Chapter 1499: For Others

I was a recognized prodigy, envied and admired by my peers since childhood, not only for my status but also for my rapid advancement in cultivation. This swift progress was due to my father's personal guidance and my truly exceptional talent.

If I recall correctly, my second brother would eagerly follow me around when we were children, begging me to teach him some skills. Back then, I saw him as nothing more than an ant; a casual demonstration of my abilities was enough to keep him happy for a long time. How could I have ever imagined that I would one day die by his hand?

How did he grow to such a level? Did he sell his soul to a demon?

No, that's not right. His cultivation isn't actually that high, and his true strength is still weaker than mine. Yet, I clearly feel unable to exert my peak strength.

Is it because I suffered several crushing defeats at the hands of Zu An, which damaged my mental fortitude?

Meanwhile, the Second Prince is unyielding, and his heart is filled with a sense of injustice and resentment, allowing him to unleash 120% of his power. With my strength diminished and his enhanced, I ultimately fell to him.

I hate this!

I was clearly on the verge of becoming the Demon Emperor. Why did this happen?

"Crown Prince!" Old Wu, who was fighting in the distance, saw this and his eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He instantly flew towards them.

However, midway, black ripples suddenly appeared in the air, and a slender, dark sword extended from within.

Like the scythe of the grim reaper from hell, it cut a malevolent and treacherous arc, and then Old Wu's head shot into the sky.

Old Wu's attention was mostly focused on rescuing the Crown Prince, with a small portion dedicated to guarding against an ambush from Sixth Uncle. He never expected another Grandmaster-level figure to appear out of nowhere.

The spinning head vaguely saw an alluring and handsome figure emerge from the black vortex. His mouth gaped open, exclaiming, "Dark Elf!"

Unfortunately, he could say no more. Soon, he was plunged into eternal darkness.

After cultivators reach a high level, their self-recovery abilities become very strong. Even if they suffer severe injuries, they can gradually recover after a period of recuperation.

Even severed limbs can potentially regrow.

But this is all contingent on not suffering a fatal injury.

The head is the chief of the six yang; no one whose head has been severed can ever regrow it.

The Golden Crow Crown Prince recognized the black figure as Duan Tianchou, the Dark Elf King's brother and a famously talented master among the Dark Elves.

He never expected the Second Prince to have even managed to enlist him. His defeat this time was not unwarranted.

The Second Prince's side clearly had an advantage in high-level combat power, yet they kept Duan Tianchou hidden, only to have his single move decide the final outcome. It was indeed a clever and insidious scheme.

However, he was unwilling to die like this. He silently activated the Golden Crow Sacred Flame to repair his damaged heart.

The Golden Crow Sacred Flame is the Golden Crow Royal Family's most powerful recovery ability. Back when his entire lower body was blasted apart by Zu An, it was able to regrow. Given time, his heart would naturally heal as well.

Worried that the other party would notice something amiss, he didn't even dare to fully unleash the Golden Crow Sacred Flame. He could only feign death, then carefully control the flame to envelop his heart and secretly repair it.

He knew that tonight he had suffered a complete defeat, but as long as he was alive, he would have a chance to turn things around.

However, a strong gust of wind swept past, and the Second Prince's voice already rang in his ear: "Do you know how thoroughly I've studied you over the years to defeat you? I know every detail of your life, every skill you possess, like the back of my hand. I even know exactly how long you can last with a woman. Do you really think I'd make the mistake of letting you fake your death and revive?"

At the same time, his hand went straight through the Golden Crow Crown Prince's body. When it emerged, it was clutching a heart enveloped by the Golden Crow Sacred Flame, and faintly, one could still see the heart slowly beating within the flames.

The Second Prince directly swallowed the heart in one gulp, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "Ah, the heart of a powerful cultivator is so delicious! I feel my entire body filled with power! I've become bigger, and stronger!"

The Golden Crow Crown Prince could no longer hold back; he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and then completely stopped breathing, dead.

The Second Prince lifted the Golden Crow Crown Prince's corpse like a dead dog for all to see. "The Crown Prince is dead! Do not offer futile resistance! Those who surrender will live!"

Upon seeing the Golden Crow Crown Prince's corpse, many loyal subordinates on his side immediately broke down in tears, wailing repeatedly.

