You had your Supreme Imperial Bone torn out of your body while you were still alive...
It was a dazzling spinal bone glowing with dark gold light, exuding an aura of noble grandeur befitting the Great Dao.
This was the first time you'd laid eyes on your own Supreme Imperial Bone!
Yet for some reason, as you stared at it now, an inexplicable sense of unease washed over you—as if something crucial was missing from it.
But the feeling faded as quickly as it came.
And the moment it was completely ripped from your body, you felt as if you'd lost the most important part of yourself. Your mind went blank, your spirit adrift in emptiness...
You watched helplessly as the Butcher handed your Supreme Imperial Bone over to Yang Hong.
But Yang Hong didn't take it. He just stood there in silence, not even sparing the bone a single glance.
This was not what you'd expected at all.
According to your calculations, Yang Hong was supposed to take the Supreme Imperial Bone to heal his injuries and restore his peak power.
But the sudden arrival of an uninvited guest sent another wave of shock surging through your heart.
Before you knew it, the Blood-Robed Figure—the man who'd hunted you relentlessly—suddenly appeared in the courtyard. He bowed respectfully to your uncle Yang Hong. 「Blood Fiend pays homage to the True Lord. His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince sends his regards to you.」
BOOM!
Your eyes narrowed sharply. A bone-chilling coldness flooded your chest.
They're in cahoots with each other!
Your own uncle Yang Hong was working with the shadowy force that had been hunting you all this time?!
Everything that had happened before—was it all just a show, designed to lure you into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, into the Hidden Dragon Domain?!
And the "Sixth Prince" that Blood Fiend had mentioned—could he be the true mastermind behind everything?!
Was it the Sixth Prince who'd been impersonating your eldest brother Sun Shou to communicate with you?!
Wait a minute!
No—something's not right!
A sudden realization hit you. If that were the case, they could've captured you and ripped out your bone the moment you stepped into the Hidden Dragon Domain. Why let you live for over a year and a half?
Which meant that Yang Hong and the Sixth Prince were not allies. It seemed that your uncle really had been trying to protect you all along!
And what happened next confirmed your suspicions.
Despite Blood Fiend's respectful greeting, Yang Hong acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He just waved a hand, and the Butcher stepped forward, holding the Supreme Imperial Bone out to Blood Fiend like one would toss a scrap to a begging dog...
Humiliated by this blatant disregard, a flicker of embarrassment and venom crossed Blood Fiend's face. Ever since he'd attained the Heavenly Being Realm, he couldn't remember the last time someone had treated him with such contempt.
But recalling the terrifying power of the man before him, he swallowed his anger, his tone laced with sarcasm as he reminded Yang Hong. 「True Lord, according to our agreement—aside from this Supreme Imperial Bone, there's one more thing left to take care of...」
「The Sixth Prince has ordered that to ensure the Supreme Imperial Bone can never be reborn, we must cripple Sun Qian's dantian and destroy his cultivation base completely...」
「If the True Lord finds it inconvenient to do so, this subordinate would be more than happy to handle it on your behalf...」
It was clear that Blood Fiend still held a grudge against you for outwitting him earlier. He was determined to make you pay by personally destroying your cultivation.
「Are you done talking?」 Yang Hong spoke, his voice calm as ever.
BOOM!
Yang Hong slammed a palm into your abdomen. Your dantian shattered instantly. Your cultivation base, which had reached the peak of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, dissipated like smoke in an instant.
Your face turned as pale as a sheet. All your vitality drained away, leaving you looking decades older, on the verge of collapse.
Watching you reduced to such a pitiful state, Blood Fiend felt a surge of malicious glee despite not getting to strike the blow himself. He threw his head back and laughed loudly. 「Hahaha! You little bastard! This is what you get for—」
Huh?
Yang Hong frowned slightly, his eyes lifting. A flash of golden light erupted from his gaze. Before you could even process what was happening, Blood Fiend's maniacal laughter turned into a bloodcurdling scream of agony. His soul and dantian were both severely crippled, his Fifth-Turn Heavenly Being cultivation base crumbling rapidly...
「AAAGH!!!」
「How dare you cripple my dantian!!!」
Blood Fiend howled in pain, writhing on the ground like a mangy dog.
With just a single glance, Yang Hong had crippled a powerhouse at or above the Fifth-Turn Heavenly Being Realm. Your uncle's strength was far beyond anything you could've imagined.
Wasn't he supposed to be injured? How could he still possess such terrifying power?
And was this some kind of internal conflict?
If Yang Hong had only handed you over because he feared the Sixth Prince, why would he dare to cripple Blood Fiend right afterward—risking the mastermind's wrath and tearing up their agreement?
After all, a Heavenly Being cultivator at the Fifth-Turn or higher was not some common cabbage!
「Was it because of that word—bastard—that Blood Fiend used?」
Sun Qian thought to himself, a faint suspicion forming in his mind. It seemed that this uncle of his valued family ties far more than anyone could've guessed.
And if an injured, non-peak Yang Hong could cripple Blood Fiend with a single glance—just how terrifying must he have been in his prime?!
Besides that, there was the matter of the Sixth Prince Chen Tai—the man who was presumably the mastermind behind everything...