The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 549: Smashed to Pieces

Smashed to Pieces . . .

The king, typically a figure of unwavering composure, found himself overcome with emotion as he beheld the gruesome scene before him. Tears welled in his eyes, and he, a towering and robust man, appeared suddenly fragile.

The lifeless form at his feet was his own flesh and blood, his son.

"He was never the obedient son, and many times he disappointed me. His ambitions were misplaced, and his hunger for the throne was insatiable... Yet, he is still my son," The king reflected.

Now, however, his son lay shattered, a grotesque mass of gore. The pain was unbearable. The King had clung to the hope that as long as his son lived, everything would somehow be fine. The harsh reality had shattered that hope.

"He is dead," he admitted, succumbing to the undeniable truth.

Beside the king stood the Crown Prince, who gazed with trepidation at the grotesque remains. The sight was far removed from anything resembling a human form.

"This is my brother," the Crown Prince thought, a complex mixture of emotions stirring within him. Second Prince had once been his fiercest rival, a formidable obstacle on his path to the throne.

"Now, he's nothing more than a heap of dismembered flesh."

The king, his voice heavy with grief, beckoned his son. "Come and take your brother... back home."

The King moved forward, his steps faltering. He was no longer the vigorous and determined figure he once was. Someone attempted to intercede, but a single, icy glance from the king silenced any objections.

The Crown Prince reluctantly followed his father, though his legs trembled and his steps were unsteady. Second Prince had been his foremost rival, and his untimely death now offered the Crown Prince a newfound advantage. However, suspicion weighed heavily on him. Even his father harbored doubts.

As the king's son, he was under scrutiny, and this unwarranted accusation compounded his grief.

"But I didn't kill him," the Crown Prince thought, feeling wronged by the circumstances.

"Foolish brother," he mused with a bitter irony. "He opposed me his entire life. Now that he's dead, his death only brings me trouble."

Amid his father's faltering steps, the king finally reached his fallen son. The head of Second Prince lay before him, its eyes wide open, and its mouth agape. There was something within the mouth—a scroll of paper.

As the king extended his hand to retrieve it, a guard moved to assist, but the king declined. He cradled his son's head, gently closing the eyes that bore an expression of profound fear.

With tenderness, the king extracted the paper from his son's mouth. He had considered tearing it into pieces without reading, but something compelled him to unfold it.

As he read, he became transfixed, unable to avert his gaze.

Beside him, the Crown Prince, too, was captivated by the words on the paper.

The first page bore a few lines, written with an intensity that radiated vivid killing intent. "Reason for Second Prince's death. Eight hundred and forty-six brothels and a million dead souls! Such a crime! His death is a blessing to the world! Failing to execute justice would be a loss! His sin warrants the extermination of his clan."

The king's eyes narrowed as he turned the paper over, proceeding to read the second page. But halfway through, his composure crumbled, and his face flushed. He involuntarily released his grip on Second Prince's head, causing it to tumble to the ground. The head rolled some distance across the floor.

The king, however, was oblivious to its trajectory, his gaze vacant and his countenance ashen, drained of all color.

The Crown Prince, curiosity piqued, approached and examined the first page from a distance. Its bold characters allowed him to decipher the content. The second page featured smaller font, requiring him to draw nearer.

The opening line revealed the shocking truth. "Voluptuous Flower Building. True owner: Second Prince."

"A decade of operations that spanned hundreds of branches, six hundred within the Kingdom of Chen, and a staggering total of eight hundred and forty-six throughout the Land of Han-Yang. For ten years, one hundred and fifty thousand young women were ruthlessly slaughtered annually, amounting to over one and a half million lives extinguished. The eradication of this abomination and his family is a testament to the restoration of justice in our world."

Following this proclamation, a damning litany of crimes was unveiled, each with Second Prince's signature affixed to the end.

As the king scrutinized the document, he recognized some of the names mentioned. The evidence presented within was irrefutable.

His hands trembled, and a tumultuous shout erupted from his lips, a symphony of anguish and rage.

"Arrrrgh!"

Crown Prince rushed to support his father, who was on the verge of collapse.

"Father!" he exclaimed in distress.

But the king's insistence was clear. "Let's return home."

The king's voice was strained, and flecks of blood escaped his lips. He closed his eyes, uttering, "Let's just return home."

Crown Prince was bewildered by this sudden change in his father's demeanor. The implications of the paper weighed heavily on him.

"Does Father believe the contents of this document?" he contemplated. If that were the case...

The king, trembling, reiterated his command. "I said, let's return home!"

The king's face contorted, and his grip on the paper was vice-like, the veins in his hands pulsing prominently. The evidence presented was undeniably compelling, with each accusation supported by the prince's signature.

The king, despite his desire to maintain some measure of trust in his son, had been compelled to accept the veracity of at least seventy percent of the document's contents.

Thirty percent of his trust remained, a vestige of his paternal instincts and reluctance to pass judgment in such a grievous manner. The brutal demise of Second Prince further complicated the matter, and the king was hesitant to condemn his own blood.

Nevertheless, the accusations on the document were damning. Each crime, if true, carried the weight of a death sentence, and there were numerous offenses cataloged. The suggestion of clan extermination seemed, in this context, entirely justified.

Moreover, the revelation of such heinous acts within the royal family posed a substantial threat. If these facts became widely known, it could provoke a significant upheaval, endangering the very foundation of the kingdom during these precarious times.