Atop a white mountain stood a palace made from gold and white jade. The place looked nothing less than paradise. Surrounded by clouds and sparkled with warm rays of sun. The palace had a river parted to flow around it before creating a waterfall.
The droplets of water in the void shined like gems, and a rainbow could be seen fluctuating in the void. That was not all; the palace had four paths coming out of it, and these pathways acted as the divisions between the four gardens, all filled with beautiful flowers and a faint fragrance mixed with the air.
This place was the Heavenly Palace—the people who lived here were all the family members of the Human Emperor, Helios Celestus.
A man who stood at the peak of spirit cultivation and the helm of the human race. He was not a self-proclaimed emperor, but the Human race in the heavens acknowledged him.
His feats were not something any other human could achieve, and his son, Dawn, was a heaven-defying genius. He was the youngest of all the humans to reach the Immortal True Spirit at fifteen. He started cultivation at five and achieved many names for his talent and skill in one decade. It was said that as he rose the horizons of Cultivation, the human race would rise above the other races.
However, good things are always vulnerable to getting jinxed. Today, the entire human race gathered at the Heavenly Palace gates to hear a trial's verdict. The Prince of the Heavenly Palace, Dawn, was being tried as a criminal in the court of justice.
…
The palace's interior was similar to the exterior, following the blend of gold and white. At this time, a teenager, with his cold gaze treading the path, walked slowly. He could only see the shackles around his wrists and the carpet below his feet.
While the young man's gaze was unmoving, the people leading him had tears dripping from their eyes. They did not expect that there would come a day when the pride of their race would follow them in shackles. The two soldiers exchanged gazes many times.
However, they could not do anything as they were under the command of the Human Emperor.
Dawn walked with his dim gaze. However, his back was straight like a spear, his steps were steady, and his head was held high. On the way, many servants bowed to him in respect.
Soon, they arrived at the courtroom doors. The two guards leading him pushed open the door, and Dawn walked inside.
As he entered the courtroom, his eyes regained their spark. He stood among the human race's decision-makers, Heavenly Human Emperor Helios and his loyal advisers.
Helios sat on a white and golden throne as he watched his son brought forward in the center of the court. Usually, there would be only Helios and his advisers. However, today, the experts of the human race also stood inside the courtroom.
The situation was so tense that even the sound of breath was like a storm. The experts were here to mediate with the Human Emperor if the situation exploded out of proportion.
Helios looked like a middle-aged man, but he was over a few centuries old. He was the strongest expert of the human race who had attained the level of a Heavenly Sage. He was two realms away from becoming a god.
Helios saw his son gazing back at him without humility and nodded slightly. He looked at his adviser and said, "Lao Xu, begin the trial."
The people sucked in a cold breath. Lao Xu was an old man. He served as the keeper of laws and was a Heavenly Emperor-level expert.
The old man wore a Yi dragon beard and a white and blue hanfu. His left hand was tucked behind his back, while his right often stroked his beard. He cleared his throat and asked, "Defendant Dawn, you stand accused of the murder of Envoy Long Wangxi. You also have been accused of treason charges for sabotaging the alliance between the human race and the dragons. How do you defend these accusations?"
Dawn calmly looked at everyone, and his gaze landed on an envoy of the Dragon race standing at the helm of the crowd. He sneered at the person before he turned to look at his father and said, "I accept all the allegations. I did behead Envoy Long Wangxi. As for the rest, that was just collateral damage."
Helios furrowed his brows, and his fist slammed the armrest of his throne. The light from the doom above their heads cast a dangerous look at the people standing before him. His frown made the void fluctuate, and the people all cast him a look wryly.
As they all heard, the prince's temper was true. It was said that Dawn was defiant. He did not care who stood in his way. If he set his mind to something, he would do it regardless of the consequences. The people had their foreheads and backs covered with cold sweat.
Lao Xu continued solemnly, "Do you understand the consequences of your actions?"
Dawn looked at the old man and replied with a faint smile, "Master Of Laws, I understand the consequences of my doings, but before the court moves forward with the proceedings, may I ask a question?"
This surprised the people. They did not expect this young man even to raise a question. Lao Xu looked at Helios, and the latter nodded. Lao Xu said, "You may ask."
Looking at all the people, Dawn smiled and asked coldly, "Are we humans seriously so weak that we need to ally with these foreign races? Do we have no sense of honor? When that lizard, Long Wenxi, kicked my maid to death just because she spilled some tea on the floor. Should I have stood at the sideline, watching his audacious action of walking into our house and killing our family? If so, please go ahead and sentence me to death. I do not wish to grow strong by sucking up to some glorified spirit animals."
