133: Royal Crisis

The bad luck from that dilapidated village in the Capital City Suburbs hadn't even dissipated yet, and that woman Ying Mei, slippery as an eel, still hadn't given up.

"Li Dong... Mu Feng... you've ruined my plans!"

Deep underground, a ghostly figure twisted and turned, her voice shrill and filled with undisguised venom.

That her supposedly clever illusion had been so brutally broken was a total humiliation.

"The Imperial Palace... yes, the Imperial Palace!" A ruthless glint flashed in Ying Mei's eyes. "Since you're protecting the Jing City Dragon Vein, I'll make things difficult for you from within the royal family!"

She quickly set her sights on a new target—the Seventh Princess Li Qingxuan's uncle, Prince Cheng.

This prince had always been ambitious but lacked good fortune, constantly suppressed at court; the desire for power in his heart was as bright and obvious as a lantern in the dead of night.

"What a fine specimen." Ying Mei licked her non-existent lips and silently slipped toward the Prince Cheng's estate.

A few days later, at the Seventh Princess's residence.

Mr. Xu walked into the study with a worried look on his face: "Your Highness, Li, something is not right with Prince Cheng in the palace lately."

Li Qingxuan put down the memorial she was holding: "Uncle? What happened to him?"

"This servant has heard that Prince Cheng has been holding private meetings in his estate recently, dismissing all attendants, and has... has even made treasonous remarks about wanting to restore the majesty of the royal family, even speaking critically of Your Majesty." Mr. Xu lowered his voice, "Furthermore, several servants in his estate have also begun acting quite strangely."

Li Dong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them upon hearing this.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his [Spiritual Domain] having already quietly covered a small half of the Imperial City.

"There is indeed a faint and eerie spiritual fluctuation coming from Prince Cheng's estate, somewhat similar to Ying Mei's aura from before, but more concealed." Li Dong spoke, his voice not loud, but it made Li Qingxuan and Mr. Xu shudder.

"That Ying Mei again?" Li Qingxuan frowned deeply, "She actually set her sights on my uncle!"

"She wants to plant a nail inside the royal family to corrode the Great Xia from the roots," Li Dong analyzed. "Prince Cheng's desire for power is her best Breakthrough point."

"Then what should we do now?" Li Qingxuan asked anxiously, "Should we go directly to the prince's estate to make an arrest? After all, my uncle is..."

"That won't do." Li Dong shook his head. "If we alert the enemy, Ying Mei will likely flee immediately, and it would cause Prince Cheng to completely become her Puppet, potentially even endangering his life."

He looked at Wei Zheng, the Demon Suppression Division commander who happened to be at the princess's residence on business.

"Lord Wei, have you made any arrangements on your end?"

Wei Zheng said in a deep voice, "The Demon Suppression Division has set up surveillance around the perimeter of Prince Cheng's estate, but we dare not get too close. Ying Mei is skilled at spiritual infiltration and is impossible to guard against."

Li Dong pondered for a moment. "Since she wants to stir up trouble within the royal family, let's give her a 'chance'."

He looked at Li Qingxuan. "Your Highness, you can arrange a 'secret meeting' under the guise of discussing how to deal with the current damage to the Jing City Dragon Vein and the harassment by the remnants of the Shadow Council, and invite a few trusted royal clan members, as well as 'inviting' Prince Cheng to attend."

"Luring the snake out of its hole?" Li Qingxuan understood immediately.

"Exactly." Li Dong's lips curled slightly. "If Ying Mei wants to influence the court through Prince Cheng, she definitely won't miss this opportunity. As long as she dares to show herself, I am confident I can drag her out."

"Good! Let's do it!" Li Qingxuan decided decisively. "Mr. Xu, you make the arrangements immediately!"

Night, a side hall of the Imperial Palace.

It was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was heavy. Several royal clan members and trusted ministers sat upright. Prince Cheng was also present, but his expression was a bit dazed today, and an eerie light that did not belong to him occasionally flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Everyone, the reason I have gathered you all today is to..." Li Qingxuan had just begun.

Prince Cheng suddenly stood up, his voice filled with an unnatural excitement: "Imperial niece, in my opinion, the current internal and external troubles in the Jing City are all because Your Majesty is too benevolent and not tough enough on those scoundrels! We, as members of the royal clan, should..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly seemed to have his throat constricted, his body stiffening abruptly.

"You..." A flash of terror appeared in Prince Cheng's eyes, but it was immediately covered by that eerie light again.

"Noisy." A cold voice rang out.

Li Dong had appeared behind Prince Cheng at some unknown time, forming a seal with one hand, and a brilliant golden talisman—the [Heavenly Pill Sky-Rending Demon Suppression Seal]—struck squarely on Prince Cheng's back.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream did not come from Prince Cheng's mouth, but was forcibly squeezed out from within his body!

A ghostly, seductive female figure scrambled out from the top of Prince Cheng's head in a sorry state; it was indeed Ying Mei!

"Li Dong! It's you again!" Ying Mei revealed her true form, shocked and furious. She hadn't expected the other party to be so decisive and act immediately.

In her haste, she tried to launch a spiritual attack, hoping to control the others present to buy herself time.

"Hum—"

[Spiritual Resonance] automatically circulated around Li Dong's body, and an invisible "spiritual barrier" formed instantly, blocking all of Ying Mei's spiritual attacks, without moving a hair.

"Child's play." Li Dong said indifferently.

"Form the array!" Wei Zheng shouted in a low voice.

The several retainers beside the Seventh Princess and the experts from the Demon Suppression Division acted simultaneously, flashes of light streaked by, and the temporarily set-up trapping array activated instantly, enclosing Ying Mei in the center.

"You want to trap me? Wishful thinking!" Ying Mei shrieked, her figure suddenly becoming illusory, turning into an almost transparent shadow as she prepared to escape into the ground. She had indeed mastered this life-saving skill to perfection.

"Still want to run?" A cold light flashed in Li Dong's eyes.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a dazzling purple lightning light suddenly lit up at his fingertips; it was the evil-breaking divine lightning unleashed by the [Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Body Tempering Art]!

"Crack—!"

The lightning, like a whip, struck that phantom figure with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ahhh—!" Ying Mei let out a scream several times more miserable than before, her phantom figure shaking violently, its color fading significantly; she had clearly suffered heavy injuries.

She dared not pause for even a second, using the force of the lightning strike to accelerate her escape deep into the ground, leaving behind only a grain-sized "spiritual mark" flickering with an eerie black light.

"Thump." Prince Cheng collapsed to the ground, slowly waking up, looking confused: "I... where am I?"

Li Dong picked up the "spiritual mark," which felt ice-cold to the touch. Under the perception of his [Spiritual Domain], besides the lingering venomous aura of Ying Mei, it also contained some extremely blurry, intermittent images and fragments of information.

"Turbine... trap area... ancient defense... key..."

Li Dong frowned slightly. Although he hadn't been able to kill Ying Mei on the spot, every time this woman ran away, she seemed to "accidentally" leave something behind.

This infiltration crisis targeting the royal family had finally been resolved without danger. However, the slipperiness of Ying Mei, as well as the information revealed in that eerie "spiritual mark," made Li Dong realize that the matter was far from over.

Purifying the Jing City Dragon Vein was a matter of extreme urgency.