After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 290 Confrontation
Upon hearing this, Ji Song, who was sitting in front of Li Zhu's coffin, suddenly woke up.

Then, he struggled to his feet, supporting himself with his hands, his cloudy eyes scanning his surroundings, and he said hoarsely:

"who is it?"

A gentle breeze wafted through the mourning hall, causing the white mourning cloth to flutter intermittently. A faint, ethereal voice rose slowly, saying:

"Lord Ji, you don't need to know who I am. Just answer my question."

Upon hearing this, Ji Song stopped searching for the other person. He straightened his hunched back slightly, then looked outside the mourning hall and said:

"Does Your Excellency also have a grudge against that Eighth Prince?"

"I have no grudge against him."

The voice spoke softly, then said in a low voice:
"However, there are far too many people who hold different views from him, too many to count."

Upon hearing this, the sorrowful expression that had been on the face of the emaciated Right Chancellor Ji Song gradually faded away.

After a moment, a glint of light suddenly flashed in his dark eyes, as if he had suddenly realized something, and he murmured:

"I have been so grief-stricken these days that my mind is no longer sharp."

Immediately, he seemed to be talking to himself, asking:

What do you want with me?

"Naturally, we should bring down that Eighth Prince, and if possible, it would be best to kill him."

The ethereal voice was extremely calm, as if it were talking about something very ordinary.

Ji Song remained silent for a moment, then let out a cold snort, his aged body suddenly exuding the majesty of a prime minister.

"In the struggle for the crown prince position, the other six princes all stood against Li Musheng. In the struggle between the martial arts world and the imperial court, the martial arts sects of Dali were also irreconcilable with him. In the struggle between the five kingdoms, the other four kingdoms also regarded him as a thorn in their side."

Ji Song's hoarse voice slowly rang out as he asked:

"And which side do you belong to?"

Upon hearing this, the entire mourning hall fell silent for a moment before the ethereal voice returned:

"Lord Ji, you don't need to find out my identity. You only need to know that we have a common goal. In addition, if Lord Ji wants revenge, there will be an opportunity next."

"What opportunity?" Ji Song asked, squinting at the outside of the mourning hall.

"Lord Ji will know in due time."

The ethereal voice drifted on the wind, and then continued:
"Lord Ji wields immense power in the Great Li Dynasty and is a great asset in dealing with that Eighth Prince. He should focus on recuperating; if he dies, he may never see the day of revenge."

As it spoke, the ethereal voice gradually faded into the distance, leaving only a faint, indistinct utterance:

"I will definitely come to see Lord Ji again if anything comes up in the future."

The entire mourning hall fell silent for a moment. Ji Song stood there in silence for a while, then slowly turned around and looked at the coffin behind him.

After a moment, he slowly took a deep breath and said:

"Yes, Zhu'er, we still have a chance."

……

The capital city, the residence of the Second Prince.

Li Que, dressed in brocade robes, sat at the head of the hall, while the exiled old man in a gray robe sat below him.

Besides these, several of Li Que's confidants and highly regarded martial arts masters were also seated in the hall.

At this moment, Li Que's brows were furrowed, and his expression was visibly grave. He then looked around at everyone in the hall and said:
"We just received news that the Eighth Prince has returned to the capital and is currently at the Tianjin Guard headquarters."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall immediately showed surprise and understood why the Second Prince was in such a hurry to summon them.
At this moment, a tall, slender man in a blue robe stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

“Your Highness, the return of the Eighth Prince is indeed a major event, but we need not worry too much, since we have no enmity with him.”

Upon hearing this, the other martial arts masters sitting next to him shook their heads and said:
“Azure Jade Scorpion King, you only came out of seclusion a few days ago and are unaware of the inside story.”

Immediately afterwards, someone informed the other party that Li Que had sent people to attack Li Musheng.

"The old man Wuxiang took the initiative to assassinate the eighth prince, but there has been no news of him since."

A middle-aged man with an ordinary face and black seal script tattooed on his forehead, whose eyes revealed a hint of darkness, said:

"If the Elder Wuxiang had really made a move, he would probably be a corpse by now."

Upon hearing this, all the extraordinary figures and masters of the martial arts world in the hall fell silent.

The Old Man of No Form was infamous in the martial arts world, and his martial arts prowess was unfathomable. When he first arrived at the Second Prince's residence, his casual actions intimidated all the martial arts masters in the mansion.

