Chapter 3: The Third Prince: First Exterminate the Sect Strongholds, Then Destroy the Defiant Aristocratic Clans!

“What?!”

A terrifying aura leaked out, and even the surrounding space seemed to begin twisting.

“Did that old bastard Li Hongru trick Xiao Tian?!”

The entire Hall of Heart Cultivation blazed with light. Dense masses of runes lit up all around it, flashing without end as they firmly locked that aura in place.

The Xia Emperor instantly withdrew his presence and muttered to himself,

“No one can fool Xiao Tian. This must have been his own choice. In that case, perhaps it is for the best. Now that he has entered the Confucian Dao, he will be safer instead.”

The storms stirred by the rise and fall of his aura whipped the old eunuch’s hair into a frenzy.

Yet the old eunuch’s expression remained perfectly calm. He did not even furrow his brow as he continued,

“And not only that, Li Hongru also brought out the Mountain-Suppressing Diagram and invited five Great Confucians to guide him into the Dao…”

As the old eunuch spoke, the Xia Emperor’s voice rang out again and again.

“Five Great Confucians guiding him into the Dao… It seems the Confucian Dao truly did its utmost…”

“One step into the Third Rank?! Kekeke… As expected of my son…”

“Now that Great Xia has gained a prince of the Confucian Dao, those old fogies from the Confucian faction should finally be at ease…”

By the end, the Xia Emperor’s tone had turned cold and sinister.

“In the end, it was all caused by those filthy dogs! The death of his mother, my son’s injuries, your body, Old Li…”

“When I emerge from seclusion, I will make those filthy dogs repay blood with blood! I will make them repay it ten thousandfold!”

“But the body of a Confucian cultivator is still too weak. Old Li, go lend Xiao Tian a hand…”

……

Prince of Qin Manor.

The moment Xu Tian returned to the entrance, he saw a tall figure standing there.

He wore a Flying Fish Robe, one hand resting on an Embroidered Spring Blade. His gaze was cold, and his whole body radiated an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

Among the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the only one who would dare stand here waiting for him was his third younger brother.

Xu Yong, the Third Prince of Great Xia and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The moment he saw Xu Tian return, Xu Yong strode forward.

“Big Brother, I heard that you… Confucian Dao aura… so it was actually true.”

His expression instantly darkened. A flash of killing intent passed through him as his right hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his blade.

“That old man Li Hongru, is it? I’ll go chop him down right now!”

“No rush. Let’s talk inside.”

Xu Tian grabbed the murderous Xu Yong and dragged him into the manor.

They entered the residence and took their seats.

“So it is true that you stepped into the Third Rank in a single stride?”

Xu Yong looked at Xu Tian, whose face remained calm and untroubled, and his expression changed several times.

“Then Li Hongru can live a few more days. But…”

“There is definitely something wrong with today’s imperial decree.”

“How rare is the Heavenly Heart Lotus? There is no way the path of arcane arts could have obtained it on its own! There must be other forces involved behind the scenes.”

He commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Over the years, the souls who had died at his hands were no fewer than those slain by the Second Prince on the frontier.

His eye for such matters was naturally razor-sharp.

“For example, the sect strongholds hidden in the capital, and the rising Arcane Dao aristocratic clans attached to Chu Lan…”

His eyes narrowed slightly, and murderous intent filled his voice.

“Rather than wasting time investigating everything clearly, it would be better to kill them all and end the matter once and for all.”

“First wipe out the sect strongholds, then execute those Arcane Dao clans, and finally suppress the sects…”

His voice paused. Then he abruptly lifted his head and carefully repeated, “Big Brother, I’m saying these filthy dogs should all be exterminated, to cleanse Great Xia and restore it to its proper order…”

When he saw that Xu Tian still showed no reaction, his eyes brightened. He leaned in even closer.

“Big Brother, if you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as your approval…”

“Before this, you were always saying the time had not yet come…”

Only then did Xu Tian lift his eyes. Looking at his third brother, who was staring at him unblinkingly, he said in an offhand tone, “I’m no longer the Crown Prince. The authority of the Regency has also been taken back.”

“As I am now, I’m merely an idle prince. Whatever you, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wish to do, how could I possibly control it?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the Third Prince, Xu Yong, was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.

Big Brother was giving silent permission!

As for authority of the Regency and the title of Crown Prince…

Those were just words to hear and forget!

In Great Xia, the position of Crown Prince meant absolutely nothing compared to the two words “Prince of Qin.”

That was a title carved out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

If Father Emperor had not been in seclusion, seeing no one except Li Lianying, he would have gone straight into the palace to demand an explanation: how did he, a mere Xia Emperor, dare strip his big brother of the title of Crown Prince?

