For the past two days, the Rakshasa King’s personal military adviser, Xiting, had been extremely busy.
He had travelled back and forth to Rakshasa City twice.
This time, he once again delivered the Rakshasa King’s order, commanding the Rakshasa Crown Prince to travel to the Demon Alliance headquarters in the Yun’e Clan and personally explain himself to the Rakshasa King.
……
Inside the vast palace hall, only the Rakshasa King and the Little Rakshasa King remained.
The Little Rakshasa King knelt upright on the ground.
“Prince, there cannot be two suns in the sky or two rulers of the land.” The Rakshasa King said, “Within a single demon clan, there can only be one voice. You are trying to make all the decisions yourself, and perhaps you are being a little too impatient.”
The Little Rakshasa King remained silent.
The Rakshasa King said, “Previously, you behaved recklessly, openly contradicting me and disagreeing with the senior members of the Demon Alliance. I could tolerate that. But now, you have sent such a powerful force to defend the Earth Fiend Clan’s front line. Do you understand what the consequences could be?”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Father can regard this as filling a gap in our defences. I believe the Earth Fiend King will appreciate the favour.”
“Haha…” The Rakshasa King said, “You mean you are doing something good and making me owe someone a favour? Should I thank you for it, Prince?”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “That is not what I mean, but it is the truth.”
“I do not need it… I do not need it…” The Rakshasa King said furiously. “Everyone will only laugh at me. Even the Crown Prince of my own Rakshasa Clan refuses to obey my orders and dares to defy my will. I will become a complete laughing stock throughout the Demon Alliance.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Father, you are thinking too much.”
The Rakshasa King said, “Prince, you are an intelligent person. Tell me, did you know that your actions would make me lose face?”
“I knew.” The Little Rakshasa King replied.
The Rakshasa King said, “Then why did you still do it? Do you even regard me as your father? As your king?”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Of course I am willing to protect Father’s supreme authority. However, compared with that, I believe the highest interests of the Rakshasa Clan, and indeed the highest interests of the Demon Alliance, are more important. For the sake of the bigger picture, I can only set aside these smaller matters.”
After hearing this, the Rakshasa King stared at his son in disbelief.
His vision seemed to blur, and his mind went blank.
Those words from the Crown Prince felt like a knife driven straight into his heart.
They filled him with unprecedented anger.
“Hahaha… Hahaha…” The Rakshasa King laughed bitterly. “Prince, you really are remarkable. Everyone in this world is a fool, while you alone are intelligent. You look down on everyone, even your own father. Hahaha…”
Then his expression became extremely cold.
“But Prince, do not forget that you have not yet grown strong enough. I can give you the position of Crown Prince, and I can also take it away.”
“I know. If Father wants to depose me, you only need to say the word. I will not resist.” The Little Rakshasa King said.
“Do not think I dare not do it. Apart from you, I have another outstanding son.” The Rakshasa King said coldly.
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Even if you intend to depose me, please do not do it now. Once the war begins, if it proves that I was wrong, Father can depose me then.”
“What do you mean?” The Rakshasa King asked.
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Father should agree to my request now and allow me to send the main elite forces of the Crown Prince’s Palace, together with the werewolf army and the demon-clan alliance forces, to the Earth Fiend Clan’s front line. If the war begins and the Heavenly Fiend King and Di Nie do not attack the Earth Fiend Clan, that will prove that I was wrong. You can then depose me.”
“By then it will be too late…” The Rakshasa King said sternly.
“No, it will not be too late…” The Little Rakshasa King said. “More than two hundred thousand of the troops I am sending to the Earth Fiend Clan’s front line are mainly aerial forces, together with ten thousand werewolf troops. They can move extremely quickly. Even if I am wrong, we will still have time to transfer them to the Rakshasa Clan’s front line. But if I am right, we will not have that opportunity later…”
The Little Rakshasa King bowed his head.
“Father, I am willing to stake my position as Crown Prince, even my life, on this. Are you really unwilling to risk your dignity? Is my life and the Crown Prince’s position really worth less than your reputation?”
Those words nearly made the Rakshasa King furious beyond control.
His Crown Prince was usually quiet, but whenever he spoke, he truly knew how to provoke him.