Even so, the other party was still several levels below the leader of Luoshen Peak, and his martial arts strength was utterly insignificant in front of him.

However, even such a top martial arts master, who was in charge of one of the four major sects in the martial arts world and stood tall in the martial arts world of Dali, was still killed by the Eighth Prince alone.

Moreover, it is said that the other party was working together with several other Venerables, which shows just how terrifying the Eighth Prince's martial arts strength is.

In the current world of Dali, perhaps only the two Martial Saints and Yu Xiong Batian, the supreme leader of the Heavenly Alliance, can rival them.

No, now only one Martial Saint remains in the Great Li Jianghu.

……

At this moment, the Second Prince Li Que, seated at the head of the table, suddenly broke the silence in the hall, his expression extremely serious:

"My esteemed friends, let us not mention the assassination of the Eighth Prince again, lest it reach the enemy's ears and bring upon us our own lives."

Upon hearing this, the people who had spoken earlier immediately realized what had happened and felt a chill run down their spines. They all apologized and vowed never to speak of the matter again.

The Second Prince, Li Que, nodded slowly, then looked down at the exiled old man in the lower seat. The two exchanged a glance, a hint of murderous intent flashing in their eyes.

In the end, however, the Second Prince Li Que did nothing.

He had spent countless hours gathering such a group of highly skilled martial arts masters, and he didn't want all of this to go to waste unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, these people are now in the same boat as him, so they probably wouldn't dare to say anything or cause trouble for Li Musheng.

"What does Elder Zhe think we should do next to deal with Lao Ba?"

At this moment, the Second Prince Li Que secretly used his martial arts true energy to transmit a message.

In fact, they had discussed this issue many times, and Li Que had also consulted several advisors in the mansion.

But now that he has heard of Li Musheng's return, he still can't help but feel uneasy as the matter comes to a head.

After all, he had previously sent the Elder Wuxiang to kill the other party.

Although the old man Wuxiang was probably dead, he was still afraid that the other party might have already exposed him... "Your Highness need not worry. Now that the Eighth Prince is famous throughout the world and is at the height of his power, we should naturally avoid his sharp edge and lie low in the dark."

The old man remained relatively calm and offered a word of comfort via telepathy.

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince Li Que sighed, then said with a somber expression:

“I know this is our only option now, but what I fear is that this retreat may be for life, and I will never be able to compete for the throne again.”

The exiled old man glanced at the other man, then shook his head and slowly said:

"The situation is still uncertain, Your Highness must not be discouraged. As long as things have not yet happened, anything is possible."

"As the saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. The eighth prince is the tallest tree in the forest. The higher he stands, the more attention he attracts, and the more the winds of the world want to blow him down."

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince Li Que's expression shifted, and after a moment of contemplation, a renewed fighting spirit seemed to emerge in his eyes.

Seeing this, the exiled old man slowly nodded and said:
"Being strong for a short time is not true strength. Waiting for the right time to act, being patient and accumulating strength before unleashing it is the right way."

……

Dali Palace.

The Queen Dowager sat upon the golden phoenix throne. An old eunuch floated in from outside the hall, stopped before the jade steps, and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has returned."

Upon hearing this, the Queen, dressed in a bright yellow evening gown, glanced at the other person, her teacup pausing slightly before she regained her composure and asked:
"Where is he now?"

"As soon as the Eighth Prince entered the capital, he returned to the Tianjin Guard headquarters."

"Did the Imperial Guard headquarters report his return to the palace that day?"

"So far, there shouldn't be any," the old eunuch said, bowing his head.

The Queen took a sip of tea, her face revealing no emotion, and said:
"He led the Tianjin Guard to destroy Luoshen Peak by himself. Such a great achievement, yet he returned so quietly. This Eighth Prince is quite low-key."

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch slightly raised his eyes, glanced at the queen on the golden throne, and said:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Eighth Prince has been living in a remote town among the common people. Although we don't know how he developed such terrifying martial arts skills, it seems that he has kept a low profile ever since he came to Shangyang City."

"Before he made a move against Luo Shenfeng, the entire capital and even the martial arts world thought he was untalented. Even now that he is famous throughout the world, the Eighth Prince still seems to have no edge."

The Queen glanced at the old eunuch and squinted, saying:
"I understand what you mean. You mean that the Eighth Prince might just be this kind of person, and it has nothing to do with whether his martial arts skills are profound or not."

