Chapter 312: Chapter 218: Who Dares to Assassinate the Crown Prince! Having Seen the Crown Prince’s Decree, Why Do You Not Kneel?

But peace was never easy. Conflict was inevitable.

’One day, I will no longer have to act according to my Father-Emperor’s whims,’ Lu Mingyuan thought to himself.

Under the cover of night, a thick, killing intent surged forth.

WHOOSH!

Outside the Imperial Palace, a sinister wind began to blow.

Figure after figure cloaked in black appeared, standing in the shadows. Each one wore a White Lotus Conical Hat.

One of them, a sallow-faced elder holding a dark red Holy Staff, stared at the brightly lit Imperial Palace and said, "Today is the Grand Banquet. The gates of the Imperial City are open, and the arrays are down. Tonight is the perfect time for us to strike. No matter what, we must cause a big enough commotion to attract the Court’s attention!"

"But according to rumors from the Imperial Capital, Lu Mingyuan seems to have many expert guards. His own cultivation is also a mystery. Since he managed to get out of the Wilderness Cave Heaven, he must have gained significant Opportunity. If we assassinate him, won’t we be provoking a powerful enemy?" a younger cultivator from the Endless Pavilion said with some concern.

"What do you know? If we don’t use the Court to eliminate the White Lotus Ancient Sect, we’ll be the ones to die. Only by attracting the Court’s attention and framing the White Lotus Ancient Sect can we survive this desperate situation and eliminate our future worries. No matter how strong Lu Mingyuan is, how could he possibly compare to the White Lotus Sect Leader? Or the Celestial Dragon Master?"

Hearing this, the young cultivator was left speechless.

A century ago, the White Lotus Ancient Sect’s Leader, Duanmu Lian, was already a Twelfth Realm Great Cultivator, known as the subterranean ruler of the Donglu Continent. The White Lotus Ancient Sect has lain dormant for a millennium and is by no means weak. By now, she might even be an Earth Immortal.

And that’s not to mention the Celestial Dragon Master, the Valley Master of Ashen Dragon Valley. He raises four Celestial Dragons within his painted scrolls, achieved sainthood through painting, and his magical treasure is the Dragon-slaying Inkstone. He is also a good friend of the National Preceptor, Xun Yu.

The elder rebuked him before adding, "In any case, Lord Ying has already given the order. If this operation fails again, we will all die."

All the figures in black trembled, and a dense, chilling aura began to radiate from their bodies.

The elder waved his Holy Staff, and thousands of ghostly shadows flew out, coalescing into a sinister wind that rushed toward the Imperial Palace.

The palace lanterns in the Imperial Palace swayed violently and then extinguished.

The Armored Imperial Guards watching over the Imperial City had just sensed something was wrong when ghostly shadows rushed into their bodies, possessing them.

In an instant, the soldiers all froze in place, motionless, their expressions dull as if they had been cursed.

SWISH SWISH.

The cultivators from the Endless Pavilion, now inhabiting the bodies of the Armored Imperial Guards, slipped into the Imperial Palace, completely unnoticed.

Inside the Holy Bright Palace, after Lu Mingyuan concluded the ancestral worship ceremony, everyone was seated for the meal.

Many began to compose poetry.

This was clearly not his kind of occasion.

Yun Qinghe stood guard by Lu Mingyuan’s side. Her eyes were fixed on the gently swaying lanterns when she sensed enemies breaking through the Imperial Palace gates. She sent a cold-toned telepathic message, "Something seems wrong outside."

Lu Mingyuan gently patted Yun Qinghe’s shoulder, motioning for her to sit down. He then gave a small smile to the slightly uneasy Wang Zhaoyan before walking out of the Holy Bright Palace.

Standing on the stone steps, Lu Mingyuan turned to face the magnificent Great Flame Dragon Wall, spreading his Primordial Consciousness outwards.

Squad after squad of the Great Yan Imperial Guard on duty was advancing on the Holy Bright Palace.

"Look, there’s a figure standing outside the palace."

"Isn’t that Lu Mingyuan? Why did he come out by himself?"

"A great opportunity! We can’t let it slip by!"

The telepathic messages flew back and forth.

Two figures in black, like phantoms, flew out from the bodies of two Imperial Guards. They swung their blades simultaneously, slashing at Lu Mingyuan from two incredibly tricky angles.

BANG! BANG!

Before their blades could even touch Lu Mingyuan, their bodies spontaneously exploded, turning into two clouds of blood mist.

And yet, Lu Mingyuan hadn’t done a thing.

Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan wasn’t surprised.

He gave a slight smile toward the empty air:

"Thank you both for taking action."

"It is our duty."

A tall man in Golden Battle Armor, holding a Qilin Cross Spear, walked out from a side hall of the Holy Bright Palace. He made a light pressing motion with one large hand, emitting a formidable Martial Dao pressure.

He had achieved such a terrifying effect with just a single press of his palm.

Truly befitting of Blood Qilin, one of the Imperial Experts.

’The reason I came out was to test whether these two would act. It seems they will, and won’t just stand idly by. I suppose I am quite important after all.’

"They’re just a bunch of minions. Nothing to fear."

The other Imperial Expert, Zhong Yuli, gave a disdainful smile on his scholarly face.

With a flick of his finger, a Sword Wave shot out and struck the forehead of one of the palace Imperial Guards. With a BANG, the man’s entire head exploded.

Several black shadows flew out.

"You dare try to assassinate the Crown Prince with just this?"

Zhong Yuli snorted. He pressed his palm against the empty air, and a surging tide of True Qi Dao Qi rushed out.

It instantly suppressed all the assassins.

Lu Mingyuan glanced at the sallow-faced elder in the lead and said, "Who is your master? Tell me, and I can grant you an intact corpse."

"Lu Mingyuan, you had best release this Elder, or your end will be miserable! The Sect Leader will not spare you!"

The sallow-faced elder roared.

’I didn’t expect the Imperial Palace’s Imperial Experts to be lying in ambush nearby. We miscalculated. It seems our only choice is to use the framing tactic. We absolutely cannot expose the Lord’s existence.’

Ripples emanated.

Observing the Heart activated, and an internal telepathic message entered Lu Mingyuan’s ears.