The Rakshasa King took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
“Fine. If you insist on taking this risk, I will grant your request. I agree to let your army support the Earth Fiend Clan’s front line. But if the war begins and the enemy’s main attack is not directed at the Earth Fiend Clan, I will depose you and let Youming inherit my throne.”
“Good.” The Little Rakshasa King replied calmly.
His tone remained completely composed, as though the position of Crown Prince held little importance in his heart.
Seeing his son’s attitude, the Rakshasa King felt both deeply saddened and furious.
His son was so outstanding that he should have been proud.
Yet why did this son always seem so distant from him? Why did he not even seem to respect his father?
Had he ever truly done anything wrong? Although he had favoured his illegitimate son Youming, he had never previously intended to remove the Crown Prince. Instead, he had always done his best to protect the Crown Prince’s authority.
When the Crown Prince said he wanted to recruit Lanling, the Rakshasa King agreed.
When the Crown Prince said he wanted to marry Princess Shayan to Lanling, he also agreed.
Why, then, did the Crown Prince still insist on distancing himself from him? Why did he seem to look down on his father, even if he never said so openly?
Why?
Why had things become like this?
The Rakshasa King said, “Prince, tell me honestly. Is the position of Crown Prince really so worthless in your eyes?”
“Of course not. I value the position of Crown Prince very much.” The Rakshasa Prince said. “But whether I can keep it is another matter.”
The Rakshasa King said, “If you stop causing trouble, nobody can take your position away.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “I am not talking about you deposing me. I am talking about the future of the Demon Alliance. There are two possible outcomes. First, if our Rakshasa Clan is destroyed, then my position as Crown Prince will have no meaning. Second, if the Rakshasa Clan surrenders and becomes a subject of the Heavenly Fiend King, then this position will have no value either.”
“How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!” The Rakshasa King flew into a rage and struck the Crown Prince across the face, sending him backwards.
However, the Little Rakshasa King soon regained his balance and calmly knelt again.
“You… you dare curse me? You dare curse the Rakshasa Clan?” The Rakshasa King shouted.
The Little Rakshasa King calmly said, “I did not mean that. I was merely stating the truth.”
At that moment, the palace doors suddenly opened.
Prince Youming, Elder Mokan and the Heavenly Demon Banner Lord rushed in and knelt before the Rakshasa King.
“Your Majesty, please calm down, please calm down…” Elder Mokan and the Heavenly Demon Banner Lord repeatedly bowed their heads.
Prince Youming hurried forward and gently patted the Rakshasa King’s back, trying to calm his anger.
The Rakshasa King felt a sense of warmth.
This son was still so considerate.
“Father, please calm down. The Crown Prince did not mean it that way. These were merely angry words spoken in the heat of the moment!” Prince Youming said anxiously. “Crown Prince Brother, quickly apologise to Father and take back what you said. The position of Crown Prince is the position of heir to the throne. How can you treat it as something to joke about?”
The Rakshasa King remained silent.
Elder Mokan said, “Prince, just give in and apologise to your father. Then we can all pretend that nothing happened today.”
The Heavenly Demon Banner Lord said, “Your Highness, simply apologise to His Majesty and agree to follow your father’s orders. Do not send troops to the Earth Fiend Clan’s front line. Then we can put this matter behind us. The Crown Prince is the foundation of the Rakshasa Clan. How can such a position be shaken so easily? Never mention replacing the Crown Prince again.”
Prince Youming also knelt down.
“Crown Prince Brother, please apologise to Father. Then ask Father to withdraw his order as well. I would never dare to take your position. Please do not put me in an unjust position.”
The Little Rakshasa King knelt upright and looked at Prince Youming, Elder Mokan and the Heavenly Demon Banner Lord.
“Anyone can put on an act, but it depends on who you are acting with. Youming, Mokan, Heavenly Demon Lord, previously I would not have minded playing along with you. But now that war is about to begin, I will no longer play along. I look down on you, and I have no interest in pretending with you. I know exactly what you want. I will give it to you now.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Elder Mokan, the Heavenly Demon Banner Lord and Prince Youming all changed expression.
The Crown Prince’s contempt and arrogance were completely undisguised.
They knew he was proud, but they had never expected him to tear away all pretence so directly and openly say that he looked down on them.
There was no room for reconciliation.
