World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 674: The Triple Threes: Suo Lun’s Ruthless Move! Zhi Wei’s Dead End!

Chapter 674: The Triple Threes: Suo Lun’s Ruthless Move! Zhi Wei’s Dead End!

"It’s a son, it’s a son..." a wet nurse cried with joy as she held the newly born baby.

Zhi Ning was utterly exhausted. Seeing the baby wailing and flailing his limbs, a tide of love surged in her heart. She wanted to reach out and caress the baby, but having no strength left, she could only shower him with adoring gazes.

After the umbilical cord was cut and the baby was washed and dressed in prepared infant clothes, they placed him in the small bed next to her.

The little baby had just come out of his mother’s belly, unfamiliar and scared of the outside environment. Separated from the constant temperature of the womb, he felt a bit cold, his small body shivering slightly.

"Commandery Princess, he weighs eight pounds three ounces, eight pounds three ounces!" the wet nurse said, "Such a heavy little baby, no wonder his birth was so difficult!"

The baby’s skin was smooth upon birth, fair and delicate, not wrinkled and red like other babies.

Once calm, the baby tried to open his eyes, which seemed to require a great deal of effort, but he managed to open them.

His eyes were big and round, the black pupils shining bright and pure, like flawless black jade stones occupying most of his eyes.

The baby’s facial features resembled his mother’s and his face shape his father’s, truly beautiful to the extreme.

Zhi Ning felt a tender happiness fill her heart, overwhelming her with the urge to cry.

After becoming pregnant, she knew her health was poor, and Suo Lun’s actions had even caused her to vomit blood several times, weakening her further. Coupled with severe morning sickness early in pregnancy, she was truly worried that the baby wasn’t getting enough nutrition, so she had made an effort to eat and exercise diligently. She hadn’t expected to over nourish and overweigh the baby, eight pounds heavy, and with her small frame, the birth was indeed difficult. There had been moments when she felt she was going to die.

Even during the childbirth, she had said, "Cut open my belly and take the baby out."

She truly preferred to die herself to ensure her baby’s safe delivery.

But in the end, both mother and child were safe, which was extremely fortunate.

The baby had cried loudly and was quite restless when he was first born. Now, he lay quietly, occasionally opening his big eyes to look at his mother, then lazily closing them again.

"Come on, baby, try some milk!" the wet nurse picked up the baby and opened Zhi Ning’s garment.

The baby lay against his mother’s chest and began to suckle instinctively with great effort.

Zhi Ning, watching the baby suckle with eyes closed, felt her heart melt. All thoughts of Zhi Li, all thoughts of Suo Lun, flew away beyond the highest clouds. Now, her heart, her eyes, her entire world held only this little baby.

...

In Tianshui City, at the Fenglei Fort Defense Line battlefield, within Duke Zhi Wei’s camp!

Several hours later, Duke Zhi Wei finally regained consciousness!

"Father, how do you feel?" Crown Prince Zhi You asked with concern.

"I’m all right!" Duke Zhi Wei said, struggling to sit up. His once imposing face now looked somewhat aged and listless.

Having been defeated so miserably, his lifelong reputation was about to be destroyed!

More than twenty years ago, during the great battle for the throne, almost all of the previous king’s sons had been involved, with three of the six princes dying.

Only the ultimate victor, Quo Bian, and the younger Zhi Ting and Zhi Wei, had survived.

Zhi Wei had always been close to Crown Prince Zhi Lan, so after Quo Bian ascended to the throne, Zhi Wei was completely sidelined, powerless and without influence.

However, as time passed, Quo Bian’s relations with the lords and nobles became strained, alongside the royal tradition of princes taking charge of border defenses to share the country’s burdens.

Therefore, Zhi Ting and Zhi Wei were both dispatched to govern provinces as governors.

Ultimately, Zhi Ting, being irresponsible, brought disaster upon his province, causing widespread resentment and subsequently falling into a trap set by local lords and nobles. King Quo Bian had no choice but to recall Zhi Ting back to Wangcheng Zidu, leaving him as a non-influential duke, preoccupied with making money all day long.

Zhi Wei then continued serving as a provincial governor, switching between three provinces over a period of more than ten years.

Eight years ago, King Quo Bian’s chronic illness became widely known—he had been suffering from a slow-acting, severe poison and was no longer able to father children.

With the king having no children or heirs, this fact was finally established and spread throughout the land.

Since then, everything changed. The lords and nobles of the Rage Wave Kingdom began to treat the king with cold indifference. At that time, Duke Zhi Wei had not yet shown his stance too overtly.

When Zhi Li, the son of the late Crown Prince Zhi Lan, returned from Yanjing and married Fang Qingzhuo, the legitimate daughter of the Lord of Yinzhou, with the backing of the Dragon Temple, Yinzhou, and the Demon Continent, his influence was unmatched!

All along, King Quo Bian had supported commoner elites and attempted to reduce the power of lords and nobles.

Thus, the relationship between the two parties was very hostile, and the lords and nobles, out of fear of the king, dared not speak their anger openly.

Once Zhi Li appeared, backed by the enormous powers of the Dragon Temple and Yinzhou, the lords and nobles couldn’t wait to stand behind Zhi Li in opposition to the king.

Since Duke Zhi Wei had always been close to Crown Prince Zhi Lan from a young age, he did not hesitate to take Zhi Li’s side upon witnessing the situation.

Afterward, Duke Zhi Wei has been in charge of the Southeast Province for eight years.

"I shouldn’t have been so eager for achievement. I should have waited for the Tuling Tuo Army to arrive and then start the battle from both sides, ensuring certain victory." Duke Zhi Wei once again regretted bitterly.

Princely Heir Zhi You said, "Father, it’s not your fault. Even Zhi Li His Highness’ orders were for you to start the battle early to save Linhai City."

Zhi Wei shook his head forcefully; it was still his own greed, the desire to take full credit for defeating Suo Lun and to advance to the rank of royal prince. That’s why he hastily began the battle, and upon reaching the Fenglei Fort Defense Line, he did not even set up a proper camp before launching the attack, leading to such a devastating defeat.