He Was Also a Child of Destiny

The moment he saw Xuanyuan Xiong Ba, Qin Anlan forced a faint smile onto his face.

He cupped his hands toward Xuanyuan Xiong Ba. "Qin Anlan pays respects to Your Highness the First Prince."

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba had not expected to see Qin Anlan here.

His face immediately revealed a trace of ecstatic delight, along with a greater sense of familiarity.

He stepped forward, gently supported Qin Anlan, and said with an indifferent smile,

"Anlan, you and I are brothers. There is no need to be so courteous."

"When there are no outsiders around, you may simply call me Big Brother."

"I am a few decades older than you. Though my talent may not match yours, when it comes to experience, I have at least seen my share of grand occasions."

"If there is anything you do not understand, come find Big Brother. I will certainly give you my full support."

Call him Big Brother?

Qin Anlan remained utterly unruffled, with no change visible on his face.

Yet inwardly, he had already sneered again and again.

If he truly called Xuanyuan Xiong Ba Big Brother,

then even if no one else was around, even if no one noticed him using such an intimate form of address for Xuanyuan Xiong Ba,

it would not take long before the entire Heavenly Flame Empire learned of it.

Should someone add fuel to the flames behind the scenes, the matter would become the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate tacitly declaring its full support for the First Prince's faction.

As a top-tier power, the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate held a pivotal position throughout the imperial court.

Once it took a stance, the court would descend into turmoil.

The struggle of the nine sons for the throne would also grow ever fiercer.

And the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, as the first to declare its position, would be roasted over the fire.

Though no one could shake the foundations of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, it still could not withstand attacks both overt and covert.

Open spears were easy to dodge; hidden arrows were hard to guard against.

It would leave the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate tossed about in the wind and rain.

This First Prince was indeed impressive.

Whether in talent, temperament, or strategy, he was among the very best of all the princes.

Apart from the fact that his maternal clan had offered him no assistance,

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba was in no way inferior to the Second Prince, Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, and the rest.

What a pity.

The Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate had never intended to support the First Prince.

In fact, none of the other princes were on the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate's list of candidates either.

Faced with Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's courtesy, Qin Anlan merely smiled faintly.

"Rites and laws must not be discarded. As the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis, I naturally cannot disregard them."

"As a descendant of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan and His Majesty's eldest son, how could I cast aside proper etiquette?"

Seeing the reluctance on Qin Anlan's face, along with even a trace of displeasure,

disappointment flickered in Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's eyes.

He understood as well.

Qin Anlan's meaning was, for all practical purposes, the meaning of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.

But on the surface,

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba showed no change at all, even forcing a faint smile onto his lips.

"Look at you. Between brothers, you insist on being so serious. What am I supposed to say to you?"

Each harbored his own schemes as they flattered one another and traded empty pleasantries.

After chatting for a few moments, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba casually found an excuse and left with his people.

Qin Anlan stood there with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep as he silently watched Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's departing figure.

"Ding! A Child of Destiny, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba, has been detected."

At that moment, a system notification sounded in Qin Anlan's mind.

A Child of Destiny?

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba was also a Child of Destiny?

He immediately used the Son of Heaven's Qi Observation Technique to inspect Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's personal attributes.

A vast and surging tide of heaven and earth destiny hovered above Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's head.

Before Qin Anlan appeared a light screen visible only to him.

Name: Xuanyuan Xiong Ba

Identity: First Prince of the Heavenly Flame Empire

Realm: Peak Divine Emperor Realm

Physique: None

Cultivation Technique: Xuanyuan Emperor Scripture (Fourth Layer), Heavenly Flame Secret Art

Charm Value: 92 (Peak: 100)

Destiny Points: 5500

Golden Finger: None

He actually possessed five thousand five hundred Destiny Points. He truly was a fat sheep dripping with oil.

Before he had even officially clashed with Ye Qingyun, that Child of Destiny,

Qin Anlan had unexpectedly encountered another Child of Destiny.

