Chapter 1484: Fratricide

Hei Chifei and Ma Tian, eager to return quickly, had left the main army to follow while they used their special abilities to reach the royal court ahead of time.

Without delay, they headed straight for the imperial palace.

An attendant, who was already waiting, immediately led them to the imperial study.

Both men wondered if the Demon Emperor had already emerged, otherwise, who would dare to use the imperial study?

After escorting them inside, the attendant closed the door behind them.

The resounding thud of the door closing echoed in their hearts, and it was then that they took notice of the situation in the room.

Standing at the head of the room was Crown Prince Jinwu, accompanied by his protector, Elder Wu. Both men were curious, as Elder Wu's existence was usually a closely guarded secret; why was he making a public appearance now?

On either side stood Prince Yongchang Wuli, who was the current Commandant of the Guards, Attendant Wu Fa, and Minister Lei Xin.

The Commandant of the Guards managed the royal court's security, while the Attendant was the head of the Demon Emperor's secretariat. The Minister was responsible for executing government affairs; although the current Minister of the Bureau of Personnel was the Fourth Prince, he was young and spent his days in leisure, so Minister Lei Xin handled most of the main governmental duties.

As "Wu" was a surname exclusive to the Jinwu imperial family, these three individuals essentially represented the will of the royal court's military, government, and imperial family.

Besides these three high-ranking officials, the two also noticed the presence of General Niu Dao of the Right Guard, Prince Changsheng Wu Sheng, Prince Anyi Wu Pei, and Prince Jiuyang Wu Cheng, who also served as General of the Martial Guard.

These four, along with General Ma Tian of the Left Guard, jointly commanded the royal court's elite Jinwu Guards. Their gathering here clearly indicated a significant event.

At this moment, Commandant Wuli said, "Since Grand Minister of Works and General Ma have arrived, we can begin."

Attendant Wu Fa nodded, then produced an imperial edict, declaring, "By the Demon Emperor's command, receive the edict!"

A mighty aura emanated from the scroll—the unmistakable presence of the Demon Emperor, which no one else could imitate.

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long long live!" The men hastily bowed in respect.

Only then did Wu Fa proceed to read the contents of the imperial edict, which stated that the throne was to be passed to Crown Prince Jinwu, appointing him as the new Demon Emperor.

This revelation greatly astonished those in the room, especially General Ma Tian of the Left Guard. Although he had always been close to Crown Prince Jinwu, he was ultimately a trusted confidant of the Demon Emperor, and his closeness to the Crown Prince was only at the Demon Emperor's instruction, as the Crown Prince was the heir apparent.

But now, with the Demon Emperor not yet emerged, and Crown Prince Jinwu eager to ascend the throne, something seemed amiss.

He cautiously probed, "Might I ask where His Majesty the Demon Emperor is?"

Wu Fa let out a deep, mournful sigh, forcing out a few tears. "His Majesty the Demon Emperor... has passed away." "What!" If they had only been shocked by the previous news, there was also a sense of inevitability, but hearing this news was akin to learning of a world-ending catastrophe caused by a fallen meteor.

"How did the Demon Emperor pass away?" The generals in the room grew agitated. The Demon Emperor's status among the demon race was akin to Zhao Hao's among humans; for years, he had been a supreme, absolute powerhouse, their spiritual totem.

Not long ago, everyone was preparing to welcome the Demon Emperor, but now they were being told he was dead?

How could the invincible Demon Emperor die?

Who could possibly kill him?

At this point, Commandant Wuli replied, "The Demon Emperor passed away in that peculiar secret realm. As for the reason, we likely have no way of knowing."

Ma Tian frowned and said, "Didn't the Crown Prince say earlier that the Demon Emperor was handling some minor matters behind and would be out soon? Why is it now being said that the Demon Emperor died inside?"

If the Demon Emperor's power hadn't been so immense, making it impossible for the Crown Prince to have conspired against him, those in the room might even have suspected the Crown Prince's involvement.

Crown Prince Jinwu wiped his eyes and said sorrowfully, "I don't know either. He was perfectly fine when we parted ways. Who could have known that my Imperial Father would pass away so soon after? I am heartbroken myself."

Hei Chifei secretly nodded, thinking that his nephew truly possessed a royal demeanor. Regardless of whether he felt grief or joy, his ability to express emotions was remarkably mature.

