Chapter 493

The 49th year of Hongguang, July 3rd.

A troop of iron cavalry, clad in golden armor from head to toe, with a majestic and awe-inspiring aura, charged out of the Xuanwu Gate of Lanling City, heading toward the Royal Hunting Grounds outside the city.

This cavalry troop consisted of over a hundred men, all of them martial artists, and they were not riding ordinary warhorses, but domesticated Grade 2 exotic beasts—Flying Crossing Beasts!

What the Great Lan Dynasty once relied on to sweep across the world, besides the Imperial Guard Army, was its iron cavalry.

Using domesticated exotic beasts as mounts, such iron cavalry had a lethality on the battlefield second only to the Imperial Guard Army!

The mobility of these exotic beast iron cavalry was even greater than that of the Western Continent's armored units. When the Western Continent Allied Forces invaded the Great Lan Dynasty, there were many instances on the battlefield where exotic beast iron cavalry charged directly into the Allied positions and successfully routed the opponent!

The hundred-plus riders leaving the city at this moment were known as the 'Golden Flying Cavalry,' the private troops under the First Imperial Prince.

As an Imperial Prince qualified to participate in the succession struggle, the First Imperial Prince's treatment in all aspects was among the top tier of all the Imperial Princes.

Other princes had at most a hundred gunmen as private troops, with only a portion being martial artists.

Yet the First Imperial Prince could assemble a troop of exotic beast cavalry.

Even with only a hundred men, they could count as thousands on the battlefield!

The First Imperial Prince had been exceptionally brave and skilled in martial arts since childhood and loved to hunt in the Royal Hunting Grounds. Today, he was once again taking the Golden Flying Cavalry from his mansion to the hunting grounds.

The Great Lan Dynasty was founded on martial arts; to demonstrate martial prowess and ensure the royal descendants did not forget their martial spirit, the royal family held two large-scale hunts every year.

One in autumn, one in winter.

With only a little over a month left until this year's autumn hunt began, many royal descendants would enter the hunting grounds in advance to familiarize themselves.

In the hunts of the past few years, the First Imperial Prince had almost always taken first place in individual martial merit, and he had always attached great importance to this.

Therefore, it was not strange for him to bring people into the hunting grounds before the autumn hunt.

The First Imperial Prince took the lead, bringing over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalrymen, kicking up dust that turned into a long dragon as they plunged into the depths of the Royal Hunting Grounds.

In the hunting grounds, besides wild beasts, there were exotic beasts, and even Grade 6 superior exotic beasts!

For anyone below the realm of Master Wuji Grandmaster, entering them could be dangerous.

However, the First Imperial Prince himself possessed combat power capable of reaching the top of the Wind and Cloud General Rankings, and he had brought over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalrymen, with a Master Wuji Grandmaster named Yuan Xin following by his side.

There was absolutely no need to worry about his own safety.

The First Imperial Prince led his men, charging continuously into the depths of the hunting grounds; the wild beasts and exotic beasts encountered along the way were all startled away by the aura of this troop.

Normal hunting should not be like this.

Finally, the First Imperial Prince stopped in front of a lake.

He gave a wink to one of his subordinates, who immediately dismounted and, taking two other cavalrymen, plunged into the lake.

Watching the water surface gradually ripple, Qin Zihong's eyes gradually turned cold and sharp.

At the age of twelve, he had defeated all the other royal descendants in his martial arts class.

That night, he received a precious saber bestowed upon him by his Imperial Father.

Since then, he had practiced martial arts even more diligently, just to earn his Imperial Father's praise.

At the age of seventeen, when his martial aptitude was tested, his comprehensive aptitude was rated Grade A-Superior, ranking fifth among all royal descendants.

Among all the Imperial Princes, he ranked first!

Since then, he had received special care from his Imperial Father, with all sorts of rewards coming his way, and was permitted to establish his own mansion outside the Imperial Palace.

Among all the Imperial Princes, he was the first to be qualified to establish his own mansion.

Not only that, the Emperor also had the 'God of War' Wen Ren Zheng personally guide his martial arts, and permitted him to listen in on state affairs alongside the Crown Prince in the Yangxin Hall!

Over the next ten years, he feared no hardship, dared to face life and death directly, and his martial cultivation realm rose continuously.

At the same time, he was increasingly relied upon by his Imperial Father, permitted to participate in state affairs and entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

He was permitted to win over court officials, permitted to win over forces in various regions.

