Become a king right from the start, beginning with receiving rewards from all the heavens.

At that moment, that fleeting smile made Xia Zhaoyan understand.

His scheme was exposed, and the other party acted decisively, choosing to hand him over directly.

"As expected of the current patriarch of this lineage, the old man is indeed no ordinary person!"

The old man taught himself a lesson today, showing him what it truly means to be a cut above the rest.

The expressions of the old man and the young man at this moment puzzled everyone outside.

Why does Niou look like he's not very happy?

On the contrary, the other party appeared very calm.

However, everyone was soon drawn to three figures.

Everyone immediately realized that these three people must be the ones who went to Cangshan that day.

"Guards, take them back to the Heavenly Punishment Division!"

"Notify the military and let them take these three free powerhouses."

"Perfect timing! We're about to go to war with the Yu Kingdom. The military should be very happy with the arrival of these three!"

Instantly, more than a dozen guards stepped forward.

They escorted the three back to the city ahead of schedule. As for why the three dared not resist, they were, after all, powerful cultivators at the Celestial Realm.

Unless they were cultivators facing a capital offense, almost no one dared to violently resist the imperial court's judgment.

This is just military service, not execution!

In front of the royal family, Xia Zhaoyan personally announced the punishment decision for the three.

"As I just said, this is only a mild punishment for them."

"Don't worry, they'll return when their conscription time is up, as long as they don't perish!"

Having said that, he turned and returned to the carriage.

Mu Wenhan waved his hand dismissively, "Set up the carriage and return to the city!"

At this moment, Xia Zhaoyan suddenly lifted the curtain and looked at the middle-aged powerhouse.

"Senior, I remember that the Great Xia Dynasty did not have a so-called royal family!"

"Only the Great Xia royal family matters; you are merely ordinary family forces among the common people!"

As the words fell, the imperial carriage, protected by the guards, headed towards the imperial city.

As the members of the Heavenly Punishment Division left, the members of the royal family immediately erupted in fierce questioning.

"Chieftain, please give us an explanation!"

"Yes, we need an explanation..."

The middle-aged clan leader sighed, his voice instantly silencing the crowd's questions.

"Do you think I'm willing to abandon these three elders?"

"This King Ren has come today with no intention of actually taking the three of them away."

Everyone's expression changed drastically as they quickly recalled Renwang's performance from earlier.

Are they deliberately provoking us to rebel?

The purpose of doing this...

"Have you thought it all through?"

"He wants us to disobey him so he has an excuse to target us specifically later!"

"Don't forget what the Heavenly Punishment Division in his hands does!"

"We can't let him target us, otherwise we won't have the energy to talk about revenge!"

...

"Chieftain, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you!"

Everyone bowed and apologized, as they recalled what had just happened.

They were now drenched in cold sweat, but thankfully the clan chief was shrewd and they hadn't fallen for the little child's trick.

Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable; that was a prince who had been cunning and manipulative, and had been fighting in the court for two years.

No one knew what ruthless methods he would use against them next.

The divine senses in the void also disappeared, and only then did the clan leader reveal a sinister expression.

"This isn't over yet; I suspect he'll cause us more trouble in the future."

"Judging from his past behavior and personality, this Niou (ruler) clearly dislikes us privileged class!"

"In his view, we social classes are all parasites on the Great Xia."

"Therefore, this person must be eliminated!"

...

Inside the carriage, Xia Zhaoyan closed his eyes and analyzed his performance just now.

Mu Wenhan sat to the side, frowning as he pondered something.

Suddenly, Xia Zhaoyan spoke up.

"I went too far just now; I shouldn't have provoked them so much."

"I never expected that old guy would discover my true purpose!"

Mu Wenhan offered words of comfort, "Your Highness, the other party is, after all, an immortal who has lived for over a thousand years."

"Someone like that is so meticulous in their thinking; there's nothing shameful about you being one step behind!"

...

"That being said, it will be difficult to find such a perfect opportunity again..."

Suddenly, Xia Zhaoyan's heart started racing!

A faint killing intent suddenly rose in his heart, and he instantly opened his eyes!

The voice was very calm as it said, "Someone wants to kill me!"

What!

Mu Wenhan was so shocked he almost jumped up, his divine sense immediately spreading throughout the surrounding void...

...

Somewhere along the road leading from the royal family to the imperial city, a hundred meters underground, lies a small space.

At this moment, the three assassins from the Samsara Palace were once again in hiding.

"Third Elder, ahead of King Ren's procession are three Celestial Realm experts from the Great Xia Dynasty."

"Should we still make a move?"

At this moment, the Third Elder looked conflicted.

Another elder spoke up.

"Those three probably wish Niou would die."

"Although they are the royal family of Great Xia, today's situation shows that King Ren has no concept of royalty at all."

...

"But what if they make a move? Remember, those are three Celestial Realm experts!"

The two disagreed, so they looked to the Third Elder.

The conflicted expression on his face suddenly vanished, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"Never mind, this is the best opportunity right now."

"We've been in the capital for dozens of days now, and the risks are getting bigger and bigger if we stay any longer."

"Who knows when Niou will leave the castle next!"

"Let's do it!"

...

Suddenly, a deep crater appeared in the ground outside the Heavenly Punishment Division's ranks.

Countless dust particles obscured the sky, blocking people's view.

Just then, three figures appeared in the air.

They immediately rushed towards the central chariot from three directions, a scene that instantly stunned everyone in the Heavenly Punishment Division.

The escort team, several kilometers ahead, immediately stopped, and someone shouted anxiously.

"Oh no! Someone is trying to assassinate His Highness!"

The three elders of the royal family were taken aback at first, then smiles gradually spread across their faces.

"Hehe! As the old saying goes, arrogance never brings good..."

"Little kid, you've offended so many people..."

Mu Wenhan, who was in the carriage, rushed out of the carriage immediately.

He vanished from his spot in the next instant, only to exchange a single blow with an assassin.

puff!

He spat out a mouthful of blood and his body flew backward back onto the carriage.

The assassin, though unharmed, was forced to fly backward.

At that moment, the other two assassins arrived.

One of the assassins made Mu Wenhan feel the presence of death.

He knew that this was definitely a Celestial Realm assassin!

But he didn't hesitate at all, and just as he was about to rush forward, a voice rang out.

"Lord Mu, come back!"

...

"Your Highness..." Mu Wenhan didn't understand why!

Xia Zhaoyan appeared outside the car, his hands behind his back.

At this moment, the three of them unleashed their deadly attacks from a distance!

"Finally, you rats have come out!"

As soon as the voice fell, a figure in a white robe suddenly appeared in the air.

He opened his hand, and a beam of light enveloped the void!

The killing moves of the three elders of the Samsara Palace were instantly imprisoned in mid-air!

The laws of space between heaven and earth are rotating, and at this moment this void seems to have been turned upside down!