Lin Jin, the Old Schemer, Revealed One Trump Card After Another

"Where do you think you're running?!"

The Void Refinement stage assassin wielding a blade slashed through the air. His Blade Qi tore across the sky, directly severing the Void Rift Lin Jin had ripped open.

At that moment, the eyes of all four Void Refinement cultivators brimmed with murderous intent. Lin Jin was actually at the Early Void Refinement Stage, and judging by the dense aura around him, he had clearly broken through long ago.

Among the Nine Princes, only four had broken through to the Void Refinement stage. Now, there was another one.

The crucial point was that the first four had revealed themselves openly, while Lin Jin alone had been hiding his strength.

For him to endure and conceal himself so deeply, who knew how many more methods he had yet to reveal? They had to kill him today.

At the same time, the four of them made up their minds to kill him.

The Battle for Succession had not yet begun. A man like Lin Jin would surely show weakness while secretly building up his strength, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the others. They would not allow such a hidden threat to exist.

"Kill him!"

The four charged at Lin Jin together. Heaven and earth began to tremble, while the ground itself seemed unable to bear the pressure and cracked apart inch by inch, a terrifying sight to behold.

Countless low-level demon beasts in the mountain forests fled in all directions, their faces filled with terror.

Zhang An's eyes were also full of shock. Clearly, he too had only just learned that Lin Jin was at the Early Void Refinement Stage. Still, he shouted:

"Your Highness, leave me behind and run!"

Lin Jin ignored him. He removed the jade pendant from his waist and threw it at the four men.

In an instant, violent energy poured forth, swallowing all four of them.

The energy seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth. The surrounding void shook madly as enormous Void Rifts appeared one after another.

As the explosion rang out, a vast pit instantly appeared in the earth, stretching for dozens of miles. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Jin tore through the void with Zhang An and departed.

He knew that strike could never kill all four of them.

As for Zhang An telling him to flee alone, that was never an option.

Even if he escaped today, how could he escape the Battle for Succession?

Lin Jin's expression was ugly to the extreme. Among the Eight Princes, he alone was insignificant and lightly regarded. Ever since his birth, almost no one had supported him.

The other princes, however, all had more or less support from their mothers' families, making their paths far smoother than his.

Thus, Lin Jin had learned to hide his strength from childhood onward, intending to compete for the position of Crown Prince only after he had accumulated sufficient power.

Unfortunately, heaven did not grant his wishes. Jinghong King had abdicated far too suddenly. Though Lin Jin possessed many methods, the fact remained that he had only two Void Refinement cultivators under his command.

If he abandoned Zhang An, that would mean he had only one Void Refinement cultivator left at his disposal.

When the day of the Battle for Succession came, he would undoubtedly lose.

And what awaited him would be a reckoning from the new king.

Damn it!

Lin Jin's eyes were filled with unwillingness. If only he had been given a little more time—one hundred years, even just one hundred more years—he would never have been in such a miserable state.

In one hundred years, he could accomplish many things. He could break through to the Mid Void Refinement Stage, even the Late Void Refinement Stage, and recruit more Void Refinement cultivators.

Then, when he fought for the position of Crown Prince, his odds of victory would increase greatly.

Yet only a few dozen miles after he teleported away, four incomparably powerful auras rapidly pursued him. They were no longer as imposing as before, however.

"The Seventh Prince certainly has impressive methods!"

Along with the voice, a Void Rift dozens of meters long was torn open.

Immediately afterward, a blade radiance slashed toward Lin Jin.

The power of this strike was even greater than before. Wherever it passed, space collapsed inch by inch, terrifying beyond measure.

At the same time, three other incomparably sharp attacks came hurtling toward Lin Jin.

The panic on Lin Jin's face abruptly faded into calm. He suddenly stopped and looked coldly at the four behind him.

All four attacks were blocked ten meters in front of Lin Jin, as though an invisible barrier stood there.

Seeing this, the four men's hearts jolted.

"Not good!"

At that very moment, firelight began flashing across heaven and earth. Massive pillars abruptly rose from the surrounding space, each engraved with mysterious, bizarre crimson runes.

Within the area enclosed by the pillars, the temperature suddenly began to rise. Even Void Refinement cultivators found it somewhat difficult to endure.

The four tried to rush out, but overwhelming pressure radiated from the four pillars, making it impossible for them to move.

Lin Jin's eyes were ice-cold. "This Sky Burning Purgatory Array was originally meant to be used during the Battle for Succession, to trap and kill Void Refinement Perfection cultivators. I never expected to waste it on the likes of you."

"You... deserve to die!"

The Sky Burning Purgatory Array!

An advanced Earth Rank formation, renowned for its overwhelming killing power.

Feeling themselves continuously being refined away, all four revealed terrified expressions.

The Seventh Prince actually had another trump card?

And his scheming was simply too terrifying. From the very beginning, he had calculated everything.

He revealed his cultivation to make them wary, then used the explosion to buy time before setting up this formation here and waiting for them to take the bait.

Lin Jin had calculated every single part of it from the start.

"All of you, die!"

Lin Jin roared, his eyes filled with sharp ferocity.

This formation was one of his trump cards, yet he had been forced to use it now. That meant his original twenty-percent chance of victory in the Battle for Succession had fallen by a great deal.

The four immediately cried out in pain. The scorching heat was unbearable; within thirty breaths at most, they would be melted alive.

"Are you people still not making your move?!"

Duan Wuhuan could no longer hold back his roar. He cultivated an ice-attribute technique, and the blistering heat made him feel awful beyond endurance.

As his voice fell, a sharp sword radiance suddenly slashed out from the void. The Sky Burning Purgatory Array was directly cut open, and the temperature within began to drop continuously as the formation neared collapse.

It was extremely difficult to break the Sky Burning Purgatory Array from within; even Void Refinement Perfection cultivators could not do so. From the outside, however, it was exceedingly simple. This was also its greatest flaw.

At the same time, a bizarre figure lunged toward Lin Jin. He held a short dagger, his eyes filled with coldness, like an emotionless machine.

Lin Jin's pupils contracted sharply, disbelief in his eyes.

To kill him, they had actually dispatched two Late Void Refinement Stage cultivators and four Mid Void Refinement Stage cultivators.

Damn it!

Lin Jin's face darkened to the extreme. To be honest, he still had one more trump card, but if he used it in a place like this, what would he do in the Battle for Succession?

His heart was full of rage.

Fuck!

I'm the weakest one here, so why do they have to come up and kill me first?

Among these people, at least three separate factions—in other words, three princes—had joined forces to attack him.

From their perspective, he was the weakest, practically incapable of competing for the position of Crown Prince. He was basically just a spectator.

So this was like killing the spectator before the fight even started, to prevent him from reaping the benefits, was it?

Lin Jin's eyes were filled with icy ruthlessness. Since all of you wanted to kill me, then none of you would have an easy time of it.

Just as he was about to act, he discovered that he could not move at all.

What's going on?!

Shock filled Lin Jin's eyes.

But he quickly noticed that everyone around him had stopped. Even heaven and earth itself seemed to have frozen solid.

"What a show, what a show!"

A somewhat languid voice rang out as Su Chen slowly stepped out of the void.

The instant Lin Jin saw Su Chen, his eyes filled with immense shock.

It was him!