After leaving the Beichen Family estate, Hong Yu walked toward the Royal Palace.
As he walked, he mulled over who would be willing to spend a staggering one hundred million Gold Coins to hire the Blood Killing Tower to deal with him.
He replayed every mont since his arrival in the Qin Kingdom in his mind, finally narrowing the suspects down to two people.
'The Crown Prince, Qin Mufeng, has been repeatedly humbled by . Plus, he thinks I'm pursuing Beichen Tianshuang. As the dignified Crown Prince of the Qin Kingdom, he could certainly afford one hundred million Gold Coins.'
Narrowing his eyes, Hong Yu muttered to himself, 'Besides him, the one who wants dead the most is probably Wang Fei. That old crone has disliked from the start because of Beichen Tianshuang. On top of that, I taught her a harsh lesson in public that day. With a personality as venomous as a viper, it's entirely possible…'
Having identified two suspects, Hong Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling frustrated.
Qin Mufeng was the Prince of the Qin Kingdom and, more importantly, Sister Qin's brother. If it really was him, could he bring himself to take revenge?
And if the mastermind was Wang Fei…
Behind that woman stood the powerful Wang Family. Even more significantly, her father was Wang Ba, the Chief Elder of the Guiyuan Sect.
He vaguely recalled that day in the Artifact Arena when Wang Ba's palm strike had threatened to crush him like an ant. If Tang Long hadn't appeared in ti, he would have been a dead man.
If he were to just kill Wang Fei, he could easily slip away from the Qin Kingdom. However, doing so would inevitably drag Little Feng and Beichen Tianshuang into the ss.
That was not sothing he wanted to see happen.
'Forget it. I'll set this aside for now. First, I need to see what important matter Sister Qin has for .'
「At the sa ti…」
Jing Bingxuan, the Blood Killing Tower.
Blood the Eighth, Blood the Ninth, and a third person knelt in the darkness, their clothes tattered and their appearances utterly wretched.
"Are you saying Hong Yu's Spiritual Power is stronger than the intel suggested? Strong enough to affect a Mid-stage Celestial Soul Realm expert?" The voice from the darkness sounded sowhat surprised.
Blood the Eighth nodded. "Reporting to Elder Moo, that kid's Spiritual Power attack is indeed a level higher than what was on record. The three of us were hit by his Spiritual Power simultaneously and fell into a stupor. After that, we were engulfed in the sea of fire from his Three Flas Palm. If not for the ice and fire defensive properties of our Blood Killing Tower uniforms, I'm afraid the three of us wouldn't have made it back!"
From the darkness, Elder Moo said flatly, "Hmm. The three of you are all at the Early-stage Celestial Soul Realm, but working together, you can even hold your own against a Mid-stage expert. For him to render all three of you unconscious at the sa ti... his Spiritual Power can indeed shake a Mid-stage Celestial Soul Realm expert. In that case, let Blood the Fourth, Blood the Third, and Blood the Second handle it next ti!"
"HISS!"
Blood the Eighth and the others sucked in a cold breath, a look of awe flashing in their eyes.
The killers of the Blood Killing Tower naturally recognized one another.
Blood the Second, Blood the Third, and Blood the Fourth could be called the strongest among the Silver dal Killers stationed in the Qin Kingdom. Aside from the elusive Blood the First and the sole Gold dal Killer, Elder Moo, this trio was the strongest and sharpest Death God Scythe in the Blood Killing Tower's Qin Kingdom branch.
Blood the Third and Blood the Fourth were both bona fide Mid-stage Celestial Soul Realm experts. Working together, they could even contend with a Late-stage Celestial Soul Realm expert for a while.
Blood the Second, in particular, had reached the Late-stage Celestial Soul Realm!
If these three made a move, let alone killing Hong Yu, they could even assassinate a proper Late-stage Celestial Soul Realm expert.
Blood the Eighth and the others wiped away their cold sweat and said respectfully, "Elder Moo is wise! The Blood Killing Tower's fearso reputation will shake the heavens for all eternity!"
"Mm, you are dismissed."
After the three departed, a withered figure erged from the darkness. His gaze flickered like two balls of eerie green Ghost Fire as he murmured, "Tsk tsk, the strongest genius in the history of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. The Blood Killing Tower's collection is about to gain another top-tier genius's body!"
...
「Inside the Royal Palace.」
Hong Yu finally found the Third Princess, Sister Qin. However, the once sexy and charming woman, who was like a vibrant rose, now looked extrely haggard and exhausted.
When she saw Hong Yu approach, she waved her hand, dismissing several handmaidens.
Looking at Sister Qin's gaunt and weary face, Hong Yu took a deep breath. "Sister Qin, what's wrong?"
Sister Qin shook her head with a bitter smile. "It's nothing. Just... just so troubles lately!"
"Hmm?"
Hong Yu looked at Sister Qin intently.
Under Hong Yu's earnest and concerned gaze, a wave of exhaustion and grievance suddenly washed over Sister Qin's gaunt face.
She threw herself into Hong Yu's arms and began to sob. "SOB... Little brother, I'm so tired. Born into the Royal Family, everyone only sees my halo and status. No one has ever considered my sorrow and helplessness... I'm so tired. I'm just so, so tired..."
Hong Yu's body tensed up slightly.
Back in the Underground Alliance in Shishui City, he and Sister Qin had often joked around, even engaging in so ambiguous, flirtatious banter.
But that had all been verbal teasing!
When had things ever gotten this real?
Hong Yu rubbed his nose and said with a wry smile, "Sister Qin, can you tell what's going on?"
Sister Qin nodded. "My... my father, the King, wants to marry soone."
"Marry soone? Who?"
