Jinghong King

Royal Martial Arena, preparation hall.

Figures stood within, every one of them radiating an immensely powerful aura. At the head of them were the nine princes of the Jinghong Empire.

Some wore cold expressions, some carried faint smiles, while others looked tense.

Among the nine, the people standing behind First Prince possessed the strongest auras. Whenever the other princes looked their way, their expressions turned exceedingly grave.

"Seventh, you even brought a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Are you that desperate to win?"

Third Prince Lin Yu spoke mildly. Though his expression appeared perfectly calm, the contempt in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

Upon hearing this, everyone else turned to look at Seventh Prince.

Within the entire preparation hall, aside from several princes who had reached Nascent Soul Perfection, the rest were all Void Refinement cultivators. Su Chen therefore stood out like a crane among chickens.

The gazes everyone directed at Lin Jin were filled with disdain.

Lin Mu had initially thought that Lin Jin's decision to bring along a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator was deliberate, perhaps because he had concealed his cultivation to use as a trump card.

But now that they had met, he could almost certainly say that Su Chen had not hidden his cultivation.

To ensure victory this time, Lin Mu had even gone out of his way to borrow a detection-type supreme treasure, an Intermediate Earth Tier artifact. In his eyes, practically no one could hide.

Lin Mu looked coldly at Lin Jin. A faint golden gleam flashed through his eyes, and he gave a contemptuous smile.

Early Void Refinement Stage. What was the use of hiding his cultivation? He still only had two Void Refinement cultivators available.

The rules of the Battle for Succession were simple. It was much like an ordinary match: each prince selected one subordinate to take the stage and challenge another prince. The challenged party could not refuse, even if there was a gap in cultivation.

For instance, even if First Prince sent a Void Refinement Perfection cultivator to challenge an Early Void Refinement cultivator, the latter could not refuse. It could be said to be extremely unfair.

This meant that two princes could target the same person at once, specifically challenging that person's subordinates.

If a prince had no subordinates left to use, he could take the stage himself or choose to forfeit.

In the end, whoever emerged victorious would become the king of the Jinghong Empire.

The rules were this casual, yet the more casual the rules, the fewer loopholes they had. What mattered most was one's hard power and strategy.

Lin Jin said calmly, "Who wins and who loses is still far from certain."

"Tut, tut, tut!"

Lin Yu smacked his lips and said disdainfully, "So Seventh is quite confident he can beat all of us? It seems you still have some trump card you haven't revealed."

Everyone immediately looked toward Lin Jin, then carefully examined the three people behind him before sneering again.

One Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, one Early Void Refinement cultivator, and one Mid Void Refinement cultivator.

Even if such a lineup had some hidden card, what could it possibly do?

Though that was the logic, several people's gazes toward Lin Jin changed. Once the Battle for Succession began, they would deal with him first.

Otherwise, everyone might fight until their heads were bloodied, only for him to reap the benefits.

Seeing this, the corners of Lin Yu's lips rose slightly. By making everyone hostile toward Lin Jin, he could eliminate one person and reduce the number of competitors.

There was only one person's difference between nine people and eight people, yet it would greatly increase each of their chances in the succession battle. Thus, their thoughts gradually converged.

Fifth Prince Lin Hong suddenly spoke, a faint smile on his lips.

"Big Brother, since your strength is the greatest, and Seventh Brother seems destined to have no part in the Battle for Succession, why not have Big Brother deal with him later? That way, Seventh Brother can rest early, and Big Brother can display his might while you're at it."

With Lin Mu's strength, he could practically crush Lin Jin on the surface. He only needed to send out a Late Void Refinement cultivator.

If Lin Jin truly had some trump card, it could also wear down some of Lin Mu's strength.

Lin Mu did not refuse. Wearing an unfathomable smile, he said, "No problem."

Hearing those words, Lin Hong narrowed his eyes, and the smile at his lips grew even brighter.

Su Chen watched this group scheme against one another, openly and in secret. Nine people, nine hundred twists of the mind.

Faced with their overt and covert targeting, Lin Jin showed no strong emotion. Instead, he appeared incomparably calm.

In his view, as long as Su Chen was present, his chances of winning this time would be extremely high.

A mighty cultivator at least at the Half-step Integration Stage—even Lin Mu's three Void Refinement Perfection cultivators would be no match for him.

However...

A grave look flashed through Lin Jin's eyes. This Battle for Succession allowed too much freedom. Formations, talismans, and even many powerful magical treasures could all be used.

Such high freedom meant it was entirely a contest of family wealth.

And First Prince possessed the deepest reserves. His maternal family was another King Tier force within the Jinghong Empire—the Du Family.

The Du Family was merely an affiliate of the Jinghong Empire, but if they fully supported Lin Mu, even the Du Family's ancestor, that Body Integration Realm cultivator, could step in directly to help.

Fortunately, the participants had been decided three days ago, and the Du Family ancestor was not among them.

Perhaps because they feared provoking the Jinghong King's suspicion, the Du Family also did not dare openly help Lin Mu.

Among the seven people under Lin Mu's command, there were three Void Refinement Perfection cultivators, three Late Void Refinement cultivators, and one Mid Void Refinement cultivator. Their strength stood above the rest, practically crushing the other princes completely.

And that was only their visible strength. With Lin Mu's methods, he would certainly be able to obtain many supreme treasures, greatly increasing his strength.

Lin Jin felt somewhat speechless. Were Lin Yu and Lin Hong idiots?

Of the nine people present, who did not have some hidden card? Rather than targeting him, the weakest one, from the start, they might as well target Lin Mu, the strongest one.

Wouldn't it be better to deal with the strongest first, then let the weaklings peck each other like chickens afterward?

Of course, he thought that way only because he had not included Su Chen in the equation.

Yet Lin Hong's goal had indeed been achieved. Under normal circumstances, Lin Mu would kill Lin Jin right away, which would be the same as having Lin Jin test Lin Mu and exhaust some of his strength.

After a round of verbal sparring and mental maneuvering, silence descended upon the preparation area.

About half an hour passed.

A shrill voice rang out, echoing throughout the entire Martial Arena.

"Silence!"

"Our King arrives!"

The first to emerge was a eunuch clad in white brocade embroidered with cloud patterns. The aura around him was incomparably powerful.

Half-step Integration Stage!

The entire Royal Martial Arena instantly fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Countless people raised their heads toward the source of the voice, their eyes filled with fear.

Soon, a middle-aged man in pale purple robes stepped forward. His features were resolute, and though he showed no anger, he inspired awe, like an emperor ruling over the nine heavens. He exuded an overwhelming pressure.

From his body came a faint yet terrifying aura that made people feel as though they could not breathe.

The Jinghong Empire's Jinghong King.

A Half-step Guiyuan Realm cultivator!

Countless people stared at the Jinghong King in terror, not daring to even draw a breath.

He was the pillar that steadied the sea for the Jinghong Empire. So long as he existed, the Jinghong Empire could never fall.