At the moment Lan Ling acted, Elder Mokan released an incomparably powerful energy that swept directly towards Lan Ling.
He did not merely want to restrain Lan Ling, he even wanted to suffocate him and completely crush the energy pathways throughout his body.
It was like a world-shaking tsunami suddenly crashing down upon someone playing in the waves by the sea.
But……
His incomparably powerful energy seemed to collide with a terrifying barrier, or more precisely, two barriers.
The Little Rakshasa King and Elder Luzhu!
The energy fields released by these two people firmly blocked Elder Mokan’s attack.
“Boom……”
On the surface, it seemed as though nothing had happened, but the entire hall seemed to be swept by a tremendous energy storm.
Elder Mokan’s eyes flashed towards the Little Rakshasa King as he tried to use his power and authority to pressure him.
However, the Little Rakshasa King’s only response was a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth.
After Prince Beilian’s punishment was completed, Lan Ling placed the Starry Sky Magic Power meteorite dagger back into its sheath, then looked towards Elder Mokan and smiled as well.
The struggle for the throne had always been bloody. Once it began, it was a matter of life and death, continuing until one side completely fell. No one could voluntarily stop it.
Some people were truly interesting. They themselves had started the struggle for the throne and had been the first to act, yet they still hoped that their opponent would show mercy.
This Elder Mokan had even tried to threaten Lan Ling with his own power and authority.
He was threatening Lan Ling, saying that if he did not spare his son, he would tear him apart and destroy his entire family.
But even if Lan Ling spared his son, would Elder Mokan really spare Lan Ling? He would still look for every opportunity to destroy him. How could he possibly let Lan Ling off?
Elder Mokan glanced at his son, who was lying on the ground in agony, and his face twitched.
His son was basically finished.
His deep and terrifying gaze fixed firmly on the Little Rakshasa King.
The Little Rakshasa King lazily sat back on the golden throne and said, “Uncle, is there anything else?”
Elder Mokan suddenly gave a sinister laugh and said, “Since this rebellious son has committed such a great mistake, there is no need to keep him alive. Just execute him.”
With that, he stepped forward and lightly touched his biological son’s neck.
“Ah……”
Countless people in the hall cried out in shock.
Prince Beilian, who had been lying on the ground in agony, was killed by his own father.
“Father, don’t……” Beilian had never imagined that after everything he had suffered, his father Elder Mokan would personally kill him. Nothing that had happened before could compare with the shock this caused him.
Lan Ling’s face twitched violently.
This old fox was truly ruthless. Even a tiger would not eat its own cub, yet he had killed his own son in front of everyone.
Beilian was not merely his flesh and blood, he was also his heir.
Moreover, by killing his own son, he was announcing to the entire world that he and the Little Rakshasa King were now locked in a life-and-death struggle. Unless one side completely fell, there was no turning back. Even the Rakshasa King could no longer stop what had begun.
Princess Shayan also felt a chill throughout her body when she saw this scene.
Of course, she was ruthless herself. She had once personally killed her fiancé Naishu. However, Naishu had deserved to die at that time, so she had merely carried out justice on behalf of heaven.
But Elder Mokan before them had treated his own son as a weapon, personally sacrificing him to intimidate everyone, especially the Little Rakshasa King.
The Little Rakshasa King continued to stare coldly at the scene, secretly cursing Elder Mokan for being so sinister.
Originally, Elder Mokan had started the struggle for the throne, so he had been in the wrong within the Rakshasa royal family.
But after killing his own son, he suddenly had a reason to act openly. His son had died at the hands of the Little Rakshasa King, so was it not natural for him to oppose him? Was it not natural for him to become his enemy?
As a result, the entire Rakshasa royal family would gradually forget the fact that Elder Mokan had started the struggle for the throne. They would also forget that he had been the one to attack the Little Rakshasa King first.
After all, even his heir had died. What else could he do?
“Lan Ling, I, Mokan, swear before the gods and demons of heaven that I will definitely tear you and your family, including your wife and children, apart. I will wipe out your entire clan!” Elder Mokan said word by word before leaving.
However, as he said these words, he was staring at the Little Rakshasa King.
……
The first battle of the struggle for the throne, watched by countless people, had ended.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Lan Ling, who everyone had thought would certainly die, had survived. Instead, Prince Beilian, who had arrived with such confidence, had died, suffering a terrible fate before his death.
His limbs had been severely crippled, and he had also been castrated.
After learning the result, everyone fell silent in fear.
Especially after learning that Elder Mokan had personally killed his own son, it seemed as though the temperature throughout Rakshasa City had dropped several degrees.
