You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?-Chapter 433 - 34. Duanmu Yan_2

"The presence of the Commandery Princess was last noted here."

The gaunt elder spoke in a low voice, "The murderer must be someone far stronger than the Commandery Princess, not only instantly killing her and everyone present but also using a high-level Fiery Flame Talisman to wipe all traces and auras, extremely cautious."

The Twelfth Prince silently gazed at the desolate scene of the fire, saying nothing.

"The Commandery Princess was at the seventh layer of Tianxia Building with three consecutive wins in strength and was quite adept at defense. Across the land, not a single Great Cultivator could instantly kill the Commandery Princess."

The gaunt elder said, "Therefore, we can almost rule out the Great Cultivators. The murderer is either the avatar of a Saint or a Saint himself."

At this moment, he suddenly noticed the Twelfth Prince's unusual expression and softly called out, "Your Highness? Your Highness?"

The Twelfth Prince slowly closed his eyes and said, "I can still sense her lingering emotions. There's no resentment or anger, only relief..."

"Do you think... Am I a terrible father?" the Twelfth Prince suddenly asked.

"Your Highness is somewhat too strict, but it's clear Your Highness was doing it for the Commandery Princess's good. This humble servant can sense it and has always understood." The gaunt elder sighed.

"I..."

The Twelfth Prince did not open his eyes, but murmured, "In my past life, I never thought I would become a father, nor did I think that a monster like me, filled with strange poisons, would be qualified to have bloodline descendants... That year, it was the first time I experienced the feeling of being a father; it was a very strange feeling... But after learning about the so-called prince conflicts, I actually regretted bringing them into this world..."

"I don't want to see my children dragged into prince conflicts because of me, nor do I want to see them separated from me too early..."

"Isn't it quite laughable? In my past life, I was used to being lonely and endured all sorts of strange poison torture, yet now I quite enjoy the existence of this bond, heh... The Myriad Poison Demon Ancestor is nothing but a mortal yearning for the mundane world..."

"I don't want to lose my children... In truth, in my heart, they are much more important than the Ascetic, so when setting up the array against the Seventh Sister and Seventeenth Brother, even though the odds were high, I had a slight feeling of danger, so I didn't bring them..."

"In these years, I didn't expect Shuang'er to become like this. If anyone is to blame, it's me for truly not knowing how to be a father..."

"But I just wanted to use my former experiences, using myself as a successful example, to subject my children to more trials so that their Dao Hearts would become stronger... Yet I didn't expect things to turn out contrary to my wishes..."

"Perhaps I am indeed unfit to be a father..."

The Twelfth Prince murmured, speaking with a rare touch of sentimentality, which instantly startled the gaunt elder beside him.

"Your Highness, you..." The gaunt elder couldn't help but speak.

"I'm fine."

The Twelfth Prince slowly opened his eyes and said, "Shuang'er died because of me. In the future, I will personally exterminate those who caused her harm to commemorate my daughter."

"Your Highness." The gaunt elder let out a half-relieved breath and said, "Whom does Your Highness think is responsible for this?"

The Twelfth Prince slightly narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "No Heavenly Punishment occurred within Jingzhou, indicating that the murderer who killed Shuang'er either doesn't care about sin, like that Star Lord, or is shielded by the state fortune, concealing this sin."

The gaunt elder nodded slightly and said, "Isn't it speculated that the True Body of that Star Lord might be outside of Eternal Night, merely sending an avatar into Great Yong? Perhaps it's to evade sin this way?"

"Just speculation."

The Twelfth Prince said in a deep voice, "Logically, the sin of an avatar should be borne by its true body and other avatars too. It's speculated that the Star God's avatar of that Star Lord is special, thus allowing the sin to be independent... But ultimately, it's uncertain, and it's unknown how the Star Lord escapes sin."

The gaunt elder nodded slightly and said, "Speaking of it, in these years, there were occasionally similar situations appearing in Great Yong, where a few whom we thought would embody great sins had none..."

