Chapter 1513: Netherworld Seal
The Second Prince’s expression changed. He realized what was going on too.
In the end, the Crown Prince had been too ambitious today. If he hadn’t divided his men to take out his brothers, and had instead rallied the Peacock Wise King, Lion race, Tiger race, and the others to move together, there was no way the Second Prince would have had any chance.
But thinking back, even if the Crown Prince won against me, he would still have to face this monster Zu An. He still would have done all that work only to help someone else.
“Peacock Wise King, it was not that I wanted to kill the Crown Prince, but rather that he wanted to kill me. I was merely acting out of self-defense,” the Second Prince said, gradually calming down. He knew he had no chance for the throne now and that it would already be good if he could simply keep his life. He could still seize an opportunity in the future.
“Self-defense?” the Peacock Wise King sneered. “I don’t care what kind of grudge you share with each other. You’ve caused my daughter’s reputation to be harmed, so you deserve death!”
Then, a streak of divine rainbow light swept toward the Second Prince. The Second Prince’s expression changed. They were all a part of the Fiend King Court, so he knew fully well just how formidable that light was!
He tried to dodge, but he was surrounded by the light. He felt as if his entire body had frozen. The only thing he could do was frantically use his cultivation. A layer of black flames rose from his body, resisting the light. However, smoke was already starting to pour out of his entire body. It didn’t seem long before he completely turned to ashes.
Zu An was surprised. He hadn’t expected Kong Nanwu’s father to be so strong! Hmm, he’s pretty good-looking too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to father such a beautiful daughter.
He couldn't help but give the Great Elf King a glance. He personally thought that this lacking father-in-law of his was slightly more handsome, but the Peacock Wise King had an aura of power around him. He seemed much more reliable than that silly and narcissistic father-in-law.
Suddenly, a streak of golden light rushed forth, blocking the Peacock Wise King’s rainbow light.
The Peacock Wise King’s face darkened. He looked in its direction, calling out, “Little Golden Peng King, are you going to stop me?”
With a flicker of golden light, a young, golden-armored prince appeared on a nearby rooftop. It was none other than the current Great Golden Peng King race’s Little Golden Peng King.
Those present sighed in amazement. That movement skill was really fast! No wonder the Fiend races publicly acknowledged the Great Peng race to be number one in speed. Only the royal family’s Golden Crow Radiant Flow was comparable.
The Little Golden Peng King smiled and said, “Wise King, please quell your anger. I know you are angry right now, but many princes have already been killed and the Fiend Emperor bloodline has almost become extinct. Only the Second Prince and the young prince remain. If you kill the Second Prince too, well, the young prince is still too young. If something unexpected happened, would the Fiend Emperor’s bloodline not be completely finished?”
He smiled apologetically to the Second Empress afterward, continuing, “I hope that your highness can forgive me. I am not cursing the young prince, but rather speaking out of consideration for all the Fiend races.”
The Second Empress harrumphed. As a mother, how could she have good intentions toward the other party when she heard such unlucky words?
The Peacock Wise King frowned. If he persisted in such a situation, wouldn’t he take on the crime of ending the Fiend Emperor’s bloodline?
What is the Little Golden Peng King trying to do?
His father died mysteriously back then, so he should hate the Golden Crow family. If there’s anyone who wants the Fiend Emperor’s bloodline to end, he should be one of the most likely suspects. Why is he defending them now?
Several elders nodded just then. The Great Elder said, “Indeed, what the Little Golden Peng King says is not entirely without reason.”
The Peacock Wise King said with a sneer, “The Second Prince has enveloped the King Court in a storm of blood. Are we supposed to just let things be then?”
The Little Golden Peng King nodded slightly, saying, “Both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince bear responsibility for today’s disaster. The Crown Prince has already died, so that is one thing, but the Second Prince cannot escape his crimes. However, I have just received news that the Netherworld Seal has started to move. The Ghoul races have started to invade. We can send the Second Prince to deal with that situation to wash away his crimes.”
“Netherworld Seal!” the various Fiend race people exclaimed, their expressions changing. They whispered to one another, looking as if they were about to face a huge disaster.
“Netherworld Seal? Ghoul races?” Zu An asked in confusion. He had never heard anything about that before.
The Second Empress seemed to notice his confusion and explained considerately, “The so-called Ghoul races are the collective term to refer to certain pitch-black, sinister beings. They seem to originate from another terrifying world. A long, long time ago, the Fiend races forced back the invading Ghoul races by uniting with the other races of the world. Then, the opening they invaded through was sealed up. That is the so-called Netherworld Seal.”
Zu An was alarmed. The Scaled Deathworm he had encountered in the Yu clan’s mines also seemed to be a monster that had invaded from another world. He wondered if such worms could be considered part of the Ghoul races too.
“The war against the Ghoul races was bitter and cruel. Countless powerful individuals died, or else the humans would not have had a chance to rise up,” the Second Empress continued. However, only then did she seem to have realized that Zu An was a human. She quickly showed him an apologetic smile. Her watery eyes seemed as if they could speak, making it hard for anyone to be angry at her. She eventually continued, “Additionally, the Ghoul races are really too powerful. Over time, the Netherworld Seal has become less secure. Every so often, ghouls have begun to pass through. Of course, in terms of scale, they have always been much fewer in number than in the past. As such, the Fiend races often send out armies to wipe out those invading ghouls, while also sending some experts to strengthen the Netherworld Seal.”
