Chapter 2289 Raw 2396 : Heading to the Imperial Palace

Does this mean that Xiao Suo’s group came over?

It has been close to ten years since I parted with them at the one hundred thousand mountains. I wonder what kind of fame they have gained after claiming the Scarlet Blood Pirate King’s treasures and making their move in the seven great forbidden seas?

The Heavenly Book Scholar appeared from somewhere, arriving before Xiao Chen. Then, he greeted with a smile, “Brother Xiao.”

“You came at a good time,” Xiao Chen said softly as he shifted his gaze to the Heavenly Book Scholar.

The Heavenly Book Scholar smiled and said, “It’s still alright. I estimated that you would come out on the last day, so I came over in advance. It looks like I was right.”

Xiao Chen did not respond to that, directly asking, “Is that the Scarlet Blood Warship above the prince’s residence?”

The two chatted as they walked. The Heavenly Book Scholar made a strange face when Xiao Chen mentioned the Scarlet Blood Warship. “Indeed. This seems very coincidental. Since the Ninth Prince made up his mind to take the throne, his emperor star has been rising. The strength of his emperor fate is stronger than I expected. Since you entered closed-door cultivation, experts have continuously come over to side with him. This Black Cutlass Pirate Group, which has inspired awe in the forbidden seas, even came over three days ago.

“It is not strange that a pirate group targets the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb. After all, the inheritances and fortuitous encounters in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb hold great attraction for Sovereign Emperors. However, I find it strange that the Black Cutlass Pirate Group thinks highly of the Ninth Prince.”

Xiao Chen smiled faintly and did not explain. It looked like when Xiao Suo’s people did not see him, they did not reveal their connection to him. This was not surprising; caution was necessary.

“Who else came?” Xiao Chen asked.

“Just see for yourself. The Ninth Prince has been waiting for you.”

After a while, the two arrived at the main hall of the prince’s residence.

Aside from the Ninth Prince and Su Ye, there was no one else.

Wang Yang shifted his gaze to Xiao Chen and was startled. It had just been one month, but Xiao Chen had grown significantly stronger. Now, he could not make out Xiao Chen’s limits.

After a nod, Wang Yan said softly, “Since Brother Xiao is already here, Chang Ji, bring over all the chosen and backup guests. Let’s prepare to depart.”

“I’ll go and prepare.”

The Heavenly Book Scholar left to fulfill the order. Xiao Chen felt anticipation and curiosity about the chosen people.

“Did the recruitment of guests go smoothly?” Xiao Chen asked Su Ye and Wang Yan.

“Oh?”

Wang Yan smiled mysteriously. “You will know soon.”

Not long later, hurried footsteps rang out from outside the door. The first person who came in wore gray robes. He had regular facial features and a forthright air, as well as a lingering Death Qi that could not be washed off. It seemed like this person rarely got exposed to sunlight, making his complexion pale.

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up as he said softly, “Qin Zhuolin.”

This person was Qin Zhuolin, a powerful Geomaster whom Xiao Chen met in Desolate Sea. When they first met, they encountered the Desolate Slave Soul Reaper.

That event left a deep mark in Xiao Chen’s memories, unforgettable even now.

Of course, the bottle of Heart Burn that Qin Zhuolin gave Xiao Chen was even more unforgettable. Qin Zhuolin had tricked him badly then.

When Xiao Chen thought about it, he still felt that he had made a loss. Had he waited to drink Heart Burn until now, his strength could have improved further.

“Why are you here?” Xiao Chen could not help asking out of curiosity. This fellow frequently wandered the Desolate Sea’s underground, exploring many graves. It was rare for him to leave the area.

Qin Zhuolin smiled and replied, “Who does not know about the succession race in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb? Initially, I was not interested. However, after I heard that you were participating, I came to take a look. Coincidentally, the Ninth Prince met and thought highly of me, so I stayed.”

Wang Yan said softly, “Mister Qin, you are too humble.”

After Qin Zhuolin, Ao Jiao appeared. A tall and sturdy, bare-chested man sporting a flame totem tattoo, followed behind her.

Ao Jiao looked at Xiao Chen and smiled warmly. Then, she walked over.

“This is?” Xiao Chen asked, finding this strange.