And this Child of Destiny before him was clearly even harder to deal with than Ye Qingyun.

Handling him would be all the more troublesome.

Although Xuanyuan Xiong Ba was merely a concubine-born son, and his maternal clan had provided him no aid,

he had taken the Left Prime Minister as his master and enjoyed the full support of both the Left Prime Minister and Heavenly Firmament Academy.

Many forces under his command were also willing to lay down their lives for him.

By now, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba had long possessed an exceptionally deep foundation and had already grown into a force to be reckoned with.

He even had numerous supporters within the imperial court.

Trying to deal with Xuanyuan Xiong Ba, this Child of Destiny,

left Qin Anlan with nowhere to begin for the moment.

Qin Anlan was in no hurry to make a move against Xuanyuan Xiong Ba.

At least for Qin Anlan at present, the most urgent matter was to find a way to eliminate Ye Qingyun, this Child of Destiny,

then turn around and deal with Xuanyuan Xiong Ba.

Yet an irrepressible excitement welled up in his heart.

After all, this Child of Destiny was no ordinary man.

He was the dignified First Prince of the Heavenly Flame Empire.

Personally trampling such a great figure beneath his feet—

would surely bring an immense sense of accomplishment.

Elsewhere.

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba had no idea that Qin Anlan had already begun thinking of how to deal with him the moment they met.

After parting from Qin Anlan, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba flew toward his own palace.

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba had long since reached adulthood and established his own residence and administration.

Though the First Prince's estate was far inferior to the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, it covered an enormous area and was rich in Spiritual Energy.

It was not something an ordinary Great Clan's estate could compare to.

Inside the palace,

a black-robed man at Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's side leaned forward and muttered in a low voice, "It seems the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate has no intention of supporting Your Highness."

Hearing this, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba remained calm, and no emotion appeared on his face.

"The Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate possesses an immensely deep foundation. Even our Xuanyuan Imperial Clan does not dare underestimate it."

"If I could gain the support of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, on top of the support of the Left Prime Minister and Heavenly Firmament Academy, then the position of Crown Prince could belong to none other than me."

"But the Empress has always been close to the Grand Princess. Coupled with the circumstances of my birth, the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate does not hold me in high regard."

"Especially after what happened recently!"

As he spoke, Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's expression gradually turned livid.

An undisguised hatred filled his eyes.

The reason was simple.

It was because Chou Yin, an elder of Heavenly Firmament Academy, had tried to stop Qin Anlan from slaughtering the Liu Family.

Not only had the other party openly stood in the Liu Family's way, he had even invoked Xuanyuan Xiong Ba and the Left Prime Minister.

It was as though he had deliberately wanted to tell the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate and everyone under heaven

that Xuanyuan Xiong Ba and the Left Prime Minister were the ones stopping Qin Anlan, even intentionally making enemies of Qin Anlan.

Was this not placing Xuanyuan Xiong Ba over a fire to roast?

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba had not even finished trying to win over the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate during this period.

Why would he stir up trouble for no reason, go provoke Qin Anlan, and even provoke the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate?

"Have you found out which forces Chou Yin was connected to? Was he one of Second Brother's men, or Fourth Brother's, or Eighth Brother's?"

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba turned his gaze toward the black-robed man and asked.

Though there was no conclusive evidence, he had essentially already determined it.

Chou Yin was a chess piece placed at his side by those good brothers of his.

Their purpose was to drive a wedge between Xuanyuan Xiong Ba and the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.

"Th-this... Your subordinate has done his utmost to investigate, but Chou Yin revealed no traces whatsoever. Moreover, he is already dead, so the clues have been cut off. I fear..."

The black-robed man replied, trembling.

"Damn it!"

"Those filthy little men use schemes and tricks to harm me. I will not spare them."

Xuanyuan Xiong Ba clenched his fists, undisguised hatred blazing in his eyes.

With Chou Yin's appearance,

the struggle of the nine sons for the throne had entered its white-hot stage. For that position, they had long since become unscrupulous and would stop at nothing.