In Kyoto, beneath the former dungeon where the demon dragon was imprisoned, the basement, densely covered with array patterns, was brightly lit.
At first glance, it looks like a magnificent underground palace.
In the main hall of the underground palace, Prince Rong was disguised as an ordinary mortal. If he were not sitting upright on the main seat of the high platform, no one would believe that he was Prince Rong in person.
The twenty-third guard, kneeling at the foot of the hall steps, clasped his hands and reported, "Your Highness, something has happened to Madam Xie?"
"Hmm, the Xie family couldn't hold back any longer, that's a good thing!" Prince Rong leaned back on the dragon throne, resting his chin on his hand, and responded calmly.
At first glance, it sounds casual, nonchalant, or as if it were something that was already expected.
But to the hundreds of guards standing silently on both sides of the hall, it was like a thunderclap: the prince had finally taken it to heart.
No wonder the hundreds of guards were shocked and excited.
This cautious attitude can be seen from the fact that Prince Rong, even in the underground palace beneath the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Demon-Suppressing Formation in Kyoto, which was set up with an outer formation based on the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Demon-Suppressing Formation, still maintained the appearance of an ordinary mortal.
Normally, Prince Rong dressed as the descendant of an old scholar in a two-courtyard house next to Prince Rong's Mansion, living a simple and unassuming life.
Yet, they were also able to handle all sorts of matters, big and small, within the Prince's residence.
Prince Rong remained hidden right under everyone's noses, plotting important matters of the world, completely unknown to outsiders.
Being overly cautious?
Moreover, he played the role of a deaf-mute from beginning to end, using writing to shape the world.
According to Prince Rong, the mortal world is a test of the heart!
Even if the sky were to fall, Prince Rong would not be worried; he would always pick up his pen to handle the affairs of the world.
Over time, the guards who knew about Prince Rong all thought their prince had become mute.
This subtly creates an atmosphere where the speaker won't speak until the entire world is conquered.
The fact that Prince Rong has spoken out of turn has excited hundreds of secret guards. With a great battle imminent, conquering the world is just around the corner!
Twenty-three replied with delight, "Your Highness, when shall we launch our attack...?"
"Alright, everything as usual. We'll talk about it again when the Dai family forms an alliance and starts vying for the key." Prince Rong waved his hand to interrupt him, adopting an attitude of continuing to play it safe.
Even so, it did not dampen the excitement of the hundreds of people.
Twenty-three stood up and replied, "If Your Highness commands, we swear to serve you to the death."
However, Emperor Chengping's decree ordering the garrison commander of Lingtian Pass to withdraw half of his troops and reinforce the Jiangnan region is quite suspicious. I humbly request Your Highness's decision.
"Well, the public opinion is that the retired emperor has fallen into Wuwei's hands, which has forced Emperor Chengping to be hesitant and choose to compromise, joining forces with Wuwei to oppose me and the Donglin Army."
Furthermore, in conjunction with Shengxiang's sea, land, and air monster legions, they repeatedly attacked important targets under the Eastern Lin Army and my own banner, putting on quite a show of a united front against external forces.
At the same time, they were also trying to lure Xie Ming and Zheng Ya into giving their testimonies, staging a stunt for law enforcement.
But who could possibly know what their secret plans were? Prince Rong was speaking with a hidden meaning.
Their entire scheme revolved around the struggle for the innate spiritual treasure, the Imperial Seal.
Unfortunately, the imperial seal was hidden too deep, and only the elite search team assembled by the late emperor knew its location.
This elite task force, tasked with searching for the whereabouts of the imperial seal, was led by the Fu family, who were both dukes of the two states, and primarily employed elite suicide squads to search for the seal.
However, despite searching throughout the ages, the whereabouts of the seal remain unknown, yielding very little result.
This result displeased the emperor. Combined with the warning given by the remnant soul of the immortal king within the seal and magic treasure, he more or less realized that someone was interfering, abusing their power for personal gain, and attempting to secretly keep the seal and magic treasure for immortality.
The emperor saw through the ill intentions of the Fu clan chief and pretended to be unaware, waiting for an opportunity to profit from the situation.
When it came to the reigning emperor, he would occasionally talk in his sleep, which would be overheard by his bedmate.
Unfortunately, this secret was intercepted by Prince Rong!
Thus, from that moment on, Prince Rong began to plot his schemes across the land, secretly ordering his guards to keep an eye on the four great families who coveted the imperial seal.
