Princes and the Division Master

Little Anzi watched Ling Tian's departing back, then turned to Chen Lin. The respect on his face grew even deeper as he bowed. "Elder Lin, His Highness's affairs will likely depend entirely on you from now on."

"Elder Lin, His Highness will have to rely on you greatly from now on."

Hearing this, Chen Lin could not help shaking his head with a laugh, his tone carrying the teasing maturity of an elder. "I am his Master. It is my duty, and I naturally cannot shirk it."

The moment he finished speaking, he casually wiped his mouth. His figure flickered, and the spot where he had stood was suddenly empty.

In the next instant, he was already seated steadily in the rocking chair not far away, as though he had never left.

"Clear away the bowls and chopsticks." Chen Lin's lazy voice drifted over from the rocking chair.

Little Anzi hurriedly acknowledged and deftly began clearing the dining utensils from the table.

The moment Ling Tian returned to the Eastern Palace, the Divine Treasury Realm old man who had been concealed in the shadows silently appeared at his side.

Ling Tian lowered his voice, with a trace of barely discernible excitement. "It's done."

As he spoke, he discreetly handed the old man the cultivation manuals he had obtained from Chen Lin.

The old man accepted the manuals and swept them with his Divine Sense. His expression changed slightly at once, but soon returned to calm.

"Your Highness, Great General Sima Qian and Minister of War Pei Qian request an audience." At that moment, a eunuch stepped forward softly and whispered into Ling Tian's ear.

Ling Tian's eyes flashed. Pei Qian stands with me, but why has he come together with Great General Sima Qian?

Has something changed in the military, or have new waves risen in the court?

"Summon them." Ling Tian answered in a deep voice, then strode toward the elevated seat in the hall and sat down.

Before long, Great General Sima Qian, clad in armor, and Minister of War Pei Qian, dressed in official robes, entered the grand hall one after the other and bowed in salute below.

Elsewhere, within Fifth Prince Ling Ji's palace, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

He was currently flying into a rage, yet he forcibly maintained an icy expression. Only in the depths of his eyes did Killing Intent surge like a raging tide.

"Damn Crown Prince!" He gritted his teeth, his voice low.

Earlier that morning, several strongholds of the Wind and Rain Tower, which he had painstakingly built up, had suffered simultaneous devastating attacks, resulting in grievous losses.

After an urgent investigation, every clue pointed like venomous snakes directly at Crown Prince Ling Tian.

Ling Ji sneered inwardly. What a fine elder brother. He has finally decided to clear away the obstacles, yet he chose this very moment.

Since you were the first to tear away all pretense...

Ling Ji drew a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart. Turning to his Grand Companion Wang Zhen, he gave an unquestionable command in an indifferent voice. "Go to the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect at once and invite an elder to assist me."

Every elder of the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect was a top expert in the Divine Treasury Realm.

With them present, he would at least gain a few more means of protecting himself and better guard against the Crown Prince's unseen arrows.

"Also," he paused before asking, "has the matter with the Governor been settled?"

Wang Zhen bowed as he reported, "Your Highness, the Governor has already been persuaded by us and has agreed to support Your Highness with all his strength."

"Good!" At last, Ling Ji revealed a faint smile, though it was somewhat chilling.

At the same time, a trace of aura subtly emanated from within him—Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, only one step away from the Core Formation Realm! As expected, he had been concealing his true strength all along.

"Contact Ninth Brother." A calculating gleam flashed through Ling Ji's eyes. "We will first join forces to drag that old bastard of an elder brother down. Once the position of heir apparent is vacant, the two of us brothers can fight over it."

"Mm." Wang Zhen nodded. "Ninth Prince has the Heaven Suppressing Division as his backing. Winning him over will indeed be enough to stir up a storm."

There were now only three greatest forces.

The Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Ninth Prince!

All the other princes had attached themselves to one of these three.

Yet at this moment, the Edict of Grace issued by the Imperial Capital was like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, stirring layer upon layer of hidden waves among many princes and marquises.

This decree, intended to weaken the power of the imperial clan, began to loosen what had appeared to be a stable balance of power. Throughout the land, the tense air of a mountain storm about to break could faintly be felt, and small-scale unrest had already emerged in some places.

Within the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty, the three most powerful princes were King Zhenbei, King Zhenyao, and King Qi.

King Zhenbei, Ling Zhi Ji, guarded Youzhou in the far north, resisting the covetous ambitions of foreign Imperial Dynasties.

King Zhenyao, meanwhile, was stationed in Dizhou at the southern frontier, guarding day and night against incursions by the Demon Race deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

As for King Qi, the current His Majesty's uncle, he resided in the rich and prosperous land of Qiongzhou. Though he remained aloof from worldly strife, he still held immense power.

As for those great sects hidden amid the depths of the clouds, they too harbored their own schemes in this internal power struggle of the imperial clan. Undercurrents churned beneath the surface as they waited only for the right moment to profit from the chaos.

Yet that very night, without warning, urgent military reports arrived simultaneously from several prefectures throughout the Imperial Dynasty: the Demon Race was running rampant.

For a time, the night's former calm was shattered. The local Governors urgently deployed troops in an attempt to suppress the suddenly appearing demon beasts, but after fierce fighting, the prefectural armies had already paid no small price.

The unceasing reports of Demon Race unrest were like icy water poured over Ling Cangqiong's head, instantly extinguishing his rage.

His imperial visage thundered with fury, his voice low and filled with majesty. "What are those useless Governors even doing? And the Heaven Suppressing Division! It is supposed to be My eyes and ears, tasked with monitoring the realm, yet it failed to notice even the large-scale emergence of the Demon Race! They deserve death!"

This thunderous wrath directly led to several high-ranking Heaven Suppressing Division officials being swiftly dismissed for dereliction of duty, replaced by newcomers trusted by His Majesty.

Power shifted, and undercurrents swelled.

At this moment, at the headquarters of the Heaven Suppressing Division in Tianyan City, Division Master Shen Changqing stood before an enormous sand table. Before him lay piles of urgent reports from every region.

The instant he received the imperial decree, an almost imperceptible gleam flashed through his eyes. A cold smile curled across his lips. "Hmph, so this is meant to warn the Heaven Suppressing Division and reclaim some of its power."

"Ling Cangqiong, Ling Cangqiong..." he murmured to himself, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "It seems this new Imperial Lord is preparing to begin his purge."

After developing through several generations of Imperial Lords, the Heaven Suppressing Division had become a colossal entity.

Even if the Imperial Lord wished to cut it down directly, he could only do so slowly.

At this thought, Shen Changqing's expression became as still as deep water, without the slightest ripple.

With him, the Division Master, here, that was enough.