The next day, the sky was clear and the weather was beautiful.

Outside the Imperial Palace, the streets were bustling with carriages and people. Upon closer inspection, one could see they were all members of the Celestial Martial Country’s high society.

Today was the day the Emperor was holding a grand banquet to send off the group heading to the Celestial Profound Sect, and all of the Celestial Martial Country’s high society had been invited to attend.

As soon as Wen Qingye and the others arrived, they were shown to their seats at the banquet. They were placed at tables near the main seat of honor.

Inside the hall, the beams were made of cloud-top sandalwood, the lamps were crystal jade pendants, and the curtains were made of pearls. Hundreds of low tables were arranged in rows, stretching so far that one could hardly see the end.

Ling Yao sat upon the main throne, a clear smile on his face. National Master Liu Ying and the Eighth Prince, Ling Xiao, were seated on either side of him, a testament to their extraordinary status.

Coincidentally, seated directly across from Wen Qingye was none other than the current Crown Prince, Ling Qi. Ling Qi observed Wen Qingye’s calm expression, acting as if there had never been any bad blood between them.

Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s gaze fell upon several figures standing behind the Third Prince, and he couldn’t help but frown. They wore helmets that obscured their faces, but Wen Qingye felt a distinct sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Today is a truly fine day!" Ling Yao declared with a great laugh, looking out at the crowd. "For forty years, no one from my Celestial Martial Country has had any hope of entering the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. I never expected that this year we would have five people! Five! That’s the most out of all the Sixteen Countries!"

Everyone was thrilled. The Celestial Martial Country had been suppressed for many years, and this year, they had finally made a breakthrough.

Liu Ying immediately rose, cupped his fists, and said with a smile, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s brilliant leadership that our Celestial Martial Country has produced so many talented geniuses."

"Enough with the words. Let us drain our cups!" Ling Yao said, standing and raising his cup to the crowd.

Seeing Ling Yao rise, everyone else stood up as well and drank the wine in their cups. As Ling Qi watched everyone drink, a flicker of delight sparked in his heart.

After drinking his wine, Ling Yao smiled at the crowd and said, "Sit, everyone, please, sit down."

Ling Yao turned to Liu Ying, who was beside him, and said, "Liu Ying, please explain the details of entering the Celestial Profound Sect."

Liu Ying nodded. These matters had been dictated by the Celestial Profound Sect, so it was imperative that he explain them to everyone now.

Liu Ying rose and announced in a clear voice, "The Celestial Profound Sect is located in the Northwest Land of the Eastern Profound Domain. It is the second-ranked Sect in the entire Eastern Profound Domain. Within the Sect, masters are as numerous as the clouds and experts as plentiful as rain. It holds sway over hundreds of smaller countries, as well as the Four Great Ancient Countries. The strength of these Ancient Countries is extremely formidable; a single one is strong enough to match the combined might of several dozen smaller nations."

Although everyone already knew a little about the Celestial Profound Sect, they were still somewhat stunned to hear Liu Ying’s words.

Everyone was secretly dumbfounded by the sheer power of the Celestial Profound Sect.

Liu Ying then turned to Wen Qingye and the other four, saying slowly, "Although you have earned the opportunity to enter the Celestial Profound Sect, this does not guarantee you will become its true disciples."

"The Celestial Profound Sect will test you and select you based on your aptitude. You will be categorized as servant disciples, Registered Disciples, or Core Disciples. Typically, ninety-nine percent of those who go from the Sixteen Countries end up as mere servant disciples."

"Servant disciples?" Nie Shuang couldn’t help but frown.

Liu Ying nodded and continued, "Of course, even being a servant disciple within the Celestial Profound Sect has endless benefits. If you can endure it for a few decades, once you leave the Sect, your strength will be absolutely extraordinary."

At this, Ling Yao laughed. "The National Master is correct. Even the future of a servant disciple from the Celestial Profound Sect is limitless."

Hearing the words of Ling Yao and Liu Ying, the crowd’s tense expressions relaxed, and they nodded in understanding.

"Alright, let us not dwell on the matters of the Celestial Profound Sect any longer! Now, let the dishes be served! I await your glorious return!"

"Wait!"

Suddenly, a voice cut through the hall, and everyone turned toward its source.

Ling Qi was seen slowly rising to his feet. "Father Emperor," he said, "there is something I wish to say, though I am unsure if this is the proper time."

"On a day like today, speak your mind freely," Ling Yao replied, his mood still one of extreme excitement.

