The carriage grumbled to a halt near the edge of the sprawling imperial plaza, where the aristocratic carriages gave way to the throngs of well-dressed court officials, high-ranking soul engineers, and noble houses.
Emperor Xu stood from his central gilded seat, his towering figure radiating imperial grandeur.
Raising his silver goblet, his voice echoed over the vast, shimmering banquet hall, amplified softly by a hidden spirit guidance array embedded in the marble pillars.
“My esteemed guests, royal kin, and loyal subjects,” the Emperor announced, his sharp eyes sweeping over the quieted crowd.
“The gift ceremony for the Crown Prince, Xu Xuandong, and the Fourth Princess, Xu Xia, is hereby concluded!
Let us drink to the bright future of our royal bloodline and the enduring prosperity of the Sun Moon Empire!” He took a measured sip of the fine spirit wine, setting the goblet down with a soft clack.
The gesture was immediate.
Across the grand hall, hundreds of noblemen, military generals, and visiting dignitaries stood in unison, raising their own glasses in response.
The rigid, solemn atmosphere vanished instantly, giving way to the gentle hum of strings, clinking glasses, and hushed political chatter as the social banquet officially began.
At the main royal dais, the Empress leaned slightly toward her husband, her regal composure masking a subtle flick of her brows.
She gestured subtly toward the far end of the hall, where a tall figure in luxurious dark purple robes was making a quiet exit.
“Husband,” she murmured softly, her voice barely audible over the ambient music.
“What do you make of your younger brother’s actions today?
Why would Xu Gongfeng be so unusually generous to Xuandong during the gift presentation?
A high-grade spirit metal mine deed and top-tier core array schematics…
that is entirely uncharacteristic of him.
He is up to something.” Emperor Xu kept his polite, calm smile fixed for the crowd, but his gaze narrowed fractionally as he watched his brother.
“I do not know, my love.
It is certainly not within his character to hand over such leverage without a hidden motive.
He is planning something.” Before they could ponder further, Prince Xu Gongfeng approached the main dais alongside his immediate family—his wife, his purple-haired son Xu Tianran, and his solemn father-in-law.
“Brother, Imperial Sister-in-law,” Xu Gongfeng said, bowing with practiced courtly elegance.
Yet, despite his smooth smile, both the Emperor and Empress could clearly feel the dense, suppressed frustration radiating off his skin.
“I must offer my early departures and apologies.
Something urgent and unexpected has arisen within my fief that requires my immediate personal attention.” “Is that so?” Emperor Xu replied smoothly.
“Then I shall not delay you, Brother.” “Thank you, Imperial Brother,” Xu Gongfeng replied curtly.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and led his family out of the grand hall in a hasty, almost hurried march.
The Emperor and Empress exchanged a deep, quiet look of confusion.
Whatever news Xu Gongfeng had received, it had clearly disrupted his plans and rattled his composure.
Meanwhile, down on the main floor of the hall, Xu Xuandong was politely nodding along as a random high-ranking noble finished spouting empty, buttery pleasantries.
“May the heavens bless Your Highness with boundless spirit power,” the noble bowed deeply.
“I shall take my leave.” “Thank you, Baron.
Enjoy the feast,” Xuandong replied with an immaculate, practiced royal smile.
The moment the noble stepped away, the crowd parted slightly, and a woman stepped into his line of sight.
She possessed an impossibly breathtaking figure, boasting impressive, eye-catching assets that drew the gazes of half the noblemen in the room.
Her dark, silk dress clung to her curves like night shadows, and her dark, mature eyes glinted with deep, playful intrigue.
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” she purred, her soft voice carrying a subtle, enchanting cadence.
“I am truly glad you managed to make it out safely.” Xuandong looked at her, his eyes reflecting no surprise whatsoever.
He adjusted his silk cuffs casually.
“Madam Shangguan, welcome to the imperial banquet.” He offered a faint, knowing smirk.
“It was entirely thanks to your timely help that I managed to safely return from my…
little detour without any harm.” He was, of course, referring to the time he had gotten lost in the chaotic, deadly slums after the Evil Soul Master ambush.
In truth, this mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous woman was Shangguan Wei’er—the Master of the Common Alliance, one of the underworld’s three ruling factions.
