Word of the Sun family's downfall had spread even to the common folk of the imperial capital—a clear sign of just how dire the situation had become.
These past few days, to keep you safe, the Suns must have endured unimaginable pressure, sacrificed countless lives, and pushed themselves to the absolute breaking point.
Looks like I still arrived a little too late! You furrowed your brows, cursing your delayed return. The Sun family was already half-ruined.
If you'd gotten here just a bit earlier, you could've saved the family head, along with several of the Suns' Celestial Realm powerhouses...
I need to get back to the Sun mansion first. Only then can I learn the full truth. You slipped away quietly, moving like a shadow unseen by the world, heading straight for the Sun family estate.
With the You Can't See Me talisman active, everyone around you instinctively ignored your existence.
The Sun family was one of the Twenty-Four Dukes of the Qianyuan Empire—a lineage of immense prestige, residing in the empire's core district, mere steps from the Qianyuan Imperial Palace.
You knew the way home like the back of your hand.
But just as you drew near the mansion, you suddenly sensed several unfamiliar auras lurking in the shadows, spying on the estate.
Two First-Rank Celestials... one Third-Rank Celestial. Thanks to the enhanced spiritual sense granted by your Purple-tier Talisman Dao Seed, you pinpointed the spies' exact ranks in an instant.
And these watchers weren't even trying to hide. They loitered openly, brazenly keeping the Sun family under surveillance.
It was a stark testament to just how weak the Suns had become.
You frowned, but you didn't alert the spies. Instead, you strode directly into the mansion, quickly tracking down your eldest brother Sun Shou.
The man who once carried himself with such swagger now wore a heavy weight of worry etched between his brows. Scars crisscrossed his face—souvenirs of recent battles.
「Big Brother!」 You deactivated the You Can't See Me talisman, revealing yourself.
Sun Shou's face twisted in shock, his eyes widening with disbelief. He couldn't fathom your sudden appearance, and his first instinct was to attack, suspecting you were an impostor.
You pulled out your identity token to prove who you were. Sun Shou instantly relaxed—only to tense up again a split second later, rushing forward to urge you to flee.
「You're supposed to be in the Demon Capital! Go! Leave now! I haven't finished sorting out the mess here in the imperial capital for you...」
「Big Brother, I know everything. I came back to fix this. And to set the record straight—I've inherited Father's legacy, awakened the Imperial Bone, and I have the power to settle all these scores now.」 You cut him off sharply, weaving a quick lie to ease his concerns.
With your Purple-tier Silver Tongue talent amplifying your words, Sun Shou accepted your explanation without hesitation. It was truly a convenient ability, saving you endless trouble.
Though once he learned you knew your true identity, he refused to call you "Second Brother" anymore. From that moment on, he addressed you only as Your Highness.
The Sun family had been one of your father Chen Xuan's hidden trump cards all those years ago. They'd raised you as one of their own—and their loyalty was unshakable.
You tried to get him to revert to the old nickname, but he insisted on the formal title, his resolve unyielding.
After that, Sun Shou began to recount the nightmare the family had endured these past few weeks.
「The Suns have been hit with one disaster after another because the Gu family—the traitors—are leading the charge. The Chu family is pulling the strings from behind, and that bastard Chen Tai is in on it too...」
「Two Celestial Clans ganging up on us, plus a crown prince with real power. That's why we've been powerless to fight back!」
「If it were just the Gu traitors alone? The Suns would've beaten the shit out of them long ago!」
Sun Shou seethed with rage as he spoke. Finally, you understood the root of the crisis. It all boiled down to the Gu family turning traitor, scrambling to curry favor with their new masters by throwing the Suns under the bus.
The Gus had originally planned to sell you out for wealth and glory. But then the Qianyuan Human Sovereign's attitude shifted, and that line about "the Crown Prince's heir shall inherit the throne」 nearly scared them to death.
But by then, they'd already burned their bridges. They had no choice but to double down on their betrayal.
And in the shadows, Sixth Prince Chen Tai and the Chu family were slowly carving up the Sun family's power and territory like vultures picking at a corpse.
The Chu family was Chen Tai's maternal clan, and their overall strength far surpassed the Suns'.
During all this, the Suns had wanted nothing more than to bring you back to the capital—but they'd felt powerless to protect you, afraid it would only get you killed.
What's more, the network of hidden loyalists your father the deposed Crown Prince had laid down was too secretive. Most of them didn't even know each other's identities, making it nearly impossible for the Suns to unite them.
Worst of all, no one could be sure how many of those loyalists had already switched sides, just like the Gu family.
The situation really has deteriorated beyond repair.
After all this time, loyalty has long since frayed away.
You frowned, your eyes darkening as a cold smile tugged at your lips.
After all these years, of all the hidden trump cards your late father had left behind, only the Sun family remained truly loyal. The rest had almost certainly been tempted to switch sides.
Otherwise, someone would've stepped forward to help the Suns weather the storm instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.
It made sense, really. People's hearts changed.
Back in the day, those men had followed your father willingly because they'd hoped to ride his coattails to greater power and glory.
Now that he was dead? It was out of sight, out of mind.
The world bustled with people coming and going—all chasing profit, all chasing gain.
Without the promise of tangible benefits, who would bother to stand by your side?
Unless you could prove you were worth betting on.
You understood all too well that human loyalty was fragile, easily broken by doubt and temptation. Even without the Gu family, there would've been a Lin family, a Li family—someone else would've turned traitor eventually.
It all stemmed from one simple truth: you'd lost your value, lost your strength, and lost the fear you inspired in others.
Looks like coming back to the imperial capital was the right call. You smiled coldly, already forming a plan in your mind—a plan to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, to clean house once and for all.
And the Gu family was the perfect chicken.
If you didn't butcher the Gus publicly, the other monkeys—the other hidden loyalists—would never dare to rally to your side, never dare to proclaim you their rightful ruler.
「Your Highness, our patriarch is still comatose. Only Second Granduncle remains—he's a Third-Rank Celestial. But the Gu family's patriarch is a Sixth-Rank Celestial, and they have several other Celestials in their ranks. Tomorrow's birthday banquet—every notable figure in the imperial capital will be there. Even the Chu family and Sixth Prince Chen Tai are going to attend...」
Sun Shou seemed to read the murderous intent in your eyes. He could tell you planned to crash the party, and he tried desperately to urge you to bide your time.
But you met his plea with calm resolve.
「Save your breath. The more monkeys watching, the more valuable killing this chicken will be.」
「Tomorrow... I'm going to crash the Gu family's birthday banquet. Alone.」