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"Your Highness?"

The Priest looked at Ziyue, who was giving orders, his face a complex mix of emotions.

"Does the esteemed Priest have any doubts?"

The doubts were massive... With a bitter smile on his face, the Priest knew the monster had been successfully defeated by the Imperial Emperor, and the Four Holy Army was somewhat apprehensive, fearing that the human Emperor would leverage the momentum of this great victory to command his forces against them once more.

Unexpectedly, the outcome nobody anticipated came to pass.

In gratitude for Chen Qing and Princess Ziyue’s life-saving help, the Emperor chose no longer to be hostile towards the Four Holy Army.

Instead, he was willing to offer whatever little help he could to aid them in rescuing the Guard Commander and exterminating the demons of the Black Tortoise Palace!

This reversal caught the leaders of the Four Holy Army completely off guard; they were dumbfounded. But as a war Priest and one of the few surviving Elders who had lived through countless struggles for power, he quickly sensed the peril hidden within this situation.

Though he did not know why the Emperor of the Human Race suddenly turned around to help Princess Ziyue, it was certainly not just to help them rescue the Guard Commander.

Those who had lived through the era of the Sorcerer Dynasty knew what had transpired back then. To ensure the Sorcerer Dynasty’s plans did not fall apart, Princess Ziyue proposed merging with an important Reincarnator to extract more information.

Back then, many Elders opposed it. Being the first of the Imperial Clan to awaken, Princess Ziyue held significant meaning, and her capabilities were exceedingly strong. It was truly unnecessary to take such risks personally; the task could have been entrusted to the offspring of the other Elders.

But Princess Ziyue refused to do so, stating that the secrets of the Reincarnator were too important to risk any failure. The fusion Technique required extremely pure Ancient Demon bloodlines, and if not herself, it had to be one of the direct descendants of the major Elders.

Yet which member of the nobility was willing to take such a risk?

Even those who were willing were not preferred by Princess Ziyue at the time; she did not wish the secrets of the Reincarnator to fall into the hands of anyone else.

The assertive Princess Ziyue insisted on keeping everything under her own control.

Unexpectedly, the usually majestic and domineering Princess had underestimated the treachery of the world.

Although her decision was eventually supported, the consequences she faced were not so favorable.

After merging with the Reincarnator, Princess Ziyue was immediately imprisoned in the Yundu Mystic Realm, where all the Elders, under the pretext of testing whether she was truly the Princess Royale, subjected her to cruel methods.

They claimed it was for the safety of the Royal Family, but in reality, they were extracting the Reincarnator’s secrets.

Some even sought to exploit her Imperial lineage to the fullest, hoping to create superior bloodlines...

Given Princess Ziyue’s status within the Imperial Clan, mistreating her in such a way should have been difficult—not to mention public sentiment, the Imperial Guard alone would not have permitted it.

Unfortunately...

The Guard Commander of the Imperial Guard, that mysterious man said to be the former Empress’s favorite, now even Princess Ziyue carried his bloodline... Such a man should have protected Princess Ziyue with all his might.

But he... he took the lead in committing such acts!

At that time, being new to the Council of Elders and still full of passion, he had never been exposed to such filthy and dark secrets and had never imagined that even the noble bloodline of the Royal Family could be so humiliated.

It completely shattered his world view!

For a full hundred years of torment, the people of the outside world still praised the righteousness of Princess Ziyue, but who knew that this so-called hero of the nation was suffering unspeakable humiliation in a basement chamber?

The leader might even be one of her close kin?

He couldn’t understand why it was so. He remembered that at that time, while the Martial Legacy Priest did not participate, he also did not stop them.

In fact, most Elders did not try to prevent it but watched indifferently.

That coldness once made it impossible for him to sleep, making him feel that the lofty circle of Elders was very different from what he had previously thought.

After the Sorcerer Dynasty’s plan was completed, the powerful Elders were encased in slumber, waiting to be reawakened, while the Sword Keepers left in the world were entrusted with real military power—the Guard Commander!

Would Princess Ziyue rescue the Guard Commander?

It was obvious that she would not.

The younger generation probably knew little about what happened back then, but he knew that Princess Ziyue must have wished nothing more than to tear the Guard Commander to pieces.

