Liu Yunheng readily complied with Lin Yuan’an’s instructions, immediately responding, "Understood. I’ll lead the troops back at once. That bitch Liu Yunyao—how dare she harm my mother! I’ll make sure she dies in pieces!"

"Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment! Otherwise, forget revenge—you might not even survive this. Your victory hinges on this moment. This is no child’s play!" Lin Yuan’an repeatedly warned Liu Yunheng.

Liu Yunheng was well aware of the danger. Leading troops to storm the palace was no small matter—one misstep could cost him his life—so he readily agreed.

Without delay, Liu Yunheng rallied his forces and contacted Liu Yunfei to discuss a plan to lure Liu Yunyao out of the royal city. Naturally, he also took thorough precautions for his own safety.

Liu Yunfei promptly relayed this information to Ye Liuyun.

"Agree to it," Ye Liuyun strategized. "Tell him you’ll act as a mediator, pretending to negotiate peace between Liu Yunyao and Liu Yunheng to draw her out of the city.

"Liu Yunheng wants you to strike first against Liu Yunyao so he can kill her—and then you. He’s playing dirty. Instead, infiltrate his army with your own men. Form a specialized execution squad and, at the critical moment, turn the tide by scattering his forces.

"Make sure to bind your men with soul contracts beforehand to ensure their absolute loyalty."

Ye Liuyun swiftly devised the countermeasure and relayed it to Liu Yunfei.

"Are we killing Liu Yunheng? Wouldn’t that just hand victory to Liu Yunyao?" Liu Yunfei, completely baffled, failed to grasp Ye Liuyun’s plan.

Ye Liuyun scoffed. "Kill Liu Yunheng? Ha! Do you even have the strength for that? Let Liu Yunyao handle him—you just sit back and watch.

"When the time comes, tell Liu Yunheng your execution squad rebelled and pin the blame on those two close advisors of yours. That way, you offend neither side and can keep your ties with Liu Yunheng intact."

Still confused, Liu Yunfei asked, "But if Liu Yunheng thinks all my men have betrayed me, won’t he see me as useless? And if Liu Yunyao finds out I conspired with Liu Yunheng against her, won’t she come after me?"

"Are you dense?" Ye Liuyun snapped. "Liu Yunheng can’t enter the city—you can claim whatever numbers you want. Just say you’ve secretly stashed another force and even planted spies around the princess. As for Liu Yunyao, her main enemy is Liu Yunheng—she won’t target you first!"

With that, Ye Liuyun activated Liu Yunfei’s slave seal, compelling him to act. Then, he sent word to Liu Yunyao, instructing her to prepare. To counter an army of fifty thousand, they might need to deploy the thousand demon soldiers from the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon’s spatial realm.

Those demon soldiers could unleash combat power at the Dominator level—more than enough to handle fifty thousand ordinary troops.

Ye Liuyun also instructed Liu Yunyao: "When the time comes, focus all your efforts on killing Liu Yunheng. If Liu Yunheng dies, then take care of Liu Yunfei as well. But if Liu Yunheng escapes, leave Liu Yunfei alive—we can use him as bait."

Upon receiving the message, Liu Yunyao immediately began her preparations.

First, she sought out Lin Fengzhi. Though she knew Liu Yunheng’s attack was merely a feint, she wanted Lin Fengzhi fully prepared in case Liu Yunheng acted rashly.

Lin Fengzhi commanded a hundred thousand praetorian, more than enough to defend the city. What worried him was what would happen afterward—if Lin Yuan’an also led his troops back to force a coup.

Liu Yunyao reassured him, "That won’t be your concern. We still have the Chief Commander and my father above us. They won’t just sit back and let them storm the royal capital!"

"True enough," Lin Fengzhi conceded. The Liu-Lin King would never allow border troops to breach the capital. If that happened, it wouldn’t just be a matter of succession—the entire dynasty would change hands!

So, he quietly made his own defensive arrangements.

Meanwhile, after his discussion with Liu Yunheng, Liu Yunfei began gradually moving his own forces out of the capital, stationing them outside to rendezvous with Liu Yunheng. Before they left, he forced all his subordinates to sign loyalty oaths to prevent any chaos later.

When Liu Yunheng arrived with his army, the entire capital was stunned.

His fifty thousand troops, though newly conscripted, were clad in mourning attire. Lin Yuan’an had sent commanders to help Liu Yunheng train them, so they still cut an imposing figure.

Liu Yunheng himself wore armor beneath his mourning robes, loudly proclaiming that Liu Yunyao had murdered the royal consort Lin Mengxian and demanding her life in return.

But Lin Fengzhi reacted swiftly, immediately sealing the city gates while the soldiers on the walls stood ready for defense.

Yet what truly shocked everyone wasn’t just Liu Yunheng’s fifty thousand troops. Everyone knew Lin Yuan’an was the one backing him. If Lin Yuan’an had sent Liu Yunheng out first, it meant he, too, was preparing to make his move.

Sure enough, Lin Yuan’an had also gathered three hundred thousand troops at the border, poised for action. Every commander of this massive force was a member of his own family, strategically placed in the military long before. So despite being only a deputy commander, he could mobilize these three hundred thousand soldiers at any moment.

He also pressured Liu Qianzhong, demanding an explanation for his daughter’s sake.

Liu Qianzhong had long anticipated this situation. Upon receiving Lin Yuan’an’s message, he simply replied with seven words: *"Harm sought, harm reaped!"* He said nothing more, clearly unwilling to get involved, leaving Lin Yuan’an to handle the matter himself.

As the commander of the border army, overseeing an additional seven hundred thousand troops—all personally trained by Liu Qianzhong—he was a royal family member who had always stayed out of the princes’ internal power struggles. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Having received no instructions from Liu Qianzhong, he merely ordered his forces to remain vigilant against Lin Yuan’an, ignoring any further provocations.

Lin Yuan’an quickly grasped Liu Qianzhong’s stance. Now, he had to decide whether to actually mobilize his troops.

If he did, the Fourth Prince *had* to win. Otherwise, no matter who seized power, his military authority would inevitably be stripped, reducing him to a powerless figure—and his family would fall into ruin.

If he refrained, he could still pledge loyalty to the new king later and perhaps cling to his position.

So for now, he was merely bluffing. Whether to act ultimately depended on whether Liu Yunheng could handle Liu Yunyao.

He maintained daily contact with Liu Yunheng, tracking his progress.

On Liu Yunheng’s side, he staged a show of preparing for siege warfare—catapults and scaling ladders were deployed, yet no attack came. The two thousand-plus followers of Liu Yunfei had been absorbed into his ranks, reorganized into an elite axe squad. These martial cultivators, stronger than ordinary soldiers, were tasked with enforcing military discipline.

Liu Qianzhong, meanwhile, completely ignored Liu Yunheng’s pressure tactics—neither appearing nor speaking, leaving the matter entirely to Liu Yunyao to resolve.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Yunyao remained unperturbed, quietly cultivating each day as she waited for Liu Yunfei to approach her.

Once Liu Yunfei’s axe squad was fully integrated, Liu Yunheng immediately sent him to contact Liu Yunyao under the pretense of mediation—plotting to lure her out of the city.