Chapter 1503: Disbelief
The Golden Crow Crown Prince said with a sullen look, “Something happened to father emperor in the secret dungeon before he had a chance to pass on his cultivation to me. However, I have already received the acknowledgment of the Fiend Ancestor in the Imperial Tomb. The ceremony was also carried out under the agreement of my father. Everyone in the Fiend King Court saw that, so there are no problems with me succeeding as the Fiend Emperor.”
Sixth Uncle sneered. “It’s useless to talk about all of that nonsense. The position of Fiend Emperor has always been taken by the strongest.”
The Golden Crow Crown Prince’s face darkened. The other party clearly didn’t intend for him to become the Fiend Emperor. It was meaningless no matter what they said.
The only thing that he didn’t understand was how the Second Prince had roped in Sixth Uncle. After entering the Committee of Elders, one wouldn’t care about worldly matters anymore. After all, heading into the world would mean using up one’s lifespan!
The Second Prince smiled happily when he saw the Crown Prince’s conflicted appearance. He had paid a huge price to request the help of Sixth Uncle. He had first needed to find a life-prolonging great treasure, and then had promised Sixth Uncle many things he normally couldn't obtain. After all, everyone had their price. If they weren’t willing, the price just wasn’t high enough.
At present, however, it quickly became useless for them to talk anymore, as the battle reached its climax. It was more bitter than any of the battles the Second Prince had experienced in his entire life.
With each breath, many people died. However, as the very players of the chess match, they didn’t care. All they were worried about was the final result.
As the battle intensified, it wasn’t just the ordinary soldiers; even the high-level officers began to fall in battle.
Left Guard General Ma Tian and one of the Second Prince’s generals took each other out. Ma Tian’s cultivation was actually a bit higher than his opponent’s, but his many years in the capital living like a prince had already made him lose the valor of his youth.
He initially thought that things would be much easier once he killed his opponent, but that opponent had planned to use his own life as bait to begin with, and grasped the chance to deliver a lethal blow to his neck.
Ma Tian clutched his neck, his mouth gurgling with noise; he was unable to say a word. Blood sprayed out unceasingly, and he fell to the ground while filled with endless regret.
Commandant of Guards Wu Li and an Elephant race expert fought fiercely, but neither side could win and instead both suffered. Wu Li hadn’t expected the Elephant race to have been roped in by the Second Prince too. The Elephant race had incredible strength and their defenses were great too. That was why, even though Wu Li was a famous expert in the Fiend King Court, he was still seriously injured in the battle.
Then, both sides accidentally fell into the chaotic battlefield. Both had already fought fiercely, to the point that they couldn't even recognize friend from foe anymore. The two both ended up being sliced into a bloody paste.
Of course, the Elephant race expert’s body was tougher, so he lasted slightly longer. Unfortunately, a lone cultivator was still comparatively weaker than an army supported by a formation. No matter how great the Elephant race’s defenses were, he didn’t stand a chance against the blades coming from all directions. He quickly followed in Wu Li’s footsteps.
Up in the air, Elder Wu was also having a hard time against Sixth Uncle. Normally, only rarely did grandmasters fight each other to the death. The first reason was that they were all strong, and every one of them had many trump cards, so it wasn’t easy to decide victory and defeat. The second reason was that even if they could win, it would be a difficult victory. That was why it rarely reached such a point.
However, things were different today. Neither side held back at all, some even fighting with the intention of trading wound for wound. Soon, blood scattered all over the sky. However, a battle between grandmasters wouldn’t end so quickly. It was hard to say who was close to winning.
The Second Prince hadn’t lifted a finger the entire time, but he turned to the Golden Crow Crown Prince and said, “In the end, this is between the two of us. As the situation isn’t going to be decided by the others any time soon, why not settle it personally?”
The Golden Crow Crown Prince frowned. He looked around and saw that the battle situation was indeed tricky. It could last until daybreak before things were decided. He felt a bit of regret. If he had known it would be like this, he would have brought Hu Qianxiao and Shi Zhentian with him. However, he had been a bit worried about the two of them because their ambitions were too great. Keeping them at his side could cause unpredictable things to happen.
At the time, he’d had the confidence that his men were enough to defeat the Second Prince. But he hadn’t expected the Second Prince to be so prepared! Furthermore, his troops had many powerful individuals!
Seeing that the Crown Prince didn’t reply, the Second Prince sneered. “Hahahah, you’re too cowardly to even accept something like this? The successive generations of Fiend Emperors have all been powerful heroes. When has there ever been a fool like you?”