When Xuandong had accidentally stumbled into a hidden, high-end underground brothel tucked away in the slums, she had caught the small prince red-handed.
Seeing a six-year-old child in such a place, she had initially mocked him for being far too young, only for Xuandong to calmly offer her an accord.
“I didn’t have the chance to thank you properly back then,” Xuandong said, his voice dropping into a serious, genuine tone.
“I mean it.
If not for your faction notifying the imperial guards about my precise location, escaping those slums quietly would have been far harder and significantly riskier.
Thankfully, you kept your word and helped me leave.” Shangguan Wei’er let out a soft, melodious giggle, raising a gloved hand to her lips.
“Your Highness is far too polite.
It is merely my duty as a loyal subject of the empire.” In truth, she thought to herself, a hidden shiver running down her spine, if the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire had died or been harmed in my territory, the Emperor and Ye Guan would have leveled the entire Common Alliance overnight.
Using her resources to safely escort that walking, talking ticking time bomb out of her jurisdiction had been a matter of absolute survival.
She smiled warmly.
“Besides, I benefit greatly from securing a favor from the future ruler.” She leaned in slightly, her perfume wafting over him.
“Though I must admit, I was quite surprised when a tiny child managed to sneak so deeply into my alliance’s headquarters.” Xuandong tossed his head back innocently.
“Ah, that?
It was simply the guidance of the stars that led me directly to you, Madam.” Shangguan Wei’er giggled again, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
“My, what a silver tongue you have, Your Highness.
I wonder how many young noble girls will fall victim to your charms in the future?” “Women…” Xuandong thought dryly behind his calm mask.
I literally cast Guidance to track a safe route out, and the darn cantrip led me straight into your front office.
His eyes shifted slightly, looking past her generous shoulder.
Standing a few paces behind Shangguan Wei’er was a young girl, roughly a year or two older than him.
She had silky, rose-red hair falling over her shoulders and an extraordinarily pretty, delicate face, though her eyes were completely devoid of warmth or emotion.
Xuandong raised an eyebrow.
“And who might she be?” Shangguan Wei’er smiled brightly.
“Your gift, Your Highness.” Xuandong’s brows twitched.
“My gift?
Madam Shangguan, your Common Alliance already presented precious spirit metals to the court during the public ceremony.” “That was the Common Alliance’s gift to the Imperial Family,” Shangguan Wei’er explained softly, stepping aside so the girl was fully visible.
“This…
is my personal gift to you.
I obviously couldn’t gift her to you publicly.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to an absolute whisper.
“In the underworld brothel business, girls with rare traits are the ultimate hard currency.
For generations, the underground factions selectively breed girls possessing charming martial souls—like the Charm Fox, the Beauty Rose, or the Rainbow Deer.
They strictly allow them to conceive children with male soul masters who also possess charm-attribute martial souls.
Over time, each generation becomes exponentially more beautiful, captivating, and talented than the last.” Xuandong’s body froze slightly, an icy wave chilling his chest.
In a split second, the horrifying, dark reality of the world flashed through his mind—a systematic, horrific breeding program operating in the dark, hidden beneath the shiny, high-tech veneer of the Sun Moon Empire.
He let out an internal, heavy sigh.
He was a prince, not a messiah.
Even if he used imperial power to smash this one operation, another darker power would simply start it up again in the shadows tomorrow.
He looked at the young girl, then met Shangguan Wei’er’s eyes.
“What makes her so special?” Shangguan Wei’er’s smile widened slightly, internally relieved that the young Crown Prince had not rejected the topic out of naive moral disgust.
“She is my absolute masterpiece,” Shangguan Wei’er whispered proudly.
“Her father was the product of generations of selective charm-breeding—a human male with a charm-attribute martial soul born from a Mermaid mother.
And her mother…
was a Dragon Maiden.” Xuandong’s eyes widened in sheer, absolute shock.
He nearly choked on his own breath, his mind reeling as his reader knowledge violently violently collided with reality.
He hissed under his breath, leaning in.
“Madam Shangguan…
do you think my surname is Tang?!” Shangguan Wei’er’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second before she let out another soft laugh.
“Your Highness must be jesting.
Both Mermaids and Dragon Maidens are not like standard, wild spirit beasts.
