"Breaking the rules—if they're dead, then they're dead. Just a farce, that's all." Zheng Xuan finally spoke, his voice emotionless and cold.
It was as if those who died were merely two passing strangers.
As the words fell, everyone shuddered in terror.
This pair of father and son... what kind of monsters are they?
"But, cutting ties isn't something you get to choose just because you wish it."
"You can never change the fact that my royal blood runs through your veins!"
Zheng Xuan's eyes turned icy cold, his chilling voice dropped the temperature in the training arena, making it feel as if everyone had fallen into a frozen abyss.
"I give you two choices."
"Death!"
"Or marry into the Barbarian Race!"
"Only in death can you truly sever ties! As for marrying into the Barbarian Race, that is the outcome of my negotiations with them. If you are willing, the world will be yours. Boundless sky and seas—do as you please."
"Choose."
Zheng Xuan tossed the two choices out carelessly, mocking Xu Yang with his gaze.
Xu Yang shook all over, a surge of endless grief and rage welling from within.
How are these two choices? Clearly, there's only one.
Did he have any real choice?
Only to marry into the Barbarian Race!
The Barbarian Race—Daqian's arch enemy. Even if peace is negotiated, they are still foes.
They are not our people—their hearts are bound to be strange!
To marry in?
It is his disgrace, and the shame of Daqian—he will bear it for a lifetime.
From now on, Xu Yang will be the object of all derision, spat upon by everyone!
Xu Yang suddenly started laughing.
Do I even need to care about any of that?
Everyone's scorn, universal rejection—weren't the past years filled with this already?
So what if I marry into the Barbarian Race.
Daqian's humiliation—what does it have to do with me?
As long as I live, one day, I will overturn this prince's manor.
"I choose to marry into the Barbarian Race!"
Xu Yang spoke the words one by one.
In that moment, his expression was calmer than ever before.
He didn't care at all about Zheng Xuan's attitude or treatment.
Zheng Xuan suddenly smiled, turned on his heel and left.
"Take him back to the prince's manor!"
"Yes, Prince!"
Two imperial guards dismounted and walked toward Xu Yang.
Su Yun looked at Xu Yang with a complicated expression; death or marrying into the Barbarian Race—no one would mock these choices.
If it were anyone else, they would make the wise choice.
And yet, she felt sorry for Xu Yang—born in the prince's manor, the sorrow of being Zheng Xuan's son!
Want to rebel?
Harder than reaching the heavens!
"Wait—I have a word to say to him."
Su Yun tossed out the words and instructed her aide, "Go fetch cultivation resources worth around fifty thousand golden leaves."
"Yes."
She quickly approached Xu Yang, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "Xu Yang, thank you."
Xu Yang smiled lightly, "It's nothing—life and death duel. If they didn't die, I would have."
We each just took what we needed!
He didn't know that by winning, he would be saving Su Yun's fate.
As for all this, he felt no regret.
After accepting everything, he even felt a kind of relief about his choice.
Su Yun sighed inwardly, then said deeply, "Xu Yang, you killed Zheng Ming and the Fourth Lady. Now you're going to the Barbarian Race—be careful."
"The Fourth Lady, Chen Lingyue, is from the Chen Clan of Zhongzhou; the Chen Clan of Zhongzhou is one of Daqian's top families, with countless strong cultivators."
"Plus, the Fourth Lady's son still has stewards and subordinates within the prince's manor."
"They will never let you go."
Su Yun's face was grim: "You want to sever ties with the prince's manor? They will have no scruples now! What gets sent to the Barbarian Race could be a healthy Xu Yang, or just a corpse!"
Xu Yang's heart tightened!
He understood—this is reality.
Even leaving aside the Chen Clan of Zhongzhou, the subordinates of the Fourth Lady alone are all terrifyingly strong.
And Wang Feng!
He's still alive.
He will never let me go.
Xu Yang's face changed again and again, then he took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Mr. Su, for the reminder."
He spoke, then walked to the prince's manor guards.
Am I worried?
Of course I am.
But as things stand now, I can only meet soldiers with soldiers, water with earth—bring it on, I can only resist!
Before leaving, I must strengthen myself as much as I can.
Once I reach the Barbarian Race—the wide world awaits. Though it won't be true freedom, it's still dozens of times better than staying in the prince's manor.
It'll give me enough time to become stronger.
Taking the Storage Ring handed over by the training arena, Xu Yang scanned it quickly, his face lighting up with joy.
So much cultivation resources, worth far more than ten thousand golden leaves—of course, he wasn't going to refuse.
Compared with the profit he created for the training arena today, this was a mere drop in the bucket.
He had little use for golden leaves—if he could exchange all of it for resources, that would be perfect.
With these resources, he'll at least be able to cultivate to the True Void Realm.
"Let's go."
Xu Yang composed himself and left the training arena with the guards.
He had cast off all hope—all that remained was endless hatred buried in his heart.
Tens of thousands lingered at the central square, stunned by everything that had happened today.
...
The prince's manor—dungeon.
"You animal—how dare you murder Sixth Young Master and the Fourth Lady. What a disgrace to the prince's manor."
"You deserve to die! Living on only to marry into the Barbarian Race—you'll make it so none of us in the prince's manor can ever raise our heads again."
