Chapter 537 - 535: To Defy the Heavens and Change Fate

Full of high spirits, the Third Prince was brimming with confidence in Jiang Chen and his companions.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

At least now he had confidence, he had hope—unlike before, when he had none at all.

"Jiang the Military Advisor, everything is riding on you."

Jiang Chen replied, "Your Highness, rest assured and leave it to us."

"I’ve already made the arrangements. I will ensure you take first place."

"You will successfully plant the flag on the mountaintop."

Just then, a figure suddenly hurried over.

He said to the Third Prince, "Third Prince, the Sovereign has summoned you. Please come with me."

The Third Prince was a little surprised. ’Why am I being summoned so suddenly?’

But without suspecting anything, he straightened his clothes and walked confidently toward the Sovereign.

"Royal Father, you were looking for me?"

The Third Prince was extremely respectful toward Lord Wen. This Royal Father of his was at the Peak of Martial Arts Nine Heavens, just one step away from becoming a Martial Emperor Expert.

He usually carried a heavy, imposing air.

Lord Wen was a little surprised that this third son of his had actually managed to find Jiang Chen to be his Military Advisor.

Jiang Chen was, after all, the one who had seized the Black Fire.

Lord Wen said sternly, "Little Ren, do you know why your Royal Father gave you the name Wen Shiren?"

The Third Prince found this strange.

But he still shook his head. "I do not know your intentions, Royal Father."

"Please enlighten me, Royal Father."

Lord Wen looked deeply at his third son, Wen Shiren, and said, "When I named you Wen Shiren, your Royal Father’s intention was for you to become a son full of benevolence and kindness."

"It was also my hope that you would not participate in any struggles."

"Although your abilities are adequate, you are not as cunning as your two older brothers."

"So how about this? For this competition for the high ground, don’t compete. Just secure third place, and that will be enough."

"When the time comes, I, your Royal Father, will give you a small reward."

What?

The Third Prince’s expression changed drastically.

First he had talked about his name, and now, this Royal Father he so respected was actually telling him to give up on the competition and settle for third.

There were only three places in total. Telling him to secure third was a clear sign of bias against him.

He knew his Royal Father didn’t favor him, but he never expected it to be to this extent.

The Third Prince grew anxious. Truly anxious.

He had long been prepared to make a big showing, but now this news was like a bucket of cold water dumped over him, chilling him to the bone.

A sense of despair washed over him.

He looked at his own father—this man who had always seemed like a father but had never truly treated him as a son—and his heart filled with utter disappointment.

He even felt his heart grow cold.

In the end, he had been abandoned by his own father.

The Third Prince laughed bitterly in his heart, his face as pale as paper.

"But, Royal Father..."

"Please give me a chance."

the Third Prince begged. He desperately wanted to prove himself, to display his abilities for his Royal Father to see.

This was his only chance.

However, Lord Wen said flatly, "Say no more. This is an order."

"National Preceptor, issue the imperial decree."

Indeed, it seemed everything had been prepared in advance.

Master Yuan Hui was seen holding an imperial decree. He walked up to the Third Prince, but instead of reading it aloud, he handed it directly to him.

"Third Prince, the Sovereign is doing this for your own good."

"Staying away from the center of power and cultivating your character may be more suitable for you. Please do not ruin your own future."

BOOM!

The Third Prince stared at the imperial decree before him, his entire body trembling.

His vision blurred with tears.

His heart felt dead, as if he had just been cast into a bottomless abyss.

The decree clearly stated that he could only secure third place; he was not to compete for first or second.

"Disobey and die!"

When he saw the final line on the decree, his vision blurred even more with tears.

He dropped to his knees with a THUD.

"Father, am I really that useless?"

"I am your son, too!"

Lord Wen said indifferently, "Third son, I’ve already said what needs to be said."

"Now, go and prepare."

"The competition for the high ground is about to begin."

He waved his hand dismissively, shooing the Third Prince away again as if he were a fly.

The Third Prince’s body went rigid. His hands trembled so much he couldn’t even hold the decree steady.

Finally, he rose to his feet and shambled back like a Zombie, his mind in a daze.

"Your Highness, what’s wrong?"

"What happened to you?"

When Huo Wu and the others saw the Third Prince return looking so utterly dejected after meeting with the Sovereign, they were all stunned.

They hurriedly questioned the Third Prince.

Even Jiang Chen couldn’t help but frown. He glanced over at the Sovereign and the National Preceptor, then walked to the Third Prince’s side.

The Third Prince sighed.

Tears streamed down his face.

A grown man, he had finally been crushed by his father’s decree, driven to despair.

THUMP!

The imperial decree fell to the ground.

Da Pao hurriedly bent down to pick it up.

The moment he saw it, his expression changed drastically.

"This... this..."

Huo Wu also rushed to look at the decree in Da Pao’s hands, and her whole body trembled.

Da Pao’s hands were shaking.

He looked at the Third Prince with a face full of despair.

The Third Prince could barely speak.

But when Jiang Chen took the decree and read it, he was so angry he almost jumped to his feet.

The decree actually ordered the Third Prince not to compete for first or second place.

What a humiliation! To be so thoroughly slapped in the face by his own father.

Jiang Chen’s expression immediately turned murderous.

’What a royal struggle. So brutal. It might not be murder, but it’s even crueler than killing.’

’A single decree can decide the Third Prince’s fate.’

Only then did Jiang Chen remember that when he had used the Ten Directions Calculation, the result for the Third Prince had been a short life.

In other words, the Third Prince was very likely to die young.

This made his expression turn ugly.

He had intended to assist the Third Prince, but now it seemed the prince’s situation was even more grim than he had imagined.

Because even the current Sovereign did not value the Third Prince.

He even seemed to be ostracizing him.

A decree like this was tantamount to killing the Third Prince, casting him into a bottomless abyss.

With no hope of recovery.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Chen clutched the decree tightly and vowed inwardly, ’You won’t let the Third Prince win the throne? Then I’ll defy the heavens and change his fate, and I’ll put him on the throne of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom!’

Immediately, Jiang Chen stood there, and within his sea of consciousness, the Ten Directions Calculation began to operate again.

An illusory Compass appeared once more.

The Compass floated silently in Jiang Chen’s sea of consciousness.

Jiang Chen gave a low shout, ’Calculate the Third Prince’s destiny!’

He had the Third Prince’s birth date and time, so he could calculate it directly.

BUZZ...

The Compass began to spin again.

Finally, the Compass shuddered and stopped spinning.

Jiang Chen looked and saw a result that made his expression turn ugly.

"A short life!"

It was still a short life. Jiang Chen was truly angered.

He refused to accept this.

He shouted again, ’I want to defy the heavens and change his fate! How can I change the Third Prince’s destiny?’

Previously, when Jiang Chen had performed the calculation, the result had been that the Third Prince’s destiny was elusive, yielding no conclusion.

This time, he began the calculation again.

The Compass began to spin.

BUZZ!

After a shudder,

A line of text appeared.

"At the hour of Geng-Chou, the Vermilion Bird soars; the Fierce Ghost emerges, the Fire Sparrow cries in alarm!"

’What does that mean?’

Jiang Chen looked at the cryptic verse from the calculation, still somewhat confused.

Just then, another sentence appeared on the Compass.

"To seek refuge, escape into the Guardian Hall!"