#676 - The Invisible Battlefield (VII)

There wasn't a breath of wind in the room. The heat from the charcoal fire seemed to solidify, enveloping Yan Huaiqing, causing fine beads of sweat to appear on his forehead without him even realizing it.

His eyes were wide, and his rapid breathing was clearly audible to everyone, filled with intense fear.

Without a doubt, what Wei Changtian had just said was incredibly ruthless and devastating.

It not only completely set Yan Huanwen and Yan Huaiqing against each other but also seized the initiative in this negotiation.

Even if I kill you and cooperate with your father, I can still achieve my goal.

So, in my eyes, you are completely dispensable.

Amidst this sudden change, Yan Huaiqing didn't have time to think too much and almost subconsciously believed Wei Changtian's words.

As for whether this matter was true or false...

Clearly, it was false.

Although Wei Changtian hadn't spoken with Yan Huanwen, Wei Zhaohai had proposed similar conditions to the latter.

And Yan Huanwen had rejected them without a second thought.

The reason might be that he hadn't expected Yan Huaiqing to be so heartless, not even thinking of saving him.

Or perhaps he hated Wei Changtian too much, willing to die himself to make Wei Changtian pay the price.

Or maybe some other reason.

But it was a lie that sounded entirely plausible.

With Yan Huaiqing's intelligence, he should have some doubts after he calmed down.

He wouldn't even need to guess; he could simply have Tang Chen use his mind-reading ability again to discover the truth.

Unfortunately, now that Wei Changtian had gone this far, he certainly wouldn't give Tang Chen a third chance to read his mind.

Furthermore, he would use this opportunity to add fuel to the fire, directly shattering Yan Huaiqing's psychological defenses.

"Your Highness, why are you silent? Do you regret coming to this Zishan Hall?"

"Do you think that if there hadn't been today's negotiations, everything would have been fine?"

Without pausing for too long, Wei Changtian quickly looked at Yan Huaiqing, who was drenched in cold sweat, and said indifferently:

"Then I can only regretfully tell you that regardless of whether there are negotiations or not, regardless of what you do, I can kill you whenever I want."

"You should know quite a bit about me, having heard that I can kill a Rank 2 expert with a single move."

"But to be honest, my methods are far more numerous than you imagine."

"In my eyes, you are just an ant that can be crushed at any time."

"So, do you know how I felt when I saw you looking so complacent and smug just now?"

Shaking his head, Wei Changtian sneered at Yan Huaiqing, who was filled with shock and anger:

"Heh heh."

"Truly, it's both pitiful and laughable."

"..."

Both pitiful and laughable.

Wei Changtian's six words expressed only one meaning: condescending contempt and mockery.

Pitiful, because you are weak.

Laughable, because you are weak and unaware of it.

These two words, and the meaning within them, were undoubtedly a great insult to Yan Huaiqing, a prince of a nation, causing his face to turn completely red in an instant.

He stood up abruptly, his tightly clenched fists trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with unparalleled anger like raging flames.

However, Wei Changtian still sat calmly on the chair, reaching out to pick up the teacup that Li Zimu had just placed down.

"Your Highness, I know you prepared a lot for today's negotiations, thinking you could gain some advantage from me."

"And now that everything has become futile, you will naturally feel a lot of unwillingness in your heart."

"But in my opinion, what you've done is all too naive..."

Speaking to this point, Wei Changtian turned his head to look at Tang Chen, whose face was heavy.

"You think you're guaranteed victory just by bringing someone like this?"

"Yes, this person is indeed somewhat useful for dealing with those military spies."

"But in front of me, he's just an ant like you."

"What? You don't believe me?"

Lowering his eyes, Wei Changtian no longer looked at the trembling Yan Huaiqing.

He simply raised the teacup to his lips and said indifferently:

"Your Highness, aren't you firmly convinced of what Young Master Tang says?"

"Then let him tell you himself..."

"..."

Amidst everyone's astonished, suspicious, fearful, and bewildered gazes, all different but incredibly complex, Wei Changtian lowered his head and took a light sip of tea.

And at the instant the tea entered his mouth, Tang Chen on the opposite side, as if seeing some ferocious, malevolent ghost, suddenly widened his eyes, his eyes tearing apart, and his hands trembled violently.

His mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make a sound from his throat. His body instinctively wanted to retreat, but he forgot that he was still sitting in the chair.

"Crash! Clatter! !"

"Thump!"

The wooden chair overturned, knocking over the tea table, and the teacup shattered on the ground.

Tang Chen fell to the ground in a disheveled state, no longer having the calm and composed demeanor he had just had.

He didn't even bother to wipe away the few drops of tea on his face, but just stared blankly at Wei Changtian, his eyes filled with panic.

Golden Scaled True Dragon, Crimson Flying Fish, Carved Wing Black Panther, Red-Crowned White Goose...

Four huge and terrifying exotic beasts crowded in the air, baring their fangs and claws, roaring and snarling at him incessantly.

The deafening roars of the beasts crashed against his eardrums, and invisible air currents in the air made it difficult for Tang Chen to even breathe.

The Tapir Leopard, which had been lying prone at his feet, had long since fled back into his dantian, and all irrelevant scenes gradually disappeared from his vision.

At this moment, Tang Chen could only see Wei Changtian, who was lowering his head to drink tea, and the four ferocious exotic beasts surging behind him.

All thoughts ceased.

Under the intense visual impact, Tang Chen was simply repeating the same sentence instinctively, trembling incessantly.

"No, impossible..."

"This, this is impossible..."

"..."

Silence.

In the entire room, apart from Tang Chen's incomparably fearful voice, not a single sound could be heard.

For the people who couldn't see the Qi Luck Divine Beasts, they certainly didn't know what Tang Chen's "impossible" referred to.

But judging from Tang Chen's current appearance, anyone could understand that he had been scared out of his wits by Wei Changtian using some unknown means.

However, the crowd couldn't see or hear anything.

In their perspective, Wei Changtian was just sitting there drinking tea.

This scene, which couldn't be more normal, didn't make them feel relaxed. Instead, they felt a layer of fear stemming from the unknown in their hearts.

"Young, Young Master Wei..."

His face instantly changed from flushed to pale, Yan Huaiqing no longer doubted anything Wei Changtian had just said.

He didn't even dare to look at the still distraught Tang Chen.

"Pa."

On the other side, Wei Changtian glanced at him, gently put down the teacup, and pointed to the empty tea table next to Li Zimu.

Yan Huaiqing was stunned at first, and then he understood what it meant.

He hurriedly ran to the side, found a new teacup, poured a cup of tea with some trembling, and then walked to Li Zimu's side.

"Miss, Miss Li..."

"Po, Poor service, please forgive me..."