When Lin Hanzhou pushed open the heavy palace gates and stepped into the palace plaza, he immediately sensed the surging spiritual energy.
Ten figures were fighting on the plaza, their movements as swift as lightning.
Every clash erupted with a deafening roar, sending visible shock waves rippling through the air.
Even the hard white jade tiles had been shaken into a web of cracks.
Flashes of blades and swords, fists and palm strikes, wove together into a dazzling, deadly web of light.
This was a battle between Xiantian experts!
Lin Hanzhou's gaze swept quickly across the entire battlefield.
Apart from Ninth Prince Lin Hao, who hadn't entered the fight himself, everyone else was engaged in combat.
Among them were five Xiantian experts under the Ninth Prince, along with four Xiantian experts under the Third Prince and the Third Prince himself.
At present, the two sides were evenly matched, and it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.
Two clashes in particular drew the eye.
In one, an elderly Xiantian Second Stage expert under the Third Prince faced an Attendant from the Ninth Prince's side, also at the Xiantian Second Stage.
The two traded blows back and forth, with no chance of either securing victory anytime soon.
The other was the battlefield of Third Prince Lin Tai himself.
He wore a golden python robe and wielded a scarlet spear. His thrusts were like a dragon, every move displaying the dominance and majesty of the imperial martial arts.
His opponent was a guest warrior under the Ninth Prince.
Though he was also at the Xiantian First Stage, his aura was clearly a cut below Lin Tai's.
This showed just how deep the imperial family's foundations ran—they were far beyond what ordinary martial artists could match.
Even so, it would be extremely difficult for Lin Tai to win in a short time.
His opponent clearly had much more combat experience than he did, dodging his attacks like a loach.
It left Lin Tai frustrated and furious, with the helpless feeling of striking a cushion.
After they had fought at a stalemate for some time, Lin Tai still couldn't take down the guest warrior.
Left with no choice, he decided to use that hidden weapon to kill his opponent quickly.
The situation on the field was at a stalemate, and none of the Xiantian experts were free to intervene.
That meant that if he could kill the guest warrior in front of him, he could attack the Ninth Prince directly.
After all, the Ninth Prince was merely at the Houtian level. He wouldn't last a single move against Lin Tai.
Once the Ninth Prince was dead, wouldn't everything here be his to command?
At once, Lin Tai thrust his spear forward again, driving the scarlet shaft toward his opponent.
The guest warrior didn't dare meet the blow head-on. He dodged hurriedly, preparing to counter from the side.
But just then, Lin Tai suddenly hurled a pitch-black bead he had been hiding in his hand at the guest warrior.
As soon as he did, he wheeled around and charged toward the Ninth Prince.
His face was alight with a triumphant, savage grin.
In his eyes, the guest warrior had been struck by his Shadowless Needle Bead. Even if it hadn't killed him, it had surely left him gravely wounded.
With that, no one on the field could stop him.
With no one to stand in his way, he needed only a single move to kill a Houtian martial artist.
The outcome seemed all but decided!
Yet, faced with Lin Tai's menacing charge, Ninth Prince Lin Hao showed not the slightest trace of panic.
His gentle eyes calmly watched Lin Tai, who thought victory was already his, while a cold smile curved his lips.
He looked like a hunter watching his prey step into a trap.
He knew his chance had come.
Just as Third Prince Lin Tai closed in, ready to strike a fatal blow, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.
Behind him to the side, a Xiantian martial artist from the Ninth Prince's faction, who had been fighting an opponent, suddenly broke free without warning.
The man moved like lightning, becoming a streak of afterimage as the sword in his hand soundlessly thrust toward Lin Tai's back.
Sensing the danger, Lin Tai twisted his body in a hurry and only barely avoided the sword.
The turn of events shocked Lin Tai. He hadn't expected one of the enemy's Xiantian experts to break free.
Which useless fool was it? To let his side down at the most critical moment!
As Lin Tai tried to work it out, he heard the sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Squelch!
Although the Third Prince's combat instincts alerted him to the danger at the last possible moment, allowing him to narrowly avoid a vital spot,
the poisoned sword still plunged deep into his left shoulder and pierced straight through, bringing a gush of black blood with it.
"Argh—!"
Pain and numbness surged through Lin Tai's body. He let out a roar of shock and rage.
He turned back in disbelief—and saw Elder Li, an Attendant who had followed him for many years and whom he had regarded as his trusted confidant!
"Li Xuan! You... You dare betray me?!"
The Third Prince gritted his teeth, glaring at Li Xuan with bloodshot eyes.
"A wise bird chooses its tree, Your Highness. You... are too foolish."
The turncoat, Elder Li, sneered. Having landed his strike, he swiftly pulled back his sword and retreated.
This sudden development brought the entire battlefield to a standstill!
The other Xiantian experts under the Third Prince were all stunned, while the Ninth Prince's side was greatly encouraged.
"Attack!"
Ninth Prince Lin Hao finally gave the order.
Two Xiantian experts attacked the gravely wounded Third Prince from opposite sides at once, launching a deadly assault.
"Protect His Highness!"
Seeing this, the strongest Xiantian Second Stage elder under the Third Prince glared in fury, trying to break away and come to his rescue.
But the Ninth Prince's Attendant, who was also at the Xiantian Second Stage, kept him locked in place, leaving him no way to escape!
In an instant, Third Prince Lin Tai was left utterly isolated, with no one to help him.
"No—!"
Wounded and with poison attacking his heart, he could no longer withstand the assault of two opponents at the same level.
His domineering spear techniques fell into disarray, and deep, bone-revealing wounds appeared across his body.
Before long, both his arms had been severed, and a sword had pierced his chest.
"I... refuse to accept this..."
Lin Tai spewed blood from his mouth, his eyes filled with bitter resentment, and crashed backward to the ground. His life swiftly faded away.
The prince who had commanded the most momentum in the battle for the throne died on the spot in this utterly humiliating fashion.
With the Third Prince's fall, the four remaining Xiantian experts under his command had all but lost the will to fight.
Only the Xiantian Second Stage elder refused to surrender and chose to fight to the death. The other three Xiantian experts all yielded.
A while later, the Xiantian Second Stage elder was killed in battle.
And so, the thrilling struggle for imperial power ended in a complete victory for Ninth Prince Lin Hao's side.
The plaza was thick with the stench of blood.
Ninth Prince Lin Hao slowly stepped forward, a victor's smile on his face, ready to savor the fruits of his triumph.
But when his gaze swept casually across the plaza, it suddenly stopped at the entrance.
Someone stood there now, though no one knew when he had appeared.
A young man dressed in fine robes stood quietly at the entrance.
He seemed like an outsider, having watched everything that had just happened from beginning to end.
His face revealed neither joy nor anger. It was as still as a bottomless lake.
The instant he saw the young man, Ninth Prince Lin Hao's pupils suddenly contracted.
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