Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 498 - 498 0344 Now Theyve Realized His Mistake

Chapter 498: Chapter 0344: Now They’ve Realized His Mistake Chapter 498: Chapter 0344: Now They’ve Realized His Mistake Chapter 0344: He Only Realizes His Mistake Now

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The Crown Prince administering the country is not a trivial matter. It must be handled with great care at all times. However, Xiao Ge believes that even if the Crown Prince were given the courage of a bear and a leopard, Wang Zhenliang, Wang Xin, and Xia Haiqing would not dare to falsify this matter. It’s an act of rebellion, which carries the punishment of extermination of the whole family on confirmation.

Even knowing this, Xiao Ge has no plans to admit to it lightly. Firstly, he was not aware of the Crown Prince’s act of administering the country. Secondly, he wants to use this opportunity to show his determination and suppress the confidence of Wang Zhenliang and others, hence shifting his slightly passive position. This move made by Xiao Ge, wasn’t a whim but based on the attitude of Wang Zhenliang and his group. If they were truly loyal to Qi Tian, they would have not reflected such an overbearing attitude even if they held onto the principle of fairness and equity.

“Xiao Ge, what are you trying to do?” Xia Haiqing, the official of the Royal Forbidden Army Ten Thousand Households, stepped forward and glared furiously at Qi Tian.

Xiao Ge was unwavering and said, “Our Imperial Master’s Mansion abides only by the imperial decree of the Emperor. Unless the Crown Prince can produce proof of his right to issue commands on behalf of the Emperor, we refuse to obey his instructions.”

“Xiao Ge, are you aware of the consequences of what you’re saying? The appointment of Crown Prince as the administrator of the kingdom is the Emperor’s personal decree, with many cabinet ministers as witnesses. If you refuse the Crown Prince’s command, it means you are resisting the will of the Emperor and plotting rebellion.” Xia Haiqing responded, immediately placing a serious accusation onto Xiao Ge.

“You can’t provide any evidence, hence I have every reason to believe that you are plotting a coup. Oh, I see, you must be lying to the king and Crown Prince, using the false pretense of the Crown Prince administrating the country for your own personal gains. Ha, you are truly daring.” Xiao Ge, who has been in the Imperial Master Mansion for many years, was adept at defending himself against false accusations. Moreover, he intentionally distanced the Crown Prince from the matter, so as not to openly oppose him.

Xia Haiqing was livid. As an official of the Royal Guard Army, he was held in high trust by the Emperor. Yet, Xiao Ge dared to accuse him of plotting a coup and manipulating power for personal gain, which deeply provoked him. He knew it was an effortless task to prove that the Crown Prince was in charge of the kingdom’s affairs. However, why should they prove anything to Qi Tian and his group? Although it seemed like a trivial matter, it had to do with who held the initiative and who had the upper hand. It also involved the authority of the Crown Prince. Not one of these issues could afford any signs of weakness from him.

Xia Haiqing let out a cold huff, took one step forward, and said, “Xiao Ge, you are really brave. Relying on the support of the Imperial Master Mansion, you dare to covet the divine artifact and show disrespect to the royality, ignoring the Crown Prince’s command. Today, I will teach you a lesson, and you will know who you truly are.”

Xia Haiqing let out a loud roar, his hand formed into a claw and he lunged at Xiao Ge. He was a Half-step Golden Core expert, as his claw descended, its mighty aura rivaled the Double-headed Eagle Leader’s power that Qi Tian encountered in Wanjie City. It seemed as if it could crush a thousand-pound rock with one grasp, and if it were to land on a person, it would break bones and sever tendons at the very least.

Without backing down, Xiao Ge smashed a palm at Xia Haiqing. A palm imprint flew out from his hand and clashed with Xia Haiqing’s eagle claw.

This was not their first altercation, Xiao Ge had always held the upper hand. So psychologically, Xiao Ge had sufficient advantage over him.

But the unexpected happened, as Xia Haiqing faced Xiao Ge’s palm strike, he neither dodged nor retaliated with his eagle claw. Instead, he maneuvered around it, and his claw, without losing any momentum, directed itself towards Xiao Ge’s chest.

“Dangerous.” Seeing Xiao Ge in a harmful situation, Qi Tian quickly moved forward, pulling Xiao Ge back by his clothes. No matter how you see it, Xiao Ge was a Foundation Establishment ninth level expert and was on full alert because he was in battle with Xia Haiqing. His body weighed a thousand pounds at this moment. Although Qi Tian was not unable to budge him, it was not as effortless as pulling a normal person. There was a minor delay at the beginning.

And this slight delay was enough for Xia Haiqing’s eagle claw to land. Xiao Ge was wearing the formal Elder’s attire of the Imperial Master’s Mansion. Sensing the imminent danger to Xiao Ge, the runes on it automatically emerged, forming a defensive light shield around Xiao Ge. However, the light shield shattered instantly on contact with Xia Haiqing’s eagle claw, failing to obstruct him even for a moment. Thereafter, Xia Haiqing’s eagle claw tore through Xiao Ge’s Elder’s attire and inner armor, leaving a mark on his chest.

Upon hearing a tearing sound, a large area of blood appeared on Xiao Ge’s chest. His chest was exposed, his flesh mangled and blood flowing profusely. The wound was so deep that the bones were visible. In Xia Haiqing’s hand, he held a large piece of flesh torn from Xiao Ge’s chest.

Fortunately, Qi Tian managed to pull Xiao Ge back a little. Otherwise, this single strike could have shattered Xiao Ge’s rib cage, possibly causing severe damage to his internal organs.

“Elder.” Hao Wenxi and Luo Xia were both shocked. They never expected Xia Haiqing to be so ruthless, nor did they expect him to be so formidable when he was known to be always inferior to Xiao Ge, inflicting such serious injuries to Xiao Ge in one move alone.