Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 714 - 363: The Dagger Revealed in the Drawing

The blood seemed to have dyed the grand hall red, leaving everyone present breaking out in a cold sweat. The Third Prince, who appeared somewhat youthful, was shockingly cold-blooded, having resolved the matter of his two brothers in the grand hall without any hesitation, leaving everyone no other choice.

As a result, despite his poor reputation, all the obstacles to his accession to the throne had vanished into thin air. After all, apart from him, there was no longer any bloodline of the First Emperor left. Who else but he could sit on the Emperor's throne?

Everything seemed to have settled, and the deaths of the two princes had put an end to the long-running struggle for succession.

"Cough!" A violent cough came from outside the curtain, making everyone realize that the Emperor had not yet died, but this seemed meaningless since, at this moment, nobody cared about the will of an aging Emperor.

In their hearts, they were solely concerned with how to ingratiate themselves with the next Emperor since he was the one who would determine their fates.

Thus, this cough in the grand hall seemed rather insignificant, as everyone turned a deaf ear, as if they hadn't heard it at all.

But along with this cough, the hanging curtain slowly rolled up, revealing Ying Xi's pale face.

Though as pale as paper, this Emperor was far from being unable to move. At this moment, he sat upright on the Dragon Throne, his authoritative gaze sweeping over everyone in the grand hall.

That cold gaze involuntarily made the ministers lower their heads, for the dignity cultivated by the Emperor over many years was not so easily violated.

"Very good, indeed my fine son!" Ying Xi said with a cold laugh as he looked at his youngest son standing in the center of the grand hall.

However, after initial shock and fear, the Third Prince quickly calmed down. He raised his head to look at his father, his eyes devoid of any respect.

"Isn't this how Father ascended to the throne? I'm merely learning from you," the Third Prince replied with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

His words involuntarily made the Emperor reminisce about the past. Once upon a time, he had stood in the Golden Palace with the same vigor, while the bodies of his several brothers lay beside him, their blood likewise turning the floor of the grand hall bright red. He hadn't expected it would come to this for himself.

This gave Ying Xi a sudden feeling of karmic retribution and stirred a tinge of regret deep within his heart, which he quickly buried away inside.

"Since it's come to this, I shall end this sad cycle of Reincarnation. Once I am reborn, I will be able to avoid many mistakes in grooming the next generation." Deep inside, Ying Xi hypnotized himself with these thoughts.

Perhaps these hypnotic words had an effect, as Ying Xi's gaze regained its icy demeanor, looking down at his son, he gently uttered two words: "Proceed!"

No sooner had his words fallen than a soft, effeminate voice rang out from the shadows, "As you command, my Emperor!" The voice was filled with fervor.

Following that, a faint sound began to echo in everyone's ears, speaking what seemed to be an ancient language, as if carrying a bizarre magic.

While everyone was at a loss, unable to guess the Emperor's tactics, a chilling scream emanated from the Third Prince's mouth, reverberating through the vast hall and sending shivers down spines.

Amidst the horrified looks of all present, the young Prince writhed on the ground in agony, with veins bulging on his face and large beads of sweat streaming down his cheeks.

An astonished young Colonel by the side was stupefied by the scene before him; he had no idea what was happening, and as a soldier, he couldn't comprehend the situation at all.

But he was very clear if the Third Prince were to fall, the outcome awaiting him would certainly not be a good one.

Without a moment's hesitation, he chose to draw his sword and attack. Since it had come to this, he might as well kill the old Emperor too. As for what would become of the world after that, what did it have to do with him?

His form shot towards the Golden Palace like a bolt of lightning, stunning everyone with his choice. It had been so many years since such a thing had happened to that supreme position.

How much courage and hatred must a young man harbor to make such a decision?

But as things had come to this point, how could the Emperor be without a contingency? Several men in black leaped out from all around, each one nimble and clearly skilled.

In the ensuing chaos, the man's corpse lay on the floor of the Golden Palace. The Third Prince's screams still continued; gradually, his blood vessels burst, and blood gushed out, staining the Golden Palace, mingling with the blood of his older brothers.

Everybody looked up at the Emperor's cold face, disbelief writ over their features. The Emperor was letting his own lineage die off—how was that possible? Had he gone mad?

However, at that moment, the sound echoing in the Golden Palace did not diminish in the slightest. On the contrary, it grew louder with the passage of time, causing everyone to shudder with fear.

The blood on the floor began to change with the rising volume of the sound, slowly coming together to form a blood-red sphere.

All of a sudden, a golden glimmer flashed fleetingly, and a drop of blood with a golden glow separated from the blood-red sphere.

The Essence Blood was only as large as a Pill, but it carried an inexplicable majesty that made onlookers involuntarily bow their heads, as if they were in the presence of the most noble being in the world.

Upon seeing the Essence Blood, Ying Xi's breathing became rapid. The ancient texts indeed spoke the truth—this was the First Emperor's Essence Blood. If he consumed it, he could reverse his lineage and gain a much longer life. With that, would he still worry about his progeny?

The golden Essence Blood flew into Ying Xi's mouth, instantly restoring color to the pale Emperor's face. In that moment, he felt as if there was endless strength within his body, compelling him to rise to his feet.

His graying hair turned black in an instant, and the wrinkles on his face gradually decreased, seemingly making him twenty years younger.

Ying Xi was utterly intoxicated by the sensation of regaining his youth, spreading his arms as if to embrace a new life.

Meanwhile, the expressions of the four elders on the high building changed drastically, for they sensed the disturbance in the lineage of the First Emperor at that moment.

"Damn it, is this Xu Fu's intention, purposely restraining us here?"

"That can't be right, he has only entered this world not long ago, and Ying Xi has clearly been scheming for a long time. The timing doesn't add up."

"What to do now? With only Ying Xi left bearing the Emperor's bloodline, can we really just sit by and watch a murderer who killed his kin ascend to the Dragon Throne?"

"Previously, perhaps there was nothing we could do. But now, things may be different," the lead elder said softly, his gaze piercing through space as if he saw Zhao Pu hidden in the Imperial Palace, a slight smile curving at the corner of his mouth.

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