"Nine Luminaries Divine True." In the blink of an eye, I not only had a new name but had also become the Crown Prince of the Demon Dragon Royal Family. Though it was only temporary, the shock of it nearly floored me.

Good heavens, how could they pull something like this off! I hadn't prepared myself for this in the slightest.

"You have all traveled hard and must be weary. Go and rest now," said Nine Luminaries Chongyang.

"Yes, your humble subjects take our leave," I replied immediately, along with Jidu and the others.

"You will temporarily reside in the Dongyang Palace," Nine Luminaries Chongyang said, a hint of apology in his tone. "Until Shenxu is recovered, you must bear with the inconvenience."

"Your Majesty is too kind," I quickly replied with reverence.

"Silly boy, from this moment on, you should call me Father Emperor. In future meetings with this Emperor, refer to yourself as 'Your Son, the Subject,'" Nine Luminaries Chongyang offered a gentle smile. "Though this is merely a stopgap measure, I truly wish I had a child as outstanding as you."

"Father Emperor." My mind was struggling to catch up, but Jidu, standing beside me, quickly nudged my side with his hand, jolting me back to reality. "Yes, Father Emperor." Suddenly, it felt right; having an Emperor for a father certainly wasn't a disadvantage, no matter how you looked at it.

"Heh heh, very well, you may go now," Nine Luminaries Chongyang chuckled lightly.

Soon, a palace maid emerged from behind a screen and approached me. "Your Highness, please follow me."

The Dongyang Palace was the former residence of Crown Prince Shenxu! It was also the residence of the Crown Princes of the Demon Dragon Royal Family throughout the ages! Perhaps this was what they meant by seeing a performance through to the end. Having me move into Dongyang Palace was surely another measure to make the world more convinced of the authenticity of my identity, I mused internally.

In just a moment, I arrived before the palace gates. On the massive plaque, three large characters were inscribed in a wild, flowing calligraphy—Dongyang Palace.

Stepping inside, I found a secluded, winding garden. Passing through the garden led to a grand gate, deep reddish-brown, inlaid with mother-of-pearl glaze, presenting a dazzling splendor. This Dongyang Palace seemed far grander than the previous Jingxin Palace.

Just as I was lost in thought, the sound of footsteps approached from behind. Without turning, I knew it was Jidu, Yueyao, and Luohou, and two others who must be the Divine Matron and Nine Luminaries Zhutian.

I quickly turned around!

"Ah! General Jidu, why are you all here too!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Your humble subjects pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince," Jidu, Luohou, Yueyao, the Divine Matron, and Nine Luminaries Zhutian bowed.

"Ah! That really shouldn't be necessary." I quickly raised a hand to stop them. "You all know I am only filling in temporarily. This makes me feel rather uneasy."

"Haha, Your Highness is still Your Highness; you haven't changed a bit," a look of admiration flashed in Jidu's eyes.

"It is already quite late; aren't you going to rest?" I asked curiously.

"Of course, we want to," the Divine Matron said with a faint smile. "But now is not the time for rest. Your humble subjects came to see Your Highness for an urgent matter."

"An urgent matter?" I immediately responded. "Is it about announcing the Crown Prince tomorrow?"

"Precisely so," the Divine Matron confirmed. "Tomorrow is the final deadline for the Emperor to respond to the envoys from the Demon Sealing Empire. Therefore, your performance in tomorrow's court session will directly affect the Demon Sealing Empire's attitude toward Princess Shenyin and Crown Prince Shenxu. You must not be careless."

"What should I do, then?" I quickly asked.

"Has Your Highness not yet broken the habit?" Nine Luminaries Zhutian said solemnly. "Your Highness should refer to yourself as 'This King.'"

"Ah, 'This King.'" I was a little bewildered, awkwardly touching the back of my head. "It truly is very unaccustomed."

"Unaccustomed or not, you must get used to it," the Divine Matron stated firmly. "If Your Highness speaks as you did just now in the court tomorrow, you will certainly expose yourself."

"This King understands." Despite the discomfort, I pushed myself to accept it.

"That's right," Nine Luminaries Zhutian continued sternly. "Whether a Prince or a Crown Prince, one must possess their own imposing manner; this is the majesty and dignity of the Royal Family. While it is commendable for Your Highness to be approachable, neglecting majesty because of it is wrong. You must remember this in the future."