"Then how did the Crown Prince learn of the Demon Emperor's demise?" General Niu Dao of the Right Guard asked curiously.

"I will answer that question," Elder Wu, standing behind Crown Prince Jinwu, spoke. "Inside the imperial palace, there is a secret chamber where divine tablets representing the direct imperial bloodline are enshrined. When each direct imperial family member is born, a drop of their essence blood is taken to refine a divine tablet. This way, if anything happens to any direct imperial family member, the palace will know immediately. Unfortunately, not long ago, the divine tablet representing His Majesty the Demon Emperor shattered."

Although the Demon Emperor was powerful, such a divine tablet had also been created for him at birth.

"The Demon Emperor!" The people in the room were both shocked and terrified. Given their positions, they weren't entirely unfamiliar with such claims, but this was the first time they had received direct confirmation.

Crown Prince Jinwu then said, "The secret realm we entered is extremely peculiar, filled with various powerful and mysterious entities. My Imperial Father likely encountered one of these unforeseen dangers by accident."

This was indeed his true thought. Although he knew the Demon Emperor had stayed behind to deal with Zu An and the others, no matter how wild his imagination, he didn't believe Zu An and his companions could pose any threat to his father.

Most likely, some other powerful entity, similar to Great Yu or Gonggong, had been disturbed.

"Are there beings even more powerful than the Demon Emperor?" The faces of those in the room turned ashen, their eyes filled with inexplicable horror.

Crown Prince Jinwu hurriedly explained, "It's not that there are beings more powerful than my Imperial Father. It's just that that realm is very strange. Moreover, when I returned, the spatial tunnel was about to close. It's possible my Imperial Father didn't manage to pass through the tunnel in time before it closed, or perhaps he encountered some mishap within the spatial tunnel itself."

Spatial tunnels often contain spacetime turbulence, and even in the most developed secret realms, one dares not make the slightest misstep when passing through them. Therefore, if the Demon Emperor truly met with an accident there, they could, with some effort, understand.

At this point, General Wu Cheng of the Martial Guard couldn't help but question, "Then why would His Majesty the Demon Emperor allow the Crown Prince to return first, insisting on staying in such a dangerous place himself?"

Crown Prince Jinwu knew that his father entrusting these five generals with the Jinwu Guards meant they were his most trusted confidants. He could only patiently appease them: "Originally, this was a secret matter, but now I have no choice but to reveal it. The reason my Imperial Father remained there was that he had obtained a clue about the Elixir of Immortality and went to search for it..."

He then briefly explained matters related to the Elixir of Immortality, naturally omitting the presence of Zu An and the others, assuming they were either killed by his Imperial Father or had died in the mysterious anomalies of the secret realm.

"The Elixir of Immortality..." At this, no one in the room harbored any more doubts, as they all understood the immense allure of the Elixir of Immortality for those whose lifespans were nearing their end.

Some even speculated that the Demon Emperor might have died near the Elixir of Immortality, reasoning that such a heaven-defying item would undoubtedly be guarded by powerful entities.

Attendant Wu Fa then said, "Since the Demon Emperor has passed away, the Crown Prince shall inherit the throne. This was also the imperial decree left by the Demon Emperor."

While the generals still hesitated, Hei Chifei had already led the way, kneeling and saluting Crown Prince Jinwu. "Your subject pays respects to our Emperor! Long live, long live, long long live!"

As Grand Minister of Works and the Crown Prince's uncle, his kneeling prompted Commandant Wuli and Attendant Wu Fa to follow suit.

Minister Lei Xin and the five great generals commanding the Jinwu Guards, who had initially hesitated, seeing the scrutinizing gaze of Grandmaster Elder Wu nearby, all knelt in salute.

Crown Prince Jinwu was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward, helping them up, and said, "My beloved ministers, pray rise quickly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After they had risen one by one, Attendant Wu Fa stated, "The Second Prince has always harbored rebellious ambitions. Even when the former Demon Emperor was alive, he dared to attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince. If he learns that the former Demon Emperor has passed away and the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, he will surely rebel. Rather than letting him prepare and cause great chaos among the demon race with his rebellion, it is better to nip it in the bud."

The others felt a chill in their hearts: This was clearly about making an example of the Second Prince!