Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

With such strength far outstripping the current Crown Prince by several streets, it's no wonder he was so arrogant.

In this regard, the Crown Prince was indeed not his match, but back then, the Emperor of Da Xia felt that the eldest prince was too cold and selfish, stubborn and opinionated, and would definitely not make a wise ruler after ascending to the throne. Compared with the inherently kind and gentle Crown Prince, the Emperor of Da Xia clearly preferred the latter.

Therefore, just before his death, the Emperor of Da Xia chose the Crown Prince to succeed him, not the eldest prince.

But now, with the Emperor of Da Xia gone and the realm on the brink of chaos, the eldest prince suddenly had an idea—he wanted to seize power!

He had always believed that the Crown Prince was inferior to him in every way, and naturally, the throne of the future emperor of Da Xia should also be his!

However, Gu Chen, who had personally seen the eldest prince, did not think so. He had met the Crown Prince and felt that, compared to the present eldest prince, even with some flaws in character, being too soft-hearted and hesitant, the Crown Prince was still far better.

It was simply because, with the Emperor of Da Xia gone, and Da Xia about to plunge into turmoil both internally and externally, he didn't consider how to help the Crown Prince and King Huai stabilize the situation but actually harbored rebellious thoughts, plotting for himself.

Such a person, if he were to become the Emperor of Da Xia, the nation's continuous reign of over five hundred years might well come to an end!

Moreover, from observing the eldest prince's words and deeds, Gu Chen could tell that he was an extremely selfish man. If such a person were to become the emperor, the common people of the nation would surely suffer.

No wonder the former Emperor chose the current Crown Prince instead of him.

As for the other princes, they were even worse, far behind both the eldest prince and the Crown Prince. The hope of competing for the imperial throne was even more unrealistic.

The eldest prince looked at Gu Chen and said indifferently, "Now I give you a chance to submit to me. Should I succeed, you will have the merit of helping the dragon rise, not to mention you alone but the entire Gu Family would prosper from it, at least for a hundred years, ranking among the nobility of Da Xia!"

But Gu Chen was not swayed by these promises. He saw them for what they were—an empty check. How could Gu Chen not see that the eldest prince was just painting him a pie in the sky?

Thus, without even a second thought, Gu Chen rejected, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but such matters are not for a minor official like the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department to meddle in. Your Highness thinks too highly of me."

Seeing Gu Chen's unwavering refusal, the eldest prince's face darkened, and his narrow eyes narrowed, a difficult-to-discern gleam flickering briefly.

Then, without waiting for the eldest prince to say another word, Gu Chen said his farewells and stepped off the carriage. He did not want to listen to the eldest prince's nagging any longer; Gu Chen simply didn't have the time for it.

Watching Gu Chen leave, the eldest prince did not stop him, but his face grew increasingly gloomy, and his mood was very bad.

Afterwards, that gentle-tempered middle-aged man came in. He was a confidant of the eldest prince. Seeing the prince's dark mood, he knew the outcome.

"Hmph! Just like Chen Yu, all the same worthless cur, unappreciative dogs, peasants!"

With a hard expression, the eldest prince was very angry as he said, "When I ascend to the throne, I will surely purge all you treacherous officials and traitors!"

"Your Highness, what should we do now..." the eunuch no longer hid his voice, asking in a thin, high-pitched tone.

"Back to the palace!"

The eldest prince said coldly. He had thought before coming that Gu Chen was a sensible man. He had personally left the palace to invite him, and anyone should be grateful for the opportunity. In the eldest prince's view, Gu Chen should have agreed without a second word and knelt to show his loyalty.

But Gu Chen, without even inquiring about the conditions and showing extreme disrespect in his words and actions, had blacklisted himself in the eyes of the eldest prince.

"As long as you remain in Da Xia, I will find ways to deal with you!" the eldest prince thought to himself.

...

The imperial palace.

At this moment, the Crown Prince and King Huai had gathered their ministers to discuss proceedings regarding Ananda.

Recently, not only had Ananda used his Buddhist light to convert thousands of commoners into his disciples, but he also defeated countless warriors of Tiandu.

What's more, Ananda had recently boasted that he wanted to challenge the top experts from all over Da Xia, eager to assess the caliber of these martial talents within the realm.

Each of these actions was a disgrace to Da Xia.

If we continue to allow this situation to go unchecked, how will the people of the world view Da Xia?

