You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"Go ahead and kill me if you dare," Lin Yue said calmly.

The Baigu Demon Lord chuckled and replied, "This old bag of bones of mine surely wouldn't dare to commit such a grave sin deserving of heavenly retribution, just a gentle reminder, Your Highness: Princes have fallen in history, and it wouldn't be the first."

Lin Yue's expression remained indifferent, not bothering to speak further.

The Baigu Demon Lord said no more, promptly turning and disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, Lin Yue sat quietly in the cage, calmly awaiting his fate, looking as if he were meditating peacefully.

A moment later,

A somewhat heavy footstep suddenly echoed from the rooftop of the White Bone Palace.

"So you're the Seventeenth Prince of the Xiahong clan?"

A deep male voice spoke, "I've heard you're the greatest talent of the Human Clan, the strongest below the Saint Realm?"

Lin Yue couldn't be bothered to respond, continuing to sit quietly with his eyes closed.

"Indeed, you are arrogant."

The deep male voice said, "I am Huang Gu, second disciple of the Demon Lord. I've long admired Your Highness's great reputation, but seeing you today, I'm somewhat disappointed."

Lin Yue still paid no attention.

He had heard of Saint Heir Huang Gu before, known as the strongest below the Saint Realm in the White Bone Demon Path and a top contender in the Tianxia Building, Seventh Layer.

But his level was merely comparable with normal geniuses, and his Dao Heart had flaws, leaving him with little hope of reaching the Saint Realm, so there was naturally no need for concern.

"Your Highness is today's foremost genius, that much I acknowledge."

Saint Heir Huang Gu said deeply, "But to claim to be the strongest below the Saint Realm, I cannot accept. Without your Divine Artifact, relying solely on your own strength, can you still maintain that top position?"

Lin Yue kept his eyes closed, ignoring him.

"Does Your Highness plan to remain silent and say nothing?"

Saint Heir Huang Gu's voice carried a hint of anger.

Lin Yue finally opened his eyes.

In front of him stood a frail-looking man, skin and bones, carrying a large sword on his back. Seemingly weak as a withered tree, yet he exuded an aura of transcendence beyond the Saint Realm.

"So, you've merged with the bones of a Saint?" Lin Yue glanced at Saint Heir Huang Gu, then spoke, "With your realm and physical body, such a forced fusion with the Saint bones might enhance your strength but at the cost of your essence and lifespan, correct?"

Saint Heir Huang Gu's expression changed.

He hadn't expected that the Seventeenth Prince, with just a glance, would see right through him?

Indeed, this was the source of his confidence.

If the Saint bones within him could manifest in the Tianxia Building, he would easily break into the Eighth Layer.

"This method doesn't work in the Tianxia Building, which proves that the bones and your Divine Artifact in your body are considered external objects by it. And you tell me not to use my Divine Artifact?"

Lin Yue cast a glance at Saint Heir Huang Gu, saying in a bland tone, "Even so, you're still not up to the mark."

Saint Heir Huang Gu's pale, emaciated face turned even more unsightly.

The fact that his inner Saint bones couldn't manifest in the Tianxia Building indeed left him with no rebuttal.

Only one's intrinsic power and external Magic Treasures that didn't exceed the realm could manifest in the Tianxia Building.

The Saint bones within him clearly were deemed out of the realm's scope, thus couldn't manifest.

Forbidding the Seventeenth Prince to use his Divine Artifact while using his Saint bones was certainly unfair.

But,

The Seventeenth Prince even said that even in such circumstances, he wasn't up to the task?

Humiliated to this degree, Saint Heir Huang Gu felt endless fury welling from within, even if the other party was a Prince, he was merely a captive of the White Bone Palace, yet he dared to disdain him?

"Such arrogance from the Seventeenth Prince!"

Saint Heir Huang Gu suppressed his anger, saying in a deep voice, "When Your Highness departs this Bone Prison, do you dare accept my challenge?"

Lin Yue closed his eyes again, responding in a flat voice, "It seems not only is your Dao unsatisfactory but so is your Dao Heart."

Unsatisfactory was just that.

How had Saint Heir Huang Gu ever endured such dismissive and almost humiliating evaluations?

In just a few words, one could belittle him, the foremost below the Saint Realm in the Demon Path, as if he was insignificant; how could he be willing to accept this?

"Fine, fine, fine."

