"What was his purpose?"

Bai Zihan asked.

To him, it didn't matter whether Elder Shuhai was at the Immortal Realm or higher—the Bai Clan, too, had many such people.

Though from what the Second Prince said, it seemed that Elder Shuhai had likely already fled.

The prince shook his head.

"I don't know. He never spoke of it directly. But… he helped me, so it was probably for the Throne of the Falling Star Empire."

With how his Master was helping him unconditionally, he knew very well that he was being used.

However, rather than dying having achieved nothing, he was almost happy to be used. At the very least, he was still of some use.

Bai Zihan listened and tried to figure it out.

He didn't think that Elder Shuhai and the organization behind him truly wanted the Falling Star Empire—unless there was something here, or perhaps their target wasn't the Empire at all.

The prince looked up at him again. The fear was gone from his eyes, replaced by a strange calm acceptance.

Bai Zihan studied the Second Prince in silence, his sharp gaze like a blade dissecting every flicker of expression across the man's face.

There was something missing in his story—something that didn't sit right.

He finally spoke, his tone calm but edged with skepticism.

"...That's it?"

He asked softly.

"You expect me to believe a man like Shuhai went to such lengths just to make you Emperor of the Falling Star Empire?"

The Second Prince's expression stiffened for an instant before he sneered faintly, arrogance flickering back into his tired eyes.

"Believe whatever you want," he said. "Even if there was more to it, I wouldn't know."

His tone was biting, like a final act of defiance.

"There's no need to know what he wants. The only thing that mattered was that, with Master's help, I could have become the Emperor!"

The words dropped into the silence like a spark into oil.

The Fifth Prince's head snapped toward him, fury igniting instantly.

"You—! A mistress's son really dares to dream so big!"

His voice trembled with barely contained rage.

He was a true noble—his father was the Emperor, and his mother the Queen—making him the legitimate heir to the throne.

He would never accept that a mistress's son could take the throne.

The Emperor was also furious at the Second Prince's bold declaration.

To say such words while he, the Emperor himself, was still standing there—wasn't that the same as declaring him dead already?

After all, only when he was dead would someone else become Emperor.

"Become Emperor? You dare speak of destiny when your own greed invites ruin upon our Empire?"

But the Second Prince didn't back down. His eyes were bloodshot, his mind fractured between humiliation and madness.

"I only did what you never could, Emperor Longji!"

He spat bitterly.

"So what if I brought ruin to the Empire? It's not like this Empire ever treated me any differently!"

"You! You would never get the throne as long as I was alive!"

The Emperor said.

"Hmph! Like I didn't know."

The Second Prince scoffed. Underneath the words were heavy implications.

"If not for Bai Zihan, I would have definitely gotten the throne."

The Second Prince laughed hollowly, his voice echoing through the scorched air.

"You are nothing without the foreigner's intervention."

The Fifth Prince said angrily.

"Nothing?" he said, his expression twisting. "Even if that's true, I was still closer to the throne than any of you. That's what matters."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted—subconsciously—toward Princess Sun Yaoqing.

Bai Zihan noticed it immediately.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of curiosity passing through them.

"Strange," he said quietly, cutting through the argument. "If you were truly that close to the throne, then why ignore her?"

"Her?"

"Princess Sun Yaoqing."

Bai Zihan's tone was casual, almost conversational, yet every word carried an undercurrent of danger.

"By talent alone, she surpasses both you and the Fifth Prince. Not to mention, I don't think she lacks connections or bloodline. Unlike you two, she has everything."

While Bai Zihan knew this was a world where men were favored for leadership, in a situation where an individual's talent and power vastly surpassed their competitors, it wouldn't have been strange for Princess Sun Yaoqing to become Empress.

Yet, the Second Prince didn't seem to have targeted Princess Sun Yaoqing.

But by the way he glanced at her, he clearly considered her a stumbling block.

"Hehe… Looks like nothing can get past Young Master Bai Zihan!"

The Second Prince said.

"Indeed! I never took this ugly pig seriously. Princess Sun Yaoqing, however, was different. She was the one I wanted to eliminate the most if I wanted the throne for myself."

The Second Prince admitted honestly.

