The capital was undergoing great changes. The flames of war spread for nine thousand miles. Earth-shattering battles were taking place everywhere. Smoke billowed and engulfed the sun in the sky. The fierce sounds of battle shook the earth.
It was about to be destroyed and rebuilt.
In a single day, heaven and earth were turned upside down. Originally, it was still a scene of peace and prosperity, singing and dancing to celebrate peace, but now, blood flowed like rivers, and the sounds of killing filled the air.
"What the hell is going on?"
Some of the cultivators stood on the ancient street and watched as the war chariots surged over, flattening the city and causing the city walls to collapse. The shock in their hearts was indescribable, their legs actually unable to move.
"Boom!"
In the sky, two powerful cultivators were fighting. A ray of light shot out and smashed several cultivators on the ground to death.
This war came too suddenly, out of everyone's expectations.
This was a battle for authority. Of course, there were also some formidable immortal sects that made a move in secret, and they only wanted to make this pool of muddy water even more chaotic, as they wished for the world to be in chaos.
Though many great powers wanted to destroy and replace the dynasty, the wise knew that the dynasty's foundation was still strong. It wouldn't collapse overnight.
Thus, no one actually tried to seize the imperial power. They only wanted to provoke this war and fan the flames in order to wear down the dynasty's foundation.
The fiercer the war, the happier they would be in the dark.
This was a power struggle between the crown prince and princess. Many people wanted to see both sides suffer and wear down the dynasty's foundation.
Inside the imperial city.
The groom selection was stopped. All the cultivators ran outside, creating a chaotic scene.
The prodigies were immediately picked up by the old dao protectors. They ran out of the imperial city towards the capital, wanting to get as far away as possible.
The order at the capital was in chaos. Staying here would only be courting death. Geniuses couldn't die. In the near future, these geniuses would grow up and become the strongest force that could destroy the Jin Dynasty.
No matter how strong a cultivator was, they were still a bit weak in front of the army. If they didn't run, even a Giant would be nailed to death by the spears.
"What's the situation?"
Feng Feiyun ran out of the imperial palace. The first person he met was Princess Luofu. She sat calmly inside the palace. Cultivators kept sending jade talismans into her hands.
Every minute, a jade talisman would come to the palace to report the situation. An eighteen meter long blue map appeared in front of the princess. It depicted the geography and formations of the capital. There were also many secret locations and important passes with special symbols.
Princess Luofu carved a talisman and threw it out. It turned into a ray and flew out of the palace.
She gave another order.
"The situation isn't good. That old fox Beiming Moshou wants to use force to help the crown prince succeed. One-third of the capital is under their control. Looks like this is premeditated and has been secretly mobilizing his forces since several days ago.
If they were to break into the imperial city, they would definitely try to take the Dragon Spirit Stone and Imperial Seal by force. Did you get the Regal Dragon Robe and the edict? "
Feng Feiyun slightly shook his head: "Someone got there first. Don't worry, it's not someone on the crown prince's side. At this moment, I'm afraid the crown prince is like an ant on a hot pan, wanting to take these two items back."
The "edict" represented legitimacy. As long as he had it, he could be crowned emperor today.
The 'Nine Five Dragon Robe' was the symbol of the emperor's status and the representation of absolute power. Naturally, he wanted it more.
Feng Feiyun asked: "Where are the Dragon Spirit Stone and Imperial Seal? How about we go take them now and seize the initiative?"
Feng Feiyun didn't want the princess to know that it was Nangong Hongyan who took the edict and the robe. If she knew, she would definitely secretly send people to hunt her down. Thus, Feng Feiyun immediately diverted her attention to the Dragon Spirit Stone and Imperial Seal.
The Dragon Spirit Stone was a divine stone that carried the fate of the Jin Dynasty. It was a sacred artifact and was connected to the Dragon Vein underground. Controlling it meant controlling the Dragon Vein underground.
Once the dragon spirit stone was destroyed or taken away from the Divine Capital, the dragon vein would lose control and escape into the depths of the earth. Without the dragon spirit stone, the Divine Capital would no longer be suitable for cultivation. It would no longer be the Divine Capital because the spiritual energy would be thin and all the cultivators would leave, turning it into an empty city.
The reason why the capital was so prosperous was because of the largest spirit vein in the dynasty, the Dragon Vein. The energy here was thick and pure, the most suitable for cultivation. This was why so many cultivators gathered here.
If the Dragon Vein were to escape, then the dynasty's fate would also decline.
From this, one could see the importance of the Dragon Spirit Stone. It was truly a national treasure.