Calling them humans with unique, ancient bloodline traits would be far more accurate than calling them spirit beasts.
Over on Sea God Island, Mermaids are recognized as actual citizens!” “This is the Sun Moon Empire,” Xuandong retorted dryly, his lips twitching.
“Not seaweed God Island.” Shangguan Wei’er’s lips twitched violently at his blatant disrespect toward the legendary Sea God.
“Your Highness…
are you not afraid of divine punishment?
Being struck down by lightning from the heavens for saying such things?” Xuandong crossed his arms, his face a picture of absolute deadpan logic.
“Why would I be?
The guy literally had a grass martial soul and became the Sea God.
Calling him a Seaweed God is practically an upgrade.” Shangguan Wei’er stared at the six-year-old prince, her mouth opening and closing slightly as her refined composure momentarily shattered.
She cleared her throat awkwardness, taking a deep breath to stabilize herself.
“Setting divine matters aside…” she said, her voice dropping into a serious tone as she gestured toward the girl.
“Does Your Highness want my gift, or not?” Xuandong fell quiet, his gaze locking onto the silent girl standing behind her.
His mind began calculating options at lightning speed.
First, he thought, this girl is guaranteed to be a spy or a planted test from Shangguan Wei’er—a way to gauge whether the future Crown Prince is willing to cooperate with the underworld.
Second, if I want to establish a shadow network to secure an escape route for my family against Uncle Xu Gongfeng, I need an underworld proxy.
The other two major underground powers—the Duskwater Alliance and Alto Chamber—are far too ruthless and dangerous to deal with.
The Common Alliance is my best option.
Third, if I refuse her now, Shangguan Wei’er will never trust me easily again.
She’ll assume I’m a righteous fanatic who will purge her faction the moment I gain real power.
And finally…
Xuandong looked at the girl’s vacant, emotionless eyes.
If I refuse her here, she won’t be set free.
She’ll just end up as a plaything or a pawn in someone else’s far darker hands.
Making up his mind, Xuandong stepped forward.
He looked directly at the red-haired girl and asked calmly, “What is your name?” The girl remained completely silent, her dark eyes staring straight ahead as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Shangguan Wei’er smiled faintly, a gentle glint in her eyes.
“She doesn’t have a name, Your Highness.
You may name her whatever you like.” — The heavy oak doors of Prince Xu Gongfeng’s private study slammed shut with a muffled thud, sealing the room in oppressive silence.
A tyrannical, violent purple aura flared around Xu Gongfeng’s imposing frame, heavy enough to crack the surrounding marble floorboards.
His draconic eyes narrowed into razor-thin slits, glaring daggers directly at his father-in-law, Lu Wang.
“Give me one single reason,” Xu Gongfeng growled, his voice thick with murderous intent, “why I shouldn’t tear you apart right where you stand.” Lu Wang stood trembling under the stifling pressure of a Title Douluo, his face deathly pale.
He did not utter a word of defense.
Instead, with shaking hands, he produced a tightly rolled parchment from his robes and extended it outward.
Xu Gongfeng snatched the scroll, unrolling it with a violent flick of his wrist.
As his eyes scanned the detailed script, the cold fury on his face twisted into pure, unbridled rage.
His hands shook so violently the parchment nearly tore in half.
“Who gave you this?!” Xu Gongfeng roared, his voice shaking the heavy curtains.
Lu Wang shook his head helplessly, bowing his head in shame.
“I don’t know…
They only left two scrolls at my residence.
One was this, and the other was the gift list.” Xu Gongfeng’s breathing turned ragged, his knuckles turning white as he fought to suppress his surging spirit power.
The scroll detailed, with terrifying precision, how the Lu clan had secretly hired and coordinated with Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Ghost Church to carry out the failed assassination attempt on Crown Prince Xu Xuandong during his return from the capital flea market.
Deep inside, Lu Wang was drowning in bitter regret.
Months ago, his daughter—Xu Gongfeng’s wife—had approached him asking to borrow a team of high-level men to eliminate someone who had offended her.
It was far from the first time she had made such a request, and knowing she was usually far too cautious to target anyone with a formidable backing, Lu Wang had agreed without asking questions.
Never in his wildest, darkest dreams could he have imagined that his foolish daughter had set her sights on the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire!
