34: Lin Jin, the seventh prince of the Jinghong Empire

Reception Hall.

Upon seeing the person standing inside, Su Qingtian immediately said with pleasant surprise, "Brother Lin Jin, why are you here!"

A man stood in the reception hall. He had a kindly face, looked mature and steady, and carried a faint aura of someone in a position of power.

Lin Jin smiled and said, "Brother Su, it has been a long time."

Su Qingtian immediately laughed and said, "Brother Lin, it has been a long time since we last met. You must not leave in a hurry this time; we absolutely must share a drink and have a long, good talk."

Lin Jin was someone he had known back during his time in the Qingfeng Gang; even the Su Family's massive migration to Bright Moon City had been made possible with Lin Jin's help behind the scenes.

Upon hearing this, the smile on Lin Jin's face instantly faded, and he gave a bitter smile. "Brother Su, do you really think I have the heart to drink right now?"

Su Qingtian was suddenly stunned; he had momentarily forgotten Lin Jin's identity.

The Seventh Prince of the Jinghong Empire!

Su Qingtian also understood the intention behind Lin Jin's visit, and his expression turned heavy. "Is it impossible to withdraw from the struggle for the crown?"

Lin Jin said in a calm tone, "Withdraw? How can I withdraw? No matter who wins, everyone will eventually be purged. If I become the crown prince, I would not let the other princes off either."

The Jinghong Empire is suppressed by an Old Ancestor at the Body Integration Stage; it does not matter who holds the throne, as long as you are a member of the royal Family.

Even if you become the King Jinghong, others can still drag you down.

In this world, strength is king; there is no such thing as public sentiment. As long as you have the ability to kill the King Jinghong, you are the king of this Empire.

Therefore, the first thing anyone who ascends the throne does is to eliminate potential future threats by executing all the other princes.

Su Qingtian was momentarily speechless. He had heard of such struggles for the crown before; they were incredibly bloody and cruel.

There is one benefit to this, which is that whoever becomes the monarch is entirely genuine—their talent and methods are almost certainly top-tier.

A person like that controlling the Empire can ensure the Empire survives better.

But the disadvantage is the complete lack of familial affection; even close brothers will stab you in the back.

The atmosphere in the hall began to grow oppressive, and both men remained silent.

Eventually, Lin Jin sighed helplessly.

"Among the nine princes, my faction is the weakest. The other royal brothers each have at least three Void Refining Stage powerhouses assisting them, while I only have two."

"Judging by the movements of the other princes, it seems they all intend to deal with me—the weakest one—first."

Hearing this, Su Qingtian's eyes were full of conflict. Lin Jin was a very good friend of his, and back when he helped the Su Family migrate, he had exhausted quite a lot of his resources and connections.

If not for Lin Jin, it certainly would not have been so simple for them to reach Bright Moon City.

Therefore, the Su Family owed Lin Jin a significant favor.

However, as this concerned the life and death of the Su Family, he could not help but feel anxious.

Lin Jin's strength among the princes was on the lower end, which meant he would likely fail; if the Su Family followed him, they would naturally be unable to escape a disastrous fate.

Although he was the head of the Su Family, the Su Family belonged to everyone, not just him alone.

Lin Jin had spoken so plainly that his intent was clear: he hoped for Su Qingtian to side with him.

Suddenly, Su Qingtian asked, "Brother Lin, back before you came to Bright Moon City, you mentioned that your child was about to be born. Well, was it a boy or a girl?"

Lin Jin smiled and said, "It has been so long since then. It was a girl, and she is already eighteen. If there is an opportunity, I will bring her to meet you."

As he spoke, a trace of bitterness appeared at the corner of his mouth; if he failed in the struggle for the crown, his Family would undoubtedly be wiped out.

I am afraid... that there will be no such opportunity.

Lin Jin also saw Su Qingtian's dilemma, so he stood up and said, "Since that is the case, Brother Su, I will not disturb you any further. There are still many matters within the Jinghong Empire waiting for me to handle."

