"Father, what do you intend to do now?" Crown Prince Shen Zhaoyan probed subtly.
After the royal court was dismissed, he followed his father to study. With the Jin clan now wiped out, they had to deal with the troubles that would soon arise.
"What are you referring to?" King Xuandi asked, casually sipping his tea.
"Father, the Jin clan has forged a lot of alliances over the years. They also have a lot of loyal followers. The might revolt after what happened," the Crown Prince warned.
But King Xuandi was unperturbed by it. The vapour from the tea hid his eyes, subtly masking his true thoughts.
"I have my plans," he replied, not going into details.
And the Crown Prince knew better not to question more.
"I understand, Father," he said and hesitated for a moment.
Kind Xuandi noticed his son's state. He even guessed what was running through his mind. But he did not do anything, allowing the man to take his time to sort his thoughts.
"Father, about Imperial Protector, have you thought of a suitable person?" The Crown Prince finally revealed what he was worried about, and King Xuandi raised his brow slightly, his lips curling on one side into a thoughtful smirk.
"I have someone in mind. You do not have to worry about it."
King Xuandi did not say anything more.
Although he was curious, the Crown Prince knew when not to cross his limits. So, he withheld himself from asking who he had in mind.
"Father, I heard the Celestial Gem in the Jin clan is missing." The Crown Prince diverted the topic and immediately noticed his father's hand tremble slightly.
King Xuandi's expression turned grim, and he placed the teacup on the table. His lips thinned into a hard line as he stared thoughtfully.
"Father, is it possible that Jin Yuchen retrieved the Celestial Gem?" the Crown Prince mused, trying to find out what might have happened. Since he had not been present when the Jin clan had been exterminated, he did not know much about the details.
How did the Celestial Gem vanish when the entire Jin clan had been destroyed?
King Xuandi shook his head, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
"It is impossible for anyone without a spirit root to enter the celestial pond. Even an intermediate-level cultivator will find it difficult to reach the Celestial Gem. Jin Yuchen would have died if he had tried to retrieve the Celestial Gem," the King analysed slowly.
Although he was calm on the outside, he was panicking from within.
The Celestial Gem was a blessing to the Jin clan. It was their greatest treasure, something which he too did not have.
Now that Celestial Gem was missing, he could not sit still. It was as if death were looming over him. The guillotine was just short of falling on his neck.
King Xuandi felt a chill run down his spine, and he covered his neck immediately.
"Father, what happened?" The Crown Prince was shocked to see how his father's face lost all color in the blink of an eye. He looked sickly pale all of a sudden.
"Nothing. I want to rest," King Xuandi said, dismissing him, his brows contorting into a frown.
"But..."
King Xuandi gave him a look, and the Crown Prince lowered his head immediately. Standing up, he bowed before his father and took his leave.
King Xuandi was all alone in his study. His eyes were hazy as he stared ahead absent-mindedly.
A few distant memories flashed in his mind, most of which were of the time when he was yet to ascend the throne. However, he recovered quickly and shook his head to clear his thoughts.
King Xuandi clapped his hands, and a shadow guard entered the study immediately.
"Your Majesty." The shadow guard knelt before him as he waited for his orders.
"Send word for Huo Zhaoyu. I want to meet him tomorrow before the court session."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The shadow guard vanished from the place immediately.
King Xuandi remained in the study for some time. With the Jin clan now gone, he had a lot to deal with.
Jin Tianlong controlled the army in the Northern faction. Since they were without a leader now, he had to appoint someone quickly.
King Xuandi started to shortlist all the names suitable for commanding the northern faction.
However, before he could decide on the person, his eyes turned blurry, and his head became heavy. When he tried to clear his head, it only made him more tired, and soon, he fell on the table with a soft thud.
Meanwhile, Arthur stared at the kingdom gates from his hiding, his eyes burning with fury when he saw the bodies hung on the kingdom wall.
It was Jin Yuchen's father and two elder brothers. After Jin Tianlong, they were the direct descendants of the Jin clan, and King Xuandi had used them to humiliate the Jin clan and warn the others of his might.
Not just the people of the Yulan kingdom would see them, even the others who didn't belong to their kingdom would see their pathetic state as well.
Although Arthur had no relationship with the three men, his heart crumbled when he saw their state. It broke him apart to witness how terribly they had been mutilated and how their bodies had been suspended for everyone to see.
From Jin Yuchen's memories, he knew the host had never been mistreated in the Jin clan. Even when the outside world called him a cripple, his family always shielded him.
Jin Yuchen's elder brothers were especially protective of him and had even fought with the others, showing them how caring they were of him.
To see them in such a terrible situation made even Arthur shed tears. He was devastated more than he had been when his own parents had passed away.
Wiping his tears, his resolve to seek revenge on behalf of the host became stronger, and he glared at the kingdom walls.
Kingdom Yulan, which had once been Jin Yuchen's home, was now his enemy, and he vowed to destroy it completely until there was nothing of it left.
The Heavenly Pavilion shivered when he sensed its master's fury. But it still could not resist asking, "Master, why did you send the Shadow Wolf to King Xuandi? King Xuandi is an advanced-level cultivator. The Shadow Wolf's powers will not affect him much."
"I don't want it to affect him much either," Arthur said with a sinister smile.
"Then, Master?"
"I just want him to know the pain of being betrayed by the people he trusts the most. A small seed of suspicion is enough to send someone on the path of madness."
The Heavenly Pavilion still did not understand what its master intended to do.
It was just about to ask when Arthur replied on his own accord.
"Since he loves betraying, let him live the nightmare from now onwards."