[One hundred years ago, the host was defeated across space by the Great Yan Emperor Tuoba Xiao with a single palm strike—this was a deep humiliation for the host.]
[Now that the host has encountered Tuoba Xiao again, please find a way to redeem yourself and strike back.]
[This is an achievement mission. The stronger the battle record, the higher the achievement points.]
[Note: Tuoba Xiao is a peak Yin God-level powerhouse. The host is granted a grace period of seven years.]
[Mission reward: Crimson Flood Dragon Divine Fist (from Initiation to Perfection).]
Inside the carriage, Yang Cheng stirred.
Crimson Flood Dragon Divine Fist—that was Tuoba Xiao's signature technique and also a divine-level fist art of the Great Yan imperial family.
Just then, before Yang Cheng said a word, Yang Ye sneered, "Great Zhou's so-called geniuses are weak? I'd say you, the prince of Great Yan, are the one full of hot air."
Tuoba Xiao's eyes turned cold. "Don't provoke me, or I won't mind crushing you on the spot."
"I've seen plenty like you," Yang Ye said. "Mouthy and arrogant, but in the end, all crushed under my feet."
He still had feelings for Xie Wanyin.
Tuoba Xiao had snatched her away. Though he hid it for pride's sake, deep down he loathed and resented Tuoba Xiao.
"Fine. I'll break you first. Won't take much effort anyway," Tuoba Xiao snapped, his patience gone.
In the next instant—
He struck with a palm.
"Crimson Flood Dragon Hand!"
Boom!
Vast flame-imbued true qi surged forth, scales of a crimson flood dragon coiling around Tuoba Xiao's right hand.
When he thrust his palm, a torrent of fire exploded into a massive flaming palmprint.
Yang Ye's face stayed calm.
He was one of the top three prodigies in the Meng Academy of Great Zhou Dao Academy—not someone to be taken lightly.
Without panic, he raised his right hand slowly, palm facing upward.
A surge of steam instantly rose above his palm.
With a push forward, the steam turned into a translucent water shield, firmly protecting him.
The flaming palmprint slammed into the water shield.
A deafening boom echoed like thunder.
Fire clashed with steam, blasting out a powerful shockwave.
Yang Ye stumbled back six or seven steps but still managed to block the attack.
"Not bad… but that's all you've got," Tuoba Xiao said arrogantly as he unleashed even more power from his Crimson Flood Dragon Sacred Body.
A giant crimson flood dragon phantom appeared behind him.
It bared its fangs, flames blazing, growling with terrifying pressure.
Then Tuoba Xiao dashed forward like a streak of red lightning.
As he closed in, he threw a punch. Fire surged from his fist, bearing down on Yang Ye like it could tear the heavens apart.
The crowd around them all turned pale. Tuoba Xiao's power was truly terrifying.
This genius from Northern Yan wasn't just hype.
Yang Ye's face darkened.
The sea of flames in front of him looked like the dragon's head lunging at him.
He didn't dare hold back.
"White Carp Force!"
He shouted and unleashed his true qi at full strength.
Streams of water qi formed into leaping white carp shapes.
He thrust both palms forward, launching waves of white carp force at the flaming dragon head.
But he had clearly underestimated Tuoba Xiao's strength.
The impact tore the white carp energy to shreds on the spot.
The resulting shockwave sent Yang Ye flying back over ten steps, his feet carving deep grooves in the ground.
"So this is your so-called Dao Academy genius? What a joke!" Tuoba Xiao laughed heartily.
The surrounding Great Zhou cultivators felt their faces burn with shame.
Yang Ye was furious.
He tilted his head back and let out a long roar. From all directions, water vapor surged toward him.
In moments, the water condensed into countless white carp, all charging at Tuoba Xiao like a tidal wave.
Tuoba Xiao snorted coldly.
Facing hundreds, even thousands of white carp, he showed no fear.
He stomped hard on the ground, flames on his body blazing higher.
The flood dragon phantom behind him reappeared and merged with him.
In that moment, Tuoba Xiao became the crimson flood dragon itself, his aura wild and overbearing.
Then he charged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The endless wave of white carp energy was no match.
In just over ten breaths, Tuoba Xiao had reached Yang Ye.
"Kneel before me!"
Tuoba Xiao roared like thunder. The flood dragon fire transformed into a long flaming spear, thrusting straight at Yang Ye's chest.
Yang Ye's face changed. He couldn't dodge in time.
He poured every ounce of his true qi into forming a massive white carp shield in front of him.
Boom!
The flaming spear crashed into the qi carp.
With a thunderous explosion, a wave of destruction burst outward in all directions.
Stalls lining both sides of the street were reduced to dust.
As the dust settled, Yang Ye was seen kneeling on one knee, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, looking disheveled.
Across from him, Tuoba Xiao stood tall, only his clothes slightly torn.
The winner was obvious.
"That's all you've got?" Tuoba Xiao looked down at Yang Ye.
Yang Ye's face flushed red with shame.
"Third Brother, if I'm not wrong, you were already injured before the fight with Tuoba Xiao, right?"
Yang Cheng's voice rang out.
"So the Third Prince was already hurt?"
"If that's the case, it makes sense that he lost to Tuoba Xiao."
The crowd began murmuring.
