They turned their heads to look at Xia Tianming, their eyes filled with undisguised disgust and contempt.

Due to Xia Tianming's former identity as the Emperor's Son, they dared not openly curse him.

But there was no doubt they cursed him thoroughly in their hearts. Someone who would abandon everyone for power—what else could such a person be but a scourge?!

"Emperor Xia is wise!"

"Emperor Xia is the wisest ruler of our time; we swear to follow him to the death!"

...

The vast majority of uninformed citizens knelt on the ground, bowed their heads, clasping fists, and shouted to express their loyalty.

Xia Tianming, seeing this, couldn't help but smile smugly. He turned around to look at Xia Tianming, the meaning in his eyes unspoken.

Xia Tianming watched Xia Tianming's shameless demeanor, and he fell silent.

He never imagined that Xia Tianming could be so brazen.

In the past, he was engrossed in cultivation and had no idea what his half-brother was thinking.

After so many years, he thought he understood Xia Tianming somewhat. Seeing him shoveling blame, shamelessly reversing right and wrong, truly left him speechless.

"Do you really... have no sense of propriety or shame?"

In the end, Xia Tianming spoke, his voice not loud, but enough for Xia Tianming to hear.

"Propriety and shame? Are such things useful, can they help me secure the Emperor Xia's throne, or make you obediently go die?"

Xia Tianming sneered, speaking in a voice only Xia Tianming could hear.

"Xia Tianming, you are truly foolish. This world is all about the survival of the fittest. Do you know what your ways are in my eyes?"

"Disgusting to the point of making me want to vomit."

"You're just luckier, possessing the innate emperor body of the Great Xia bloodline, with no hindrances on your cultivation path, raised as the future Emperor Xia since childhood."

"But what about me? I don't have the innate emperor body; my cultivation speed is not even a tenth of yours. When you became a Martial Sovereign, I was still just a small Profound Tier Martial Saint."

"Why? Tell me why? I'm better than you in both civil and martial arts, merely because you're lucky to have the envied innate emperor body, I have to be your foil?"

"Do you know, every time I heard you tell Father that your ambition lay in the peak of Martial Dao and not in ruling the Empire to become Emperor Xia, I truly felt like vomiting!"

Xia Tianming, increasingly agitated, turned his back to the ministers, his face twisted and hideous.

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" he snarled, glaring at Xia Tianming, "A waste like you, lucky from birth, do you deserve it?"

"The position of Emperor Xia will never be occupied by someone like you."

"Since Father would not agree, I had to figure something out myself. Luckily, you're stupid. When I said Father had harmed himself in closed-door cultivation, you foolishly ran here alone."

Xia Tianming sneered, stepping forward, suddenly unleashing the momentum of an Earth Tier Martial Sovereign Seventh Layer, exciting cheers from the ministers.

"Forget it, there's no point in talking to you. It's good that you're here. I've fantasized countless times about killing you, but I hadn't yet secured the position of Emperor Xia and didn't dare offend those old folks."

"But you came to this competition for the Emperor Xia's throne on the Emperor Dragon Platform yourself, perfect... Now, I can openly and wantonly kill you before everyone, finally tearing you apart with my own hands, hahahahaha!"

Xia Tianming's hands brimmed with black light, causing two twin halberds to appear.

His body shivered, the outer layer of the Emperor's Robe fell off, and Xia Naiwu carefully took it and put it aside.

His laughter was manic, sinister, making Xia Tianming and Xia Feng both frown involuntarily.

"Grandfather, it turns out the current Emperor Xia is a lunatic." Xia Feng sighed, helping Xia Tianming remove his broad blue robe, then looked up at Xia Tianming.

"Things not gained through rightful means will eventually have to be returned one day."

"Honestly, thinking of having a blood relation with someone like you feels a bit disgraceful. You should really look in the mirror and see, do you have the semblance of a sovereign at all, just a clown filled with negative emotions."

Hearing Xia Feng's expressionless words, Xia Tianming, who always held himself high above others, was suddenly stunned.

He expected Xia Tianming might retort or curse him, but he didn't care.

This was a grudge between them spanning hundreds of years, but for Xia Feng to insult him, what was that?

"Xia Feng, is it? I'm talking to your grandfather; do you have a place to intervene?"

Xia Tianming's eyes turned sinister, looking at Xia Feng, speaking word by word.

"By relations, you should call me second uncle... Xia Tianming, haven't you taught him how to respect his elders?"

"Old fart." Xia Feng rolled his eyes, shaking his head unwittingly.

Meanwhile, Xia Tianming shrugged, then smiled and patted Xia Feng's head, giving him an approving glance.

Xia Tianming was dumbfounded for two seconds, then his anger turned into laughter.

"Alright, alright, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, isn't that right?"

"No matter, you can show off now, but after I kill your grandfather, I'll show you the tortures passed down in the Great Xia Empire for tens of thousands of years."

"Idiot."

The one in response, still shaking his head, was Xia Feng.

This single insult of "idiot" made Xia Tianming clutched his chest, trembling, his gaze toward Xia Feng growing more vicious.

Xia Feng smiled, a look of indifference fixed on him.

Toward the man before him, he felt no goodwill. His family living tremblingly in Xingyu City was all thanks to him.

From the previous conversation, he had figured it out. Xia Tianming is extremely arrogant, yet extremely insecure.

That's why he acts so manic, so conceited.

He wants everything Xia Tianming has, having been envious of him since childhood.

Thus he schemed and conspired against Xia Tianming, even daring to take action against the current Emperor's Son, knowing it was a capital offense.

And after obtaining everything, he became extremely inflated.

The same goes for Xia Naiwu; Xia Feng can see it. These two are carved from the same mold.

Incapable of hearing a word of opposition, everything must go their way.

To defeat people like them is simple: utterly disregard them.

Xia Feng's indifference, coupled with two casual insults toward Xia Tianming, instantly struck his deepest insecurities.

"You... will not die."

Xia Tianming squinted slightly, taking a deep breath, uttering words most venomous.

"I will not let you die; furthermore, I will use heavenly materials and earthly treasures to nourish your body, spirit elixirs to strengthen your flesh."

"You will live on, Xia Feng, I will keep you alive..."

"Enough, my grandson is right; you indeed have a mental issue." Xia Tianming stepped forward, wielding the Qingxue Sword, pointing at Xia Tianming.

"The feud between us should end here."

```

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.