Chapter 185: It's Time for the Seven Deadly Sins to Resound Throughout the World

"That doesn't seem like a bad thing. Isn't your ultimate goal to take revenge on the Royal Family? With the Revolutionary Army's help, you could achieve that much faster."

Nangong Mengli sighed. "I thought the same thing at first. That's why I met with the Revolutionary Army and told them I'd stay in Star City, wait until I took control of the Murong Family, and secretly aid them.

"They agreed, but they had another demand."

"What demand?"

Nangong Mengli looked at Su Mu with an unreadable expression and spoke slowly. "They want to see you."

Su Mu's eyes flickered, immediately catching the implication. "They want to meet Pride?"

"Right. They want to see Pride, and it's my fault." Nangong Mengli looked frustrated. "Because I'm a noble, joining the Revolutionary Army is extremely difficult. They were afraid I was a spy, so I revealed part of my true objective: killing Murong Zhuo!

"I didn't reveal that I was a descendant of the Nangong Family. I only told them that Murong Zhuo murdered my mother, and that having seen too much of the nobility's darkness, I wanted revenge and intended to overthrow the nobles."

Su Mu understood completely. "Only the Revolutionary Army knew your goal was to kill Murong Zhuo. You had already arranged to leave Star City and defect to them before the birthday banquet. But not only did you stay, Murong Zhuo was killed by Pride. Most importantly, when you stepped forward to confront Pride, he spared you."

He chuckled. "With all that, even a fool could tell you have some connection to Pride. Otherwise, it would all be far too coincidental."

Nangong Mengli nodded, her face grim. "Exactly. I might have fooled the Law Enforcement Bureau, but I couldn't deceive the Revolutionary Army. Since they knew my motives, they easily guessed that Pride and I were putting on an act at the banquet. They concluded that I know him, and explicitly demanded to see him this time.

"If I refuse, they'll expose my secret ties with the Revolutionary Army to the public, condemning me to a death without a grave."

"Haha..." Su Mu's smile widened. "No wonder the Revolutionary Army has survived the Chiyan Empire's encirclement campaigns. If they were just a bunch of hot-blooded, naive idealists trying to overthrow the nobles in the name of justice, they never would have lived this long."

Nangong Mengli agreed. "Since ancient times, those who achieve great things have naturally resorted to whatever means necessary. It just so happens they used those means on me."

"How many people did they send?"

"One."

"Oh? Daring to seek out Pride—a suspected Gold powerhouse—alone, especially with Sikong Zhen currently keeping watch over Star City... It seems this person is also Gold."

"The one who came is Yan Moxie, one of the three major vice-commanders of the Revolutionary Army. A Gold powerhouse!" Obvious dread flashed through Nangong Mengli's eyes at the mention of his name.

The words 'Gold powerhouse' sparked deep interest in Su Mu. "Sikong Zhen and Yan Moxie, two Gold powerhouses, both looking for Pride. Things are getting more and more interesting.

"Especially this Yan Moxie. He knows perfectly well that you have a connection with Pride, yet he still chose to threaten you. This proves his goal isn't to recruit Pride into the Revolutionary Army."

A cold glint flashed through Nangong Mengli's eyes. "They would never let Pride join the Revolutionary Army."

"Why not?"

"Because Pride killed nobles."

"Hahaha..." Su Mu burst into uncontrollable laughter. "So that's how it is. I didn't expect the Revolutionary Army to be this amusing. They've never actually killed a noble. Even when they capture one, they just use them to ransom money from the Chiyan Empire. They're terrified of crossing the empire's bottom line and triggering a frantic counterattack.

"Could it be that their true purpose in forming the Revolutionary Army is simply to negotiate a royal amnesty?"

"I'm not sure about that. In their own words, the Revolutionary Army is still relatively weak compared to the Chiyan Empire. They are far from ready for an open fallout. Right now, the Chiyan Empire is beset by internal strife and external threats. On the outside, the Blood Moon Empire is eyeing them like a tiger; on the inside, the major nobles are divided and constantly infighting.

"Because of this, the empire hasn't spared much force to deal with the Revolutionary Army. But the moment the army crosses that bottom line, they fear it would enrage every noble, uniting the aristocracy against them." A faint, mocking sneer curled the corners of Nangong Mengli's lips.

"That's human nature." Su Mu smiled. "To the nobles, it doesn't matter who sits on the emperor's throne, as long as they remain nobles. The Revolutionary Army understands this, so they don't dare offend the aristocracy past the point of no return. Just like in ancient times—dynasties come and go like water, but the great noble houses stand like iron. They fight their wars, but it's only the commoners who die. No matter who takes power, they still have to rely on those aristocratic families.

"Let me guess. Yan Moxie's purpose in seeking Pride is blatantly obvious. He probably wants to use the Seven Deadly Sins to assassinate some nobles, plunging the Chiyan Empire into chaos while conveniently drawing the empire's fire away from the Revolutionary Army."

"What are you planning?" Nangong Mengli asked, her voice laced with worry. Only she and Su Mu knew the truth: the so-called Seven Deadly Sins was nothing but an empty shell. It was not the rumored organization composed of seven atrocious Gold powerhouses. Even Pride, the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, was merely a Bronze Transcendent.

"I'll meet him, of course. Not only will I meet him, I'll do it openly and boldly! Whether it's Sikong Zhen or Yan Moxie, since they have come for a sincere visit, how can the Seven Deadly Sins neglect their guests?"

Gradually, a grandiose plan took shape in Su Mu's mind. It was time for the name of the Seven Deadly Sins to resound throughout the world.

...

...

In a quiet villa in the Lower District.

Yang Dongqing stood at the door, holding a bouquet of jasmine flowers. "Jasmine! I'm back."

Knock, knock, knock...

He knocked firmly on the front door. He and Jasmine had bought this villa together. After joining the Bronze Coffin, he had earned a good amount of money, and Jasmine was also pulling in a decent income from releasing her records. As a result, the two had pooled their funds to buy a villa, finally bidding farewell to their dilapidated little bungalow.

"Out for a performance again?" Yang Dongqing scratched his head. His phone and keys had long since been lost in the ocean at the Sea Kingdom, leaving him completely locked out of his own house.

Glancing at the expensive door, he couldn't bring himself to smash it open. Instead, he simply ran over to a public phone booth to call Jasmine.

"Beep, beep, beep... The number you have dialed is powered off. Please try again later."

"No answer? Looks like she really is performing. I'll just go wait for her at her company. She'll definitely head back there once her show is over."

Yang Dongqing hailed a cab and headed straight for Jasmine's company.

The roads in the Lower District were cramped, narrow, and long overdue for repairs, leaving them riddled with potholes. Sitting in the taxi, Yang Dongqing bounced up and down with the vehicle's constant jolting.

The bouquet of jasmine in his hands suffered the same fate, its delicate petals squashed by the bumpy ride.

"Master, slow down a bit! My flowers are going to be ruined!"

Amidst Yang Dongqing's complaints, a tender jasmine petal drifted silently to the floor.