Chapter 86: Chapter 82: Shifting Winds, a Changing World

「Prince Jin’s Mansion.」

Lu Guangjing leaned back in a large armchair, swirling the wine pot held between two fingers. His gaze was lazy, as if he were waiting for something.

’It’s about time.’

Soon, a snow-white fox descended from the sky with incomparable elegance. Its form shifted as it approached, transforming into a tall woman clad in arm armor and a fox-faced mask. She walked straight from the mansion’s entrance to stand before him, clasping her fist in respect.

“Your Highness, all went smoothly. Wang Zhaoyan and the Sixth Prince, Lu Mingyuan, are both unconscious. It appears the two have already engaged in illicit relations.”

At these words, those standing beside him looked on with admiration.

The Poison Scholar Su Qin, standing at his side, smiled and offered a clasped-fist salute. “Congratulations, Your Highness. Once the Third and Sixth Princes are eliminated, only five Princes will remain. Aside from the Eighth Prince, Lu Yunqing, the others are no cause for concern.”

Even Lu Guangjing couldn’t suppress a faint smile, and he chuckled.

“Everyone in the world has something to fear. The Immortal Influences, for instance, are afraid the Great Yan Dynasty will destroy their temples and cut off their worship. Even a Confucian Saint fears his teachings will fail to flourish among the great dynasties, preventing his cultivation from advancing and jeopardizing his status in the Confucian Temple.”

“Lu Mingyuan’s greatest weakness is women. By using the mother he has always held in awe to break his Daoxin, everything else will naturally fall into place.”

“He will be condemned to a lifetime of self-blame.”

The Poison Scholar Su Qin chimed in with flattery, “As expected of Your Highness. Your calculations leave nothing to chance.”

“Does Your Highness fear anything, then?” Gongyang Hu asked from the side, overcome with curiosity.

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.

’I shouldn’t have asked that.’

However, Lu Guangjing seemed to be in a good mood and didn’t hold it against him. Instead, he smiled faintly.

“How could I possibly fear anything? If I had to name something, I suppose there is one thing, but I’ve never encountered it. I despise failure. Since childhood, I have never failed to obtain what I desire or achieve what I set out to do.”

To those beside him, his words were a great reassurance.

Of course, that was a lie he had concocted for his subordinates.

’There is, in fact, something I fear, but how could I possibly tell my subordinates?’

There was only one thing Lu Guangjing never wanted to see happen in his life.

He never wanted his intellect and schemes to be surpassed or overshadowed by the master who backed him. If that happened, he would become nothing more than his master’s puppet.

This master’s name was Xun Yu, the Second Saint’s disciple. His power was immense and his plans were flawless. A single one of his schemes could shatter a dynasty and cause millions to die. Xun Yu was the target Lu Guangjing had been chasing his entire life.

Influenced by the Dragon Slaying Skill, he was unwilling to be manipulated by anyone, and that naturally included the master backing him.

To contend for the throne now, he had no choice but to rely on his master’s power.

But if he ever had the chance in the future, he would undoubtedly break free from him.

Suddenly, Lu Guangjing’s eyes went sharp. He stopped swirling the wine pot, his face turning livid.

CRASH!

He violently smashed the wine pot onto the floor and took a step forward. Dazzling vermilion Literary Qi and surging azure Taoist Qi erupted from him with a menacing aura. He backhanded the fox-faced woman, sending her flying. She flipped once in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

The scene stunned everyone present into silence.

Lu Guangjing stared intently in the direction of the Imperial Palace. His face paled, his lips trembled, and he muttered, “This is impossible!”

He finally lowered his head to look at the fox-faced woman, his handsome face twisted into a horrifying grimace. His voice was grim. “Useless! You can’t even handle one simple thing! You were lying to me! That brat Lu Mingyuan is clearly alive and well!”

Blood trickled from the fox-faced woman’s mouth, flowing down from beneath her mask. She lowered her head and said, “Impossible. I saw them both lying on the ground myself. Noble Consort Wang’s clothes were in disarray, and Lu Mingyuan was completely naked.”

