Chapter 288: 289. Chapter 289: The Eighth Prince Seizes the Throne

289. Chapter 289: The Eighth Prince Seizes the Throne

Three days later.

A secret rumor instantly stirred the entire Imperial Capital—both Xu Guozhong and Mingde Hall, two powerful factions, had openly signaled their support for the Eighth Prince.

Simultaneously, other factions secretly discovered that over a dozen warriors stronger than Soul Saints had taken up residence in the Eighth Prince's Bedchamber, including one Titled Douluo! Clearly, the Eighth Prince was backed by an immensely powerful force. Once these rumors spread, the entire Imperial Palace erupted in shock, and every Prince's morale began to crumble.

They had worked tirelessly, making countless empty promises, spending every day either painting grand visions or on the road to painting them, just to gather scattered, minor factions…

Yet this bastard Eighth Prince, barely announced his candidacy, and already so many major powers had chosen to back him.

And not just any powers—Mingde Hall and a Prince himself were lending him full support!

Remember, even Xu Tianran had failed to win the backing of these two forces! What the hell did this bastard Eighth Prince have that made him so special?

No one could conceive of any possible reason.

…

…

Boom!

In the Sixteenth Prince's Bedchamber, Xu Tian'an, normally unshakable, smashed the thousand-year sandalwood desk before him with a single palm strike, his entire body trembling like a furious lion, eyes bloodshot.

"Why! Why!! He's a lazy good-for-nothing—what does he have that I don't?!"

"Jing Hongchen and Xu Guozhong are blind old fools! They turned down my offer, then turned right around to support that worthless Eighth Prince!"

"That waste spends his days eating, drinking, whoring, and doing nothing—what's so great about him?!"

Xu Tian'an roared in fury, his terrifying aura crushing the entire Bedchamber; several maids collapsed and died instantly from the overwhelming pressure.

The other maids and Guards around him knelt on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger—they saw him outwardly as brave, strategic, ambitious, and benevolent.

But only their personal Guards and maids knew Xu Tian'an was a ruthless tyrant.

He routinely tortured and murdered subordinates in fits of rage; these Guards and maids had all arrived barely half a month ago—nearly all were new recruits, since the veterans had all been killed…

Even those maids who just died had been here only one or two days…

"Your Highness, calm down. There must be hidden reasons. The Emperor still lives—if you can earn his favor, you still have a chance to turn things around."

A middle-aged man in white robes beside Xu Tian'an spoke slowly, urging him to calm down.

The white-robed man was Zhao Gao, Xu Tian'an's strategist, leader of his council of advisors, and the eldest legitimate son of the Zhao Family.

The Zhao Family ranked among the top ten clans in Mingdu; originally they had backed the Third Prince, but after his downfall, they shifted their gamble to Xu Tian'an—the most promising candidate.

"Then tell me what's going on!" Xu Tian'an still raged.

"I suspect Hall Master Hongchen and the Prince chose the Eighth Prince because of his Bloodline…"

"After all, everyone knows the Emperor values Bloodline above all—so they've placed their bets on the Eighth Prince…"

Zhao Gao spoke slowly. "Bloodline… what use is Bloodline? That waste Eighth Brother—even with pure Bloodline—is just useless mud!" Hearing "Bloodline," Xu Tian'an grew even angrier.

After all, though his talent was exceptional, his Imperial Bloodline purity ranked among the lowest of all the Princes…

Within the Imperial Family, there were two factions: the Talent Faction and the Bloodline Faction.

The clan members and forces that once backed the Third Prince belonged to the Bloodline Faction, because the Third Prince inherited the most pure and orthodox Martial Soul of the Imperial Family—the Sun Martial Soul—and possessed the highest Bloodline concentration.

Those who backed Xu Tianran belonged to the Talent Faction.

Though Xu Tianran's Imperial Bloodline purity was low and he did not inherit the Sun Martial Soul, he awakened the extremely rare and immensely powerful "Purple Radiant Heaven-Destroying Dragon" Martial Soul.

In pure combat power, Xu Tianran could have crushed the Third Prince effortlessly!

After all, the former Second Prince had the highest Bloodline purity—but he lost to Xu Tianran in their struggle and was reduced to dust.

The Bloodline Faction forces that once supported the Second Prince then switched allegiance to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince, knowing he couldn't match Xu Tianran, leveraged his pure Bloodline to rally the Imperial Family's Bloodline Faction, while also achieving notable deeds that earned the Emperor's great favor.

Meanwhile, Xu Tianran secretly courted other factions, and the two sides remained evenly matched.

Unfortunately, both the Third Prince and Xu Tianran died suddenly.

That left the field open for the rest of us Princes.

We Princes exhausted ourselves courting major factions, yet never imagined this worthless Eighth Prince would overtake us—how infuriating and humiliating…

"Your Highness, the Eighth Prince still poses a grave threat. I suggest we temporarily ally with other Princes to eliminate the Eighth Prince…"

Zhao Gao's expression turned cold as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"I'd like to, but Xu Guozhong and Jing Hongchen aren't fools—they wouldn't have made no preparations." Xu Tian'an frowned, feeling powerless.

Though many factors influence succession, combat power remains the most decisive.

With Jing Hongchen and Xu Guozhong backing him, forcibly eliminating the Eighth Prince by force is impossible.

"Regardless, we must try. We don't need to kill him outright—other methods exist. If you unite with several other Princes, you form a formidable force with real chances." Zhao Gao gritted his teeth.

The Zhao Family had originally invested in the Third Prince, paying a heavy price for it.

No one expected the Third Prince to die mysteriously—rendering all their prior investment worthless.

Now, having shifted their entire fortune to Xu Tian'an, they've gambled everything—no retreat, no second chance. If they win, the Zhao Family soars.

If Xu Tian'an fails, the Zhao Family is finished—even if they escape extermination, they'll be exiled to remote cities, no different from annihilation.

This is the best opportunity. If we don't risk it now, once the Eighth Prince consolidates power, we'll have no chance left.

"Fine, I'll try!" Xu Tian'an clenched his teeth, resolved to gamble everything! (End of Chapter)