The morning court session began.
Si’er sat on the throne, looking helplessly at the Chief Minister standing before her. This Chief Minister had resolved a drought when he served the Jin Jian Country and a flood when he served the Heavenly King Country. Besides that, he had done many other things for the state. Now, he stood before Si’er with an arrogant expression.
"Queen, I don’t care what your relationship with Wu Tian is, but he murdered someone in my residence. I demand an explanation!" the Chief Minister blurted out. His attitude was insolent, and he looked down on everyone as if from on high, relying on his achievements to disregard Si’er entirely.
"Chief Minister, I believe that whatever he does, he must have his reasons," Si’er said. She refused to believe Wu Tian would kill someone without cause. Unless someone in the Chief Minister’s household acted against him first! If so, Wu Tian was in the right!
"Queen, you needn’t cover for him. I don’t care about his reasons. He killed someone in my residence—and that person was from the Four-Star nation of Qian Zhong Country. Therefore, he must be punished." The Chief Minister didn’t care who was right or wrong. In his mind, he was always correct. He believed he was doing this for the good of the nation, his conscience clear.
"Chief Minister, please tell Us, how did someone from the Qian Zhong Country end up in your residence?" Si’er asked.
"That... is no concern of the Queen’s," the Chief Minister replied.
Si’er’s expression darkened, her heart filled with rage. "Chief Minister, oh, Chief Minister, do you really think no one knows what you’ve been up to?" she demanded, slamming her hand on the armrest and rising in anger. This Chief Minister resolved a drought while serving the Jin Jian Country! But where did that drought come from? I investigated it. The Chief Minister orchestrated it himself, all for the sake of merit! The same was true for the flood in the Heavenly King Country. This so-called Chief Minister is nothing but a parasite on the nation!
"Queen, no matter what I have done in the past, my reputation is established, and my achievements are recorded. Without evidence, please refrain from making baseless accusations."
"I demand that you hand over Wu Tian for the sake of the nation, for all under heaven, and for the people, with not a shred of selfishness." Stroking his beard, the Chief Minister spoke with arrogance, "Of course, you can kill me. But when the people of the Xiuyuan Realm hear of this, what will they think? And what will the annals of history say?"
Cold sweat broke out on Si’er’s forehead. As a Monarch, what is the most important Supreme Treasure? The hearts of the people! If a Monarch loses the support of the people, losing the throne is only a matter of time. Moreover, every Monarch cares about how history will judge them.
"Now, tell me your decision," the Chief Minister pressed, treating her not as a Queen, but as an inferior.
Si’er clenched her teeth. The Chief Minister was smug, certain that she would obey his command and hand over Wu Tian. After all, if she didn’t, her throne would be at risk under the weight of public opinion.
"I choose... to kill you," Si’er said.
"Correct, you must hand over—what?" It took a moment for the Chief Minister to realize what Si’er had said, and he was left utterly dumbfounded.
"I will not hand over Wu Tian," Si’er stated resolutely. "He and I stand together, in life and death." Without Wu Tian, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Hand over Wu Tian? I would rather die than do such a thing.
"Fine! Fine! Fine! Then just wait for the empire to fall!" the Chief Minister spat. With a flick of his sleeves, he prepared to turn and leave.
Just then, SWOOSH!
Outside the Royal Palace’s great hall, the sound of Breaking the Void tore through the air. The Chief Minister looked up to see a streak of red Blood Glow cleaving toward him.
"NO!" the Chief Minister screamed.
Before the eyes of Si’er and the entire court, the minister who had just been so imposing and dismissive of Royal Power was instantly hacked to pieces. Blood splattered everywhere, drenching the great hall.
The civil and military officials stared in horror, a chill running down their spines. A perfectly healthy man had been killed in an instant.
An official stepped forward. "That must be Mr. Wu Tian—"
"Shut your mouth," Si’er cut him off. "Did any of you see Mr. Wu Tian here? Without evidence, do not make baseless accusations."
"Issue the order," she continued. "The Chief Minister dedicated his life to the people and made too many enemies. He was assassinated. The prime suspect is... the Qian Zhong Country." Though only eight, Si’er had learned much from Wu Tian. Now that the Chief Minister was dead, it was time to use his death to her advantage. This was the way of a Monarch. "As for evidence... the Qian Zhong Country sent people into the Chief Minister’s home, where they slaughtered innocent people. The bodies are our proof."
The entire court stared, stunned by the turn of events. In this situation, they could only nod dumbly in agreement.
Meanwhile, as Wu Tian journeyed toward the Qian Zhong Country, he was unaware that Si’er had already provided him with a just cause for his actions.
The Artifact Domain was a Four-Star region containing forty-nine nations, of which the Qian Zhong Country was the leader.
When Wu Tian reached the Qian Zhong Country, he didn’t enter immediately. He first wanted to give its king a little gift. He threw Crown Prince Tianlong down into the Royal Palace. Immediately, Palace Maids and eunuchs discovered him and rushed forward to pay their respects. If they failed to greet him properly, they would normally be beaten with disciplinary rods. Some with weaker Physiques had even been beaten to death. No one cared; even if the King of Qian Zhong saw it, he would pretend not to notice.
"Greetings, Your Highness." The servants cautiously greeted him, their heads bowed, not daring to look at Crown Prince Tianlong.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Crown Prince Tianlong responded.
Hearing the Crown Prince bark like a dog, their first thought wasn’t that something was wrong with him. Instead, their immediate reaction was terror. They had no idea what new trick Crown Prince Tianlong had devised to torment them, the Lower Class.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" The future heir of the Qian Zhong Country, like a rabid dog, lunged forward and bit a eunuch on the backside.
"AAH!" a wretched scream echoed.
Before long, the entire Royal Palace was thrown into chaos.
The King of Qian Zhong had been in his morning court session, wondering why Tianlong was absent. When the palace erupted into chaos, he abandoned all thought of state affairs and the lives of his people. How could any of that compare to his own son?
The King of Qian Zhong, accompanied by Tian Jiao and all the civil and military officials, hurried over. He arrived to see Tianlong running around like a crazed wild dog, biting everyone in sight.
"Tianlong, my son, what’s... what’s wrong with you? Don’t joke with your father like this." The scene threw the King of Qian Zhong into disarray. He swallowed hard and walked forward.
"WOOF!"
Tianlong lunged at him. The King of Qian Zhong reached out to embrace him, not realizing his son only wanted to bite him.
"AAH!"
The King was bitten between the legs and screamed as he collapsed to the ground.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
Biting one person wasn’t enough. Crown Prince Tianlong charged at the surrounding officials. His soul was now that of a dog, but his body was still the Great Royal Fire Physique. Engulfed in flames, Crown Prince Tianlong moved with incredible speed.
The civil and military officials fell victim one after another as the survivors scrambled to get away.
Even Tian Jiao was shocked by the scene and quickly scrambled aside, keeping his distance. But seeing Tianlong in this state, he felt not worry, but glee. Looking around to ensure no one was watching, he could barely contain his excitement. This ’killing with a borrowed knife’ ploy of mine is truly brilliant! So what if Wu Tian is powerful? He’s nothing but the knife in my hand! Now that Tianlong has become a mad dog, who else but me can claim the title of Crown Prince of the Qian Zhong Country? Who else but me! Hahahahahaha...