The old eunuch nodded slightly and bowed, saying:
"The Queen is extremely perceptive."

However, the Queen put down her teacup and said quietly:
"Consort Jing did give birth to a good son."

Then, she sighed again and said:
"However, sometimes what seems like non-contention is actually the greatest contention. Now, the five kingdoms are all in power and the martial arts world is very influential. Controlling absolute military force is the biggest bargaining chip."

"Given His Majesty's mindset, once he emerges from seclusion, this Eighth Prince will likely become the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch immediately lowered his head, not daring to utter a single word.

When it comes to matters concerning the throne, any single word he utters could cost him his life.

"Very well, I already know about this matter. You may leave now and continue to keep an eye on the Tianjin Guards. Report back immediately if there are any developments."

At this moment, the Queen waved her hand, signaling the old eunuch to leave.

The other party immediately agreed, bowed, took a few steps back, and disappeared into the main hall.

Not long after, Li Tianyi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Court, arrived outside the palace.

He was dressed in a golden-embroidered python robe, with a full head of silver hair, but his face appeared fair and youthful. When he arrived in the palace to meet the Queen, he bowed and greeted her:

"Your Majesty, what brings you to my court?"

Before learning of Li Musheng's return, the Queen had already sent people to look for Li Tianyi, but the news arrived after Li Tianyi had been received.

However, the Queen clearly didn't intend to mention Li Musheng's return. Instead, she sat high on her phoenix throne, looking down at Li Tianyi below, and suddenly spoke:

"It's the same question I asked you before: Is there any evidence to prove that Consort Ji was killed by the Eighth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tianyi raised his head, his expression unchanged, clearly not surprised by the Queen's question.

Then, he gently cupped his hands and shook his head, saying:

"Your Majesty, as I mentioned before, the person who entered the palace to kill the Imperial Concubine was highly skilled in martial arts, acted swiftly and cleanly, and left no evidence to prove his identity."

At this moment, the Queen suddenly slammed her hand on the table beside her, her gaze stern, and said:

“We may not have had any clues before, but now the Eighth Prince’s strength is known throughout the world. With his martial arts cultivation, he is perfectly qualified to be someone who can freely enter and leave the Dali Imperial Palace.”

"Moreover, he has a close relationship with the daughter of the Marquis of Cangyuan, and he also has a motive to intervene in the case of the Marquis of Cangyuan's residence. Are you really going to turn a blind eye to all of this?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tianyi in the main hall lowered his head and remained silent.

Only after the queen before him had calmed down somewhat did he bow and say:
"Forgive this servant for asking, but has Your Majesty truly thought this through and decided that I should consider the Eighth Prince, who single-handedly killed the leader of the Fallen God Peak Sect and the Four Venerables, as the murderer?"

As he spoke, he slightly raised his head to look at the Queen on the phoenix throne, his gaze conveying a meaning that was self-evident.

"presumptuous!"

The Queen gave a sharp rebuke, staring indifferently at the Grand Eunuch Li Tianyi before her, and said:

"I only hope that you can handle the case impartially and give Consort Ji and the Marquis of Cangyuan justice. What does it have to do with who the murderer is?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tian glanced at the queen before him and shook his head:

"Please understand, Your Majesty, this is not a matter that I can decide, nor can I bear the risks involved."

As he spoke, he seemed to sigh, bowed, and said:

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but regarding this matter, Your Majesty should think more about His Majesty. We should discuss everything after His Majesty emerges from seclusion."

The queen, seated on her golden throne, suddenly calmed down after hearing Li Tianyi's words, her initial anger vanishing.

Then, without saying anything more, she simply waved her hand and said calmly:
"Go back."

Upon hearing this, Li Tianyi looked up at the Queen, his eyes flickering slightly.

However, he didn't say anything more, but simply bowed and took his leave.

After leaving the main hall, Li Tianyi suddenly stopped, turned back and looked at himself deeply, muttering to himself:
"There is not a single simple person in this palace."

After saying that, he shook his head and left.

At the same time, the Queen, seated on her phoenix throne and facing the empty hall, slowly spoke:

"The eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will always stand on His Majesty's side, without a doubt, and their attitude largely represents His Majesty's attitude."

Her voice floated lightly in the hall, whether she was talking to herself or deliberately speaking to someone else was unclear.

(End of this chapter)