Everything had become even more serious after fermenting for a day and a night, just as expected.
The Noble Prince Bie Leng had been rallying people everywhere, and the number of people standing behind him had grown larger and larger. There were now more than a thousand.
The matter of Lan Ling killing Commandery Princess Yudie had become known throughout the entire Rakshasa City, causing widespread outrage.
Countless people were shouting for Lan Ling to be punished and killed, trying to put enormous pressure on the Little Rakshasa King from afar.
However, many direct descendants of the Rakshasa Royal Clan, as well as direct descendants of families belonging to members of the Rakshasa Elders’ Council, quietly withdrew.
Because they had already sensed a dangerous atmosphere. On the surface, this matter was targeting Lan Ling, but in reality, it was aimed at the Little Rakshasa King.
This concerned the struggle for the throne of the Rakshasa Clan. Many people in power immediately held their breath and watched the situation unfold, refusing to express any opinion and locking their own younger generations inside their homes.
Yet the attitude of Elder Mo Kan, the father of Bie Leng, the instigator of this whole affair, was particularly difficult to understand.
His attitude was… no attitude.
However, to him, having no attitude was the strongest attitude of all.
Bie Leng appeared to be trying to destroy Lan Ling, but in reality he was targeting the Little Rakshasa King. Elder Mo Kan should have understood this very clearly.
Who was Mo Kan?
He was the biological elder brother of the Rakshasa King, an elder of the Rakshasa Royal Clan, an elder of the Rakshasa Clan, and currently the First Elder remaining in Rakshasa City.
In terms of power, within Rakshasa City at this moment, he was second only to the Little Rakshasa King. He was a truly powerful figure.
His son had raised his sword against the Little Rakshasa King, yet he simply sat back and watched. This already proved a great deal.
It meant that he had begun choosing sides in the future battle for the throne, and he had chosen Prince Youming.
This was an extremely dangerous signal!
His attitude was equivalent to announcing to the entire world that the position of future Rakshasa King had not yet been decided.
All along, everyone had naturally assumed that the Little Rakshasa King was the sole heir to the throne, the absolutely legitimate successor.
But now, someone had torn apart this assumption.
Many members of the Elders’ Council and members of the Royal Clan had already sensed danger. They not only locked their descendants inside their homes, they themselves even began claiming to be ill and stopped appearing in public.
Many people could not understand why Elder Mo Kan would make such a dangerous move.
He had already reached the highest position he could possibly attain. Even if he helped Prince Youming ascend the throne, he could not rise any further. Why would he do this?
The benefits and risks were completely disproportionate!
Therefore, during the first half of that day, the entire Rakshasa City was still noisy and chaotic. Everyone was discussing the matter, and everyone was calling for Lan Ling to be killed.
By the afternoon, not a single voice could be heard.
The entire Rakshasa City became quiet, as if everyone were holding their breath.
Everyone was like beasts hiding in their nests before an earthquake, trembling slightly as they waited for the upheaval to occur.
And Lan Ling had become the unprecedented focus of the entire Rakshasa Clan and Rakshasa City.
Everyone’s attention was concentrated on him, because at this moment, he represented the interests of the Little Rakshasa King.
……
Lan Ling was still one thousand li away from Rakshasa City!
Lan Ling was eight hundred li away from Rakshasa City.
Six hundred li.
Every so often, someone would report Lan Ling’s whereabouts.
The last time Lan Ling had come to Rakshasa City, although he could not be considered completely unknown, he had not attracted too much attention.
But this time, Lan Ling’s return to Rakshasa City was being watched by everyone.
Every time he advanced one hundred li, someone would return to Rakshasa City to report.
Three hundred li.
Two hundred li.
One hundred li.
Under countless focused gazes, Flame Demon Flag Master Lan Ling, riding a three headed Chimaera Beast, finally entered the skies above Rakshasa City.
