"Look at you, getting all worked up again!"
Xiao Junlin picked up a cup of hot tea and took a leisurely sip, wearing a calm, self-satisfied smile.
"Eldest Brother, they've already come to slap me in the face. How could I not be anxious?"
The Fourth Prince stamped his feet anxiously.
Though he was lecherous and lazy, with a whole host of flaws, he was still King Zhenbei's son. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
That Xiao Yang brat was only relying on that Fiend Star Woman, Ning Hongye, to back him up!
He refused to accept this!
"Lu Xu, go call Ghost Hand here."
Xiao Junlin turned toward the nearby strategist, Lu Xu, and gave the order.
A moment later, Ghost Hand entered in a black robe, exuding a sinister aura. He clasped his hands and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highnesses!"
"Isn't he the one who replaced Ninth's eyes? Eldest Brother, why did you call him here?" the Fourth Prince asked in confusion.
He knew that Xiao Junlin had three thousand retainers, including all kinds of strange and extraordinary people.
For example, there were Gu Masters from the Miao frontier who could plant Gu through objects from a distance, killing people without a trace.
There were also puppeteers from the Hundred Refinements Sect who could make puppets as lifelike as real people. The strongest puppets could even possess Grandmaster-level strength.
"Ghost Hand, how did you handle the matter I assigned you?" Xiao Junlin suddenly asked.
"Your Highness, it was a complete success!"
Ghost Hand put on a fawning smile and continued, "When I dug out that Xiao Yang's Spirit Eye, I took the opportunity to plant the [Heart Piercing Blood Curse] on him. Now he's like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, completely at my mercy!"
The Fourth Prince's eyes lit up when he heard this, gleaming sharply.
[Heart Piercing Blood Curse]!
It was a forbidden secret art of the Witchcraft Sect. Once activated, the victim would suffer the agony of countless needles piercing through his muscles, bones, and blood vessels, leaving him in unbearable pain.
If he forcibly circulated his strength, his physical body would shatter, with his flesh and bones completely destroyed.
"Eldest Brother, you really are something! You already set a trap for that brat while replacing his eyes! Hurry, hurry and have Ghost Hand activate the Blood Curse!"
The Fourth Prince urged him, impatient to see Xiao Yang wail in agony and vent the hatred in his heart.
"Do it!"
Xiao Junlin ordered.
As soon as his words fell, Ghost Hand immediately extended his withered hands and began casting the spell, muttering an incantation.
"[Heart Piercing Blood Curse], activate!"
Soon, a dark-red beam of blood shot from the center of his brows. It tore through the sky and flew toward Xiao Yang's residence.
"Your Highnesses, now that the Blood Curse has been activated, Xiao Yang will suffer the pain of having his bones scraped and heart pierced!"
"There is no cure for this curse. After eighty-one days, he will die and descend to the Yellow Springs!"
"Moreover, it is extremely covert. Even if the Imperial Observatory investigates the corpse, it won't be able to trace anything back to us!"
Ghost Hand began explaining smugly, clearly brimming with confidence.
"Excellent, excellent! Reward him with one hundred taels of gold!"
Xiao Junlin waved his hand grandly.
After receiving his reward, Ghost Hand withdrew.
"Fourth Brother, Xiao Yang humiliated me in public. I don't merely want to kill him—I want to strip him of everything he possesses and drive him out of the royal estate!" Xiao Junlin gritted his teeth, his gaze sinister.
"Eldest Brother, he's acting as Ning Hongye's lapdog now, with the Vermilion Bird Army backing him. Besides, who knows what secret technique he learned? He probably practiced dual cultivation with that ugly woman Ning Hongye. His strength has actually improved by leaps and bounds— even my Guard was no match for him!"
The Fourth Prince looked troubled. He wanted to deal with Xiao Yang, but he currently lacked the strength to do so.
"Don't worry. I've already made plans!"
Xiao Junlin revealed a strange smile. "Next month is the annual [Azure Cloud Grand Examination]. At that time, every son of the royal estate must participate!"
