Heilong Realm.

"WHAT?!?!" Fei Yin and Wu Yuan exclaimed in shock. "Bai Yun is… Bai Yun is… the Heilong emperor's people?!" they said.

"That's just my guess." Cheng Sheng said. "Wu Ran has a beef on us, but the Heilong emperor hasn't even met us, nor we have met him. So, logically speaking, there shouldn't be any conflict between us and him." He explained.

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan gaped. "That's right… we didn't even see each other, even just a glimpse. So, how can there be a profound hate between us and him?" Fei Yin asked.

"En." Wu Yuan nodded.

"Bai Yun didn't feel hostile towards us, nor has he shown any hostility towards us." Cheng Sheng continued. "On the other hand, he is helping us. When we didn't conform to his plan of reaching the city that night, he found a way to send the information he wanted for us to know." He explained.

"You're right…" they said.

"So – " Cheng Sheng patted the head of the horse before he climbed on its back. " – Bai Yun must be genuinely helping us." He said. "Though, for some reason unknown." He added.

"What could be the reason, though?" Fei Yin asked as he and Wu Yuan climbed on the back of the horses.

"I have a faint guess. Do you want to hear it?" Cheng Sheng asked as he grabbed the rein of his horse.

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan almost slipped off of the back of their horses. "…" you have more ideas?!

"I am thinking they wanted us to help them kill the Four Demonic Leaders." Cheng Sheng said as his horse started to walk.

"WHAT?!?!" Fei Yin and Wu Yuan are shocked. "WHY?! How did you know that?!" they asked.

"It's actually simple." Cheng Sheng spoke as he turned to them following behind him. "The Heilong emperor is the most powerful person in this realm. But, even if that is so, he is just one person. So, he needed people to help him manage this vast land." He explained. "Later, as time goes by, he promoted them to be the demonic leaders. There are also the Patrician Houses." He said.

"So, more powerful factions emerged and threatened him on that seat." Wu Yuan said.

"Yes." Cheng Sheng nodded. "And, as one becomes powerful, they are bound to be drunk on their power. So, it is inevitable for them to crave for the throne of the emperor." He explained.

"So, the demonic leaders should want to kill the Heilong emperor." Fei Yin said, then suddenly paused when he remembered something. "That thing back then in Bai Yun's stable… the Patrician Houses and the Four Demonic Leaders… could it be - ?" his eyes widened and he looked at Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Sheng nodded, understanding what Fei Yin wanted to say. "En. The Patrician Houses and the Four Demonic Leaders wanted to join forces to dethrone the Heilong emperor." He said. "To kill him."

Wu Yuan nodded in realization. "If it's just them by themselves, then they definitely can't defeat, much less kill the Heilong emperor. So, they would help each other. That way, they'll become stronger." He said.

"Yes." Cheng Sheng nodded. "But…" the corner of his lips rose.

Fei Yin's eyes widened and he started. "The one we heard earlier…" he said. "The conflict of the Four Demonic Leaders…" he said.

"Yes." Cheng Sheng spoke. "I am guessing it is the Heilong emperor's plot." He said.

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan didn't speak. They just looked at each other wearing a complicated expression on their faces.

"A civil war." Cheng Sheng said. "For the Heilong emperor, the Four Demonic Leaders are more threatening to him than the Patrician Houses. So, he would deal with them first." He explained. "But, he can't directly assault the Four Demonic Leaders. Thus, he planned to have them four kill each other." He finished.

"So cunning!" Fei Yin exclaimed.

Wu Yuan nodded in agreement. He shuddered at this devious plan of the Heilong emperor. He hasn't been exposed to this kind of plots because he was raised in a secured and full of warmth environment. The only time he had suffered hardship is from Wu Fan being so strict with him as his father, and his pursuit with Sun Yi. Other than that, there is none.

So, he is entirely shocked with this scheming. The scheming he encountered are Qi Ling and Wu Ran. But, their objective for scheming is direct – domination. However, the Heilong emperor… "Borrowing a knife to kill someone." He said.

