Deposing the Crown Prince Who Fights for the Clan
In the ancestral hall of the Ye family in Qingcheng.
"Ancestral spirits, the crown prince Yeop Hyeon is wild-tempered and lacking in virtue. We seek to depose him and appoint Yeop Rang as the new crown prince. Please look upon this favorably!"
The booming voice of the black-robed elder echoed through the hall.
Yeop Rang stood behind him with a faint smile. The Ye family elders lined up on either side.
"No!"
A bold voice splashed cold water on the solemn atmosphere.
She looked about twelve years old.
A girl came panting to the entrance of the hall.
Her face was pale, her body frail and thin. Anyone could see she was gravely ill.
She had rushed here upon hearing the sudden news of her brother's dethronement, dragging her sickly body along.
The black-robed elder furrowed his brow and shouted at her.
"Yeop Ryeong, what do you think you're doing!"
Yeop Ryeong caught her breath for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Great Elder, what is the reason for suddenly deposing my brother?"
"This is family elders' business. Don't interfere and withdraw!"
The Great Elder's stern command struck her ears.
Undaunted, Yeop Ryeong slowly stepped into the hall. The gazes of the Great Elder, Yeop Rang, and the other elders made her heart feel like it would stop.
Finally stopping before the elders, Yeop Ryeong gave a light bow and began.
"Elders, my brother is currently locked in a bloody battle on Nanshan against the Li family for the mining rights. It is unjust to depose him—who fights for the clan—with such absurd reasons!"
"Insolent!"
The Great Elder's furious voice boomed.
"What does a little girl know to butt in like this! Guards, drag her out!"
The newly crowned prince Yeop Rang smirked vilely.
"We must make an example. Have her flogged."
"Drag her away and give her thirty strokes!"
At the Great Elder's command, the guards lined up outside the hall strode toward Yeop Ryeong.
Unable to contain her anger, Yeop Ryeong clenched her fists and cried out.
"This is unfair! You can't do this to my brother, who's risked his life for the clan for years!"
The guard approaching her glanced at Yeop Rang. Yeop Rang glared at Yeop Ryeong with ice-cold eyes.
In that instant, the guard's eyes gleamed.
This is my chance to catch Yeop Rang's eye!
"His Highness Yeop Rang becoming crown prince is heaven's will. How dare some wench cause a scene!"
Slap!
The guard swung his massive hand, and Yeop Ryeong's cheek swelled instantly. She held back bursting tears and glared venomously at him.
Yeop Rang glanced at the guard and smiled.
Good work.
"What's your name?"
The guard hastily dropped to one knee.
"This lowly one is Jang Mok, Your Highness!"
Yeop Rang nodded in satisfaction.
"You're useful. I was planning to form a personal guard of about ten when I become crown prince. From now on, stay by my side."
Jang Mok's face lit up.
"Your boundless grace—I shall engrave it in my bones!"
Yeop Rang nodded and gestured.
"Drag her away now. Defiling the sacred order of this ancestral hall is no light sin. Do you understand?"
In that moment, a flash of killing intent crossed Yeop Rang's eyes. Jang Mok didn't miss it.
His brutish hand now grabbed Yeop Ryeong's hair. She struggled with her slender body, but it was futile. Jang Mok dragged her toward the hall's exit.
But suddenly!
Before he could take a few steps, Jang Mok froze. A chill ran through the elders, who whipped their gazes to the entrance.
"……"
There stood a warrior clad in a tattered black robe, unrecognizable as clothing, drenched in blood.
As the mysterious man raised his head, his face came into clear view.
Yeop Hyeon!
Yeop Rang flashed a cold smile at Yeop Hyeon's arrival. The elders stared in shock. The Great Elder closed his eyes, his face sinister.
Yeop Hyeon had rushed straight here upon returning from Nanshan.
His eyes caught Yeop Ryeong and Jang Mok gripping her hair. His expression twisted in an instant.
"How dare you... lay hands on who!"
As the startled Jang Mok shot a pleading glance at Yeop Rang, Yeop Hyeon's fist smashed into his face in a flash.
Thud!
Jang Mok tumbled backward.
Yeop Hyeon lunged again without pause. Then Yeop Rang bellowed in rage.
"Stop! How dare you touch my subordinate…"
But Yeop Hyeon's foot slammed into Jang Mok's solar plexus.
"Gah…"
With a strangled cry, Jang Mok spewed blood from his mouth. Yeop Hyeon turned to Yeop Rang.
"Your subordinate?"
Yeop Hyeon began mercilessly stomping Jang Mok's face.
Jang Mok soon became a bloody mess, wailing toward Yeop Rang.
"Y-Your Highness… spare me… urk…"
Even at his desperate plea, Yeop Hyeon didn't stop. Only after Jang Mok lost consciousness did the punishment end.