Clearly, the downfall of the Xie family was not accidental, but rather a deliberate act by Prince Rong to eliminate them, spurring the other three clans to attempt a rescue, or perhaps the Xie family revealed the secret of the whereabouts of the imperial seal, allowing Prince Rong to take control of everything.
However, during the decline of the Xie family, the other three clans remained indifferent.
This prevented Prince Rong from taking action against the three clans. He openly and secretly exploited the Xie clan and even tortured Xie Baochai's father to death, yet he still couldn't find out the whereabouts of the seal. He could only adopt a conciliatory strategy towards the other three clans.
The war triggered by the Dai family's secret realm was also the result of Prince Rong's efforts.
By using Shengxiang's influence, they guided the situation without getting involved in the cause and effect.
That was a scheme to prevent the four clans of Dai Qianxie Wang from becoming suspicious of Prince Rong, to use someone else to do his dirty work and to seize the opportunity to profit from it.
Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes. Zheng Ya ruined everything, forcing Prince Rong to remain still and wait for the opportune moment to strike, hoping to outmaneuver the enemy.
At present, the hundreds of secret guards in the underground palace hall are all in the know, and they can't wait to congratulate Prince Rong on obtaining the seal and that he will soon rule the world!
Sword Twenty-Three clasped his hands in a fist and asked for a fight: "Your Highness, the elders of the Xie clan are forcing Xie Baochai to marry into the Prince's mansion. Should we add fuel to the fire?"
"Well, Xie Baochai thinks I'm unaware of the intelligence organization she secretly established, so it's not unreasonable for me to take her into my household!" Prince Rong waved his hand and agreed to Jian Twenty-Three's request for battle.
Forcing Xie Baochai to marry into the Prince's mansion will inevitably lead to a fierce battle.
Only a fierce battle, pushing the Xie family to the brink of despair, could force them to reveal the whereabouts of the imperial seal.
Or it could force the other three tribes to come to their rescue, thus exposing the whereabouts and secrets of the seal.
This stems from the resurgence of the Dai clan, which may be a signal that the secret realm of the seal is about to open. If the Xie clan is pushed to the brink and the other three clans do not come to their aid, the Xie clan may lose their composure and expose the whereabouts and secrets of the seal.
This was also one of the purposes behind forcing Xie Baochai to marry into the Prince's mansion.
Jian Ershisan smiled knowingly and said, "Your Highness, should we pin the blame on Emperor Chengping or make Shengxiang take the fall?"
“No, we must make the Dai family take the blame in this battle, and at the right time, we will release the news that the Dai family has emerged and is forcing the Xie family to hand over the key to open the secret realm of the seal, intending to wipe them out!” Prince Rong smiled and made an unconventional decision.
This surprised the hundreds of guards, who couldn't understand the prince's intentions.
After a moment of contemplation, Jian Ershisan tentatively said, "Your Highness, this is a desperate measure, a way to lure cultivators from all over the world to risk their lives."
"At the same time, it also forces Xie Ming and Zheng Ya out, disrupts Wu Wei's campaign against the northern border, creates chaos, and makes it easier for us to seize the opportunity?"
"The more chaotic the better. We should have Fu, Dai, Xie Wang, and the five Qian clans as the leaders to make their struggle for the key to the secret realm of the seal a complete and seamless affair, so that no one can see any flaws and all the forces in the world will be drawn into it." Prince Rong wanted to win in one battle.
Thus, a war secretly orchestrated by Prince Rong was quietly ignited.
The next day at noon.
The Dai family's elite squad sailed through the waves, gradually approaching the mainland, when they were greeted by a carrier pigeon. The message tube was handed to Earl Dai, who opened it and immediately felt numb: "Damn it, the search for the whereabouts of the seal has been led by the Fu family and the Dai family throughout history."
Finally, this extended to the Xie, Wang, and Qian clans.
That was all out of consideration for the marriage alliance, to prevent the spouse from betraying the family, and it was a last resort.
But now, Wang and Qian are actually trying to silence Xie, and Fu is powerless to stop them. How could this be?
"My lord, didn't the key fall into the hands of the Fu clan chief?" Butler Dai asked. Earl Dai said angrily, "The Fu clan said that the key was hidden in the Xie clan's ancestral tomb."
Furthermore, opening the Seal Realm requires the Emperor's essence blood. Until the very last moment, the five major families had a secret agreement to remain inactive, but now disaster has struck…
"Everyone knows we're in deep trouble!" Butler Dai felt a chill run down his spine, sensing a trap, yet he had no choice but to risk his life for immortality!
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