Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 200 - 127: Hello, Crown Prince

Chapter 200: Chapter 127: Hello, Crown Prince

Imperial Astronomical Observatory, Star Plucking Tower.

The young Crown Prince, Zhou Wei, stood at the center of the formation, with his eyes closed and an expression of solemn reverence. Golden light surged out from within his body, like the first rise of the morning sun, showering boundless auspicious energy.

A circle of Imperial Astronomical Observatory disciples sat around him, maintaining the formation.

The brilliance that arose from the formation flowed ceaselessly, like liquid gold rushing through Zhou Wei’s meridians.

The Haotian Divine Maneuver had not made its appearance for the first time in front of people.

More than two thousand years ago, there had been an Emperor who received his mandate from the heavens, carrying the Haotian Divine Maneuver, and with great courage unified the war-torn Central Plains for the first time, inaugurating a new dynastic era.

Afterward, he infused the Haotian Divine Maneuver into the Imperial Jade Seal, engraving the eight seal characters "Receiving Mandate from Heaven, May Longevity and Prosperity Abound" as a manifestation of the divine right bestowed to imperial authority and its legitimacy.

As dynasties changed and the great trend of the world underwent divisions and reunions, the whereabouts of the Imperial Jade Seal became unknown. However, the desire of each Emperor for the Haotian Divine Maneuver never ceased.

From the moment they ascended the throne, they could feel an ever-increasing sense of the profoundness of the title "Son of Heaven."

Although they bore the name of Heir to the Heavens and reigned over mankind, they had not been endowed with the divine power bestowed by heaven. They were like duckweeds without roots, which made them feel very insecure, leading to generations of Emperors plagued by doubts and fears.

How could one "Live Long and Prosper" if they had not been "Receiving Mandate from Heaven"?

At the moment when the Haotian Divine Maneuver reappeared in the world, Emperors from Dazhou, Yanrong, and other smaller states like Loulan could all physically sense that overbearing heavenly majesty.

Everybody had their intentions at this moment.

Empress Dowager Xiao of the Yanrong State made a decisive decision and immediately sent people to search for it, but in the end, Dazhou was one step ahead.

No one could resist the temptation of the "Haotian Divine Maneuver," nor underestimate its power.

Empress Dowager Xiao, who had the ambition to unify all lands under heaven, naturally would not stop there. Watching her enemy "Receive Mandate from Heaven," she came to seize the Haotian Divine Maneuver during the most crucial period of the Crown Prince’s integration. Even if she failed to seize it, she still intended to disrupt the integration process.

The so-called integration was to have the Haotian Divine Maneuver fully recognize its master.

It wasn’t merely about having the divine power placed upon one’s person, for it was obtained from someone else and required the ancestral True Dragon Spirit Qi to prove the authentic imperial lineage, in order to fully integrate it.

Due to some special reasons, the reigning Emperor, Zhou Chang, was unable to do so, and thus pinned his hopes on the next generation.

Therefore, the Crown Prince needed to stay in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory’s Star Observing Tower during the New Year’s Eve ancestral ceremony, at the time when the True Dragon Spirit Qi was at its most abundant, to have the Haotian Divine Maneuver recognize him as its master. Today was the fifth day of the first lunar month, which was the most critical day. Should he fail, he would lose the qualification to be the master of the Haotian Divine Maneuver.

Gazing at the figures swiftly moving toward the imperial palace in the distance, Zhou Wei furrowed his brow and looked at the old supervisor, "Supervisor, could they possibly...?"

"My prince, do not worry, they won’t be able to cause any trouble," the old supervisor reassured him with a smile, "Even the Demon Venerable who came before couldn’t seize it; they are even less likely to. His Majesty has already arranged multiple defenses inside and outside the palace. If Yelv Shenye dares to come, he can forget about returning."

Zhou Wei was relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

He clenched his fists slightly.

Just this one night!

If he could endure this night, he would become the Emperor recognized by heaven, creating an era of unprecedented prosperity, and be a peerless sovereign in all history!

The whole world would be mine!

Unexpectedly, the image of a beautiful woman emerged in the Crown Prince’s mind once again.

Truly unforgettable.

The Crown Prince muttered, "Ye Zhuchan, if you could see this moment with your own eyes, I believe that you would regret your initial decision."

...

Outside the palace gate, eighteen figures stood tall in the night wind.

The man in black leading them was about fifty years old, burly with strands of silver, barely visible in his black hair, and eyes that were deep and sharp.

He was the top expert of Yanrong, Yelv Shenye.

He had made four attempts to assassinate the Emperor of Dazhou and had retreated unscathed each time.

"Elder Ancestor, are we just going to charge in like this?"

A voluptuous woman in purple garments asked the question with a soft and alluring voice. She was Yelv Nalihong, a kinswoman of the Three-Father Tribe of the great tent clans, who was obsessed with the martial arts of the Central Plains since childhood. Having once left home to practice in secrecy within the Lotus Sect, she reached the junior grandmaster realm in just three years.

After her identity was exposed and she managed to escape back to Yanrong, she entered the Thirteenth Floor of the Xiuwu Pavilion established by Empress Dowager Xiao and reached the Complete Realm of the Heaven Desolation Boundary within twelve years, thus becoming a first-rate expert of Yanrong.

Within three years at most, she could reach the Saintly Ascension Realm.

The man on Yelv’s left was in his forties, with a long sword hanging at his waist. He was not particularly handsome and had a scar across his brow and eyes.

Hearing the woman’s question, he sneered, "What, scared?"

The man’s name was Han Chuyong, originally from Dazhou but his family was executed for a major crime. Only he, with the desperate help of a steward, was able to escape to Yanrong.

With his outstanding talent, he was selected to train in the Xiuwu Pavilion.

He was at the Great Perfection of Sanctum Ascension.

Han Chuyong, who harbored deep hatred for Dazhou, volunteered to breach the palace walls to seize the divine power and personally kill the Crown Prince to avenge his fallen family.

The woman replied with a cold laugh, "I’m afraid the imperial palace is full of good-for-nothings, not enough to satisfy our killing spree."

Yelv Nalihong was not being arrogant.

Among them, besides Yelv Shenye, at least five others had greater cultivation than they did, including experts of the Feathered Transformation Realm ready to block two Saints from Confucianism and the military.

In essence, for the sake of seizing the Haotian Divine Maneuver, Yanrong spared no expense.