Had he decided that just because Mother was gone, he could bully the rest of his brothers?

Bang!

He slammed a palm onto the table and shot to his feet. The token at his waist clattered noisily as he threw back his head and burst into laughter.

“Kekeke… Big Brother, don’t worry. Not a single one of them will escape…”

Faced with the excitement of his third younger brother Xu Yong, Xu Tian’s expression remained calm, as though he had long since grown used to it.

Still, he gave him a warning.

“You act decisively, but you are still a bit too impatient. It makes it easy for others to scheme against you…”

He rose and walked over to a desk nearby.

He ground the ink and lifted the brush…

With a thought, the Vast Righteous Qi inside his body surged forth. Flowing along the brush in his hand, it condensed into a single word upon the paper:

“Suppress!”

He picked up the calligraphy sheet and handed it to his curious third brother.

“With this calligraphy, combined with your strength, you’ll be able to deal with most problems.”

“Don’t be stingy with it. If you use it up, come back and get another.”

Warmth welled up in Xu Yong’s heart. He subconsciously took the paper, only to feel his hand sink at once.

He had no choice but to circulate his martial true qi, the muscles in his arm tensing, before he could barely lift it.

When he looked closely, the “Suppress” character, suffused with flowing golden light, gradually dimmed, and the paper returned to its light, fluttering feel.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an utterly ordinary sheet of xuan paper.

But in Xu Yong’s heart, stormy waves were already crashing sky-high!

He was a third-rank martial grandmaster, yet he had still needed to unleash his strength just to lift it.

That meant the power contained in this calligraphy was far beyond that of an ordinary third-rank cultivator.

A Confucian Dao secret art!

A supreme technique capable of sealing Confucian arts within written characters!

According to rumor, it was a secret method only top Great Confucians could master. It consumed an immense amount of Confucian Dao true intent, and so the number that could be written each day was extremely limited.

Moreover, after each writing, one would need several months to recover that true intent.

Now it seemed that stepping into the Third Rank in a single stride was still not the limit of his big brother’s talent.

His breathing abruptly quickened. He tucked the paper into his robe and could hardly wait to test its power.

“Kekeke… I’ll go let Second Brother try out the might of this calligraphy first…”

Watching Xu Yong’s figure leave as swiftly as the wind, Xu Tian returned to the desk and lifted the brush once more.

Back then, in order to develop the nation’s strength, they had indeed allowed some rats to slip in.

Now, it was time to clean house.

More importantly, he could use this opportunity to raise his reputation within the Confucian Dao and steadily increase his own strength.

So one sheet of calligraphy alone was far from enough.

The Second Prince on the distant frontier would need many more.

He stilled his breath and focused his mind, then suddenly brought down the brush.

One “Suppress” character after another appeared upon the paper. Golden light flowed across them, then faded back into normalcy.

As his Confucian Dao true intent was consumed, the Vast Righteous Qi within his body also began increasing madly.

【Consuming Confucian Dao true intent while using a Confucian Dao secret art…】

【Vast Righteous Qi increasing…】

……

Kunning Palace.

The Empress looked at her younger brother Chu Hao, and a trace of helplessness flashed through her eyes.

That was because she truly did not know how to answer his question.

“Elder Sister, where is my Heaven and Earth Mountain and River Cauldron?”

That was right.

Where was the Heaven and Earth Mountain and River Cauldron?

Naturally, Xu Tian had snatched it away.

But she could hardly say that aloud, so she could only remain silent.

Seeing the Empress’s silence, panic flashed through State Uncle Chu Hao’s eyes as he asked again, “Elder Sister, where is my Heaven and Earth Mountain and River Cauldron? That was the life-preserving treasure I was relying on to enter the Third Rank!”

The Empress remained silent.

Only when Chu Hao’s face changed drastically, and he recalled the words of the “old grandpa” inside the ring, did his voice turn shrill and desperate.

“You said you were only borrowing it to hold the Heavenly Heart Lotus. You said you would return it to me!”

“That was something I finally managed to find. That was my fortuitous opportunity! I traded my fortune for it! That was my—”

“That’s enough! Stop this nonsense…”

The Empress frowned. Looking at her younger brother, who was beginning to lose control, she said casually, “Isn’t it just a base that can nourish treasures? If that one is gone, I’ll just find you a few similar ones, won’t I?”

“Our Chu Family is vast and wealthy, with treasures beyond count. Could we possibly be lacking this one little item of yours?”

Hearing those words, Chu Hao was struck as if by lightning. He murmured blankly, “No, no, no… You don’t understand…”

“That Heaven and Earth Mountain and River Cauldron… it was sealed in dust…”