Wanyan He, with Yang Xiao on his mind, exchanged a few pleasantries with the surrounding officials before excusing himself to leave hastily.

By the time he returned to the Prince Manor, the banquet was already prepared, and Yang Xiao and the others were sitting by the table, ready to eat.

Wanyan He rushed in,

"Haha, returning early isn't as good as returning at the right time, just in time for the meal."

Yang Xiao laughed and said,

"You still have an appetite? You must be inwardly overjoyed, right?"

Xiao Gang, Liang Bao, and the others were still unaware that Yang Xiao had killed the War God and that Wanyan He had been commended by the Emperor, appointed as the Emperor's special assistant to assist with imperial affairs,

Upon hearing Yang Xiao's words, everyone immediately looked at Wanyan He.

"Prince, what did the Emperor summon you for?"

Wanyan He laughed and said,

"You should ask Brother Yang! What, Brother Yang hasn't told you?"

Liang Bao and the others were even more confused and said anxiously,

"Oh come on, don't keep us in suspense, just tell us already, you're killing us here."

Wanyan He glanced at Yang Xiao, chuckled, and said,

"Alright, let me tell you some good news directly: The War God of the Great Dragon Empire went to Purple Origin Star to assassinate Brother Yang, but was instead killed by Brother Yang. Now the War God is dead."

"What? The War God is dead!"

Everyone gasped in shock, looking at Yang Xiao in disbelief.

After all, the War God was a mighty powerhouse at the Emperor Level Realm!

No one could have imagined that the famed War God was actually killed by Yang Xiao.

Everyone turned to look at Yang Xiao.

"Brother Yang, is this true?"

Liang Bao asked, trembling slightly.

Yang Xiao smiled faintly, nodded, and said,

"Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely my doing. At my Evolution Level, I was no match for the War God. The War God was evenly matched with the Savage King, and I just took the opportunity to ambush him,

Oh, and you probably haven't heard, the Savage King has already broken through to the Emperor Level Realm."

"What?"

Everyone was shocked again.

The Savage King breaking through to the Emperor Level Realm is a big deal!

And standing before them, Yang Xiao, was the leader of Purple Origin Star, which also meant that Yang Xiao's power was growing stronger.

The Eldest Prince, Wanyan He, said to Yang Xiao,

"Brother Yang, congratulations! Now that your Purple Origin Star has an Evolver at the Emperor Level Realm, that is indeed significant. Under your leadership, Purple Origin Star will surely shine brightly in the future. Let me toast to you!"

"Haha, cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses together.

After drinking the first glass, Yang Xiao asked,

"Your Highness, when the Emperor summoned you, didn't he reward you with something? You've certainly contributed greatly to the Flying Leopard Empire!"

Wanyan He smiled slightly and said,

"Today, Father publicly announced that from now on, I will be his special assistant, helping him manage imperial affairs. Does that count as a reward?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Xiao Gang exclaimed in surprise with an "Aiyo".

"Congratulations, Your Highness, congratulations! The Emperor is clearly setting up your succession!"

Everyone else also felt this made sense and began to toast Wanyan He.

Wanyan He, who had been frustrated for over a decade, finally felt vindicated today, and accepted drinks generously.

The meal lasted three to four hours, and by the end, most were drunk, assisted by servants and guards, they each retired to their rooms to rest.

...

While Yang Xiao and others were drinking, at the Second Prince's residence, a different scene unfolded.

The Second Prince, the first War General Wanyan Kang, and the wealthiest man Qin Chuan, sat in the gazebo of the back garden drinking in frustration.

Qin Chuan looked at the two of them and said angrily,

"What does the Emperor mean today? Announcing that Wanyan He will assist him in managing the imperial affairs, does it mean he's preparing to pass the throne to the Eldest Prince?

Look at those sycophants today, the moment they heard the Emperor appointed the Eldest Prince as special assistant, they all swarmed around him, offering gifts. It's so damn infuriating."

Wanyan Kang said indifferently,

"What's there to be angry about? Fawning on the powerful is human nature. Now that the Eldest Prince has Yang Xiao as a powerful backer and has achieved several major accomplishments, he naturally earns the Emperor's trust and affection."

