43: It's good to be a fool

The Yingfeng Tower (Tower Facing the Wind), usually bustling with activity, was closed for business today.

The Third Prince ascended the stairs with unhurried steps, while Liu Yuan beside him appeared somewhat anxious.

The appointed time was fast approaching, but he couldn't rush him too much.

The Third Prince's actions had his own considerations.

As a prince of a nation, he deeply understood that his every word and action represented the image and dignity of the imperial family.

No matter how anxious he felt internally, he had to remain calm and composed, never allowing anyone to detect the slightest hint of unease.

Finally, the two arrived at the door of the private room.

Chen Yuan walked forward without hesitation and gently pushed open the tightly shut door.

Inside, the group of people who had been standing were now, like Luan Yuqing, kneeling on both knees.

Their faces were filled with despair and fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Feeling someone push the door open, they all turned their heads in unison.

The moment their gazes met, upon seeing that the newcomer was indeed the Third Prince, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts.

“Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Third Prince!” everyone shouted in unison.

The Third Prince walked steadily through the doorway; he merely cast a quick glance at the kneeling individuals before turning his gaze towards Lin Mu.

However, that fleeting glance caused him to freeze on the spot.

“How could it be him?” the Third Prince thought to himself, his face filled with astonishment.

The Third Prince had lost his previous composure, and a look of panic inadvertently flashed in his eyes.

He had seen Lin Mu's appearance in a portrait before.

Although there were slight differences from the portrait, his subconscious immediately recognized that the person before him was Lin Mu.

After some effort, the Third Prince finally calmed his emotions.

And he asked, feigning composure, “You sought me, for what purpose?”

From the moment the Third Prince stepped into the room, Lin Mu had been silently observing him.

Although the Third Prince concealed it very well, Lin Mu still detected his inner guilt and unease.

Lin Mu spoke calmly, “You are late.”

The Third Prince stood with his hands behind his back, looking directly at Lin Mu, and replied, “I think the timing is just right.”

“It seems you haven't understood one thing.”

“I don't need what you think; what I think is enough,” Lin Mu said in a teasing tone.

“Oh? You think I'm late, so what then?”

Hearing this, Lin Mu shifted his gaze to the uneasy Liu Yuan.

“I believe I said earlier that if the Third Prince didn't appear before me within an hour, they would all die.”

Lin Mu's action was not to question Liu Yuan, but to exert pressure on the Third Prince.

As expected, when the Third Prince heard Lin Mu say this, his heart immediately panicked.

Although he believed that within the Imperial Capital, Lin Mu couldn't do anything to him.

However, he wasn't entirely confident that he could protect Luan Yuqing and the others.

Liu Yuan, hearing Lin Mu ask him, glanced at the Third Prince.

He replied in fear and unease, “This…”

Liu Yuan naturally dared not say that.

Lin Mu didn't wait for him to finish speaking.

He suddenly picked up a chopstick from the wine table and casually waved it.

A sharp sword qi instantly flew towards the kneeling individuals.

Wherever the sword qi passed, one person fell.

In just a few breaths, all the kneeling people had lost their breath.

Luan Yuqing's eyes were wide open, unable to believe until his death that this person dared to kill him in front of the Third Prince.

The Third Prince hadn't expected Lin Mu to strike without warning.

Looking at Luan Yuqing, who lay on the ground with wide-open eyes, unwilling to die.

The Third Prince could no longer suppress the rage in his heart: “You're courting death.”

With Wang Changhe's death, he not only lost a backer but also failed to complete his Imperial Father's mission.

Now Luan Yuqing had died right before him.

He could foresee his path to becoming emperor being cut off then and there.

“Now I can only go all out; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope.”

Thinking of this, the Third Prince took out a jade pendant covered in blood-red spots and forcefully squeezed out a mouthful of vital blood, spraying it onto it.

The blood-red spots on the jade pendant quickly spread over its entire body, turning it into a blood-red jade pendant.

Then, the Third Prince used his spiritual power to activate the jade pendant, and the blood-red jade pendant suddenly glowed with brilliant golden light.

The golden light, the moment it emerged, transformed into a five-clawed golden dragon, circling around the Third Prince.

Only at this moment did the Third Prince seem to possess an aura of looking down upon the world.

Although he only had the strength of the Flying Heaven Realm, with the Heavenly Dao Dragon Qi protecting him, even a Venerable Realm Expert was like an ant in his eyes at this moment.

“Hahaha, this feeling is truly wonderful,”

The Third Prince clenched his hands, feeling this power.

“I know you, Lin Mu. Wang Changhe must have died by your hand, right?

You are indeed formidable; even a dignified Sword God fell by your hand, but you shouldn't have come to this Imperial Capital.”

The dragon qi on the Third Prince gave Lin Mu a familiar feeling—it was the aura of the Power of the Heavenly Dao.

Looking at the golden dragon flying up and down, Lin Mu said to the Third Prince with an unfriendly tone:

“You seem quite confident in your current self?”

“Why do you think my Li family can still secure the Yanshan Kingdom's territory without a Great Emperor presiding over it? It's precisely because of its existence!”

Under his control, the golden dragon swam to his hand.

“You don't need to ask any more questions; it's quite good to be a confused ghost.”

After the Third Prince finished speaking, the golden dragon in his hand shot towards Lin Mu's face like an arrow leaving a bowstring.

Watching the golden dragon fly towards Lin Mu, the Third Prince's face also showed a pained expression.

He could only use this jade pendant once in his life; he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

This was his Li family's unique protective dragon qi, usually imbued in the jade pendant.

As long as it was within the Imperial Capital, it could be activated with vital blood to summon the Heavenly Dao Dragon Qi to kill enemies.

The power of this Heavenly Dao Dragon Qi was astonishing; even a Flying Heaven Realm could slay a Supreme Realm expert.

No sooner said than done.

The golden dragon flew in front of Lin Mu, unimpeded, and plunged into Lin Mu's forehead, heading towards his Sea of Consciousness.

It was clearly intending to destroy Lin Mu's Sea of Consciousness.

A Venerable Realm Expert would not die immediately even if their physical body was destroyed.

To kill them, one must destroy their Sea of Consciousness, preventing their soul from escaping, only then can they be completely slain.

Lin Mu tried to mobilize his spiritual power, but he couldn't stop the golden dragon in the slightest.

No wonder the Third Prince was so certain he could kill Lin Mu.

In the blink of an eye, the golden dragon rapidly approached the Sea of Consciousness and plunged into it.

Just as it was about to destroy Lin Mu's Sea of Consciousness.

Suddenly!

A sword qi, like lightning, shattered it into pieces.

Its body fragments transformed into streams of the Power of the Heavenly Dao, merging into Lin Mu's Sea of Consciousness.

As the golden dragon was shattered by the sword qi emitted by the heavenly dao sword.

The dragon qi around the Third Prince instantly vanished, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his expression withered.

He looked at the unharmed Lin Mu with horror in his eyes.

He couldn't help but shriek, “Impossible! Why aren't you dead?”

Lin Mu could clearly feel several additional strands of the Power of the Heavenly Dao in his Sea of Consciousness.

His face was full of mockery.

“The same words go to you: it's quite good to be a confused ghost.”