The dungeon guard glared at Xu Yang in fury.
Xu Yang's expression was unchanged, and he said calmly, "What do I have to do with your prince's manor?"
"Either kill me, or wait for me to come back and flip this manor upside down."
"You... so arrogant!"
"You bastard, you'll never leave the Barbarian Race in this lifetime!"
Xu Yang exploded with lightning speed—his hand shot out from the prison cell, gripping the guard's collar fiercely.
Bam!
The guard was violently yanked, his head slammed into the cell's steel bars—blood gushed everywhere.
"Ah!!"
"Let go of me!"
The guard struggled in pain.
Xu Yang's eyes were cold and indifferent; again, he exerted force.
Bam!
The guard's head was cracked open, and he collapsed limply to the ground.
If someone comes looking for death, what can you do?
He would never again swallow his humiliation like before.
The kind are bullied—the tame are ridden!
"Well, little fellow's pretty ruthless."
An aged, laughing voice suddenly rang out in the cell.
"Who?"
Xu Yang's face changed—alert, he swept his gaze around, utterly vigilant.
Yet, inside and outside the cell, there was no one at all.
Not even the slightest ripple.
"Stop searching. If I don't want you to see me, you'll never see me," the old voice sounded again.
The voice was coming from within the cell!
Hidden form?
Or a transmission of voice through space?
Either way, only someone at least at Yang Realm could do such a thing.
Xu Yang's heart went cold instantly, feeling as if facing a dire enemy!
"Who exactly are you, sir?"
Swish!
The air rippled fiercely—a vague shadow appeared out of thin air.
"Kid, you're no ordinary person." Gu Jun sized up Xu Yang from head to toe, able to sense his formidable foundation—there were things about him that even Gu Jun could not see through.
Xu Yang felt icy cold all over, as if he'd been stripped naked and tossed before this old man.
It gave him a feeling even more terrifying than facing Zheng Xuan.
It was almost unbelievable!
"That tripod of yours..." Gu Jun began, but seeing Xu Yang's extreme guardedness, he laughed in surprise: "Kid, I mean you no harm!"
"I am but a remnant soul, trapped in this prince's manor."
Remnant soul?
Trapped in the prince's manor?
Xu Yang's eyes narrowed, caution undiminished—the 'tripod' in his words must be the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod. He'd summoned it while cultivating in the dungeon, and someone had noticed!
Damn it!
Gu Jun didn't mind. If Xu Yang trusted him so easily, Gu Jun would look down on him.
"A thousand years ago, I was tricked by the Zheng Clan ancestor, and ended up left as only a remnant soul—suppressed by an array right here in the manor."
"In this thousand years, everyone who knew of my existence has died. Well, not quite—there is that Pill King in the manor, whom I've given a few pointers."
"Pill King? Liou Yunfeng?" Xu Yang cried out in shock.
Pill King Liou Yunfeng's status in the manor was second only to Zheng Xuan.
Don't mention Wang Feng—even the Fourth Lady, if she were alive, would never dare challenge him.
In all of Daqian, there are only four Pill Kings. Liou Yunfeng is one of them—supremely exalted!
If true, to give a Pill King guidance—what manner of being was this?
"I am Gu Jun—A thousand years ago, people called me Pill Emperor!" Gu Jun's face showed pride.
"Pill Emperor!"
Xu Yang was shocked yet again.
Such a title—none have dared claim it in the past several centuries!
Xu Yang took a deep breath, his wariness deep, and said, "Senior—why have you appeared? What do you need from me?"
He didn't trust easily, but the old man was too mysterious. Even as a remnant soul, his methods were unfathomable.
Gu Jun sneered, "You yourself are trapped in a pit—can you really help me?"
He scrutinized Xu Yang, then mused, "That tripod of yours is truly unique; if used for alchemy, it would cut the effort in half!"
"Kid, do you want to learn alchemy?"
Alchemy?
Xu Yang was taken aback—the status of an Alchemist, just from Pill King Liou Yunfeng, was clearly extraordinary.
But its difficulty far exceeds turning a 'waste' into a 'genius'!
Xu Yang suddenly thought of the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod!
This old man appeared only after noticing the tripod; its mysteries, even at Gu Jun's peak, he likely couldn't see through.
The Celestial Refining Divine Tripod can refine all things under the heavens!
And the terrifying black flames—ordinary spiritual objects would be instantly dissolved, impurities erased!
If used for alchemy...
Xu Yang's spirit trembled, but in the next instant, wariness rose in his eyes.
After being deceived by Wang Feng, he was far more cautious facing such situations.
Gu Jun saw through Xu Yang's thoughts at once and shook his head slightly: "Never thought I would ever be disliked, even as Gu Jun!"
If those old friends saw him now, they'd laugh themselves to death.
Alas, times change!
He quickly dismissed such thoughts, then grinned mischievously: "But, you kid have a grudge with the prince's manor, and possess such a divine tripod—hehe."
Gu Jun's face twisted into a sly smile, suddenly raising a finger.
A thread of spiritual light glowed at his fingertip.
At the same time, the space within the entire cell froze.
An indescribable terror surged at Xu Yang's mind, like a tidal wave.
He felt his whole body stiffen, unable to move; a look of fear crept into his eyes.
What is he going to do?