The Golden Crow Crown Prince could feel his soldiers’ morale drop when the Second Prince spoke those words. With how things were, he couldn't shrink back even if he wanted to. When he heard that, he said with a sneer, “Fine. In that case, let's do it. I am going to let you know once and for all who the number one of this generation is!”
He had been publicly acknowledged to be the head of the younger generation’s five great cultivators. He had absolute confidence in defeating the Second Prince.
However, the Second Prince’s attitude was confident too. He retorted, “Haha, it was only because you were the Crown Prince, so people were just feeding your ego. Did you really think you were the leader of the extreme five?”
“Then I’ll let you properly witness it yourself!” the Golden Crow Crown Prince spat, his expression full of cold killing intent. You’re not that freak Zu An! Do you think this Crown Prince is scared of you?
Golden wings sprouted behind him as soon as he finished speaking. Every single feather was a streak of sword energy that swept straight at the Second Prince.
“Very good!” the Second Prince responded without dodging. A pair of black wings also appeared behind him, and every feather was also a sharp sword. He faced the Golden Crow Crown Prince.
Golden and black sword energy wove together in the sky, erupting into dazzling brilliance.
The evenly matched clash left the Golden Crow Crown Prince extremely shocked. The Second Prince’s cultivation actually wasn’t beneath his in the slightest. Had he been holding back all of these years?
But how is that possible? the Crown Prince thought. His True Sun Eyes could see through anyone whose cultivation ranks were lower than his. His cultivation should be lower than mine!
As if he had seen through the Crown Prince’s confusion, the Second Prince pointed at the jade pendant around his waist, saying, “I had a fortuitous encounter in the past where I obtained this. This thing can hide my aura. Otherwise, do you really think I would be inferior to you?”
The Golden Crow Crown Prince felt a bit uncomfortable. He had a bad premonition. However, he quickly tossed those thoughts out of the way. He had really lost confidence from losing to that bastard Zu An. However, before he ran into Zu An, he had been undefeated!
“How can anyone who always hides accomplish anything?!” the Golden Crow Crown Prince exclaimed, letting out a cold snort. His aura suddenly surged, his body turning into a golden streak of light. He rushed at his opponent at a speed the naked eye couldn't track.
“Golden Crow Radiant Flow is something I know as well!” the Second Prince retorted, turning into a streak of black light. The two sides instantly clashed.
The Second Prince was incredibly shocked by the battle too. He had looked down on this older brother of his as well! He had thought that his older brother just had better conditions, and that was why he had the Crown Prince position. Now, it seemed he really did have some skill.
At the same time, he felt even angrier. This guy is the Crown Prince, so he was blessed with a huge amount of resources. Previously, he even received the blessing of the Fiend Ancestor in the Imperial Tomb, which increased his cultivation quite a bit. Meanwhile, I only had myself to rely on ever since I was little. He only had to work seventy or eighty percent, while I had to go a hundred and twenty percent!
Everything else could disappoint, but hard work wouldn’t. Day after day, he had cultivated, accumulating great strength. He had slaughtered his way through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, tempering his iron-blooded will…
Just like that, he had relied on himself to forcibly reach a point comparable to the Crown Prince, who had had the entire country’s resources and the Fiend Emperor’s personal pointers. If not for the fact that the Crown Prince had received the acknowledgment of the Fiend Ancestor and increased his cultivation again, the Second Prince would have been able to easily prevail.
Damn it all! Why are the heavens so unfair?! he thought. That unfairness made his fighting spirit surge even more powerfully.
The Golden Crow Crown Prince was more and more shocked the longer they fought. However, his talent was something the Fiend Emperor and other experts had long approved of. He knew there was no way out now, so the two continued to fight.
…
After a long time passed, a powerful light suddenly shone in the distance. It was filled with destructive energies, and it drew the attention of all those present. Just how terrifying was that power? Who was fighting over there?
The Golden Crow Crown Prince’s expression changed, because that was the direction of the Imperial Palace. Something had clearly happened at the Imperial Palace. Still, what he cared about most was that it was clearly the aura of the Sun Slaying Bow. The Sun Slaying Bow had been lost in the Unknown Region, so why had it reappeared here?
Because of his momentary distraction, a streak of black light rushed toward him. With a loud noise, a blast of bloody mist erupted from the middle of his back. Then, the black light quickly flew away, not giving him any chance to retaliate.
The Golden Crow Crown Prince clutched his chest, his expression full of disbelief.
Am I going to… die?