Because of that disastrous failure, fifty percent of the Lu clan’s total assets and thirty percent of Xu Gongfeng’s personal treasury had been quietly surrendered to the Crown Prince as ‘compensation’ during the royal birthday ceremony.
Lu Wang let out a long, shaky sigh, daring to look up into Xu Gongfeng’s deadly glare.
“Who…
who do you think delivered this scroll to us?” Xu Gongfeng’s eyes burned like hot coals.
If the contents of this parchment leaked to the public or the imperial court, it would be a death sentence to his life’s ambition.
Sure, he could easily pin the entire blame onto Lu Wang, execute his father-in-law himself to clear his name, and march on…
but his political reputation would still be completely shattered.
Worse yet, there was Xu Tianran.
Currently his most gifted child, Tianran was the cornerstone of his future.
If Xu Gongfeng cultivated him as the absolute genius of his generation, his own standing would rise to untouchable heights.
But if this assassination scandal was released, Tianran’s standing and legitimacy would vanish overnight.
Suppressing his aura slightly, Xu Gongfeng stared at the trembling old man.
“Why didn’t Zhongli Wu make his move?” “I don’t know,” Lu Wang replied hoarsely.
“Yesterday he never showed up.
I assumed he might have contacted you directly instead…” He paused, his eyes flickering with doubt.
“Could he…
have betrayed us?” Xu Gongfeng sank into deep thought, his eyes narrowing as his mind systematically analyzed the chessboard.
After several long minutes of suffocating silence, he spoke in a low tone.
“It might be Duke Yang.” Lu Wang blinked in genuine surprise.
“Duke Yang?
Why not Hall Master Kong Deming?” “Because the only people left with a legitimate, unquestionable claim to the imperial throne are myself…
and Duke Yang,” Xu Gongfeng explained coldly.
He paced across the room, his boots clicking heavily against the stone.
Duke Yang was a cousin to the late emperor—making him of the same royal generation relative to Xu Tianran and Xu Xuandong.
However, he was a bastard child, born from a commoner woman.
Decades ago, during the late emperor’s bloody struggle for the throne, the late emperor recruited Yang into his faction.
When the late emperor eventually learned of Yang’s true royal bloodline, instead of executing or casting him aside out of paranoia, he fully embraced him as family.
The truth was that Duke Yang’s birth surname was Xu, just like the rest of the imperial family, but he chose to keep his mother’s commoner surname, Yang.
Having harbored a deep grudge against his biological father, Yang joined forces with the late emperor to exact his revenge.
Afterward, rather than eliminating a potential rival, the late emperor officially granted him the title of Duke Yang in honor of his deceased mother.
Touched by his brother’s magnanimity, Duke Yang swore a sacred oath never to sire a child nor lay claim to the imperial throne, remaining fiercely neutral for decades.
“Why would he change his stance now?” Lu Wang asked, brow furrowed.
“He has remained neutral for forty years.” “Duke Yang is carefree and stubborn, much like that brat Xu Xuandong,” Xu Gongfeng sneered, his temper flaring briefly at the thought of his ill-mannered nephew.
“He dislikes both me and my brother.
He views us both as unfit to rule.
But because there was no one else of royal blood, he tolerated the status quo to protect our father’s bloodline.
But what if our father had another child in secret?” Lu Wang gasped softly.
“Another child?!” “What if our father had another child, placed him under Duke Yang’s hidden protection, and now Duke Yang intends to crown this secret heir?” Xu Gongfeng theorized sharply.
“If that is true,” Lu Wang interjected quickly, “why let Xu Xuandong reap all the benefits?
Wouldn’t it be far more beneficial for them to release this scroll to the public and force a complete schism between the throne and your faction?” Xu Gongfeng shook his head firmly.
“They already know we have ties to the Holy Spirit Cult.
If they push us into a corner and force an all-out war right now, the foundation of the empire will be torn to shreds.
They are using Xu Xuandong as a temporary scapegoat—a shield to draw our attention while they prepare.” His eyes darkened as his thoughts drifted to an even worse possibility.
During the late emperor’s era, the undisputed number one beauty on the continent was Ye Xishui.
Rumors had quietly circulated that she had born a child in secret.
