Snake Spear and Pufferfish

It was not a physical entity, but rather composed of pure light energy. Its dragon head was held high, and its eyes burned like golden suns. Merely by hovering there, it radiated a terrifying pressure sufficient to suffocate an ordinary spirit master.

In the next second, a blood-red spirit ring rose quietly from beneath her feet. Qian Renxue, already shocked by this martial soul, froze in place, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"A hundred-thousand-year... spirit ring..." Qian Renxue's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with incredulity.

How could a mere spirit master with less than thirty levels of spirit power possess a hundred-thousand-year first spirit ring? How was this possible?!

Whose first spirit ring could be a hundred-thousand-year one?! There had never been such a record; it was simply too difficult to accept!

"Ye Yang, who... exactly are you?!" Qian Renxue stared at the blood-red ring, lost in a trance. What kind of secrets did this person harbor? This was a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, after all.

Meanwhile, inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, after teaching Xue Beng a lesson, Ye Yang returned to the Crown Prince's bedchamber in an incredibly pleasant mood.

Disciplining a prince—if this were his former self, it would have been something he wouldn't even dare to imagine.

But now, he was the Crown Prince. He could do whatever he wanted; within this Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, he was second only to one and above ten thousand.

As for whether Xue Beng would retaliate? Ye Yang was not worried at all. Even if he did, so what? Would he dare to kill him?

If he truly dared to try, he would have to ask the Emperor Armor in his mind if it agreed.

After picking up some attributes along the way, Ye Yang returned to his bedchamber.

Sitting in a chair and stroking its luxurious frame, Ye Yang spoke leisurely: "Serpent Spear, Pufferfish."

He knew his actions today must have been under the observation of Serpent Spear and Pufferfish. To prevent them from realizing he had swapped bodies with Qian Renxue, simply calling them out would explain everything.

After all, besides the people from Spirit Hall, only Qian Renxue knew of their existence.

In the next second, two figures emerged quietly from the corners.

"Your Highness." The lean Serpent Spear bowed. "Do you have any instructions?"

Beside him, Pufferfish also bowed. The two exchanged a glance, the heavy stones in their hearts finally settling.

The Crown Prince's behavior today had indeed caused them concern; they had never seen him act so arrogant before, and they naturally worried if something had gone wrong.

But since the Crown Prince had summoned them, it must have been part of his plan.

Sure enough, in the next second, they heard Ye Yang say: "You must be curious why I acted the way I did today, right?"

Hearing this, Serpent Spear quickly lowered his head. "We dare not. We are only responsible for Your Highness's safety; as for your plans, we dare not interfere."

Serpent Spear's words were double-edged. If they weren't curious, why mention the word "plan"? If they were only responsible for his safety, why say such things?

Ye Yang saw through their confusion and nodded. "Actually, today's events were something I did after careful consideration."

"Xue Beng—I discovered that this Fourth Prince is not as dissolute as he appears on the surface. His previous behavior was merely to paralyze me."

That was right; Ye Yang intended to expose Xue Beng's act of playing the wastrel. Only then would these two be convinced by his actions.

"What!" Serpent Spear was very surprised. After all, the fact that Xue Beng was a wastrel was deeply ingrained in everyone's mind; even he had believed it.

"Indeed, I know you are surprised. I was also shocked when I found out. To be able to play the wastrel for so many years at such an age is truly hair-raising."

"But, it is the truth." Ye Yang nodded. "He likely guessed that the deaths of the Second and Third Princes were related to me, so he played the wastrel to dispel my intent to kill him."

Upon hearing this, Serpent Spear immediately said: "This Xue Beng has such audacity. Your Highness, should we not eliminate him quickly to avoid future trouble?"

Ye Yang did not answer, only saying: "This Xue Beng is indeed not simple. To be able to endure humiliation for so long, he will surely be a significant threat to our Spirit Hall in the future."

"Your Highness, since you say so, we must eliminate him even more," Serpent Spear said firmly. Out of loyalty to Spirit Hall, he could never let such a person grow.

However, Ye Yang shook his head. "No. Not only can we not eliminate him, but we must also let him live and continue to let him play the wastrel."

Hearing this, Serpent Spear was very puzzled. "Why, Your Highness? If we kill Xue Beng, wouldn't it be better to nip the danger in the bud?"

To this, Ye Yang sighed helplessly. "Do you think I haven't thought of that? But Serpent Spear, you must know that Xue Ye now only has me and Xue Beng as princes; the princess has no possibility of succeeding to the throne."

"The deaths of the Second and Third Princes were already shrouded in mystery. Xue Ye had already begun to suspect me back then; it took all these years for him to lower his guard even slightly."

"But if Xue Beng were to die as well, how do you think Xue Ye would react?"

Ye Yang looked at Serpent Spear with a serious tone. "As the Crown Prince, the only person who can threaten my position now is Xue Beng. If he dies, my position as Crown Prince would be absolutely unshakeable."

"But at the same time, Xue Ye's suspicion of me would reach its peak, because I am the only one who would have the greatest motive to kill Xue Beng. After all, who would kill a wastrel for no reason?"

After listening to Ye Yang's analysis, Serpent Spear Douluo's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Your Highness is far-sighted; this subordinate admires you. But keeping him is ultimately a hidden danger. In your opinion, how should we respond?"

"That is exactly what my actions today were for," Ye Yang said softly. "Since he wants to act, we will let him act. The more intensely he plays the part, the better."

"What do you think he would think of my actions today, as a wastrel?" Ye Yang suddenly asked in return.

Hearing this, Serpent Spear pondered for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

"To drive someone to despair, one must first drive them to madness. I am forcing him—forcing him to be a true wastrel. And as a wastrel, he will certainly report my actions to that old man, Xue Ye."

"This way, Xue Ye will surely question me about this in court tomorrow, and I can take the opportunity to strike at him."

"As long as he dares to retaliate, I can keep splashing mud on him. By then, even if he doesn't want to be a wastrel anymore, he will have no choice. This will also cut off Xue Ye's suspicion of me," Ye Yang said quietly.

[Ding! Strategy proposed, Spirit Power +1]