"Junior Ling, these people seem a bit off..." Dao Ming Zhenren whispered.
"I can see that," Ling Hefan replied quietly.
Their simple exchange reflected their complex emotions at that moment!
Ling Hefan and his companions fell silent, their gazes fixed warily on everyone present.
"Master," Ling Hefan asked in his mind, "are you sure there's no danger here?"
"Absolutely certain," Frost's Lament replied in a seductive voice. "There is no danger here, only delicious souls!"
However, Frost's Lament's words did not bring him any peace. He remained vigilant.
Despite analyzing from every angle and finding no discernible threat, Ling Hefan still felt a sense of unease.
This was an intuition honed by countless life-or-death moments, one that had saved his life time and again.
Danger...
Where could it be coming from?
"Junior Ling, perhaps you're overthinking it?"
Dao Ming Zhenren, on the other hand, felt nothing out of the ordinary, his tone laced with a hint of disdain.
"These fellows are too weak, posing no threat whatsoever!"
Seeing their continued silence, Liang Dekuai watched them with his usual benevolent smile.
But he was perplexed. What was wrong with these people?
He had asked them questions, yet they refused to answer?
How utterly rude!
Suddenly!
A minister, seemingly drunk, staggered and fell to the ground.
"Thump!"
The sudden noise shattered the oppressive silence.
Then, the minister pulled something from his ring.
A white bedsheet!
The sheet didn't look clean, and in fact, bore numerous footprints.
After spreading the sheet, the minister grabbed one side and rolled himself in it.
"Gurgle—"
He was completely wrapped within the sheet!
Once done, he lay on the ground, his body wriggling like a maggot...
He looked like a giant grub, inching forward...
And his direction of movement was straight towards Ling Hefan and his group...
As the grotesque figure drew closer, Ling Hefan's unease intensified!
Even Dao Ming Zhenren and his elders and disciples felt an inexplicable jolt of apprehension!
Before long, the minister wiggled his way to a disciple.
He raised his head, his intelligent gaze sweeping over the disciple.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he lowered his head again and rubbed against the disciple's leg a few times...
The disciple recoiled as if struck by lightning, leaping back!
"Holy hell!"
"Disgusting!"
"What in the world is this thing?!"
"Why aren't Master and the others doing anything?"
"These guys are clearly weaklings, why aren't they attacking yet?"
Since the leaders remained silent, the ministers also refrained from speaking.
They all stared intently at Ling Hefan and his group, their eyes glinting with a strange excitement...
Someone, for no apparent reason, let out a "Heh heh" laugh.
It wasn't loud.
But in the quiet environment, it was remarkably conspicuous!
And then, the sound seemed to spread like a contagion...
"Heh heh..."
"Heh heh heh..."
"Hee hee hee..."
...
It exploded, a sudden outbreak!
Uncontrollable!
Imagine this:
A group of imbeciles with contorted faces, incessantly letting out "heh heh" or "hee hee hee" laughter directed at you...
"Master, are you sure everything is alright?" Ling Hefan asked hesitantly in his mind.
"What's with all the nonsense!" Frost's Lament retorted impatiently. "Just fight!"
With the response received, Ling Hefan stealthily tugged at Dao Ming Zhenren's sleeve.
"Senior Dao Ming, have someone probe them in a bit," Ling Hefan whispered. "I'll go check the surroundings."
"Alright, Junior Ling," Dao Ming Zhenren nodded. "You go ahead!"
Ling Hefan acknowledged with a nod and quietly moved towards a corner of the square.
He trusted Frost's Lament.
But he trusted his own intuition even more!
So he decided to lie low and observe from the shadows.
After Ling Hefan departed, Dao Ming Zhenren immediately signaled an elder.
The elder understood immediately, raising his hand and launching an attack at the bedsheet-wrapped minister on the ground!
"Damn it!"
"I've had enough of this thing for a long time!"
"Bang—!"
The spell made contact with the minister, sending him flying!
After the impact, Dao Ming and his group tensed, adopting defensive stances, bracing for a potential counter-attack.
After all, they had made the first move; the other side couldn't possibly remain passive, right?
But what happened next left them bewildered once more...
"Good!"
Liang Dekuai exclaimed, leading the applause!
His beaming smile clearly indicated his genuine joy!
Since the emperor applauded, the ministers dared not lag behind.
They clapped their hands vigorously.
"Clap clap clap clap clap clap!"
One minister, overcome with excitement, stomped on a table, raising his arm and shouting, "Give us another one!"
The grub-like minister rolled several times on the ground before stopping.
Then, he twisted his head left and right, politely exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues.
"You're too kind, too kind."
After the pleasantries, he continued to inch towards Dao Ming and his group, as if truly intending to perform another act...
Seeing this, Dao Ming Zhenren's frown softened.
Although he didn't know the cause, he was now absolutely certain that these people's minds were severely compromised!
He felt a surge of shame and anger at the thought that he had been intimidated by a group of fools!
"Damn it!"
"Sect Leader?" the elder who had attacked earlier inquired. "What do we do next?"
"What else can we do?" Dao Ming gritted his teeth. "No need to hold back!"
Upon hearing this, the other elders and disciples became exhilarated!
They had been holding back for so long, just waiting for these words!
In an instant, they unleashed a barrage of spells, launching a full-frontal assault on the Liang Emperor and his subjects!
"Rumble—!"
"Rumble—!"
"Rumble—!"
...
Wave after wave of violent explosions.
An area of dozens of zhang was instantly flattened!
Smoke and dust billowed, obscuring the sky!
The Liang Emperor and his subjects were swallowed by the devastation, without even a chance to scream!
Dao Ming Zhenren nodded in satisfaction.
Junior Ling had been too worried; they should have done this long ago.
A few wind cultivators casually conjured gusts of wind to disperse the smoke.
And then, everyone was stunned again...
Although their clothes were tattered, the Liang Emperor and his subjects were still seated there, unharmed...
Their expressions, however, appeared more contorted than before.
And the wisdom in their eyes had deepened...
Everyone's heart skipped a beat!
"How is this possible?!"
"We used our full strength just now!"
"They didn't even sustain superficial injuries???"
"Ah! It hurts so much!" a minister wailed. "Your Majesty, these people are too unfriendly!"
"Your Majesty, may I fight them?"
"Your Majesty, I request to engage!"
...
The ministers, rubbing their bruised areas and baring their teeth, looked towards Liang Dekuai.
Liang Dekuai subtly rubbed his backside.
"These people are very unfriendly to our Great Liang Kingdom. Attack!"
Liang Dekuai's words acted like a stimulant; all the ministers charged forward with roaring cries!
There were no fancy moves, only brute force!
A bizarre situation unfolded once more!
Their speed, though seemingly slow, was deceptive.
In the blink of an eye, they had reached Dao Ming and his group!