Chapter 973

They claimed to be taking the Seventh Prince back to the Imperial Palace, but everyone knew what they truly intended to do.

They meant to find the Seventh Prince and eliminate him!

"Please, Brother Xing Chen, lead the way."

The Zi Dian Hall Master made a gesture of invitation.

You Xingchen understood—he had no choice.

He never expected that coming to the Imperial Palace for aid would only worsen the situation.

After You Xingchen and the others departed, the Crown Prince raised his head toward the towering, unseen-top National Guardian Stone Lions, lost in thought, his consciousness sinking into the Fate Disc.

Yet the ink-black mist had already obscured all information; even as he entered the Fate Disc, he was immediately repelled and ejected by the mist.

The Crown Prince's expression flickered between dark and light for a moment, then he let out a deep sigh.

"Father… can you make it back in time…?"

…

You Xingchen, having left Shi Sheng Lin, was soon forced to depart from the Imperial Palace once again.

As for the people You Xingchen brought, the Zi Dian paid them little attention—only forbidding them from leaving.

Lord Han and the others were included too, temporarily confined within the Imperial Palace.

After all, this was merely a royal power struggle—not yet a massacre of the common people.

On the left walked the Zi Dian Hall Master, on the right limped the Crippled Elder, accompanied by a squad of Zi Dian elites—the party set out.

Each of them had activated a faint glow, and when Night Rain fell upon the glow, it dimmed slightly, yet it did temporarily repel the rain.

These were 【Rain-Dividing Pearls】, extremely rare; normally only the Qing Guo royal family kept stockpiles and could afford to deploy so many at once.

The 【Rain-Dividing Pearls】' effect was weak—only capable of resisting Night Rain for about half an hour, and if the rain exceeded Medium Rain intensity, consumption accelerated drastically, causing them to shatter quickly; they were precious consumables.

Thus, their time for free movement outdoors was strictly limited.

Among them all, only You Xingchen had no 【Rain-Dividing Pearl】—he was completely drenched in Night Rain.

Therefore, every second, his Qi and Blood diminished; even taking pills only accumulated toxic residue, gradually driving him toward death.

"Brother Xing Chen, if you wish to live, it would be wise to reveal the Seventh Prince's location soon," the Zi Dian Hall Master smiled.

"He should be at the You Mansion—we agreed to regroup there after we parted," You Xingchen said without changing expression.

Upon hearing this, the Zi Dian Hall Master exchanged a glance with the Crippled Elder, paused, then said: "Crippled Elder, take half the men and search the location where they parted for the Seventh Prince's whereabouts. I'll take Brother Xing Chen back to the You Mansion to wait. In one hour, we meet at the Imperial Palace—no matter what."

"Understood!"

The Crippled Elder quickly led his team away, while the Zi Dian Hall Master escorted You Xingchen toward the You Mansion.

Along the way, they avoided strange phenomena when possible, and swiftly slew them when they couldn't—soon arriving at the You Mansion.

From afar, the guards at the You Mansion's entrance were from the Qing Si.

Yet the Zi Dian Hall Master paid no heed and simply led You Xingchen inside.

The Qing Si guards, seeing You Xingchen with Zi Dian personnel, assumed they were reinforcements and thought nothing of it.

Once inside the You Mansion, the Zi Dian Hall Master immediately ordered his men to scatter and search for the Seventh Prince.

Soon, his subordinates reported: the Seventh Prince was not in the You Mansion.

"Brother Xing Chen, it seems our Seventh Prince hasn't returned yet."

"Not necessarily—he might have gone to that place."

You Xingchen spoke with implication, then walked out without permission.

The Zi Dian Hall Master smirked coldly, paid no mind, and rose to follow.

His subordinates silently trailed behind.

The You Mansion was You Xingchen's own territory—he walked familiar paths, then suddenly passed through a wall in the back courtyard!

"A barrier?!"

"No wonder the brat walked so fast—too eager, he didn't even have time to shake us off before entering the barrier."

Hearing his men's words, the Zi Dian Hall Master paused, then ordered one subordinate to step through the wall.

The man passed through without resistance, soon poking his head out to signal safety to the Zi Dian Hall Master.

Only then did the Zi Dian group file in one by one.

Beyond the wall, the Zi Dian Hall Master froze.

Before him lay a graveyard.

Behind the countless tombstones rose a rounded mound.

Ahead, You Xingchen carefully passed the tombstones, then knelt before the mound.

"Seize him!"

Seeing this, the Zi Dian Hall Master's heart sank—he sensed something wrong, and gave the order.

His men rushed forward—but as they neared the mound…

Boom!!

They struck an invisible wall and were all blocked outside.

At the same time, a deep voice echoed from ahead.

"Non-kin, forbidden to enter!"

Non-kin…

Could it be?!

As if realizing something, the Zi Dian Hall Master's face changed.

At that moment, You Xingchen bowed his head deeply.

"I report to our ancestors: the current Seventh Prince has awakened his bloodline power! In accordance with the ancient pact, You Family descendant You Xingchen humbly implores the Elders to emerge from seclusion, protect the Seventh Prince, and pave the way for the new sovereign's ascension!"

Saying this, You Xingchen bowed three hard knocks to the ground, and when he lifted his head, his forehead was drenched in blood.

"Is he asking the You Family Elder to emerge from seclusion?!"

The Zi Dian Hall Master widened his eyes, momentarily doubting whether his judgment had been correct.

Could it be that the Seventh Prince has truly awakened his bloodline?

No!

Even if so, the First Prince has also awakened his bloodline and has equal right to contend for the supreme throne!

At worst, it's two dragons fighting for the pearl! My Zi Dian has not chosen wrongly!

The Zi Dian Hall Master clenched his teeth inwardly.

At that moment, the ground suddenly thudded with a single tremor.

Then came a series of violent, undulating shakes.

Thud-thud-thud!!

The entire ground shook as if struck by an eighteen-level earthquake; as the trembling continued, the soil on the hill before them rolled and tumbled, shedding vast amounts of sand and mud to reveal its true form.

There, unmistakably, was… a house.

A cherry-colored house, entirely built of Ying Jade, revealed its true appearance as the shaking gradually subsided.

Before the stunned gaze of the Zi Dian members, the cherry-colored house's door slowly opened.

Inside the door appeared what seemed to be a staircase descending downward, as if connecting to some underground area.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Steady footsteps emerged from within the door, yet the sound seemed to resonate within every person's heart.

"Internal force vibrates sound, sound and origin unified!"

Pupils contracting, the Zi Dian Hall Master widened his eyes, his heart surging with a storm of shock.

"That old You Family bastard is still alive!"

As if in response to the Zi Dian Hall Master's inner thought, a young woman descended gracefully from the staircase, stepping into everyone's sight.

What an incomparably elegant woman she was; had she not emerged from a house like a tomb, had she not appeared under such circumstances, all would have believed her a celestial fairy descending to earth.

Her skin, translucent as jade; her body, perfectly proportioned; her face, suffused with immortal aura—she was precisely the image of a fairy they had imagined.

But she was no fairy.

She was You Long, the You Family's… Grand Elder!

(End of Chapter)