72: Chapter 72 Blood Moon Tower

"Starry Sky Sect... Ming Yuefeng..."

Crown Prince Xia Hong's voice squeezed out from between his teeth, every word seemingly wrapped in biting ice, carrying a chill that could freeze the air.

The chill spilled from his lips and teeth, spreading through the hall, making even the temperature of the candle flames seem to drop a few degrees—

"Good, very good..."

The moment the final sound faded—

The air in the hall seemed to have condensed into something tangible due to this suppressed, extreme rage!

It was thick, stifling, pressing down on people until they couldn't breathe.

Even the flickering of the candle flames slowed by half a beat.

The flames swayed cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing the figure on the Dragon throne who was exuding coldness.

He had once—

Carefully woven a flawless game of chess!

Casting out the heavy bait of the "only spot for the Hundred Dynasties War"!

This bait was both pressure and incitement.

Just like throwing a piece of bloody fresh meat into a pack of wolves, waiting for them to kill each other, waiting for them to fight to the death.

He had intended to watch—

The Prodigies of The Three Sects, for this extremely scarce opportunity, stir up a struggle within the hall!

Fighting over it, scheming against each other!

Naturally, deciding on a leader!

In this way—

He could easily control the entire situation with the stance of an "arbitrator"!

Not only saving the trouble of winning them over one by one, but also using the competition to ignite their fighting spirit!

Letting this group of arrogant, high-minded Prodigies willingly become the sharp blades in his hands!

Becoming the pawns for his power struggle!

But he had miscalculated in the end.

Terribly so.

He had underestimated—

The pride and vigilance engraved in the bones of these Prodigies standing at the Peak of the Sect!

This pride was innate, a sharpness tempered through countless life-and-death trials!

This vigilance was an instinct honed by fighting their way out from among their peers!

How could they easily step into a trap set by others?

How could they be willing to become chess pieces in someone else's hands?

He had even more severely underestimated—

Ming Yuefeng's decisiveness!

This determination to "flip the table at the slightest disagreement" was like a sword suddenly drawn from its sheath! So fast that people couldn't react, so ruthless that it caught people off guard!

It directly shattered all his calculations, causing the game of chess he had carefully constructed to collapse instantly!

One spot?

Crown Prince Xia Hong let out a cold sneer in his heart.

This sneer was self-mockery, and also hatred towards The Three Sects.

That group of people, they must have seen through his intentions long ago!

This meant—

Among The Three Sects, two were destined to be excluded from the core interests!

Two were destined to return empty-handed, their efforts wasted!

Perhaps even becoming stepping stones for his struggle for power!

Becoming cannon fodder to charge into battle, discarded at any moment!

Using blood and lives to pave his road to the Peak of power!

What kind of cooperation was this?

It was clearly him wanting to get something for nothing!

Using the strength of The Three Sects to fight for himself, yet in the end, only painting them a vague, ethereal pie! Visible, but untouchable!

Smelled, but couldn't be eaten!

"Good, very good!"

Crown Prince Xia Hong's voice suddenly rose!

This voice carried a gnashing, ruthless intensity, every word seemingly ground out from between his teeth, ground until bloody and mangled, ground until it made one's heart tremble—

"Starry Sky Sect, Lihuo Sect, Heavenly Dao Hall—"

He said each word distinctly, every word like a knife—

"I will remember what happened today!"

Before the words faded—

He slammed his fist tight!

This fist, carrying the rage of thunder and monstrous hatred, smashed fiercely onto the desk in front of him!

"Bang!"

A loud noise shook the great hall!

Shaking the beams so they trembled slightly, shaking the candle flames so they swayed violently, shaking people's hearts and souls!

The expensive pear wood desk shattered instantly!

Cups and jade wares shattered all over the floor! Fragments splashed, gleaming with a cold light under the candlelight!

Sharp wood chips flew everywhere! Like the plan he had just crushed into powder, like the schemes that were now falling apart!

After the fury swept through like a gale—

Crown Prince Xia Hong's gaze gradually settled.

The anger, the hatred, the madness, all receded like a tide. All emotions faded, all warmth faded.

Only left was—

A bottomless coldness.

