Chapter 994: The Emperor Son

Jiang Ding moved to another hiding spot.

Still within the Demon Stone Minor Realm, the territory of a race called Skullblood Vine Demons.

The Skullblood Vine Demons ranked sixth among the nine tiers of servile races under the Horned Demon Emperor Clan, permitted to possess Nascent Soul peak-level power—their peak General realm.

Yes, Horned Demon Emperor Clan cultivators could advance freely; strength determined status, but servile races could not.

Any servile race cultivator wishing to ascend beyond Foundation Establishment must report to their local lord, obtain permission, register, and only then may they advance.

Otherwise, it is illegal advancement.

Illegal advancement is a capital offense within the Horned Demon Emperor Clan; any Horned Demon Emperor Clan cultivator or servile race cultivator must kill any illegally advanced cultivator—it is a mandatory duty, and can be exchanged for merit.

Of course, the merit earned by a Horned Demon Emperor Clan cultivator for this act vastly exceeds that earned by a servile race cultivator.

This is only natural; no further explanation needed.

Jiang Ding hid within the soul of the Skullblood Vine Demon chieftain, silently observing the unfolding events.

At this moment, the Nine Great Dao Heirs had also begun their infiltration; they would assume various forms as kings, join the struggle for the Emperor Son crown, subtly altering the war’s course to achieve the strategic goals required by the Nine Spirit Realms.

As for their true identities, Jiang Ding did not ask—he did not wish to know.

The Flame Stone Star Region was now a storm of rising forces; numerous powers had emerged, and the eyes of many Great Emperors turned here, coveting the Emperor Son crown.

This was, in fact, a tradition of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan.

Since ancient times, the Emperor Son crown belonged to the entire Horned Demon Emperor Clan; every Emperor Son had the right to compete, and only the strongest could claim the crown.

Of course, some Emperor Sons, proud and haughty, desired the ancient Emperor Son crown and refused to participate in the competition.

The Emperor Son crown belonged to the entire race—that was the principle.

The Horned Demon Emperor Clan’s past principle.

That was during the clan’s arduous rise, in those distant ages, when it truly was so.

As the Horned Demon Emperor Clan became the absolute ruler of the Horned Ming Domain, external enemies gradually faded, no longer able to challenge their hegemony, and many things began to change.

Such as the Emperor Son crown.

Officially, it belonged to the entire Horned Demon Emperor Clan; any Emperor Son—even non-Emperor Sons—could compete, as long as they were Horned Demon Clan members.

In reality, the Emperor Son crown had long been restricted to the Great Emperor’s designated heirs.

If a Great Emperor was more dominant, he could even directly appoint an heir, ignoring all clan traditions; those who dared defy would vanish without a trace.

Through the Nine Great Dao Heirs’ channels, Jiang Ding gradually learned how events had unfolded.

Cang

Yan, the Ancient Emperor, declared a ban on Emperor Son competition beyond the Cangyan Star Sea, provoking discontent among many Great Emperors, yet they were powerless to oppose it.

After a series of maneuvers,

Only the Cangkong Emperor Son and the two offspring of the Flame Stone Great Emperor retained eligibility to compete for the Emperor Son crown.

All other heirs, due to various accidents, coincidences, and reasons, either could not come or had abandoned the competition.

The Emperor Son succession war in the Flame Stone Star Region thus erupted.

The Cangkong Emperor Son and the Flame Liu Emperor Son siblings each recruited troops, gathered powerful cultivators, trained Emperor Clan armies and servile race armies; as time passed, the entire star region was shrouded in smoke, gradually affecting everyone.

Both Emperor Sons possessed distinct advantages.

The Flame Liu Emperor Son siblings, needless to say, held home-field advantage; this star region was the place of ascension of the Flame Stone Great Emperor, and countless servile race elites and servile race armies were born as their loyal servants, accustomed to obeying their commands and unlikely to betray.

In fact, servile race betrayal was a taboo.

Even if the opposing Emperor Son accepted them, post-war retribution would inevitably involve the massacre of the entire traitorous servile race; servile races across the region had no choice from the start—they could only fight alongside their masters.

Foreign Emperor Sons could not bring large numbers of servile races, for this concerned the fate of the land; foreign beings did not inherently possess the local fate and were not recognized by the Emperor Son crown.

Yet this did not mean the Cangkong Emperor Son’s prospects were dim.

In fact, in Emperor Son competitions within the Horned Ming Domain, foreign Emperor Sons had won more than seventy percent of the time.

The reason was simple: a foreign Emperor Son who possessed the power to subdue the original Great Emperor clearly had immense confidence in this endeavor; otherwise, he would never have initiated it.

The Cangkong Emperor Son hailed from the Cangyan Ancient Emperor family.

This meant he would be accompanied by a powerful Emperor Clan guard; many Horned Demon Emperor Clan kings might already reside within this guard.

The Emperor Son crown was formed from the star region’s fate and the Horned Demon Emperor Clan’s fate; participation by foreign Horned Demon Emperor Clan cultivators was unaffected.

Yet among Great Emperors there was an unspoken agreement: the Emperor Clan guard was limited to three thousand.

This was common and seemed reasonable, for every Emperor Son—even one risen from the common folk—had to assemble three thousand loyal clan guards, even if merely for show, to earn the title of Emperor Son.

Countless Horned Demon Emperor Clan secret techniques and martial arts were tied to the Emperor Clan guard; without an Emperor Clan guard, there was no Emperor Son.

Yet among Emperor Clan guards, the difference between those of a Great Emperor’s family, those of an Ancient Emperor’s family, and those gathered by a common-born Emperor Son through reputation alone was immense.

A single king-level guard from an Ancient Emperor’s family might easily sweep away an entire common-born Emperor Son and his three thousand guards.

This was the Cangkong Emperor Son’s

confidence.

On the ninth day of the ninth month, the Cangkong Emperor Son arrived in the Demon Vine Minor Realm east of the Flame Stone Star Region, instantly crushing all Horned Demon Emperor Clan kings within the realm—including the Flame Stone family’s kings—forcing them to submit, then slaughtering all servile race kings, ascending the altar to offer sacrifice to the ancestors of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan and the Ancient Gods.

The Cangkong Emperor Son issued a proclamation.

“...My name is Cangkong... The Emperor Son crown has existed since ancient times, bestowed upon the worthy...”

“...Those who come to serve, I shall not withhold the title of King; life and death, fortune and misfortune, we shall share as one...”

At the very moment the Cangkong Emperor Son ascended the altar to sacrifice to his ancestors and the Ancient Gods, the proclamation formed an invisible wave that spread across the entire Flame Stone Star Sea, each word echoing into every sentient race within the star region, leaving no one untouched.

Even here, among the Skullblood Vine Demon servile race, they heard that solemn voice.

“...Those who come to serve...”

Jiang Ding fell into thought.

This “coming to serve” naturally referred to Horned Demon Emperor Clan cultivators within the Flame Stone Star Region; whoever won the hearts of these cultivators and gained their allegiance to form an Emperor Clan army would gain greater advantage.

“High posture.”

Jiang Ding noticed the Cangkong Emperor Son’s proclamation’s contempt for servile races—including servile race kings—and frowned slightly.

A new power capable of influencing the situation must emerge among the myriad races, not within the Horned Demon Emperor Clan, for the clan already knew its own members; no vast number of unknown strong figures could suddenly appear.

The Cangkong Emperor Son did not appear to possess the magnanimity to accept kings from the myriad races.

The Flame Liu Emperor Son’s proclamation was the same.

Unless one side was utterly desperate.