Chapter 1184: Cooperation Model

As soon as the Fifth Prince finished speaking, he suddenly, in front of Xu Yang, removed his elaborate upper garments, revealing his broad back. It was at this moment that Xu Yang was astonished to see an incredibly intricate Qilin totem engraved on his back.

"As you can see," he began, "each of the seven princes has this exclusive totem on their back. In fact, these totems were established by the founder of the Royal Domain, our ancestor, the first Divine Emperor, as a bloodline totem inheritance system. Its purpose was to decentralize royal power and ensure the continuous rule of our lineage for generations.

"It is decreed that there can only be seven direct royal descendants. From the day they are born, each prince is endowed with an exclusive totem on their back and a unique 'King's Order' token. This token is equivalent to holding one of the seven keys required to unlock the supreme treasure of the Royal Domain.

"This system ensures that the Royal Domain's heritage is preserved in a decentralized manner, infinitely increasing its security and guaranteeing the long-term stability of our lineage's rule. Furthermore, it grants each prince power superior to that of ordinary people. More precisely, each 'King's Order' token symbolizes the supreme status of standing at the continent's apex."

Xu Yang found this regulation somewhat perplexing. He asked, "How can the number of princes born into the royal family be precisely controlled? Are there no exceptions?"

The Fifth Prince gently shook his head. "There can be no exceptions. Any surplus princes are eliminated on the very day they are born. Moreover, from birth, each generation of princes enjoys the most abundant cultivation resources and the most powerful protection teams in the entire Yingzhou Continent. There has never been a case of a prince-level expert dying prematurely.

"Furthermore, to my knowledge, the totems on our seven backs contain a very special protective power. However, I'm currently unaware of the exact secrets behind these totems. Perhaps only when you and I open the treasure will the truth be revealed."

Xu Yang became increasingly captivated by this royal secret. He was clearly intrigued. In his view, there was no absolute good or bad distinction among the princes; who he chose to cooperate with depended entirely on his personal inclination.

"Very well," Xu Yang said. "If you can truly provide the location of the most complete 'King's Order' token, cooperating with you is not impossible. The throne will be yours, and what I desire, no one can take away from me."

The Fifth Prince unhesitatingly extended his right hand. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, and the long-absent spark in his eyes perfectly conveyed his current standing. Xu Yang also gave a faint smile and high-fived him as a vow.

"Rest assured," the Fifth Prince said, "as I've said before, since I've agreed to cooperate with you, I will absolutely not betray you. Of course, you should be very clear about my premise: you must fully demonstrate your value. If you provide me with incorrect information, you should know the consequences."

"You can be at ease about that," Xu Yang replied. "To my knowledge, not only have our other princes started making moves, but other lineages have also begun to stir. Apart from my Third Brother, whom I've already imprisoned, the forces under the other princes have all started to become restless."

Upon mentioning the Third Prince, Xu Yang scratched his head, remembering something. "Oh, right, where exactly did you take that guy?" he asked. "And what's the deal with this blood-soaked pool?"

The Fifth Prince candidly revealed the true purpose of the blood pool. "To my knowledge," he began, "the key to activating the Supreme Divine Treasury lies in the blood of us seven princes. Therefore, by obtaining all seven King's Order tokens, we also need to gather a portion of each prince's bloodline power. Only then can we truly activate the divine power of the seven sacred beast totems on our backs and open the door to the Divine Treasury.

"The other princes are likely unaware of this secret regarding the Seven Kings' Blood, because this secret was left to me by my mother. During her prime, my mother was highly favored and almost became the Empress.

"Unfortunately, while cultivating a highly unique cultivation technique, she suffered a qi deviation, which ruined her appearance, and naturally, she lost everything she once possessed. This secret was told to her by my Imperial Father during her period of favor.

"My mother once told me that the Divine Treasury's seal of the Royal Domain could not last indefinitely. It has a limit, subject to energy depletion.

"Therefore, to truly inherit the grand legacy and ensure its preservation for eternity, we must find an opportunity to reopen the door to the Divine Treasury. Using the heritage and resources within the Divine Treasury, we can then reshuffle the entire Yingzhou Continent.

"And this is another important reason why I want to cooperate with you. Looking at the current Yingzhou Continent, perhaps only you, Xu Yang, possess such strength and influence. With a single call, the forces of all four regions would respond powerfully. Therefore, only with your support can I fully achieve my goal of seizing the throne."

As he spoke, the Fifth Prince led Xu Yang to the blood pool and activated a hidden sealing mechanism. Soon, the mechanism opened, and inside the residence, the Third Prince's body, deep in slumber, was revealed.

"After injuring and imprisoning him," the Fifth Prince explained, "I used special cultivation techniques and formations to put him into a comatose state. I also extracted a portion of his bloodline and infused it into this blood pool. The dragon's head array eye corresponding to him was ignited through the resonance between his bloodline power and his King's Order token."

Xu Yang nodded slightly, understanding. "So, the other dragon's head array eye was activated by your own bloodline power?" he inferred.

"Precisely," the Fifth Prince affirmed. "This is just the beginning. Third Brother was captured only recently. There are still five brothers left, and we all need to take action. It's a long and arduous journey, and I hope I haven't chosen the wrong partner.

"Perhaps for you, this is merely a cooperation that can accelerate the achievement of your goals. But for me, it is a journey that can change the destiny of my entire life. I hope you will spare no effort and do your utmost to help me achieve this long-cherished wish.

"Furthermore, in the future, after I inherit the grand legacy, I can make all beings on the Yingzhou Continent worship you as a god. And perhaps it's time for the legendary deity to be replaced by someone more qualified to sit in that position. Undoubtedly, you are the only person in my heart capable of inheriting the divine throne."

It must be admitted that Xu Yang was indeed moved by the conditions proposed by the Fifth Prince. The two officially began their cooperation that day.

"Very well," Xu Yang said, "now that we have established this relationship, tell me then, what are your objectives and plans moving forward? What is the concrete plan? And among your brothers, who would be the easiest target?"

Hearing Xu Yang's questions, the Fifth Prince showed no hesitation. He immediately laid bare the core plan he had meticulously formulated.

"Dealing with them one by one might alert the others," the Fifth Prince explained. "After all, my brothers are all clever, each surrounded by countless capable individuals. If any one of them suffers misfortune, the others, while taking advantage of the situation, would certainly heighten their vigilance.

"Therefore, if we try to conquer them one by one, I believe the difficulty would be even greater. I've thought of a way to try and gather them all together; perhaps that would yield twice the results with half the effort. After all, now that I have your help, our execution capabilities will naturally be greatly enhanced."