The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty was indeed shocked.

What did 108 Hemimorphite mines mean?

Hemimorphite mines could produce the most precious ores in this world.

They could be used for refining Dao weapons and were precious items that the various dynasties coveted.

Besides, Hemimorphite mines were hard to find in this world.

In fact, in the five dynasties, there was a popular saying, 'It is better to lose a city than a mine.'

That was the reason why the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty was so shocked.

The non-poisonous pill formula was very important too, but it was a little imaginary and even the Great Ze Dynasty dared not claim that there was a non-poisonous pill formula in this world.

What if it was fake? What if it was a theoretical formula that could not be realized and used to refine real pills? Naturally, the pill formula was inferior to the Hemimorphite mine in the opinion of the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty.

If the Great Xia Dynasty really produced a large number of non-poisonous pills one day, the various dynasties would be completely tempted and might even try to s.n.a.t.c.h it even if it meant that they would have to fall out with each other.

Otherwise, if it was decided that there was a non-poisonous pill formula after just some things that people said, everyone might start vying for the formula and use it to make money. That would not be a good thing for the world.

There had been such a precedent but it was a mysterious ancient mine and not a non-poisonous pill formula. All the major dynasties vied to get their hands on it so that they could study it, and in the end, they started to focus all their time and attention on the ancient mine.

Later on, it was discovered that it was imaginary and an item that existed only in theory. However, the dynasty that released the news earned a lot of Spirit Stones because of it, and even went on to develop and increase the nation's power vigorously while the other major dynasties did nothing except waste their time on it.

The five major dynasties were basically equal in terms of national strength and the focus was on Dharma artifacts, resources, and array formations. For example, the most basic pills would provide a major breakthrough as long as the effects were enhanced by 10%.

Hence, the focus was on the development of resources and Dharma artifacts. The foundation of the dynasty could only be stabilized when they developed those aspects.

The occurrence of those events was the reason that the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty was only interested but did not desperately desire the non-poisonous pill formula when he heard about it.

After all, so far, he hadn't seen any non-poisonous pills appearing in bulk.

Even if there were dozens, hundreds, or even thousands and tens of thousands of them, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty wouldn't care. After all, it was not impossible to refine non-poisonous pills after increasing the power of the nation.

Would it be an impressive feat to produce 10,000 non-poisonous pills each year?

How many people would they be enough for? How many real powerhouses could be produced?

It was completely meaningless but the Hemimorphite mine would be different. If he had a Hemimorphite mine, he would be able to refine a Dao weapon every ten years, which could be of great use during a battle.

108 Hemimorphite mines were equal to 108 Dao weapons. The Hemimorphite mines could be used for many other things too.

All in all, it was a huge deal that was equal to giving one of the Ten Nations of the Great Xia Dynasty to the Great Ze Dynasty.

As the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty, how could he not be tempted?

“Brother Xia, are you sure about this?”

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty looked at Xia Qian and asked with a serious expression.

The reason being, it was not a trivial matter and if Xia Qian was just doing it in a moment of recklessness, there would be no point.

However, at this juncture, Xia Qian was not being impulsive, but rather, he was scared.

He was really scared.

He was afraid that Ye Ping might s.n.a.t.c.h the position of the Crown Prince away from him.

Hence, he would rather give up the 108 Hemimorphite mines than let Ye Ping replace him.

Therefore, Xia Qian looked at the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty and said seriously, “Of course I'm serious about it!”

As soon as he said that, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty immediately agreed.

“Okay, it's settled then.”

“I'll help you get rid of the Tenth Prince.”

“At the same time, I will do my best to help you ascend the throne and become the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty. However, there are two things that you must do for me before that. Otherwise, the Hemimorphite mine alone would seem too imaginary.

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty agreed right away. He knew that Xia Qian might have been a little impulsive and once he ascended to the throne, he might turn against him, and by then, he might go back on his word and not give him that many mines.

Hence, he asked Xia Qian to help him do two things.

“Brother Ji, go ahead.”

Xia Qian said in a calm voice.

“The first thing is the matter regarding the non-poisonous pill formula. I'm very interested in it and you must promise me. Don't delay.”

“The second thing is that my younger brother has been in love with the Tenth Princess, and if there's nothing, they should naturally get married earlier.”

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty raised two requests.

However, in the eyes of Xia Qian, those two matters were not considered significant requests. He nodded and said, “I don't need to intervene for the first matter, you can obtain it. The creator of the non-poisonous pill formula is the Tenth Prince.”

