Prince Hua Yan of Jin was the eldest son of Prince Jin. Prince Jin was the full younger brother of the previous Asura King, meaning Hua Yan and the current Asura King were cousins.
A thousand years ago, Prince Jin passed away, and Hua Yan succeeded him as Prince of Jin. Hua Yan disliked politics and warfare, wishing only to be a leisurely prince, and the Asura King indulged him. As long as he remained law-abiding and did not go too far, the Asura King would not be harsh with him. The Asura King had thought his brother would continue this way, but…
The Asura King’s face remained grim as he looked at his brother, who outwardly seemed unambitious but harbored wild fantasies. This time, he truly could not protect him.
“Speak, why?”
“Why what?” Hua Yan did not quite understand.
“Hua Yan, it’s just the two of us here. You don’t need to play pretend anymore.” The Asura King was truly disappointed in his brother and directly exposed his facade.
Hua Yan, however, maintained his image of an innocent and ignorant younger brother. “Cousin, what are you talking about? Your subject truly doesn’t understand.”
Seeing that he refused to admit anything, the Asura King had no hope left for him. “Hua Yan, if you don’t understand, then I’ll ask you. Do you remember Xuan He?”
“Xuan He? Cousin, are you referring to Xuan He who stole our Asura tribe’s secret treasure years ago and was branded a traitor? Didn’t he die shortly after you captured him?”
“He is dead, but I’ve always been curious why he stole our Asura tribe’s secret treasure. He was just an ordinary Asura; he couldn’t activate them even if he got them. Hua Yan, can you tell me? I’m truly curious.”
“Cousin, how would your subject know the reason? It’s always those few possibilities.”
“Yes, Xuan He knew he couldn’t activate the treasure, yet he still stole it. It definitely wasn’t because he needed it himself. That means someone instigated him. Hua Yan, do you know who instigated him?”
Hearing this, Hua Yan genuinely pondered the matter. “Cousin, within the entire Asura tribe, only Second Cousin is dissatisfied with you. Could it be him?”
“Is it?”
“Are there any others in the tribe dissatisfied with you?”
“Aren’t there? Hua Yan, I truly never expected that you, who outwardly respected me, would treat me like a fool in private. You, who outwardly felt I shouldn’t have taken the throne and that it was unfair to you, have been secretly instigating discord between us. Hua Yan, why did you do this?!”
Hua Yan seemed startled and cowered, not daring to speak.
Seeing this, the Asura King’s last trace of affection for his brother vanished. “Not just Xuan He, but also Tang Ming. They outwardly appear to be Cha Yan’s men, but in reality, they are all your people. And Cha Yan’s most trusted guards, Xi Yan’s most trusted strategists, they are all your people, the dead soldiers you cultivated!”
“Cousin, what are you talking about? Your subject truly doesn’t understand.” As if remembering something, Hua Yan said, “Oh right, did the Demon Lord come just now? Because of the widespread rumors outside, did the Demon Lord demand an explanation from you?”
The more Hua Yan spoke, the more convinced he became. “Cousin, your subject has also heard the rumors outside, but your subject truly did nothing! Those people you just mentioned are not my people. You cannot blame everything on your subject just because your own brother is involved! Your subject is truly wronged!”
The Asura King sighed and took out a stack of papers. He said, “Twelve hundred years ago, you saved an Asura in Chen Yuan. Two hundred years later, this Asura’s abilities were accidentally discovered by Cha Yan, who brought him back to Prince Yan’s mansion and made him Cha Yan’s advisor. Another two hundred years later, this Asura began to persuade Cha Yan to cooperate with extraterrestrial demons, luring him into the demon realm to kill them using the power of the Heavenly Star Cauldron, thereby earning great merit for the Asura tribe and having the tribe support him as the new king. This Asura offered many good ideas to Cha Yan over two hundred years, and this time Cha Yan believed him. Little did he know, it was you who told him to do this to Cha Yan.”
With each sentence the Asura King spoke, Hua Yan’s face turned paler.
“Four years ago, the same Asura told Xi Yan that Cha Yan’s abilities were insufficient and that he must cooperate with others to gather all the fragments of the Heavenly Star Cauldron. It was also this Asura’s suggestion that Cha Yan cooperate with the Demon King. Over the years, Cha Yan had come to trust him implicitly, so he listened this time. However, he didn’t know that you were instigating all of this from behind the scenes.”
Hua Yan’s face was ashen. He had thought all of this was very secret, but he never expected the Asura King to know everything. Yet, he still dared not admit it. “Cou… Cousin, I…”
“Hua Yan, don’t deny it yet. Look at these first, and then decide if you want to tell me the truth.” The Asura King handed the stack of papers to Hua Yan. “These are all the things you’ve done to Cha Yan, Xi Yan, and me over the years. Without exception, everything is here. Do I need to go through each one?”
Hua Yan’s hands trembled, and he dared not take them. The Asura King’s words had shattered his confidence to mere dust.
Hua Yan had always thought the Asura King was foolish, only slightly smarter than the three brothers, especially since the Asura King hadn’t noticed many of the things Cha Yan had done to disadvantage him. But today, the Asura King told him that he knew everything Hua Yan had done. This was a severe blow to the usually arrogant Hua Yan.
“I know more than just these. Since I ascended to the position of Asura King, I have been fully aware of your actions, as well as those of Cha Yan, Xi Yan, and others. I didn’t reveal them simply because we are brothers, to spare your lives. You should know that if these things were leaked, you would surely die!” httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
“Cou… Cousin…” Hua Yan still could not accept the reality.
Hua Yan had always believed his abilities surpassed those of the three Jun Yan brothers, even ranking in the top three in the demon realm. Yet, such a self was subordinate to Jun Yan, whom he disdained. He was unwilling and wanted to prove himself. However, he disdained the position of Asura King, which even Jun Yan could easily attain, so he set his sights on the position of Demon Lord, the ruler of the demon realm, and worked towards it.
Hua Yan had always been proud of manipulating the three Jun Yan brothers, but now, this pride was shattered by Jun Yan. Jun Yan knew everything he had done, which he found unacceptable.
“Hua Yan, it would have been fine if this matter had only circulated within the demon realm. But now, Hua Yan, this time I cannot protect you anymore.”
“Cousin, you want to kill me!”
“It’s not that I want to kill you, it’s that I can’t hide it anymore! The Demon Lord said that if this matter only circulated within the demon realm, I could still cover it up. But now the Six Realms know. The Demon Lord needs to appease the anger of the Six Realms, and killing just one subordinate is not enough! Whether it’s our Asura tribe or the Demon Tribe, we must present someone of noble status!”
“But they have no proof, Cousin, you have no proof either. Who knows if these scraps of paper are forged!” Hua Yan seemed to have grasped a lifeline. “Eldest Cousin, the cooperation with the Demon Tribe was personally negotiated by Second Cousin. The people who entered the human realm to search for the Heavenly Star Cauldron fragments and those who stole our tribe’s Heavenly Star Cauldron fragments back then were all Second Cousin’s people. Second Cousin cannot escape. Eldest Cousin, I understand you want to protect Second Cousin, but why are you slandering me with everything? Everyone in the tribe knows Second Cousin is at odds with you, while I have always supported you. If you kill me, aren’t you afraid they will be disheartened?”