The ironic thing was that although the entire Rakshasa City was watching his arrival, almost no one came to welcome him, except for the Shadow Warriors sent by the Little Rakshasa King.
“The Crown Prince’s intention is for you to land and walk towards the Crown Prince’s Palace,” said the Shadow Warrior.
Lan Ling said, “His Highness wants the matter to become even bigger?”
“Yes!” said the Shadow Warrior.
Thus, Lan Ling landed and rode the three headed Chimaera Beast along the wide streets of Rakshasa City, heading towards the Crown Prince’s Palace to face the trial.
Everywhere he passed, the roads were completely empty. There were only countless pairs of eyes watching his face and figure.
At the same time, the Noble Prince Bie Leng received the report.
“Lan Ling has arrived and is heading towards the Little Rakshasa King’s residence!”
The Noble Prince Bie Leng gave a sinister laugh. “That lowly creature actually dares to come? His death has arrived!”
Taking a deep breath, he walked out of his Noble Prince’s Residence.
Outside, more than a thousand people were waiting.
However, these people had changed.
Some were followers of Prince Youming, members of a community of shared interests. Their fathers and grandfathers occupied the core of the Rakshasa Clan’s power and were truly powerful and influential figures.
Another group consisted of opportunists and members of the Rakshasa Royal Clan who stood on the periphery.
Their backgrounds were also extremely distinguished. They could also be considered members of the Rakshasa Royal Clan, but their fathers and grandfathers had already been pushed to the margins of Rakshasa Clan politics.
A total of one thousand three hundred people, their presence was extremely intimidating.
The Noble Prince Bie Leng raised his arm and shouted, “Whether we can obtain justice for Yudie, whether we can safeguard the dignity of the Rakshasa Royal Clan, depends on this moment. For this sacred purpose, I, Bie Leng, will not hesitate even if it costs me my life. We will tear Lan Ling to pieces and exterminate his entire clan!”
“Tear Lan Ling to pieces and exterminate his entire clan!”
“Tear Lan Ling to pieces and exterminate his entire clan!”
Then, the Noble Prince Bie Leng led this enormous group of noble descendants towards the Crown Prince’s Palace in grand procession.
Lan Ling was travelling from east to west, while the Noble Prince Bie Leng’s group was travelling from west to east.
Both sides moved towards the Crown Prince’s Palace in the middle!
Half an hour later, the two sides met in front of the Crown Prince’s Palace.
The Noble Prince Bie Leng looked at Lan Ling and said coldly, “Lowly creature, today is the day you die. If you can come out alive, I will give you my head!”
“Tear Lan Ling to pieces and exterminate his entire clan!”
The noble descendants from throughout the Rakshasa territory behind the Noble Prince Bie Leng shouted loudly, their expressions towards Lan Ling as if they wanted to devour him alive.
The gates of the Crown Prince’s Palace opened, and a demon general shouted loudly, “Lan Ling, the Noble Prince Bie Leng, enter and confront each other!”
Lan Ling immediately stepped forward and entered the Crown Prince’s Palace.
The Noble Prince Bie Leng raised his arm and shouted, “The decisive battle begins now!”
Then, he led more than a thousand noble descendants and rushed inside.
He was thinking like a petty man, afraid that the more than a thousand followers behind him would not be allowed inside to put pressure on the Little Rakshasa King, so he really used the momentum to rush inside.
The instant he stepped through the gates of the Little Rakshasa King’s residence, he thought, “The first battle in the struggle for the throne has begun!”
At the same time, a black robed figure entered a dark and enormous residence and said to Elder Mo Kan, “Master, it has begun over there!”
Elder Mo Kan nodded and took a deep breath.
“The great split has begun!”
At this special moment, the struggle among the upper levels of the Rakshasa Royal Clan had suddenly begun.
Although it had been deliberately planned for a long time, its eruption was particularly sudden.
……
The main hall of the Crown Prince’s Palace opened.
The Little Rakshasa King sat high upon the golden throne.
