CHAPTER 705: 160, APOCALYPSE

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In the blink of an eye, it was already the beginning of autumn.

The Imperial Palace, Di Hong Palace.

The Crown Prince wore a mysterious robe and crown, his exceptionally handsome face showed no emotion, and his gaze slowly swept over the princes and princesses below.

At this moment, except for the already fallen Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, Twelfth Prince, and Sixteenth Prince, all the other princes and princesses were present.

"Today, I have gathered you all here to remind you of something, and there is also something I need you to do."

The Crown Prince looked at the princes and princesses below and said, "Recently, apart from a few in our Xiahong clan who have already proven themselves, I believe the rest of you have noticed that refining divine power has become much less difficult."

"But from this moment on, none of you should refine divine power any further, and if not absolutely necessary, it is best not to use divine power at all."

The Crown Prince said expressionlessly, "For a detailed explanation, Yi Wang, you shall speak."

Yi Wang was the title conferred upon the Thirteenth Prince.

"Yes."

The Thirteenth Prince, with a long sword on his back, clasped his hands slightly like a Jianghu swordsman before saying, "In recent days, when you refined divine power, you must have experienced how low the difficulty was. Yesterday, I too successfully refined my right hand into a divine body."

Many of the princes and princesses displayed surprised expressions.

Although the difficulty of refining the power of the Ancient Gods had lowered, to have refined part of the divine body in just a few days was astonishingly fast.

"However, as part of the body was refined and gradually fused with divine power, changes also appeared."

The Thirteenth Prince said somberly, "Although I remember the situation at that time, I felt as if I had changed into someone else, filled with a desire for battle and destruction. Only after a life-and-death battle with thousands of people in my residence did I barely regain clarity."

The princes and princesses were all taken aback.

Battle intent? Destructive desire?

They all knew the Thirteenth Prince was the reincarnation of the Sword Emperor, indeed a martial fanatic, extremely fond of battle.

But such a fondness for battle was targeted only at strong foes, never against the people in his own residence.

And involving thousands of people, which surely included many with low cultivation, and the Thirteenth Prince wanted a life-and-death battle with them?

That would surely mean it was those thousands who died.

Just because of refining divine power?

"Could Yi Wang be under some mind-altering method or a frenzy of madness?" the Fourteenth Prince said, frowning.

"I can assure you, I was clear-headed the whole time."

The Thirteenth Prince frowned and said, "Though I don’t understand the exact reason, I speculate it is related to refining divine power. At that moment, I indeed felt like a different person. Though in a clear state, I became extremely belligerent and bloodthirsty, even felt... an impulse to kill everyone."

The princes and princesses were somewhat puzzled.

If it was a clear state, how could it seem like he was a different person?

Moreover, the Thirteenth Prince had reached a perfect Dao Heart, so it was impossible for him to suffer from a heart demon or confused mind.

"It is a sort of infection of the mind’s will."

The Second Prince suddenly spoke softly.

All the princes and princesses turned to look. The Second Prince was known as the strongest in the line of mental power, and he presumably knew what happened.

"Like on the battlefield, where the killing intent of a large group of soldiers infects others, it can make even those who originally didn’t want to kill become overwhelmed."

The Second Prince slowly explained, "What the Thirteenth Brother encountered is a similar situation, likely because he refined divine power too deeply, and his own realm couldn’t suppress it. Thus, he was affected by the will of the divine power, which indeed was his consciousness, but it was tainted or... polluted by another will."

The princes and princesses finally understood.

But...

In the past, refining divine power never caused such issues, so why now?

"It must be related to the Demon Clan."

The Second Prince said, "Although it’s unclear how they achieved it, the Demon Clan’s ultimate goal is surely to eliminate you. So from now on, try not to refine divine power, even initial refinement should be best avoided."

"Stop?" The Eleventh Prince slightly frowned and said, "Second Brother, perhaps the Demon Clan’s aim is to deter us from refining divine power. Wouldn’t stopping play right into their hands?"

The Second Prince smiled and said, "This is just my suggestion; whether to follow, you must decide for yourselves."

The Crown Prince said quietly, "This is an order. Until this storm passes, do not refine divine power again, and unless absolutely necessary, do not use divine power."

All the princes and princesses silently complied, immediately bowing their heads in assent.

Compared to other extraordinary saintly figures, the most important aspect for these princes and princesses was their refined Ancient Divine Power.

Without the Ancient Divine Power, they would have little advantage.

Moreover, most princes and princesses didn’t possess any semi-divine artifacts; in facing those extraordinary saintly figures with semi-divine artifacts, they would likely be at a disadvantage.

But fortunately, in Di Hong City, they didn’t worry about their safety.

"That is the first matter."

The Crown Prince continued, "The second matter, in recent times, worldly disasters have gradually increased. After seeking cause and investigation, it has been confirmed that it is the work of the Demon Clan infiltrating Great Yong, and patrol envoys have already been dispatched to eliminate them."

He paused, glanced around, and said, "However, at the same time, there is also a group of external human cultivators who have begun to roam the world providing aid, suspected to have come from Liangwang City. They are dressed in white robes, claiming to be disciples from Liangwang Sect, each possessing merit, helping mortals among the populace, and their influence is growing."

Liangwang City?

Upon hearing this Lin Yue immediately understood that the Demon Clan had started to make Liangwang City act.

After all, to transfer as much of the human clan’s fortune to Liangwang City as possible, Liangwang City could not remain inactive.

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