Ling Qi nodded, then swept his gaze across the crowd. "This year, our people from the Celestial Martial Country performed brilliantly in the Thousand Rivers Secret Land, bolstering our country’s prestige. This is truly a cause for celebration. I believe that in the coming years, the Celestial Martial Country’s strength will continue to grow, and we will become ever more powerful."

"However..." Ling Qi paused here, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "In the coming decades... given the state of Father Emperor’s body and your old, persistent ailments, I imagine you won’t be able to hold on for much longer."

At his words, a wave of shock washed over the crowd, erupting into an uproar.

The very air in the hall seemed to freeze.

Ling Yao’s smile froze. His old injuries not only made it difficult for his cultivation to advance, but they were also slowly draining his life away, a fact that had become especially apparent recently. ’But how could Ling Qi possibly know?’ Thinking this, Ling Yao immediately roared, "Ling Qi, what is the meaning of this?"

Ling Qi chuckled softly as he walked into the aisle between the two rows of tables. "Father Emperor, my meaning is that I no longer want the position of Crown Prince. This title is subject to your whims, leaving me with a constant feeling of imminent peril."

Ling Yao nodded. "You no longer want the position of Crown Prince? In that case..."

Just then, Ling Wei slowly rose and said with a smile, "You may not want the position of Crown Prince, but that’s because you want the throne itself. Isn’t that right, Ling Qi?"

"Hahahaha!" Ling Qi threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Little sister, you truly do understand me."

BANG!

"Ling Qi!" Ling Yao slammed his hand on the table, sending cups and pastries scattering. He glared at Ling Qi and roared, "You bastard! You think you’re worthy of the throne? Let me tell you clearly: I am leaving this throne to the Third Prince! You can forget about ever touching it!"

Hearing Ling Yao’s words, a flash of wild joy appeared in the Third Prince’s eyes, though he suppressed it instantly. Wen Qingye saw it clearly. ’It seems this Third Prince is no simple character,’ he thought.

"Hmph!" Ling Qi snorted coldly. "You old fool. I’ve known for a long time that you wanted to give my position as Crown Prince to the third prince. This is just as I expected."

Ling Yao was so enraged by Ling Qi’s words that he nearly coughed up blood. He immediately bellowed to the guards outside, "Guards! Guards! Seize Ling Qi, drag him away, and execute him!"

After a moment, there was no response from outside.

A chill ran down Ling Yao’s spine. He stared at Ling Qi in disbelief.

Ling Qi let out a cold laugh. "Guards!"

At Ling Qi’s call, dozens of men in black suddenly appeared, surrounding the hall. Their cultivation was not low; most were at the Refining Spirit Fifth Layer Heaven or Sixth Heaven. A deathly aura emanated from each of them—they were all Death Warriors.

Ling Yao scanned the black-clad men and sneered, "Ling Qi, you think you can seize the throne with just this paltry force? That’s utterly laughable."

"Is that so?" Ling Qi replied nonchalantly.

Ling Yao turned to Liu Ying and Ling Xiao. "Liu Ying! Ling Xiao! Seize this traitorous son for me! If he resists, kill him on the spot!"

Ling Xiao’s face suddenly turned grim. "Imperial Brother," he said in a low voice, "I think... my cultivation has vanished."

"What?" Hearing Ling Xiao’s words, the color drained from Ling Yao’s face.

Ling Qi stated flatly, "You’ve been hit with my Element Eliminating Powder. For twelve double-hours, you will be without your Primordial Qi. In other words, for these twelve hours you will be powerless cripples, ready for the slaughter."

The moment Ling Qi finished speaking, everyone present frantically tried to circulate their Primordial Qi. When they discovered it was useless, all their faces turned pale.

"You... you treacherous son! It seems you’ve been plotting this for a long time!" Ling Yao took a small step back. He saw that the nearby National Master Liu Ying’s expression was calm, as if nothing was wrong, and hurriedly said, "National Master, you..."

But Liu Ying seemed completely unmoved by Ling Yao’s words, remaining where he stood, perfectly still.

"Hahahaha!" Ling Qi roared with laughter. "The National Master pledged his allegiance to me long ago! Ling Yao, hand over the throne, and I’ll grant you a way to live. How about it?"

Hearing Ling Qi’s words, Ling Yao looked at Liu Ying, his brow furrowed deeply. He shook his head and said, "I don’t believe you."

A smug look flashed in Ling Qi’s eyes. "Stubborn fool. You don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll make you believe. National Master, come over to my side so Ling Yao can have a good look at what it means to say that a just cause attracts much support, while an unjust one finds little."

But Liu Ying seemed not to have heard Ling Qi’s words. He remained standing in place, his expression cold, utterly motionless.