Chapter 19: Plotting to Overthrow the New Emperor

From then on, the empress did not pay a visit to Mount Sword again. Lin Ran put this matter to the back of his mind and dedicated his days to cultivation in the cave.

After an unknown period of time, Lin Ran slowly opened his eyes. A glint flashed across his eyes as his expression turned cold. “A few more rats ran into my territory.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blinked and he instantly disappeared from the spot.

Near the forbidden area, a few black figures passed through the mountains like ghosts under the cover of the night. However, they did not know that their every move was being watched by a pair of eyes in the darkness.

The night wind blew, causing Lin Ran’s sleeves to flutter. He stood on his sword in midair with a silver moon hanging above him. He looked like an immortal descending from the moon, looking coldly at this group of people in black.

No one noticed his existence. As everyone knew, the Ten Miles Sword God was in seclusion, and Daoist Li and the Mountain Guardian were not strong. Who would have thought that a freak like Lin Ran would appear?

“Recently, there have been more and more people in black approaching this area.”

Lin Ran frowned. This was the third time he had seen these people. However, he did not want to alert them so he didn’t make a move. In addition, he wanted to see what these people in black were up to.

At the same time, he noticed that the cultivation methods of these men in black were different. From this, it could be seen that they were not from the same faction.

“Who are they and what do they want?”

Lin Ran smelled a conspiracy.

These men in black were probably afraid of attracting the Sword God’s attention and did not stay for long before they left. Lin Ran thought for a moment and followed.

A hundred kilometers away from Mount Sword at the border between the Heavenly Saint Dynasty and the Great Yong Dynasty, it was deserted and used as the gathering place by the people in black.

Until now, no one had noticed that they were being followed. After all, with Lin Ran’s current level, only someone above Senior Grandmaster Realm couldn’t notice his presence.

Senior Grandmasters were that common at all.

Lin Ran observed for a moment and realized that the people here were all quite strong. The weakest was at the ninth level of the Martial Artist Realm. Groups of some ten people were constantly patrolling the area.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was so heavily guarded that even a fly couldn’t escape.

People with this much power to mobilize so many cultivators were definitely not to be underestimated. What’s more, these people seemed to be plotting something.

In the tent not far away, silhouettes reflected by the lamplight were moving around on the canvas. When the men in black entered the tent, Lin Ran quietly followed.

To him, no matter how heavily guarded this place was, he could get in as if he was invisible.

In the tent.

“Everyone, please listen to me. With the new emperor ascending to the throne, the imperial court is in turmoil. The current emperor is not a wise ruler. For the future of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, we should work together.”

Hearing this, Lin Ran couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “You make it sound so righteous. In the end, you’re just planning to overthrow the current emperor in the name of saving the dynasty and make yourself the new emperor.”

There were three people sitting on the main seat. One of them was a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes who exuded a formidable presence. There was a four-clawed coiling dragon pattern on his chest that only regional vassals were allowed to use. He was the one who spoke just now.

Three groups of men in black came to report.

“Did you find anything unusual during this investigation?”

“King Zhao, we’ve investigated the entire Mount Sword, but there’s no sign of anyone. Other than the forbidden area at the mountaintop, we checked everywhere. It’s not easy to get close to the mountaintop because we’re afraid of alerting the Sword God.”

King Zhao fell into deep thought and looked at the others. “What do you think of this matter, Official Zhang?”‘

If the empress were here, she would definitely be shocked. This was because the person sitting beside King Zhao was the senior statesman, Sun Zhanghong.

He usually looked amiable and was respected by everyone in the imperial court. No one would’ve expected him to be on the same table with Kind Zhao, and he now looked nothing like what he normally looked.

Sun Zhanghong’s face darkened. After pondering for a moment, he said,

“The former emperor once gave the word that no one was allowed to disturb the Sword God. From then on, we’ve never seen the Sword God again. I’m afraid only the current emperor knows about the situation up there.”

The third person on the table emitted an intimidating aura that was hard to not notice. He should also be in the realm of Grandmaster.

“Official Sun, what you mean is that you don’t know if the Sword God is in the forbidden area or not.”

“You could say that, but I can’t guarantee it.”

It turned out that they were the ones who sent out the men in black. From the looks of it, they had been plotting this for a long time.

“The most important thing now is to find out if the Ten Mile Sword God is still around.”

No matter who it was, they were equally afraid of the Sword God. After all, he represented the supreme power in the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. He alone could defend thousands of troops and most importantly, he was loyal. With him around, the current emperor need not fear anything.

“King Zhao, what you said makes sense. If the Sword God was still alive, why would His Majesty refuse to invite him out? In my opinion, it’s very likely that he’s no longer around.”

“But it’s said that back then, the Sword God subdued the demon and was therefore compelled to stay on the mountaintop to guard the demon. Perhaps we’re wrong. If he’s still around and we act rashly, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

They discussed endlessly without coming to a conclusion.