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

Lin Yue turned his head to look at the speaker.

The man was tall and thin, seemingly male, dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold, wearing a gold mask over his face, and standing in front of the gates of the Eastern Palace, looking at him with interest. Beneath the mask, the pitch-black eyes shimmered with flecks of peculiar gold.

"Heavenly Transmission Official?"

Lin Yue immediately recognized the identity represented by the man's attire.

Indeed, just like in the legends.

The aura of this Heavenly Transmission Official was merely that of a Great Cultivator, but when facing him, a Prince who had been Sealed King, the official not only refrained from saluting but also showed no reverence, sizing him up so casually.

Even the head of the Imperial Guards wouldn't dare to behave so freely; the Heavenly Transmission Officials truly were different.

"I've long heard of the great name of Prince Xia. Today, I finally get to meet him in person."

The Heavenly Transmission Official said with a smile, "Your Highness is indeed very special, even more so than the person I most want to meet."

"The person you most want to meet?" Lin Yue asked, looking at him.

"The person I most want to meet is the Star Lord."

The Heavenly Transmission Official said with a hint of laughter in his voice, "Then, it's you, Your Highness."

"Oh?" Lin Yue examined him and asked, "Why do you want to meet me?"

"It's not just me; the other Heavenly Transmission Officials feel the same," the official chuckled. "As for the reason, Your Highness should be aware."

Lin Yue paused briefly, then ventured, "You also want to meet Duanmu Yan, don't you?"

"That's correct."

The Heavenly Transmission Official chuckled softly, "But he's not as special as Your Highness unfortunately. It's a pity that the Crown Prince has already decided to spare you…"

It surely was because fate was unpredictable… Lin Yue narrowed his eyes slightly.

According to what Duanmu Yan and the Second Prince had mentioned, the Crown Prince had always been hunting those with unpredictable destinies, and almost all historically known individuals with such destinies were captured and killed.

It seemed only he, the Star Lord, and Duanmu Yan had survived.

The Star Lord had survived because he himself was a Proving existence, with immense strength and an unpredictable destiny, uncatchable by the Crown Prince.

Duanmu Yan survived because the Star Lord had intervened and also because he turned to the Demon Clan.

And he survived because the Second Prince was protecting him, and also because he had grasped the rudiments of the Ultimate Path, leading the Crown Prince to spare him after valuing his worth.

As for other individuals from history who were not bound by sins and suspected of having unpredictable destinies, they either died or mysteriously disappeared.

The outcomes were predictable.

Did these Heavenly Transmission Officials perhaps participate and decide in these outcomes?

After all, the presence of the Heavenly Transmission Officials was akin to a cabinet institution, much like the brain trust of the Crown Prince.

"To meet is to kill?" Lin Yue quietly asked.

The Heavenly Transmission Official smiled faintly and said, "You could say that."

Lin Yue shook his head slightly and said, "The Heavenly Transmission Officials are indeed bold. Are there none you fear besides the Crown Prince?"

"That's not the case." The Heavenly Official smiled lightly, "We fear the Second Prince and the Star Lord, and perhaps in the future, we may also fear Your Highness."

Lin Yue raised his eyebrows slightly and bluntly asked, "Why do you seek to kill those with unpredictable destinies?"

"Do you wish to know?"

The Heavenly Transmission smiled and shook his head, "If Your Highness fails the Harmonization and undergoes another reincarnation, perhaps in the next life you might come to know the reasons, but in this life... Your Highness should give up on prying."

Lin Yue looked at him once more, deciding not to ask further.

He then looked toward the wall of the Twelve Trials, saying, "You mentioned earlier that the Crown Prince passed the first eleven trials just for demonstration?"

"That's correct." The Heavenly Transmission Official nodded slightly, "Those were tests set by the Crown Prince himself to select the princes and princesses suitable to succeed the throne."

"And the last trial?"

Lin Yue asked, "It involves merging with the Divine Heart rather than the Divine Position, and it's not truly becoming a god, didn't the Crown Prince demonstrate that?"

"Merely merging with the Divine Heart indeed does not turn one into an Ancient God."

The Heavenly Transmission Official said with a smile, "But why is it called the Divine Heart? Because it is not just a crystal of Divine Power, but also contains the will of the Ancient Gods. If one were to merge with it, there's a chance that one might accidentally be assimilated by the Divine Heart."

Lin Yue contemplated.

This must be what the Second Prince meant by 'being able to pass and wanting to pass are two different things'.

Perhaps more than one prince or princess could merge with the Divine Heart, yet they choose not to?

"What happens after assimilation?" Lin Yue couldn't help but ask.

"That, I do not know."

The Heavenly Transmission Official's eyes held a mysterious smile, "But the Ancient Gods are the sovereigns of heaven and earth. After merging with the Divine Heart, perhaps they would come close to such a state of mind, but… I don't quite understand, controlling heaven and earth, towering above all creatures, such a sensation should be wonderful, shouldn't it? Why would anyone resist it?"

Lin Yue looked at him and said, "You've never tried it, how would you know it's wonderful?"

The Heavenly Transmission Official said nothing, only smiled.

At that moment—

"Twenty-two."

Suddenly, an indifferent female voice sounded, and a woman, likewise in a black robe embroidered with gold and wearing a golden mask, approached.

"Eleven." The tall and thin male Heavenly Transmission Official looked at the newcomer.

The female Heavenly Transmission Official stated coldly, "You've said enough; you can stop now."

"Just taking a breath of fresh air, chatting a bit more."

The male Heavenly Transmission Official shrugged, glanced at Lin Yue, and said, "Your Highness, I'll see you next time."

With that, he nonchalantly turned and went back inside the Eastern Palace, not looking back.

The female Heavenly Transmission Official glanced at Lin Yue but said nothing more, then also returned inside.

Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

Hadn't they just said that these Heavenly Transmission Officials all wanted to meet him in person?

How come no one came this time?

However, he didn't dwell on it much and turned to leave.

...

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Lin Yue wasn't in a hurry to return to the Prince Mansion; instead, he went to tackle the twelve trials set up by the Eastern Palace.