If, at the beginning, Qin Zihong strove to perform well simply to gain the Emperor's recognition and praise—

Then as this recognition grew more frequent and heavier, his ambition was slowly ignited.

Everyone was of dragon seed, born as heaven's favored children, and all were valued by their Imperial Father.

Why must I be a head lower than others?

Why can I not fight for that chair?

Just like that, Qin Zihong began various open and secret struggles with the Crown Prince, and later, with the addition of the Third Imperial Prince, the succession struggle became even more complex.

"Imperial Father, why did you give people hope, only to make them despair?!"

The First Imperial Prince gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

He knew that once one stepped onto the path of succession, there was no turning back.

He still clearly remembered the look the Crown Prince gave him the first time he entered the Yangxin Hall to listen in on state affairs alongside him.

From that day on, there had to be a final reckoning between him and the Crown Prince!

The suddenly turbulent water surface interrupted Qin Zihong's train of thought.

He looked coldly at the water.

Whoosh—

The water surface was suddenly broken, and a large ship rose from beneath the water, its entire body radiating light!

This was a large-scale flying magic treasure!

"Everyone, board the ship!"

Qin Zihong was not surprised by this in the slightest and gave the order calmly.

Thus, over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalrymen, riding their Flying Crossing Beasts, leaped from the shore one after another and landed on the deck of the large ship.

At the same time, more than two hundred meters away, a figure suddenly appeared, charging toward this side at extreme speed.

Qin Zihong sensed it, looked back, and nodded to Yuan Xin by his side.

Yuan Xin immediately rushed up to meet the newcomer.

Boom!!!

The two collided instantly, and the fierce shockwaves snapped the surrounding trees one by one!

"Where is the First Prince going?"

The newcomer was also a Master Wuji Grandmaster, who shouted the question.

Yuan Xin, while blocking him, spoke:

"Does the Prince's business require an explanation to you?"

After the two exchanged a dozen moves, Qin Zihong had already brought everyone onto the large ship, and under the control of a True Person accompanying them, the large ship began to ascend.

Inside Lanling City, at the headquarters of the Zhengfa Academy.

A sword light suddenly shot into the sky, turning into a white thunderbolt that tore through the air and flew toward the Royal Hunting Grounds outside the city!

Just as this sword light crossed half the city and was about to fly outside, a flash of saber light suddenly erupted from below.

This saber light seemed to be painting on the blue sky, carving a long saber mark that happened to intercept the lightning sword light.

Boom!!!

A thunderous roar echoed through half the city.

"Yao Hanfei! Do you know what you are doing?!"

A majestic voice came from the flying sword in the sky.

This was the voice of Ji Yiheng, the Vice Dean of the Zhengfa Academy.

The Zhengfa Academy had only two Vice Deans in total; because of the case involving the illegal resale of exotic beasts and refining materials, Vice Dean Mi Han had already resigned, and Yunshu had been in long-term seclusion.

Therefore, the entire Zhengfa Academy was actually being managed by Vice Dean Ji Yiheng.

He had suddenly taken action, controlling his sword from a distance, intending to stop Qin Zihong from leaving with his men!

No matter what Qin Zihong intended to do next, this behavior was not permitted.

He and Mi Han were both top-tier True Persons and both sword cultivators; he had the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Tiangang and Earthly Fiend, and was known as "the number one sword controller beneath the True Monarch"!

Ji Yiheng's natal flying sword also possessed the 【No-Distance】 divine ability, capable of releasing sword Qi from over three thousand meters away.

So even though Qin Zihong had already boarded the ship with his men and the ship had already ascended, he was confident he could catch up and strike this flying magic treasure down directly!

But he had not expected to be intercepted halfway.

"I have long heard of Dean Ji's flying sword technique; why don't we have a discussion today, Dean Ji?"

Yao Hanfei, who had used his saber to intercept the flying sword, was the Chief Imperial Consultant and a Grandmaster of the Dao-Establishing Realm!

He had once been one of the martial arts teachers of the First Imperial Prince, Qin Zihong.

"I am under orders to make an arrest, move aside—"

In the sky, sword light flickered, and thunderclouds floated.

Yao Hanfei had already soared into the air, his Master Wuji Domain expanding to trap the flying sword within it:

"Under orders to make an arrest? Under whose orders? And who are you arresting? Is there an imperial decree from His Majesty?"

Ji Yiheng was momentarily speechless.

To take action against a powerful Imperial Prince, he had to handle the situation with care.

After all, the First Imperial Prince had not committed any act of rebellion, and the Emperor had not formally issued any decree for him to do anything.

