Clearing Out the Traitor

Master had not only helped him find the one behind the hidden curse, but had also awakened him to an even deeper reality: Imperial Father seemed unwilling to let any of his sons ascend the throne smoothly. This turmoil might itself have been a test of attrition.

If that was the case, then even if Ling Tian claimed the position of Crown Prince, it would be difficult for him to sit securely upon it.

And since Imperial Father had shown no mercy, then he could only... resort to other means.

At the same time, he absolutely could not let Imperial Father realize that he had already seen through everything.

The brilliance of Chen Lin's plan lay precisely here—deploying one-third of his forces would both demonstrate his stance and preserve his strength, keeping those truly hidden things that had yet to be exposed lying low as they waited for the right moment.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." Ling Tian gave a deep bow. There was a trace of complexity in his voice, but his gaze had become incomparably resolute.

After saying that, he no longer hesitated. He turned and hurried away without stopping, his figure swiftly vanishing into the depths of the palace halls, leaving only Chen Lin behind.

Watching this, Chen Lin chuckled. "This is getting more and more interesting."

A greater struggle for power would soon emerge, but he would not fear it.

After draining all the resources on the Crown Prince's side, he should be able to reach around the Seventh Layer of the Divine Treasury Realm.

Then, he might not be unable to battle a Dharma Aspect.

"Little Anzi, go out less from now on. The Imperial Guards you chose may well have been deliberately arranged by that person."

Chen Lin spoke calmly. Little Anzi suddenly realized that this struggle for power was far more complicated than it seemed, and he could not help shuddering.

He nodded.

"Next, we will wait for the war between the Yantian Sect and the Ming He Sect. I wonder whether that person will make a move."

Chen Lin murmured...

Elsewhere, Ling Tian returned to the Eastern Palace. Without pausing, he immediately summoned several of the confidants he trusted most openly.

Before long, the Commander of the Eastern Palace, that taciturn Old Man, a swordsman with profound attainments in the sword, his Grand Companion Cao Tian, the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Palace, five Divine Treasury Realm Experts, along with several Core Formation Realm eunuch guards, all gathered in the great hall.

They exchanged looks, all feeling somewhat bewildered.

What did His Highness mean by this?

Could it be that he intended to send them out at once to suppress the increasingly rampant unrest across the land?

Ling Tian's gaze swept over those before him. They were the most conspicuous and most trusted Forces of his Eastern Palace.

Yet at this moment, his eyes were exceptionally cold, as if covered by a layer of frost.

He let out a soft sigh, one filled with disappointment. Then Killing Intent spread from his eyes as though it had taken physical form.

"I never thought that I treated you all so..." His voice was low and hoarse, carrying an imperceptible tremor. "Yet you dared to secretly curse me! You have disappointed me too greatly!"

Before his words had faded, Ling Tian flipped his palm, and the little paper figurine Chen Lin had bestowed upon him appeared in his hand.

The paper figurine floated silently in the air.

Ling Tian was nervous inside, yet he fixed his gaze upon the paper figurine with feigned composure.

He did not want to believe that the people around him had betrayed him, but it was the truth.

Suddenly, the paper figurine erupted with a blinding light. The light did not flicker randomly, but seemed to possess a will of its own as it shot directly toward the Grand Companion among the crowd—Cao Tian!

"It's Cao Tian!" Ling Tian saw the target clearly, and the Killing Intent in his eyes instantly surged, nearly bursting forth.

This Grand Companion who had grown up alongside him, this seemingly loyal Cao Tian!

It seemed that this curse truly was Imperial Father's handiwork!

Cao Tian's face instantly turned deathly pale, as if frozen by ice and snow, his eyes filled with incredulous terror.

He had never imagined that the Crown Prince would discover it so quickly.

With a thud, he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against the cold floor. His voice carried a sobbing tone. "Your Highness! Your Highness, please see clearly! This lowly one was blind and foolish! Please spare my life!"

However, Ling Tian merely looked at him indifferently, his voice icy without a trace of warmth. "That person ordered you to do it, didn't he?"

Cao Tian's body suddenly stiffened, as though an invisible hand had seized his throat. He could not utter a single word and could only tremble violently.

The next moment, Cao Tian clearly felt four bone-chilling Killing Intents spread around him. Like tangible freezing currents, they instantly enveloped him.

This Killing Intent came from the other four Divine Treasury Realm Experts in the hall. Though they said nothing, their silent understanding had already indicated their acceptance of Ling Tian's judgment.

Cao Tian was so terrified that his soul nearly fled his body. No longer caring about anything else, he practically wailed, "It was His Majesty! His Majesty ordered me to place the curse on you, and commanded me to watch Your Highness's every move at all times!"

Those words were like thunder, exploding in the minds of the other four people in the hall and the Core Formation Realm guards.

Their faces instantly turned pale, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief. His own father had actually cursed his own son?

The father-son bond within the imperial family was actually so... They did not dare think further, much less speak a single word.

At that moment, a trace of resolve flashed through Ling Tian's eyes. Without hesitation, he spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable murderous authority. "Kill him!"

Before his words had faded, the little paper figurine suddenly burst with dazzling light, and an invisible yet terrifying force instantly swept over Cao Tian.

He did not even have time to let out a complete scream before his body rapidly withered and melted away within the light. In the end, only a small pile of white bones smoking with greenish fumes remained, lying silently on the floor.

The hall was silent as a grave, with only the faint crackling of the burning bones.

The other four Divine Treasury Realm Experts looked at the ashes on the ground, and their hearts tightened at the same time. A chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to the crowns of their heads.

This... was this the hidden, even more unfathomable power at His Highness's side?

Had it begun to act?

After finishing all this, Ling Tian slowly raised his head. His gaze swept across the remaining four, and his voice remained cold. "I do not wish to hear the word 'betrayal' a second time."

After a pause, he continued giving orders. "Also, pass down my command. Have your respective men deal with those disturbances."

Even all those present amounted to less than one-fifth of the Forces under his command!

Everyone bowed and acknowledged the order, though immense waves surged within their hearts.

They understood that the relationship between the Crown Prince and His Majesty had completely shattered and had deteriorated to the extreme.

The Killing Intent in Ling Tian's eyes had not faded, while endless coldness and absurdity churned within his heart—his own father actually wanted to kill his own son...

At that moment, a report came from outside the hall. "Crown Prince, Qin Tianxian, Daughter of King Zhenbei, and the Young Marquis of Dunan request an audience."

Deep within the Imperial Palace, Ling Cangqiong sat quietly before his desk, a trace of barely perceptible fatigue between his brows.

Yet at that instant, as though sensing something, he lifted his eyes toward the void.

Almost simultaneously, Shadow One's figure appeared soundlessly at his side. Expressionless, he said in a low voice, "His Majesty, Cao Tian has been eliminated. There is another Expert at the Crown Prince's side."

"Oh?" A sharp glint flashed through Ling Cangqiong's eyes before fading away. His tone remained calm and unruffled. "You could not uncover their origins?"

Shadow One shook his head. "No suspicious person has ever been seen, and the source of that power cannot be determined."