[Special Event — The Crown Prince's Madness]
[Upon learning that Zhao Wan was actually a man, Crown Prince Sheng spent months in a muddled stupor.
Unable to accept the truth regarding Zhao Wan's gender and death, he has descended into madness.
The Human Emperor was furious; he intends to depose the Crown Prince and appoint a new successor.]
"Alas, His Majesty the Human Emperor's time is drawing near. The Crown Prince has proven unfit for the burden, and it is uncertain who will inherit the throne in the future.
Now that the Li Clan has become the Guardian of the Southern Border, the Lord Grand Preceptor believes that the Li family's opinion should be sought regarding the nomination of a new Crown Prince."
Lord Hu's expression was respectful.
It was widely rumored that he was a favored confidant of the Lord Grand Preceptor.
Yet, the entire royal court understood that the Azure Dynasty currently had only one true favorite: the Li clan, far away in the south.
In the Southern Border, the Li clan was truly a jade pillar supporting the heavens.
They forced the Divine Bird Totem and Moon Dragon Totem—the two tribes closest to the southern frontier—to refrain from advancing even half an inch.
This ensured the dynasty did not face the dire predicament of a simultaneous Wu clan invasion from both the southeast and the south.
Furthermore, every ten years, the Li clan sent numerous cultivators to the front lines.
The Hall of Heavenly Principle Jade Division shops and the Li Chamber of Commerce in the Imperial Capital contributed massive tax revenues to the Azure Dynasty, even during these years of chaotic warfare.
Now that the Li clan had eradicated a Hidden World power with a foundation of one hundred and sixty thousand years, revealing terrifying combat prowess, they had become an indispensable Clan of the Azure Dynasty.
"Nominate the Crown Prince?"
...
Sweat dripped into the soil beneath the crops.
Young Master Fei Heng, a yellowing white towel draped over his shoulder, raised his head to watch the Li clan cultivators coming and going.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel, a faint smile surfacing on his face.
"Even the Immortal Zhao Clan has fallen at the hands of the Li clan. Truly remarkable.
Who says the latecomers cannot take the lead?
I suppose… I am finally qualified to return to the Royal Court."
For nearly three hundred years, he had been farming the fields of the Li family!
He was now infinitely grateful to the Li clan.
Over these years, news of the treacherous dangers within the Imperial Capital's court had constantly reached him.
Even Crown Prince Sheng had gone mad.
If he had become the Crown Prince early on, his fate would likely have been even more miserable than Sheng's.
But now?
Crown Prince Sheng had already walked too many wrong paths in his stead!
Over these three hundred years, the situation within and outside the court had become increasingly clear.
Now, he dared to vie for the throne!
...
Time passed slowly.
The members of the Li family also learned of the news regarding the deposed Crown Prince, though they paid it little heed.
In truth, whether Young Master Fei Heng returned to the Imperial Capital or not was of little consequence.
Naturally, it would be good if he could become the Crown Prince; after all, Young Master Fei had studied within the Li family for nearly three hundred years, so he would ultimately be advantageous to the clan.
But even if he failed to ascend to the position, it did not matter—Li Yuanshang and Li Xinjue had actually been secretly raising royal bloodlines of their own.
Moreover, Prince Yu had been maintaining silent contact with the family all along.
Over the past two hundred years, the White Qilin had visited dozens of times, and secret resource transactions were not uncommon.
Yet, this particular day marked a joyous occasion for the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture.
"Hahaha! We found it! We found it!"
Feng Chunlin rushed out of the Immortal Domain Grotto-Heaven, flying back toward the Azure Cloud Prefecture like a madman, with more and more cultivators following in his wake.
Soon, the cheers of "We found it" resonated throughout the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Cultivators knelt amidst the ice and snow of the prefecture, cupping handfuls of yellow earth dug from beneath the thick snow, their faces streaming with tears.
When Feng Chunlin arrived at the Azure Cloud Region, gazing at the snow-covered world where white flakes drifted endlessly, he stood upon the land he had guarded his entire life, laughing and crying all at once.
"The people of my Azure Cloud Region will never again suffer the bitterness of wind and snow.
More than two hundred years... the natural disaster of over two hundred years is finally over!!!"
"No matter how much blood we shed, it was worth it... It was all worth it..."
Li Wei only knew that news had come back from the Azure Cloud Region: that fellow Feng Chunlin had broken through to the Divinity Transformation realm.
Presumably, his state of mind had reached a breakthrough of enlightenment.
[Vitality-Restoring Solar Cycle Formation]
[Uses a high tower to siphon human vitality, thereby restoring the cycle of the four seasons in heaven and earth.]
This was the reason why the four seasons remained constant within the Immortal Domain, even during years of calamity.
However, this stability was entirely exchanged for human Qi-Destiny.
When human Qi-Destiny filled the high tower, it could be transformed into the foundation of the formation.
And the Qi-Destiny that the Zhao clan had stolen over these years had, in the end, done a good deed.
"This heavy snow, which has lasted for nearly two hundred years, is finally coming to an end."
For some reason, Li Wei's mood was incredibly bright.
Over these years, he, too, had witnessed the hardships of the common folk.
Whenever the snows fell, even the bark of roadside trees would be stripped bare for food, and the people could only survive under the shelter of cultivators.
Perhaps for the people of Azure Cloud, this formation array was their greatest gain.
No matter how much blood had been shed, it was worth it; this was an act of immense merit that would benefit generations to come.
[Congratulations. Your family has ended the wind and snow that plagued the Azure Cloud Prefecture for nearly two hundred years.
You have received the gratitude of the entire populace of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Family Reputation increased. Merit is immeasurable.]
[Obtained Family Will:..]
"I..."
Li Wei stared at the massive amount of Family Will that had returned—accumulated through the endless cycle of dying and descending into the mortal realm to battle the Zhao clan patriarch.
He was stunned for a moment.
"I'm rich again."