220: Chapter 218 The Eldest Princess

The Crown Prince's army finally moved.

It wasn't a small-scale probe or scattered harassment; it was an all-out mobilization, a thunderous strike.

Hundreds of thousands of troops set out simultaneously from every province and city controlled by the imperial court, a vast and mighty force that blotted out the sky.

War banners fluttered, iron armor clanged, flying boats filled the sky like clouds, and war chariots surged like a tide.

Wherever they passed, cities surrendered at the mere sight of them, and defending generals abandoned their posts and fled.

The territories of the Second Prince and the Third Prince were like sandcastles being washed away by a flood, collapsing inch by inch and vanishing piece by piece.

The Third Prince sat in his study with a map spread out before him.

The red dots on the map representing his cities were being blacked out one by one.

They were either being conquered or abandoned.

His subordinates, his allies, and his supporters were leaving him one after another.

At that moment, the Sun Family, who once had a marriage contract with Shen Yizhi, suddenly and high-profilely announced they were severing all cooperation with the Third Prince and leading their people to surrender to the imperial court.

To outsiders, this move was no different from cutting off their own lifeline and seeking their own death, yet the imperial court side under the Crown Prince's command actually accepted the Sun Family with composure.

Following this, various factions under the Second and Third Princes defected one after another, abandoning the two and turning to join the imperial court.

The two only then realized something was fishy and sent people secretly to investigate, but they found nothing.

Relying on Yun Ming's assistance, the Third Prince could still barely maintain the situation;

The Second Prince, although lacking such strong support as Yun Ming, held his ground with unexpected tenacity, clearly having received help from a mysterious force in secret.

The scouts sent out went to great lengths before finally uncovering a clue—these people seemed to be related to the Yao Race.

The Third Prince leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest.

The Yao Race.

Didn't the Second Prince just kill over three thousand members of the Fox Clan? How did he get involved with the Yao Race again?

The situation became increasingly convoluted, and a sense of confusion that was hard to see through gradually grew in the Third Prince's heart.

Just then, a strange sound came from the sky.

It wasn't thunder, nor was it the howling of the wind; it was a very soft sound, like the wind blowing through bells.

Ding-ding, dang-dang, it was crisp and pleasant to the ear.

The Third Prince stood up, walked to the window, and looked up.

In the sky, a massive Phoenix Sedan was slowly flying toward him.

That Phoenix Sedan was as large as a small mountain, gilded all over, its body carved with complex runes that flowed with seven-colored light.

Atop the sedan was a golden phoenix with wings spread as if to take flight, its tail trailing long tassels adorned with gemstones that sparkled in the sunlight.

The sedan curtains were red, embroidered with the pattern of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix; every bird was lifelike, as if they might fly off the curtains at any moment.

The Phoenix Sedan came to a steady halt above the Third Prince's palace.

Dozens of beautiful palace maids flew out from the sedan, each carrying a flower basket in her hand.

They scattered the petals from their baskets into the air; these were no ordinary petals—each one was crystal clear and emitted a faint glow.

The petals did not fall to the ground but instead transformed into pale gold dust, drifting and filling the surroundings.

Wherever the dust passed, the air became fresh and sweet, and the Spiritual Qi became clear and dense.

With one breath, one felt refreshed and comfortable throughout their body.

Four extremely beautiful women flew out from the sedan;

They wore uniform light green palace attire, their hair tied high and fastened with golden hairpins, walking with light steps and graceful poise.

They flew to the front of the Phoenix Sedan and reached out their slender, jade-like hands,

Gently lifting the red bead curtains on both sides of the sedan front.

The bead curtains rolled up, revealing the person inside.

A woman dressed in royal blue brocade palace attire slowly stepped out of the sedan.

Her feet stepped on nothing, but a pure white Auspicious Cloud emerged out of thin air, supporting her feet and holding her steadily in the air.

The Princess Royal.

The only Princess Royal of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty,

The half-sister of the Third Prince and the Second Prince.

Her appearance was extremely beautiful, so beautiful she didn't seem like a Mortal.

Her skin was white as jade, her eyes bright as stars, her lips red as blood, and her hair black as ink. Her features were exquisite without a single flaw, everything exactly as it should be—not a bit more, not a bit less. She was tall with a graceful curve, and her palace attire clung to her body, outlining her exquisite figure to perfection.

In her arms, she held a Treasure-Spitting Mouse; it was scarlet all over with vibrant fur and round golden eyes that curiously surveyed everything around it.

The Treasure-Spitting Mouse was a Rank 4 Spirit Beast with a cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage; at this moment, it was like a docile cat, curled up in the Princess Royal's arms and making purring sounds.

The Third Prince walked out of his palace, stood on the steps, and bowed to the Princess Royal.

“Imperial Sister.” His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

The Princess Royal glanced at him and nodded slightly.

Her gaze swept across his face, landed on the palace behind him, and then pulled back.

“No need for such formality,” she said.

