Emperor’s Domination

The third prince stepped forward, still looking imposing. This was the temperament of someone who had experienced numerous battlefields.

"National Teacher, if eliminating villains and traitors is a crime, then I am guilty. Someone like him deserves to be persecuted by all members of the holy ground. To have this shameless vermin in our dynasty is disgraceful, let alone leaving him to be our saber messenger." The prince said with righteousness and powerful rhetoric: "I am a member of the royal clan so I have the responsibility to protect justice and order for the dynasty. I don't care if I have to sacrifice my life in exchange for the lights to return to Vajra…"

The speech meant to arouse the crowd. Each word was spoken with conviction and oomph as if he was the guardian of Vajra, ready to sacrifice his life to maintain order and justice.

The youths heard his devotion to righteousness and became emotional, having nothing but admiration for him.

"The third prince is an essential pillar of the dynasty." One youth said loudly: "The dynasty is lucky to have someone like him."

"Buddha Holy Ground requires this type of wise ruler. We must protect him and prosecute the actual criminal, Li Qiye!" Another young expert shouted.

"Protect the prince for the sake of justice, kill Li Qiye to eliminate evil!"

"Protect the prince for the sake of justice, kill Li Qiye to eliminate evil!"

A furor erupted in no time at all. This was indicative of the prince's popularity in the holy ground. Many sects and powers have chosen to support him.

Ultimately, he wasn't the rightful heir to the throne in terms of seniority. Thus, if they could actually get him there, they would be remembered for their contribution. They would then become notable clans like the Li and Zhang.

Moreover, he was a capable talent as well and should be able to lead Vajra towards prosperity.

The third prince maintained a nonchalant expression but was actually celebrating inside.

"Your Highness, conduct yourself with dignity. It is not too late to follow me back to the palace for your detention." Ye Mingshi was unmoved.

Alas, the prince saw the passionate crowd and thought that this was his only chance.

"National Teacher, I will follow you back but not now. Wait until I kill Li Qiye. I will bear all the responsibilities alone if Father wants an answer. We cannot allow someone like him to exist in Vajra." The prince powerfully asserted.

"The prince is innocent! Li Qiye deserves death!" His supporters cried out again.

"Fine, you will bear the consequences of your action." Ye Mingshi glanced at him and said.

He took several steps backward and commanded: "War Camp, withdraw!"

The prince wanted to go all the way against Li Qiye but this wasn't the case for the cavalry. This legion had absolute loyalty towards Vajya and the king.

Some generals and even commanders in the legion supported the third prince along with the soldiers. However, above all else, they would still obey the king.

War Camp was a cornerstone of the dynasty while Archaic Sun was the current king. If they didn't follow the king's order, it would be quite detrimental to Vajra's authority.

Therefore, the group that had fully surrounded Li Qiye quietly retreated to the side. They wanted to support the third prince but this would be going against the king - a crime worthy of clan extermination.

Only the third prince was left, standing face to face against Li Qiye.

"Death cannot deter me from fighting for Vajra!" The prince proclaimed in a heroic manner. He looked as if he was facing a great army all alone - truly a romantic picture.

"A hero of Vajra." Many youths gave him a thumbs-up after seeing this.

"Idiot, you don't even realize that your old geezer tried to save you. I'll lend you a hand since you want to die." Li Qiye chuckled after seeing this.

"How dare you disrespect Father? I will cut you to pieces!" The prince shouted.

The crowd exchanged glances and smiled wryly. Though Li Qiye was the saber messenger of Vajra, calling the Archaic Sun King "old geezer" was too disrespectful to both the king and the dynasty.

"Seems like you don't realize that it'll take zero effort for me to kill you." Li Qiye said.

The spectators watched in silence, already smelling a stench of blood in the air after the nonchalant comment.

They disliked Li Qiye for his arrogance but still admitted that he was capable. After all, he had killed Zhang Yunzhi and Li Xiangquan before.

The prince was versed in military strategy and his cultivation was decent as well. However, it wasn't easy to gauge him against the five heroes of Duality.

Those who were close to him thought that he was on the same level or even stronger than the five.

However, the majority thought the opposite. After all, he spent his time worrying about politics and war, not cultivation. That's why they didn't have high hopes for him in this one-on-one fight and thought that it would be a heroic sacrifice.

The third prince turned red after being shown such disdain by Li Qiye. He bellowed: "Li, I will take you down for Vajra's sake even if it's the last thing I do!"

"One or two moves, that's all it'll take." Li Qiye smiled.

The prince's complexion turned redder since he was humiliated by Li Qiye's contempt.

No one else refuted Li Qiye because he had always kept his words.

"And if I join?" A cold voice sounded - strong and penetrating.

Everyone looked back and saw an armored youth strutting confidently closer.

"Hu Ben of Vajra." Others were surprised to see him.

"Yes, Vajra needs him right now to uphold justice." One young expert raised his voice, clearly trying to mock the national teacher.

Under these circumstances, the teacher rather sided with a traitor rather than the third prince. This was akin to aiding evil instead of justice. Now, Hu Ben came and finally did the right thing.

Ye Mingshi ignored this comment and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hu Ben is another pillar of Vajra." Discussions sprung up among the spectators.

"Right, he was the first one to fight Righteous Scion to protect the holy ground's prestige. He's not afraid of authority today either and is willing to take the risk, how rare." One youth said with admiration.

"Li Qiye is just a shameless scum in comparison, hmph." Another snorted: "When the holy ground requires help, he doesn't stand up against the scion. In fact, he's colluding with them to steal our resources."