He was well aware that asking Su Qingtian to take his side was a very risky proposition.

Therefore, Lin Jin had only come to the Su Family today to test the waters; he did not want to use the favor the Su Family owed him as leverage.

After all, even with the Su Family's assistance, his odds of winning this struggle for the crown were not particularly high, and there was no need to drag the Su Family to their deaths with him.

Seeing that Lin Jin was about to leave, Su Qingtian quickly said,

"Brother Lin, wait a moment."

"My Su Family is not a group that forgets righteousness for profit. Among the nine princes, the other eight have already sent people to our door; I fear it will not be so easy for the Su Family to simply hide."

"However, this matter is of great importance, so I must consult with my clansmen before making a decision."

Lin Jin was immediately overjoyed. "Thank you, Brother Su."

Su Qingtian nodded and then began to summon all the high-level members of the Su Family: the five Grand Elders of the direct line, as well as the thirteen leading deacons of the Collateral Branch.

Of course, Su Chen was naturally included.

In the council hall, Su Qingtian recounted the entire process exactly as it happened.

After listening, Su Qingyun said without hesitation, "The Seventh Prince helped us back then. If we go to assist another prince now, wouldn't that be equivalent to becoming the Seventh Prince's opponent?"

Once these words were spoken, the hall fell into silence.

Choosing a side among the many princes might seem like a multiple-choice question, but in reality, there was only one option: the Seventh Prince.

Either choose the Seventh Prince, or choose no one at all.

The Su Family had always valued loyalty and righteousness; if they chose another prince, it would be equivalent to sending the Seventh Prince to his death. Such an act would run counter to the Su Family's principles.

Su He frowned. "I have also investigated the situation in the Jinghong Empire. The Seventh Prince's strength is low, and he only has two Void Refining Stage Cultivators assisting him, whereas the First Prince has nine, three of whom are at the Void Refining Stage Perfection."

"The gap in strength... is a bit too large."

Once these words were spoken, those who had originally wanted to help the Seventh Prince were immediately silenced.

With such a large gap in strength, what could they possibly use to fight?

The hall was filled with discussion, but no one gave a clear indication of whether to side with the Seventh Prince or choose not to take a side.

Some people felt that simply running away was the best option, and not siding with anyone.

If they fled now, by the time the struggle for the crown ended, it would not be so easy for anyone to find them, even if they wanted to take revenge on the Su Family.

After an hour of debate, there was still no satisfactory conclusion.

Finally, Su Qingtian looked toward Su Chen.

"Chener, do you have any ideas?"

Everyone in the Family immediately looked toward Su Chen, their eyes filled with expectation; whenever the Family had encountered problems in the past, Su Chen had always helped them solve them.

Would it be the same this time?

Su Chen said calmly, "There is nothing to be conflicted about. Since our Su Family owes Lin Jin a significant favor, we can choose to help."

"If Father chooses not to help anyone, no one will dare to purge us afterward."

His words were full of confidence; upon hearing them, the emotions of those in the hall stabilized a little.

In Su Chen's view, if the Jinghong Empire truly dared to purge them, then he would not mind replacing the king of that Empire, or even directly destroying the Jinghong Empire.

To a royal-level force that only possessed a Body Integration Stage Cultivator, they were no different from ants in his eyes.

Hearing Su Chen's words, Su Qingtian reached a decision.

Help Lin Jin!

The favor owed to him had to be repaid.

Moreover, Su Qingtian could not just stand by and watch Lin Jin die.

Apart from the few Grand Elders of the direct line, the deacons of the Collateral Branch did not know Su Chen very well, but they all knew that all the recent changes in the Su Family were due to him.

Therefore, they trusted Su Chen completely.

Su Chen spoke again, "Since that's the case, I will go to the Jinghong Empire alone; it just so happens that I was planning to go there and look around anyway."