71: Chapter 71 Palace Shock

The smile on Crown Prince Xia Hong's face was like a lake suddenly struck by a northern wind—just a moment ago it was sparkling and warm, but in an instant, the last trace of his smile vanished completely.

Only a heavy solemnity remained.

In the traces left by his fading smile, a faint, imperceptible tension was hidden.

That tension was light and shallow, yet like an undercurrent beneath the ice, it surged quietly in the depths—he had keenly captured the shift in the atmosphere within the hall.

His gaze slowly swept across those below.

The expressions of hesitation or probing from the Prodigies of The Three Sects had already vanished like mist blown away by a gale. In their place was a uniform hardness and vigilance.

Their gazes were sharp as knives.

It was as if three unsheathed swords were pointed directly at the throne, surrounding him. The sharpness was so intense that one could feel the chill and pressure even through the air.

The rhythm that he had previously controlled with ease—was now suddenly twisted by an invisible hand.

A heavy pressure, like an incoming tide, traced the gaps in the air and pressed firmly onto his shoulders.

The pressure was formless and intangible, yet it weighed more than a thousand jun, making even his breathing heavy and strained, and his heartbeat tight and suffocating.

He remained silent.

The hall was left with only the soft breathing of the crowd and the faint, almost non-existent sound coming from the jade armrest—"Tap, tap, tap."

The rhythm of his tapping fingertips gradually slowed.

From his previous composure, it became somewhat strained and stuttered. Each fall and lift seemed to be weighing the heavy chips on both sides of a scale—

Should he continue to use rhetoric to cover it up and hide the secret until the last moment? Or should he risk laying his cards on the table, betting that the Prodigies of The Three Sects could accept this complex game of chess?

The air seemed to be stretched and solidified by this slow tapping. Every second felt like an hour, every breath like the burning of an incense stick. Even the flicker of the candlelight appeared exceptionally slow and heavy.

Finally—his Adam's apple rolled almost imperceptibly.

When he spoke again, his voice was several degrees lower than before, so low it almost fell into the dust.

He deliberately shed the dignity inherent to a Crown Prince, as that dignity was now too glaring and inappropriate.

In its place was a sense of near-candor, a near-earnest sincerity—

"I understand the concerns of you Fellow Daoists."

He paused.

His gaze slowly wandered over everyone's faces, each meeting of eyes carrying a probe and an assessment. His gaze was like a dragonfly skimming the water, touching and leaving instantly, yet it seemed to want to see through everyone's thoughts—

"This matter concerns the ownership of the Hundred Dynasties War, and even more so, the rise and fall of the Luck of my Great Xia Dynasty."

His tone grew even deeper—

"Indeed, there should not be the slightest concealment."

As his voice fell, he waved his hand lightly.

The old eunuch standing to the side immediately understood.

His withered figure, like a shadow merging into the darkness, retreated silently toward the palace door.

His footsteps made no sound when they touched the floor, as if walking on clouds or stepping on the Void Realm.

When passing the threshold—his skinny, twig-like fingers quickly formed a seal. A few wisps of pale golden light flashed from his fingertips, vanishing as quickly as a firefly on a summer night.

A semi-transparent light barrier instantly enveloped the entire hall.

The barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet indestructible.

It completely isolated the prying gazes and noisy sounds from the outside, and firmly locked the secret about to be spoken within this space.

"Just as Fellow Daoist Ming Yuefeng suspects—" Crown Prince Xia Hong spoke slowly.

He deliberately kept his speech extremely slow and measured.

Each word seemed to be ground finely between his teeth into powder before being spat out one by one.

Yet, there was a sharp gleam in his eyes, so fast that one would almost think it was an illusion, so fast that it was almost impossible to catch—

"The Xuantian Sect..." He paused.

That pause was like a sharp sword hanging over their heads, like a flood about to burst its banks, making everyone's heart jump into their throats.

"It is not that they were not invited." He deliberately paused.

He let the suspense spread through the hall, letting doubt grow in everyone's hearts.

This suspense was like a spider web, tightly binding everyone; that doubt was like mist, making everyone unable to see the path ahead.

Subsequently—he spoke word by word.

He clearly threw out the bombshell—

"Rather, they chose the invitation of the Eldest Princess."

"Boom!"

This sentence exploded in the hall like a thunderclap!

The previously solidified air was instantly stirred into a turbulent surge! Yet, in the next moment, it was completely frozen!