Lu Guangjing was about to lash out again when a look of fear and resentment flashed in his eyes. A surge of blood from his heart suddenly went haywire.

In that instant, his Daoxin shattered. A wave of hot blood surged up from his chest, and he violently spat out a mouthful!

PUH!!

He collapsed back into his armchair and quickly formed a Literary Seal before him, his voice hoarse. “Settle spirit, calm heart.”

That mouthful of Essence Blood left his aura significantly depleted.

He ordered the fox-faced woman, his face devoid of expression. “Come here.”

The fox-faced woman had no choice but to slowly crawl toward him.

A vicious light glinted in Lu Guangjing’s eyes. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head hard against the ground!

“Because of your incompetence, you’ve made me drop two entire realms!”

He roared, continuing to press her down.

“He broke my Inquiry of the Heart ploy!!”

“Part of my Dragon Fortune has dissipated, and it’s all because of you, you useless wretch!”

Someone at his side, apparently unable to watch any longer, spoke up to dissuade him.

“Your Highness, if we spread rumors about the Sixth Prince and his mother, the Noble Consort, perhaps we can still salvage the situation.”

For once, Lu Guangjing’s face was completely devoid of its usual cultured elegance. His expression was savage as he clenched his right fist. “Are you trying to turn me into a mortal?! Besides, that’s not the point! The point is that he’s not dead!”

“I want him dead!”

At this, everyone present fell silent.

None of them dared to provoke the Prince now that he had failed.

Their lives were entirely in the Prince’s hands. They could not defy him.

That had been decided the moment they joined the Infinite Faction.

It was rare to see the Prince in such a rage.

This was also the first time one of the Prince’s schemes had failed, and he had suffered a major setback.

Not only had his realm plummeted, but his Dragon Fortune had also diminished.

With the Dragon Slaying Skill the Prince cultivated, every word and action was critical. He could only win; he could not lose. Victory allowed him to devour another’s destiny and strengthen himself, but failure would result in a backlash from that destiny, causing him to lose realms until he eventually died.

The fox-faced woman lay motionless on the ground. Her face was hidden, so it was impossible to know if she was disfigured, but one could see blood continuing to trickle out from behind her mask.

…

Recently, Great Yan’s Dragon Fortune had been in turmoil, and its National Fortune was showing signs of decline. This was the turning point where peak prosperity gives way to decay, and across the entire Central Plains World, countless eyes were now fixed upon the Imperial Capital City.

A new variable had entered the equation, and the ambitions of many nations and dynasties were stirred.

「The Great Frost Dynasty.」

Upon a vast, snow-covered mountain stood a palace that seemed carved from crystal.

Below the mountain lay a battlefield wreathed in the smoke of war, littered with the corpses of countless soldiers. Squad after squad of Ice Shark Armor Soldiers, armed to the teeth, advanced like unstoppable engines of war, completely blasting open the gates of the Royal City.

BOOM!

A bolt of blue Celestial Fire plummeted from the sky, vaporizing the thousands of soldiers who guarded the Royal City’s gates.

A Silver Frost Dragon as majestic as a mountain descended, yet the ferocious beast came to an obedient halt before a tall young man in the midst of the army. He wore a high crown and flowing, wide-sleeved green robes.

At his side was a divinely handsome monk in white robes. His features were delicate, and a faint smile played on his lips.

“Amitabha Buddha. Congratulations, Crown Prince. The five-hundred-year turning point of the Celestial Mandate is at hand. Great Yan’s Fortune is dimming and weak; His Majesty has a great opportunity to contend for the Celestial Mandate. Now that you have swept aside the Golden Frost King, you need only deal with the weakest, the Junior Frost King, and the throne will be within your grasp.”

The Silver Frost Heir nodded. “This is all thanks to Master Wuchen’s support. As we agreed, the Silver Frost Country will elevate the Seven Ancestors Lineage of Buddhism to the status of our National Religion.”

