Unable to withstand the combined pressure from the three kingdoms, Ghost Hall's Ghost King led his followers to seize an isolated island near Westlyn and declared himself ruler there.
Ghost Hall's move made the situation between the kingdoms even tenser, especially for Westlyn. Right now, Titus of Westlyn has no time to worry about anything else. If Ghost Hall joins forces with the Princess Royal, Titus truly fears that one day the Princess Royal will sneak into the palace with Ghost Hall's people and slaughter everyone inside.
The Princess Royal is absolutely capable of such madness.
"We can't just sit and wait for death—we must take the initiative," said Master Ian Reed, who naturally didn't want to see the Princess Royal rise again, nor could he allow Westlyn and Titus to fall. If something happens to Titus, his whole clan would be buried with him.
"Most of the treasury's silver was taken by the Princess Royal, and the new season's taxes haven't come in yet," Titus threw out the problem, staring at the Minister of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue kept his head down, not daring to speak. The other ministers also stayed silent. Master Ian Reed did have a solution, but he couldn't say it outright. He shot a glance at Prince Derrek, who resignedly stepped forward: "We should seek help from another kingdom—let's get through this crisis first."
As for whether that means inviting a tiger to chase away a wolf, that's not for him, a mere prince, to worry about.
"Seek help? Which of the other three kingdoms is easy to deal with? It's easy to invite the gods, but hard to send them away. If Northlyn weren't in chaos, it would be fine—promise them some grain and they'd definitely lend us troops. But now they're in chaos themselves, so they have no energy to help us." As soon as Prince Derrek mentioned it, everyone thought of the fierce Northlyn warriors.
"Southlyn is in about the same shape as we are. Jace Jin of Southlyn has close ties to Ghost Hall, and now that Ghost Hall has emerged, Southlyn is also feeling the pressure. Southlyn is actually a pretty good partner for an alliance." Master Ian Reed, from Westlyn's standpoint, suggested forming an alliance with Southlyn.
At a time like this, no one would be foolish enough to turn to Eastlyn.
"That's actually a good idea—worth trying." Titus of Westlyn handed the matter over to Master Ian Reed to handle.
However, he didn't trust Southlyn, so he privately wrote a letter to Ninth Royal Uncle, hoping to borrow the Black Riders.
Titus had already witnessed the power of the Black Riders. He didn't need them to charge at the front; he just needed them to guard the palace for him. That way, he wouldn't be afraid to confront the Princess Royal.
Ninth Royal Uncle was more than happy to let others suppress Ghost Hall, even if it meant using the Black Riders—only...
"Titus wants to borrow the Black Riders at a time like this?" Serena Feng's face twisted slightly in surprise.
The timing was uncanny. Given Westlyn's current situation, if Ninth Royal Uncle's prediction is correct, Titus may not survive this crisis. If Westlyn falls into the Princess Royal's hands, things will get even more troublesome for them.
Ninth Royal Uncle looked helpless and nodded. "Ghost Hall is unfathomable—letting the Black Riders test its depths isn't a bad idea."
This development was unexpected for Ninth Royal Uncle, but not serious enough to make him change his plans.
So what do we do? You don't really think the two of us can get through the Former Dynasty Imperial Mausoleum, do you? Ninth Royal Uncle might be confident, but she wasn't.
This was a royal tomb complex. In her previous life, she'd heard plenty about the Qin Emperor's tomb—even one Qin mausoleum was terrifying, let alone the Former Dynasty Imperial Mausoleum, which was even larger and more mysterious.
Sean Xuan coughed awkwardly under Serena Feng's gaze, dropping his playful act and growing serious. "Qingchen, do you trust me?"
"Of course." Serena Feng nodded without hesitation.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Sean Xuan, Serena Feng felt she understood him well enough. No matter what, Sean would never harm her.
"Then tell me—are you the Phoenixfield Heiress?" Sean Xuan asked.
"I am."
"I thought so..." Sean Xuan gave a bitter smile. "So now, are you planning to help Ninth Royal Uncle restore the Former Dynasty?"
"Restore? Restore what?"
"Ninth Royal Uncle's mother is a Former Dynasty Princess, isn't she? Everything he's doing now—if that's not restoration, what is it?" Having confirmed Serena's identity, Sean Xuan boldly guessed the rumor was true as well.
Serena Feng shook her head with a smile. "Sean, Ninth Royal Uncle's mother may be a Former Dynasty Princess, but don't forget—his father is Eastlyn's founding emperor. He can't possibly side with the Former Dynasty, nor would he want to bring it back."
Sean Xuan froze, then laughed self-deprecatingly. "Seems I've let myself get caught up in the same trap as the other three kingdoms—fixating on your and Ninth Royal Uncle's lineage and assuming he wants to restore the dynasty. I forgot who his father was."
"Come to think of it, you and Ninth Royal Uncle are really lucky. If your identities had come out earlier, all Four Kingdoms might have hunted you down." But now, those people could only grumble in secret.
Eastlyn is now completely under Ninth Royal Uncle's control. Southlyn, Northlyn, and Westlyn all fear Eastlyn's strength, so they don't dare send troops lightly—they can only talk big.
Serena Feng sighed. "Yeah, if it had happened earlier, the whole Prince Jason affair wouldn't have ended so easily."
If, before Prince Jason's rebellion, Ninth Royal Uncle's background had been exposed, plenty in Eastlyn would have rallied to drive out the Former Dynasty Princess's son. But now?
Ninth Royal Uncle now holds both military and civil power. In Eastlyn, who would dare challenge his authority?
You had to admit, Ninth Royal Uncle timed everything perfectly. Prince Jason must be furious now—regretting he didn't suppress his ambition and wait half a year before rebelling.
In fact, the moment Prince Jason heard the rumors, he regretted it. But regret was useless—by then, he was already a trapped beast. Even if he confirmed Ninth Royal Uncle was the Former Dynasty Princess's son, it couldn't change the outcome...
Author's note to readers: Please vote for the story! Sean's arrival definitely means more is coming—don't worry. And now there's one more person joining the treasure hunt.
Not to mention anything else—the treasures buried with generations of Former Dynasty emperors alone are enough to drive the Four Kingdoms' emperors mad.
Uh... Serena Feng had nothing to say. "Alright, twenty it is. People die for wealth—guess I'll play the greedy fool this time."
"No need to be so heroic. We'll make it out safely." Ninth Royal Uncle ruffled Serena Feng's hair, a smile on his lips, but his gaze drifted toward the monastery...
Yet, just before Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle set out, an unexpected person appeared.
"Sean, what are you doing here?" Serena Feng was visibly surprised.
Sean Xuan gave a mysterious smile. "I figured you might need me right now, so I came."
"Huh?" Serena Feng asked, puzzled. She hadn't expected this playful side of Sean.
Sean Xuan coughed awkwardly under Serena Feng's gaze, dropping his playful act and growing serious. "Qingchen, do you trust me?"
"Of course." Serena Feng nodded without hesitation.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Sean Xuan, Serena Feng felt she understood him well enough. No matter what, Sean would never harm her.