Even the Rakshasa King was shocked, his limbs trembling.
The Crown Prince’s words seemed to represent the possibility of a future purge.
By openly breaking with them like this, he was effectively declaring that unless the Little Rakshasa King failed to take the throne, the conflict would continue.
If he eventually became king, he would surely move against Prince Youming, Elder Mokan’s entire faction and the Heavenly Demon family.
The two sides had now reached a point of no return.
The Rakshasa King was furious that his Crown Prince could be so politically immature. How could he openly break with these powerful figures? How foolish and reckless was that?
“Ignorant, absurd, arrogant…” The Rakshasa King said sternly. “Prince, how dare you speak to your uncle like this? How dare you speak to your uncle by marriage, the Heavenly Demon Lord, like this?”
The Rakshasa Prince began writing a military pledge and said, “They were the ones who broke with me first. They were the ones who attacked me first. Do you really expect me to continue pretending? Father, our demon society has not reached the point where we need to play these political games like the human kingdoms. Our systems are different.”
As he spoke, the Rakshasa Prince finished writing the military pledge.
It clearly stated that if the united forces of the Demon Empire did not attack the Earth Fiend Clan, it would mean that the Crown Prince’s strategy had been wrong, and he would voluntarily resign from his position and yield it to someone else.
After finishing the pledge, the Crown Prince pressed his seal onto it and added a blood mark.
With this, the pledge became binding. If the united forces of the Demon Empire did not attack the Earth Fiend Clan, the Little Rakshasa King would have to give up his position to Prince Youming.
“Father, your son will take his leave.” The Little Rakshasa King bowed his head and turned to leave.
Holding the military pledge, Prince Youming was secretly delighted. Elder Mokan and the Heavenly Demon Banner Lord were also filled with satisfaction despite their resentment.
They had finally obtained what they wanted.
Meanwhile, the Rakshasa King felt as though his heart had been torn apart.
He had never wanted this situation to happen.
Although he resented the distance between himself and the Crown Prince, this son had always been his pride. He was also the son he loved most.
In his heart, the best heir had always been this proud yet exceptionally capable son.
And now, he was being forced to depose his most outstanding son.
Suddenly, the Rakshasa King called out bitterly, “Prince, can you really never lower your head? Can you never compromise?”
“That depends on whom I am dealing with, and what the matter is.” The Little Rakshasa King replied.
“Rebellious son, rebellious son, rebellious son…” The Rakshasa King shouted. “Get out! Get out! Leave!”
Prince Youming hurriedly knelt beside him and soothed his chest.
“Father, please calm down. Please do not take Crown Prince Brother’s words to heart. He has always been like this…”
Suddenly, the Little Rakshasa King turned around and pointed at Youming.
“Youming, you may replace me, but do not speak about me as though you understand me. You do not know what kind of person I am.”
Those words left Prince Youming stunned, almost unable to remain standing.
He had never experienced such humiliation.
The Crown Prince’s contempt for him was absolute. Being treated with such disdain filled his heart with deep resentment.
Prince Youming secretly swore repeatedly that one day he would make the Little Rakshasa King pay for this humiliation and take revenge against him.
……
The World of the Immortality Curse.
What kind of world was this?
It was a monochromatic world, filled with an eerie green.
Green represented life and vitality.
But green could also resemble ghostly flames, representing fear and the underworld.
Everything in this world was covered in that strange, dark green colour.
The world was chaotic and indistinct. It was impossible to tell where the sky ended and the earth began, or even where the air was. Everywhere was an endless void filled with ghostly green light.
After entering this world, Lanling’s heart stopped, and his pulse disappeared.
So where was the million-strong Imperial Guard of the Ghost King Empire?
Where was the million-strong immortal army?
They were right before him, spread across the land.
Countless figures were fighting, while others were caught in a state of madness.
Everywhere was filled with the chaos of battle.
The soldiers attacked both their enemies and themselves with terrifying determination, as though they had completely lost control.
This immortal army was locked in an endless cycle of violent conflict.
Lanling looked towards the seemingly endless immortal army and shouted,
“Where is the Imperial Guard of the Ghost King Empire? By the command of the Ghost King, I order you to come forward and swear allegiance to me!”
With that, Lanling raised the Ghost King’s Ring high into the air.