Chapter 1498: Unbelievable

Crown Prince Jinwu spoke with a grave expression, "My father met with an accident in the secret realm and didn't have time to pass on his power. However, I have already received the Ancestral Demon's approval in the imperial mausoleum. All previous ceremonies were conducted under my father's instructions, witnessed by everyone in the royal court. Therefore, there's no problem with me inheriting the Demon Emperor's position now."

His Sixth Uncle sneered, "All that rambling is useless. Historically, the Demon Emperor has always been the strongest."

Crown Prince Jinwu's face darkened. It was clear his opponent had no intention of letting him become the Demon Emperor, rendering further words meaningless.

The only thing he didn't understand was how the Second Prince had persuaded Sixth Uncle. Members of the Elder Council were known to be detached from worldly affairs, and each outing cost them precious years of their limited lifespan.

Seeing the Crown Prince's troubled expression, the Second Prince smiled contentedly. Of course, persuading Sixth Uncle had come at a great cost: he had acquired rare treasures that extended life and promised many things that Sixth Uncle could not otherwise obtain.

Everyone has a price. If someone is unwilling, it simply means the price isn't high enough.

At this point, further verbal sparring was meaningless; the two sides had fully entered a white-hot, close-quarters battle.

It was more brutal than anything the Second Prince had ever experienced on a battlefield in his life, with unknown numbers of people dying with almost every breath.

However, the two strategists did not care; they only cared about ultimate victory.

As the battle intensified, not only ordinary soldiers but also high-ranking generals began to fall.

General Ma Tian, commander of the Left Guard, died in a mutual kill with a fierce general serving the Second Prince.

His cultivation was clearly higher than his opponent's, but years of luxurious living in the capital had diminished his youthful ferocity.

He relaxed slightly, believing he had successfully killed his opponent. Unexpectedly, the opponent had used his life as a lure, seizing that instant to deliver a fatal blow to Ma Tian's throat.

Ma Tian clutched his throat, gurgling and unable to speak, as blood gushed continuously from his mouth. He eventually fell to the ground, filled with endless regret.

Commander Weiwei Wuli fought an Elephant clan master to a mutual defeat; he hadn't expected the Elephant clan to be swayed by the Second Prince.

The Elephant clan possessed immense strength and incredible defense. Therefore, even though Wuli was a renowned master of the royal court, he was severely wounded after the battle.

Then, both accidentally fell into the chaotic ranks of soldiers. By then, both sides were fighting with bloodlust, attacking indiscriminately with their weapons, regardless of friend or foe. They brutally hacked the two masters into a bloody pulp—though the Elephant clan master, being thick-skinned and tough, lasted a little longer.

Unfortunately, individual cultivators were still at a disadvantage when facing armies bolstered by formations. No matter how strong his defense, it couldn't withstand swords and blades from all directions, and he soon followed Wuli's fate.

Meanwhile, Elder Wu and Sixth Uncle were locked in an equally fierce battle in the sky. Generally, Grandmasters rarely fought to the death. Firstly, they were all powerful, each possessing many hidden cards, making it difficult to determine a winner. Secondly, even if one won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. Thus, they usually stopped short of fatal blows.

But today was clearly different. From the moment they engaged, there was no holding back; they even resorted to trading blows, injury for injury. Soon, blood splattered across the sky. However, it was still not easy for Grandmasters to achieve a decisive victory, and for a time, it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

The Second Prince, who had remained still until now, spoke to Crown Prince Jinwu, "Strictly speaking, this is a matter between us. Since others cannot achieve a decisive victory, and will not do so quickly, why don't we resolve it ourselves?"

Crown Prince Jinwu frowned and surveyed his surroundings. The battle was indeed fiercely contested, and it would likely take until dawn to determine a victor.

At this moment, he felt a pang of regret. He should have brought Hu Qianxiao and Shi Zhentian, but he had been uneasy about them at the time, fearing their ambition was too great and keeping them close might introduce unforeseen variables.

At the time, he had been confident that his forces were sufficient to deal with the Second Prince, but he had underestimated how thoroughly the Second Prince had prepared!

And his ranks were teeming with masters!

Seeing his silence, the Second Prince sneered, "Hahaha, you're afraid to? Every Demon Emperor throughout history has been a towering figure of strength. How can someone as cowardly as you possibly rule?"

