Chapter 23: The Greatest Hidden Danger
The royal capital in the early morning was shrouded in a hazy mist. After the sun rose, the thin fog enveloping the city dissipated, and the commoners began their new day's busy work.
Inside the new residence, Su Xiao had just woken up and was still in a dazed state when the door was knocked.
"Boss, a Tower Keeper is here to see you."
"..."
Su Xiao was blank for a moment, then sat up from the bed. As soon as he left the bedroom, he saw a Tower Keeper wearing a bulky hood and a long black robe.
"Kukulin Bai Ye, His Majesty summons you. You are to be at the Royal Palace before eight o'clock."
This Tower Keeper's tone was unfriendly, which was only natural. Su Xiao had been 'reported,' and the one who reported him was none other than the Second Prince, Ted.
Last night, Ted said he wanted to eliminate the First Prince, Walsh. As it turned out, you absolutely cannot trust the words of an old schemer. Ted's real target was the Spider Lady.
Compared to Walsh, the Spider Lady was harder to find. This woman always stayed in the shadows.
What was certain was that the Spider Lady was within the royal capital. Under no circumstances would she dare leave the capital with the Royal Blood. The Tower Keepers were not just for show. The moment she left the capital, she could be surrounded and killed by hundreds of Tower Keepers.
The old king sending out Tower Keepers meant Ted's 'report' had been successful. The reason was that Su Xiao had 'brought' the Seed Liu to the capital and participated in the struggle for the Royal Blood.
If Su Xiao didn't take the Royal Blood out of the capital and didn't let Liu fuse with it, the old king wouldn't actively send out Tower Keepers. In a sense, the struggle for the Royal Blood was actually a trial for the Aideri royal family.
But if someone 'reported' it, the old king couldn't just do nothing. At the very least, he had to summon Su Xiao and take back the Royal Blood.
After sending a text message in the team channel, Su Xiao followed the Tower Keeper out of the house. As soon as he stepped outside, over a dozen Tower Keepers came into view. The weapons they held were unusual, resembling a combination of a spear and a sword, very heavy and nearly three meters long.
Click~
Shackles made of Drowning Forged Steel were locked onto Su Xiao's hands. He was escorted into a carriage, which drove off at a moderate speed. So far, the plan was proceeding smoothly.
Inside the carriage, a Tower Keeper blindfolded Su Xiao and fastened many metal rings onto his arms. With each ring locked on, his perception range shrank, until it was completely sealed.
Having his perception sealed was dangerous, but Bubu Wang, who had merged into the environment, was following near the carriage. If anything went wrong, it would immediately notify Su Xiao. Plus, with the [Sanctuary Badge], the situation was within controllable limits.
With both perception and sight sealed, Su Xiao could only count the time. After about half an hour, the carriage stopped. Two Tower Keepers grabbed his arms and led him forward.
When the blindfold was removed, Su Xiao found himself standing in a circular hall. At the far end of the hall was a towering throne. A thin, white-haired old man sat on the throne, his eyes half-closed, seemingly indifferent to everything.
"Withdraw."
The old king's voice was not loud. All the Tower Keepers in the hall retreated and closed the two metal doors.
"Ted is the child I dislike the most. His mother gave birth prematurely; it was a failed product."
The old king's emotional fluctuations were very faint. No, it was more accurate to say he was indifferent to everything.
"You brought Qingzhang's blade?"
"Yes."
Su Xiao took the clan leader's blade from his storage space. Seeing this blade, a trace of emotion flickered in the old king's eyes.
"The Tianba have started reclaiming the Source Power, haven't they?"
The old king looked down at Su Xiao from his throne. After a moment, he said, "Guards, take him away. Execute him in the afternoon."
The old king didn't look at Su Xiao again. Several Tower Keepers rushed into the hall, placed several weapons against Su Xiao's neck, and led him away.
As Su Xiao turned, he cast a sidelong glance at the throne. Bubu Wang was already crouching beside it. The plan was 40% successful.
After being led out of the hall, Su Xiao was blindfolded again. He didn't know how far they walked, but he began to feel a change in temperature. The air became damp and smelled of mildew.
With a creak, a rusty iron-barred door was opened. The blindfold was pulled off, and Su Xiao was locked in a dungeon cell.
"It's too damp in here."
Ted's voice came from the next cell. That guy was locked up right next door.
"Bai Ye, when are you going to be executed?"
"This afternoon."
"What a coincidence. Me too. The charge is unauthorized ignition of Royal Blood. How did that father of mine ever win? It's baffling."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He waited quietly. He was confident he could get out of here. For now, he just needed to wait—wait for Bubu Wang to find an opportunity.
