Chapter 970

The military captain's answer ultimately received its resolution.

Because… the Ox Constellation fears death not at all.

What he wants is the annihilation of the Phoenix Organization, the deaths of Feng Wang and Huang Hou, the raging fury of revenge.

And no other method could force him to speak, to reveal any information.

Death cannot either!

"Help me kill Feng Wang and Huang Hou, and you will gain everything you desire—and so will I!"

The Ox Constellation said with bloodshot eyes; having taken the medicine, his condition had somewhat stabilized, but he still occasionally grimaced in pain as his injuries flared.

In fact, the Ox Constellation carried top-grade human medicine.

With the effect of human medicine, he would surely regain his combat strength.

Yet he simply could not withstand the poison of the pill!

The horror of pill poison was such that even martial artists at the Yun or Yu level feared it deeply, let alone ordinary martial artists.

When Fang Yue returned with the military captain to rejoin the group and meet You Xingchen and the others.

These people wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

"S-Seven, Seven Crown Prince?!"

"I-it's really the Seven Crown Prince! The Seven Crown Prince has returned from death!"

"Impossible! How can someone come back from death? Could this not be the Seven Crown Prince's corpse possessed by some strange force?"

Returning from death—what concept was that? It was practically the realm of legendary immortals!

After all, only the immortals of ancient legends could possibly wield such power!

Some were stunned, others suspicious.

Even the military captain himself felt bewildered looking at these people.

Although along the way he had listened to Fang Yue's words, temporarily allied with the Ox Constellation, and agreed to pretend to be the Seven Crown Prince,

seeing so many people regard him with half-respect, half-fear, he still felt deeply strange.

Until his gaze swept across and landed on Lin Ling, Jing Yan, and others—then his eyes lit up, his heart surged.

"Thank goodness, you're still…"

Before he could finish, the Ox Constellation suddenly stepped forward, seized his wrist, and in his stunned expression, raised the military captain's right hand high with a cold sneer.

"Returned from death? Impossible? Open your eyes and watch closely!"

Saying this, the Ox Constellation gave the military captain a glance.

The military captain reluctantly unleashed golden light; golden patterns immediately surfaced across his body, followed by…

Hum!!

A clear Phoenix Cry erupted from him!

What?!

Most present were bewildered, but those who understood—like You Xingchen and Xu Shu—stared wide-eyed, stunned and speechless, their minds nearly blank.

When they regained their senses, they all trembled and knelt to the ground in unison.

"Congratulations, Seven Crown Prince, on awakening the Golden Phoenix bloodline! Congratulations, Seven Crown Prince, on inheriting the Emperor's bloodline legacy!!"

"Congratulations, Seven Crown Prince, on awakening the Golden Phoenix bloodline! Congratulations, Seven Crown Prince, on inheriting the Emperor's bloodline legacy!!"

The Seven Crown Prince… awakened the Emperor's bloodline power?!

Upon realizing what this meant, everyone turned pale; every single person present knelt in unison, except Jing Yan and the others, who stared at the crowd in stunned confusion.

Legend held that the current Emperor possessed a terrifying power within his bloodline.

Yet not a single prince had ever inherited it; otherwise, there would be no Nine Dragons Succession Lines today—anyone who inherited the Emperor's bloodline power would unquestionably become the next ruler of Qing Guo, and no one could take it from him!

And now, that legendary bloodline power had awakened within the Seven Crown Prince!

Before such an incomprehensibly mysterious bloodline power, the feat of returning from death was nothing.

After all, among the common folk, the Emperor's glorification had reached divine proportions.

So for the Seven Crown Prince, who inherited the Emperor's bloodline power, returning from death seemed perfectly plausible.

Rather, one who inherited the Emperor's bloodline power ought to possess such abilities!

"Seven Crown Prince, we, representing the Qing Division of the Four Government Offices and the You Family of the Four Great Clans, fully pledge our allegiance to you! From this day forward, we follow only your command!"

You Xingchen knelt and shouted.

This was not his personal opinion; long ago, their patriarch You Lao had told them this.

Should any descendant of the Emperor awaken the bloodline power, no matter who he was, he would become the future Emperor of Qing Guo—You Family and the Qing Division under our control would unconditionally pledge loyalty to him!

Now, the one who seemed nearly impossible to appear, had appeared! Thus, You Family no longer needed to waver among the Nine Dragon Princes—they had definitively identified whom to serve!

You Xingchen lifted his head, heart pounding, gazing at the military captain.

"We won! The patriarch's vision was truly sharp! We truly bet on the right man! The Seven Crown Prince has awakened the bloodline power—the next Emperor is unquestionably him! The Emperor is already ancient, long wishing to retire behind the scenes, seeking a worthy heir. And the Seven Crown Prince was born precisely to fulfill this destiny! Without doubt, from this moment forward, this era shall be called… Qing Qiming!!"

You Xingchen trembled with excitement; having chosen the right man, You Family's status would inevitably soar to the top of the Four Great Clans—it was all but certain!

The more You Xingchen thought about it, the more exhilarated he became; he immediately rose and said: "Seven Crown Prince, we are ready to escort you immediately into the Imperial Palace, to inform the Emperor of this joyous news, and to end the Nine Dragons Succession Lines dispute, proclaiming to all under heaven that the Crown Prince of Qing Guo has been decided—let all rejoice!"

Enter the Imperial Palace? Contact the Emperor of Qing Guo? Announce this joyous news to the world?

Hearing You Xingchen's bold proposal, the military captain's heart sank; he instinctively turned to look at the Ox Constellation.

"The Imperial Palace must be entered, but first, we must resolve certain issues."

The Ox Constellation pointed upward; rolling Black Clouds had already covered two-thirds of Jingcheng, and the black meteor shower continued to fall.

No one knew how many of these Uyu Clan anomalies existed—only that Jingcheng, because of them, was fast becoming a living hell!

At that moment, within the rolling Black Clouds, lightning flickered—BOOM—a thunderclap shattered the air.

In the blinding flash of lightning, countless dark specks were revealed, still lingering within the clouds.

It also illuminated... within Jingcheng, that ethereal yet solid, rapidly moving Heaven-Connecting Spirit Tree!

"That is... An Dong'er?!" Captain Wu's pupils contracted as he muttered under his breath.

"Sisi..." Fang Yue clenched his fists.

You Xingchen immediately understood, his expression slightly darkening: "Your Highness the Seventh Prince is deeply compassionate toward the people, but this moment is not the time to play the hero. We are willing to risk our lives to escort Your Highness the Seventh Prince into the Imperial Palace, but if we waste our strength elsewhere, we cannot guarantee Your Highness the Seventh Prince's safety!"

Captain Wu shook his head slightly, extending his hand to point at the Heaven-Connecting Spirit Tree on the horizon that was gradually fading into the air along with the dimming thunder, his gaze resolute.

An Dong'er...

"I must... rescue her!"

You Xingchen was stunned for a moment, then clenched his fists: "Your Highness the Seventh Prince, I know you still cannot let go of You Sisi, but this is not the time for tender affections between lovers..."

(End of this chapter)