As soon as he said this, Crown Prince Jinwu distinctly felt his troops' morale drop. At this point, retreating was no longer an option. He sneered in response, "Very well, since you insist, I'll show you who the true number one of this generation is!"

For years, he had been publicly recognized as the foremost among the Five Prodigies of the younger generation, giving him a clear psychological advantage over the Second Prince.

The Second Prince's aura was equally unyielding. "Hahaha," he scoffed, "people only gave you face because you were the Crown Prince. Did you truly believe you were the best of the Five Prodigies?"

"Then let me show you!" Crown Prince Jinwu's face was cold, filled with killing intent. "You're no monstrous talent like Zu An; do you really think I would fear you?"

As soon as his words fell, golden wings sprouted from his back. Each feather was a streak of sword energy, which swept directly towards the Second Prince.

"Excellent!" the Second Prince exclaimed, neither dodging nor retreating. A pair of black wings also emerged from his back, each feather likewise a sharp sword, and he met the attack head-on.

In the sky, golden and black sword energies intertwined, erupting in dazzling brilliance.

The initial clash was a struggle of evenly matched forces. Crown Prince Jinwu was utterly shocked that his opponent's cultivation was not inferior to his own in the slightest. Had he been hiding his true abilities all these years?

How was this possible!

His Sun True Eyes could see through the true cultivation of anyone weaker than himself. His opponent's cultivation should have been significantly lower than his!

As if guessing his doubt, the Second Prince pointed to a jade pendant at his waist. "I obtained this object during an adventure years ago," he explained. "It conceals my aura. Otherwise, did you truly think I was inferior to you?" Crown Prince Jinwu's heart sank, filled with a premonition of ill omen.

However, he immediately cast the thought aside. He had recently lost confidence due to that brat Zu An, but he reminded himself that before encountering Zu An, he had never been defeated!

"What can you achieve by hiding your true strength and being secretive!" Crown Prince Jinwu snorted coldly, his aura suddenly surging. His entire body transformed into a golden streak of light, charging towards his opponent at an imperceptible speed.

"I can also perform the Golden Crow Streak!" The Second Prince's entire body also transformed into a black streak of light, and the two instantly became entangled.

As they fought, he too grew increasingly alarmed. He had indeed underestimated his elder brother, having initially thought his brother had become Crown Prince merely by virtue of his superior lineage. But now it was clear he possessed genuine ability.

At the same time, his heart was filled with even greater indignation. As the Crown Prince, his brother had received excessive resources and training since childhood, and recently, he had even received a baptism of the Ancestral Demon's aura in the imperial mausoleum, significantly increasing his cultivation. As for himself, he had always relied solely on himself since childhood, putting in twelve parts of effort where others put in seven or eight.

Other things might betray you, but effort would not.

Day after day of diligent cultivation had accumulated his profound power; battles fought amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood had forged his iron will.

Relying solely on himself, he had painstakingly cultivated to a realm comparable to the Crown Prince, who had the entire nation's resources and the Demon Emperor's personal guidance.

If not for the Crown Prince's recent recognition by the demon race in the imperial mausoleum, which had caused his cultivation to surge again, he would have been able to defeat him easily now.

How he hated it!

Why was Heaven so unfair!

The indignation in his heart caused his combat power to surge.

The more Crown Prince Jinwu fought, the more alarmed he became. However, his talent had, after all, been recognized by the Demon Emperor and many masters, and he also knew there was no turning back now. Thus, they remained equally matched in battle.

After an unknown period, a powerful light suddenly flared in the distance, filled with destructive power.

Everyone present was drawn to it. What terrifying power was that? Who could be fighting there?

Crown Prince Jinwu's expression changed because the light came from the direction of the imperial palace. Clearly, something had gone wrong there.

What concerned him more was that the aura he had just sensed clearly belonged to the Sun-Shooting Bow. Hadn't the Sun-Shooting Bow been lost in the Unknowable Land? How could it suddenly appear here?

Because of this momentary distraction, a black streak of light suddenly surged forward. With a boom, a burst of blood mist exploded from his back.

Immediately afterward, the black light quickly distanced itself from him, giving him no chance of a mutual kill.

Crown Prince Jinwu clutched his chest, his face filled with disbelief. "Did I just... die?"