"Are you referring to Duanmu Yan of those years?"

The Twelfth Prince glanced at him, nodded slightly, and said, "Duanmu Yan of those years was indeed strange. Although he killed a high minister of the court, the Heavenly Punishment Department didn't find any sin, so he was let off. Ultimately, the Crown Prince arrested him under the charge of colluding with the Demon Clan, but he escaped, and the household was sentenced to exile in Eternal Night..."

"Speaking of which, the mansion of the Seventeenth Prince is built on the original site of the Duanmu mansion." The gaunt elder said softly, "Could there be any connection?"

The Twelfth Prince remained silent for a long while, then shook his head.

"I'm most familiar with the strength of the Seventeenth Prince."

He said indifferently, "A few days ago, when he killed the Ascetic, his strength was formidable, having five consecutive wins at the seventh layer of Tianxia Building, but even then, he couldn't possibly instantly kill Shuang'er and so many people, leaving them no chance to mobilize the array or call for help."

"True."

The gaunt elder nodded and said, "From the perfection of the Three Talents Heaven Barrier to the formation of the Dao's embryonic form, even with guidance from a legacy, many years are needed, not to mention the Seventeenth Prince's path is a defiant one. To form the Dao's embryonic form in such a short time is even more impossible."

Moreover, both understood that although the Seventeenth Prince held a grudge against their side, there was no necessity for the unusual danger of killing the Commandery Princess.

The Commandery Princess had no hope of Harmonization, posing no real threat to the Seventeenth Prince. She was merely responsible for underground dealings, after all; killing her meant merely replacing a facilitator.

Killing would not only smear sin, but if exposed, it was a grave offense.

What purpose would killing serve?

"The likelihood of the Seventeenth Prince is very low. As for the other princes..."

The Twelfth Prince took a deep breath and said, "If it were to capture Shuang'er and use her to accuse me of crimes, I would not be surprised. But purely killing her, I can't see much benefit, so it likely wasn't done by other princes... Therefore, it's either the Star Lord or someone akin to the Star Lord and Duanmu Yan..."

"Judging by the intruder's strength, it's at least the eighth layer of Tianxia Building."

The gaunt elder pondered aloud, "Now, the eighth layer of Tianxia Building is quite empty, so the only possibilities are a Saint or their avatar who could reach or surpass the eighth layer's strength. Perhaps it really is the Star God's avatar of that Star Lord?"

After a long silence, the Twelfth Prince suddenly said, "Years ago, I also asked the Third Prince about the Star Lord, and the Third Prince seemed to know the Star Lord's unique aspects."

"Prince Jing didn't tell you?" the gaunt elder asked with curiosity.

"He said..."

The Twelfth Prince said in a low voice, "I am not yet qualified to know; the Second Prince doesn't allow it, and neither does the Crown Prince..."

...

Lake Heart Pavilion at Yao Shen Lake.

Lin Yue quietly sat in the pavilion, patiently waiting.

After a moment, from the hazy mist on the lake, a female officer in a scarlet official robe suddenly flew over, landing gracefully in the Lake Heart Pavilion.

"Why is the Empress..."

Just as Lin Yue spoke, he saw the female officer wave her sleeve, creating a barrier to prevent eavesdropping. Then, with a graceful spin in place, her attire swirling, she transformed into the Empress's appearance.

"You actually came in person?" Lin Yue slightly raised an eyebrow.

The Empress glanced at him, turned her hand, and pulled out a small bottle made from Netherworld Soul Jade, offering it to him, "The remnant soul you asked for."

"Thanks." Lin Yue reached out to take it, but the Empress suddenly drew back her slender hand, keeping the Jade Bottle behind her.

Lin Yue looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I encountered the Crown Prince."

The Empress looked at him and said, "The Crown Prince threatened me to hand over this remnant soul. I didn't listen to him, and with the Second Prince's assistance, I retained this remnant soul. How will you thank me?"

The Second Prince? Lin Yue mused, then assessed her, asking, "How do you want me to repay you?"