With that one sentence, Yang Cheng had salvaged a good deal of face for Yang Ye.
"Your Highness…" Yang Ye's heart trembled slightly.
He really had been injured before.
But he knew clearly—even without that injury, he still wouldn't have been Tuoba Xiao's match.
Yang Cheng had clearly stepped in to shield him.
"Looking for excuses after defeat—is this the so-called bearing of the Great Zhou royal family?" Tuoba Xiao sneered.
"Hmph, in my humble opinion, whether it's the Third Prince or the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, neither is fit to even carry the Fourth Prince's shoes," Xie Wanyin quickly said.
She'd already offended both Yang Ye and Yang Cheng. Her only way forward now was to fully throw herself under Tuoba Xiao's wing.
Earlier, she felt Tuoba Xiao had lost interest in her, so she needed to raise her value in his eyes. That's why she was acting so eager now.
"Hahaha, at least you know your place," Tuoba Xiao laughed in satisfaction.
"Buzzing around like a fly… I let you off last time, but you're still daring to chirp in front of me?"
Yang Cheng's face stayed blank.
To him, Xie Wanyin really was no more than a fly.
He had no interest in squashing flies—that's why he didn't kill her last time.
But that didn't mean a fly could keep buzzing in his face.
Now that she'd become a nuisance, he didn't mind swatting her dead.
The next moment, Yang Cheng raised his right hand, two fingers forming a sword, and pointed at Xie Wanyin.
She was startled, her face instantly pale.
"Hmph, no matter what, she's now my woman. It's not your place to kill her."
Tuoba Xiao's voice held disdain.
Hearing that, Xie Wanyin's face lit up with color again.
Tuoba Xiao wasn't just talking—he raised his palm and slammed it toward Yang Cheng.
His palm force transformed into a blazing imprint of fire, its power fierce and overwhelming.
"You think you're qualified to block me?"
Yang Cheng's eyes remained emotionless.
From his fingertips, a sword-shaped qi condensed and shot forth, leaving a long, water-like ripple in the air.
"Sword qi!" Tuoba Xiao's pupils shrank slightly.
Anyone who could manifest sword qi had already reached a profound level in Sword Dao.
This Crown Prince of Great Zhou, still so young, had already come this far in his sword cultivation?
In just a blink, Yang Cheng's sword qi pierced straight through Tuoba Xiao's flaming palmprint and shot toward Xie Wanyin.
Xie Wanyin was terrified. "Fourth Prince, save me—"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Puchi!
A burst of blood exploded from her forehead. The sword qi had pierced right through it.
Her body froze in place, unable to believe what had just happened.
"The one you placed your hopes on… can't save you after all," Yang Cheng said coolly.
Blood spurted from the wound at her brow as her body slowly toppled backward.
Bang!
A moment later, she collapsed to the ground.
Even as she lay there, her eyes remained wide open, filled with fear and deep unwillingness.
The entire street fell silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene.
Dominant.
Overwhelming.
The Crown Prince's body was still tiny, yet his ruthlessness and authority were unmatched.
Xie Wanyin had been someone in the capital—known as a talented young martial woman.
But such a person was just killed in one stroke, no hesitation, no mercy.
Even Tuoba Xiao had tried to stop it, but he hadn't made the slightest difference.
No one mourned her death. Instead, it felt like justice served.
After all, everything Xie Wanyin had done just now was disgraceful to Great Zhou and flattering to Great Yan.
She slandered the princes of her own country and hyped up a foreign prince. That was treason.
For someone like her, death was more than deserved.
What people cared about even more was the power and presence the Crown Prince had just shown.
"Who would've thought His Highness the Crown Prince, despite being so young, is this fierce… He's really brought honor to Great Zhou."
"That Xie Wanyin thought she could do whatever she wanted just because she's a woman. She jumped around acting up, but His Highness didn't tolerate her at all."
"Hahaha, the Crown Prince really did us all a favor."
If Yang Cheng had killed someone else, people might've thought he was too cruel for his age.
But after Xie Wanyin's despicable behavior, they only felt admiration.
Of course, there were still a few people with worried looks, fearing Yang Cheng would grow up to be too ruthless.
But those voices were completely drowned out by the current mood.
"Bastard!"
Tuoba Xiao roared in fury.
But if one looked closely, there was a trace of fear deep in his pupils.
Experts could tell with a single exchange.
Even though he hadn't truly fought Yang Cheng yet, that earlier clash already made him realize—this opponent wasn't easy.
"Seems Xie Wanyin wasn't lying. All those rumors about the Crown Prince of Great Zhou… they're true."
His gaze grew cold.
"Crown Prince of Great Zhou, you dare kill someone I was protecting? You've crossed the line!"
A Northern Yan youth behind him stepped forward and said, "Today, let me, Huyan Xiang, see what you're made of! Let's find out if your arrogance has any weight!"
"Huyan Xiang—that's one of Northern Yan's famed geniuses."
"He has the bloodline of the Celestial Hound. His combat strength is no joke."
"He looks only 12 or 13, but he's already a Martial Master. Definitely lives up to his reputation."
Many Great Yan martial artists had heard of Huyan Xiang.
Pride filled his face as the whispers spread.
"You? You think you're worthy of challenging the Crown Prince?" Shen Muxue scoffed.