Princess Sun Yaoqing frowned. She was well aware that, because of her position and talent, she was viewed warily by others—especially those aiming for the throne.

It wasn't once or twice that she had to deal with assassins.

Now, looking at the Second Prince's hidden forces and his declaration, she thought that it must have been him who sent those assassins.

"So, it was you who sent all those assassins after me?"

The Second Prince shook his head in denial.

"I can see why you'd think that, but no. I didn't send a single assassin."

Despite knowing it sounded contradictory to what he had just said, it was the truth.

"My Master said not to worry about you—that he would take care of you. Since he already said that, I had no need to worry."

The Second Prince answered.

"But what about the assassins?"

Princess Sun Yaoqing wasn't convinced.

"Heh! You should ask the Fifth Prince!"

Princess Sun Yaoqing's expression darkened as the Second Prince's words sank in.

She turned her gaze toward the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince stiffened instantly.

"W–What are you looking at me for?"

He stammered, his voice cracking slightly as his eyes darted toward his father, then back to her.

"He's lying! He's trying to push the blame on me!"

But the Second Prince laughed—a cruel, mirthless laugh that carried through the smoky air.

"Push the blame? Did you really think everyone working for you was loyal?"

He tilted his head mockingly.

"Do you remember, dear brother—three months ago, when the Princess went to the Moonlight Pavilion Auction? Didn't you spend quite a bit to eliminate her?"

The Fifth Prince's pupils shrank.

The Second Prince continued, his tone growing sharper with each word.

"Or how about when she left the palace to visit the Orchid Gardens last winter? Another ambush. Oh, and let's not forget the little incident when she was returning from the southern monastery. Care to explain that one too?"

Princess Sun Yaoqing's gaze never wavered, but the faint tremor in her fingers betrayed that she remembered every single one of those attacks.

Those assassins had been highly trained—each time, the strikes had been precise, meant to kill.

If not for the sacrifices of some of the guards, she would have very well been killed.

Those visits were kept highly confidential, known only to a select few—mostly her brothers and sisters.

So while she didn't want to believe it, she already knew the ones who wanted her dead were her siblings.

She just hadn't known whether it was one—or all of them.

"You thought you were being secretive," the Second Prince said, his grin widening.

"But I already knew everything. My Master's network runs deeper than you think."

The Fifth Prince went pale, all color draining from his face.

"I—You—That's not—"

He stuttered helplessly, words choking in his throat.

"Then why didn't you stop me if you knew!?"

He burst out finally, voice cracking in anger and desperation.

The Second Prince's smile vanished. His tone turned cold and disturbingly calm.

"Why should I?"

He said it simply, almost like it was the most natural answer in the world.

"While I trusted my Master's judgment and did as he said. He never asked for me to protect Sun Yaoqing. So, why should I put in the extra effort?"

His eyes shifted toward the Princess, cold and indifferent.

"The result benefited me."

The words hung in the air like poison.

Princess Sun Yaoqing's lips pressed together tightly.

Her Qi stirred, faint ripples of fiery energy spreading through the air.

The Emperor slammed his hand down, his voice thundering with fury.

"Enough! You've brought shame to our bloodline!"

But the Second Prince only smirked, eyes burning with a madness that no longer feared punishment.

"Shame? Father, the shame was born long before me. You just refused to see it. Maybe if you'd controlled what was between your legs, there wouldn't be bastards like me."

The Emperor's aura flared—Yet the Second Prince didn't flinch.

"The only regret I have…" he said, voice hoarse but steady, "…is that I couldn't kill you myself."

The words struck like thunder. Indeed, looks like Second Prince has never thought about keeping his Father alive.

The Second Prince raised his head, his eyes burning with a frenzied light that made him look almost serene.

"You, and every rotten noble festering under this so-called Empire," he continued, his tone now cold and cutting, "I would have slaughtered everyone of you."

He laughed—a dry, broken sound that echoed eerily through the ruined hall.

His gaze swept across the Emperor, the Fifth Prince, and the Commanders.

Then, slowly, his attention shifted.

To Bai Zihan!

The madness faded a little, replaced by something else—an odd calm. Perhaps even relief.

"Young Master Bai," he said, "I've told you everything I know. Whether you kill me or not… I couldn't care less."

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