Chapter 527: Renwang Mansion

When Li Huowang took the drawing from the tray, he found it was a highly detailed map of a building complex. The layout and purpose of each room were clearly marked, and below, in small red letters, were the words: "Prince Ren's Manor." Li Huowang, with a furrowed brow, looked up at Ji Lin.

"Prince Ren is my second elder brother," Ji Lin said. "Be careful. Rumor has it that many of his retainers are shadowy, evil cultivators. The very cultivators who killed my mother and my elder sister were his retainers."

Hearing this, Li Huowang immediately understood what he needed to do next. Without a word, he bowed in a Taoist salute to Ji Lin, then took the map and turned to leave.

"Er Jiu, do well! If you help me ascend the throne, I will not let you down!" Although the capital city was vast, finding Prince Ren's Manor was quite easy.

"It's strange that a prince's manor isn't built in his feudal territory but right here in the capital," Li Huowang thought, kneeling on one knee on a rooftop, silently gazing at the large plaque in the distance.

Suddenly, Li Huowang muttered to himself again, "Yes, that's right. Perhaps the royal family intended to breed internal strife from the very beginning."

As Li Huowang spoke, his colored phantom body slowly sank into the roof tiles, while his invisible true body began to stealthily approach Prince Ren's Manor.

The towering walls were no obstacle to Li Huowang; Li Sui's tentacles easily scaled over the wall.

Li Huowang immediately sensed several hidden sentries behind the wall, but instead of leaving discreetly, he moved closer to one of them.

A short while later, Li Huowang stood on a ceiling beam, looking down at the eunuch who was motionless, peering out of a small hole in the window.

This man, one of Prince Ren's hidden sentries, stared intently outside through the small hole in the window.

"Let's test it on him," Li Huowang thought to Zhuge Yuan, as he reached out and grasped the hilt of the Spine Sword.

"Slash!" Li Huowang on the beam swung downward forcefully. A silent streak of Great Qi history sliced through the air.

However, this time, that historical slash didn't cleave the person into three pieces as usual; instead, it enveloped his entire body.

"Wait, it didn't completely cover him. Half of his palm was still in the Great Liang," Li Huowang observed.

"Brother Li, swing it again and see if he's still alive in Great Qi," Zhuge Yuan said, his usual composure gone, his expression now extremely solemn.

After all, this was crucial to whether Li Huowang could fight the Dice.

"Li Sui, I'll swing the sword again in a moment. Remember to extend your eyeball in to look, but be sure to pull it back out in time. Don't leave it in there."

"I understand, Dad. Don't worry," Li Sui replied.

After carefully instructing Li Sui, Li Huowang gripped the Spine Sword tightly once more and swung it forcefully again. The unseen rift between Great Qi and Great Liang had barely appeared when a dark shadow instantly shot out from Li Huowang, flying inside with a trailing afterimage.

Just before the rift vanished, Li Sui's tentacle, with the eyeball wrapped around it, was pulled back out.

"Dad, he's there! He's alive! He's holding his severed hand and shouting something out the window!"

"Excellent!" Li Huowang exclaimed, clenching his fist excitedly.

"This means that not only can this sword kill, but it can also safely send people to Great Qi! Not just others; if used properly, it can even send me to Great Qi!"

"With this, Zhuge Yuan's method can be put into practice!"

Li Huowang seemed eager, wishing he could go to Great Qi immediately, but he forcefully restrained himself.

"I'm already here. I should deal with Prince Ren first. I can't delay either task; otherwise, even if I find the Dice, I won't be able to solve it without Ji Lin's help." Thinking this, Li Huowang sheathed the broad Spine Sword back on his back and moved along the ceiling beams.

With Ji Lin's map, Li Huowang had no trouble navigating the maze-like manor and headed directly towards Prince Ren's sleeping quarters.

However, when Li Huowang arrived, he found the room empty. Prince Ren wasn't there.

"Not sleeping late at night, where could this guy go?" Li Huowang reopened the map, observed it carefully for a moment, then folded it up again and headed eastward.

After searching several places without success, Li Huowang finally found him, guided by the sound of opera singing.

On a grand, lantern-draped stage, various operas were performed in rotation. Each play featured hundreds of performers, every single one a master of their craft—their skill far surpassing that of Lu Zhuangyuan's Lu Family Troupe.

All these opera troupes, coming and going, were performing solely for one person below.

Li Huowang saw Prince Ren's face for the first time. He was a pale-faced, middle-aged man with white lips. If not for the dragon robe he wore, Li Huowang would never have guessed this was the person vying with Ji Lin for the throne.

At that moment, he lay with narrowed eyes on a plump woman, sharp, gold and jade-encrusted nail guards on three of his fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee to the music of the opera.

Crouching on a tree branch, Li Huowang shifted his gaze from the prince's face, surveying the people around him.

Li Huowang didn't know what these so-called evil cultivators looked like, but judging solely by their appearances, none of the people present resembled one.

"I can't act directly here; it's too open, and there are too many people. If Prince Ren's retainers are hiding among them, it would be too easy for them to ambush me."

"Besides, I can't fall for the same trick twice. Perhaps Prince Ren, like the Imperial Elder Princess, is also feigning weakness."

With these thoughts, Li Huowang quietly crouched, waiting for an opportunity.

An hour passed, and it was now the second watch of the night. Just as Li Huowang thought Prince Ren intended to watch opera all night, the troupes on stage finally ceased their performance.

A magnificent twelve-man sedan chair was lifted, and Prince Ren, accompanied by a large group of eunuchs, proceeded towards his sleeping quarters.

Li Huowang followed the sedan chair until it was set down, still finding nothing unusual.

Li Huowang absolutely did not believe that someone daring to seize the throne would be unguarded, especially after he had killed the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Elder Princess. He instantly became hyper-vigilant.

As Prince Ren entered his sleeping quarters, the large crowd outside gradually dispersed. Sensing an opportunity, Li Huowang cautiously followed him inside.

To Li Huowang's surprise, even within the sleeping quarters, the sound of opera singing had not ceased.

Following the sound, Li Huowang found Prince Ren lying on his side on the bed, with a woman standing before him, singing opera.

From the makeup on her face, it was clear she was a *huadan* (a type of female role in Chinese opera).

However, although this *huadan* wore stage makeup on her face, she was completely unclothed.