“There's no issue with the second matter either. I just need your younger brother to come to the Great Xia Dynasty and ask for my sister's hand in marriage.”

Xia Qian informed him that Ye Ping was the one who created the non-poisonous pill formula.

“It was created by the Tenth Prince? Tsk, tsk, the Tenth Prince is really like what the legend says, eh? He brings luck?”

“Brother Xia, are you lying to me?”

The eyes of the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty were full of curiosity. He stared at Xia Qian and was in disbelief. After all, there was too much of a coincidence.

“Since we're in a cooperation, I won't lie to you since things have already reached this point.”

“The Tenth Prince was the one who created the non-poisonous pill formula. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so anxious.”

Xia Qian said calmly.

Looking at Xia Qian's expression, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty finally nodded.

“In this case, I understand.”

“However, I won't attack within a short period of time. I reckon your father has already interacted with the Tenth Prince before. I'll choose the best time to attack.”

“It won't take too long, rest a.s.sured.”

“Also, do you have any information about this Tenth Prince? What is his name?”

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty asked.

“His name is Ye Ping, he's a disciple of the Qingyun Dao Sect in Baiyun Ancient City of the Great Xia Dynasty. By the way, I hope that you'll be more resolute with this matter.”

Xia Qian provided Ye Ping's information to the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty. There was no need to talk about the rest because the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty would investigate on his own.

He just had to state who he was.

“You can rest a.s.sured about that, Brother Xia. But don't forget what you promised me.”

“Oh, by the way, when do you plan to collect the Seven Ancient Kings relics?”

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty nodded, while asking about another matter.

“When Senior Tianji's disciple returns, I'll make a trip to the Seven Ancient Kings ruins. I got reprimanded by my father so I don't want to do anything else lately.”

Xia Qian said.

The latter nodded.

“Okay, since the Seven Kings' ancient ruins are in the Great Xia Dynasty, it's your opportunity. It's the Seven Ancient Kings' inheritance, you're gaining a great fortune this time.”

He chuckled.

At the mention of this matter, Xia Qian was in a much better mood.

After all, any of the Seven Ancient Kings' inheritance would make countless people jealous, what more all seven.

“Well, Brother Xia, let's bid farewell here. I'll come here to ask for your sister's hand in marriage some time later. We'll have some drinks then.”

A moment later, Xia Qian disappeared right on the spot.

He was communicating with the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty using an ancient method.

It was the art of Essence Soul s.p.a.ce.

There was a spatial formation in the ancient lamp, which could be activated by lighting it up. Besides, the spatial formation could only allow one to enter the essence soul.

That was also the reason why Xia Qian said those words without restraint.

If they were in the palace, the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty would hear everything he said.

His father might really not spare him.

Killing one's brother was unethical, especially since the brother was the Tenth Prince. If the blame was put on him, he would be crippled even if he didn't get killed.

As for the emperor… Even if the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty wanted to let him be the emperor, the Confucian scholars would not want him to. Even the great Confucian scholars would probably try to remove him from the throne.

After Xia Qian vanished, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty looked extremely calm.

However, at this moment, a figure appeared behind him.

“Your Highness, the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty is not to be trusted. He offered the 108 Hemimorphite mine purely to make you intervene. If you really help him to get rid of the Tenth Prince, he might fall out with you.”

The figure suggested.

However, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty shook his head.

“I know. How can he be willing to give me the 108 Hemimorphite mines? However, I don't need these Hemimorphite mines, I just want to kill the Tenth Prince.”

“Furthermore, I need the Crown Prince to become the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty. If he becomes the emperor, the Great Xia Dynasty is bound to fall in the future. But if the Tenth Prince becomes the emperor, it won't be a good thing for the Great Ze Dynasty.”

The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty said.

He knew that it was impossible for the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty to give him the Hemimorphite mine but he didn't care about that.

He hoped that Xia Qian could ascend to the throne. After all, Xia Qian was easy to deal with. If the Tenth Prince ascended the throne, it would be an uncertain factor.

He would be a variable.

“Okay then, go handle this. Investigate and check up on the Tenth Prince. If it's really as he said, kill him.”

At this point, the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty spoke up and asked them to do something else.

“Yes.”

The latter replied and immediately disappeared in the same place, leaving the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty to think about something.

At the same time…

It was late at night.

After Xia Qian's essence soul returned to its place, he put away this ancient lamp and then took out an ancient token.

