Divine War Pill Emperor

The Third Prince listened to Jiang Chen, completely baffled.

He had no idea what Jiang Chen meant.

He still sounded helpless. "The Guardian Hall has a Guardian Beast. I can’t get in."

"I’ve never been inside the Guardian Hall before. This... this is going to be difficult."

"After all, the Guardian Beast of our Fire Sparrow Kingdom is inviolable. To offend its majesty is a death sentence."

"Not even my father, the King, would dare to defy the Guardian Beast."

Although he didn’t understand Jiang Chen’s reasons, he was more worried about the fact that he couldn’t even get into the Guardian Hall—he didn’t even dare to try.

Jiang Chen’s tone was firm. "You have to go. Whether you succeed or not, if you don’t go to the Guardian Hall, you will die tonight. There’s no doubt about it, and I won’t be able to save you."

"So, no matter what, the moment the High Ground Contest ends, you run straight for the Guardian Hall. You have no other choice."

The color drained from the Third Prince’s face.

’Am I... really going to die?’

’Can the Guardian Hall really protect me?’

Jiang Chen’s words sent a chill down his spine.

He didn’t know how Jiang Chen knew he was doomed to die, but he knew he had to listen to him.

Because it seemed Jiang Chen was truly determined for them to defy the royal edict. If they did, the prince would have to face his father’s wrath—a death sentence.

He wanted to stop Jiang Chen, but if there was a real chance at the throne, defying the royal edict would be a small price to pay.

"I don’t know either, but you must do this."

"Remember this. You must remember."

Jiang Chen urged him earnestly, repeating his instructions.

Finally, seeing no other way, the Third Prince nodded repeatedly. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Jiang the Military Advisor, if I really do become the Sovereign, you will be the National Preceptor."

"No matter what, even if I’m the one nobody favors, I’m putting everything on the line this time."

"You were right. Man’s will can triumph over destiny."

Next, the Sovereign and the National Preceptor announced a few rules and reminders for the event.

The three princes stood in a row.

However, while the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were clearly in high spirits, the Third Prince seemed somewhat distracted.

The Sovereign announced in a loud voice, "Alright! We ride out of the city! This year’s High Ground Contest will be held on the Holy Mountain of our Fire Sparrow Kingdom: Fire Sparrow Mountain!"

The Sovereign then departed, riding in a luxurious, beast-drawn carriage. The procession followed in order: first, the Crown Prince and his men; then, the Second Prince and his retinue; and finally, the Third Prince and his team.

Bringing up the rear were the guards of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.

It was a grand and imposing procession that made its way out of the Royal Palace, heading straight for the north gate of Gambling City.

The departure of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom’s royal family had drawn a massive crowd of onlookers. The streets were a sea of people, bustling and shoulder to shoulder with excitement.

Fortunately, powerful guards had already cleared a path through the main street. The vast procession moved majestically out of the north gate, heading straight for Fire Sparrow Mountain.

Fire Sparrow Mountain, the Holy Mountain of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom, was located ten li outside of Gambling City.

Fire Sparrow Mountain wasn’t particularly tall, rising only about a thousand meters.

However, it was named the Holy Mountain because it was the home of the Guardian Fire Sparrow.

The procession eventually wound its way to the foot of the mountain.

Guards had already been dispatched to the foot of the mountain to set up camp.

A large area had been cleared out. Tens of thousands of guards stood at attention, forming an iron-tight perimeter.

Once in formation, they signaled to National Preceptor Yuan Hui.

Master Yuan Hui immediately announced in a booming voice, "The annual High Ground Contest begins now!"

"Your Highnesses," he began, addressing the three princes, "the first among you to plant your flag on the mountaintop will be the victor. The winner shall receive one billion Yuan Crystals..."

"...ten Third-Grade Foundation Strengthening Pills..."

"...and one top-grade Treasure Artifact."

Master Yuan Hui went on to list a slew of other rewards.

The hearts of all three princes pounded with desire.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince, however, looked supremely confident.

They both glanced at the Third Prince. Seeing his distracted expression, they sneered, "Third Brother, don’t look so glum. You’ll be lucky if you can just hold on to third place."

The Second Prince added, "That’s right. You’ve always just been here to make us look good. Even if you have no confidence this time, you don’t have to look so miserable."

The Third Prince lifted his head and looked at his two elder brothers in silence.

Then, he spoke. "Thank you both for your concern. I know my own limits. I’ll be happy with third place; I won’t be competing with you for first or second."

"You can rest assured."

His tone was sincere, without a hint of falsehood.

’But in his heart, he desperately craved first place this time.’

’Even if it meant defying the royal edict. So what? The worst that could happen was winning first place and then being executed.’

"Princes, please make your preparations."

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince immediately gathered their respective teams to make their arrangements.

On the Third Prince’s side, there were no arrangements to be made.

In this High Ground Contest, the princes were required to plant the flags on the summit themselves.

Therefore, all three princes had to make the ascent.

However, they were not required to fight. Their only job was to successfully plant the flag.

Whether they could do so successfully depended entirely on the skill of their retainers.

Jiang Chen’s objective was not just to escort the Third Prince safely to the summit, but also to fend off attacks from the experts on the Crown Prince’s and Second Prince’s teams.

Before long, all three princes were ready.

Crown Prince Wen Shixuan’s team was led by Zhao Tian. Beside him stood a Martial King Fourth Heaven and a Martial King Third Heaven.

Including the Crown Prince himself, there were four people in total.

The Second Prince also had a team of four. Mr. Gu was a notable member, though his cultivation was not the highest on the team, being only at the Martial King Fourth Heaven.

In addition to Mr. Gu, there was a Martial King Fifth Heaven expert and another at Martial King Third Heaven.

The Third Prince’s team also consisted of four people: himself, Jiang Chen, Huo Wu, and Cao Yang.

From the front, Master Yuan Hui shouted, "Ready!"

The teams of the three princes stood in their respective lines, gazing up at the thousand-meter-high Fire Sparrow Mountain.

Huo Wu was itching for a fight.

Even though she knew about the royal edict, Jiang Chen hadn’t changed his plan.

Therefore, they were still going to fight for first place.

Jiang Chen observed the teams of the other two princes, considering his own strategy.

The next move would be critical; there was no room for error.

As he was sizing up the opposition, both Zhao Tian and Mr. Gu turned to look in his direction. It seemed they weren’t paying any mind to Huo Wu, despite her having the highest cultivation on the Third Prince’s team.

Instead, all their attention was on Jiang Chen.

Zhao Tian shot Jiang Chen a contemptuous, eerie smile.

"Brat," his voice transmitted directly into Jiang Chen’s mind, "I’m going to kill you with my own two hands."

The words were laced with ice.

He was likely acting on the Crown Prince’s orders.

Jiang Chen replied coolly, "We’ll see if you have what it takes."

Zhao Tian chuckled. "I don’t even need to go all out to deal with you."

"Though for the life of me, I can’t figure out why everyone thinks you’re such a big deal."

Mr. Gu, on the other hand, merely glanced at Jiang Chen before falling still, not saying a word.

He appeared utterly calm and composed.

Jiang Chen wasn’t too concerned about Zhao Tian, but he was somewhat wary of the black-robed Mr. Gu.

The man gave off a dangerous aura.

Finally, National Preceptor Yuan Hui’s voice boomed out: "Begin! Ascend the mountain!"

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