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

Although they knew the Crown Prince was right, no matter how many of them came, they couldn't withstand a single slap from that witch!

But we are the King of Wu's people, not yours, the Crown Prince's people. How can we let you order us around?

A flash of anger appeared in Xia Wuzheng's eyes. He really was quite domineering. He had only been the crown prince for a short time and he was already this domineering!

Helpless, he could only wave his hand and give the order.

"You may all leave now!"

After a moment's hesitation, the subordinates could only bow and leave.

Xia Wuzheng then said expressionlessly, "Now you can tell me, what exactly do you want from me?"

"Do you think that by coming to my door, you'll make others think I'd form an alliance with you?"

In Xia Wuzheng's view, although Xia Zhaoyan's forces were powerful, the pressure brought by the three Transformation Dragon Realm experts was almost suffocating for the kings.

However, he lacked depth in both the imperial court and local government, and it could even be said that he had virtually no foundation at all in local government.

Aside from the various branches of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau, he had no influence in local officialdom.

This is precisely the advantage of the princes; with the support of their maternal clans, each prince has his own power in the region.

Therefore, in his view, Xia Zhaoyan probably came to form an alliance with him!

"An alliance?" A strange smile appeared on Xia Zhaoyan's lips.

Instead of immediately denying the other party's guess, he changed the subject.

A hint of reminiscence appeared in his eyes!

"Among all the princes of our generation, you, Prince Ling, and I are the youngest. Before the three of us were even born, Prince Qi had already established his own residence and military headquarters."

King Qi was the thirty-third son of Emperor Xia.

"It just so happens that the three of us were born in the same year. I still remember how you two loved to come and play with me when we were little!"

"Those were some of the happiest times of my life!"

At this moment, a look of reminiscence appeared in the eyes of the King of Wu. He was young then and did not have complicated thoughts.

The women of their age in the palace didn't like the three of them, so the three of them could only play together as a group.

Xia Zhaoyan's voice awakened the King of Wu's memories, "But that period lasted for less than two years."

"When I was little, I didn't understand anything, and I didn't know why you suddenly stopped looking for me."

"It wasn't until I was eight years old that I gradually understood why."

"The throne is truly a tempting cake; it can erode family ties."

"Why have we changed so much?"

The memory in Xia Wuzheng's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold expression.

"What does family matter when it comes to the throne? Our identities mean we can't have true brotherhood."

"The pure feelings of childhood couldn't withstand the temptation of the throne!"

"Although this path is not necessarily a matter of life and death, no one wants to spend their entire life in the ancestral land, becoming just an ordinary royal cultivator."

"My aptitude is limited. Only by taking that position can I have my aptitude cleansed by the power of destiny, helping me reach the Celestial Realm, the Shattered Realm, and even the Dragon Transformation Realm!"

Xia Zhaoyan clapped his hands and shouted "Good!"

"Since you know it won't come to a life-or-death situation, why do you still want to negotiate with a tiger and embark on that path of no return!"

Xia Wuzheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end, and a layer of cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner lining.

His voice was a little hoarse as he asked, "Xia Zhaoyan, what do you mean?"

Xia Zhaoyan stood up and looked around the Wu King's residence.

Both its layout and level of luxury far surpassed his previous Prince Ren's Mansion.

He thought to himself that it was a pity, as this mansion would soon become a completely abandoned mansion.

"You should know what I'm saying!"

After saying that, he turned around and stared into Xia Wuzheng's eyes.

At this moment, Xia Wuzheng deliberately turned his head away to look elsewhere, not daring to meet Xia Zhaoyan's gaze at all.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. If there's nothing else, please leave my residence."

...

"Haha! Do you really want me to spell it out?"

"You weren't originally my first target, but there are some things I can't touch, so you will be the first prince I have to eliminate."

"If it weren't for our childhood friendship, I might have crippled your cultivation, leaving you to spend the rest of your life in despair!"

Xia Wuzheng was furious and smashed the ancient white jade table in front of him with a single slap!

"Xia Zhaoyan, what do you mean? Do you really think a few Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators can scare me?!"

...

"You're wrong, you're still being stubborn."

Xia Zhaoyan shook his head regretfully, then his expression turned cold, and he uttered five words.

"Demon-Sealing Lord, Demon Cultivator!!"

Boom!!

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Xia Wuzheng's mind. He swayed and lost his balance, falling heavily onto the chair.

His face was deathly pale, and his pupils were unfocused!

Only one thought remained in my mind: How did he know?

"Aren't you curious how I knew?" Xia Zhaoyan's voice rang in my ears.

Xia Wuzheng raised his unfocused eyes and looked blankly at Xia Zhaoyan.

At this moment, his mind was in complete chaos, and he was unable to think clearly.

Xia Zhaoyan ignored the other party's current state and simply said:

"Do you still remember the last time you all joined forces to attack my Jade Palace?"

"In that great battle, the two powerful figures from the Demon-Sealing Mansion had no choice but to reveal their demonic cultivation trump cards in order to survive!"

"After my powerful warriors suppressed them, they conducted a soul search to confirm their identities, only to discover that the entire dignified Demon-Sealing Duke's Mansion had long since fallen into demonic cultivation!"

"And you, King Wu of the Great Xia Dynasty, knowing full well this situation, not only did you fail to report it to the royal family, but you even considered switching to demonic arts!"

"Do you deserve your status?!"

The last sentence resounded in Xia Wuzheng's mind, gradually restoring focus to his eyes.

At that moment, he understood everything, and said in an extremely hoarse voice.

"So, the disappearance of the two Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators from the Demon Sealing Mansion was due to the intervention of the royal patriarch?"

...

"You're not stupid." Xia Zhaoyan nodded.

"The Mad Martial Ancestor personally suppressed the two, and now they are being studied by many ancestors."

Xia Wuzheng shivered violently, a chill rising in his heart.

As a prince, he was all too familiar with the quirks of some of the ancestors in the royal ancestral lands!

At the same time, I was utterly desperate!

His path to the throne was blocked; a mere demonic cultivator's failure to report it was enough to sever his future.

Not to mention that he had always wanted to switch to demonic arts!

At this moment, Xia Zhaoyan said calmly.

"I'm giving you two paths to choose from!"

"Either you withdraw from the struggle for the throne right now and go to the ancestral land to accept your punishment, but I can guarantee that you will not lose your path of cultivation."

"Or..." he said, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes!

"Either I'll kill you with my own hands!"

"At that time, I will only reveal to the public that you died suddenly due to a cultivation mishap!"

"Rest assured, I will make the entire Duke's mansion pay with its life!"

At this moment, Xia Zhaoyan's voice was so cold and piercing!