The number of pedestrians on the streets had fallen by half, while the dark clouds in the sky seemed to press down several layers lower.
Almost no one dared to speak loudly. It was as though a storm was about to arrive. Almost everyone felt that a violent bloodbath was about to descend upon them.
……
Yun’e Clan, headquarters of the Demon Race Alliance!
Prince Youming soon learned everything that had happened in Rakshasa City.
His appearance and that of the Little Rakshasa King were complete opposites.
The Little Rakshasa King was like a sculpture, seemingly without any expression. Even his eyes barely moved.
As for Prince Youming, it seemed as though every expression on his face could speak.
His eyebrows, the corners of his eyes, the tip of his nose and the corners of his mouth could all convey exactly what he wanted to express.
In terms of appearance, he was on par with the Little Rakshasa King.
But his handsome face made people feel close to him, like being surrounded by a gentle spring breeze. His appearance was rather like an elegant young nobleman from a human kingdom.
But……
As soon as he revealed a cold smile, his entire temperament changed instantly. All his elegance and warmth disappeared, replaced by an eerie and sinister charm.
At this moment, he revealed exactly such an eerie smile, making the people around him shiver.
“Beilian is dead? Good. Now Elder Mokan has no choice but to stand completely on my side……” Prince Youming smiled. “Thank you, Elder Brother Crown Prince. You have brought me one step closer to the throne!”
……
“Rebellious son, rebellious son……” The Rakshasa King flew into a rage!
This was the worst news he had received. Elder Mokan had completely fallen out with the Crown Prince and had become his mortal enemy.
One of them was his right-hand man, while the other was his heir.
Most importantly, the two of them controlled the rear of the Rakshasa clan. For internal conflict to erupt between them at such a critical moment of war, the impact on the overall situation was obvious.
Originally, the Rakshasa King had blamed Elder Mokan in his heart, believing that he should not have started the struggle for the throne at such a time.
But Prince Beilian’s death caused him to shift his anger towards the Little Rakshasa King.
No matter what, Mokan was your uncle. How could you kill his son? Is this how you treat your elders? How will you treat me in the future?
Moreover, deep in his heart, he also felt a little guilty.
Why had his elder brother Mokan supported Youming? Was it not because the Rakshasa King’s own attitude had been ambiguous?
In front of others, the Rakshasa King had never revealed this ambiguity. But in front of a few of his closest people, he had deliberately criticised the Rakshasa Crown Prince several times and had repeatedly praised Prince Youming, giving those close to him room for speculation.
The Rakshasa King did indeed favour Prince Youming more, but did he intend to change the heir?
No.
He merely wanted Prince Youming to become a whetstone for the Crown Prince. He wanted to put pressure on the Rakshasa Crown Prince and tell him, “I, your father, am still the highest authority. Your position as Crown Prince is not necessarily secure. If you disappoint me, I can give you the position of Crown Prince, and I can also take it away.”
Previously, however, the Rakshasa Crown Prince had not taken this pressure seriously at all. He had behaved as though he did not care about anyone, and he had not regarded Prince Youming as a serious opponent.
But no one had expected that as soon as Elder Mokan reached out his hand, the result would be so devastating. Beilian, Mokan’s most outstanding heir, had died in the Crown Prince’s residence.
This result left the Rakshasa King shocked, furious, guilty, and secretly proud.
His heir was indeed imposing. He had directly used the most ruthless method to tell everyone that this was what would happen if they tried to interfere with his position as Crown Prince.
His anger, however, came from the thought, “Do you really not regard me, your father, at all? He was the fourth successor to the throne, yet you ordered his punishment without hesitation and allowed him to die.”
Although Elder Mokan had personally killed Beilian, in the Rakshasa King’s eyes, this was not much different from the Crown Prince killing him.
As for his guilt, he felt that this struggle for the throne had largely arisen because his ambiguous attitude had encouraged his elder brother Mokan to take this step.
“Your Majesty, Elder Mokan requests an audience!” his personal attendant came forward to report.
The Rakshasa King frowned, but had no choice but to soften his voice. “Let him in!”
……
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Elder Mokan knelt on both knees.
The Rakshasa King hurried forward and helped him up. “Brother, there is no need for such courtesy.”
But Elder Mokan remained kneeling on the ground, completely unmoving.
The Rakshasa King said, “I know everything that happened in Rakshasa City. The Crown Prince behaved recklessly. Beilian was his younger brother, practically like his own sibling. Even if he had done something wrong, such severe punishment was unnecessary. Where does that leave me, his father? And where does it leave you, his uncle?”
