Chapter 1226: 18.64 First Grey Star - Second Prince Xingju and the man at the tower.
Even though the conference at the palace is still going on, something is going on in the Tower of God. The Second Prince was on the verge of reaching the top floor when he was forced to abandon his ascent because it was evident that someone was climbing the tower from within.
A knight pointed somewhere at the tower and said, "Sir, I saw a few floors flickering just now!"
The second prince was unaware that each floor a person finished would cause lights to flicker, but he reasoned that he would escape detection if he stopped. The Royal Knights reported this outcome to the palace right after.
Meanwhile, in the throne room...
When the dungeon opened, everyone was trying to stop King Xingyun from trying to enter the Ruins of Time. After all, as the monarch of the kingdom, King Xingyun could hardly leave his place of rule, much less travel to a place like the Ruins of Time, where the prime minister and his officials would never permit their king to go.
King Xingyun said, "This throne is rightfully not mine. It would be given to someone who is destined for it when the time comes. Moreover, it's not like the ruins of time would open at this moment; there is still a year. I wouldn't abdicate out of nowhere, so don't worry."
Sigh~
Prime Minister Fu Zin said, "Please don't scare me like that, your majesty!"
"He doesn't look like he is joking, though," Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu said.
King Xingyun nodded and ignored the very commotion he caused and said, "Okay. Let's finish up the meeting."
BANG!
The door of the throne room was opened forcefully and urgently as a royal knight came running and kneeled before the throne in a knightly salute.
"Reporting to Your Majesty! Someone had entered the Tower of the Gods and was about to reach the top tower. We didn't dare to go instead and come to report as fast as we could!"
Everyone's eyes turned dark, especially King Xingyin's. They knew that what they feared was finally happening.
King Xingyun asked, "Did you investigate who it was that entered the tower?"
"We have investigated everyone in the capital and checked who was missing and... sent a group to check personally. Unfortunately, only one came out alive. He also died after seeing who it was."
"Speak! Who was it?" Prime Minister Fu Zin asked with a dark face.
"It is His Highness the Second Prince, Xingju!"
"Xingju? I see it's him. No wonder he suddenly asked to stay in the library for days. He was looking for information about the Tower of Gods," King Xingyun said. "Did he want to rebel because I didn't choose him as the crown prince? Unfortunately, that choice wasn't made because of me."
"Either way, he will be there to find you as soon as he reaches the tower's peak. If he wishes to gain the throne, you will have to fight against him," Prime Minister Fu Zin said.
He then looked at the others in the room, observing their reactions to this news. The first one to speak is Heavenly Guardian Yi Kun.
Yi Kun declared, "My Yi Clan shall lend a hand for this matter."
The clan leaders of Lu and Mo glanced at Mu Zang, but only when they saw him nod did they speak out.
Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle said, "We will lend a hand during the rebellion."
"My Mo Clan shall lend a hand as well," Heavenly Guardian Mo Xinyue said.
Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu said, "If so, then... we shall lend a hand as well."
Everyone looked at Mu Zang, waiting for him to speak. They only saw him sigh and stand up. "As per the oath I took, we shall not get involved in the political issues of the Royal Family in the Capital City. I apologize, but... I will not make a move."
"Brother Mu, I'm sorry," King Xingyun said.
Mu Zang refused to turn back and accept that apology since, in the end, he was the one who lost everything—much more than all the others combined—and he did not even know if his spouse was still alive in that cell. Ye Jieye and his children were the last of his family.
Mu Zang said before taking his leave, "Take care. I will make sure that Gu Yan will return alive at least."
Mu Zang's departure left the throne room in silence; even after Heavenly Mu Zang's departure, the others still had to get ready for the impending rebellion headed by the Second Prince Xingju. Heavenly Guardian Fei ended the call when the business involving him was concluded. He had nothing to do with what transpired in the capital the next day.
---
At the peak floor of the Tower of Gods
At last, Second Prince Xingju arrived on the top floor. Like Mu Zang and Lu Wangle, he was greeted by a massive throne, as documented in the record found in the forbidden library. However, the man who is supposed to be seated on the throne while shrouded in a black cloak is not in sight.
His people refuse to follow his orders to enter the tower, and although he is a hidden joker-class hunter, similar to Mo Xuejing, he has hidden this strength so well that no one else knows about it. This is only because he is the destined villain of this world, taking on Su Jin's original role. The power he wielded is something this world has granted him in accordance with his role.
"There is no one here! Is that record a fake!?" Second Prince Xingju said, but the anger in his face cannot be ignored.
He killed every knight who entered the tower to bring him out, ensuring that the man would only perish en route, and covered himself in blood. However, what he did not anticipate was that the man possessed a strong will and continued to survive until he reported his horrible deeds.