He could only improvise at this moment, acting first and reporting later.

Yao Hanfei asked him for the decree, and he could not produce one.

"Yao Hanfei, are you determined to stand on the side of the First Imperial Prince? Do you know what the situation is now?"

Inside the Master Wuji Domain, Ji Yiheng's voice came from the flying sword.

Yao Hanfei was silent for a moment, then laughed: "I am just having a friendly exchange with you, Dean Ji; what, are you going to charge me with a crime for that?"

"Save that talk for the Crown Prince!"

Ji Yiheng stopped wasting words with him.

Delayed by the opponent, he knew he could no longer stop the First Imperial Prince.

Inside the Royal Hunting Grounds, the large ship had already flown to an altitude of one hundred meters.

A golden saber Qi descended from the sky, slashing toward the Master Wuji Grandmaster who was currently exchanging blows with Yuan Xin below.

This saber Qi was a strike unleashed by the hundred-plus Golden Flying Cavalrymen after forming a formation!

These Golden Flying Cavalrymen possessed no Sha weapons, nor were they the Imperial Guard Army.

But in this world, it was not only military formations composed of Sha weapons that could aggregate the strength of many people.

There were many other formations specifically used on the battlefield that could be commanded using military martial arts.

It was just that Sha weapons and military formations were the strongest combination, and other formations were inferior.

Yuan Xin coordinated with this saber Qi to knock his opponent flying, and then he leaped violently into the air.

An iron chain hung down from the large ship, and he grabbed the chain with his hand.

The next second, the hull of the large ship shuddered, and it flew toward the distance at extreme speed!

On this day, the First Imperial Prince, Qin Zihong, led over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalrymen under his command, along with his strongest consultants, and escaped Lanling City aboard a flying magic treasure!

The news of the First Imperial Prince suddenly escaping with his men soon reached the Crown Prince.

"Vice Dean Ji wishes to enter the palace to see Your Highness."

A eunuch reported to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince said calmly: "Tell Vice Dean Ji that this matter is not his fault, and ask him to continue to hold his position."

"Yes."

The eunuch received the order and left.

The Crown Prince rubbed his chin.

Regarding the First Imperial Prince and the Third Imperial Prince, the two brothers who had fought him for so many years, he naturally would not let his guard down.

After becoming the regent, he had sent experts to secretly monitor both sides and had specifically entrusted Vice Dean Ji Yiheng of the Zhengfa Academy, telling him—

If anything went wrong, there was no need to ask for a decree; he could act first and report later!

The experts monitoring in secret could use one-time magic treasures to send an emergency signal to Ji Yiheng at any time, which was why the latter was able to intercept with his flying sword at the first opportunity.

With Ji Yiheng's cultivation and flying sword divine ability, he was the fastest person in Lanling City to take action from a distance!

Yet a slip-up still occurred.

Regarding Qin Zihong's ability to hide a large flying magic treasure in the depths of the Royal Hunting Grounds and persuade the Chief Imperial Consultant, Yao Hanfei, to take action for him—

The Crown Prince actually did not find it all that unacceptable.

The opponent had been able to fight him for so many years; he was not a mediocrity, and the power he commanded could not be underestimated.

In fact, regarding Qin Zihong's sudden move, he was even secretly a little happy!

He did not fear his two brothers taking action; the fact that they had remained still all this time had actually made him uneasy.

Now that Qin Zihong had made a move, it allowed the Crown Prince to eliminate a hidden danger in advance!

However, what he could not understand was that this time, when Qin Zihong took people out of the city, he had not brought much with him at all, in order not to arouse suspicion; everything was just as it had been in previous years.

The opponent had abandoned his wife and children in his mansion, abandoned a group of strategists, abandoned a mountain of wealth and resources, and abandoned his subordinates and connections in Lanling City, escaping the city with only a few consultants and over a hundred Golden Flying Cavalrymen.

What could he possibly accomplish?

Could it really just be to save his own life?

Inside the grand hall, the Crown Prince's gaze was deep.

Yong Province, Prince Li Mansion.

A large ship, identical to the flying magic treasure the First Imperial Prince had boarded, was parked on the martial arts arena inside the mansion.

Members of the Prince's Mansion's family were boarding the ship, while servants were moving crates of items onto it.

"Grandfather, where are we going?"

On the deck of the large ship, Qin Chengxi asked Qin Mingli with a look of confusion.

Qin Mingli patted his head: "Do not ask too much; you will know when the time comes."

