Evening.
Wang Chen put on his black robe, donned his mask, changed his appearance, and transformed into Song Yu—a high-ranking member of the Ordinary Alliance, one of the three major underground forces in Mingdu.
Over the past two years, using his high-ranking identity as Song Yu, Wang Chen had taken advantage of his position to secretly recruit and control many gangsters and underworld figures to work for him.
The communication between Wang Chen and these criminals was always one-way—meaning that Wang Chen knew their identities, but they did not know his. This was to prevent anyone from tracing him back through them one day.
And that "one day" had arrived!
During the day, Wang Chen had gone out to investigate and discovered that the doctor who treated Xu Tiannan had been silenced. At once, he realized that Xu Tiannan must be hiding something shameful that could never be made public—otherwise, why would he need to kill the doctor who healed him?
Wang Chen planned to use these underworld agents to spread a rumor—that the Crown Prince, Xu Tiannan, had not only lost the use of both his legs in the assassination, but also his third leg.
After spreading this rumor, Wang Chen would completely cut off all contact with those thugs.
He would even abandon his fake identity as Song Yu, the high-ranking member of the Ordinary Alliance.
A faint smile appeared on Wang Chen's lips.
There's an old saying: "Spreading rumors takes only one mouth, refuting them breaks your legs."
Once a rumor is born, trying to dispel it is nearly impossible.
Even if one presents proof to clear their name, people only believe what they want to believe. They rarely care about what the truth actually is.
Moreover, Xu Tiannan had no way to prove his innocence.
If he dared pull down his pants to prove it, he would immediately be stripped of his position as Crown Prince.
After all, if the Crown Prince turned out to be a eunuch, it would be the biggest joke under heaven.
If such a eunuch ever became Emperor, wouldn't that mean that all future princes of the Sun Moon Empire would be someone else's bastards?
Wang Chen's figure flickered once, and he vanished into the vast night.
At the same time, in the Crown Prince's residence.
As the news of Xu Tiannan's crippled legs spread throughout Mingdu, the once bustling and crowded gates of the Crown Prince's Mansion had now become desolate and deserted.
The nobles and officials, all shrewd and worldly, understood the art of self-preservation better than anyone.
In the past, as long as no accident occurred, Xu Tiannan—being the Crown Prince—only needed to follow the natural order. After a few years, once the frail and aging Emperor passed away, he would ascend the throne without issue.
Therefore, at that time, these officials and nobles had no problem coming to flatter him—offering small gifts and honeyed words, doing their best to please the future Emperor.
But now, an accident had occurred. Xu Tiannan had become crippled. Whether he could keep the Crown Prince title was now uncertain.
At such a moment, how could the officials and nobles possibly dare to draw close to him?
If Xu Tiannan were to lose the title of Crown Prince, wouldn't that mean offending the next one to inherit it?
These officials and nobles might not have endless wealth and glory, but they certainly lived very comfortably—eating the best foods, drinking fine wine, and enjoying beauties in their arms.
How could they possibly be willing to risk losing it all?
Of course, if they continued to side with the Crown Prince now, and Xu Tiannan later ascended the throne successfully, they would be greatly rewarded.
But if they bet on the wrong side—then they'd be finished.
Only those who have nothing left to lose would gamble.
For these people, already surrounded by wealth, wine, and beauty, gambling was unthinkable.
Thus, all the nobles and officials now chose to watch from the sidelines, maintaining neutrality, waiting to see how the situation would unfold before making their move.
Outside the Crown Prince's Mansion, the eunuch in charge of receiving guests looked at the now-empty gates, recalling the days of bustling traffic and endless flattery.
The stark contrast filled him with a deep sense of loss.
The eunuch pinched his orchid fingers and said sharply,
"You hypocritical nobles and officials—just wait! When His Highness firmly secures his position again, you'll all come crawling back like dogs, begging to offer your gifts to me!"
Inside the Crown Prince's study.
