Chapter 57: Royal Secrets, Unbelievable

A sudden commotion erupted from within the Tiance Mansion.

Unable to find sleep, Zhu Houzhao rose and walked to the window, only to see dozens of figures soaring into the night sky, each radiating a terrifying aura.

They hovered in mid-air, their internal energy violently surging, stirring the dark clouds above to churn, thunder to roar, and fierce winds to howl.

"All Heavenly Phenomenon realm? So many?!"
"What has happened?"

Zhu Houzhao found it difficult to breathe, the shock in his heart crashing over him like overwhelming waves.

He had thought he already held a high estimation of Zhu Jinzhen's forces.

Yet it was not until these dozens of Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters stepped through the void, unleashing an aura of Terrestrial Immortals far more terrifying than any Heavenly Phenomenon, that Zhu Houzhao realized just how far he had underestimated Zhu Jinzhen's power.

"Tens of thousands in the Vajra realm, thousands in the Profound Mystery realm, dozens in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm..."
"Even several Terrestrial Immortals."
"How on earth did he accumulate and nurture such a force?"
"Could it be... that he obtained some ancient legacies?"

Zhu Houzhao's heart remained in turmoil, his mind wandering wildly, because an army capable of overturning the entire Great Ming dynasty could never have been cultivated by a mere faction in such a short span of time!

"Wait!"

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

Zhu Houzhao started violently. "For the Prince of Su to accumulate such terrifying power—surely his goal is not merely the Great Ming, but the entire world? Could he be intending to retrace the path of Emperor Taizong?"

Back when Emperor Taizong was alive, wherever the sun and moon shone, wherever the dragon banner pointed, all nations bowed in submission.
How peerless Great Ming had been in those days!
Emperor Taizong himself was fiercely ambitious, undertaking five expeditions to the northern deserts, sailing the Western Oceans seven times, and waging three great wars across the realm, all to lead the Great Ming to an even higher pinnacle and end this chaotic era.

Yet...
That brilliant and magnanimous Emperor Taizong had still met his tragic end at Yumuchuan.

"If the Prince of Su truly sets his sights on the world, will the tragedy of Emperor Taizong repeat itself with him?" Zhu Houzhao slumped back down onto his bed, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

On one hand, he was terrified of Zhu Jinzhen, wondering by what means he had acquired such a terrifying foundation. Forget about himself as mere emperor; in Zhu Houzhao's eyes, the entire Great Ming was nothing more than an object resting in the palm of Zhu Jinzhen's hand.

On the other hand, his feelings were a mix of joy and sorrow.
Facing such an overwhelming, crushing momentum, Zhu Houzhao knew he had no chance of victory. The changing of the dynasty's throne would likely happen in an instant. Fortunately, no matter what, Zhu Jinzhen was still a descendant of the Zhu family and the realm would not fall to outsiders, which provided a sliver of psychological comfort.

What worried him, however, was that if Zhu Jinzhen turned his gaze to the world in the future and sought to repeat the path of the First Emperor to end the troubled times...
Would those forces that had caused Emperor Taizong's untimely death crawl out from the shadows once again?
And Zhu Jinzhen?
What would become of him?

Zhu Houzhao lowered his head, silently tormented by doubt. "Why did the events of the past happen the way they did? Emperor Taizong mastered the Sun and Moon Twin Pupils in his youth, and by the age of forty had cultivated the *Ming Divine Martial Scripture* to its fourth stage. He forged a new path and had already placed half a foot into the Terrestrial Celestial realm."
"An extraordinary monarch like Emperor Taizong suddenly dropped dead overnight. And Emperor Renzong, whose Sun and Moon Precious Scripture had reached the seventh layer, possessed the bearing of a Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Master and was mere years away from stepping into the Terrestrial Immortal realm..."
"And yet, he too..."

Countless secrets of the Great Ming imperial family flooded his mind, sending chills down Zhu Houzhao's spine.
Since childhood, he had known that an invisible, terrifying black hand was manipulating the dynastic succession of the Great Ming and influencing the entire realm. Even sovereigns as powerful as Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong could do nothing against it.

Though Prince of Su Zhu Jinzhen was likewise an unprecedented prodigy...
Zhu Houzhao still remained pessimistic about his chances.