Saint Heir Huang Gu took a deep breath and said in a tone filled with contained rage, "Then I'll await the day when Your Highness emerges, to seek your guidance."

Lin Yue kept his eyes closed, remaining silent.

—Because such a day would never come.

Saint Heir Huang Gu huffed coldly, turning on his heel and leaving.

The upper-echelon disciples of the White Bone Palace, who had been observing from afar, immediately gathered around Huang Gu, their second senior brother.

"Second Senior Brother, that Seventeenth Prince is far too arrogant."

"For a mere captive, he remains so haughty? Second Senior Brother, you should definitely shatter his pride when the time comes."

"Second Senior Brother has already merged with the Saint bones, making it a part of his life. It's just that the Tianxia Building doesn't allow such a transcendent presence, while the Seventeenth Prince's Divine Artifact is an external object."

"If not for the Master's prohibition, this Seventeenth Prince would already know the might of our White Bone Demon Path."

"Humph, let's hope the Master keeps him confined for longer, so he can truly comprehend the taste of captivity."

"Not even reaching Harmonization and Sealing King yet, and he's this arrogant. Truly..."

Each disciple of the White Bone Demon Path, perhaps trying to curry favor with Saint Heir Huang Gu, was also united in common cause.

However, many of their gazes were fixed only on the White Bone Palace for now.

...

In a blink, two days passed. Fоr а bеttеr rеаding еxpеriеnсе, visit М(VLЕМРYR).

In the uppermost layer of the White Bone Palace.

Within a vast hall, the emaciated and hunched Baigu Demon Lord gazed at a water mirror suspended in mid-air, chuckling softly, "Your Highness the Prince Cheng, in these two days, the Seventeenth Prince is still within the prison, with no one to rescue him nor any signs of spying being found."

Another person in the hall, clad in the robes of a Prince, young and handsome, exuded elegance between his brows, with a warm smile at the corners of his lips.

It was clearly the Twelfth Prince!

"It happened unexpectedly, he had no time to set anything up."

The Twelfth Prince smiled faintly, "In the past Tianxia Building's Eighth Layer, it was only him and his trusted aide Baili Fengzhi, but that Baili Fengzhi inexplicably became crippled, and in the Eighth Layer of the Tianxia Building, he's now unable to contact anyone."

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Even if he could, it wouldn't matter; his backing is nothing more than the Main Hall Master, and that has already been accounted for in my plans."

The Baigu Demon Lord pondered for a moment and said, "Is Your Highness planning to kill the Seventeenth Prince this time? Or..."

"Yes, kill him."

The Twelfth Prince spoke lightly, "Over the years, I've accumulated considerable merit. Coupled with the protection of the National Destiny Robe, even if I kill a Prince, I can withstand the descending grave sin, at least it won't lead to immediate heavenly retribution."

"But..." the Baigu Demon Lord frowned, "Such a grave sin, even if it doesn't provoke immediate heavenly retribution, the cost will be severe..."

"As long as it's not instant death, no cost is too high."

The Twelfth Prince interrupted him, his eyes turning cold, "Over the years, among all my adversaries, the Seventeenth Prince is the only one who truly made me feel fear. Talent, temperament, opportunities, connections... each is astonishingly remarkable. If someone like him continues to grow, and he possesses a Divine Artifact, once he achieves Harmonization and refines Divine Power, I'm afraid I won't be his match."

He took a deep breath and continued, "I've tried to reconcile with him, but he's resolved that the fight will never cease, so it's better to eliminate him early."

Hearing this, the Baigu Demon Lord sighed and said no more, "Such grave sin..."

The Twelfth Prince replied, "It's no matter. The sin will mainly rest on me. The little you bear can be offset by the merits you've accumulated over the years, just avoid entering Jingzhou in the future."

"And you?" the Baigu Demon Lord asked in a deep voice, "The grave sin of killing a Prince, even without heavenly retribution, it..."

"After killing the Seventeenth Prince, within ten years, I will start Proving and Transcending."

The Twelfth Prince added slowly, "If I have the Divine Artifact, when I start Proving and Transcending, I can stand out among the princes and princesses."

The Baigu Demon Lord fell silent for a moment, then said, "Since Your Highness has made the decision, let's proceed."

"Begin the formation."

The Twelfth Prince said softly.

...

In an instant, colossal beams of light shot up to the sky, and the terrifying momentum instantly enveloped the entire White Bone Palace!