No one came to stop this 'migration' of the Prince Li Mansion, because everyone responsible for monitoring the mansion, whether openly or secretly, had already been killed by Qin Mingli!

As for the Inspector of Yong Province who received the news, he did not dare to send anyone to inquire.

Although there were several hundred Imperial Guard soldiers in the provincial capital, how could they possibly stand up to this Prince Li?

Over an hour later, a large ship took off from the Prince Li Mansion.

This large ship did not leave the provincial capital immediately, but first flew above the Imperial Guard barracks.

Qin Mingli disembarked and, with a single move, severely wounded all the Imperial Guard soldiers in the barracks!

Afterward, he looted all the Sha weapons from the soldiers and the armory, loading them all onto the flying magic treasure!

After doing all this, the large ship began to head south.

Shi Song Province, provincial capital.

Li Fei had been a guest at the Long Hu Sect for the past few days.

He had already obtained the complete cultivation method for the 【Dragon-Elephant】 divine ability and had completed a transaction with the Long Hu Sect, obtaining the four types of mid-tier implants required for the 【Dragon-Elephant】 divine ability.

Now, he had already incorporated the first type of implant.

To accelerate the growth of the implant, Li Fei consumed blood souls, utilizing the 【Refining Objects】 divine ability to refine blood souls into the life force required by the implant!

This was equivalent to depleting his own life force to accelerate the growth of the implant.

If it were anyone else, even if they possessed the 【Refining Objects】 divine ability, it would be impossible to sustain this for long.

But Li Fei had 【Blood Breath】, which could quickly restore blood souls, so he did not fear the consumption.

Under the 'irrigation' of a continuous stream of life force, the implant within his body quickly reached the Body-Breaking stage from the Embryo-Nurturing stage, and was growing toward the Qi-Transformation stage!

Once the implant reached the peak of the Qi-Transformation stage, Li Fei could perform his self-created 'Ten-Day Breakthrough Method' to quickly complete 'Unity' and then incorporate a new implant.

He estimated that he would only need half a year at most to complete the refining of the four types of implants, after which he could begin attempting to refine the 【Dragon-Elephant】 divine ability!

One must know that the growth speed of mid-tier implants was much slower than that of lower-tier implants.

Yet Li Fei's speed was not the slightest bit slower than his cultivation in the Dao Foundation realm!

On this day, Li Fei, who was in seclusion in the secret chamber, was suddenly interrupted.

Wang Yilong, the Sect Master of the Long Hu Sect, stood outside the door with a grave expression and said to him:

"Marquis, the Inspector-General of the Inspection Department has come in person, saying he has an urgent matter to discuss with you!"

"Bring me to see him."

Li Fei said decisively.

He followed Wang Yilong to a grand hall, where Gong Cheng, the Inspector-General of the Shi Song Province Inspection Department, bowed to him.

Without wasting words, he directly handed him a telegram.

The telegram detailed the unusual movements of the First Imperial Prince, Qin Zihong, and Prince Li, Qin Mingli.

After reading the telegram, Li Fei's expression changed.

He remembered that when Lu Wenxing had defected to him, in order to show his sincerity, he had revealed the greatest secret he possessed—

Prince Li, Qin Mingli, was suspected of being in collusion with the First Imperial Prince! (See Chapter 85, Volume 3 for details)

Precisely because of this reason, Lu Wenxing favored the First Imperial Prince over the Third Imperial Prince.

At any time, the weight of a Martial Saint was far too heavy!

This was power sufficient to influence the situation of the entire world!

If Qin Zihong had suddenly fled the capital with a troop of men, it might have been just to save his own life.

But Prince Li had no need to save his life; no matter who became Emperor, they could not touch him.

As long as he was willing, he could enjoy wealth and glory for a lifetime.

Yet Prince Li had also taken people and left, and before leaving, he had looted the Sha weapons of an Imperial Guard battalion.

This demonstrated deep-seated malice!

Connecting this to the secret Lu Wenxing had told him, Li Fei realized that a major event was about to occur:

"The First Imperial Prince and Prince Li have joined forces—are they rebelling?!"

He thanked Gong Cheng for the intelligence and immediately began making phone calls to deploy various matters.

The 49th year of Hongguang, July 8th.

A piece of news that shocked the world was released:

Prince Li, Qin Mingli, and the First Imperial Prince, Qin Zihong, had seized control of the 100,000 border troops in the Southern Territory and were preparing to march north—to 'rectify the Emperor's side'!

When men unleash their killing intent.

Heaven and Earth are turned upside down!

(End of Chapter)