You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"The traitor called Xiahou Shou?" the emaciated elder remembered.

"In the last few years of the Emperor's Inspection, Your Majesty had visited Eternal Night, and the Seventeenth Prince was born during those years as well."

The Twelfth Prince softly said, "Didn't I say that the Seventeenth Prince's previous life might have been a Great Power skilled in Martial Arts, and I asked you to check his past life, but you could never find a match? Maybe he wasn't a Martial Arts Great Power from within the Great Yong Realm, but from Eternal Night?"

The emaciated elder suddenly woke up, "Your Highness thinks the Seventeenth Prince's previous life was that Xiahou Shou?"

"If he really is Yanluo of Duan Yue, then this speculation might stand," the Twelfth Prince squinted his eyes, "We just have to see if he really is."

After speaking, he slowly stood up.

"If that's the case, then let's go to the Cave Heaven Gate and wait for Yanluo of Duan Yue to come out."

The Twelfth Prince said with a faint smile, "If he really is the Seventeenth Brother, then things will be interesting. Xiahou Shou already has a deep-seated Heart Demon, and his father's death is a knot he cannot untie. With this arrangement, we can easily influence him."

The emaciated elder suddenly realized.

Then, he sighed, "It's a pity for the son of Duke Dingyuan and Wind Monarch, If Yanluo of Duan Yue turns out to be the Seventeenth Prince, I fear his sins won't have much effect, even if captured, there would only be symbolic punishment."

"No, you are wrong."

The Twelfth Prince shook his head, "If Yanluo of Duan Yue really turns out to be the Seventeenth Brother, this would be a perfect opportunity to stir up trouble. What does it matter if he temporarily escapes?"

"At that point, spread the news that he is the reincarnation of Xiahou Shou, let the world know, a Human Clan traitor reincarnated, constantly goes after our Human Clan talents and the heirs of our important ministers, ruining the future of our Human Clan. What will the court think above? How will the world judge?"

His lips curled into a slight smile, "The direction of the people's hearts is where the foundation of the country's fortune lies. A Prince despised by all, what can he achieve?"

The emaciated elder realized, and softly said, "Your Highness is brilliant."

"If this succeeds, the son of Duke Dingyuan? Wind Monarch? Their deaths couldn't be better." The Twelfth Prince said with a light smile, "On the chessboard, their values could never compare to even the slightest bit of the Seventeenth Brother."

He looked towards the bronze door high in the sky, and softly said, "As long as we capture Yanluo of Duan Yue tonight and force him to reveal his identity as a Prince, this chess move will be successful."

The emaciated elder laughed, "Your Highness, this is not difficult. Duke Dingyuan is already at the Cave Heaven Gate waiting, and the Great Cultivator from Prince Cheng Mansion is also there, along with notifying the head of the Qingtian Bureau to be ready. As soon as it's confirmed that the deaths of Wind Monarch and the son of Duke Dingyuan are related to him, we'll arrest him and put him in prison straight away."

"Mm, send your avatar to handle it quickly."

The Twelfth Prince nodded slightly and continued, "Also send a confidential letter to the Heavenly Punishment Department's respected Qi, ask him to send someone to wait outside the Cave Heaven Gate. If Yanluo of Duan Yue killed Wind Monarch and the son of Duke Dingyuan, he must be burdened with severe sins. With the Heavenly Punishment Department present, even Duke Heng can't save him."

"Your Highness has thought of everything." The emaciated elder nodded.

Just then—

"Boom!!"

A loud boom that made heaven and earth tremble suddenly erupted, followed by a horn-like mourning sound echoing throughout the world, deep and sorrowful, as if the whole world were lamenting together.

In the night sky of the Heavenly Dome, the sky filled with dark clouds, obscuring the stars, as a fine rain began to fall.

"Hmm?"

The Twelfth Prince suddenly looked up, frowning slightly, "Heaven and earth resonate, the world grieves together? Across the entirety of Jingzhou?"

The emaciated elder also stared blankly at the sky, murmuring, "Which Imperial Grandson has fallen..."

He suddenly woke up, incredulously saying, "Could it be Prince Tian Li within the Cave Heaven? But...who would dare kill an Imperial Grandson? Could it be Yanluo of Duan Yue again? With his strength, he shouldn't be able to kill Prince Tian Li!"

