Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Turning to look back at the majestic palace, Lord Chengtian frowned and there was a dark look in his eyes.

In the past, the Imperial Clan had tried to gain power in the military many times, but none of the attempts were successful.

The Desolate King was more cautious this time.

He wanted to try again but he wanted to see hope and the possibility of success.

As such, this chess piece had to find his way onto the chess board.

Otherwise, he should just be destroyed right away without bringing additional trouble to the Imperial Clan.

The Desolate King had showed his take on the manner and Lord Chengtian could only remain silent and wait for the results.

Let's see if the Darkness Ruler, Ning Qin, had what it takes!

……

The palace was silent after the Secret Guards made their way in.

Like Li Zhouyi thought, no one in the West Desolate would challenge the Desolate King.

However, he knew that the Darkness Ruler could not hide here forever and he would have to go out one day.

Nonetheless, this allowed him to buy time to make arrangements.

"Ning Qin, I requested an audience with the previous Desolate King. I asked him for a favor to appease the relationship with the Later Ye Family."

Li Zhouyi slowly spoke but he was not confident at all.

The retired Desolate King did not interfere with national matters often, especially with regards to the military.

However, this was the only method he could think of right now.

Even though Li Zhouyi had regained his status as the Sixth Prince and he could contest for the throne, he was still fearful of the power of the Later Ye Family.

He knew his place here.

Qin Yu cupped his hands together, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The frown on his face grew even deeper.

Despite the fact that no one raised the point, both of them knew that things would not be resolved so easily.

Furthermore, there was still no news from the Imperial Palace. This silence was abnormal.

The backing behind Hundred Saint, Lord Chengtian, had not contacted them either at this critical juncture.

Did he have to put himself forward and go through this test? If that was the case, being a turtle hiding in its shell of a palace was not his ideal action.

What should he do?

Qin Yu's mind spun quickly. He had a few thoughts…he shall wait till his enemies take action!

……

With the Secret Guards of the Imperial Palace protecting Li Zhouyi's palace, his status appeared to be much higher.

This showed everyone that the Sixth Prince had completely redeemed himself and the Desolate King now acknowledged him.

As such, people had to start to treat Li Zhouyi differently. The future succession of the throne made things more confusing.

However, in their opinion, Li Zhouyi had to pass a test first.

If the Darkness Ruler Ning Qin died, this would be his biggest blow. No one would want to get closer to him. Even if he redeemed himself again, he would no longer have a chance.

Therefore, this was not just a simple assassination because of hatred.

……

"This is not a simple assassination." The Eldest Princess muttered with a cold expression. Her eyes were as deep as a lake and she said, "The Later Ye Family wants revenge but they are also showing that they are against the Imperial Clan interfering with the military.

"I want to mend my relationship with the Later Ye Family and also deliver a blow to Li Zhouyi such that he would never be able to redeem himself."

She turned around and stared at the Imperial Palace from afar. There was a look admiration but also mockery in her eyes as she said, "Although His Majesty has already showed his thoughts, he wants to do another trial and see if the Darkness Ruler Ning Qin has what it takes to be his chess piece.

"As such, we have to kill him quickly before the decree from the Imperial Palace arrives. We must conduct it in the time allocated by His Majesty."

There was one thing that the Eldest Princess did not say.

This was also a test for her.

Killing Ning Qin would mean that he was not a suitable chess piece, and hence, she would not be blamed for what happened previously.

Otherwise, it would be regarded as her having defied the Desolate King's wishes. Even if she was the Eldest Princess, she would be punished for it.

These were the rules!

The person behind her frowned, "Your Highness, please rest assured. I will finish this."

The Eldest Princess nodded, "I naturally believe you because I picked you for this task. Go along, I will abide by my promise to you once you complete this."

"Your Highness, please wait for the good news!"

The sound of footsteps got further away as the man took his leave.

There was a sense of helplessness and ridicule on the Eldest Princess' face. If she had a choice, she would not want to take the risk.

After all, there was no going back once she released the arrow from her bow.

The Darkness Ruler, Ning Qin, had to die.

……

One of the two main generals who led the troops to the Tomb of the Barbarian King, Ye Qin, had died.

Naturally, the news that was announced to the public was that Ye Qin died during a secret mission for the capital. They would not reveal the details of the mission.

As a peak-level Ruler and a respected general in the army, the Old Ye Family would not stay silent about his death.

The Spirit Summoning Ceremony was to be held two days later.

This was a ceremony that was only held for important generals in the army whose statuses were high enough.

A heroic spirit would not perish after the cultivator's death if it was injected into the military spirits of the empire. It would gain immortality from the empire.

Only a respected individual or someone who was closely connected to one would be granted this privilege.

Once they were given the invitation, those who underwent the Spirit Summoning Ceremony would be regarded with the highest honor.

The heroic spirit of a general who gave his life for the empire would be recognized.

Li Zhouyi was a prince who sought after the highly contested throne. It was only natural that he was invited to the Spirit Summoning Ceremony.

This also showed how much the empire valued the military.

However, it came as a surprise that Qin Yu also received an invitation from the Old Ye Family. Something was very wrong here.

"There's something wrong!" Li Zhouyi frowned as he started to feel nervous, "You obviously didn't have much interaction with Ye Qin. I am afraid that there will be trouble since the Old Ye Family invited you over."

