On the spell formation outside the imperial capital, the smell of blood and gore surrounded the army. It was incredibly strong, having permeated their armor, their skin, their flesh, and even their souls. So strong it was that the sky turned dark and strong winds blew. Lightning crackled, and thunder boomed. Bells tolled in the capital, their sound penetrating the minds of everyone present.

The weakest members of this army had Nascent Soul cultivation bases. None were ordinary people, and all had slaughtered countless opponents in the years they spent patrolling the border lands and defending humankind. They had led different lives than most cultivators in the capital. Most of them had been away for a full sixty-year-cycle. Their years of campaigning had made them apathetic to death, and as a result, hardly any emotion could be seen on their faces. And yet, the more apathetic they were, the more astonishing their killing intent became, until it was an instinct they couldn’t suppress even standing right outside the capital.

From the look of it… not even imperial authority was important to them. The only thing that could stir their hearts… were the war banners flapping at the front of their army.

There were actually two such banners. One of them was golden, and was embroidered with the two characters that made up Guyue. The other was pitch black and had blood-red writing that read Firecrusher. Firecrusher was the moniker of the number-one heavenly king of humankind.

Beneath the war banners was Fifth Prince, clad in his black armor. His expression was calm as he looked at the imperial capital. He had been away for seventeen years.

“Scenery remains, people change,” he murmured. The bells in the capital tolled nine times, and then the east gate slowly opened. Officials from the Five Lesser Celestial Divisions came out to receive Fifth Prince. All of them bowed deeply to him.

“Congratulations, Fifth Prince!”

Fourth Prince was there, clad in a yellow robe with a four-clawed dragon on it. He was there with an edict from the emperor, and was representing the imperial clan to welcome his younger fifth brother to the capital. Looking very solemn, he positioned himself 3,000 meters in front of the army and then spoke in a loud voice.

“Hear this decree, Guyue Qingji.”

Fifth Prince looked away from the capital and fixed his gaze on Fourth Prince. Dismounting his two-headed black dragon, he knelt on the ground. Behind him, the members of the army acted in unison to drop to their knees.

Fourth Prince nodded slightly, then extended his right hand to unfurl an imperial decree.

“Fifth Imperial Prince Qingji hath performed outstanding services in keeping the border climatures safe. He hath martial prowess as well as moral aptitude, and is well-known to be an honorable warrior. He is: handsome, erudite and skilled; respectful in serving his military superiors; filial in serving his parents; loving when dealing with his siblings; decent in serving younger family members; authoritative when dealing with officials. He is the spitting image of his father, like the shadow of the emperor cast by sunset.

“On this day, Fifth Imperial Prince Qingji is awarded with the right to have a majordomo manage his mansion, and the right to add 10,000 troops to his force of guards. So be it.”

When the reading of the decree was completed, Fifth Prince stood. The army also stood.

“Congratulations, Fifth Brother,” said Fourth Prince. No longer was a serious expression on his face. He was smiling. “Father is waiting for you. Hurry over to kowtow and express thanks.”

Without a word spoken in response, Fifth Prince walked past Fourth Prince, through the east gate, and onto the rainbow bridge.

The army pitched camp by the spell formation.

Seeing that caused Fourth Prince to frown slightly. However, the smile quickly returned to his face and he hurried after Fifth Prince in the direction of the imperial palace.

When the guards on the rainbow bridge saw Fifth Prince, they nodded and greeted him respectfully.

There were a lot of commoners gathered by the bridge to watch as Fifth Prince crossed it. It was hard to say who started cheering first, but soon the entire crowd was clamoring. If someone couldn’t see the circumstances, they would probably assume that an army had come back victorious from a huge battle, or perhaps that the crown prince had been chosen. That was how passionate everyone was.

Fifth Prince stopped in place and looked at the crowd. He was silent for a few breaths of time, and then he bowed to the commoners before continuing on his way.

Fifth Prince reached the end of the rainbow bridge and stood before the main entrance of the imperial palace. He looked at the eleven huge sticks of burning incense, most notably the spot where there had once been an incense stick but was now empty. His expression was one of grief.

“Ol’ Seventh’s death caught us all by surprise,” a soft voice said from behind him. “He had just asked to clear his name with the Immortal Questioning Bell, but….”

The person who had spoken was Fourth Prince. Shaking his head, he stopped next to Fifth Prince.

Fifth Prince didn’t say anything. Looking away from the spot where his younger brother’s incense had once stood, he looked through the gate, past the plaza, and at the steps leading up to the palace hall.

“Go in,” Fourth Prince said quietly. “Father is waiting there with all the ministers, heavenly marquises, heavenly kings, and of course the region lord.”

“Enough with your games,” Fifth Prince said calmly. It was the first time he spoke to Fourth Prince since his arrival. “Ol’ Seventh’s death is my business. I don’t need you trying to fan the flames. Having all the commoners show up and cheer was quite childish. I’m not returning in triumph. Father is in the prime of his life and won’t easily give in to suspicion. Children’s games aren’t befitting of you or anyone else.”

