Despair took over the First Prince’s heart as Ling Huang’s hand closed toward him. The other princes urgently leaped over, but the distance rendered their actions futile…


  However, the attack that was supposed to take the First Prince’s life suddenly turned into a breeze, and when he opened his eyes, Ling Huang was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, the supposedly injured Third Prince and Sixth Prince were standing next to him, completely well. Including the Fourth and Eighth Prince, all of them looked vacant in confusion.

  “Big Brother, you’re… alright?”


  “Third Brother, Sixth Brother, you guys are alright?!!”


  “…”


  Yelped the five almost at the same time after returning to their senses. From their words, they had all seen each other in a dying state.

  After talking for a while, they found out from each other that the person who attacked them was the same, but what they had experienced was different!

  Was it Ling Huang who did that? But why did he go to such trouble? If he had that skill, he could just slaughter the whole city and seize the throne directly!

  Moreover, in the impression of the princes, Ling Huang wasn’t the kind of person who would show mercy at all.

  The princes were so lost in thought that they forgot what they were here for until the emperor on the throne slowly opened his mouth.

  “You all have performed very well.”


  The emperor’s booming voice, like thunder out of the blue and not that of a dying man at all, woke up the five princes.

  “Imperial Father!”


  They knelt down in unison, their faces full of delight after realizing that everyone was still alive and well. They thought that they would never be able to live and talk to each other again.

  “Although this is not quite what I expected, it’s obvious that this is the best result. What do you five think?” asked the emperor slowly.

  The five brothers looked at each other and laughed.

  “Nothing is impossible when us brothers are united. After what just happened, I’ve realized that the throne is but an identity, compared with which, I care more about the safety of my loved ones,” said the First Prince.

  His brothers immediately agreed.

  “I’m still too young. Compared with my brothers, I lack too much experience, so I’ve decided to withdraw from this competition and concentrate on what I should do.” The Eighth Prince smiled in relief, having realized something that many people might be blind to their whole life.

  “You’re right. An empire isn’t a merchant group. My experience is far too limited. However, I’ll do my best to learn as much as I can in the future. As for this competition, I withdraw as well,” the Sixth Prince immediately followed.

  The emperor kept nodding to what they said.

  “Such a serious thing happened to the Holy Puppetsmith Mountain, yet I never regarded it as an important matter to solve. I am to blame. I couldn’t even manage a small mountain, let alone Ethereal. I have no face to compete for the throne.” The Fourth Prince shook his head with a bitter smile.

  Although he said it sincerely, everyone could see that it was only the most ‘reasonable’ excuse he had.

  “That just must have been an illusion? It felt really real, and I learned one thing. I prefer to be a general who commands troops and not an emperor who faces official documents every day. Fighting is my what I love. Otherwise, a talented puppet master like me will be wasted,” said the Third Prince.

  With that, the four brothers smiled at the First Prince before turning to the emperor. “Father, Big Brother is the most suitable, we ask you to make the final decision!”


  There was no pre-arranged discussion, but their words and tone were surprisingly consistent.

  Having heard their thoughts, the smile on the emperor’s face bloomed. This was the greatest gift for him before his departure.

  “Ling Yue, what do you think?” He looked at the First Prince.

  After a long silence, the First Prince respectfully kowtowed to the emperor, then got up and helped his brothers up one by one.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Imperial Father, brothers. I, Ling Yue, shall live up to this responsibility!” declared Ling Yue firmly, but then he added, “However, my ability as a puppet master likely won’t reach that of Father’s level, and since I’m no longer young, I have an idea about choosing a new emperor several decades from now.”


  Everyone instantly perked up their ears.

  “The new emperor must be recognized by all of us five brothers. They can be one of our younger brothers or our descendants. Moreover, I want this system to be passed down. After each new emperor is crowned, they will have four assistants, and then the five of them will jointly decide the next heir.”


  Ling Yue’s voice was indifferent. At this moment, he had truly achieved a just and fair state.

  “In this way, we can avoid bloodshed for the throne and even encourage our younger generations to strive for self-development from all angles. Under such a virtuous circle, the royal family of Ethereal will be prosperous, and thus the empire will be prosperous forever!”


  The voice of the First Prince echoed in the hall. His younger brothers all revealed heartfelt smiles.

  “Prosperous forever, huh?! Great! You all come over!” The emperor stood up from the throne with booming laughter.

  The five princes hurriedly stepped forward. At the same time, a radiant light shone from the emperor.

  Seeing this, the five brothers started to tear up. The emperor once again overlapped with that tall, grand figure in their memory.

  The Great Emperor of Ethereal, a puppet master who was half a step into the Legend Rank!

  “I only have this day thanks to the support of my brothers, so I hope you will always remember your brotherhood. Let these five puppets be the proof of that!” said the emperor as five different-color light blades floated towards the five princes. It was the Penta Origin Blade, the puppet that had made the Ethereal emperor famous.

  From this moment on, it became five Inheritance puppets!

  With that, the emperor slowly sat back into his throne and closed his eyes slowly, pulling to a close the curtains of a legendary story…