Taiyi Dao Sect

Huangfu Yuan sat at the banquet, holding a wine cup, a fitting smile on his face. Yet his gaze lingered, seemingly without intent, for a moment on the Prince of Nanyang's shrewd, calculating face.

His heart burned with excitement.

Before long, this old father of his, who had been clever all his life, would suffer a crushing fall.

In his previous life, the great upheaval in the capital had come suddenly and violently.

Even an old fox like the Prince of Nanyang, who had steeped himself in the arts of power for half his life, had failed to escape it. He had been swept into the storm at court and suffered grievous losses.

And that had been the crucial moment for him to become the heir of the Prince of Nanyang's Mansion.

Soon.

He raised his cup and took a sip, his gaze drifting into the distance, toward the capital.

What had happened in his previous life would soon come to pass in this life as well.

The imperial palace in the capital.

Within the Imperial Study, candlelight blazed brightly, casting three figures into sharp relief.

Emperor Zhou sat behind the dragon desk. Under the candlelight, his aged face looked ever more withered. His eyes, once as sharp as an eagle's, were now half-open and half-closed, revealing a profound weariness no one could see through.

Wu Daoxuan stood at his side, his expression as placid as water, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Lin Tianyang, standing below, wore a face of utter shock. He had not been this rattled even when he had been gravely wounded in Zhennan City.

It was because of what Emperor Zhou had just said—he wanted to extend his lifespan.

Ignoring his own injuries, Lin Tianyang stepped forward, his voice urgent.

"Your Majesty, extending your lifespan by