The white-robed monk looked off in a certain direction, his smile never faltering. “It seems things are getting lively in the east. Once the Crown Prince has dealt with the Junior Frost King, I shall take a trip to see for myself.”

…

「The Golden Crow Country.」

Yellow sand swirled as an ancient melody, the very sound of the kingdom, echoed from the Royal Capital. The faint cry of a Golden Crow could be heard as a purple glow stretched for thousands of miles.

The Eldest Princess of the Golden Crow Country, her face hidden behind a white gauze veil, her hair elegantly pinned, her eyes as clear as autumn pools, wore a white gown embroidered with a gilded three-legged crow that trailed along the floor. She stared at the Three-legged Golden Crow Tripod before her, which was emanating a dazzling light.

In the mountains behind the Royal Capital, the Sword Tomb began to hum and vibrate.

A brilliant and ancient Flying Sword emerged from the Three-legged Golden Crow Tripod.

It radiated an appallingly dreadful might, causing every cultivator in the Royal Capital to turn and look toward the Golden Crow Palace.

The Eldest Princess turned to a middle-aged man in a long gown and blue kerchief at her side, her eyes filled with hope.

“Imperial Tutor, can the Confucian Temple truly save the Golden Crow Country?”

The middle-aged man smiled. “As the saying goes: there is more than one way to govern the world, and one need not cling to antiquity to benefit the state.”

“If the Golden Crow Dynasty wishes to escape its current plight, it must follow the path of our Legalist Saint: embrace legal reform, cast off its long-standing weakness, enrich the state, and strengthen the army. Only then can it distinguish itself among the nations.”

The Eldest Princess let out a soft sigh. “’The Golden Crow Dynasty’… how long has it been since we were called by that name?”

…

「The Great Nether Sacred Country.」

The Northern Country was a desolate land. Altars were being constructed everywhere. Emaciated commoners, their hands and feet in chains, hauled massive logs past towering altars that had already been completed.

Many black-robed Daoists sat in circles around the altars, seemingly performing some kind of ritual.

The silence was broken by the arrival of squad after squad of massive Wolf Riders. Black flags were planted in every city for thousands of miles in every direction.

Leading the Wolf Riders was a woman of wicked, bewitching charm.

Her blood-red skirt reached only to the top of her thighs, leaving her long, fair legs and toned, powerful waist completely exposed. A single strip of red cloth was all that covered her chest, barely containing her firm, full breasts, and offering a tantalizing glimpse of pale skin. On her bare feet, her five red-painted toenails gleamed faintly.

Her high ponytail swayed with her giant wolf’s every stride. Her eyes glowed with a pair of green, demonic pupils. Gemstones of every color adorned her collarbones and hair. A floral diadem made of multicolored agate pendants veiled half of her face, and her red lips were so luscious that any man who saw her would find it impossible to restrain his desire.

What a peerless, magnificent Demoness.

She clenched her fist. Sharp, hook-like golden claws on her fingers emitted rays of golden light that transformed into a brilliant golden shower, piercing the body of every black-robed Daoist. One by one, they all fell.

A black-robed Daoist hovering above the altar raged as he watched the squads of Wolf Riders storm the sacred site and interrupt the other Daoists. “Lady Divine Envoy, even as the High Priest, you cannot do this! Do you intend to defy the Sovereign’s command?”

“Without my command, not even the Sovereign of the Holy Netherworld may conduct a blood sacrifice and open the Celestial Gate. As the High Priest and a Divine Maiden, I have the authority to stop this,” the bewitching woman stated coldly.

At her arrival, the common folk all fell to their knees, crying out with tears in their eyes.

“Greetings, High Priest!”

“Greetings, High Priest!”

“Greetings, High Priest!”

The black-robed Daoist’s face was grim, his tone no longer polite. “Witch Palace Language, are you trying to rebel?”

“And what if I am?”

Her indifferent voice rang out.

SHIING!

With the sharp shriek of her claws, the black-robed Daoist’s expression froze in astonishment as he saw his own head separate from his body.

…

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