Several flowery faces in the room turned toward him, a true contest of beauty.

However, Tang Long clearly felt that their eyes were filled with a murderous intent as if they wanted to kill him three thousand times over.

Jiang Xiaolan was the first to gloat. "Look who's here!"

"Isn't this our President of the White Clothing Society, President, Royal Knight, Academician of the National Academy, instructor at the Military Academy, professor at the Divine Academy—oh right, and now also the son-in-law of the Blue Blood Clan, Boss Tang Long?"

It was sarcastic and mocking.

Tang Long didn't give her a pleasant look either. "What business is it of yours?"

"Who are all these people here? Why are you crowding in?"

"Since Governor Jiang's marriage proposal didn't work out, are you trying to sell yourself?"

Jiang Xiaolan was dazed by this combination of attacks and was speechless for a moment, quickly hugging the arm of Miao Manman next to her. "Don't talk nonsense! I... I came with Sister Manman!"

"Does she need your company? She is a Jin Yue employee, and it is working hours now; she is on duty. What about you?"

"As a student, you should be studying and cultivating at school instead of running over here to gossip!"

"The final exams are in a few days. As the first-year leader of the White Clothing Society, will your grades be convincing? Or will you continue to rely on your Jiang Family's influence to make others dare to be angry but not speak out?"

"That's right, your grandfather is the Governor of Song City now, and the Jiang Family's influence is even greater."

"I..."

Tang Long didn't even listen and turned directly to Miao Manman. "Secretary Miao, I don't recall having any matters here that require your efforts."

"Your current task should be to take over the Hot-Blooded Mansion, right? Why are you here?"

"Is it because your work is finished and you feel idle, or do you not want to work anymore?"

Miao Manman was also caught off guard by the question. She wanted to get angry but couldn't say a word, so she could only cast her gaze toward Shang Yuqing.

Shang Yuqing snorted and put down her legs that were crossed on the coffee table. "Taking over Hot-Blooded is my business. I sent Manman to check on it, and heard that guests had come to the house, so I called her back."

Tang Long narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two of them, and felt... the relationships between women were ever-changing. Shang Yuqing and Miao Manman were like fire and water before; how did they become allies in just a few days?

As expected, enemies are the best catalyst for eliminating conflicts. However, this is a high-martial arts script with a big male lead; is it appropriate for you all to be playing harem politics here?

So Tang Long said just one sentence, "The High Priest is waiting for you upstairs."

Shang Yuqing's full-blown anger stalled, then she shot a glare at Princess Lai Anniya and immediately walked out of the room in her high heels. Miao Manman and Jiang Xiaolan were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed her out.

After playing this trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain, Tang Long sat down directly opposite Princess Lai Anniya and stared straight into her eyes. "Before I left, I left word for you to remain with the clan and wait for me to return."

"Now I ask you, am I still the Blue Blood King?"

"If I am, why did you disobey my orders? If I am not, why did you come looking for me?"

"Explain."

Princess Lai Anniya pursed her lips, her little face tense. She had originally wanted to hold him accountable, but now she had been struck by a blow to the head.

After holding it in for a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "My sister sent word saying that she has already found traces of my brother-in-law. But he is trapped, and she hopes we can send people to help."

"It was your order that we should immediately find a way to notify you as soon as we had news of this, so I hurried to find you. I didn't expect... I didn't expect..."

As Princess Lai Anniya spoke, two lines of crystal-clear tears already flowed from those big, beautiful eyes.

Tang Long was greatly shocked. While his brain spun rapidly, he quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. Ye Baiqiao... found?

This is completely wrong! According to the timeline, Ye Baiqiao's appearance should be in the Late Stage of the first version, that is... more than a decade later!

But now, the Howling Queen has already found him and has already started the rescue. If he were to help as well, wouldn't he be out very soon?

If he comes out, not only will the situation in Dongyu be difficult to control, but even some of the plot lines he knows will probably be completely unrecognizable. In other words, he will lose a large part of his prophet advantage.

So, this favor... should he help or not?