Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

He had always known that despite being the Crown Prince, His Majesty the King disliked his gentle, effeminate nature. In contrast, the Southern King, Li Wutong, whose personality was much more like His Majesty the Old King’s, was the one the old King truly admired.

That was why the Crown Prince had spent so many years desperately trying to win over the Empire’s court officials and secretly build his own power base. His original plan was to wait for the day the old King finally succumbed to his illness and died, then seize the Imperial City in one fell swoop. At that point, he would have the status and the legitimate claim. With the support of countless people, the throne of the Emperor of the Lanyue Empire would be his for the taking!

But he had never expected that this perfectly good plan, which was just a few years from success, would be completely ruined by that Ling Xiao, who had burst onto the scene out of nowhere. Ruined, scattered to the winds... utterly shattered!

Even that old bastard Qiu Chen, that decrepit fool who was also on the verge of death, had been dragged back from the brink by Ling Xiao. The whole affair left the Crown Prince with a feeling more disgusting than swallowing a fly!

His hatred for Ling Xiao was simply boundless. If he ever had the chance to completely eradicate the Ling Family, he would, without a doubt, be the first in line to do it!

Unfortunately, the Ling Family’s power grew at a speed that completely defied his imagination. The Crown Prince even began to worry that, with their current strength, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Ling Family to claim the Lanyue Kingdom for themselves.

So, he could no longer hold back and finally played his last trump card. Many of the palace guards had, in fact, been the Crown Prince’s men for a long time—including many of His Majesty the Old King’s own confidants!

After all, the old King was getting on in years, and the future ruler of the Empire was still the Crown Prince. Many people would naturally consider their families and their own futures... It wasn’t difficult to understand.

He had actually contacted this major hidden sect ten years ago. It was only due to the Crown Prince’s patient and low-key nature that he had never played this card. In terms of power, this great sect was no weaker than the Western Li Family. Therefore, as long as he, Li Wu Zhi, could kill his father, His Majesty the Old King, and his two younger brothers—the Second Prince, Li Wutong, and the Third Prince, Li Wuxiao, who was still in swaddling clothes—in one fell swoop, then even if the Western Li Family was displeased, it wouldn’t matter. At the end of the day, he, Li Wu Zhi, was still a descendant of the Li Family. No matter how unhappy they were, they wouldn’t go so far as to send assassins after him. Besides, the Crown Prince still had that great sect backing him!

A tremendous aura suddenly erupted from His Majesty the Old King. If all those heavy crossbows were aimed at him, he had no confidence he could withstand them all. However, there was no way the old King would ever allow the Crown Prince to kill the Third Prince, Li Wuxiao, right under his nose.

’They’ll have to walk over my dead body!’ The old King’s eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. In his mind, the days of his old campaigns flashed before him—the clamor of battle, the faces of his fallen subordinates, all appearing as if they were right there. With a flash, a treasured sword appeared in his hand, his expression twisting into a ferocious snarl as he glared at the soldiers before him.

"Let Mother come out alone! She’s my own mother, I... I won’t kill her!" the Crown Prince exclaimed. At his side, Night Owl shot him a stunned look. ’Didn’t he just say he was going to kill them all?’ he thought. ’This sentimentality of the Crown Prince’s is a dangerous weakness!’

"Let your mother out? So you can defile her?" As the old King’s chilling words rang out, a dead silence fell over the world. The vast majority of the soldiers aiming their heavy crossbows at His Majesty the King looked utterly stunned, unable to stop themselves from turning to look back at the Crown Prince.

’One can tolerate anything. Ruthlessness... that’s a necessary trait for any successful ruler! But what did the old King’s words mean? Defile... his own mother? The Crown Prince... could he truly be capable of such a sordid, incestuous act?’

For a moment, the eyes of nearly everyone—including the large retinue of guards surrounding the Crown Prince—were fixed on him, filled with utter shock.

The Crown Prince roared in fury, "Nonsense! Fire! Shoot them all dead! Leave no one alive!"

"I’d like to see who dares!"

A resonant voice echoed from the distance. With it came an overwhelming, powerful aura laced with boundless fury, sweeping in from afar. The voice was distant on the first word, but by the time the last word was spoken, two figures had already arrived before them.

At the same time, two figures shot into the air from the Crown Prince’s side! Two rival auras flared, instantly neutralizing the pressure from the two newcomers.

Only then did the shadow of death hanging over the soldiers below lighten somewhat. However, the combined pressure of four Sword Sect experts still left them frozen, not daring to make the slightest move.

His Majesty the King gazed at the two figures in the air, his eyes filled with profound gratitude. He murmured, "I knew you would come!"

Nangong Elder and Elder Rong glanced down at His Majesty the King. Elder Rong’s voice was grave. "Your Majesty, we’ve arrived late. Rest assured, as long as we are here, no one will be able to harm you!"

The two Sword Sect experts with the Crown Prince were both masked in black. One was of medium build, while the other was incredibly fat. The sight of him standing unsupported in mid-air was bizarre; it was rare to see someone so large cultivate to such a high realm. The ability to stand on thin air meant they had to be at least at the level of the Sword Sect.