Time passed. Ted in the next cell was very calm. He had long known that his father favored the First Prince, Walsh. If not for the special nature of the Tower Keepers, the old king might have openly helped the First Prince instead of secretly doing so. That was his most satisfactory child.
Over two hours later, Su Xiao raised his hand and tapped the wall with his finger. The Tower Keeper at the cell door immediately looked over. Su Xiao pointed at the wall beside him, indicating for the Tower Keeper to check on Ted next door.
"Look here!"
Ted suddenly shouted, followed by a loud crash. He directly smashed through his cell door and charged out.
The three Tower Keepers exchanged glances, somewhat confused as to why Ted would do this. He was asking for death. They had the authority to kill him on the spot.
Ted fell to his knees with a thud, his shackled hands on his head.
"I need to pee."
"What?"
The three Tower Keepers were stunned, but they quickly snapped out of it and prepared to kill Ted.
"Tower Keepers, if the prisoner you're holding escapes, what happens to you?"
Ted pointed his thumb at Su Xiao's cell. It was empty.
...
A spatial fluctuation surged, and Su Xiao suddenly appeared in a bedroom. He had already familiarized himself with the terrain here through Bubu Wang.
The moment Su Xiao appeared, dark blue smoke clung to Dragon-Slaying Flash. Demon Blade activated. Great rewards came with great risks. Even if the entire plan failed, as long as this step succeeded, it would be worth it.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang's bark came from outside the bedroom door. An explosion sounded simultaneously, followed by the whoosh of something breaking through the air.
Inside the bedroom, the moment the explosion occurred, Su Xiao stabbed down.
Puchi!
The long blade pierced through a head. Su Xiao was half-crouching on the bed. Lying on the bed was none other than the old king.
"Hah, hah~"
The old king's eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Su Xiao. After a moment, he smiled.
"Thank you. You."
The old king's raised hand fell. As his life completely faded, the old king smiled—a genuine smile from the heart. He had fulfilled his mission. He felt no fear of death, only immense relief.
Su Xiao exhaled a breath of cold air. His left arm was now covered in ice. The ice spread to the old king's head, preventing blood from staining the blanket and eliminating any smell of blood.
Storing ice energy in his left arm wasn't unpleasant. The only downside was that controlling the Cyan Steel Shadow energy consumed some mental power. Otherwise, the ice energy from Amu within his left arm would naturally be devoured and destroyed by the Cyan Steel Shadow energy.
Su Xiao snapped his fingers. A spatial ripple appeared. This was a coordinate Baha had set on his right hand.
An eagle claw reached out, grabbed the old king's corpse, and pulled it into an alternate space.
Su Xiao took a ring from his storage space and put it on his finger. Then he placed the [Primordial Mask] on his face. The disguise began. This ring was the old king's personal belonging.
Furthermore, Su Xiao took out a bottle of viscous potion, tore open his clothes, and poured it onto his chest.
A layer of white membrane with a muscular texture formed on his chest. He took out an injection gun filled with Royal Blood and injected the blood into the white membrane on his chest. In a sense, this was also a living organism.
Su Xiao had experimented many times last night and finally managed to cultivate this pseudo-tissue from his own blood. He couldn't be sure that the [Primordial Mask] could perfectly mimic the unique fluctuation of the Royal Blood within the old king's body, so he chose to artificially create it, perfecting the disguise of the [Primordial Mask].
This way, Su Xiao ensured that the Royal Blood wouldn't invade his body, only adhering to its surface, while also producing the unique aura of the Royal Blood.
It seemed like Su Xiao had done a lot, but it all happened within three seconds. He lay on the bed, using his own mental fluctuations to simulate the state of light sleep.
With a crack, the door was smashed in. The spatial barrier Baha had set up was also broken. Several Tower Keepers rushed into the room. What they saw was the 'old king' lying on the bed.
"Withdraw."
The 'old king' spoke. The several Tower Keepers quickly retreated from the room, not noticing anything unusual.
The 'old king,' no, Su Xiao sat up on the bed. It proved that high risk brought high reward. The only thing he regretted was that Bubu Wang's [Wolf Clan Heirloom] had been permanently destroyed due to its durability being depleted to zero. Su Xiao had tried many methods to increase the equipment's durability, but all failed without exception.
[Prompt: You have killed Aideri Lucas.]
[Due to Aideri Lucas's status as king, you have obtained 27.6% World Source. Current total World Source: 79.45%.]
[You have obtained Royal Blood 4/12.]
...
Scheming against the First Prince and the Spider Lady? That was a waste of time. After Su Xiao allied with Ted, the two discussed it and decided to first eliminate the old king, who favored the First Prince. He was the greatest hidden danger.