Chapter 2290: Chapter 2290 Internal Conflict.
Xue Rongwu casually released his Divine Soul, sending it into the clone’s Ocean of Consciousness.
The moment he entered, he sensed something was wrong. This seemingly obedient guard’s Divine Soul did not match his outward appearance, and his soul’s strength even surpassed his own.
Just then, powerful martial practitioners expert from the two other cities suddenly emerged from the Conveyor Formation and launched an attack.
Fifty elite experts stationed by Xue Rongwu at the Conveyor Formation immediately engaged in combat, plunging the area into chaos.
As they fought, the attackers shouted accusations. They claimed that Xue Jinling had stormed the City Lord Manor without cause and was deliberately inciting a conflict between the Royal Management.
Soon, the commanders of the two cities’ garrisons arrived with elite soldiers, further escalating the battle.
Everyone’s attention were drawn to the unfolding chaos.
Then, the clone unleashed his full Divine Soul power. Lightning, Ghostic Fire, and the radiance of the Buddha’s Halo struck in unison, forcibly imprinting the Slaving Seal onto Xue Rongwu’s Divine Soul before returning it to him.
Turning away, Xue Rongwu observed the battle, waiting until his forces had annihilated the opposing experts. Only then did he lead his men back to the City Lord Manor, ordering a thorough inspection of everyone’s Divine Soul.
Once confirming that none of his subordinates had been compromised, he began questioning them about the incident in detail.
Upon learning of the situation, Xue Rongwu immediately sought to confront the martial practitioner who had been injured by the Greenfield City Lord Manor.
"Where is the injured man? His testimony is crucial. If his words were false, they could have caused a serious misunderstanding!"
Xue Jinling immediately ordered someone to bring the man over.
"He’s dead?" Xue Jinling was shocked when he saw the lifeless body. The man had been seriously injured but not to the point of death.
A sense of unease crept over him. He began to suspect that this was part of a larger scheme against him.
"He was killed by a soul cultivator." Xue Rongwu confirmed.
"Who could have done this?" Xue Jinling asked.
Xue Rongwu shook his head. "It’s hard to say. But those men from the City Lord Manors kept shouting that you stormed their territory without cause. Did you even confirm whether your subordinate’s words were true before you acted?"
"I..." Xue Jinling wanted to argue, but he realized he had taken action without questioning the legitimacy of the claim. He had believed his subordinates without hesitation.
In the end, he admitted, "I acted rashly. I didn’t verify the truth before making my move."
"Then it seems someone is indeed setting you up," Xue Rongwu stated plainly. "The princes are all vying for the position of crown prince, yet you were careless."
"His Majesty originally intended to give you a chance to earn merit, but you’ve completely botched it. Now, you’ve brought disaster upon yourself."
Xue Jinling clenched his jaw, unable to respond. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
His demeanor toward Xue Rongwu softened instantly as he pleaded for help.
Feigning difficulty, Xue Rongwu sighed. "Well, there is a way... but it won’t be easy to execute."
Xue Jinling immediately caught on and dismissed his subordinates.
In response, Xue Rongwu also ordered his guards to patrol elsewhere.
Once the room was empty, Xue Jinling retrieved an Interspatial Ring and handed it to Xue Rongwu. "This contains a hundred drops of Emerald Essence Liquid. Once I get through this ordeal and return to the palace, I’ll prepare an even greater gift to show my gratitude."
Xue Rongwu initially feigned reluctance, declining a few times before finally accepting it.
Only then did he explain, "The key lies in that lying soldier. I suspect both Royal Management have been kept in the dark just like you."
"So, all you need to do is replace the soldier with someone loyal to you. That is, someone who can take the fall."
"But whoever is scheming against me will surely know the truth." Xue Jinling questioned in confusion.
Xue Rongwu replied. "Of course, they know whom they sent, but they don’t know whether that person reported to you directly."
"You just have to insist that your information came from the scapegoat. That way, no matter how deeply they investigate, they won’t be able to trace it back to you."
"What about my men?" Xue Jinling hesitated. Many had overheard their conversation.
"Keep the scapegoat," Xue Rongwu said, making a cutting motion with his hand. "Eliminate the rest."
"This..." Xue Jinling faltered, struggling with the decision.
"It’s up to you," Xue Rongwu urged. “By now, the other Royal Management has probably already lodged complaints with the Majesty. He’ll be demanding answers soon."
At the mention of the Majesty, Xue Jinling caved. "Fine. What do I need to do?"
"Leave it to me," Xue Rongwu assured him. "How many resources do you have left? Bring them all out. Nothing moves without the right price."
Hearing this, Xue Jinling immediately retrieved the majority of his resources from his Interspatial Ring and handed them over to Xue Rongwu.
Taking the ring, Xue Rongwu summoned Xue Jinling’s subordinates into a secluded side hall under the pretense of conducting an investigation.
The first to enter was the clone, who promptly surrendered the Interspatial Ring along with the hundred drops of Emerald Essence Liquid.
One by one, the clone then called the others inside. Yet, apart from him, none who entered ever emerged. In truth, each of them had been branded with a Slaving Seal and absorbed into the Spatial World.
Unbeknownst to Xue Jinling, Xue Rongwu was merely following the clone’s instructions, setting him up step by step.
Once all of Xue Jinling’s men had been dealt with, the Majesty contacted Xue Rongwu through a Sound Transmission Talisman, demanding an explanation.
Xue Rongwu reported that Xue Jinling had blindly trusted his subordinates and attacked the City Lord Manor of the Royal Management. However, he assured the king that the instigators had been captured and were currently under interrogation.
Suspicious of foul play, the king ordered a thorough investigation. He also instructed Xue Rongwu to summon Xue Jinling back to Regalty at once to prevent further scheming against him.
Yet Xue Rongwu falsely claimed that Xue Jinling had not yet returned to Greenfield City and remained missing.
Alarmed, the king commanded Xue Rongwu to dispatch search parties and insisted that he would personally contact Xue Jinling.
Agreeing readily, Xue Rongwu set out to find Xue Jinling.
At that moment, Xue Jinling had just received a message from the king, inquiring about his whereabouts.
"Why is the Majesty asking where I am?" Xue Jinling asked, puzzled.
“He just asked me the same thing. To clear you of suspicion, I told him you hadn’t returned yet. Reply to him and say you’re being pursued by the City Lord Manors of the two royal factions and need two to three days to circle back to Greenfirld City." Xue Rongwu instructed.
"Why two to three days?" Xue Jinling frowned. "It only takes a day to travel from Jade Grove City to Greenfield City.”
"You need to take a detour to evade your pursuers. Plus, you mustn’t let your enemies know your exact arrival time, or they’ll have another opportunity to strike." Xue Rongwu explained effortlessly.
"Oh..." In his panic, Xue Jinling failed to think it through and obediently followed Xue Rongwu’s suggestion.