The blood on the sword he is wielding is from the people he has killed; the knights are among the people he detested the most in the palace; they greeted him with a salute before he did, but they also discussed behind his back how he was born into a family of concubines; he detested the current king and knew that he was not his father but rather his uncle; his father had told him everything before he passed away from illness; his father is a crippled man that his dad was compelled to serve in order to perpetuate the royal bloodline.
For this reason, he put in more work than anyone else in the palace in order to be crowned the eldest prince. Who would have imagined that he would forfeit that privilege simply because his father is not a member of a noble family? It was the noble faction that brought him down and prevented him from holding the office of crown prince, which he is entitled to as the oldest prince.
Although his uncle showed him kindness, in the end he was powerless to select his own heir; his crippled father controlled every aspect of that throne. The same useless father failed to succeed to the throne and failed to save his dying father. The only thing for which he is thankful is that his uncle gave him enough money to purchase a clean coffin for his dying father.
His appreciation is outweighed by his contempt of the royal family, which is why he wants to take the throne that his father was unable to hold and convince him that his useless son is worthy of wearing the crown that he will never be able to wear in his lifetime.
"Dammit! Is all my hard work still useless at this point!?"
Upon striking his sword with everything on the floor, Second Prince Xingju left behind a trail of gory scratches and ruin, leaving him perplexed as only the throne in front of him remained undamaged.
"What the hell is with this throne?" Second Prince Xingju mumbled as he couldn't help but approach the huge throne that looked extremely attractive in his eyes for some reason.
The second prince kept walking until he stood before the black throne as if hypnotized, and before he even realized what he had done, he had been sitting on the black throne. He had not even noticed that he had let go of his sword or that the throne before him had shrunk to the size a human can sit on.
Second Prince Xingju was shocked and tried to stand up but was unable to. "What the hell is happening?" He finally started panicking when he realized that he couldn't stand up from the black throne.
{Hahaha~ finally, there is someone who can take my place!}
A man's sinister laughter echoes through the whole floor. This voice frightened Second Prince Xingju, as he never noticed this presence when he entered the floor.
{My heir! I've been watching you ever since you entered the tower. I heard all your rumblings and your desire for power. This wish I can give you is not impossible, but in exchange... Hehehe~}
Second Prince Xingju's face turned dark, and he said, "You wanted me to take your place in this tower. You couldn't leave this place without passing this tower to someone."
{Talking to someone smart truly made things easier.}
"It is not impossible to take your place, but... how can I complete my revenge if I can't leave this place at all?" Second Prince Xingju exclaimed in anger.
{I do not understand why you are angry. Can't you see that I am standing in front of you? Leaving the throne isn't a problem; you only need to make sacrifices. It takes a lot of death and blood to be freed from that. Your situation is different from mine after all~}
The second prince screamed, "Tell me what I need to do! I don't want to stay on this throne seated forever!"
{I can let you leave for a while and take your place. But of course, since this throne is already yours the moment I leave, you will be summoned back here regardless of your circumstances. Hehe~}
Second Prince Xingju understood what this man was trying to do. He wanted him to do something for him.
"What do you want me to do?" Xingju asked.
The figure suddenly materialized in front of Second Prince Xingju, frightening him despite the fact that he did not even cast a shadow and that his aura was oppressive. There is an evil sneer on the bottom half of his face.
Second Prince Xingju asked, "What is it that you want?"
{What I want is...} The rest of the man's words only entered the ears of the Second Prince, who looked at the man in front of him in disbelief.
"Are you... telling the truth?"
{Of course, I never lie.}
"Then at that time, I will do as you want. Until then, you must protect me and hide me. You also must take my place on this throne," Second Prince Xingju said.
The man in the black cloak pulled Xingju off the black throne and sat in his instead. He looks lazy and indifferent, yet one can't deny his power with this sinister black aura around him.
{It's a deal, then. You can't go back to the promise you made to someone like me.}
Second Prince Xingju frowned and said, "As long as I can get your help for my revenge, I will keep my promise with you."
{That's good. Hahaha~ I can wait for a bit longer~}
---
At Numen Town this afternoon.
The fool that was standing in front of the Ye family's restaurant, yelling for Ye Jieye, was none other than Heavenly Guardian Gu Yan, who had fled the palace after Heavenly Guardian Lu Wangle had teased him during the meeting.
He is so cocky that his nose is about to point skyward, looking down on everyone in the town and thinking, What can these weaklings do to him if he wants to take away the bastard brat of Mu Zang? He does not realize that a few men, Uncle Butcher and Uncle Cao among them, are hidden hunters who are keeping an eye on everything he does in the town and would drag him away if he did something wrong.
Gu Yan sneered and shouted in front of the restaurant. He didn't even care if he caused chaos for the restaurant and selfishly did as he wanted.
"Ye Jieye, the grandson of Mu Zang! Come out right now while this old man is still asking peacefully!"
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