Unmoved, Sowing Discord

Deep within the Xuanyuan Imperial Palace.

A magnificent and grand palace stood here.

Divine light surrounded the palace.

Countless rays of light, like shooting stars, continuously flowed around.

It was as if the entire star had been plucked from the sky by a powerful divine being and hung above the palace.

Speckled and dazzling.

Upon entering, listening to the divine sounds, bathed in the divine light, one felt their body and soul being sublimated.

It was as if one could ascend to immortality and break through the void.

This place was none other than the Empress's sleeping quarters in the Heavenly Flame Empire.

The Star Palace.

The Star Palace covered an area of several thousand miles, connected by over a thousand pavilions and palaces.

The entire grand hall was built upon a spiritual vein with concentrated spiritual energy.

Therefore, the spiritual energy within the Star Palace was extremely dense.

It was the most spiritually dense place in the Heavenly Flame Empire, second only to Emperor Xuanyuan's sleeping quarters.

At this very moment.

Qin Anlan was in a prosperous palace, chatting with the Empress.

Around them, numerous palace maids and eunuchs served attentively.

Their faces were filled with awe and respect.

After all, these two individuals were among the most distinguished figures in the entire Heavenly Flame Empire.

As the Empress of the Heavenly Flame Empire, her cultivation was unfathomable.

She was like the vast expanse of stars, impossible to fathom with a single glance.

The Empress hailed from a noble background, having been the previous Saintess of the super-faction, the Star Sect.

Her strength had reached the terrifying peak of the Saint Lord realm.

There were even rumors that the Empress had one foot in the Quasi-Emperor realm.

It was believed that it wouldn't be long before the Heavenly Flame Empire gained another Quasi-Emperor expert.

Although the Heavenly Flame Empire had largely taken control of the Northern Underworld Continent, with countless factions submitting to its banner.

There were still a few factions possessing power that transcended worldly laws.

Their status within the Heavenly Flame Empire was also transcendent.

These factions had extremely long histories, some spanning hundreds of millions of years, and possessed ancient and terrifying power.

Their foundations were such that even the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan was wary and dared not easily offend them.

When the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan established the Heavenly Flame Empire, they reached an unspoken agreement with these factions.

They allowed the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan to rule the Northern Underworld Continent.

In return, the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan was not to interfere in the internal affairs of these super-factions.

They were permitted to maintain their own territories and systems.

As time passed, these super-factions were not destroyed but continued to grow stronger, passing down their legacies.

Although they nominally submitted to the might of the Heavenly Flame Empire.

They had, in essence, developed the strength to rival the Heavenly Flame Empire.

It could be said without exaggeration that while the Heavenly Flame Empire was currently ruled by the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan.

It had long evolved into a joint rule of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan and numerous great aristocratic families over this world.

This was the so-called co-governance of the world with the great aristocratic families.

The Star Sect, from which the Empress originated, was an ancient super-faction.

Its heritage stretched back at least several million years.

The current Emperor Xuanyuan knew the power of the Star Sect.

Although the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan possessed the strength to annihilate the Star Sect, a war would inevitably result in heavy losses, allowing other factions to take advantage of the situation.

Not wanting to offend the Star Sect, yet wishing to win them over.

Thus.

He married the Saintess of the Star Sect, who was now the Empress.

The Empress, as the Saintess of the Star Sect and the mother of the Heavenly Flame Empire, was not only stunningly beautiful and elegant but also possessed profound strength.

Her will and strategic mind were equally exceptional.

"You child, you haven't visited the Imperial Palace in quite some time, and I can't easily leave it."

"It's truly not easy to see you."

The Empress looked at Qin Anlan with a gaze filled with affection, as if she were looking at her own son.

In fact.

She had watched Qin Anlan grow up and often taught him martial arts.

At times, she treated Qin Anlan even better than her own sons.

Qin Anlan's lips curved into a faint smile. He spoke a lot of meaningless pleasantries.

Though not mother and son, their conversation made them feel like it.

The entire hall echoed with laughter.

The atmosphere was incredibly cheerful.

If not for the incident with Chou Yin...

Qin Anlan might have truly believed the Empress genuinely cared for him.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

As the former Saintess of the Star Sect and the mother of the Heavenly Flame Empire, how could she be a naive, simple-minded person?

The reason the Empress welcomed Qin Anlan so warmly was twofold.

Firstly, she had watched Qin Anlan grow up.

Perhaps some affection had developed in her heart for him.

More importantly, she wanted to leverage Qin Anlan's influence.

Her true interest lay in Qin Anlan's backing, the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.

Naturally.

Qin Anlan harbored no affection for the Empress, so he felt no disappointment.

As for being used.

It was yet to be determined who was using whom.

"When I came to see the Empress just now, I happened to run into His Highness, the First Prince, on the way," Qin Anlan said, as if a thought had just occurred to him, with a calm smile.

The Empress remained unfazed, her expression unreadable.

She controlled numerous factions, even more than the Grand Princess.

The entire Xuanyuan Imperial Palace was filled with the Empress's eyes and ears.

Everything that happened within the Xuanyuan Imperial Palace had already been perceived by the Empress.

She naturally knew about Qin Anlan meeting the First Prince.

However, Qin Anlan shook his head, speaking with admiration.

"I've only met the First Prince a few times; we aren't particularly close."

"I've long heard that he became a disciple of the Left Prime Minister and holds an important position at the Heavenly Firmament Academy."

"I never expected that under the Left Prime Minister's tutelage, he would now be so courteous and solicitous of talented individuals, truly a remarkable hero."

"If not for my deep affection for the Empress and my promise to visit her, I might have detoured to the First Prince's residence to have a long talk with him."

Qin Anlan's words were perfectly chosen.

They signaled to the Empress that he was on her side.

These words would also reassure the Empress.

Furthermore, they subtly informed the Empress that the First Prince now had the full support of the Left Prime Minister.

Indeed, the entire Heavenly Firmament Academy was firmly in his grasp.

His authority was the most prominent among all the princes.

The Heavenly Firmament Academy, one of the four great academies of the Heavenly Flame Empire, was established by the Left Prime Minister.

It had gathered a vast number of talented individuals.

Especially its admission standards, which were unconventional, disregarding background and focusing solely on talent and character.

This attracted a large number of disciples from humble backgrounds and ordinary citizens with exceptional talent but no privileged upbringing.

Under the Left Prime Minister's arrangements, the First Prince had been appointed as the Vice Dean of the Heavenly Firmament Academy.

The two of them had conspired together, long ago taking control of the entire Heavenly Firmament Academy.

Combined with the other numerous factions controlled by the First Prince, they had long since become too powerful to manage.

Since the Empress wished to use him, Qin Anlan, and the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate to deal with the First Prince, Qin Anlan didn't mind fanning the flames.

He would use the Empress's power to deal with the First Prince, this Child of Destiny.