Upon hearing the old emperor's words, the entire court was immediately thrown into shock before reacting and kneeling down.
"May Your Majesty enjoy good health! Long live the Emperor!"
When faced with the emperor's words, these ministers naturally had to say some polite words, and they spoke almost in unison.
"Enough, my mind is made up. The matter of the competition is settled."
After saying this, the old emperor turned around and left the Hall of State Affairs, heading towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Seeing this, the ministers did not leave, but turned to look at Gu Yifeng, the second prince Gu Ran, and the third prince Gu Cheng, who were standing at the head of the group. The crowd swarmed around the three of them.
Faced with the three princes, the ministers naturally did not immediately take sides. They simply inquired about the authenticity of the princes' competition, since this was the first time in history that the succession to the throne had been decided based on cultivation level.
"Gentlemen, since Father has spoken, it must be true. I hope that you will all give me your support during the competition."
The Second Prince, Gu Ran, spoke first, his aura surging forth, revealing him to be at the early stage of the Opening Mansion Realm. The moment his aura was revealed, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Second brother, you're not the only one who broke through to the Open Mansion Realm, why show off?"
The Third Prince then spoke, letting out a cold laugh. His aura spread out, revealing him to be at the early stage of the Opening Mansion Realm, but compared to Gu Ran, he exuded a more bloodthirsty and murderous aura.
This murderous aura can only be accumulated by those who have been on the battlefield for a long time and have killed countless enemies.
Gu Yifeng remained unmoved by the two men's provocative gazes. He left the council hall without a word and went straight back to the imperial prison. After all, there was still a month left, and besides, he was the crown prince in power.
These attention-grabbing gimmicks are really unnecessary for him.
More than these conflicts, Gu Yifeng now only wants to investigate the Heavenly Prison again.
...
The first floor of the prison.
After Gu Yifeng sat down, he turned to look at Chi Liancheng, who had come with him, and waited for the old general's reply.
“Young Master, in the two days since Prince Cheng returned, this old minister has secretly investigated. In the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison, besides myself, there were two other old monsters imprisoned. As for the five levels below, there are about three old monsters on each level.”
Chi Liancheng slowly recounted the intelligence he had gathered over the past two days.
"Have you retrieved the key passed down from Father Emperor?"
Gu Yifeng continued to ask, "With the key to my previous position as crown prince, I could only stay in the Heavenly Prison for one day, which was not enough time. However, since the old emperor made me regent, he also passed down the key to the Heavenly Prison."
In the prison below, the key has no time limit for staying.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated. He immediately took the key and walked with Chi Liancheng to the bronze door deep inside the third level. After placing the key there, a burst of teleportation light enveloped the two of them.
In the blink of an eye, the two were back in the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison.
Led by Chi Liancheng, the two traveled on the wind for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and arrived at a stone island. This time, however, the person chained up on the stone island was a middle-aged man.
"This man is named Yan Chaofeng. He is the master of Wanyan Valley in the Jianghu of Da Gan. There was a rebellion in Da Gan, which was quelled by the late emperor. Although he regretted his actions, he was unwilling to surrender and could only be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison."
Chi Liancheng immediately introduced Gu Yifeng.
"Old fool, aren't you the one who loves to vehemently criticize the Second Prince and the Empress? Why are you bringing a member of the royal family to act so presumptuously in front of me today?"
Upon seeing Chi Liancheng, Yan Chaofeng seemed somewhat puzzled, and then spoke up with a sarcastic remark, clearly quite dissatisfied with Chi Liancheng's current attitude.
“If it were anyone else, I would naturally not do this. But this is the bloodline of the young lady, who is also my young master, so it is only right to do this.”
Chi Liancheng retorted, then left the venue to Gu Yifeng.
"Spar with me, and I will release you when I ascend the throne."
Gu Yifeng didn't waste any words and directly stated his conditions.
Upon hearing this, Yan Chaofeng was taken aback, clearly not believing his conditions. He simply sneered and did not reply.
Before Gu Yifeng could speak again, the chains around him broke inch by inch. He slowly stood up, and streaks of crimson light danced across his body, making him look quite alarming.
The next moment, Yan Chaofeng rushed towards Gu Yifeng, striking out with a palm that carried intense heat, aiming straight for his face.
In an instant, he was too late to use the Devouring Heaven Record and the Myriad Sects Talisman. In his haste, Gu Yifeng had no choice but to draw his long sword from his waist and slash out. As the sword light flashed, the flow of time around him immediately slowed down.
It was the first strike of the Time Sword Technique. Time is long, and the seemingly close distance of less than a meter was instantly stretched out. With his constant adjustments, the sword light transformed into a tricky angle, and it immediately made contact with the opponent's palm.
The two attacks collided, instantly creating a storm that sent the two flying and created distance between them.
Almost simultaneously, chains materialized again on the stone island, blocking Chao Yan and Chao Feng's path.
Clearly, he had only broken free from the Heavenly Prison's blockade once, but as long as he couldn't leave the fourth level, he would be forever bound by these blockades, endlessly.
"Don't get cocky, kid, this is just the beginning!"
Seeing that his first move had failed, Yan Chaofeng laughed loudly, and then his aura exploded completely. Only then did his realm reveal itself, which was also the late stage of the Opening Mansion Realm!
Yan Chaofeng made a sweeping motion with his hands, then gradually brought them together in front of his chest. Almost the instant his palms came together, a burst of fire spread out from his body, making the world seem to shrink to a single line as it swept towards Gu Yifeng.
"The Talisman, Wan Yuan Chao Zong."
Gu Yifeng had time to prepare for this move. With a thought, he began to draw runes in the air, which were then activated instantly.
Streams of fiery spiritual energy converged on the runes he had drawn, then transformed into a huge fire lotus, causing all the surrounding flames to submit. The lotus bloomed, the flames spread, and collided with Yan Chaofeng's moves once again.
After a stalemate of about half a day, the two auras shattered simultaneously, dissipating into nothingness inch by inch.
“Old Chi, take him down. I’m afraid no one in this level can guide you, young master. With such high talent and a solid foundation, fighting beyond your level is a piece of cake.”
Seeing that his move had failed, Yan Chaofeng immediately sat down cross-legged, losing all interest in continuing the fight. Chains from the surrounding stone islands came out one after another, binding his limbs once again.
Upon hearing this, Chi Liancheng could only nod, and then flew off with Gu Yifeng in a certain direction.
"General Chi, what exactly does Yan Chaofeng mean by this?"
Although Gu Yifeng understood Yan Chaofeng's meaning, he couldn't quite figure out the man's style of doing things, so he had to ask Chi Liancheng.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
