Chapter 409: The Crown Prince's Decision

"Your Highness, you must avenge me, kill that bastard, and let me have my revenge!"

In a sealed room, a woman whose face was disfigured and body swollen knelt on the ground, screaming hoarsely.

It was none other than Crown Princess Lin Long, who had been beaten severely and then thrown half-dead.

At this moment, having taken healing medicine, she had recovered somewhat but was still swollen all over, filthy and ugly.

Before her sat a young man, around thirty-four or thirty-five, with sharp, resolute features like a knife, and an occasional air of authority that revealed his high status.

He was none other than Ding Mu, the Crown Prince of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom.

"Revenge?"

Slap!

Kicking her over, Ding Mu's face flushed with anger, his body trembling slightly: "Do you even know who you've offended? And you still dare to speak of revenge?"

When Lin Long had left the Crown Prince's palace, he happened to be away. Upon returning and hearing the news, he had chased after her to see what had happened, but he was already too late.

Knowing his woman had been beaten half to death, he did not rashly seek trouble with that Master Zhang. Instead, he sent people to investigate. Not investigating would have been fine, but once he did, he was nearly scared to death on the spot.

A genius master who had broken countless records, with an unfathomable teacher...

Couldn't your Lin family have offended anyone else? Why did you have to offend someone so formidable?

Revenge? How?

The matter of Master Su and Master Ling coming to the Master Hall was known to few, and they were all formal masters, so it couldn't be found out. But the fact that Liang Qingming was no match for him was plain to see.

A single shout made a late-stage Supreme expert and the Lightning Golden Scale Beast lose their ability to resist, then he grabbed everyone and threw them out. With such strength and ruthlessness, even if the entire Xuan Yuan Kingdom were united, they couldn't withstand him!

If I really avenged you, wouldn't that be throwing the whole kingdom into the grave?

Are you kidding?

"Of course I know who he is—a two-star master of the Master Hall, with a teacher who is suspected to be a four-star master!" Kicked to the ground, Lin Long was not flustered but sneered back.

The Crown Prince already knew; after recovering, she had naturally made inquiries.

"If you know, then stop talking nonsense! A four-star master, at the very least, must have reached the Mortal Transformation realm. Such an expert, not to mention in the Xuan Yuan Kingdom, even in the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, is a big shot, not someone you or I can afford to offend!"

Waving his hand, Ding Mu made a decision: "Enough, let this matter rest. Don't bring it up again!"

"Don't decide so soon!"

Lin Long stood up: "Does Your Highness know why my Lin family incurred this enmity with this Zhang Xuan?"

"Wasn't it because you killed his student's entire family that caused the trouble?" Ding Mu frowned.

"It was I who sent people to kill that Qu Chong's entire family, but does Your Highness know why I did it?" Lin Long said.

Ding Mu frowned.

This matter, he indeed did not know.

Rumor had it that it was because Qu Chong's sister had a conflict with Lin Lang, but as he saw it, it was probably not that simple.

Although Lin Long was protective of her family, she was not someone who lacked a sense of proportion. Otherwise, as the Crown Prince of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom, he would not have taken a liking to her.

In normal interactions, she was not reckless. So why this time, she was not afraid of the consequences and acted directly?

Could there be some hidden reason?

He couldn't help but look at her.

"Your Highness has always wanted to join the Liuyun Sect, and I have always kept that in mind... In fact, if you truly want to succeed, this Qu Chong is the key!" Lin Long snorted.

"Oh?" Ding Mu was startled.

Although the Xuan Yuan Kingdom belonged to the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, the most powerful force in the surrounding area was none other than this Liuyun Sect!

In the seventy-seven consecutive Master Competitions, they had won the championship thirty-six times, more than half, showing their strength.

The best result of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance was only twenty-third, fifth from last.

Ding Mu was the Crown Prince of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom and would surely inherit the throne, but his ambition was not limited to that; he aspired to a broader world. He had long wanted to join the Liuyun Sect but had never had the opportunity!

Once successful and receiving training, he would surely soar, achieving Mortal Transformation, or even reaching higher levels, not just a dream.

However, the Liuyun Sect's starting point was too high, and entering was not that easy. Moreover, as the Crown Prince of a neighboring kingdom, without a strong recommendation, it was almost impossible.

"This Qu family looks like a run-down, insignificant clan, but tens of thousands of years ago, they were very powerful! Especially their ancestor, who once inadvertently saved the life of Saint Min!"

Lin Long said.

"Saint Min? You mean... Saint Min, one of the Seventy-Two Saints of Confucius's disciples?" His pupils contracted, and Ding Mu's breath quickened.

Confucius had three thousand renowned disciples, the most outstanding of whom were called the Seventy-Two Saints. Saint Min was one of them, having participated in the founding of the Master Hall and being one of its founders.

Inadvertently saved his life?

This Qu family was too incredible!

"Exactly! Because of this, they received a personal reply letter from Confucius, which they treasured as a supreme treasure, passed down through generations."

Lin Long looked at him: "A letter personally written by Confucius, even if it contains only a few words, its value, needless for me to say, Your Highness can surely understand! If you could get your hands on this and present it to the Liuyun Sect's sect leader, not just an inner disciple, but even a true disciple, or even an elder position, would probably be no problem!"