Leaving aside what will come next, just consider the present; news has already begun to spread to the inner city of Tiandu, and the public is abuzz with discussion, wondering why Da Xia would allow a steppe monk to behave so presumptuously in Tiandu.

At this moment, the Crown Prince, looking at the assembly of ministers, said in a stern voice, "Do any of you esteemed ministers have a method to deal with that madman?"

No matter what, the battle in Tiandu greatly increased both the prestige and the momentum of Da Yuan and Ananda, which is not the outcome Da Xia wanted to see.

Just then, Minister of the War Department Chen Yuanli stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, my lord, that young monk is from the state religion of Da Yuan, a Buddhist disciple from the Dragon Elephant Buddha Sect of the Great Snow Mountain, acclaimed as the reincarnation of a living Buddha.

He has cultivated the Dragon Elephant Genuine Body, and ordinary people going against him stand no chance whatsoever."

What he meant was, those of Da Xia who were of the same age or even the same realm as Ananda could not possibly be a match for him.

After all, legends of the living Buddha's reincarnation were something that the Crown Prince, King Huai, and these noble ministers were somewhat familiar with.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately felt some annoyance and said, "Could it really be that in the vast city of Tiandu, there is not a single promising youth who can stand against that monk? Must I really have to call in reinforcements from other provinces?!"

Chen Yuanli and the rest of the dignitaries and nobles, upon hearing this, were all speechless. The Dragon Elephant Buddha Sect of the Great Snow Mountain had split from one of the six great sacred places, the Sumeru Buddha Sect, and the opponent was also the reincarnation of a living Buddha. Among their peers, where could they find someone capable of fighting him?

Even other provinces weren't likely to have one.

It's not that Da Xia lacked individuals capable of defeating Ananda, but those of sufficient strength were quite a bit older than Ananda, which meant that even if they defeated Ananda, it would be a great embarrassment.

"Does my great Da Xia really not have a single chosen one who can stand against that Ananda, and must let the adversary strut around boastfully while I can only hide here in the imperial palace, watching helplessly?!" The Crown Prince ground his teeth, clearly infuriated by Ananda's behavior over this period.

If it weren't for those commoners obstructing him, the Crown Prince would have long since sent someone to drive Ananda away.

Of course, even without those commoners, if the Crown Prince dared to order Ananda to be driven away, it would reveal Da Xia's weakness. The only solution now was for Da Xia to send someone of the same generation to defeat him with a thunderous strike, in order to reclaim the prestige Da Xia had lost over this period.

At the same time, it could also dampen the opponent's arrogant momentum.

But the difficulty now was that Da Xia lacked a suitable candidate.

The Dragon Elephant Buddha Sect from the Great Snow Mountain, with its ancient heritage, the reincarnation of a living Buddha, along with the Dragon Elephant Genuine Body, these four attributes together meant that, let alone in Tiandu, even among the other provinces, no one could stand as Ananda's rival.

Even when considering the entire world, including the martial prodigies of the jianghu, there might not be anyone who could contend with him at the same realm.

Many officials in Tiandu who were aware of the inside story were already disgruntled. If things continued this way, the public support and power that Da Xia had built up over the years because of the Xia Emperor would suffer a significant blow.

The noble ministers in the imperial palace hall were extremely troubled by this, as they naturally understood the purpose behind Da Yuan's strategy. But now that it had indeed taken effect, they found it very difficult to respond.

"Royal Uncle, do you have any ideas?" The Crown Prince, out of options, turned his gaze towards King Huai.

King Huai's appreciation for talent was well known to everyone, and he had indeed helped many individuals, among them some martial prodigies. However, none of these people were a match for Ananda.

Looking through all of the Nine Provinces, Ananda stood out as one of the best, after all, for he was the reincarnation of a living Buddha.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the imperial palace hall was one of gloom and despair. The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, feeling both angry and powerless about the situation.

It was at this time that an elderly figure stood up, none other than the Duke of the Liang State, who said, "Your Highness and my lord, I have a candidate to recommend."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately brightened, and even King Huai cast his gaze over, curious about whom he would name.

"Duke of the Liang State, please speak quickly. Who is this person?" The Crown Prince asked eagerly, no longer caring that he seemed a bit undignified.

Upon hearing this, the Duke of the Liang State's expression was solemn, and he slowly uttered two words.

"Gu Chen!"