Qin Yu sighed deeply, "Your Highness, I cannot turn down the invitation."

After learning about the Spirit Summoning Ceremony, Qin Yu knew that people would take it as him disrespecting Ye Qin if he rejected the invitation.

He would be directly inviting the Old Ye Family to be his enemy.

Thinking about it, if the chess piece that the Imperial Clan was about to plant in the military offended both Ye families, what would his future be like?

The Imperial Palace may just abandon Qin Yu and change their plans.

The Imperial Clan was obviously trying to strengthen its power in the military, but it definitely would not want to create chaos there.

The reason why was very simple.

Li Zhouyi laughed bitterly because he knew that Qin Yu was right. Even if there was an issue and he knew there was going to be trouble, the Darkness Ruler could not reject the invitation from the Old Ye Family to attend the Spirit Summoning Ceremony.

Despite knowing that it was a trap, he had to bite the bullet and jump in!

"Ning Qin, I will do my best to help you. The Later Ye Family would not allow it if anyone tried to stir up trouble during the Spirit Summoning Ceremony.

"Be careful. Maybe things might turn out smoothly."

Qin Yu nodded but remained silent. However, he knew that this was a futile dream from Li Zhouyi.

The other party had already taken action and it was obvious that they had a plan. Qin Yu just did not know what they were going to do.

Very soon, the day of the Spirit Summoning Ceremony arrived.

Li Zhouyi's outfit was black and he wore a heavy expression. As a witness himself, he knew what the Eldest Princess wanted to do.

If something happened to the Darkness Ruler, he would be riddled with bad luck forever. However, there were some things that he was powerless with.

"Let's go!"

With a light grunt, Li Zhouyi stepped into the horse carriage. Qin Yu followed behind him.

There were eight Secret Guards from the Imperial Palace beside the horse carriage. Their presence acted as a deterrent against an assassination during the journey.

Things were smooth and the horse carriage stopped when the Old Ye Family's residence came into view.

Li Zhouyi jumped down and scanned his surroundings. White silk flowed down the trees beside the road.

There was a heavy atmosphere.

Just then, another horse carriage stopped not too far away.

Li Zhouyi had a bad feeling and he turned to look around. He immediately frowned and there was a worried look in his eyes.

However, this expression lasted only a split second. Li Zhouyi smiled and cupped his hands together, "Greetings to elder sister."

The Eldest Princess had a calm expression and her eyes drifted over Li Zhouyi to look behind him. Then, she nodded and headed into the residence.

Qin Yu never imagined that he would meet the Eldest Princess like this. Although it was the Later Ye Family who wanted to kill him, the Eldest Princess was the main actor.

They were deadly enemies!

"We don't have much time left, let's head in." Li Zhouyi coughed lightly as he glanced at Qin Yu. Then, he walked in.

The reason why the Old Ye Family was called 'old' was because of the long history of its ancestors. They supported the Imperial Clan of the West Desolate even before the Zhou Family did.

No one knew how deep the roots of the family's support of the empire went nor how much power they had.

However, every individual in the capital knew a simple logic - against such a power, they had to remain respectful all the time.

Li Zhouyi stood outside the main doors of the residence. After he guided Qin Yu through greetings, they arrived at the place where the Spirit Summoning Ceremony was held.

Many eyes immediately flipped towards the two of them.

A majority of people were judging Qin Yu with a cold look in their eyes.

His background, identity, and position were no secret to these men.

In fact, they did not look highly upon Qin Yu.

Otherwise they would not treat him with such an attitude.

"Sixth Brother, you are here!" A calm voice came and a man walked over briskly.

Li Zhouyi cupped his hands together, "Fourth Brother."

He nodded at the people nearby too and called them 'Second Brother', 'Fifth Sister', 'Seventh Brother' and so on.

Most of the princes and princesses of the West Desolate had arrived.

Qin Yu scanned them with a calm look.

He had prepared himself for trouble. Since the Desolate King wanted to test him, Qin Yu would hand his report card over.

The better he performed here, the more importantly he would be regarded. Things were fair!

"Is this the Darkness Ruler, Ning Qin? Not bad, if there is a chance in the future, come to my palace for drinks." The Fourth Prince smiled. His voice deepened slightly, "Zhe'er is my close friend who I grew up with. I owe you a favor since you saved her."

Qin Yu bowed, "Thank you, Your Highness."

There was some sincerity but some instigation in the Fourth Prince's words, however Qin Yu could not be bothered with him.

If he was right, today was an important day for him. If he succeeded, he would jump into the inner circle of people in the capital and he would be highly regarded in the future.

He could make use of Li Zhouyi but he could not be bothered with the princes and princesses who were so superficial.

The Fourth Prince smiled. Then, he turned and said, "Sixth Brother, I am not trying to push you into a corner but you must believe me."

Li Zhouyi nodded while smiling but he kept his thoughts to himself.

The group of people talked together in low voices but there was a harmonious atmosphere. Qin Yu glanced at the Eldest Princess. She did not look bothered by anything but her expression was cold.

All of a sudden, the Eldest Princess turned slightly and their gazes met.

One had a cold look while the other was calm.

Clang -

A loud clang reverberated through the air, breaking off the exchange of glances.

The Ye Family had arrived!