Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

"If it weren't for the original owner, Xiao Ce, appearing and making them sense the danger, they would have been afraid of being beaten to it by someone else, and thus had no choice but to contact us... or more accurately, to use us..."

Xiao Ce was quite satisfied after hearing Yin Weiyong's words... He truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran.

The analysis was truly insightful and well-reasoned...

As Yin Weiyong spoke, seemingly afraid of displeasing Xiao Ce, he added, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to sow discord between you... It's just that I've only heard your side of the story... So, I'm only now saying what I think might be true..."

Upon hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce smiled, then nodded and said, "That's right, you're absolutely correct... and it's very possible... please continue..."

After hearing Xiao Ce's words and seeing his agreement, Yin Weiyong continued, "My doubts are also due to my concerns... After all, Your Highness, according to what you said, he has been here for quite some time. If they really wanted to help, they would have done so long ago... However, they were actually helping the West before..."

"They've been weighing their options. If it weren't for the incident involving the original owner of this body, Xiao Ce, he wouldn't have even contacted you. He might have even sent the Illuminati to deal with you. The current situation is entirely their last resort..."

Xiao Ce nodded in agreement, then said to Yin Weiyong, "That's right, what you said makes a lot of sense..."

Yin Weiyong looked at Xiao Ce and then said, "Your Highness, you should have known about these things long ago, right?"

Xiao Ce smiled at Yin Weiyong and said, "Your analysis is more comprehensive... I only know that we can't completely trust them now... The only reason I trust them is...

Yin Weiyong looked at Xiao Ce curiously and asked, "What's the reason?"

Xiao Ce smiled at Yin Weiyong and said, "That means we have a common enemy. Just as you said, without outsiders, they could have monopolized this area, and they should have lost contact with the outside world. They've been trying to find a way to reconnect... But now that the original owner of this body, Xiao Ce, and his group have appeared, they feel threatened..."

Yin Weiyong nodded: "Your Highness, you did the right thing... Although we are being used by them now, we can also use them..."

After hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce smiled and nodded, then said, "That's right, that's indeed the case..."

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong said solemnly, "Your Highness, so your return this time wasn't solely due to their threats... You're not someone who can be threatened..."

Xiao Ce saw that Yin Weiyong said this, and could tell from Yin Weiyong's expression that he had already guessed a lot...

Xiao Ce smiled at Yin Weiyong and then said, "That's right, I did come here because of my own business... and not just my own business... Of course, I think the capture of the Prince of Zhen is also related to them..."

Yin Weiyong said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, so you think they sent you here because..."

Xiao Ce pondered for a moment, then said to Yin Weiyong, "Your Highness, have you heard of the Hidden Dragon Tomb?"

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong shook his head: "Hidden Dragon Tomb?"

Xiao Ce then added to Yin Weiyong, "That's right, you probably don't know much about the Hidden Dragon Tomb... But if I mention the Heavenly Yin Star Chart, can you understand it? Or have you ever heard of it?"

Yin Weiyong shook his head, looking at him, he really didn't quite understand...

It seems that Yin Weiyong really wasn't aware of this royal secret...

Yin Weiyong's bewildered reaction was exactly what Xiao Ce had expected...

This old minister held the highest position in the court and was in charge of the central government of the Xiao Kingdom.

However, the core secrets sealed away during the reign of the founding emperor of the Xiao Kingdom were clearly only circulating among the royal family. No matter how powerful these individuals were, they were still subjects...

The previous emperor, Xiao Dingbang, was also a very shrewd and calculating person...

Xiao Ce picked up his teacup, the rising steam blurring his deep eyes. His voice was low yet clear, as if unveiling an ancient scroll covered in the dust of time...

"It's perfectly normal that my father-in-law hasn't heard of it. This is a top secret of the Xiao imperial family, passed down orally only by successive emperors and a very few close relatives of the princes, never recorded in historical records... I only learned about it from Prince Xiao Dingshan of Zhen..."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce's gaze fell upon the map of the Xiao Kingdom hanging on the wall of Yin Weiyong's study. The winding dragon veins there seemed to hint at some mysterious secret...

"The Heavenly Star Chart can be traced back to the time when the founding emperor established the dynasty..."