Like a frozen deep pool, showing not a ripple. That coldness was hidden deep in his eyes, hidden in the most secretive corner, yet it held a fatal chill, holding a killing intent capable of swallowing everything.

He leaned back on the Dragon throne.

His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the patterns on the armrest, the movement mechanical and numb.

In his mind, however, it was spinning rapidly, like a precision mechanism turning crazily, pondering ways to break the deadlock, pondering strategies to turn the tables.

"If you won't do it..."

He whispered to himself.

The voice was very low, very low, so low it was almost inaudible. The tone carried unwillingness, and even more, a trace of almost crazy paranoia, that paranoia burning like poison fire in his heart—

"There are plenty of others who will."

He was very clear—

The collective exit of The Three Sects had left him in an extremely passive position at the critical moment approaching the Hundred Dynasties War!

Without the support of the Sect's strength, he had almost no chance of winning in the contest against Princess Xia Zhiqing! It was like losing an arm, like losing his eyes!

But he would absolutely never give up!

Absolutely never!

As the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty—

The rise and fall of the Dynasty rested on his shoulders! That burden was as heavy as a thousand jun, pressing down until he couldn't breathe!

The Hundred Dynasties War—

Not only concerned his personal power struggle, not only concerned his win or loss against Princess Xia Zhiqing!

It concerned the face and future of the entire Dynasty!

No matter what the cost—

No matter how many lives were sacrificed—

No matter how much blood stained his hands—

He must replan!

He must find a way to break the deadlock!

"Come here!"

Crown Prince Xia Hong sat up straight abruptly!

With the order, the voice pierced through the deathly silence of the hall, carrying unquestionable majesty! That majesty was engraved in his bones, innate, and even in his current disheveled state, it could not be offended!

A moment later—

A strategist dressed in green brocade robes hurried over.

He was Crown Prince Xia Hong's confidant, known for being steady and capable, having followed the Crown Prince for many years, accustomed to storms and waves, having experienced great winds and rain.

But when he stepped into the great hall—

Seeing the scattered wood and jade wares all over the floor—

Feeling the low pressure that hadn't dissipated in the air, that pressure like an invisible mountain, pressing down until one couldn't breathe—

His footsteps faltered!

His expression instantly became grave!

This gravity was like dark clouds pressing down, like a mountain rain about to fall.

His posture became increasingly respectful, increasingly cautious, even his breathing lightened, fearing to disturb the person on the Dragon throne exuding coldness.

He bowed, his head buried extremely low. So low it almost touched his knees, so low he dared not look up—

"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

The voice carried a slight tremor. That was fear, that was awe, that was apprehension of the unknown.

Crown Prince Xia Hong did not speak immediately.

He just stared viciously at the fragments on the ground.

This gaze was like a beast waiting to devour, lurking in the darkness, waiting for prey.

This gaze was like a bloodthirsty hungry wolf, staring at the flesh in front of it, ready to pounce and tear at any moment.

Fingertips—

Tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the Dragon throne.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The crisp tapping sound echoed constantly in the empty great hall.

This sound, one beat after another, was like knocking on a person's heart. It carried a heart-palpitating sense of oppression, a suffocating sense of heaviness.

After a long while.

He finally spoke slowly.

The voice was as cold as ice in the dead of winter, without a trace of warmth, yet possessed an irrefutable decisiveness—

"Go tell the envoy of Blood Moon Pavilion—"

He paused.

That pause was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, like a flood about to break the dam—

"The conditions they proposed before..."

He spat out clearly, word by word—

"This Crown Prince agrees."

"Your Highness!"

The strategist's body trembled violently!

As if struck by a thunderbolt, he was shaking from head to toe!

He looked up suddenly, his face filled with shock and disbelief!

In his eyes, it was full of panic, full of fear, full of despair!

His voice even went out of tune, becoming sharp and harsh—

"Absolutely not!"

He almost collapsed to the ground, kneeling and crawling forward a few steps—

"That group from Blood Moon Pavilion are poisonous snakes hidden in the shadows! Their nature is ruthless, and they have no credibility at all! Cooperating with them is no different from seeking skin from a tiger; a moment of carelessness will lead to burning oneself!"