All the Prodigies held their breath!

The vigilance on their faces instantly turned into shock! The shock was too intense, too sudden, as if they had been struck in the chest, as if they had been hit over the head with a club!

Their gazes were locked tightly onto Crown Prince Xia Hong!

Even their breathing subconsciously lightened, so light it was almost inaudible! They were afraid of missing any subsequent word, afraid of missing any detail of this earth-shattering secret!

Waiting.

Waiting for the follow-up to this earth-shattering secret.

Waiting for the truth behind this chess game.

Crown Prince Xia Hong met the scorching gazes of the crowd, gazes that almost wanted to ignite him, to burn him to ashes.

His gaze was like a torch, his voice deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable determination, carrying a desperate resolution—

"For the Hundred Dynasties War, my Great Xia has only one entry slot."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three—

"And what this Prince intends to do is to snatch this slot from the hands of the Eldest Princess—"

He took a deep breath, about to throw out that promise, that vow capable of deciding everything—

"And give it to the three of you..."

To let the strongest among the three represent Great Xia!

To let this chess game, according to his layout, move toward the outcome he desired!

Yet, he was suddenly interrupted by an angry shout!

"Enough, Your Highness!"

Ming Yuefeng slammed his hand on the armrest of his seat!

With a loud "bang," the cups and plates on the table trembled slightly! The candles in the hall swayed violently! It made everyone's heart tremble!

He stood up abruptly!

The starlight in his eyes turned suddenly cold, as cold as an eternal glacier! His originally gentle-as-jade Aura disappeared without a trace, like mist swept away by a gale!

Monstrous anger swept over his body as if it were tangible!

That anger made the temperature in the hall seem to drop by several degrees! It made the surrounding air seem to freeze into ice! It made everyone's breath hitch!

The long robes on his body moved without wind!

They snapped and fluttered! As his sleeves flew, they carried a biting Aura, an Aura like an unsheathed sword, pointing directly at the heavens!

"This matter—" his voice was cold as iron, each word like a knife—

"My Starry Sky Sect will no longer participate!"

Before the words had even finished falling!

He had already flicked his sleeves and turned around!

The action was crisp and clean, without a shred of lingering attachment, without a shred of hesitation! He strode toward the outside of the palace! Each step was taken heavily and steadily, as if to trample all the schemes within this hall underfoot!

The Disciples of the Starry Sky Sect behind him, though full of astonishment, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. But seeing their Senior Brother so resolute, so unquestionable, they immediately suppressed the doubts in their hearts and followed in unison without hesitation!

Their footsteps trod on the gold-brick floor, emitting a crisp and firm sound—"Pa, pa, pa!"

That sound was like war drums, like an alarm bell, striking everyone's heart one beat at a time!

The starlight lingering around their bodies was also dyed with a cold meaning at this moment. The starlight was no longer brilliant, no longer warm, but carried dissatisfaction, alienation, and resolution!

This sudden turn of events—

Was like a thunderbolt striking the hall!

It caught everyone, including Crown Prince Xia Hong, off guard! Everyone was dumbfounded! Everyone's minds were shaken!

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned from a tense standoff to a dead silence!

There was only the faint sound of the candles burning—"Pipa, pipa."

The sound was exceptionally clear and piercing in the dead silence.

Zhang Xuan's brows were tightly locked.

At the center of his brow, mysterious runes flowed rapidly, flickering uncertainly. The light of those runes dimmed and brightened, as if in an instant, he had deduced countless paths and possibilities for the situation, and deduced countless endings and consequences.

He took a deep look at Crown Prince Xia Hong, whose face had suddenly turned ugly.

That gaze carried inquiry, and also a trace of realization—he had seen through it. He had seen through the schemes behind this chess game, and seen through the truth behind this earth-shattering promise.

A moment later—he slowly stood up.

His movements were unhurried and composed. His tone remained calm and waveless, yet it revealed an irredeemable alienation, an alienation as if separated by an invisible barrier—

"Your Highness, this matter is too deeply involved. It has long exceeded a simple dispute over the entry slot for the Hundred Dynasties War."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Crown Prince Xia Hong—

"It likely involves the power struggles within the royal family, and even concerns the safety and survival of the Sect."

He nodded slightly, as a final courtesy—

"The Heavenly Dao Hall needs to return and reconsider with the Sect elders. Farewell."

Having said that, he turned around.