The Twelfth Prince fell silent for a moment, then said, "If it's the Seventeenth Brother, even if he truly had the strength, I could understand killing Wind Monarch and the son of Duke Dingyuan, but he shouldn't be crazy enough to kill Xiahong Tianli."

He slowly narrowed his eyes, "Maybe there's another situation. Let's wait and see."

…

At that moment, countless people in Jingzhou heard the mournful wailing of heaven and earth and the world's grieving, those with more knowledge immediately understood—

Surely one of the Xiahong's three generations, that is, the core members of the Imperial Grandson's generation of the Xiahong, has fallen!

In front of the bronze door above Di Hong City, the waiting Great Cultivators were also dumbfounded.

"This… the Imperial Grandson has fallen?"

"How could this be?"

"Could it be a visitor from the underworld?"

"That's impossible, this batch of Cultivators, no one could possibly kill a visitor from the underworld!"

"What on earth is going on?"

One by one, the Great Cultivators were stunned, watching the majestic bronze door in disbelief.

If Great Cultivators could not enter the Middle Cave Heaven, they would probably want to rush in and investigate.

"Boom!"

A terrifying aura suddenly descended.

In the low depths of the night, a faint mist began to spread rapidly, becoming denser by the second and quickly enveloping half of the Di Hong City's sky, before swiftly gathering into a river.

That was a river mixed with a dim yellowish glow, spanning the Heavenly Dome, vast and difficult to see, obscure and secretive, as if washing the boundaries of Yin and Yang, involving both life and death beyond.

"Huang Quan!"

The Great Cultivators' faces suddenly changed, immediately realizing who had descended.

In the vast darkness, atop the Huang Quan River, a figure of a woman dressed in white palace clothes appeared flowing with the river, her beautiful yet extremely pale face completely devoid of life.

"Greetings to Princess Youji."

"Fifth Princess."

One by one, the Great Cultivators bowed respectfully with clasped hands.

The Fifth Princess, also known as Princess Youji, was said to be a reincarnation of the Demon Ancestor of Huang Quan. Although Princess Youji herself had never admitted it, no one but the Demon Ancestor of Huang Quan could possibly wield the River of Huang Quan.

"My child is still inside the Cave Heaven."

However, there wasn't a trace of sorrow on Princess Youji's face, as if she had long forgotten such emotions, she simply said indifferently, "Wait for the Cave Heaven to open."

Then, two streaks of light flew in from afar, transforming into a man and a woman.

The man was dressed as a Commandery Prince, and the woman as a Commandery Princess, notably the eldest son and daughter of Princess Youji.

"Mother, our younger brother is dead."

"Mother."

The son and daughter were also pale and indifferent, seemingly untouched by the death of a close one.

"Just wait," Princess Youji said indifferently.

"Fifth elder sister."

Another immense aura landed, clearly the avatar of the Twelfth Prince.

Princess Youji glanced at him, expressionless, "Wind Monarch is dead also?"

"Yes," the Twelfth Prince nodded slightly.

At that moment, a shadow as deep as the night itself also spread across, coalescing in mid-air into a white-haired elder dressed in luxurious robes.

"Duke Dingyuan." The Twelfth Prince looked at the elder.

With a hint of sorrow in his countenance, the elder said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I don't know who killed my son, the finest heir of my Duke Dingyuan Mansion... please, Your Highness, enforce justice for your servant."

"Rest assured," the Twelfth Prince nodded slightly, "I have already sent for the Head of the Qingtian Bureau."

As time progressed, beams of light rushed from various parts of Di Hong City, each arrival being at least a Great Cultivator, and also key officials from different departments of the Great Yong Court!

"Heavens... so many significant figures have arrived..."

"Head of Qingtian Bureau, veteran of the Heaven Patrol Alliance, left and right chancellors of the Zongren Mansion, and even... the Chief Punishment Officer of the Heavenly Punishment Department!"

"The perpetrator who killed the Imperial Grandson has really stirred up a storm."

An oppressive terror spread wildly, causing the cultivators of Di Hong City to shudder, their bodies trembling slightly out of an instinctive fear for life.

In the high sky, everyone was waiting for the Cave Heaven to open.

Suddenly—

An invisible force permeated, and the majestic bronze door finally opened.