"Many thanks, Your Highness..." Qin Yunxiao stood up respectfully, though a cold sneer played in his heart. Brother Qin, he thought, you must view me as nothing more than a dog in your heart...

"Bring a seat for him..." To demonstrate his benevolence, the Crown Prince was quite the actor...

Immediately, a eunuch brought forth a stool. Qin Yunxiao gave his thanks again before finally sitting down...

"I wonder why Brother Qin rushed here with such urgency?" After a round of insincere pleasantries, Luo Haitian finally asked...

"Your Highness, he entered the palace today..." The "he" Qin Yunxiao spoke of was, of course, Ye Jingyu. After Miao Tie relayed Ye Jingyu's exact words to Qin Yunxiao yesterday, Qin Yunxiao immediately informed the Crown Prince. After all, they were on the same side now...

"So what? Do you think the Third Brother still stands a chance?" Luo Haitian revealed a look of disdainful amusement. His own esteemed Great Ancestor had achieved the rank of Soul Immortal, supposedly having reached its peak. Just one step further, and he could condense flesh from soul power, achieving the True Immortal realm—a truly indestructible, god-like existence... With him as his backing, the throne would be his sooner or later; what did he have to fear?

"He managed to escape the Bai family today; we must remain vigilant..." Qin Yunxiao noticed Luo Haitian's underestimation, yet his own heart was filled with anxiety...

Ye Jingyu started as merely the son of a landlord, yet over the years, he had weathered various calamities and survived. Moreover, after every major disaster, he seemed to stumble upon extraordinary fortuitous encounters. Who knew how he managed to escape the clutches of the Bai family this time?

Could it be that some powerful force truly stood behind him, one that even the Bai family feared?

"Vigilant? How can we be? At most, he possesses an Iron Army now—a mere pile of scrap metal that amounts to nothing. What do you still worry about?" Luo Haitian maintained his cold smile. Even if Ye Jingyu had some backer, why should he care?

With the assistance of his Great Ancestor, his own soul had been refined to be suitable for Soul Master cultivation, and he had already reached the Manifested Soul realm. Once his Great Ancestor exited seclusion this time and bestowed upon him a Soul Heaven Pill, he would immediately be able to enter the Condensed Soul realm, perhaps even push toward the Spirit Manifestation realm. By then, what would he have to fear?

Though his martial arts cultivation had stagnated over the years, his Great Ancestor assured him that once he achieved Spirit Manifestation, there would certainly be a way to help him reach Soul Immortal status. Then, he would be immortal and indestructible. His Imperial Father, even if he grasped the Martial God realm, still had a limited lifespan. The throne was inevitably his. As for the likes of the Third Brother and other good-for-nothings, why worry about them?

Of course, what reassured Luo Haitian the most was his Great Ancestor. How long had it been since a Soul Immortal was heard of on the continent, let alone a True Immortal? He truly had no idea where his ancestor found such an opportunity to not only achieve Soul Immortal but also nearly reach the True Immortal threshold...

Seeing Luo Haitian's smugness, Qin Yunxiao sighed inwardly, unsure of what more he could say, his heart growing bitter. You are the Crown Prince; you don't need to worry about Ye Jingyu. But I do...

Although Qin Yunxiao vaguely knew that many powerful individuals surrounded his father, for some reason, he was always filled with dread regarding Ye Jingyu, as if the man were his natural nemesis...

"Your Highness..." Just then, a young eunuch dashed in breathlessly. He was about to speak when he saw Qin Yunxiao present and froze momentarily...

"Yunxiao is no outsider. Whatever news you have, just speak," Luo Haitian snorted...

"Your Highness, His Majesty has appointed Ye Jingyu as the Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard!" Hearing Luo Haitian's snort, the young eunuch quickly relayed everything that had occurred in the Imperial Study to the Crown Prince...

The fact that news from the Imperial Study could be transmitted so quickly was enough evidence that among the Six Ministers and the seven Grand Scholars, the Crown Prince certainly had his confidantes...

Upon hearing that Ye Jingyu was appointed Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard, the Crown Prince's previously smug expression shifted. He had been quite pleased due to his powerful backing, but that didn't mean he had entirely lost his composure. If there was anyone he still held in awe, it was his own father, the Emperor...

Although his Great Ancestor had exchanged a True Shattering Pill to secure the position of Crown Prince for him, he knew that as long as he hadn't ascended the Dragon Throne, he would never truly be Emperor...

Previously, he could afford to disregard anyone else, but he absolutely could not disregard his Imperial Father. Over the years, Luo Xiaofeng's imposing majesty had been deeply ingrained in his heart. Furthermore, his father was a Martial Saint, meaning he wouldn't fear Luo Haitian's Great Ancestor too much...

Now, his father suddenly appointing Ye Jingyu as the Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard—what did that signify? To supervise the officials? A joke. To supervise officials, one could appoint anyone. Why would he bypass protocol to promote a young man like Ye Jingyu? It seemed like a direct move to monitor him...

Did His Majesty truly not intend to hand the throne over to him after all?

In an instant, Luo Haitian understood everything...

"Interesting, interesting. I didn't expect Ye Jingyu to be given such a significant post immediately upon his return. It seems Father still trusts him as much as ever. Now, I truly suspect Lin Xiao's death was too much of a coincidence..." Luo Haitian's face darkened with renewed displeasure...

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Qin Yunxiao was also stunned by this news...

"Do? Heh heh. Now that he is the Grand Commander of the Cloud Guard, creating opportunities to kill him will be incredibly easy. Father wants to use him to monitor me, but he doesn't realize this merely provides me with more chances to eliminate him, hahahaha..." Haitian laughed chillingly...

Qin Yunxiao blinked in surprise, and Luo Haitian whispered a few words into his ear. Qin Yunxiao's eyes slowly lit up...

Not only did Luo Haitian learn of the court developments immediately, but the other princely residences also received news of His Majesty's decree one after another. However, whether it was Luo Muyan or Luo Xiaoyuan, they both grasped the profound meaning behind Ye Jingyu's appointment as Grand Commander. They understood clearly that this was their Imperial Father moving to supervise the Crown Prince, meaning they all still had a chance...

A hidden undercurrent began to brew in Cloud Capital, stirred by Ye Jingyu's return...

Once the imperial edict appointing Ye Jingyu as Grand Commander was issued, more individuals were drawn into this brewing tension...

Yet, at this very moment, Ye Jingyu, now the Grand Commander, felt no hint of the joy one might expect. Led by Eunuch Yun, he arrived at the Cloud Guard headquarters, Lianyun Lane in the south of Cloud Capital.

When he saw the six existing commanders of the Cloud Guard, a look of utter misery washed over his fair, youthful face—a misery so profound it surpassed bitter gourds and tasted more bitter than Coptis root, resembling the anguish of an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties who had lost her only son...