"Xiao Yang has ranked last for nine years already. As long as he comes in last again this time, we can impeach him before Father King, strip him of his status as a son of the royal estate, deprive him of his heirship, and exile him to the border!"
"Once that happens, he will no longer be a son of the royal estate, and his marriage to Ning Hongye will naturally be annulled as well!"
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's eyelid twitched, and his heart pounded.
What ruthless methods!
This was Eldest Brother's way of destroying both Xiao Yang's body and spirit, ensuring that he would have nowhere to be buried!
He secretly counted himself lucky. Fortunately, he and Xiao Junlin were on the same side. Otherwise, he would not even know how he had been toyed to death!
Elsewhere, at the Ninth Young Master's Mansion.
Xiao Yang sat cross-legged inside a room, cultivating.
Although he had obtained the Yin Yang Creation Pill through the system and directly raised his strength to the Third Grade Qi Sea Realm, equivalent to decades of ordinary cultivation,
he understood that daily cultivation was still essential. Otherwise, if his realm rose too quickly, his foundation would be unstable, his understanding would fail to keep pace with his strength, and it would instead hinder him.
Suddenly, a beam of blood shot toward him, attempting to drill into the center of his brows.
"Whoosh!"
Xiao Yang abruptly opened his eyes.
[Ding! The system has detected an evil curse from the Witchcraft Sect invading. The host possesses the "Yin Yang Creation Sacred Body" and can purify all evil entities!]
In the next moment, brilliant light burst from Xiao Yang's body, resembling the blazing sun in the sky. The beam of blood instantly vanished without a trace.
"System, can you find out who cast the curse on me?" Xiao Yang asked inwardly.
[Yes! The other party is two thousand meters southeast of you and is currently moving outside the royal estate.]
"Good."
Xiao Yang immediately rose, put on the Mysterious Scale Ten Thousand Dragon Armor, and left the royal estate under cover of night.
A moment later, inside an inconspicuous courtyard.
"With one hundred taels of gold, I can go to the Black Market and exchange it for the severed limbs of powerful martial artists, then refine a flawless Fifth Grade Bronze Corpse!" Ghost Hand muttered to himself, his eyes filled with delight.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the gate to the small courtyard was pushed open.
"Who is it?"
Ghost Hand immediately turned around warily, only to see a handsome young man entering. He was as graceful as a jade tree in the breeze, and the moonlight spilled over him, adding a mysterious air.
What a dashing, otherworldly young beauty!
"Ninth Young Master, what brings you here?"
Ghost Hand was greatly startled. His eyes narrowed into slits, gleaming with icy light.
"I'm here to take your life!"
Xiao Yang did not bother hiding his intentions. He gripped the War Saber at his waist and walked toward him step by step.
"Hahahaha!"
Ghost Hand burst into unrestrained laughter. "Ninth Young Master, you're being far too fanciful! This old man has cultivated witchcraft for decades, and my cultivation is equivalent to the Fifth Grade Realm. I even planted a curse on you. How could you possibly kill me?!"
As he spoke, he immediately began muttering an incantation and activated the [Heart Piercing Blood Curse].
"The Blood Curse has taken effect. Within three seconds, you'll wish you were dead but be unable to die!"
Ghost Hand looked arrogant and even began counting down.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
But contrary to his expectations, when the countdown ended, Xiao Yang showed no sign of pain. He continued walking forward, now only ten steps away.
That distance was already within a martial artist's killing range!
"Impossible!"
Ghost Hand's expression changed drastically, his face full of disbelief. "Once someone is afflicted by the Blood Curse, even a great scholar from the [Confucian Temple] couldn't dispel it in such a short time! Brat, how did you do it?!"
"Idiot!"
Xiao Yang gave him a look as though he were a fool, then drew the War Saber at his waist and pointed its blade at Ghost Hand's neck.
"Speak. What last words do you have to leave behind?"
Before you continue