Chapter 2968

"In other words, this battle must be something the Heavenly Demon can control on its own, and it must be certain that the Demon Emperor cannot escape." He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "Could it be a barrier or a small world?"

No matter how the Heavenly Demon managed it, it must have taken great effort, and it will certainly pay a price.

He believes the Demon Emperor will not surrender willingly.

He Lingchuan, who once suffered as a victim of the Heavenly Demon's trap, knows firsthand how vicious it is. If he hadn't had the heaven-defying Grand Vase in his hand at the time, he too would have been killed by the Heavenly Demon long ago.

The Demon Emperor was not as fortunate as he was; though he struggled against his fate, he ultimately failed.

Sun Fuling then asked: "Now that the Demon Emperor is dead, who will govern Beijia?"

"The Demon Emperor had a son, Jiuxu—you met him over twenty years ago in Lingxu City and even had dealings with him. Do you remember?"

He Lingchuan couldn't help but press his temples, hurrying to search deep in his memory.

These obscure, ancient clues, he had buried deep in his sea of consciousness.

Over twenty years ago………

Fortunately, the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his bosom timely reminded him:

"The Beijia Crown Prince's name is Wuhuan! He is called Prince Huan. You even complained back then, saying the Demon Emperor was clearly a green flood dragon, so why would he bear the surname 'Wu'?" Its memory is not prone to error: "Later we learned they call themselves the direct descendants of the Black Dragon God Sovereign, with orthodox bloodline, hence they bear the surname 'Wu.' Among demon tribes, the dragon clan is one of the most particular about bloodline in ancient times."

In fact, it's not just the dragon clan—the stronger the demon tribe, the more particular they are about bloodline, because their power mainly comes from bloodline.

Thanks to the reminder, He Lingchuan clapped his hands and also recalled it.

Before the great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace, he had been following the missing courier case all the way to the Immortal Medicine case, the location shifting from Chiyan to Lingxu City, and the suspect was identified as the son-in-law of the Minister of Revenue, Cen Boqing, pressing hard. As a result, the Minister of Revenue's daughter, Yao Xingning, had grown up alongside the Beijia Crown Prince since childhood. Seeing her sad and tearful, the Crown Prince rushed to the Pan Shan residence in Chiyan's garrison at Lingxu City to cause trouble for Fushan Yue and He Lingchuan, but neither was there, so he flew into a rage and killed nineteen people, then set fire to the Pan Shan residence, reducing it to ashes.

This incident caused a great uproar in Lingxu City. Although the Crown Prince Huan held a noble status, his act of storming the Chiyan official residence was indeed excessive. Afterwards, the Demon Emperor personally appeared to appease Chiyan and even compensated Fushan Yue with a large manor.

Twenty years ago, Prince Huan was only thirteen years old, equivalent to a human infant.

"After all these years, has it grown at all?"

"Too young." Xin Wuhuan shook his head. "Wuhuan is violent and restless, with unpredictable moods, acting in ways that constantly defy expectation. Even those closest to him among his servants find it hard to predict his actions. I recall last year when he came to play in Xun State, he took a liking to Bai Feng Island and immediately demanded that Xun State cede Bai Feng Island to Beijia. Xun State refused, so half a month later, the Xun State princess was abducted from the palace and hung naked on a large tree outside the city. That road is a necessary passage in and out of Ducheng, and countless people coming and going have seen the Xun State princess's plight."

"The Xun State royal family is nearly exploding with rage, but without evidence, they cannot catch the perpetrator and can only swallow this anger." Speaking of this, Xin Wuhuan recalled another matter: "By the way, back then, after he burned the Chiyan official residence, the Demon Emperor severely reprimanded him, so he grew to hate Chiyan, and over these years he has often made things difficult for Chiyan officials stationed in Lingxu City. Seven years ago, a Chiyan official drowned in Lingxu City; the official said it was a slip after drinking, but my informant in Lingxu City reported it might be related to the Prince."

"Now Prince Huan is in his thirties, but among the Jiaolong tribe, he is equivalent to a human child under six years old, and most of the time he is still muddled. The mental maturation of demon tribes is much slower than that of humans, even for the dragon lineage." Xiao Hanzi pondered, "However, his brutish and reckless nature has begun to show, and cannot be entirely concealed by ignorance and naivety. I infer that the Lingxu Holy Sovereign will soon send him to the throne on the grounds that 'a state cannot go a day without a ruler.' Whether by law or bloodline, he is the undisputed choice for inheriting the throne—even the King of the Precious Tree cannot find fault with him." Xin Wuhuan nodded, "For the Heavenly Demon to control him is far easier than controlling his father. In this way, the Lingxu Holy Sovereign can keep Beijia under its control for its own use." Speaking thus, he said to He Lingchuan: "Once Wuhuan ascends, the first thing he must do is take revenge, to avenge his father's death against Changyan. Back then, Chiyan did not directly offend him, yet he has held a grudge for many years. Now that Wuhuan has a clear 'enemy who killed his father,' he will surely go mad in avenging Changyan. And within Beijia, those who originally opposed the Heavenly Demon—such as the King of the Precious Tree and the King of Chiyan—even if they know the truth, cannot oppose his goal, cannot refuse to rise in arms to avenge the former emperor."

Beijia is not lacking in perceptive people—how could they fail to see through the Heavenly Demon's trick of killing the Demon Emperor and framing Changyan? But even if they see through it, what can they do? What evidence do they hold, daring to say the true murderer of the Demon Emperor is the Heavenly Demon?

He Lingchuan must admit, the Heavenly Demon's killing this time was truly well done—not shoddy like on the Earth Mother Plains.

"The Lingxu Holy Sovereign only killed the single most pivotal figure, thereby shifting all the internal conflicts erupting in Beijia to the outside." Xiao Hanzi also gazed at the two opposite them, "All dumped onto you lot. I estimate Beijia will soon declare war on Changyan."

Xiao Hanzi sighed: "The Lingxu Holy Sovereign has indeed gotten its wish."

Previously, the Heavenly Demon several times tried to sever all ties between Beijia and Changyan, but due to various reasons could not succeed, and the Demon Emperor did not support it; now, Wuhuan, under the banner of revenge, can wield thunderous methods.

Beijia is not lacking in perceptive people, but at this juncture, who dares to stand up and oppose?

Beijia's greatest crisis since its founding has already arrived!

Truly, one stone stirs a thousand waves.

He Lingchuan saw Sun Fuling's beautiful brows tightly furrowed: "What's wrong?"

"We used to think the Lingxu crowd controlled the vassal demon states to manipulate Lingxu City and the Demon Emperor. Or perhaps, we actually have a more direct method?" The Lingxu crowd being able to directly kill the Beijia Demon Emperor—this sounds surprising at first hearing, but upon reflection it seems reasonable: "It should be a long-term layout, used as a killer's mace after confirming the Demon Emperor had escaped control, to strike it down with one blow."

Xiao Hanzi immediately said: "If we could find evidence of the Heavenly Demon killing the Demon Emperor..."

Xin Wuhuan shook his head: "I fear it won't be that easy to find."

Sun Fuling then added: "In that case, the death of the second Demon Emperor is also worth studying."

The other three stared at each other, nearly speaking in unison:

"Exactly!"

The Beijia Empire has so far seen three Demon Emperors pass away: the first was the founding Demon Ancestor, the second reigned the longest—over three hundred years—until he passed away fifty years ago at the age of four hundred and fifty.