The magnificent and imposing hall was so vast and splendid that even with more than a thousand people standing inside, it did not seem crowded.
And this was only the Little Rakshasa King’s residence, not the Royal Palace of the Rakshasa Clan.
On the left side of the hall stood the Noble Prince Bie Leng and more than one thousand three hundred noble descendants.
On the right side of the hall, there was only Lan Ling standing alone. He looked so isolated that it could no longer simply be described as being outnumbered.
In the corner of the hall, dozens of spiritual priests monitored every spiritual field within the hall, preventing either side from lying.
Below the golden throne sat representatives of the Elders’ Council of the Rakshasa Royal Clan and representatives of the Rakshasa Clan’s Elders’ Council.
Princess Shayan sat at the back of the hall, her figure hidden behind a crystal screen.
Almost everyone had taken their positions.
Then, a dense sound of footsteps approached.
Hundreds of Black Blood Warriors and thousands of warriors from the Crown Prince’s Palace surged in like a tide, standing like nails in the square outside the hall.
“Boom…”
Then, one great gate after another of the Little Rakshasa King’s residence was closed.
The Little Rakshasa King still had a face like a statue and said calmly, “Both sides are here. Then let us begin.”
His gaze turned towards Lan Ling. “Flame Demon Flag Master Lan Ling, the Noble Prince Bie Leng accuses you of killing the Royal Clan’s adopted daughter, Yudie. Is this true?”
Lan Ling said, “More or less.”
The Little Rakshasa King continued, “The Noble Prince Bie Leng accuses you of killing the servants brought by Yudie. Is this true?”
“Yes,” Lan Ling said.
The Noble Prince Bie Leng said sternly, “Your Highness, the facts are all here. Lan Ling has killed a member of the Rakshasa Royal Clan, which is equivalent to rebellion and is the greatest of crimes. Please publicly execute him, exterminate his entire clan, and safeguard the dignity of our Rakshasa Royal Clan.”
Having said this, the Noble Prince Bie Leng knelt down.
“Please, Your Highness, publicly execute Lan Ling and exterminate his entire clan!”
The more than one thousand noble descendants behind him all knelt in unison, their movements perfectly coordinated, as if they wanted to place enormous pressure on the Little Rakshasa King.
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Lan Ling, do you have anything to say?”
Lan Ling said, “Your Highness, the Noble Prince Bie Leng seduced and attempted to forcibly take my concubine Yudie, trying to destroy my marriage alliance with the Rakshasa Royal Clan. His crime is extremely serious. Please subject him to castration as a warning to others!”
The Noble Prince Bie Leng’s gaze turned cold. He pointed at Lan Ling and said, “You are making false accusations. You are like a cornered dog fighting back. You claim that I seduced Commandery Princess Yudie, but what evidence do you have? Do you have any letters? Any witnesses?”
There was naturally no evidence of the affair between Bie Leng and Yudie. They had not left behind a single written word, and no outsider had witnessed anything. It could be said that both of them were dead, leaving no one to testify.
The servant whom Yudie had sent to ask the Noble Prince Bie Leng for help had also already been killed by him.
“Evidence?” Lan Ling sneered. “Of course I have evidence!”
Then, Lan Ling clapped his hands.
A stunning and graceful woman slowly walked out. Her figure and appearance were exactly like Yudie’s.
Only those who were extremely familiar with Yudie could sense that her energy aura was different from Yudie’s.
She walked to the front of the hall, pointed at Bie Leng and said, “Your Highness, the Noble Prince Bie Leng repeatedly tried to molest me while I was in Rakshasa City. I resisted with all my strength. However, I never expected that after I went to Flame Demon City, he would actually try to use his power to forcibly take me from my husband, Lan Ling. Please give me justice, Your Highness!”
In an instant, the entire hall seemed to explode!
What, exactly, had happened?
And the Noble Prince Bie Leng was completely stunned, as if he had been struck by lightning!