"Very well, This King understands." That fellow Nine Luminaries Zhutian truly hadn't changed at all. "Tell This King what exactly must be done tomorrow."

"What Your Highness must do tomorrow is to awe the court," the Divine Matron said, emphasizing each word. "You must utterly suppress the envoys of the Demon Sealing Empire; only then can you influence their judgment." The Divine Matron continued, "It's not just them; the civil and military officials in the court must also be awed. Only then can the situation be stabilized, making them deeply believe in Your Highness's identity."

"Awe them," I murmured, somewhat lost. "How do I awe them?" As I spoke, I subconsciously glanced down at my own frame. Honestly, I was growing less confident in my physique. I was already seventeen or eighteen years old, yet I hadn't grown at all. My current height barely scrapes 170 cm, which is nothing compared to the giants in this world who are constantly over 190 or even 220 cm tall.

"Haha, Your Highness need not worry." Sensing my inner concerns, Jidu couldn't help but laugh. "It is not about who has the biggest frame who possesses majesty."

"Indeed," Luohou added immediately. "Back in Yuncheng, the sheer momentum Your Highness displayed when shattering the Arrogant Heaven Mage Legion—if you can bring that spirit into the court tomorrow, I believe you can certainly subdue the Demon Sealing envoys."

"That momentum from back then." I seemed to understand something. "But do you mean killing intent?"

"Yes, killing intent," Jidu affirmed solemnly. "Your Highness must treat tomorrow's court as a battlefield, do you understand? In short, act as ruthlessly as possible."

"This King understands." *** Isn't it just scaring people? I know how to do that. Bluffing, that’s my specialty!

The next day!

Inside the Chaoyang Palace, civil and military officials lined up in two rows. Nine Luminaries Chongyang was seated firmly upon the Dragon Throne, while Yueyao, Jidu, and Luohou, who had just returned to the imperial capital, stood at the forefront of the military ranks. Even the Divine Matron and Nine Luminaries Zhuyue, who rarely appeared in court, stood beside Nine Luminaries Chongyang today.

The envoy from the Demon Sealing Empire, Yin Ke, stood arrogantly in the center.

"Your Esteemed Majesty the Emperor, how do you intend to respond to the terms proposed by our nation?" Yin Ke's face was full of impudent arrogance.

"Hmph! Go back and tell the Demon Sealing Empress," Nine Luminaries Chongyang roared with fury, "that my Demon Dragon Empire will absolutely not accept any threat. If she dares to harm Shenxu and Shenyin, my Demon Dragon Empire will exhaust the nation's strength to wash the Demon Sealing Empire in blood!"

"........" Yin Ke was stunned, almost unable to believe what he had heard.

It wasn't just him; the civil and military officials of the Demon Dragon Empire below the hall also wore expressions of sheer disbelief.

"Your Majesty, think twice!" Tianhe exclaimed in shock. "Crown Prince Shenxu is the sole heir of our Demon Dragon Royal Family; something must not happen to him."

"Hahahaha," Yin Ke recovered and then laughed wildly in the hall. "Your Esteemed Majesty the Emperor, is this your final answer?"

"Hmph," Nine Luminaries Chongyang did not get angry but smiled instead. "The Demon Sealing Empire has truly calculated well. Do you really believe that my Demon Dragon Royal Family has no other successors besides Shenxu and Shenyin?"

"Ah!" Yin Ke was greatly startled. At this moment, he was truly dumbfounded. How was this possible? Did the Demon Dragon Royal Family have other heirs?

Below the court, the uproar was even greater.

"Your Majesty, what is going on?" Tianhe was the first to break his silence, asking in a trembling voice.

Ming Jianhao and the others also stared fixedly at Nine Luminaries Chongyang on the Dragon Throne.

"Today, I shall announce another imperial decree," Nine Luminaries Chongyang looked toward Nine Luminaries Zhuyue beside him and nodded slightly.

Nine Luminaries Zhuyue stepped forward, unfurled a scroll of the decree, and read it aloud in a clear voice: "Imperial Edict of the Demon Dragon Emperor: Nine Luminaries Shenxu, as the Crown Prince, has been abducted by villains and cannot succeed the Great Lineage. Therefore, his position as Crown Prince is hereby revoked, and the eldest son of the Emperor, Nine Luminaries Shenzhen, is established as the Crown Prince of the Demon Dragon Royal Family. Furthermore, Nine Luminaries Shenxu is enfeoffed as the King of Qi. By Imperial Order."