As for the Imperial Seal, it was the symbol of the Jin Emperor. It was made from the same material as the Divine King's Order and Queen's Order. It contained the power of the previous Jin Emperors and was even more powerful than the Divine King's Order. It was comparable to a Dominating Armament.
Of course, the most important thing about the seal was not its own power, it was the symbol of the emperor's power to command the world.
Princess Luofu shook her head: "The Dragon Spirit Stone was stolen so it has been placed in the emperor's palace with six royal ancestors guarding it. Without the emperor's permission, anyone who gets close to it will be killed.
The six ancestors were extremely powerful. Twenty years ago, someone took advantage of the absence of the Jin Emperor to steal the Dragon Spirit Stone. In the end, all the invaders were killed by the six ancestors. Their blood dyed the palace red. Seven Giants died without a single survivor.
That's why we won't be able to take it with our current power. "
Feng Feiyun was a bit disappointed. After all, one would be able to control the Dragon Vein underground. Controlling it was the same as controlling the entire capital. This was the most direct method. However, the six ancestors would never allow anyone to touch the stone, not even the Divine King and the princess.
The ancestors could allow the crown prince and princess to fight for power, but they would never allow them to touch the foundation of the dynasty.
Princess Luofu continued: "As for the Imperial Seal, I have a rough idea. Father must have given it to a powerful and absolutely reliable confidant. This person might be the Central Attendant."
"Why do you think the emperor gave it to the Central Attendant?" Feng Feiyun didn't know much about the emperor.
Princess Luofu replied: "The emperor is a brilliant strategist and knew that the battle at the capital was unavoidable. He wanted to test me and Long Shenya, so he gave the two items that symbolize his status to two of his most trusted subordinates.
One is the Regal Dragon Robe and the other is the Imperial Seal. As long as one can obtain one of them, they will be able to become the emperor. "
The affairs of the imperial family were hard to understand.
In an ordinary family, the parents would never allow siblings to fight for property. However, the royal family was different. This was because they were too big and had a rich foundation. Moreover, the emperors of a cultivation country like the Jin Dynasty would stay on the throne for a very long time. It could be several hundred years or even one thousand years.
If a mediocre person became the emperor, then no matter how big the dynasty was, it would still decline after several hundred years.
Moreover, a tall tree attracts the wind. Right now, the dynasty was in trouble both internally and externally. The royal family needed to pick the most talented and virtuous scion to be in charge. Even if other scions died in battle, they deserved it.
If they couldn't even win against their own siblings, then how could they subdue the officials and enemies from all directions?
How could they subdue the world?
So what if the capital was crippled and the royal family suffered a great blow?
As long as the emperor was still alive, the dynasty would not be destroyed. However, if they chose a trash as the emperor, then the dynasty would definitely fall.
Everyone wanted to be born in the royal family, but they didn't know that the royal family was also the most ruthless.
They could even give up their own sons for the sake of the several thousand years of foundation.
The princess continued: "The Central Attendant is the head of the five attendants in the harem. He grew up with the emperor and is also his most loyal servant. In this world, the emperor is his everything. If the emperor were to die, he wouldn't hesitate to die either. If the emperor wants him to die, he wouldn't even frown."
"Is such a person still human?" Feng Feiyun emotionally asked.
"He can no longer be considered a human!
He can only be considered the emperor's shadow, footprints, and breath.
He no longer belongs to himself. Everything belongs to the Jin Emperor. "Princess Luofu said.
If someone could turn another into their shadow, then how frightening would this person's cultivation in the heavenly dao be?
Feng Feiyun's evaluation of the emperor increased after hearing this.
The princess continued: "However, don't underestimate the Central Attendant. He is extremely powerful. When I was still living in the imperial palace, I saw him carrying three bloody heads to the emperor's bedroom with my own eyes.
I engraved the faces of the three heads in my heart. Later on, I drew their faces and gave them to my mother. "
"After mother saw the appearance of these three people, the usually calm and collected expression of her changed greatly. With a flick of her finger, she ignited the three pieces of paper and burned them to ashes. She sternly told me not to tell anyone about this matter, or else it would bring about a disaster that would destroy us.
She only vaguely told me that these three were top characters in the contemporary era, the upper echelons of the four great clans. "
"From then on, I knew two things. First, the Jin Emperor had decided to deal with the four clans. Second, the central palace steward was extremely powerful and was an absolutely dangerous person. He was the Jin Emperor's weapon and would do anything the Jin Emperor couldn't do.
If the Jin Emperor really did place the Imperial Seal on him, he would never give it to me unless I can ascend to the throne. "