"This..."

His whole body shook, Ding Mu stiffened.

Confucius, the teacher of the world.

The foremost figure through the ages.

His personal handwriting contained the principles of heaven and earth, long treasured by his disciples, rarely seen outside.

An authentic work by Confucius, if presented to a six-star master, would likely make him gladly accept the giver as a true disciple...

Too precious!

Not to mention the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, even if you added the twenty-six similar forces in the surrounding area, it was uncertain whether there was even one... And the Qu family had one!

This...

Breathing rapidly, Ding Mu felt his mouth go dry.

"Two years ago, when we wiped out the Qu family, since we struck, it should have been with overwhelming force to annihilate them completely. How could we deliberately leave a loose end?"

Lin Long snorted: "This guy thought hiding in Tianwu Academy and changing his name to Lu Chong would keep him unknown—what a joke! If we really wanted to find him, with a Tracking Rat, even if he hadn't changed his appearance, even if he had disguised his identity, we could track him down clearly!"

Lu Chong had hidden in Tianwu Academy, keeping a low profile. He thought the Lin family hadn't discovered him, but they had known all along, just hadn't acted yet.

After all, with such a terrifying thing as a Tracking Rat, which could find someone by scent, it was easy.

If they couldn't even catch a teenager who hadn't even reached the Skin and Bone realm, the Lin family couldn't have dominated the royal city for so many years.

"The Qu family members were very stubborn; no amount of interrogation could reveal the whereabouts of this item. So we deliberately left a survivor, waiting for him to seek it out himself."

A flash in her eyes, Lin Long said: "But who knew this guy could hold out, not moving for over two years. Originally, if he still didn't move, we would have acted, captured him, and investigated thoroughly. But who would have thought he found a good teacher willing to stand up for him..."

At this point, Lin Long clenched her fists, her face full of hatred.

Although she had married far away to the Xuan Yuan Kingdom and didn't return often, she was still very clear about what happened in the Lin family.

That was why she had spent a great deal to build the message wall. But she hadn't expected that the wall would be used not because the long-lost manuscript was found, but to report the news of the Lin family's destruction.

"A good teacher? I'm not so sure. Perhaps this Zhang Xuan knew about Confucius's personal letter all along. Otherwise, would a peak Grandmaster, a two-star master, offend the Xuan Yuan Kingdom and the flourishing Lin family just for a student?"

Liang Qingming, standing to the side, interjected.

He was the Crown Prince's trusted confidant, deeply loyal, so such confidential words were not hidden from him.

"Exactly, it must be for this reason. Otherwise, even with Master Yang as his backing, he wouldn't have offended us for no reason, disregarding the dignity of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom!" Lin Long roared, grinding her teeth with a 'grating' sound.

If not for this reason, she really couldn't understand why a promising two-star master would go to war with the Lin family and even beat her, the Crown Princess of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom, to a pulp, just for a student he had only known for a few days.

"Enough, now is not the time to discuss Zhang Xuan's motives!"

Ding Mu waved his hand to interrupt their discussion, his eyes also turning slightly red: "If the news is true, Confucius's personal letter is worth offending even a genius master, let alone the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance!"

The Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance ruled over ten thousand kingdoms and was powerful, but among the twenty-six major forces in the surrounding area, it ranked at the bottom.

If the news was true, as long as he got his hands on the item, he could successfully curry favor with the Liuyun Sect or even higher powers. So offending the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance would be well worth it.

"Yes, Your Highness, you must make a decision quickly. I have sent people to investigate. This Zhang Xuan has decided to leave Tianwu Royal City and has already bid farewell to the Master Hall. He set out for the Tianwu Mountain Range early this morning. The Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance is to the south, but he went southwest. If I guess correctly, he is going to search for this treasure. Once they find it and successfully bring it to the Alliance, it won't be easy to snatch it back!"

Lin Long said hastily.

She was not reckless either. Earlier, seeing her father and brother in such a miserable state before her had made her lose her composure, and she was beaten badly. But after coming to her senses, she had made many preparations in advance.

"Once it's in the Alliance, it would indeed be impossible to snatch it back. But..."

Ding Mu frowned: "What about his teacher and the two old men beside him?"

He was not worried about Zhang Xuan, but about that teacher and the 'Xiao Su' who had injured Liang Qingming.

With a Mortal Transformation realm expert present, not to mention snatching, they would probably be killed on the spot as soon as they approached.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. My people specifically observed that Xiao Su and the other old man left yesterday. When Zhang Xuan left this morning, Master Yang did not follow either. He only brought a few students and attendants."

Lin Long said.

Master Su and Master Ling's departure was not concealed; many people knew, so it was easy to find out.

Zhang Xuan and his group left this morning on a huge Iron-Toothed Sky Roar Beast. Hall Master Jiang personally saw them off, and Master Yang was not among them—many people saw that too.

"Not following? Good... The Tianwu Mountain Range is full of savage beasts. If a group of people who haven't even reached the Supreme realm die inside, as long as we handle it properly, presumably... no one will know the reason."

Ding Mu stood up, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"It's decided. Kill!"