Immediately afterward, they one by one drew their swords and committed suicide. They knew that as the Crown Prince's close confidantes, they would certainly not fare well. Rather than falling into the Second Prince's hands and suffering a fate worse than death, it was better to die with dignity, and thus not implicate their families.

At this point, the morale of the other middle and lower-ranking officers and soldiers completely collapsed. They no longer had any thought of resisting, throwing down their weapons and kneeling before the Second Prince, begging for surrender.

Seeing all of the Crown Prince's subordinates come under his command, the Second Prince could no longer hold back and laughed maniacally, covering his face. "Hahahaha..."

He had waited too long for this day. After decades of painstaking and isolated planning, even with his firm resolve, he had countless doubts and wavered many times. After all, to anyone else, this was a feat with no hope of success.

Yet, I managed to achieve this seemingly impossible feat!

Now that I've absorbed the Crown Prince's subordinates, I am undoubtedly the strongest in the entire royal court. Who else but me is worthy of the Demon Emperor's throne?!

At this moment, Duan Tianchou's sinister voice rang out: "Second Prince, the Crown Prince has been eliminated. The immediate priority is to enter the palace, take control of everything, and then summon all civil and military officials for an audience."

A mad glint flashed in his eyes. At that time, the Great Elf King would also have to enter the palace by summons, and he would then unexpectedly kill him. The millennium-long feud between the Elves and Dark Elves would finally reach a conclusion.

My brother, at that time, would surely be filled with shock. Just thinking about his expression then is truly amusing, hehe~

Unsure what he thought of, a trace of fervent and perverse madness appeared in Duan Tianchou's eyes.

The Second Prince subconsciously put distance between himself and Duan Tianchou. Dark Elves were all lunatics, and particularly lunatics skilled in assassination.

No one wanted a Dark Elf to get within three feet of them; that way, their life and death would no longer be their own to control.

"Good, let's head to the imperial palace!"

Soon, his subordinates incorporated the Crown Prince's forces, and they marched grandly towards the imperial palace.

Not long after they set off, sounds of fighting suddenly came from ahead. The Second Prince frowned, and a subordinate immediately reported, "It seems to be the forces of Grand Minister Hei Chifei and Right Guard General Niu Dao."

The Second Prince sneered inwardly. The Crown Prince was still too overconfident. If he had concentrated his forces to deal with me, I might not have been guaranteed a victory. But he insisted on dividing his troops; if he didn't lose, who would?

At this point, the sounds of fighting there gradually diminished. The Second Prince and his party approached for a closer look, and it turned out that Hei Chifei's and Niu Dao's factions were fighting each other.

Niu Dao was holding the Third Prince; both lay lifeless in a pool of blood.

It seemed that Niu Dao, loyal to the old Demon Emperor, believed this mission was only to apprehend the Third Prince and disagreed with Hei Chifei's intention to execute him. A dispute arose between them, escalating into an armed conflict.

Niu Dao was no match for Hei Chifei. Furthermore, the other side had the Crown Prince's banner, which led many Golden Crow Guards to stand by and watch.

In the end, Niu Dao was outnumbered and directly encircled and killed by Hei Chifei and his men.

"Foolish!" Hei Chifei spat.

Suddenly noticing the Second Prince's party, he was overjoyed. "Crown Prince, you're back... wait, it's you!"

The first half of his sentence was full of joy, but the second half's tone suddenly rose, clearly filled with horror.

The Second Prince's gaze fell upon the corpses of Niu Dao and the Third Prince. He thought, "The Crown Prince truly paved the way for my success. I originally found my other brothers troublesome, but now I don't need to lift a finger myself."

"Why couldn't it be me?" The Second Prince enjoyed Hei Chifei's panicked expression. He waved his hand, "Is he who you're waiting for?"

At this moment, his subordinates lifted a wooden frame with the Crown Prince's corpse tied to it, and the heads of Old Wu, Imperial Guard Wu Li, Left Guard General Ma Tian, and others hanging from it.

Seeing this scene, Hei Chifei felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He let out a scream and immediately turned to flee.

At this moment, a black vortex suddenly appeared before him. A slender sword slashed out, and a head shot into the sky.

Duan Tianchou extended his slender tongue and licked the sword. "The taste of fresh blood is so delicious, especially the blood of a powerful cultivator."