"Your Highness, hand over the Tai Cang Royal Decree at once! We shall elect a wise successor from the royal lineage!"
"With internal strife and external threats, we cannot afford your delays. After your dethronement, the Dark Dungeon will be your eternal prison!"
"The late king's spirit in heaven would surely support this!"
"..."
Ji Xia watched helplessly as the furious ministers raged, some still weeping in grief.
He couldn't help but despise the original owner of this body. The memories flooding his mind were nothing but debauchery and cruelty.
"This Crown Prince probably got himself kicked to death—serves him right."
"But now that you're dead, what about me? This mess is way too big to clean up."
As he sifted through the memories, searching for a way out, he found only scenes of tyranny.
"No wonder everyone hates this Crown Prince. How did a nation so united—where commoners, officials, and royals work together—produce such a rotten heir? It makes no sense."
Another official stepped forward as Ji Xia remained silent. "Your Highness, stop resisting. We've searched your palace and found no trace of the Royal Decree. Out of respect for the late king's bloodline, we've refrained from torture."
He paused, gesturing to a shadowy figure nearby. "But I cannot promise others will be so... courteous."
Ji Xia followed the man's gaze and saw a figure clad entirely in black, face veiled except for a pair of eerie eyes.
"How did I not notice this person earlier?"
Before he could study the figure further, his eyes locked onto theirs.
Instantly, his mind spun like a vortex, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm.
"Your Highness... where have you hidden the Royal Decree?"
The black-clad figure's voice grated like a serrated blade, chilling to the bone.
Ji Xia's vision blurred. The words echoed in his skull, and the shadowy figure loomed larger, towering over him.
Just as his consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse—
A golden light erupted in his mind.
The oppressive voice shattered. Clarity returned.
And before him stood a tree.
A colossal, divine tree, its trunk obsidian-black, branches thick as mountains, leaves shimmering like gold foil. Its canopy stretched endlessly, radiating an aura of ancient majesty.
Ji Xia gaped. He had never seen anything so vast.
The tree's layers ascended like a celestial staircase, each tier more enigmatic than the last. The lowest branch bore two objects:
A gigantic black egg.
A radiant silver fruit.
Higher branches were shrouded in mist—until a fleeting glow pierced the veil.
In that instant, Ji Xia glimpsed the impossible.
Planets.
Floating among the branches, complete with oceans, continents, and swirling clouds.
"Models... right?" His mental avatar trembled. "What if they're real worlds? Why is there a god-tier tree in my head?!"
He willed himself closer. In a thought, he stood before the tree, his hand brushing the black egg.
A flood of knowledge surged into his mind:
**[Divine Artifact Origin: Netherworld
Name: Nest of Yin Soldiers
A standard Netherworld barracks housing 1,000 Yin Soldiers and 3 Yin Generals.
Yin Soldiers: The weakest specters, tasked with guiding mindless souls.
Yin Generals: Commanders of the undead.]**
Ji Xia's breath hitched. "This tree... generates mythical artifacts?"
He moved to the silver fruit.
[Divine Fruit: Pluck to obtain a random divine artifact.]
Gripping it, he yanked it free. The fruit melted into liquid metal, elongating into a sword.
Silver-blue hilt. Mirror-bright blade etched with cryptic runes.
**[Divine Artifact Origin: Danu Gods
Name: Fragarach (The Answerer)
Celtic myth's sword of light and sun.
When pointed at a throat, compels truth.
Flies autonomously to slay foes, then returns.]**
"Western mythology too?!"
Before he could ponder further, the vision shattered like glass.
Reality snapped back.
The black-clad figure still stared, awaiting his surrender to the hypnosis. The ministers leaned in, expectant.
"Your Highness... where is the Royal Decree?" The rasping voice demanded, unaware its spell had broken.
Ji Xia opened his mouth—
"URGENT REPORT!"
A scout burst in, collapsing to his knees. "A thousand Gou Quan Warhounds and five thousand Ravagers march from the border! They'll reach Tai City in three hours!"
Silence choked the room.
Ji Qianqing's eyes swept the crowd. "They learned of our weakness already?"
The elderly minister clenched a dagger at his belt. "General Ji, prioritize survival. When the traitor is revealed—"
He turned to the others, voice breaking. "Two centuries... two centuries of struggle between Gou Quan and Zhou Qing... only to fall to a meteor."
Ji Xia cleared his throat. "Everyone, I have a plan—"
The ministers ignored him, some openly weeping. "We toiled for nothing...!"
Ji Xia slammed a stone pillow into a nearby candlestand. The crash silenced the room.
"Are you deaf?! I said I can fix this!"
Thud. Thud.
A muffled knocking came from the wall. Ji Qianqing sliced it open with her sword—
A bound girl tumbled out.
Gagged, limbs tied, her tearful eyes met Ji Xia's... and filled with hatred.
Every official turned to glare at the Crown Prince.
Ji Xia coughed, avoiding the girl's gaze. "Why's everyone staring? Move aside."