Xiao Ce briefly and clearly recounted the information he had received from Xiao Dingshan.

"In the bloody battle on the Dragon Ridge Plain, the Great Ancestor was trapped in a desperate situation. A streak of light fell from the heavens, breaking through the enemy's central army and turning the tide of battle. The Star Heart, found deep in the crater, with its naturally formed strange star map trajectory, was revered by the Great Ancestor as a national treasure and named Tianyin! By the mandate of heaven, the dynasty's fortune will continue."

"This item, along with the star map, is enshrined in a secret underground ancestral temple far exceeding the scale of the imperial palace on the ground, and has been guarded by successive emperors through secret tradition."

"The secret transmission left behind four obscure prophecies: The star orbit is fixed, the dragon's energy is concentrated; The map appears, the heavenly lineage can be opened; The heart reflects the universe, guiding the heavens; If not opened by the blood of the emperor, all who touch it will suffer misfortune!"

As he spoke, he began to analyze each sentence: "The star orbit is fixed, and the dragon's energy is concentrated. This sentence clearly states that this map can attract, gather, and even locate the dragon vein's fortune of our Xiao Kingdom, and is the eye of the nation's foundation."

"And the Heavenly Manifestation map allows passage through the interdimensional gate!" Xiao Ce emphasized, pausing before continuing, "This interdimensional gate is no ordinary barrier; it most likely refers to a spatial passage connecting different worlds, or even the vast starry sea! Perhaps this is the key that enabled the original Xiao Ce to transport things from the planet I came from..."

Yin Weiyong gasped, his body tensing instinctively.

Lin Feng's pupils constricted sharply. As Yin Weiyong's personal bodyguard, he sensed the absurdity of these events...

However, this also indicates that the matter is not simple...

Actually, when Lin Feng heard this, he already wanted to run away.

"As for that line, 'My heart reflects the universe, guiding the heavens!'"

"Based on what the King of Zhen told me, and combined with the speculations of top astrologers from later generations, the most likely explanation for this star map is that it is a cosmic star map from beyond the heavens! It records the boundless trajectory that the 'Heart of the Stars' traveled before its descent, like a lighthouse to a ship or a magnet to iron filings, possessing the power of 'guidance' across unimaginable distances. It can guide something from a distant 'source point' indicated by the star map to this place!"

"To put it simply, this might be a positioning strategy..."

Xiao Ce said...

This earth-shattering information stirred up a tidal wave in Yin Weiyong's heart.

The sandalwood incense still lingered in the study, but the air felt as heavy as lead.

Yin Weiyong's throat was dry, and he asked with difficulty, "Then...then 'Those who are not blessed with imperial blood will be cursed if they touch it'?"

“That’s what makes it so dangerous!” Xiao Ce’s eyes were sharp as knives.

"Only descendants with the direct blood of the founding emperor can safely access and attempt to understand the power of this star map. Any outsider who acts rashly will surely suffer unforeseen disaster! At the end of Emperor Hui's reign, in order to resist the iron cavalry of the Turkic wolves, Emperor Hui, in a desperate situation, used his imperial blood to smear the heart of the stars in the Starfall Pavilion of the royal ancestral temple, activating the incomplete star map engraved on the black stone, and drawing power from the 'place of destiny' it pointed to..."

Xiao Ce recounted in a deep voice how Emperor Hui borrowed seven seeds to cultivate a metal divine tree that devoured metal and released a destructive silver current. Although it wiped out 30,000 enemy troops in one fell swoop, it also caused the divine tree to go out of control and backfire, almost causing a catastrophe.

Emperor Hui himself was depleted of his vital essence and died young due to activating the divine weapons. Before his death, he left a blood edict, strictly ordering his descendants not to recklessly invoke the imperial lineage unless there was a calamity that would destroy the country.

"This is the price."

Xiao Ce said in a serious voice, "Power and calamity coexist. The Emperor's blood is both a key and a shackle, and this 'Heavenly Descendant Star Chart' is no longer just a legend."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce contacted Ling Xu, who then projected an image onto his screen.

