Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

The Li Family of Dongming City, the Han Family of Siye City, the second-tier Qing Mountain Sect, the old-guard powerhouse Feilu Sword Venerable...

Within a single month, Su Han, along with Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue, had annihilated eight different factions. All of them were vassals of the Second and Third Princes.

Of course, Su Han was not one to kill indiscriminately. These forces and their members had all committed heinous crimes. It was only due to the protection of the Second and Third Princes that they had remained beyond the law’s reach. This time, Su Han’s public executions caused a massive uproar.

For a time, the entire Heavenly Sword Dynasty was once again shaken to its core by Su Han.

”Has the Nineteenth Prince gone mad? He’s slaughtering people everywhere, exterminating entire clans and sects. It’s utterly ruthless. Could he have succumbed to demonification?”

”I don’t think so. The people the Nineteenth Prince has killed are all connected to the Second and Third Princes. It seems he’s doing this deliberately. He’s not being covert about it; he wants to make this a huge affair.”

”Could it be? Was the plot against the prince by the Bai Xu Saint and the Iron Grinding Saint actually instigated by the Second and Third Princes?”

”Shh, quiet down! Don’t speak so recklessly about such matters. Be careful what you say, lest your words bring disaster upon you.”

The public began to gossip once more, but this time, even the common folk sensed that something was amiss.

How could the Nineteenth Prince possibly kill people at random? Not only would it destroy his reputation, but it was also a grave offense. Even a prince would face severe punishment for such acts.

The only explanation was that he was seeking revenge—avenging the assassination attempt in Nanyang City.

The people who died were all well-known vassals of the Second and Third Princes. This was common knowledge, so the public quickly made the connection.

Although there was no evidence and no one dared to discuss it openly, nobody was a fool. In their hearts, the truth was as clear as day.

And this was precisely the outcome Su Han had wanted.

Although he couldn’t take direct revenge on the Second and Third Princes yet, his first move was to attack their reputations through public opinion—a strategy aimed at their morale. Su Han believed that the Second and Third Princes were likely growing very restless.

Indeed, that was the case. In Mingzhou, at the Second Prince’s private palace, the Third Prince had arrived once more. His face was a mask of rage, his eyes spitting fire, like a humanoid beast ready to devour someone. The palace maids and attendants all trembled in fear, terrified they might become an outlet for the Third Prince’s fury.

”Second Brother, our plan failed!” was the first thing the Third Prince said upon seeing him.

The assassination in Nanyang City had been their first joint operation, but it had ended in failure. The Second Prince had lost two of his pieces, the Bai Xu Saint and the Iron Grinding Saint, while the Third Prince had lost the Nether Dragon Slaying Prison Formation and one hundred black-armored soldiers. They had both dispatched their strongest subordinates to ensure success, yet they had still failed. The loss was immense.

But now, it was about more than just that loss. Su Han’s public campaign of vengeance was severely damaging their reputations and their power bases. This was why the Third Prince had come rushing to find his brother.

At this moment, the Second Prince was not painting or writing. He was practicing his Swordsmanship.

His sword was unusual, shaped like a calligraphy brush but forged from metal. His movements with the blade resembled the act of writing—sweeping horizontal, vertical, slanting, and hooking strokes that glinted like gold and silver.

WHOOSH!

As he completed his Swordsmanship routine, a Sword Radiance as fine as a hair whistled out, tearing a pitch-black rift through space. It shot into the distance and cleanly severed the peak of a great mountain. The mountaintop slid down, collapsing with a deafening BOOM as dust and smoke filled the air.

The Second Prince let out a long breath, venting some of the frustration in his heart.

”We miscalculated this time,” the Second Prince said, his tone grim as he sheathed his Holy Sword of Scholarly Writing. ”I didn’t expect our Nineteenth Brother to be even harder to deal with than we anticipated. None of our numerous ploys could kill him.”

His plan had been intricately laid out. The Yuelan Ancient Battlefield, the Nether Dragon Slaying Prison Formation, the armored Dead Soldiers, and even the Bai Xu Saint and Iron Grinding Saint—this threefold assurance had utterly failed. It was useless to dwell on these failures now; the pressing matter was how to resolve the trouble their Nineteenth Brother was causing.

Outside, rumors were swirling, and the people were unsettled. Even ordinary citizens had detected that something was amiss, to say nothing of others. His painstakingly built reputation had been all but destroyed.

”Second Brother, what do we do now? We can’t let him continue this killing spree! Otherwise, our influence will be greatly diminished, and others will become hesitant to follow us!” the Third Prince, always direct, voiced his concerns.

Although they had many vassals, the continued slaughter would incite widespread panic and internal instability. The struggle for the throne wasn’t merely a fight between individuals; it was a grand game of chess played by the vast powers backing them. With Su Han’s current rampage, the power bases behind the Second and Third Princes were already beginning to tremble—a problem far more severe than a damaged reputation.

”What if we join forces once more?” the Third Prince suggested. He believed that Su Han must have exhausted all his trump cards in the battle at Nanyang City. Killing him now should be much easier.

”No!” the Second Prince rejected the suggestion outright. ”Nineteenth Brother is taking his revenge in full public view. All eyes are on him. If we make a move now, I fear we’ll expose ourselves long before we can kill him.”

Even with the Second Prince’s strategic brilliance, Su Han’s overt scheme was giving him a headache.

”Then what? Should we just watch as he kills his way toward us, wiping out all of our vassals?” The Third Prince was not one to sit back and take a beating. He was full of youthful vigor and could not stand swallowing his pride.

”That won’t do either!” The Second Prince shook his head. His wisdom ran deeper, and he saw the problem more profoundly. ”If we do nothing, our inaction would be a tacit admission of guilt, which would only provoke even greater controversy.”

Defaulting to inaction was the most foolish method, and the Second Prince had no intention of being such a fool.

”We can’t kill him, but we can’t just watch either. So what in the world are we supposed to do?” The Third Prince was no master of strategy. His head was spinning from all the talk, so he had no choice but to appeal to his brother. For now, they shared a common enemy and were temporary allies.

The Second Prince remained silent, pacing back and forth as he mulled over a viable solution.

”I’ve got it!” he suddenly exclaimed, a glint in his eyes as a plan formed in his mind.

”What’s the plan?” the Third Prince asked eagerly, growing impatient.

”Since he wants to seek revenge by killing our vassals, let’s give him the opportunity. We just need to covertly encourage these forces to band together. That way, even if they can’t kill our Nineteenth Brother, they can still wound him badly. He’ll be in no condition to compete in the upcoming Swordsmanship Conference.”

Of course, they themselves could not act directly. But if their vassals, facing the threat of annihilation, decided to band together for survival, who could say a word against it?

”Good! Let’s do that!” the Third Prince’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in approval.

The plan was set. All they had to do now was wait for their Nineteenth Brother to take the bait.