As the night grew deeper, Zhu Houzhao felt no trace of sleepiness. He recalled the many secret tales of the Great Ming: three consecutive generations of brilliant emperors dying sudden deaths, the peak era of the Five Dragons on the Court swept clean away, leading ultimately to the Tumu Crisis, which plunged the foundation of the Great Ming into an abyss from which it could never recover.

"Prince of Su, oh Prince of Su, you are a thousand times more exceptional than me, but why—why must you not be of our Prince of Yan lineage?!" Zhu Houzhao smiled bitterly in resignation. If one of his own cousins possessed this terrifying foundation belonging to the Prince of Su Mansion, he would not feel so resentful even if forced to abdicate.
Yet fate loved to toy with people. Zhu Jinzhen was formidable, tyrannical, and monstrously gifted, but he did not belong to their branch of the family.

"Prince of Su, oh Prince of Su..."
"Though I know I am powerless to turn the tides, and you and I are enemies rather than friends..."
"This time, I hope you win."
"The blood feuds of High Ancestor and Emperor Taizong—they all rest upon you now."

***

Meanwhile, inside Jiayuguan Pass.

Having delivered Zhu Houzhao's message, the few who had been led away by Lian Chenbi to induct Lu Xiaofeng into the Secret Guards could not help but sense that tonight's Jiayuguan was different.

"The Prince has summoned so many masters from Tiance and Cangyun overnight. Could it be for..." Lian Chenbi's expression shifted slightly. He drained his cup of wine in a single gulp, set it down, cupped his fists toward Lu Xiaofeng and the others, and instantly transformed into a bloody shadow as he departed.

"Old Monkey, Lian Chenbi has left. Why haven't you gone yet?"
"Though I don't know what's happened, since the Prince hasn't issued an urgent summons for the Secret Guards, it proves our services aren't needed yet." Situ Kongxing shrugged and continued drinking.

Beside them, Ximen Chuixue frowned. "The Prince of Su has hidden his strength for many years. To suddenly drop that concealment today... the matter cannot be small."

In less than the time it took to brew half a cup of tea, they had already sensed no fewer than a hundred auras comparable to Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Masters, among which several auras that overwhelmed the vault of heaven filled their hearts with dread.

Terrestrial Immortals!

Even though Ximen Chuixue, Lu Xiaofeng, and the others remained silent, they had already guessed the strength of those individuals.

Seeing Lu Xiaofeng's eyebrows knitted tightly together, Situ Kongxing chuckled. "Alright, stop wearing such a gloomy face. The Emperor has been brought to Jiayuguan—you, Little Chicken Lu, are completely finished. You can never go back to the imperial family, the imperial court, the Cabinet, or even the Jianghu."

Hearing this, Lu Xiaofeng nearly spat out all the wine in his mouth and glared furiously at Situ Kongxing.
"Could I have fallen to this state without you fanning the flames behind my scenes?"

"Hey, don't put it that way! To be favored by the Prince—what an unmatched honor! The Secret Guards aren't like the brocade-clad guards; they're quite leisurely. When there are no missions, you can do whatever you want."
"Look at Ximen Chuixue. Didn't he agree to join the Secret Guards as well?"

"Huh?!" Lu Xiaofeng abruptly stood up, looking in disbelief at the ice-cold Ximen Chuixue beside him. "Ximen, you agreed to join the Secret Guards under the Prince of Su?"

"Mn."
Ximen Chuixue calmly nodded. This had been his decision all along; there was nothing to hide.

"Why?"
As soon as the word left his mouth, Lu Xiaofeng realized he had asked a foolish question.

"Because he is the only existence in the entire world—looking across the Nine Provinces both inside and out—who stands at the absolute pinnacle of the Sword Dao."
"Situ Kongxing promised me that if I am willing to join the Secret Guards, I can use my merits within the organization in exchange for guidance from the Prince... from His Highness the Prince of Su. For me, this is an unrivaled, peerless opportunity."

At this point, Ximen Chuixue's eyes—which had always been as cold as ice and as tranquil as water—flashed with a burning fervor for the very first time in front of others. He looked at Lu Xiaofeng and voiced his request:

"An opportunity for guidance from the Prince of Su is worth more than ten thousand pieces of gold. I hope you can help me."