The entire hall suffocated.
Even long after the eunuch finished reading the royal decree, the hall remained deathly silent.
No one had expected Emperor Tianwen to suddenly issue such an order.
Two princes. And not ordinary ones at that. One was his loyal younger brother. The other was a son he valued highly.
Yet with a single decree, their princely titles were stripped, and they were reduced to commoners.
The Ye Family had their noble status revoked entirely as well.
“Is Emperor Tianwen choosing to stand on Holy Son Chu Feng’s side?” a top-tier noble murmured under his breath.
At this moment, the surrounding experts and powerful aristocratic families all lowered their heads, sharp light flickering in their eyes as they pondered.
The Heavenly Phoenix Empire was an Immortal Sect vassal, or more precisely, a feudal domain granted by the Immortal Sect.
Every change in leadership within the Immortal Sect triggered earth-shaking upheaval. Rarely would an empire involve itself in such struggles. If one gambled correctly, the reward would be immense. But if one stood on the wrong side, it meant utter destruction.
That was why when Prince Hongtian Ying Hong had stepped forward earlier and openly provoked Candidate Holy Son Chu Feng, many nobles had nearly suffocated. They had remained silent, unwilling, or rather, not daring to participate.
It was not fear of Ying Hong.
A young prince was not enough to terrify such powerful figures. Rather, they did not want to be entangled in the succession struggle of the Immortal Sect.
They had only come to divide the Ye Family’s benefits. Nothing more.
But if this decree represented Emperor Tianwen’s stance, then the matter carried deeper meaning.
“Senior Brother, Emperor Tianwen punished Ying Hong and Ying Xue and abolished the Ye Family’s titles. Is he declaring that he stands with our Heavenly Summit Peak?” Liu Mei asked softly.
In terms of status and strength, Emperor Tianwen stood on equal footing with their master, Liu Wudao. Although Liu Mei handled certain matters for Liu Wudao, she had no access to figures of that level.
“No,” Chu Feng replied with a faint sneer in his eyes. “They are all old foxes, simply trying to smooth things over.”
“Based on the current situation, Ying Hong was not sent by Emperor Tianwen. He was likely dispatched by the Crown Prince as a pawn.”
“Emperor Tianwen probably knew about it and tacitly allowed it. But he has been observing this side closely. When he saw the situation turn unfavorable, he immediately abandoned them, stripped their titles, and preserved the royal family’s dignity.”
“He does not want to offend Heavenly Summit Peak. Nor does he want to offend Ying Hong, or rather, the forces behind the Crown Prince.”
Liu Mei nodded thoughtfully. “Senior Brother means that Ying Hong stands behind the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince himself is backed by other forces. This was a test directed at you. After seeing how overwhelmingly strong you are, Emperor Tianwen does not wish to become your enemy, or our Heavenly Summit Peak’s enemy, so he abandoned them without hesitation.”
Fairy Miaoyin added, “Not only that. That old fox Tianwen has lived long enough to become shrewd. He also does not want the Heavenly Phoenix Empire to be pushed to the forefront and used by the forces behind the Crown Prince to confront Young Master.”
“If he had truly declared his stance on our side, with his control over court affairs, Ying Hong and Ying Xue would never have had the opportunity to appear here, much less provoke Young Master face to face.”
Since Heavenly Summit Palace stood beside the royal palace and nobles frequently came and went, Fairy Miaoyin had considerable understanding of the current emperor. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping dot com.
After speaking, she looked at Chu Feng in astonishment.
Chu Feng was so young, yet he could see through the layers of surface appearances so deeply.
That was not something mere talent could explain.
It required experience in open and hidden struggles, long exposure, and personal understanding to perceive such complexity.
Once again, Chu Feng surprised her.
As expected of that person’s son.
“Emperor Tianwen truly is an old fox who won’t release the hawk until he sees the rabbit,” Liu Mei murmured in admiration, never having imagined so many twists behind Ying Hong’s provocation.
“Exactly,” Chu Feng said with a cold smile, sharp light flashing in his eyes. “He believes this way he offends neither side.”
In the original novel, Emperor Tianwen had taken this exact approach.
On the surface, he appeared uninvolved. Yet secretly, he allowed the Crown Prince and other princes to use royal power to continuously aid the protagonist.
He seemed like a fence-sitter, but in reality, he leaned toward the protagonist.
But Chu Feng was not the original Chu Feng. If Emperor Tianwen wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight, it would not be so simple.
“Senior Brother, then who stands behind the Crown Prince?” Liu Mei’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. “Once I find out, I will kill them.”
Provoking Senior Brother was absolutely unforgivable.
“Who is Ye Tongyao helping?” Chu Feng asked calmly.
“Su Fan, of course.” Liu Mei frowned. “But does Su Fan have the ability to command Ying Hong?”
Her voice carried clear disdain for Su Fan.
He was merely a newly promoted inner disciple. In name, he could stand equal to nobles, but that was only nominal. He certainly lacked the authority to direct a prince like Ying Hong.
“Su Fan naturally does not possess such ability for now,” Chu Feng said with a faint smile. “But there are forces behind him that wish to use him against me. And Su Fan shares an especially close relationship with the Eldest Princess of the Heavenly Phoenix Empire, Ying Ziyue.”
Liu Mei’s eyes lit up. “And Ying Ziyue is the Crown Prince’s full sister. So the forces behind the scenes allied with the Crown Prince and had Ying Hong test you.”
“The force behind all this is Primordial Void Peak. And now they are using the Crown Prince to target you, Senior Brother.”
“Smart,” Chu Feng said with a smile, lifting a hand to gently rub Liu Mei’s head. “Junior Sister truly is clever. You grasp it immediately.”
Feeling the warmth of his palm atop her head, Liu Mei’s cheeks flushed slightly. Senior Brother was patting her head in front of everyone.
It felt too intimate.
Her heart tightened nervously.
“A discarded pawn dares provoke Senior Brother. He deserves to be sliced a thousand times,” Liu Mei said coldly, turning her gaze toward Ying Hong as intense killing intent burst from her eyes.
Only by shifting her attention to Ying Hong could she calm her racing heart.
Provoking Senior Brother meant death.
“Guards, drag Ying Hong out and slice him ten thousand times,” Liu Mei ordered icily.
This time, Ying Hong truly felt fear.
His greatest reliance had always been his princely identity. But now that identity had been stripped away. If he were killed for provoking Chu Feng, no one would have reason to stand up for him.
As two Heavenly Summit Guards approached with small blades in hand, Ying Hong’s entire body turned cold. He roared, “Are you going to just watch?”
He believed those people were closely observing this situation.
At that moment, hearty laughter rang out from outside Sacred Heaven Tower.
“Hahaha, Junior Brother Chu Feng, it’s been a long time.”
As the words fell, a tall and robust man dressed in black strode into the hall. Looking at Chu Feng, he smiled. “Junior Brother Chu Feng, I have been traveling outside for quite some time. I happened to be a guest at the Crown Prince’s residence and heard you were here, so I came uninvited to ask for a cup of wine. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Candidate Holy Son Xu Batian. He is actually in the royal city as well!” a top-tier noble gasped.
Many powerful experts also inhaled sharply, whispering among themselves.
“Wasn’t it said he had reached the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm and entered a forbidden land seeking an opportunity to break through?”
“Has he already succeeded in reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm?”
“He seems barely over thirty. If he truly broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, then Chu Feng’s position as the foremost Candidate Holy Son may be in danger.”
“Two Candidate Holy Sons appearing in the royal city at the same time. What are they planning?”
Whispers rippled through the hall.