Elder Mokan knelt and said, “My son deserved to die for offending His Highness the Crown Prince. But what is Flame Demon Banner Lord Lan Ling? He is merely a servant of my Rakshasa royal family. What right did he have to kill Beilian? What right did he have to castrate the fourth successor of the Rakshasa royal family? I respectfully request that Lan Ling be punished according to the law and executed publicly.”
The Rakshasa King found himself in a difficult position.
Recruiting Lan Ling and arranging for him to marry Princess Shayan had been carried out by the Little Rakshasa King, but it had also been approved by the Rakshasa King.
The Rakshasa King had vision, judgement and a broad mind. Although he had never met Lan Ling, he valued him greatly.
With the great war in the demon realm imminent, the more talented people the Rakshasa royal family had, the better.
Especially since Lan Ling also commanded a powerful centaur army.
The Rakshasa royal family had paid a considerable price to recruit Lan Ling. Not only had they made him Flame Demon Banner Lord, they had also married Princess Shayan to him.
Now Elder Mokan was asking him to eliminate Lan Ling.
Eliminating Lan Ling would certainly force the Flame Demon Banner into rebellion. Under normal circumstances, even if the Flame Demon Banner’s territory rebelled, it would not be a major concern.
But with a great war approaching, if civil war broke out within the Rakshasa clan, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, the Rakshasa King was unwilling to anger this elder brother of his. After all, Mokan was his right-hand man and his close comrade-in-arms of many decades.
“Brother, with the great war approaching, once I return to Rakshasa City, I will certainly punish Lan Ling severely. How about that?” The Rakshasa King attempted to delay the matter.
Elder Mokan said, “I know Your Majesty is also in a difficult position, so I am willing to take a step back.”
The Rakshasa King said, “Tell me what you have in mind.”
Elder Mokan said, “Lan Ling killed Jade Butterfly and killed members of the royal family’s household as though they were insignificant. In the end, he even castrated my son Beilian. Did he show even the slightest respect for the dignity of the royal family? What qualifications does such an arrogant man have to become a member of the royal family, or to become the royal family’s son-in-law? I ask Your Majesty to dissolve his marriage with Princess Shayan and expel Lan Ling from the Rakshasa royal family.”
The Rakshasa King frowned. “That would not be appropriate. Shayan was first engaged to Naishu, but Naishu died. Now she has only been married to Flame Demon Banner Lord Lan Ling for a few days, and the marriage would already be dissolved. This would be too damaging to Shayan’s reputation.”
Elder Mokan said, “Your Majesty, does that mean Lan Ling does not need to receive any punishment?”
The Rakshasa King said, “Brother, calm down. Lan Ling must certainly be punished. It is just that this would cause too much harm to Shayan.”
Elder Mokan said, “But as far as I know, Princess Shayan hates Lan Ling deeply and wishes he were destroyed completely. Once she is separated from Lan Ling, I will immediately find the best husband for her.”
The Rakshasa King fell silent in thought.
Elder Mokan said, “How about this? Send someone back to Rakshasa City to ask Princess Shayan whether she is willing to divorce Lan Ling. If she agrees, then dissolve the marriage and expel Lan Ling from the royal family.”
The Rakshasa King closed his eyes.
Was Elder Mokan really trying to expel Lan Ling from the royal family?
Of course not. He merely wanted to sever the connection between Princess Shayan and Lan Ling, as well as her connection with the Little Rakshasa King.
Then he would find another marriage arrangement for Princess Shayan, naturally forming a marriage alliance with the faction supporting Prince Youming.
The Rakshasa King had only two sons and one daughter.
Princess Shayan held considerable importance in the Rakshasa King’s eyes. If she allied herself with Youming, it would be a significant blow to the Little Rakshasa King.
As for taking revenge on Lan Ling?
In Elder Mokan’s eyes, he did not even need to ask the Rakshasa King to intervene. He believed that his own power was more than enough to completely crush Lan Ling.
……
Princess Shayan’s residence welcomed one of the people closest to her, someone she trusted deeply.
Her wet nurse, the wife of a Rakshasa clan elder, the matriarch of the territory of the Heavenly Demon Banner, Madam Black Veil!
“Xiaoyan, your wet nurse heard that you have been very unhappy, and that this Lan Ling you married is crude, lowly and evil. He not only killed your personal maid, but also repeatedly humiliated you,” the kind and plump Madam Black Veil gently stroked Princess Shayan’s back and said softly. “I was extremely worried after hearing about it, so I immediately rushed here. Tell your wet nurse, is it really like this?”
Princess Shayan gently nodded.
“Good. Then let us end this marriage. I will personally go and see His Majesty the Rakshasa King and ask him to dissolve your marriage with that bastard Lan Ling!”