703 Done and Dusted (1/2)

Yun Yang was somewhat startled when he heard what the crown prince had said. He had finally found out the truth – the emperor once had experienced a slip of the tongue! A secret had been revealed to someone who should have absolutely no knowledge of it – the crown prince, the person whose advantages and disadvantages were directly at stake!

”There wasn't anyone else around then; those nearest to us were dozens of feet away. Father mumbled the statement… no one had heard it other than me, but I was stunned then – like when I had accidentally seen my eldest brother.”

”No, I was lost and had been caught. Hearing my father's question, I lost my cool and felt like the sky had fallen on me.”

Yun Yang sighed. ”You don't have to say anything more.”

He finally understood; he understood everything now.

The emperor… He had carried that intention all along. It was no wonder!

In all honesty, the intention could be realized. As long as the world was conquered and the conquest was completed, safely tucked away as Yutang's territory, it would no longer be necessary to keep the eldest prince's identity as one of the Nine Supremes a secret. The fact that the eldest prince was Nine Supremes' leader, Supreme Earth, could even be an accent to Yutang's reign over the world.

When that time came, a timely imperial dictum was all it would take to declare the reason behind the eldest prince's proclaimed death back then. After such a huge sacrifice and returning victorious, it would be an easy feat for him to ascend the throne once again.

Yutang's officials and people would not have any objections! The only person – the only exception among all - was His Highness, the crown prince. The eastern palace heir was, in reality, just a placeholder.

It was about that time, then, that the crown prince knew about the emperor's plan – he finally figured out that his crown prince status was only for display.

Yun Yang heaved a deep sigh. Looking at the aged and dreary crown prince before him, he was left with speechlessness and a knot in his heart.

Should he or should he not kill this crown prince?

The decision depended on Yun Yang's thoughts. Logically, what the crown prince did demanded nothing less than death. However, putting oneself in his shoes, there was nothing wrong with his choice of action, despite the fact that it had harmed the country and defied the emperor; it was faultless for the royal heir to resort to any tactics and measures in order to rise to the throne. It was only a matter of success or failure.

In retrospect, it was the crown prince who had been overthrown today. If Yun Yang had fallen in Tianxuan Cliff as well back then and had not managed to save the Emperor of Yutang who had been poisoned, the next Yutang emperor was perhaps long crowned unto this prince. Whether Yutang was occupied or had been extinguished by the other empires then, His Highness had still emerged victorious from the competition for the throne!

Yun Yang's thoughts were all over the place. It was a difficult choice to make. Dazed, there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching him from afar.

'Ol'Ninth… My brother… is my biological brother after all.”

They were Supreme Earth's words, but he did not utter them. Yet, he could already make such a sacrifice for his country and family; it would be expected that he must not want to see his biological younger brother perish in Yun Yang's hands?

What about the other brothers then?

”It's still possible to stay alive.” A cold glint flashed in Yun Yang's eyes. There was actually a mirage in his orbs, like eight masked figures slipped past the bottom of his eyes just now. His decision was made certain in that instant.

He uttered each word slowly, ”Regardless, you'll have to die once first. Whatever happens after can only be continued.”

The crown prince had been holding his position for so long, he naturally understood the meaning between the lines. Without hesitation, he nodded and said, ”I – Everything of mine will be up to Young Master Yun's arrangement.”

It was undeniably the best solution to fake the crown prince's death and bury his identity. However, this method could barely be completed based on the current capability His Highness had. What was more, there were countless threats.

If the solution had been set up by Yun Yang, however, it would be a whole other story, the stake to success would increase by folds.