Qin Chuan retorted unwillingly,

"General, are we just going to sit by and watch, letting Wanyan He inherit the throne? As you know, Wanyan He is quite dissatisfied with us, and if he ascends to the throne, we won't have good days ahead."

Wanyan Kang turned to Wanyan Ying and asked,

"Second Prince, what do you think?"

Wanyan Ying glanced at the two. Wanyan Kang was the empire's first War General, and Qin Chuan was the empire's wealthiest man. With such powerful allies, how could he lose to Wanyan He?

This outcome was something he could not accept.

Wanyan Ying gritted his teeth and said,

"The only solution now is,"

Wanyan Ying picked up a fruit knife from the table and sliced a fruit in half on the table.

"To get rid of him, so there will be no one to vie for the throne with me in the Flying Leopard Empire."

Qin Chuan immediately agreed,

"Exactly, heartless and straightforward, just do it and end everything."

Every time Qin Chuan saw Yang Xiao's name, his heart felt a pang of distress.

Yang Xiao was the enemy who killed his two sons!

As Yang Xiao's power grew, Qin Chuan felt his hope of revenge diminishing.

In Qin Chuan's plan, if Wanyan Ying could inherit the throne, he would have the opportunity to nullify the alliance between the Flying Leopard Empire and Yang Xiao, then join forces with the Great Dragon Empire to attack Purple Origin Star, kill Yang Xiao, and avenge his deceased sons.

Wanyan Kang pondered for a moment and said,

"When the Eldest Prince was at Flying Leopard Academy, we could still attempt to assassinate him quietly, but now that he has become the Emperor's most favored prince, taking action to kill him could have unpredictable consequences."

As the empire's first War General, Wanyan Kang had significant military power and his Genetic Evolution Realm was at the Emperor Level. In his view, even if Wanyan He inherited the throne, he would still be needed, and his position would not be threatened.

If he were to kill Wanyan He under the Flying Leopard Emperor's watchful eye now, the consequences would be truly unpredictable.

Wanyan Ying looked at Wanyan Kang and smiled slightly,

"Master Kang, do you know the background of that expert Liang Bao by the Eldest Prince's side?"

Wanyan Kang shook his head,

"One of the Eldest Prince's guards, I don't have the interest to look into him."

"Haha, then you are mistaken."

Wanyan Ying said with a cunning smile; he had dispatched people to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of several new guards by Wanyan He's side recently.

Liang Bao, Fan Chen, Wang Qian, Cui Yuan, and Gong Yu's backgrounds were all clear to him, and he found nothing problematic about the others. But Liang Bao surprised him.

"That Liang Bao is the son of Liang Hong, the number one Gambling King in Wentian City."

"The son of Gambling King Liang Hong? So what?"

Wanyan Kang replied indifferently.

"Master Kang, do you remember more than twenty years ago, when you got drunk and gambled at the Liang Family casino, and lost everything? You were so angry that you suspected cheating and started a fight, eventually killing an important person."

Wanyan Kang thought momentarily, then looked up at Wanyan Ying,

"You mean the Gambling King's youngest son?"

"Yes, it seems your memory is intact. You killed the Gambling King's youngest son, who was also Liang Bao's younger brother,

According to what I know, Liang Bao was originally a hedonist. Though he had the potential for Genetic Evolution from a young age, he had no interest in cultivation and indulged himself in pleasures, wandering and enjoying life,

But after you killed his younger brother, he suddenly changed. He quit his hedonistic ways and enrolled in Flying Leopard Academy, diligently studying Genetic Evolution Methods and speeding up his evolution,

He is now at the Empire Level Peak, one step away from breaking through to the Emperor Level Realm,

Do you know what Liang Bao liked to say most during his time at Flying Leopard Academy?"

"?" Wanyan Kang looked at the Second Prince.

"According to my investigation of Wanyan Ying's classmates, his favorite saying was,

'I will make Wanyan Kang that scoundrel pay a blood debt and avenge my brother!'