Her voice was very pleasant, not the sweet and seductive voice of Xue Ji, but a cool voice with a metallic quality, like jade beads falling on a plate or spring water hitting stones.

The Third Prince stepped aside and made an inviting gesture. “Imperial Sister, please enter.”

The Princess Royal did not stand on ceremony.

Holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse and treading on the Auspicious Cloud, she slowly descended onto the steps.

The Auspicious Cloud dissipated beneath her feet, turning into a wisp of green smoke that merged into the air.

She walked into the palace, with the Third Prince following behind. The two sat down in the main hall, and the Third Prince personally brewed tea, pouring a cup for the Princess Royal.

The Princess Royal picked it up, took a sip, and set it down.

The Third Prince spoke in a casual tone, as if chatting with an old friend, “Imperial Sister, you didn't travel all this way to see me just for a cup of tea, did you?”

The Princess Royal looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.

That smile was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

“Naturally, I am here to help you,” she said in a flat tone, as if speaking of something very ordinary.

The Third Prince didn't say he didn't need it.

He knew that this Imperial Sister never did anything meaningless.

If she said she would help him, she must have her reasons.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down. “Then this younger brother thanks Imperial Sister.”

The corner of the Princess Royal's mouth curled again. “Don't thank me yet. I don't work for free.”

The Third Prince leaned back in his chair and looked at the Princess Royal.

He knew her temperament; she didn't like beating around the bush, didn't like pleasantries, and didn't like empty formalities.

She liked to be direct, concise, and say whatever was on her mind.

“What does Imperial Sister want?” he asked. “As the esteemed Princess Royal of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty, what could you possibly need my help with?”

The Princess Royal's fingers lightly rubbed the teacup as she remained silent for a moment.

Then she looked up at the Third Prince.

“Xue Ji,” she said. “I want Xue Ji.”

The Third Prince's hand paused for a moment.

He looked at the Princess Royal, and she looked back at him.

Her eyes were very calm, as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

But the Third Prince knew she wasn't joking.

He understood this Imperial Sister.

Her natural talent was superb, and her cultivation talent even far surpassed everyone else in the imperial family.

But her ambitions did not lie there. Her interests were not in cultivation, power, or world domination.

Her interest lay in spirit pets. She loved collecting all kinds of rare and exotic beasts, raising them, studying them, and training them to be perfectly obedient.

The Treasure-Spitting Mouse in her arms was something she had raised since it was a cub, nurturing it for hundreds of years until it reached the Nascent Soul Stage.

Her obsession with spirit pets had reached the point where she would spare no expense.

Xue Ji was a fox demon, a Transformed Great Demon with an Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, possessing peerless beauty and immense charm.

In the Princess Royal's eyes, she wasn't the Second Prince's favorite concubine, nor the Third Prince's chess piece, nor Yun Ming's guest. She was a spirit pet—a spirit pet of excellent quality, high talent, and rare in this world.

The Third Prince opened his mouth to say something but swallowed it back down.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, and remained silent for a moment.

“Imperial Sister,” he began, his voice a bit dry, “the matter with Xue Ji is somewhat complicated.”

The Princess Royal raised an eyebrow. “What's so complicated? Isn't she the Second Prince's person? Aren't you and the Second Prince rivals? You've captured his person—whether you kill her, lock her up, or give her away, what is there to hesitate about?”

The Third Prince gave a bitter smile.

“Imperial Sister might not know.” He briefly explained the sequence of events.

He spoke very concisely, skipping many details, but the Princess Royal listened very intently.

When he finished, she fell silent for a moment.

Then she laughed.

The smile was faint but genuine—not a polite smile, but one because she truly found it interesting.

“That Yun Ming,” she said, “is quite an interesting person.” She paused and looked at the Third Prince. “Where is he? I want to go see him.”

The Third Prince was stunned for a moment.

He didn't expect the Princess Royal to be interested in Yun Ming.

He had thought she would insist on having Xue Ji, using threats or incentives, or various means to force him to hand her over.

He didn't expect that she wouldn't even mention it again and would directly turn her target toward Yun Ming.

The Third Prince was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“He is in Qingyao City,” he said. “If Imperial Sister wants to go, I will send someone to lead the way.”

The Princess Royal shook her head. “No need. I will go myself.”

The Princess Royal said no more.

She walked out of the palace, and the four palace maids came forward to lift the bead curtains for her.

Treading on the Auspicious Cloud, she entered the Phoenix Sedan. The Phoenix Sedan slowly rose into the air, and the palace maids put away their flower baskets and flew back into the sedan.

The bead curtains fell, the sedan curtains closed, and the Phoenix Sedan turned around, flying toward Qingyao City.

That crisp ringing sound started again, ding-ding, dang-dang, gradually fading into the distance.

The Third Prince stood at the palace entrance, watching the departing Phoenix Sedan for a long time.

The wind blew, carrying the pale gold dust from the petals, landing on his shoulders and in his hair.