This image is a close-up of the etched pattern on the edge of the base of the Starlink Type 1 Traction Energy Cannon! It shows the outline of the Xiao Kingdom's imperial palace with its double-eaved hip roof, and next to it, a miniature star map with mysterious lines and countless stars—the Tianyin Star Map!

“Father-in-law, this is the weapon I mentioned that we discovered by chance. But this weapon wasn’t obtained by us… it’s very likely that the original owner, Xiao Ce, summoned it… and we haven’t found a way to activate these things yet.”

"However, we've already seen the energy weapons at the creation base... I think these weapons are even more powerful..."

"Therefore, I believe that the methods for activating these things, and even their creation, are hidden within our Hidden Dragon Tomb..."

"Moreover, I suspect that someone, possibly the original owner Xiao Ce who returned, or someone related to the forces behind him, has successfully deciphered part of the secrets of the star map, or... has partially activated the star map again through some means, and borrowed new seeds or technological blueprints!"

This energy cannon is very likely a creation modeled after the principles of the 'divine weapon' that descended back then! Or perhaps it was obtained through this method! However, they only obtained one aspect, not all of the technology; otherwise, they wouldn't have handed it over to me!

Yin Weiyong stared intently at the pattern in the light and shadow, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Xiao Ce revealed not only ancient secrets, but also directly linked the current perplexing crisis to the divine artifact of national destiny from a thousand years ago. He instantly understood the true significance of Xiao Ce's return.

This is no longer a simple struggle for royal power or a power struggle, but an ancient power game involving the very foundation of the Xiao Kingdom's dragon veins and potentially even shaking the world order!

"Your Highness..." Yin Weiyong's voice trembled slightly, "You mean, this Heavenly Yin Artifact... that Star Heart and the complete star map... still exist? And in that Hidden Dragon Tomb you mentioned, perhaps even within the imperial mausoleum. They told you this because they likely believe they can't open it, or unravel those secrets..."

"Do they want to use your power to unravel those secrets?"

After hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce nodded and then instructed Lingxu to put away the projections...

He then answered Yin Weiyong, "That's right, I think so... Of course, that doesn't mean I'm definitely able to open it... However, it's clear they want to use my identity to test it out..."

Yin Weiyong nodded, then looked hesitant to speak.

Xiao Ce said to Yin Weiyong, "Father-in-law, what's wrong? Do you think there's a problem? There shouldn't be anything we can't talk about..."

Yin Weiyong nodded, then asked, "So, will they be able to know in real time whether you've succeeded or not?"

Yin Weiyong didn't say it very clearly, but the implication was already quite clear.

That's a veiled way of saying that there might be a traitor among Xiao Ce's men.

Seeing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "I trust all the people around me... Of course, what you said could happen... But we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater, right?"

Yin Weiyong paused for a moment after hearing Xiao Ce's words, then smiled and said, "Your Highness, what you said is indeed true..."

"Your Highness, shall we next look for the location of the Hidden Dragon Tomb...?"

Xiao Ce nodded, then said to Yin Weiyong, "Father-in-law, not bad..."

Yin Weiyong continued to ask Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, do you have any ideas or information? You said the Hidden Dragon Tomb is located at the imperial mausoleum?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right. I obtained the coordinates for this location in the west before, which marked the location of the Hidden Dragon Tomb... The Heavenly Yin Star Map being located at the Hidden Dragon Tomb is also my guess... However, my uncle also said that they had searched for it before, but found nothing..."

After listening to Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing Yin Weiyong's appearance, Xiao Ce immediately asked, "Father-in-law, do you have any news?"

Yin Weiyong said to Xiao Ce, "That's right, there is indeed some news... When Xiao Dingbang was emperor, he hired a group of people to renovate the entire imperial mausoleum. However, the mausoleum of the retired emperor had also been renovated... But Xiao Dingbang seemed very insistent on doing it, even though many ministers opposed it..."

Xiao Ce said to Yin Weiyong, "So, you suspect that he was looking for something in the imperial tomb back then?"

Yin Weiyong nodded: "That's right. Moreover, the people chosen at that time were all Xiao Dingbang's most trusted men, and it was all done in a very secretive manner. Even people from the Ministry of Works went... It's said they dug quite a bit down... However, in the end, they probably didn't find anything there..."