The Third Prince's Ambition

A thousand miles away, in the imperial capital, deep within the imperial city.

Though it was already late at night, a side hall remained brightly lit. The hall was luxuriously decorated without losing its elegance. Rosewood bookshelves were filled with ancient texts and precious curios, while a faint scent of dragon saliva incense permeated the air.

Yet beneath that refinement surged an indescribable oppression and ambition.

Third Prince Xuanyuan Yi stood before the window with his hands behind his back, gazing into the heavy night beyond.

He wore a dark purple casual robe embroidered with golden python patterns. His posture was straight and his features handsome, yet an unmelting gloom and impatience hung between his brows. Though only in his early twenties, he possessed a ruthlessness and calculating nature far beyond his years.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." Xuanyuan Yi's voice was low, carrying unquestionable authority.

An elderly man in an inconspicuous gray robe slipped silently into the hall. His features were indistinct, as though he had melded into the shadows. He bowed. "Your Highness."

"Shadow Fox failed?" Xuanyuan Yi did not turn around. His voice carried an irresistible chill.

The gray-robed elder lowered his head even further. "Yes. The Dry Bone Town base was uprooted. The Shadow Kill squad sent there suffered grievous losses, while Shadow Fox himself fled with severe injuries. The last report he sent back was... that the target had a peerless expert guarding her. His methods were... bizarre, like a monster!"

"A peerless expert? A monster?" Xuanyuan Yi spun around abruptly, cold light shooting from his eyes. "Where would the Zhenyuan Escort Agency find a peerless expert? Liu Meng, that reckless brute? Or did Yan Tieshan, that old fossil with one foot in the grave, secretly send someone? Useless! A pack of useless fools!"

He slammed his palm onto the rosewood table beside him, making the fine porcelain hum and tremble. "Where is the You Lan Stone? Has it already been delivered to Iron Wall City?"

"According to the last report and the scouts stationed along the route, they appear to have changed course and taken a detour. They have not yet arrived. But after this battle, they will certainly be more vigilant. And with that mysterious expert there, I fear..." Hesitation tinged the elder's words.

"Fear what? After all my painstaking schemes, after pouring in countless resources and fortunes, even going so far as to trade with those fur-clad, blood-drinking barbarians, will it all come to nothing because of some 'expert' who crawled out of nowhere?" Xuanyuan Yi's voice suddenly rose, brimming with violent rage. "The You Lan Stone must be seized! Or utterly destroyed! It must never fall into the hands of that old bastard Li Chongshan!"

He paced back and forth. "Do you know what that batch of ore means? That old stubborn fool Yan Tieshan had damned good luck to find such a divine treasure in a place like the Falling Star Mountain Range!

The craftsmen's preliminary tests showed that blades mixed with even a small amount of You Lan Stone powder gained more than seventy percent in sharpness and toughness! If it could be used entirely as the core material, the weapons and armor forged from it would be enough to equip an elite force capable of sweeping across the world!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, madness flickering in his eyes. "Those Northern Barbarian tribes have refused to march south with all their strength for so long because they fear the border army's fortified cities and sharp weapons, have they not?

If they learn that Great Xia's border army is about to be equipped with such divine armaments, will they still obediently heed my orders and 'knock at the gates' at the appointed time? What then would the 'sincerity' I promised them amount to?"

The gray-robed elder remained silent. He knew full well the ambitions of his master: colluding with the Northern Barbarians, creating trouble along the border, then building power through the merit of quelling the unrest, suppressing the Crown Prince, and fighting for the throne.

The plan was dangerous, but it was indeed a shortcut. The You Lan Stone was a crucial link within it. It could both strengthen the private army that would one day belong to him and serve as a bargaining chip or threat to ensure the Northern Barbarians' "cooperation."

Xuanyuan Yi stopped pacing and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his churning emotions. His voice turned icy. "Tell the master of the Shadow Kill Tower that I do not care what methods he uses or what price he pays! Even if every last man is spent, he must seize the You Lan Stone for me! Or turn both the people and the stone into ashes together! That mysterious expert... investigate him! Investigate his background thoroughly for me! If he can be recruited, all the better. If not... kill without mercy!"

"Yes." The gray-robed elder bowed in acceptance, his figure retreating like a ghost as he prepared to melt back into the shadows.

"And," Xuanyuan Yi added, "have our people in the north make a move. Give Li Chongshan some trouble and keep him too occupied to attend to anything else. Even if we cannot stop the people delivering the stone, we must throw Iron Wall City into chaos so our people can act."

"This old servant understands." The gray-robed elder gave one final bow before vanishing completely into the darkness beyond the hall.

Silence returned to the hall, leaving only Xuanyuan Yi's heavy breathing and his irrepressible ambition.

He returned to the window and stared at the pitch-black northern horizon, his fists clenched tight.

"The throne... must be mine! Whoever blocks my path must die! Yan Yunxi... hmph. Yan Tieshan's precious granddaughter. If she knows what is good for her, then so be it. But if not..." A cruel smile curled at his lips. "She will make a fine sacrifice to consecrate the banner!"

The devil's whisper echoed through the grand hall, utterly at odds with the warmth of the incense. Nothing remained but power and desire.

Far to the north, Chen Qing, who was traveling along the road, suddenly felt something. He looked up toward the direction of the imperial capital, his brow tightening almost imperceptibly.

He shook his head and continued focusing on the muddy road ahead. The danger before him was already pressing close.