He gasped rapidly, his speaking speed getting faster and faster—

"Moreover, the 'blood sacrifice' items they demand require the essence blood of living beings and the soul of a Cultivator as a guide! Such an atrocious act that violates the Heavenly Dao, if known by the imperial court and the public, will definitely cause an uproar!"

"Your Highness's reputation, and even the position of Crown Prince, will be in jeopardy!"

The Blood Moon Pavilion the strategist spoke of—

Was a mysterious and eerie organization in the Jianghu.

They roamed in the darkness all year round, like ghosts in the shadows. They never acted according to common sense, their methods were ruthless and mysterious, and the Cultivation Technique they practiced mostly related to blood evil and soul resentment.

Their bodies were surrounded by an inescapable evil Qi, an aura that made people fearful and change color at the mention of it.

They had long been listed as forbidden by the major Righteous Path Sects!

Everyone wanted to kill them!

Previously—

Blood Moon Pavilion had secretly sent people to contact Crown Prince Xia Hong.

Proposing that they could help him achieve "extraordinary" results in the Hundred Dynasties War, even promising to let him have a sure win and take the top spot.

But the conditions were extremely harsh—

Requiring a large amount of fresh essence blood of living beings!

And the souls of dozens of Cultivators as "sacrifices"!

At that time—

Crown Prince Xia Hong had sternly refused on the grounds of "violating Heavenly Harmony"!

But now—

Driven by both rage and desperation!

Crown Prince Xia Hong was actually going to agree to such crazy conditions!

"Only those who oppose this Crown Prince will know what truly unimaginable consequences are!"

Crown Prince Xia Hong slammed the armrest!

With a loud "bang," the Dragon throne let out an unbearable creaking sound, as if it would fall apart and collapse the next moment!

In his eyes, a light of almost crazy paranoia flickered!

This light was like the ghost fire of Hell, dark and intense! This light was like a crazy beast, bloodthirsty and ferocious!

His voice was somewhat distorted by excitement, carrying an irrepressible malice—

"Starry Sky Sect, Lihuo Sect, Heavenly Dao Hall... who do they think they are?"

"They are nothing but pawns cultivated by the Sect! How dare they defy this Crown Prince!"

He stood up abruptly, his Dragon robe fluttering—

"And Princess Xia Zhiqing! And Xuantian Sect!"

"Do they all think this Crown Prince is weak and easily bullied?"

He took a deep breath.

His chest heaved violently, like waves in a gale. In his tone, it was full of unwillingness, full of hatred, and even more full of ambition expanded to the extreme—

"In extraordinary times, one must do extraordinary things!"

He said each word, every word like iron—

"For the Hundred Dynasties War, this Crown Prince absolutely cannot lose!"

"As long as I can gain enough strength, can take the top spot in the war, can consolidate my position—"

He paused, his gaze becoming increasingly ruthless, increasingly crazy. That ruthlessness was like a drawn sword, that madness was like a burning fire—

"What does a little cost matter?"

He spoke slowly, his voice low and cold, like a whisper from the depths of Hell—

"History has always been written by the victors!"

"As for those so-called 'Heavenly Harmony' and 'Righteousness'—"

A cold smile hooked at the corner of his mouth, a smile that made one's hair stand on end—

"They are nothing but excuses used by the losers to comfort themselves!"

The strategist looked at the ambition and malice that were almost burning in the Crown Prince's eyes—

His heart was ice cold.

Like falling into an ice cellar, from head to toe, from inside to outside, it was a biting chill.

He knew—

At this moment, Crown Prince Xia Hong had been blinded by the lust for power and rage!

Completely lost his reason!

Any dissuasion would only lead to self-immolation! Perhaps even bringing death upon himself!

He swallowed hard.

His Adam's apple rolled, making a slight "gulp" sound.

On his forehead, fine cold sweat seeped out. That cold sweat slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the broken wood on the floor, staining a small wet mark.

His voice carried an uncontrollable tremor—

"But... Your Highness..."

He said with difficulty—

"The first batch of 'sacrifices' required by Blood Moon Pavilion, the quantity is truly too huge!"

"And they clearly require the soul of a Cultivator as the main component..."

He looked up, his eyes full of despair—

"Where is such a quantity of Cultivator souls to come from?"

"If we forcibly abduct them, we will inevitably alert various forces!"

"At that time..."