Xu Tianyuan was not worried that this move might be ill-advised and draw Xu Tianran over.
After all, Xu Tianran wanted to ascend the throne, so he would never dare shoulder the charge of slaughtering his brothers.
At least, not in front of everyone.
Xu Tianran had killed plenty of people who might threaten his claim to the throne, but he always cleaned up thoroughly, leaving no evidence anyone could use against him.
Thus, even though everyone knew he had done it, they could only keep one eye open and the other shut.
Right now, Xu Tianyuan intended to make a huge commotion.
Ideally, the entire palace would hear him.
Even if Xu Tianran found out, he would never dare kill him openly, not when he had an image to maintain.
Attempting another assassination under the eyes of so many palace guards and ministers would be tantamount to destroying his own reputation as crown prince.
"Murder! Assassins! Help!"
Xu Tianyuan's screams were especially piercing in the silence of the night.
They soon drew the patrolling imperial guards.
"Your Highness, Sixth Prince, what happened to you?"
The imperial guards were all stunned to see Xu Tianyuan drenched in blood, and immediately surrounded him to protect him.
The captain leading them looked anxious and hurriedly asked what had happened.
"Assassins! Take me to Father at once! Someone wants to kill me!"
Xu Tianyuan unleashed his acting skills, his eyes terrified and his voice hoarse from screaming.
He seized an imperial guard's arm and shouted at the top of his lungs, "You lowly dogs! You had better keep this prince safe, or I'll have all nine generations of your families exterminated!"
Xu Tianyuan had always been a notoriously spoiled prince. He needed no rehearsal to bring that image to life.
Overbearing, panicked, and carrying a prince's inborn arrogance, he looked exactly as he always had.
The imperial guards around him suspected nothing.
Even if they felt displeased, his status as a prince kept them from saying anything.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. With us here, no one can kill you!"
Every imperial guard stood ready. Some soothed Xu Tianyuan, some called for reinforcements, and others kept watch, each attending to his duties.
Soul tool technology was highly advanced in this era. With something much like a phone call, a large crowd soon gathered.
Eunuchs, palace maids, and soldiers packed together in layer upon layer, at least a thousand people in all.
Most had come to watch the spectacle.
An assassination attempt inside the palace, and one targeting a prince at that, was a major incident. Many personnel on duty rushed over after hearing the news, gathering some distance behind the others to watch.
The crowd murmured quietly, one conjecture rising after another.
"Tianyuan! Tianyuan!"
Just then, three streaks of light descended from the sky.
At their head was an old man who looked over a hundred, his face withered, as though a gust of wind could knock him down.
He had a frail frame and wore a dark yellow robe patterned with dragons, a faint oppressive aura lingering around him.
His name was Xu Zhengxiao, and he was the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
The two standing beside him were Fire Phoenix Douluo and Mad Bull Douluo.
Fire Phoenix Douluo's name was Luan Feng. She looked to be in her thirties, had the fire phoenix sword martial soul, and was level 93 and a Level 9 Soul Engineer.
She wore a scarlet soul tool robe, her figure tall and straight, her long crimson hair tied high, and her features sharp.
Mad Bull Douluo's name was Wang Yiheng. He looked to be in his forties, had the mad bull martial soul, and was level 93 and a Level 9 Soul Engineer.
He was immensely burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back, standing a head taller than an ordinary strongman. His face was fleshy and his gaze vicious.
Both belonged to the Sun Moon Empire's Offering Hall.
But that did not necessarily mean they were particularly loyal to Xu Zhengxiao.
In short, they were loyal only to the imperial family and obeyed whoever held the throne.
As long as someone of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial bloodline sat securely on the throne, they would fulfill their duties as retainers.
"Tianyuan, what on earth happened to you?!"
Xu Zhengxiao strode forward and seized Xu Tianyuan's arm. Seeing him drenched in blood, he roared in fury.
Even his aged hands were trembling slightly.
"Who did this?! I'll have him put to death by a thousand cuts!"
Xu Zhengxiao was genuinely worried.
After all, nearly all his sons had died.
Only Xu Tianyuan, his youngest son, remained.
Along with that treasonous Xu Tianran.
If he lost Xu Tianyuan too, he would all but become a ruler utterly alone.
"I don't know either."
Xu Tianyuan quickly recounted what had happened.
Of course, he left a few things out.
He only said that three black-clad men had suddenly broken into his bedchamber to kill him. Just as they were about to succeed, someone unknown had intervened and killed all three in an instant.
He never breathed a word of the truth-that he had unleashed his own power to slay the assassins.
"Father, you must catch whoever was behind this. I nearly lost my life."
Xu Tianyuan put on a terrified expression, trembling all over, tears glistening in his eyes. His shoulders shook incessantly, as though he still had not recovered from the terror of the assassination attempt.
He did not directly name Xu Tianran as the culprit.
Everyone knew the truth anyway.
How should one describe Xu Zhengxiao? He was somewhat like Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Yuan had known perfectly well that Li Shimin had killed his own elder and younger brothers, yet ultimately did nothing, even voluntarily abdicating.
Granted, that was partly because the tide had already turned against him.
But he truly had no other choice.
After all, Li Shimin was his only remaining son, so he could only let him inherit the throne.
The Sun Moon Empire's current situation was much like that of the Tang Dynasty.
Xu Tianran was much like Li Shimin, too.
But with him as the only remaining heir, what could Xu Zhengxiao do even if he knew the truth?
An emperor in a feudal society would never allow someone unrelated by blood to inherit the throne.
Of course, Xu Tianyuan was also eligible to ascend the throne.
But that was not a realistic possibility.
First, in everyone else's eyes, Xu Tianyuan had been a wastrel since childhood, ignorant and unskilled. If Xu Zhengxiao really made him emperor, no one would accept it.
The court's civil and military officials, along with all the major soul engineer factions, would fiercely oppose it.
Second, Xu Tianran had already infiltrated almost every level of the Sun Moon Empire, from top to bottom.
Many court officials and senior imperial guard officers had already sided with the crown prince.
Even if Xu Zhengxiao wanted to do it, he would struggle to override all that opposition.
Finally, whether on the Douluo Continent or the Sun Moon Continent, it had always been fists that did the talking.
Xu Tianyuan was only level 29. Even if he became emperor, he would probably die within a few days.
Without sufficient strength, the throne was a death warrant.
For all these reasons, exposing Xu Tianran as the mastermind would do him no good whatsoever.
It would only rustle the grass and startle the snake, putting him in even greater danger.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Xu Zhengxiao's beard bristled and his eyes bulged with rage. "All of you, investigate! Find out who dared harm Tianyuan! I'll make sure he dies without a burial place! Exterminate all nine generations of his family!"
The ministers around him exchanged glances.
They all knew the crown prince was implicated in this matter. Any investigation would struggle to advance a single step.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
But before they could act, a voice suddenly came from behind the crowd.
"What are you all gathered here for?"
The crowd soon parted to form a path.
The guards moved aside of their own accord.
Amid a flurry of movement, Xu Tianran was slowly pushed into view in his wheelchair.
His gaze was like a venomous snake's, coldly sweeping over everyone present.
It passed slowly over the emperor and the two retainers before finally settling on Xu Tianyuan.
"Sixth Brother, how did you end up like this?"
Before you continue