Chapter 399: Chapter 248: Great Victory at the Frontline, a Nation Stirred, a Demon Country Remnant in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince’s Mansion Under House Arrest

It was 5:00 AM, and the sky was just beginning to lighten.

There was still some time before the morning court session.

Emperor Yong’an, dressed in his Dragon Robe and wearing a Golden Imperial Crown with nine tassels, had a majestic and extraordinary bearing. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back before a Copper Mirror, scrutinizing the wrinkles on his face, his brow furrowed with melancholy.

"The Crown Prince will be returning to the Capital in the coming days. How long until the latest war report arrives?"

He directed the soft-spoken question to an old eunuch at his side.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s return is expected within the next few days. As for the war report, it should be announced throughout the Capital City by this morning," Eunuch Yan replied respectfully.

"Hmph!"

The bone-chilling snort seemed to drop the temperature in the grand hall by several degrees. Cold sweat beaded on Eunuch Yan’s forehead.

"Why was he able to win?"

Emperor Yong’an narrowed his eyes, gazing at the towering Great Flame Dragon Wall in the distance. ’What on earth did that son of mine experience inside the Grand Thousand Canglan Map?’ he wondered.

Eunuch Yan reminded him, "Your Majesty, rumor has it that all who emerge from that map become extraordinary. I fear the Crown Prince has had another fortuitous encounter."

A long silence followed.

Emperor Yong’an turned and returned to his bedchambers. Just as Eunuch Yan was about to follow, the Emperor’s cold, commanding voice reached his ears, "Just stand guard at the door."

Eunuch Yan bowed and remained outside.

After entering the Deep Palace, Emperor Yong’an walked across the simple yet elegant floor, his eyes flickering as if he were weighing his options, about to make a momentous decision.

He came to his study and pressed a jade-adorned section along the edge of the wall.

"WHOOSH!"

The jade immediately burst forth with a faint radiance. The light transformed into lines that snaked across the wall, eventually forming a lifelike dragon pattern.

Once the Golden Dragon pattern was complete, a screen of light materialized before him, revealing a hidden passageway.

Emperor Yong’an walked straight in. Behind him, the screen of light rippled and swiftly closed.

He continued forward.

He walked until a black Dharma Pearl appeared before him. It was the size of a fist and resembled a Luminous Pearl, but it emitted a ghostly green glow. It looked incredibly sinister, possessing an inexplicable evil quality, as if merely being touched by it would bring misfortune.

"Witch High Priest, how could you fail to defeat a mere Prince? In that case, don’t blame me for breaking my word," Emperor Yong’an muttered to himself, his voice ice-cold.

This object was a Divine Object of the Witch Race. Tracing back to its origins, it was a Treasure bestowed by an Ancient Holy Nether Divine Being. The pearl was the heart of an Ancient God, containing peerless Divine Power.

Emperor Yong’an released the black Divine Pearl. Instead of falling, it floated, emitting a pure, dark essence that flowed into his body.

Just a sliver of that energy was enough to turn a lock of Emperor Yong’an’s white hair significantly darker.

But immediately after, a winding, tadpole-shaped black Curse Seal appeared on his neck, flashing for an instant before vanishing.

It was as if he had been afflicted with some curse.

Faintly, Emperor Yong’an heard the pained roar of a dragon from deep within the Great Yan Dragon Vein.

The black Divine Pearl, in turn, grew even darker. A large vortex appeared in its center, siphoning all the surrounding Destiny.

Only a Qi Cultivator who had mastered the Qi Observation Skill would have been able to see that the once-dense Emperor’s Fortune within the bedchambers had grown much thinner.

Emperor Yong’an put down the Divine Pearl, his eyes filled with resentment. ’Although this thing can prolong my life, its side effects are too severe. It is, after all, that Demoness’s plaything. If I want to completely control this Divine Pearl, I’ll need to replenish it with far more Destiny.’

’Great Yan’s Fortune has seen its highs and lows. If I keep siphoning it, it will cause a cataclysm and the National Fortune will collapse. The plan I settled on before... it’s about time to put it into action. As soon as my Sixth Son returns to the Capital, I must implement it immediately and announce it to the world.’

’So what if you bring back Qi Xingyan’s coffin? This empire is still my empire. Your life and death are still for me to decide. And the people of this world are still on my side.’

A faint smile touched Emperor Yong’an’s lips as he let out a soft chuckle and left the secret chamber.

...

The sky had yet to fully brighten, tinged with a faint, pale blue glow.

An Imperial Guard at the Imperial City Gate yawned. It was finally time to change shifts.

But a fast horse, its rider whipping it onward and carrying a military dispatch, had already galloped into the Capital City, bringing a small shock to the predawn Imperial Capital.

"Urgent express from the front line!"

"The Crown Prince has won a great victory! The Demon Country has retreated!"

The soldier on horseback was exhausted, but he couldn’t contain his excitement. He had passed through the Twenty-one Northern Borders and the Seven Continents and Fourteen Provinces to finally bring this news back to the Great Yan Capital City.

As soon as the news broke, the Imperial Guard at the gates were stunned.

The surrounding Commanders of the Imperial Guard had much the same reaction.

They were both thrilled and bewildered.

’A victory on the front line?’

’This is great news!’

As soldiers, they were naturally overjoyed to hear such good news.

"I can’t believe it. The army led by the Crown Prince actually won. I even doubted him before, thinking he didn’t know how to command troops," a Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard said first.

"Yeah, me too. News this good should be spread far and wide. There’s been a curfew in the Capital City recently; a great victory like this is enough to sweep away the gloom."

「In less than half a day.」

News of the great victory at the front had spread throughout the entire Capital.

Among them, the most excited were the women of the Eastern Palace Mansion, including Lu Mingyuan’s mother, Wang Zhaoyan; the Maid, Yun Qinghe; and the two ladies of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, Huo Hongling and Qi Muxue. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The Eastern Palace Mansion was now thriving more than ever.

More and more Cultivators flocked to join it, a clear sign of the growing approval for the current Crown Prince.