So what were Princess Ziyue, Chen Qing, and the human Emperor planning to do by joining forces?

He did not need to think hard to know, besides dealing with the Northern Demons, the most likely reason was to take advantage of the chaos to kill the Guard Commander.

This was a struggle for power, a clash between the new King and the old rulers.

Princess Ziyue’s reputation has always been high among the people of the Ancient Demon Clan, and her recent performance has indeed captured the absolute approval of the Four Holy Army. As long as she wishes for their support, the entire Four Holy Army will back her.

However, the Guard Commander is no pushover to be easily manipulated; behind him lies not only a formidably powerful Royal Guards army but also the support of venerable Council of Elders.

These Elders, the real nobility of the Ancient Demon Clan, might seem to be in a slumber now, but as cunning old foxes with billions of years behind them, they naturally have their contingency plans and could awaken at any moment.

Controlling the Four Holy Army does not necessarily equate to controlling the Ancient Demons, the Nobility.

.. are the true core of the Ancient Demon Clan.

It is likely that no Elder would support Princess Ziyue’s ascendancy.

The Martial Legacy Priest’s invitation for Ziyue’s return is probably aimed more at extracting information than genuinely supporting her.

So... what should I do now?

In the past, I despised the despicable deeds of those ugly elites, heroes of the race reduced to their playthings, the very thought of which disgusts me too much to sleep. But back then, I didn’t have the courage to do anything. Do I dare to stand beside Princess Ziyue now?

Princess Ziyue... is of too flimsy a foundation...

"Does the High Priest have any concerns?" Princess Ziyue approached, lowering her voice to speak.

Most of those repulsive memories have been forcibly sealed by her, which is why she could not recall for many years that she is actually of the Ancient Demon Clan’s bloodline.

As her memories awaken, she still experiences unbearable headaches every time she recalls the brutal humiliations, preventing her from fully remembering.

But she still vaguely recalls some key matters.

This individual before her does not seem to have been involved in past events, given his relatively junior standing. Otherwise, she would definitely feel aversion towards him or would have sought an opportunity to kill him during their previous encounter.

Her not feeling so indicates his innocence.

The War Priest holds a position of real power. To have attained this position, he must have been near the core of power back then, or at least, it shows that he stood by and watched.

Now that I seek to take power, does he support or oppose me?

"I..." The Priest swallowed, feeling a chill to the bone in the presence of Princess Ziyue, who seemed calm, yet he sensed a profound coldness.

This is a King who has clawed back from the abyss, clearly asking him to choose sides.

If I refuse to comply, from the next moment on, we are enemies!

How should I choose?

"The High Priest seems to be indecisive by nature, a trait that was apparent from your earlier command," she said.

"Ah..." The Priest’s face flushed red, as whether or not the influence of that Demon Statue had affected him, his authority had already plummeted. To be blunt, at this moment, if Princess Ziyue were to replace him, probably no one would speak up for him.

Which means that whether I agree with Princess Ziyue or not, I cannot prevent her from taking control of the military power.

However, with me by her side, her position might be more legitimate.

"How about this..." Princess Ziyue approached, her voice still faint, "Why not observe a little longer, and make a decision when the situation is clearer?"

Priest: "..."

It’s clear what she’s suggesting—watch carefully to see who gains the upper hand, giving me another chance to choose?

Will she allow me to sit on the fence, and would the Elders?

The Priest smiled wryly, closed his eyes, and after taking a deep breath, he suddenly knelt on one knee: "I am at your command, Your Highness!"

"Oh?" Princess Ziyue seemed a little surprised by his decision; this didn’t seem characteristic of such a timid person.

As a bystander back then, while perhaps not malicious, it indicated his lack of courage, otherwise with his authority, he wouldn’t have been unable to lend her any help.

His inaction was a silent acquiescence to those scoundrels’ deeds.

If he were an ordinary person, Princess Ziyue could understand such a stance, as everyone has the instinct for self-preservation. But as a High Priest Elder who held substantial power, that was unacceptable!

If he chose to sit on the fence today, he would have no right to control the Ancient Demon Clan’s military affairs in the future.

Unexpectedly, after a thousand years, this man actually showed some backbone at this moment.

"I assure you..." Princess Ziyue said earnestly, "you will not regret your decision today!"