What if that child was the blood of both the late emperor and Ye Xishui?
When Xu Gongfeng voiced this nightmare scenario aloud, Lu Wang froze completely, horror washing over his face.
The royal bloodline of the Sun Moon Empire combined with the monstrous talent of the Holy Spirit Cult’s grandmaster…
it would be an absolute disaster!
“Seeing your expression, you agree,” Xu Gongfeng said grimly.
“If that child exists, he possesses a terrifyingly legitimate claim, but because he would carry an Evil Martial Soul, he could never sit on the throne openly.” Lu Wang ran a hand over his face, muttering softly, “…The Sun Moon Scripture.” The cultivation art recently distributed by Kong Deming had rapidly elevated the empire’s power, but it had also drawn the hyper-vigilance of the Three Empires of the eastern continent.
Connecting the pieces, Lu Wang’s eyes widened in realization.
“They forced us to hand over that massive fortune to Xu Xuandong during the birthday banquet, knowing it would infuriate us into taking rash action,” Lu Wang deduced out loud.
“Then, Kong Deming expelled both Xu Xuandong and Xu Tianran from the elite class to humiliate our prestige while elevating his own Natural Faction through the Sun Moon Scripture.
At the birthday banquet, Kong Deming gifted Xu Xuandong a custom Class 9 Soul Tool to publicly declare his support for the Crown Prince, while Duke Yang gifted a precious yet useless plant to maintain his ‘neutral’ facade!” Lu Wang looked at Xu Gongfeng with wide eyes.
“It’s all an elaborate cover!
They want to provoke a bloody civil war between you and the Emperor!
Once both of our factions are thoroughly weakened, the Three Empires will invade.
Desperate, the empire will be forced to rely on Duke Yang, who will bring forth the late emperor’s secret child alongside the Natural Faction and the Evil Soul Masters to repel the invaders.
Backed by the grateful masses, that child will rightfully claim the throne!” After dissecting the terrifying layers of the plot, both men came to a silent, unanimous agreement: their best move right now was a strict watch and wait tactic.
“I will personally ensure the Lu clan compensates for all financial losses incurred from the treasury,” Lu Wang promised, bowing deeply.
Xu Gongfeng waved his hand dismissively.
“Save it.
We need to preserve our strength and focus entirely on the broader board.” Lu Wang nodded respectfully, bidding his farewells before quietly exiting the study.
As the door clicked shut, Xu Gongfeng stared at the empty doorway, his eyes narrowing into cold, predatory slits.
“You dare to lie to me, Lu Wang…
you will see.” The moment Lu Wang’s presence completely faded from the hallway, the shadows in the corner of the room rippled.
A masked Shadow Guard emerged seamlessly from the darkness, dropping to one knee while presenting a freshly sealed scroll.
“Did you complete what I requested?” Xu Gongfeng demanded flatly.
“Yes, My Lord,” the guard reported respectfully.
“All recorded information regarding Crown Prince Xu Xuandong’s daily activities over the past few months is detailed inside.” Xu Gongfeng took the scroll, opening it to read.
He read through it once.
Then a second time.
Then a third time.
As his eyes moved across the lines, his expression went through a bizarre, chaotic transformation.
One moment he was hyper-focused, the next he was deeply puzzled, and at times, his lips even twitched into a suppressed, bewildered chuckle.
Finally, Xu Gongfeng slowly lowered the scroll and stared at the Shadow Guard.
“Are you absolutely sure of this data?” The guard coughed awkwardly beneath his mask.
“Yes, My Lord…
I know it reads like an elaborate joke, but this is genuinely the exact information our covert operatives gathered.” Xu Gongfeng rubbed his temples, feeling an impending headache.
If someone had handed him this scroll claiming it was a satire script or the personal diary of a royal court jester, he would have believed it without hesitation.
But to claim this was the daily life of the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire was beyond incomprehensible.
Screaming absurd, twenty-word-long titles for a handheld tool soul?
Vaulting into deep palace wells to pull out his sisters only to hug his cousin in mud?
Getting invaded by wild sparrows , and falling asleep during basic soul tool engineering lectures?
“I knew that brat was a complete joke,” Xu Gongfeng muttered, shaking his head in utter disbelief, “but this…
this is too much.”