Xu Tiannan sat weakly on a chair. After undergoing treatment and consuming the finest healing pills, most of his injuries had recovered—except for the loss of his vital essence, which would require time to restore.
However, the third leg he had lost could never be restored.
Although the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology was advanced, it was still far from achieving true limb regeneration.
Xu Tiannan turned his gaze to an elderly man in a purple official robe and asked,
"Elder Li, how are things in court?"
The old man's name was Li Wen. Like Wang Yan, he was a peak Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.
Li Wen had no children, no wife, and no concubines—his entire life was devoted to cultivation.
His greatest ambition was to climb to the very peak of Soul Engineering and become a ninth-rank Soul Engineer.
However, limited by talent and comprehension, he had long been stuck at the Soul Douluo level, unable to advance further.
Yearning for resources and opportunity, he chose to participate in the struggle for the throne, hoping that by rendering great service to the new emperor, he could obtain the resources he needed to break through his bottleneck.
Since he was alone and without family, he didn't fear failure. At worst, it would mean death—and dying on the path of pursuit toward the peak was something he considered worthwhile.
Li Wen said solemnly to Xu Tiannan,
"Your Highness, today's court session did not go well.
A large number of officials and nobles have openly stated to His Majesty that the Crown Prince cannot be a cripple, as it would damage the Empire's prestige.
"In particular, the factions of the Second Prince and the Third Prince boldly petitioned His Majesty to abolish your title and choose a new Crown Prince."
When Xu Tiannan heard the words "choose a new Crown Prince", his face turned pitch black with fury. He clenched his fists tightly, his heart burning with rage.
Choose a new Crown Prince? Very good, very good—how wonderful!
Xu Tiannan took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the anger boiling within him. Then he asked,
"Elder Li, what did Father say?"
Li Wen replied,
"His Majesty did not agree. He said the position of Crown Prince is of great importance and must not be treated lightly."
Hearing this, Xu Tiannan finally exhaled in relief.
Fortunately, Father hasn't decided to remove my title just yet.
He continued asking a few more questions and soon learned that many officials and nobles who had previously sided with him had now returned to neutrality.
Though angered, Xu Tiannan knew all too well the nature of these nobles and officials.
They were the type who only knew how to add flowers to embroidery, not to send charcoal in the snow.
When the wind was at their back, they'd rush to join in, but when the tide turned, they'd flee faster than anyone else.
After chatting for a while and gaining a rough understanding of the situation, Xu Tiannan dismissed Li Wen.
Once Li Wen left, Xu Tiannan sat silently in his chair for a long time, the fire in his chest suffocating him.
At last, unable to contain it any longer, he slammed his palm on the desk—shattering it to pieces.
From a once high and mighty Crown Prince, he had now become a crippled man, unable to perform as a man should.
Even his position as Crown Prince now hung by a thread.
Such a devastating blow—both physical and psychological—would have long since broken an ordinary man.
But Xu Tiannan's will was made of steel.
Even after enduring such a heavy blow, his fighting spirit remained unyielding.
He swore to find and kill everyone involved in the assassination attempt,
to solidify his position as Crown Prince,
and to become the next Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
Even though he could no longer father children, he would still conquer the Three Kingdoms of Douluo,
make his name echo throughout the world, and achieve immortal glory.
Perhaps having heard the sound of the table shattering, the guards outside immediately rushed in.
"Your Highness! Are you alright?" one asked nervously.
Xu Tiannan waved his hand. "I'm fine. You may leave."
Since the assassination attempt, Xu Tiannan's vigilance had increased dramatically.
The defenses of the mansion had been greatly strengthened, and even the slightest disturbance would cause the guards to rush in.
He then ordered a servant to replace the broken desk and summoned Juzi.
After the assassination, Xu Tiannan no longer trusted anyone—except Juzi.
At the brink of death, the woman who shared his bed, the female Soul Sage,
and the powerful Soul Douluo allies—had all abandoned him.
Only Juzi, the young maid, had risked her life to save him.