The ancient token was red in color and seemed to be stained with fresh blood. There was a word “Kill” engraved on the side facing upwards and four words on the upside.

“Sen Luo Ancient Hall”

It was one of the three major a.s.sa.s.sination organizations in the world. The Sen Luo Ancient Hall's killing decree was extremely precious because after the ancient token was displayed, the Sen Luo Ancient Hall would have to complete the given task.

There were a total of 36 killing orders in the Sen Luo Ancient Hall. Once they were released, there must be a killing.

However, there were three types of people that were not to be killed in the Sen Luo Ancient Hall, namely those with absolute authority, fellow killers, and nameless people.

The so-called people with absolute authority were powerful figures who held ultimate power and authority in the world, such as the emperors and Crown Princes of every place.

After all, the world was presided over by five major dynasties. If the Sen Luo Ancient Hall killed the emperors or the Crown Princes, it would be a great provocation to the imperial power. Although the Sen Luo Ancient Hall was a sect of killers, they were not silly.

Of course, in addition to the emperor and the Crown Prince, the rest of the princes could be killed as long as the price offered was high enough.

As for fellow killers, they were not to be killed because there was an agreement between the a.s.sa.s.sination forces that had some contact with each other. They would not kill each other, lest they faced extermination easily.

Lastly, nameless people referred to those who were too ordinary. They would usually kill extraordinary persons, elites, and powerhouses who would give a better kick when killed.

Xia Qian took out the killing order for double protection.

He was worried that the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty would delay for too long. He couldn't wait any longer. Besides, if the Sen Luo Ancient Hall could kill Ye Ping, he wouldn't have to give the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty 108 Hemimorphite mines.

The Hemimorphite mines were his bottom line.

However, he wasn't a fool either. He didn't have to give it away once he became the emperor.

When the time came, he would be the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty and obviously wouldn't give away a single one of the 108 Hemimorphite mines.

However, Xia Qian had also thought about it carefully and was certain that the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty would definitely cause a stir if he didn't give him the mines.

However, Xia Qian had come up with a countermeasure. He would just give the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty the things that the Hemimorphite mines produced for a hundred years.

Giving him the 108 Hemimorphite mines would be impossible.

However, Xia Qian was aware that the crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty was just making his stand.

He couldn't let the Tenth Prince stay alive, no matter what.

At the thought of this, Xia Qian carved some words on the ancient token.

“Ye Ping of the Qingyun Dao Sect in Baiyun Ancient City must be killed!”

“Time limit: Within three years.”

Xia Qian did not want to let the Tenth Prince die so early, because if the Tenth Prince died right away, there was no guarantee that his father wouldn't suspect him to be the culprit.

It would be better to get him killed some time later. He would stay in the palace obediently in the meanwhile so that his father wouldn't suspect him.

Even if he suspected him, he would spend his time trying to get the major officials and ministers to stand on his side and guard the nation well. Even if his father found out that he had had his brother killed, so what?

He couldn't possibly abolish his rights to rule the Great Xia Dynasty.

He thought that his father probably wouldn't want to reveal that matter.

'The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, who is the future emperor, killed his younger brother.'

'Would Father want to expose such a shameful piece of news?'

Most importantly, he was the future emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty and his father would have to make a choice no matter what.

He was the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He had to answer to the people of the Great Xia Dynasty for each and every action of his, and be accountable for them.

He couldn't kill or remove Xia Qian from his position.

But he could remove him from the throne if he died.

Xia Qian was taking a gamble.

He was banking on the fact that his father wouldn't dare to kill him.

Hence, despite knowing that he would be in danger for doing this, he still wanted to go ahead with the gamble.

The reason being, he had no other option. He really didn't dare to take any risks.

He was indignant about the idea of having the Tenth Prince s.n.a.t.c.h the throne from him during the critical juncture!

Perhaps, he was letting his jealousy rule his head and make him lose his rationality.

Perhaps, anger made him irrational.

However, Xia Qian understood something.

Once he took the throne, he would be the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, which was one of the major dynasties of the world.

As long as he could ascend to the throne, there would be no right or wrong.

His focus was on the people of the Great Xia Dynasty. As long as he could improve their lives, everything would be worth it.

With that thought in mind, Xia Qian's gaze became gloomy.

That killing decree eventually turned into ashes and vanished right before him.

At this moment…

In Chenzhou of Jin Nation.

The bazaar of the Jin Nation had also begun.

The sky was as dark as ink.

Three figures appeared in the Chenzhou Ancient City.