Leading the Disciples of the Heavenly Dao Hall, he departed with steady steps. There was no dragging of feet, no hesitation. His back revealed resolution, alienation, and an unshakable firmness.

"Hey! You... what are you doing?"

Wang Li was first stunned.

He subconsciously opened his mouth wide, wide enough to stuff an egg in. Immediately, a look of struggle flashed across his face, a struggle like fire cooking oil, churning in his heart.

His eyes switched back and forth between Crown Prince Xia Hong and the two departing figures.

He looked at the resolute backs of Ming Yuefeng and Zhang Xuan, which were getting further and smaller.

Then he looked at Crown Prince Xia Hong on the dragon throne, whose face was livid, almost dripping water, his expression so terrifyingly gloomy that it made one's heart palpitate.

He stomped his foot violently!

With a "boom," raging flames instantly rose around him! The flames leaped half a foot high, scorching and oppressive, yet were forcibly suppressed by him! Only a faint smell of burning remained in the air, a smell of scorching like his current mood—irritated, uneasy, chaotic.

"Damn it! What the hell is going on!"

He cursed, his tone full of irritation and confusion, the irritation almost bursting through his chest—

"Your Highness, this matter... I also have to go back and ask the old man's opinion! I can't just agree to this so confusedly!"

He had a straightforward personality and always revered strength, but he was by no means a brainless brute!

Ming Yuefeng's rage—Zhang Xuan's calm alienation—though their reactions were diametrically opposed, they were equally resolute and unquestionable. This must mean they had instantly smelled some extremely dangerous Aura, detecting a huge trap that even he had not yet fully seen through!

The Lihuo Sect must absolutely not stay behind alone at this time!

They must absolutely not wade into these muddy waters!

He shook his head, suppressing the chaos in his heart, and with a belly full of irritation and confusion, he led the Lihuo Sect Disciples and hurriedly chased after them!

Their footsteps were hurried, their figures rushed.

In just a few short breaths—the Crown Prince's Mansion hall, which had been crowded, noisy, and filled with a heated atmosphere, became empty.

Only Crown Prince Xia Hong remained, sitting alone high on the throne.

His figure appeared exceptionally lonely in the empty hall. Like an abandoned lone goose, like a forgotten isolated island.

And—the old eunuch standing in the corner shadows, whose Aura had almost merged with the darkness.

He was like a silent ghost, quietly watching everything. In those half-closed eyes, no emotion could be seen, no ripples could be seen. Only endless silence, endless waiting.

The gentleness and composure on Crown Prince Xia Hong's face had long since disappeared without a trace.

In its place was a cold gloom. That gloom seemed capable of dripping ice. That gloom seemed capable of freezing everything.

The back of his hand resting on the jade armrest—the veins bulged one by one, throbbing! That throbbing was like his wildly beating heart, like the raging anger surging within him at this moment!

His fingertips turned slightly white from excessive force, his knuckles turning blue-purple! He almost wanted to crush the warm, smooth jade armrest!

The candles in the hall remained bright.

The flickering flames illuminated his unpredictable face. Light and shadow flickered on his face, dimming and brightening, just like his surging heart at this moment.

In his eyes, there was an uncontrollable rage surging!

This rage was like a volcano about to erupt, scorching and violent! Mixed within was a fleeting calculation and unwillingness; the calculation was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, the unwillingness like a maggot on a bone!

He had meticulously arranged all of this—throwing out generous promises enough to tempt The Three Sects! Showing the greatest sincerity in integrating their power! Even going so far as to obscurely reveal the internal strife of the royal family, placing himself in a weak position of "needing allies"!

Step by step, he guided The Three Sects into the game, letting them willingly become his chess pieces!

It looked like—he was about to initially integrate the power of The Three Sects! He was about to pave the way and secure victory for competing for the Hundred Dynasties War entry slot and opposing the Eldest Princess!

Yet he never expected—at the most critical moment!

Just because of the three words "Xuantian Sect"!

Just because of the sentence "They chose the Eldest Princess"!

It actually caused Ming Yuefeng to react so violently!

He had actually flipped the table directly!

Making all his schemes—all his layouts—all his calculations—fall short of success!

All turn into bubbles!

He stared fixedly at the empty palace doorway, staring at the direction in which the Prodigies of The Three Sects had departed. The anger in his eyes surged, almost ready to burst forth!

For a long time—for a long time—there was only the sound of flickering candles in the hall.

And his suppressed, heavy breathing.