True and False Identities, Who Is the Hidden Mastermind

The Nine Provinces Realm seemed to erupt in chaos overnight. Rumors flew everywhere, each more shocking than the last—and harder to believe.

Mr. Jingyang’s identity and his ties to the Former Dynasty still held a trace of truth. But what about all those other wild claims?

Nobody cared about Eastlyn’s internal politics, or whether the Jiangnan King would rebel—that was Jiangnan’s problem. But why, just as news broke that the Eastlyn Taishang Emperor stole Ninth Royal Uncle’s throne, did another rumor explode: that the Regent Prince’s mother was a Former Dynasty princess?

Then came the claim that the Phoenixfield Clan had returned for revenge, and that Serena Feng’s father, Feng Zhan, was the last King of Phoenixfield.

Why did the two major powers of the Former Dynasty stay silent for so long, only to burst into the spotlight at the exact same moment—and with such suspicious timing?

Was someone deliberately trying to distract everyone from Liancastle and the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard, or was it all just a coincidence?

None of the emperors believed in coincidence. These people, steeped in intrigue, never trusted that such timing could be accidental.

“What on earth is going on? How much truth is there to these rumors?” The emperors of every realm were stunned. Each new tale was more bizarre than the last, but no matter how hard they tried to dismiss them, there was always a trace of evidence to latch onto.

The Cui Clan, Prince Damien of Southlyn, Skyvault Fortress, Moonvault Palace Sect—if any one of these scandals had broken alone, it might have drawn attention. But in the middle of this storm, nobody cared about side issues. Everyone’s focus was locked onto the Lan royal bloodline and the Phoenixfield Clan survivors.

Liancastle already had ties to the Former Dynasty. Mr. Jingyang’s identity, though lacking hard proof, was clear enough in the minds of the emperors: they didn’t need ironclad evidence. As long as there was a hint, they could decide whether Mr. Jingyang was a true descendant of the Former Dynasty.

As for the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard—well, as long as they understood the truth themselves. Everyone tacitly agreed to suppress the news, trying their best to keep it from spreading, lest it trigger another bloodbath like the scramble for the Lu pirate hoard, where countless died and no one gained a single coin.

What truly troubled—and frightened—them most was the identity of Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle. Were these two really people of the Former Dynasty?

Were they truly, as the rumors claimed, here to restore the old regime?

Everyone knew Serena’s mother was descended from the pirate Lu clan. But was her father, Feng Zhan, really the King of Phoenixfield?

Just as everyone prepared to investigate, Northlyn—battered and forced to retreat by Ninth Royal Uncle—suddenly jumped in, swearing that the Phoenixfield Clan once hid in their snow mountains and that Northlyn’s army had tried to wipe them out, but failed. They insisted that Serena was there at the time and personally admitted to being the main-line Phoenixfield heiress.

Liancastle’s connection to the Former Dynasty was always hidden, and their knowledge far surpassed other states. At this moment, they obliquely hinted that Serena really was the Phoenixfield heiress. Many in Northlyn had seen her in the snow mountains, and the wolf at her side was supposedly the Wolf Tribe’s guardian beast, loyal to the King of Phoenixfield. If anyone doubted it, they were welcome to investigate in Northlyn themselves.

So envoys from every nation went to check—and only became more confused. Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle had indeed appeared in Northlyn, but it was to escort Princess Serenity for her marriage.

As for heading into the snow mountains, that was because Ninth Royal Uncle had injured his eyes and was completely blind. Serena and her group went to Wolf Fort, searching for a secret medicine to heal him.

No one could say for sure whether the snow wolf was a guardian spirit beast. But those who investigated saw plenty of large wolves near Wolf Fort, just as clever as the snow wolf, living peacefully alongside the fortress.

If every snow wolf counted as a guardian spirit beast, then this world had far too many ‘sacred guardians’ for anyone to believe.

Rumors filled the air. Spies and scouts from every nation sprang into action, determined to sift through the chaos and uncover solid evidence.

After rounds of investigation, the emperors still couldn’t confirm Serena’s status as the Phoenixfield heiress. Or perhaps, they simply didn’t want to believe that, after all their purges, so many from the Former Dynasty and Phoenixfield Clan had survived.

And as for Ninth Royal Uncle’s identity?

That was the most shocking rumor of all—and most people refused to believe it.

It was just too much of a coincidence… As soon as the news broke that the Taishang Emperor had stolen Ninth Royal Uncle’s throne, another rumor exploded: Ninth Royal Uncle’s mother was a Former Dynasty princess. If that wasn’t a conspiracy, then what was?

But what really raised suspicions was Liancastle’s behavior. The moment the rumor spread that Serena was the Phoenixfield heiress, Liancastle rushed to confirm it.

Yet when the rumor about Ninth Royal Uncle’s mother being a Former Dynasty princess broke, Liancastle suddenly became vague, hemming and hawing—and when pressed, even tried to cover for Ninth Royal Uncle.

All this made Ninth Royal Uncle’s identity even more mysterious, shrouding his origins in a deeper veil of secrecy.

“Investigate! Investigate! Find out for me!” The Northlyn Emperor was furious. His health was failing, and his grip on power slipping. Northlyn revered strength, and every prince was fierce—once he died, even if he named an heir, chaos was inevitable.

Now, he planned to use Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle’s identities to divert attention from Northlyn, hoping the kingdom could escape disaster.

“Investigate... I want to know how many people know about the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard, and where it is. As for Eastlyn's Ninth and Serena, don't concern yourselves with them.” The Southlyn King was the most pragmatic. He had seen Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle's strength firsthand, and the Phoenixfield and Lan surnames could not shake his kingdom's foundations.

“Ghost Hall? They've reappeared and showed up in Westlyn—what are their true aims? Are they trying to spark war among the Four Kingdoms to profit from the chaos?” The Emperor of Westlyn saw further than most...

In short, all of the Nine Provinces knew. Southlyn had no intention of attacking Eastlyn, but everyone was trying to coax secrets out of Southlyn's Jin Fan, because rumor had it Jin Fan knew about the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard.

Princess Royal Helena and the Emperor of Westlyn had no energy left for infighting. Now was the time for the siblings to join forces and figure out how to seize a share of the chaos.

“It doesn’t matter if the rumors outside are true or not—we have to act as if they are. Serena is the Phoenixfield heiress, Eastlyn’s Ninth’s mother is a Former Dynasty princess. If those two join forces, it’s to destroy us and restore the old regime. We must strike first! Eastlyn is growing ever stronger; all our kingdoms and cities must unite, or we’ll become the next Nightleaf, the next Chu City, the next Tyre City.”

Princess Royal Helena truly deserved her reputation as a woman fit to claim the throne. Though Southlyn and Northlyn refused to acknowledge her status as Empress, they agreed with her reasoning.

After receiving Princess Royal Helena’s letter, the attitudes of the other kings subtly shifted; some even secretly forged evidence to make the rumors seem true.

Whether the rumors were true or not didn’t matter—what mattered was that everyone believed them. As long as all under heaven believed Serena was the Phoenixfield heiress and Ninth Royal Uncle had Lan blood, then those two were...