This plan is very meticulous. The Heilong emperor must be very careful for his deeds to be noticed, so that his plan won't fail. Or else, it'll backfire to him. The losses will be greater than the gains. Or, he wouldn't have gained anything at all.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "He can't lay a hand on the Four Demonic Leaders on the surface. Thus, he must plan." He said.

"Why?" Fei Yin asked. "Aren't the demonic cultivators direct in killing?" he said, feeling confused.

"They are." Cheng Sheng answered. "That is, if they have no image to keep." He said.

"'image'?" they asked.

"What is an image?" Cheng Sheng asked back as their horses walked down the meadow. "It is a symbol. And the Heilong emperor is the symbol of the demonic cultivators." He explained.

"Then, shouldn't he just directly kill the Four Demonic Leaders? Since the demonic cultivators kill whoever that they wanted to kill." Fei Yin said.

Cheng Sheng nodded his head. "That's true." He said. "But, what if they care more about their image?" he asked.

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan stared at him, waiting for his explanation.

"The Heilong emperor is putting up this image of his not towards his own people, but to us – the righteous cultivators." Cheng Sheng said.

"Huh?" Fei Yin and Wu Yuan became more confused.

"Think about it. If the Heilong emperor would kill the Four Demonic Leaders, what would that make him as?" Cheng Sheng asked. "What would we, the righteous cultivators, think?" he added.

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan seriously pondered. "If the Heilong emperor would kill the Four Demonic Leaders… that means he felt threatened of his subordinates and he killed them because of suspicion." Wu Yuan said.

"And us, the righteous cultivators, would think…" Fei Yin spoke and his eyes widened. "… that they have an internal strife!" he said.

Cheng Sheng smiled. "Yes. And if we, the righteous cultivators, would find out that the demonic cultivators have an internal strife, then we would grab this opportunity to kill them while they are in a scattered state." He explained.

"Oh!" Fei Yin and Wu Yuan exclaimed in realization. "That's brilliant!" they said.

"But – " Cheng Sheng said as he tilted his head. " – we not only found out about this internal strife, but it was them who informed us of it." He said.

"Oh." Fei Yin and Wu Yuan muttered and fell silent. "That's right. It's them who told us about this. Why would they do that?" Fei Yin asked.

"Borrowing a knife to kill someone." Wu Yuan said.

"Oh! That's right! The Heilong emperor also wants us to join the fray, right, and kill the Four Demonic Leaders?" Fei Yin said.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "Yes. Either he is confident that we can kill the Four Demonic Leaders, or that…" his voice faded as his eyes narrowed.

"Sheng? What is it?" Fei Yin called when he saw Cheng Sheng suddenly fell silent.

"Nothing." Cheng Sheng shook his head. He smiled at them. But, his mind is in a whirl.

Logically speaking, the Heilong emperor shouldn't let us, the righteous cultivators, find out about their internal strife since we will definitely grab this opportunity to strike them. Cheng Sheng thought. But, the Heilong emperor want to inform us through Bai Yun. And twice, when we didn't follow Bai Yun's instructions the first time. He shook his head. This is so contradictory.

If the Heilong emperor informed them just to borrow their strength to kill the Four Demonic Leaders, then this is so perfunctory. There are just three of them, and they are even only in Nascent Soul Stage. If the Heilong emperor wants to kill them by having the Four Demonic Leaders kill them when they join the fray while the Four Demonic Leaders are battling, this might be logical…

But Cheng Sheng still felt there's something more than this. What is it, though? His brows knitted.

"Sheng? Sheng." Fei Yin called as he patted Cheng Sheng's shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh." Cheng Sheng muttered as he fixed his expression. "Just… I'm worried." He answered.

"About?" Wu Yuan asked.

"The Heilong emperor is very cunning. He wants us to join the fray of the Four Demonic Leaders battling and use this chance to kill us by making us a casualty of the Four Demonic Leaders' battle." Cheng Sheng explained.

"Ah." Fei Yin and Wu Yuan muttered and looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness. "So, us on their way now…" they said.

"Yes. We have already fallen to the Heilong emperor's plan." Cheng Sheng said.

"…" f*ck! This is 'when you're not seeking death, but death seeks you'!