In the royal family, how could a prince possibly survive within those cold and ruthless walls without a certain degree of shrewdness and cunning?
Even if they manage to survive, they will likely be constantly controlled, sidelined by other princes, and have their resources completely devoured.
The Ninth Prince, being the youngest and weakest among the princes, was able to stand out and be appointed Crown Prince by the Emperor of the Divine Dynasty, which speaks volumes about his abilities.
At this moment, in the courtyard.
After Xiao Hei and the others left, Elder Lin finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, why did you do this?! Only two or three of them are capable enough; the rest are just cannon fodder. How can they shoulder such an important task?"
" Elder Lin, before we made our preparations, I was not the Crown Prince."
Elder Lin immediately bowed and said, "In my humble opinion, the Crown Prince is indeed the Crown Prince."
The Ninth Prince chuckled softly, pointing a finger at Elder Lin, "You..."
"However, how do you know the others are cannon fodder?" The Ninth Prince's penetrating eyes narrowed slightly as he said calmly, "Not to mention that adding more people would only make things more dangerous, they certainly didn't take on this mission thinking they could get away with it by relying on those two Half-Step Ancestor Realm disciples."
Elder Lin asked in surprise, "This... could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince saw through their concealed strength?"
"No," the Ninth Prince shook his head and said, "It's just a bit strange. Maple Feng Ye seems to take good care of those who haven't even reached the God Emperor Realm yet, and sometimes even puts them first. You can tell from their positions; Feng Ye is half a step behind that dark-skinned body cultivator."
" Cheng Dahai's gaze towards those people revealed hostility, presumably because they had come to steal the rewards for completing the mission. However, those who could be valued so highly by a personal disciple like Cheng Dahai must have something extraordinary about them."
"Although I can't discern their strength, and they might not actually have anything special about them, I'm still willing to take the gamble."
Elder Lin smiled wryly, "You're about to appoint the Crown Prince; isn't this gamble a bit too high?"
"At worst, we'll just have to give our lives to them." The Ninth Prince chuckled lightly. "Although I value my life, as a prince, if you're too afraid of death and hold yourself back, you'll achieve nothing."
"I fear living a life of failure more than losing my life..."
At this point, the Ninth Prince glanced at Elder Lin, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "You agree, don't you, Elder Lin?"
Elder Lin's expression was solemn. He clasped his hands and said, "I will certainly ensure that His Highness the Ninth Prince reaches the pinnacle!"
Nine Dragons City remains prosperous.
However, countless people walking on the street remained silent, with almost no one speaking and their faces filled with unease.
Despite the apparent prosperity, it was actually mired in a silent fear.
Red Dragon Villa, the residence of the Third Prince.
"Your Highness, the Ninth Prince has decided to depart in three days." At this point, the subordinate produced a parchment scroll and handed it to the Third Prince. "This is the Ninth Prince's route back to the city."
The Third Prince had a effeminate look on his face, and without his prompting, two maids around him sprinkled perfume powder on the scroll.
The Third Prince then gently picked up the scroll, reading it as he asked, "What were the attitudes of the Fifth Prince and the Eldest Prince?"
The subordinate replied, "Your Highness, their men have also assembled."
The Third Prince smiled and said, "Alright, make two copies of this map and send them to them separately."
Torch Dragon Villa, the residence of the First Prince.
Upon receiving the information, the First Prince stopped polishing the gleaming silver spear in his hand, stood up, and sneered, " Xiao Jiu, you're still too inexperienced. I should take the throne of Crown Prince."
" Torch Dragon Army, listen to my command! Prepare to depart!"
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Outside the gates of Azure Dragon City, the Ninth Prince and his entourage, along with Xiao Hei and his group, gathered.
Why not just have a powerful expert carry him directly back? Why go through the trouble of traveling by land using Devil Beast? Wouldn't that add another four days to the journey?
According to the Ninth Prince, does our side have strong individuals, while the other side doesn't?
Each prince has a powerful protector. If Elder Lin leads him directly to Nine Dragons City, he will still be forced to the ground by the enemy's powerful protectors. That ground may be a trap set by the enemy, and then there will be no chance of escape.
Moreover, if he leaves first, what will happen to his personal guards?
If all the imperial guards are killed, the officials and military officers will inevitably question his abilities and become an obstacle to the investiture of the emperor!
At that time, the emperor's brothers and sisters would exert their influence, and there is a high probability that the matter of appointing a crown prince would be ruined.
Of course, Mu Fusheng felt it was impossible to spend more time advancing in the same manner as the main force simply for these reasons.
With so many routes to choose from and so many ways to get back to Nine Dragons City, the shrewd and calculating Ninth Prince couldn't possibly have overlooked a more efficient and safer option.
Mu Fusheng himself could come up with more than a dozen solutions.
Unless... the Ninth Prince has other motives.
However, the Ninth Prince is now sitting in a simple wooden hut on the back of a giant tiger-shaped Devil Beast, and the hut is surrounded by shielding arrays and defensive formations.
It can be said that even a powerful expert at the Ancestor Realm would be unable to perceive what was happening inside.
Mu Fusheng glanced at the wooden house, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and narrowed them slightly.
With Elder Lin giving the order from the tiger's head, the army advanced along the predetermined route.
"Something feels off," Ye Qiubai, who was walking on the side, suddenly frowned.
Xiao Heishi Sheng Fangqiong was slightly taken aback.
Feng Ye looked directly in Cheng Dahai's direction; to her left and slightly ahead, Cheng Dahai and Yu Cheng were walking forward.
Seemingly noticing Feng Ye's gaze, Cheng Dahai turned his head and smiled and nodded at Feng Ye.
Feng Ye snorted coldly, then looked away and said, " Cheng Dahai didn't leave either."
Ye Qiubai shook his head and said, "It's not Cheng Dahai's fault... Were all the arrangements completed beforehand?"
Over the course of three days, Fang Qiong and Mu Fusheng laid out talismans and formations on the map at the locations they needed to pass through, enabling them to monitor the movements of everyone in that area in advance.
Fang Qiong shook his head and said, "Nothing unusual has been found yet."
Mu Fusheng nodded, then looked at Ye Qiubai and said, "I also sensed something was wrong; there are quite a few strange things."
Feng Ye shrugged and said, "Alright, our mission is just escorting them. Don't worry about anything else. If anyone comes, fight them. If no one comes, we'll just make it to Nine Dragons City to celebrate peacefully. In the meantime, just watch out for Cheng Dahai causing trouble."
Just as Feng Ye finished speaking, the Ninth Prince's voice suddenly came from inside the cabin.
"Change direction and continue heading northwest."
Hearing this, the soldiers were all puzzled, and Mu Fusheng and the others also frowned slightly.
Is this to prevent traitors from tipping off the enemy?
Mu Fusheng's expression was solemn.
However, based on his first impression of the Ninth Prince, things are probably not that simple.