“The Martial God Palace wanted the eight great empires to assist the Thirteenth Prince. However, I heard that you became the Ninth Prince’s guest, so I did not send the empire’s Sovereign Emperors there. This is the Golden Crow Empire’s strongest Sovereign Emperor under five hundred years old, Senior Hao Kai.”

The sturdy man did not show any pride. He performed a cupped-fist salute and said, “Hao Kai greets the Ninth Prince and Lord Xiao. As the Divine Daughter ordered, I will definitely do my best. I will obey the Ninth Prince’s command on this trip.”

Xiao Chen sized up this Hao Kai and felt startled. This Hao Kai is a 5-Vein Sovereign Emperor. The power of fire contained in his body feels terrifying, reaching the level of an eighth-layer Dao Domain at least.

By relying on his Golden Crow bloodline, he should not be inferior to Dao Yan.

Xiao Chen did not know that Dao Yan now possessed a tenth-layer Ice Dao Domain and had formed an ice small world. That was why he came to this conclusion.

More people appeared. Aside from Wu Meng, the rest were mostly people unfamiliar to Xiao Chen.

These were the guests that the Ninth Prince recruited himself. Among them was an old man who caught Xiao Chen’s attention.

That old man possessed a skinny figure and a withdrawn light in his eyes, showing an indifferent expression. The Ninth Prince addressed this person as Senior Feng. He was an expert of the Blood Eagle Army, Wang Yang’s strongest trump card.

Xiao Chen did not pay too much attention to the old man, as another person appeared in the main hall, putting significant pressure on everyone.

Everyone could not help looking over.

That person was a middle-aged man wearing long scarlet robes. His gaze appeared deep and calm.

However, this person had a shocking tyrannical aura, showing an unruly and uninhibited air.

This person walked straight to Xiao Chen and said with a sincere attitude, “Big Brother.”

This startled many people in the hall, coming as quite a surprise.

Xiao Chen smiled calmly. “It has been ten years, but you did not fail my expectations. You have finally grown up.”

When Xiao Chen first met Xiao Suo, the other party did not even have a 3-Star pirate ship. Now, he gave off such a strong aura, such a great change.

Xiao Suo was now a 3-Vein Sovereign Emperor, possessing one more Divine Vein than Xiao Chen. The Scarlet Blood Pirate King’s treasures were truly marvelous.

“I’m still doing alright.”

Xiao Suo did not dare to be unruly before Xiao Chen. After greeting Xiao Chen, he went to greet Wang Yan.

The guests familiarized themselves with each other. Overtly, the strongest ones were Senior Feng and Hao Kai. These two were Great Perfection Sovereign Emperors with five Divine Veins opened.

Among the remaining Small Perfection Sovereign Emperors, Xiao Chen felt that the stronger ones were Qin Zhuolin, the Heavenly Book Scholar, and Xiao Suo.

Besides Wu Meng, Xiao Chen was not familiar with the others and could not properly evaluate them.

Regarding overall strength, the Ninth Prince was still some distance away from the top three prince contenders.

However, with this lineup, the Ninth Prince would not be at the bottom among the many princes.

Now, the Ninth Prince had some hope of winning the crown prince position.

“Let’s go, then. Everyone is here. We will head for the imperial palace.”

Time was tight. After the competition for slots, the Dao Platform leading to the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb would open. This matter was crucial and could not be delayed. After chatting for a while, Wang Yan led the group out of his residence and headed for the imperial palace.

In this generation of the Yanwu Dynasty, there were dozens of princes. Regardless of their strength or status, they were all qualified to recruit guests to bring into the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb.

Many of these princes could not possibly become the crown prince. However, they could not give up on the inheritances and fortuitous encounters in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb.

Of course, some princes hid their strength, pretending to be weak to catch others off guard. Thus, the outcome was unpredictable.

This grand show was destined to be interesting.

At this moment, the various princes in their residences felt fully content with their achievements.

The princes grandly led their guests to the same location, to the imperial palace.

All of them headed for the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb for the final competition for slots. Naturally, the princes whose overall strength ranked high felt full of anticipation.

The princes who had no ambition to snatch the throne could not give up even if they wanted to.

There were three challenges. As long as someone targeted them, they had to send out their guests to fight.

If they lost, they would lose a slot for guests. If they won, the other party would lose a slot instead.

After the competition for slots, the strong would get stronger, and the weak would get weaker. This could be considered the opening act of the succession race. One could make out the various princes’ limits based on it.