Yeop Hyeon turned to Yeop Ryeong. Seeing her trembling, his own fists shook.
Tears of grievance streamed from Yeop Ryeong's eyes as she looked at him.
"Oppa, it hurts so much…"
At her words, fury surged anew in Yeop Hyeon. He kicked Jang Mok's skull with full force.
Splat!
Jang Mok's head shattered against the stone steps, blood spraying everywhere.
The elders watching were at a loss.
"How dare you touch my sister, you filthy bastard!"
Yeop Hyeon charged at Yeop Rang, eyes ablaze.
"Insolent wretch!"
In a flash, the Great Elder's form slid toward Yeop Hyeon. His heavy fist aimed at Yeop Hyeon's chest.
Yeop Hyeon countered with a mad grimace.
Boom!
The clash of fists shook the entire hall.
Yeop Hyeon's body was pushed back to the entrance. The Great Elder staggered several steps before halting.
The elders could scarcely hide their astonishment.
Warriors in Qingcheng reached up to the Control Qi Realm. Those beyond were rare. Realms above Control Qi Realm were unattainable for ordinary flesh.
The Great Elder was at Control Qi Realm. Yeop Hyeon, two realms below at Unceasing Realm, shouldn't match him. Yet in that single clash, Yeop Hyeon had been pushed back only a few extra steps.
The Great Elder eyed Yeop Hyeon in surprise.
Yeop Hyeon was the Ye family's prized prodigy, nurtured with utmost care. His martial arts had surged during years of war.
A tiger's cub, indeed…
Killing intent deepened in the Great Elder's eyes.
"Yeop Hyeon, you dare attack the crown prince before me!"
"…Crown prince?"
The Great Elder smirked coldly.
"I forgot to tell you. You've already been deposed. From this moment, Yeop Rang is the Ye family's crown prince!"
Yeop Hyeon narrowed his eyes.
"I've… been deposed?"
"Yes. By decision of all elders present."
Yeop Hyeon's chilling laugh echoed through the hall.
"Hahaha! While I risked my life on the front lines, you schemed to depose me?"
The Great Elder pointed at Yeop Rang with a cold smile.
"Do you know what Yeop Rang is? He was chosen by the heavens just recently. He's a newly awakened Heaven's Chosen One!"
That bastard is a Heaven's Chosen One?
Yeop Hyeon was stunned.
In the Qingcang Realm, a Heaven's Chosen One was heaven's elect.
They lived ordinarily until called by heaven to 'awaken.' After, everything changed overnight. Cultivation speed exploded, and fortunes and experts filled their path. True heaven's darlings.
The Qingcang Realm divided into three continents. The Ye family belonged to the Jiang Kingdom among hundreds in Qingzhou. In decades, fewer than ten had been chosen there—all becoming grandmasters in their fields.
Yeop Hyeon's fists tightened.
If that's true… they'll abandon me. No, kill me!
Then Yeop Rang's cold voice reached him.
"Elders! Yeop Hyeon has killed here and dared strike the Great Elder. Per Ye family rules, how should we deal with him?"
The elders dared not respond.
"He warrants the staff punishment, doesn't he?"
At Yeop Rang's leading question, the elders nodded vigorously in agreement. As a Heaven's Chosen One and the Great Elder's grandson, none dared offend him.
"Drag him away!"
The Great Elder glared fiercely at Yeop Hyeon and bellowed.
Dozens of guards encircled him instantly.
"Hold on!"
Yeop Hyeon's shout rang out.
"The Ye mansion has rules for the crown prince. He must accept challenges from Ye warriors to show dignity to all! Thus, I, Yeop Hyeon, challenge Crown Prince Yeop Rang to a duel!"
Yeop Rang narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"A challenge? Fine! Then on the Life-Death Platform. Confident?"
Life-Death Platform!
The hall buzzed suddenly.
The Life-Death Platform was the final arena for irresolvable clan conflicts. Once ascended, no blame for death.
Yeop Hyeon looked at Yeop Rang mockingly.
"Fine. I accept."
"One month from now, when the clan leader emerges from seclusion. He'll witness as arbiter—you can't complain then."
"Whatever."
No more words needed.
Yeop Hyeon picked up his sister and left the hall.
Watching the siblings depart, the Great Elder turned to Yeop Rang.
"That's the one who danced with death in the wars. Confident?"
Killing intent flashed in Yeop Rang's eyes.
"I awakened as Heaven's Chosen One recently—mind and body not fully fused yet. Still, killing Yeop Hyeon is easier than squashing an ant. Watch—one month, and no rival to me remains in Qingcheng!"
The Great Elder nodded with a smile.
"Good."
He turned to another elder nearby.
"Only Yeop Hyeon returned from those sent to Nanshan. He looks pale—not normal. Yeop Go, go check what happened there."
Yeop Go nodded and left. The Great Elder smiled slyly, as if knowing something.