Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 309 : Succession To The Throne (4)

Chapter 309: Chapter 309 : Succession To The Throne (4)

Once the cacophony of horrified screams subsided, Xie Jianzhi spoke again, "Right. I forgot to mention that I will execute all the prisoners here if the palace masters refuse to bend their knees in front of me."

The palace masters looked like there was nothing they would love to do more than break Xie Jianzhi’s legs, but the display of Xie Jianzhi’s cruelty just now was enough to restrain their tongues.

"Of course, I do not demand that it happens on the spot," Xie Jianzhi said graciously as he walked back and forth in front of the palace masters and heavenly officials. "I do not plan to be a tyrannical emperor. All I am doing right now is take what is rightfully mine, and dispose the palace of unworthy omegas who dared to extend their greedy claws at the Dragon Throne."

"In fact, as long as you do not raise your army to invade my reign in the Golden Dragon Palace, I shall treat your precious heirs, your beloved family members, and your close relatives with respect. They will want for nothing but freedom, that I can promise you."

He then cast a glance in Xie Jianyu’s and Xie Jianshen’s direction.

"That applies to the both of you as well, my dear half-siblings. I no longer need you to welcome me to your family," he sneered at Xie Jianshen, returning the latter’s cold and unfeeling remark back at him. "I have finally found a family of my own."

With those words, he took Liu Wenyuan in his arms and hugged him close.

Xie Jianyu pinned Xie Jianzhi with a glare.

"Is this what you want?" He asked the half-sibling who had etched a trail of destruction in his wake, his actions leaving a scarred landscape of betrayal and devastation. His heart, devoid of compassion, had turned against his own empire, his clan, and those he once claimed to hold dear.

With a callous disregard for blood ties or the bonds of friendship, he had ruthlessly sown seeds of discord and distrust, leaving a legacy of bitterness and regret.

Despite all the atrocities that Xie Jianzhi had done, Xie Jianyu still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Probably because he just lost his father.

He did not want to raise an army against another sibling, full or half-blood.

Alas, Xie Jianzhi responded with a look of defiance.

"Yes," he snarled at Xie Jianyu. "This is what I want."

"Very well."

Xie Jianyu closed his eyes.

He would atone for the sin of killing his blood kin in the afterlife, but Xie Jianzhi had to die to restore order in the Heavenly Empire.

"Well, shall we begin then?"

Xie Jianzhi’s eyes lingered on the faces of the palace masters and heavenly officials one by one.

"Those who do not wish to see prisoners who hail from their palace dead today, please move away from the Crown Prince. I promise that nothing will happen to you. I will send you off on cloud carriages back to your palaces."

Despite their initial reluctance, some of them chose to renounce their support for Xie Jianyu.

"Crown Prince, my deepest apologies," Li Haoran, the Xiyu Palace Master said as he walked past Xie Jianyu. "I cannot afford to lose an alpha son."

Yang Jiali, the Ling’an Palace Master, Wu Qingyou, the Juhua Palace Master, and even Zhou Guizheng, the Qingyuan Palace Master too left one after another.

Song Weiyang, the Qifeng Palace Master looked at his son with glassy eyes and then at Xie Jianyu many times.

In the end, blood was thicker than water.

He was the last palace master to leave Xie Jianyu’s side.

In the end, the ones who stood by Xie Jianyu’s side could be counted on two hands.

Xie Jianshen and Jiang Rufeng from Shuiran Palace naturally stood by his side, especially because Jiang Muchen was not among the prisoners.

He had luckily gone into a meditative seclusion at the end of the mourning period, thus not available for a kidnapping attempt.

Zhang Fengxi and Zhang Zhiyuan too remained rooted in their spots, although there were a few prisoners in the demons’ hands that belonged to the Longjing Palace.

"Our palace has always been loyal to the empire," Zhang Zhiyuan said with solid determination. "We will live and die with the Emperor we serve."

The heavenly officials too were split into two parties.

The Grand Chancellor spoke, "My loyalty lies with the empire. Should I die defending the Crown Prince today, I will be able to meet the late Emperor again without any shame!"

The Supreme General, Liang Yuxuan, and his deputy Han Zirui also chose to side with Xie Jianyu.

Liang Yuxuan spoke on their behalf, "The Heavenly troops are there to protect the Heavenly Empire from inside and outside threats. We and our weapons shall stand with the Crown Prince to the end!"

The Grand Tutor sneered at the palace masters who sided with Xie Jianzhi. No one was surprised to see him standing close to his beloved disciple for years.

"For hundreds of years now, our Heavenly Realm prided itself on walking the righteous path. Blood sacrifices are often unavoidable, but I shall never waver in my loyalty and integrity!"

"Enough with the flowery words," Xie Jianzhi snapped.

A gnawing resentment gnawed at Xie Jianzhi’s soul, a bitter cocktail of envy and self-loathing that simmered like lava inside the belly of an erupting volcano.

Forced to resort to the underhanded tactics of blackmail to secure the loyalty of those who should have stood by him unconditionally, Xie Jianzhi couldn’t help but compare his own arduous path to power with the effortless ease with which his omega half-sibling, Xie Jianyu, had been gifted with from birth.

Xie Jianzhi raised his sword in Xie Jianyu’s direction.

"I don’t care about other people’s opinions about me. Xie Jianyu, forgive me for being ruthless. In return, I will allow you to rest next to your beloved Imperial Father."

"Over our dead bodies," those who sided with Xie Jianyu drew their weapons in unison.