Chapter 456 - 379: Is That Position Really That Important?
Chapter 456: Chapter 379: Is That Position Really That Important?
’Even when my Realm eventually surpassed his, it was only because Eldest Brother was too busy with politics to focus on cultivation.’
’As always, I lost this round in the struggle for the throne.’
’It seemed I was doomed to lose for the rest of my life.’
Until one day, a scholar from the Jin Kingdom arrived at his residence.
"Second Prince, are you truly content to just hand that position over to someone else?"
"If the Second Prince is willing, my Jin Kingdom can help you take that position!"
The scholar said to Qin Jingyuan.
In the end, Qin Jingyuan accepted the agreement with the Jin Kingdom.
Because he wanted to win.
...
"You’re saying the Jin Kingdom approached you? They want to use a marriage alliance as a pretext to make Us lower Our guard, strike a deal to put you in charge of the two border provinces, and offer half of the Yue Kingdom’s territory as a dowry for their Eldest Princess?"
In the Imperial Study, the Sovereign of Qin’s brow furrowed as he listened to his son. He clearly hadn’t expected the Jin Kingdom to dare pull such a stunt.
"Yes." Qin Jingyuan nodded.
"The audacity!" The Sovereign of Qin slammed his palm on the table and roared, "That wretch Ji Guang dares to plot against my own son!"
"Father, this is actually an excellent opportunity," Qin Jingyuan said, offering his own perspective.
"Oh? How so?" The Sovereign of Qin looked at his second son.
"If Your Majesty trusts me, I have a plan that can inflict a devastating blow upon the Jin Kingdom—we could even swallow their lands in one fell swoop! It would secure the Qin Kingdom’s path to hegemony!"
Qin Jingyuan looked directly into his father’s eyes.
"However, I ask that you not tell Mother, the Empress, or my third sister about this. As for Eldest Brother, please inform him only when I am about to make my move."
The Sovereign of Qin regarded his son intently. "First, tell me your plan..."
"I previously saved a Medical Cultivator. This is the formula he gave me; it can neutralize the poison of the Black Beast Forest near Huaisan City. My plan is this..."
...
Inside the Four Symbols Illusory Diagram, Qin Jingyuan slowly opened his eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, his eyes holding not a trace of the fear and anxiety of a man facing death.
Calm and unhurried, Qin Jingyuan took a golden sheet of Talisman Paper from within his robes.
This Talisman Paper was a secret treasure of the Qin Kingdom’s Royal Family, and it could only be activated with the Essence Blood of a royal kinsman.
As for the price, depending on the degree of its activation, the cost could be as light as a shortened lifespan, or as heavy as immediate death.
Every member of the Qin royal clan carried one when they traveled. It was both a trump card and a method of ’martial liberation’—a way to face death without disgracing the Royal Family.
Qin Jingyuan drew a steady stream of Essence Blood from the spot between his eyebrows, using it to trace the runes upon the golden Talisman Paper.
The number of runes he traced would determine the degree of the talisman’s activation.
As the final drop of Essence Blood traced the last stroke of the final rune, the golden Talisman Paper burst entirely into flame.
...
In the Black Beast Forest, Yan Liuyun, who was on the verge of breaking through the encirclement, suddenly felt an intense heat from within his robes.
"Oh no!"
Yan Liuyun realized something was wrong with the Scroll of the Four Symbols Illusory Diagram. He quickly pulled it out and, without a second thought, hurled it into the distance.
But the instant the Four Symbols Illusory Diagram left his hand, it disintegrated into ash.
"ROAR!"
A massive fire dragon burst from the Four Symbols Illusory Diagram and lunged at Yan Liuyun.
Yan Liuyun didn’t even have time to scream before he and the warhorse beneath him were incinerated into ash.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, look!"
The City Lord of Huaisan City pointed toward the sky.
The Eldest Prince lifted his head to see a colossal dragon, three hundred zhang long and made entirely of flame, soaring through the air.
Qin Jingsu gripped his reins tightly, his face drained of all color.
"ROAR!"
The great dragon shot toward the heavens before plummeting back to earth, landing right in the path of the Jin Kingdom’s massive army!