Fifth Prince then strode into the imperial palace.

The emperor sat in his place in the hall. The thirteen heavenly kings were all there in their places, as well as the heavenly marquises. Further down was the chief minister and the officials from the Five Greater Celestial Divisions. All were seated by rank, and looked very serious.

Xu Qing was present as well, sitting in his own place, his face expressionless. He had received an imperial edict the previous night indicating that he should attend court the following morning, which was when Fifth Prince would be returning. After discussing the situation with Ningyan, he came to understand a bit more about the relationship between Fifth Prince and Seventh Prince.

They have the same mother.

In the imperial clan, a relationship like that surpassed just about everything else. In fact, it was sometimes considered more intimate of a relationship than the love between a father and mother.

Fifth Prince is the apprentice of the number-one heavenly king. And he’s also the only living apprentice. He’s been following the heavenly king for years to defend the border regions. As far as humankind is concerned, he’s performed more meritorious services than any of the other imperial princes.

His battle prowess is second only to Grand Prince, who of course is half Firemoon Darkheaven. The two of them are equally brave and good at fighting….

Xu Qing’s information came partly from Princess Anhai and partly from Ningyan. As Xu Qing pondered the situation, he heard cheering from outside. So did everyone else in the palace hall. Not one scrap of emotion appeared on the faces of anyone present. It was almost as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

It seems he doesn’t get along with all the other imperial princes.

Xu Qing’s gaze remained placid as he looked toward the entrance of the palace.

Before long, a figure strode into view. He stood straight and tall, with a handsome face and black suit of armor that made him seem very heroic. His cultivation base fluctuations were prominent. He was in the third stage of Void Returning. As he walked, traces of natural and magical laws swirled around him, affecting the surroundings. He was none other than Fifth Prince.

As everyone watched, he walked past all the officials and stopped in front of the stairs. Kneeling to the emperor, he said, “Greetings, Father.”

The emperor nodded. “Things have been rough for you.”

Fifth Prince stood. He looked at the heavenly kings, then the heavenly marquises, and then Xu Qing. He revealed no emotion whatsoever. Then he bowed at the waist to his father.

“Father, the Firemoon border has been stable over the past seventeen years. During that time, I participated in ninety-seven small-scale battles. The Firemoons never showed up for any of them. All incursions were by minor species. With King Firecrusher there to keep things in check, everything went smoothly.

“Overall, the Firemoon Darkheavens have been busy preparing for their Great Hunt, and haven’t had as much attention to spend on hunting surrounding species. As for the incursions by other species, they were primarily training missions or scouting parties. Nothing major.

“In terms of casualties, roughly 379,000 people lost their lives over the past seventeen years. I have the name list right here.”

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Fifth Prince produced a jade slip which he handed to a guard to be given to the emperor.

“Compared to the past, whether in terms of the number of incidents or the amount of cultivators who sacrificed their lives, the total number is about half. It just goes to show that your plan with the Dawning Suns succeeded in creating a meaningful threat.”

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“However…” Fifth Prince continued, “there’s bad news as well.

“First of all, the Firemoons’ subsidiary species have, for some unknown reason, improved their battle prowess. This isn’t just one species we’re talking about. All of them have become inexplicably stronger. This presents a long-term disadvantage for humans, and the clues need to be examined thoroughly by the relevant government department.

“The second bit of bad news is that every time the Firemoons’ Great Hunt is over, they pick a subordinate species to elevate to a higher status. Because of that, it’s highly possible that the subordinate species will provoke military conflict in order to attract attention. Now that I’m back, Father, I would like to submit an official request to the court to increase troop levels on the border. The Saia species, which is one of the top three most powerful subordinate species, seem to be getting restless. We should really be keeping a close eye on them.

“The third bit of bad news is that in recent years, the mutagen levels in Firemoon territory have tripled. King Firecrusher’s assessment was that… the Firemoons are grooming a fourth god!”

When he was finished speaking, silence prevailed. The officials were shaken, as news from the border regions was usually top secret, and few people knew much in the way of details. Most people had a general understanding at best, so for most people present, it was their first time hearing such specific information.

As the officials pondered the new information, Fifth Prince once again bowed to the emperor.

Normally speaking, the proper procedure would be for him to return to his spot in the hall. But after bowing, he didn’t do that. Instead, he softly said, “Father, I know that Ol’ Seventh committed heinous crimes and was executed by The Emperor’s Sword. He was guilty, so he deserved to die.

“However, he was still my blood brother! If I don’t speak up about this subject, my conscience will bother me. As a human, I value bloodline and familial love. That’s what makes us human.

“As your own edict stated, father, I am loving when dealing with siblings. Therefore, if I disregard familial love, then I might as well not have family. Those are the ideals I’ve fostered since childhood.

“Therefore, father, I would like to invite Region Lord Xu to fight. That way, regardless of who wins, I can stand by my ideals!” With that, Fifth Prince turned to look at Xu Qing, his eyes flashing coldly. “Shall we fight, Region Lord Xu?”