Zu An nodded. It was just like the way this world had all kinds of secret dungeons; whether it was humans or fiends, they could head into secret dungeons in search of treasure. For those ghouls, this world was similar to a secret dungeon. They naturally wanted to invade this beautiful and fertile world, while the natives resisted fiercely.
“Even though the intruding ghouls are not too numerous, we still have to pay heavily to deal with them. It is just as the Little Golden Peng King said; the invading ghouls are much greater in number than in the past. Eliminating them will definitely be an extremely dangerous job,” the Second Empress continued, her voice full of hesitation.
The Great Elder’s projection soon looked toward the Second Prince and asked, “Are you willing to defend the Netherworld Seal and make up for your crimes that way?”
The Second Prince was conflicted. He naturally knew how dangerous the Netherworld Seal was. In the past, the armies sent there had all suffered casualties of at least twenty percent of their men. The scale was even greater this time, so it would definitely be even more dangerous. Even if it wasn’t entirely without a chance of survival, the men he had raised so carefully would definitely suffer severe casualties there.
At any other time, he definitely wouldn’t take on such a damned job. However, considering today’s situation, if he didn’t accept, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to keep his life. Thus, after weighing the pros and cons, he gritted his teeth and said, “I am willing!”
The Great Elder’s gaze shifted to the Second Empress. He asked, “What does the Second Empress think?”
The Second Empress nodded slightly and replied, “If the Second Prince offers himself up respectfully for the Fiend races, I naturally have no objections.”
Zu An frowned and asked through ki, “Will it really be fine to release a tiger back into the mountains just like that?”
The Second Empress replied gently, “It will be fine. Firstly, the Netherworld Seal does need someone strong to deal with the situation. Whenever there is activity from that side, it takes several years before the situation comes under control again. Furthermore, the scale is even greater than before, so the amount of time needed will be even longer. In the end, what the Little Golden Peng King said is reasonable. The young prince is still too little, and the royal family bloodline is almost extinct. The military forces of the respective races will not be absolutely loyal to us, and each of the four great generals has a powerful army of their own. Keeping the Second Prince as a blade to hold those ambitious individuals in check is a good thing.”
Her voice was lovable and dainty, just like Big Sis Chiling from Zu An’s previous world. It was really hard for one to refuse her soft and gentle tones.
Zu An warned her, “Still, when the blade is this sharp, a moment of carelessness might lead to it easily biting the master instead.”
The Second Empress smiled sweetly, her face full of charming allure, and replied, “Don’t I still have you?”
Zu An was alarmed. She really was an alluring woman through and through! She was clearly already a married woman, and yet she was still acting like a young female student. The worshipful gaze she sent his way was clearly a soft expression, and yet it made his entire body harden. The dirty thoughts that suddenly appeared made him shiver.
It seems this is because of the cultivation I absorbed from Sir Fu earlier. I have to find a chance to properly adjust and refine it away, or else something really bad might happen.
Seeing as the Second Empress wasn’t opposed to the suggestion, the Great Elder turned to the Second Prince and said, “In that case, you will be appointed to deal with the Netherworld Seal affair. If the Ghoul race matter persists for a day longer, you are not to return to the Fiend King Court a day earlier. Set out immediately!”
The Second Prince gave the Imperial Palace a deep look, his gaze filled with unwillingness. However, he still clenched his teeth and said, “I will do as you bid!”
Afterward, the elders appointed the young prince as the new Fiend Emperor. Even though he was still young, only he alone would satisfy the different powers. His age naturally ceased to be an issue.
Apart from that, what had to be dealt with was dealt with, and what had to be rewarded was rewarded. The most dangerous people had already been dealt with by Zu An ahead of time. Sixth Uncle was brought away by the Committee of Elders, so only Duantian Chou remained.
This guy had the blood of countless people on his hands. People unanimously wanted him dead. Just then, however, the Great Elf King asked the others to let him take the Dark Elf away.
Zu An naturally had to help his father-in-law out with this favor. He didn’t oppose the request and only asked out of curiosity, “Respected uncle, what do you plan to do with him?”
The Great Elf King replied, “Of course, I am going to use this mirror to admire myself every day, to make him look at me.”
Zu An was still confused. Then, the Great Elf King continued proudly, “To kill him through beauty!”
Zu An was speechless.
After the main offenders were dealt with, the rest were simply left for the Second Empress to deal with. Zu An didn’t have to get too involved.
…
Then, the Imperial Palace began to prepare for the young prince’s ascension to the throne.
Because of the chaotic situation that had taken place today, Zu An didn’t dare to leave the Imperial Palace, to prevent accidents from happening. He remained in one of the Second Empress’ side chambers. If the Second Empress ended up in any danger, he could be the first to rush over and provide assistance. Meanwhile, he could meditate and adjust his own condition in the room.
…
After some time passed, the Second Empress called out in her lovely and gentle voice, “Can I come in?”