His voice was loud, and his speech was clear. It was like a cry that echoed inside the courtroom. The Envoy of the Dragon race could not believe what had just happened. Not only did the young man question the royal court, but he also insulted the Dragon Kin. He shouted, with his fists clenched, "How dare you!!"
Dawn looked at the man calmly and asked, "How dare I? How dare you?! To walk in my home and harm my people? If I cannot protect those who help me, then what is the use of all this talent and strength?
Envoy Long Jian, even your King is respectful to the people who work below him. Do you not think what you did was a stain in the name of your King? You people wished for an alliance, not the other way around. So, it should be me asking you. How dare you?! Who gave you the courage to look down on us?!"
His voice echoed in the courtroom, and the people could not help but look at him in awe. This was the prince of Heavenly Palace, the successor of the heavenly throne. This was the pride of Humans. They all began to talk to each other in hushed voices. Helios said nothing and just sat there with his head down.
This speech also affected Lao Xu and the other advisers. However, the dragon envoy has not yet been done. He clenched his teeth and said, "Yes, Long Wangxi killed a servant, but so what? You could have beaten him up, but killing him? We dragons will never take it lying down. Your father is the Human Emperor. That is why you are so cocky, right.
I will lay it down for you if this court does not cripple your cultivation and exiles you to the depth of dark star sea. The Dragon Race will fight you till the end. Before your experts manage to kill us, we will eradicate your kin from all the places we can find."
Helios coldly asked, "Envoy Long Jian, are you sure your words represent the Dragon King?"
Long Jian proudly raised his chin and said, "The Imperial Edict will be delivered to you in two days."
The crowd was stunned, and they did not expect such a mess. They were pushed into a dilemma. If they were to save their prince, they would be forced into war. Although they would win, the marks of war would cause the human numbers to dwindle.
As they were thinking what to do, Dawn said, "Your Majesty, it is not worth it to put our people through all the suffering of war for me."
The people opened their eyes wide. They could not believe that the Prince was asking for exile. Not only that, even his cultivation will be crippled. Someone said, "Your Highness, please do not be so reckless. We will think of a way. Why must you suffer?"
Following this, more noises sounded in the court. Envoy Long Jian clenched his fist and wanted to say something when Dawn erupted in a chuckle. His actions shocked the people.
The young man calmed down before saying, "I, Dawn, will never let my people suffer. However, I will not suffer humiliation from a coward's hands. Long Jian, tell your King that if your kin of reptiles is not extinct when I return to my next life, I will come looking for you and skin all of you."
When the people were confused by his words, Dawn's aura was unleashed, and Helios stood up. He exclaimed, "Dawn, what the hell are you doing? Stop it right now."
Dawn smiled calmly and said, "Father, I might break, but I will never bend. We cultivators live to defy the heavens. How can I watch some insect influence my fate? Remember to stay calm when dealing with them. Tell them that the Dawn lived with pride, and he died with pride, too."
The courtroom was filled with exclamations. The people begged him to stop, but nothing could be done. Lao Xu leaned forward, wanting to make a move, but Helios grabbed hold of his shoulder and, with a bitter smile and decadent eyes, he said, "He invoked the forbidden technique. He cannot be saved anymore, Lao Xu."
The emperor of Humans lost hope, and his heart broke as he saw his only son sacrificing himself for the sake of the race. Long Jian was shocked, too. He did not expect this young man to go to such an extent. Dawn's body began to glow as the spiritual energy gushed into his body.
Helios waved his hand and released his son from shackles. Dawn gazed at Long Jian, who shivered in fear.
Dawn laughed and said, "Remember this fear, you insect. I will come back to clear the debt your kind owes me."
His body vanished from the courtroom and appeared above the palace. He looked at the people below and heard them wailing for him. Dawn was very kind to the people and never arrogant. He treated them like a family, and they loved him back, too.
He said, "Do not cry, do not grieve. Raise your head high in my steed. I will return, but I don't know when. Look after each other till then. Goodbye."
His voice was calm, but everyone heard it. He wrote this poem when he was ten, dedicated to the soldiers who died fighting.
The crowd replied sobbingly, "We will wait for you, Your Highness!"
A laughter echoed in the surroundings, followed by a blinding glow. The Prince of Heavenly Palace had passed away.