Hong Yu was taken aback and asked.
Sister Qin's voice was thick with reluctance, evoking pity and compassion. "He wants to marry the Guiyuan Sect's chief disciple, Zheng Tian."
"Zheng Tian? The Guiyuan Sect again?"
Hong Yu said, stunned.
Sister Qin nodded. Her long, smooth hair carried a faint, pleasant scent, and even through his clothes, he could feel the slight warmth from her skin.
Just as Hong Yu's mind began to wander, Sister Qin said mournfully, "That Zheng Tian is the Guiyuan Sect's strongest genius in a hundred years. He's a Late-stage Celestial Soul Realm expert at just twenty-six. It's even rumored that Zheng Tian is very likely to take the top spot as the number one True Dragon Genius in next year's Southern Ten Nations tournant. In the future, he is certain to lead our Qin Kingdom to glory. That's why my father, the King, values him so highly..."
"So, he's making you marry him?" Hong Yu frowned.
Sister Qin smiled bitterly. "What can I do? I'm the daughter of a king."
Royalty has ever been without sentint!
Being born into the Royal Family certainly has its glamorous side, with the Shelter of peak power.
But...
Those in the Royal Family also endure countless untold hardships and sorrows.
Every family has its own troubles, and the Royal Family is no exception!
Sister Qin kept shaking her head. "I don't want to marry him, I really don't... That Zheng Tian is a pervert. Ever since he was a child, he'd use any ans necessary to get his hands on any person or thing he fancied. And once he has it, he just tornts it endlessly. When he's done tornting it and gets bored, he destroys it with his own hands."
"When we were children, he took a liking to a Tier One Desolate Beast, a Celestial Crystal Cat, and used threats and bribes to snatch it from one of my royal sisters. A few days later, the Celestial Crystal Cat was killed by Zheng Tian, and he returned its bloody, mangled corpse to my Royal Sister. To this day, she still faints in terror at the sight of a cat."
"Six years ago, Zheng Tian suddenly proposed to my father, the King, asking for my hand in marriage..."
Sister Qin continued her story. "When I returned to the Royal Family this ti, I thought everything would get better. But I never expected it to be just the sa, unchanged. The day you left, my father summoned and told that Zheng Tian had proposed again. This ti... I really can't escape it..."
"SOB..."
Sister Qin wept sorrowfully.
Tears stread down her face, carrying imnse grievance.
Hong Yu felt a hot dampness spreading across his chest. Sister Qin's tears had soaked through his clothes.
With a soft sigh, Hong Yu said in a low voice, "Sister Qin, how do you want to help you?"
"Little brother, you... you're really willing to help ?"
Sister Qin's eyes lit up, but they quickly dimd again. "That Zheng Tian is just too powerful. Even if you help , it will be useless. You're no match for him. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Hong Yu asked.
Sister Qin hesitated for a mont before saying, "Unless you can represent the Qin Royal Family in the upcoming Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial and win the championship."
"The Celestial Essence Secret Realm?"
Hong Yu was stunned.
Sister Qin explained, "The Celestial Essence Secret Realm is a treasure ground discovered by the founding ancestor of our Qin Kingdom. It is said to be a land of inheritance left behind by a Great Power from the Ancient Era. The reason our Qin Kingdom is the only one among the Southern Ten Nations not controlled by a National Guardian Sect is because of the Celestial Essence Secret Realm."
So that was how it was...
It turned out that when the Celestial Essence Secret Realm was discovered, the founding ancestor of the Guiyuan Sect was there alongside the Royal Family's ancestor.
Both of them had reaped imnse benefits from the Celestial Essence Secret Realm.
After they later founded a kingdom and a sect respectively, both sides recognized the power and importance of the Celestial Essence Secret Realm, leading to nurous struggles over the right to control the Secret Realm.
Eventually, they established a pact to hold a Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial once every ten years.
The side that could win the championship five consecutive tis would beco the new controller of the Celestial Essence Secret Realm.
"Our Royal Family has already lost four tis in a row. If we lose again this ti, the Celestial Essence Secret Realm, the very foundation of our Qin Kingdom, will beco the property of the Guiyuan Sect."
Sister Qin gave a bitter smile. "The reason my father, the King, agreed to Zheng Tian's proposal back then was because Zheng Tian promised him that if I married him, he would throw the Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial, allowing our Royal Family to take the championship once. The other day, Zheng Tian ca to the Royal Palace and laid his cards on the table with my father. If I don't marry him, he will go all out in this trial."
"Doesn't your Royal Family have anyone who can beat him?" Hong Yu frowned.
Sister Qin shook her head. "Zheng Tian is the Guiyuan Sect's strongest genius in a hundred years. Even in the entire history of the Qin Kingdom, few can compare to him. You've t the strongest person from our Royal Family this ti—the Crown Prince, Qin Mutian..."
Hong Yu was speechless.
He had, of course, t Qin Mutian. He rely had an Early-Stage Celestial Soul Realm Cultivation. With his strength, forget about facing the Late-stage Zheng Tian; he would be a dead man even if he ran into Huo Yan.
With a wry smile, Hong Yu rubbed his nose. "I'll represent the Royal Family in the Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial."
"Really?"
Sister Qin's head snapped up, but she quickly forced another bitter smile. "I know you're very strong, but you absolutely cannot contend with Zheng Tian's power."
Hong Yu smiled. "How will we know if we don't try? Alright, you don't have to worry anymore. The Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial starts in two days, right?"
'In my current state, it's difficult to break through with normal cultivation. Perhaps having a few more powerful opponents to increase the pressure will help break through faster! Besides, Sister Qin has been kind to . How can I just stand by and watch while that Zheng Tian tries to get his hands on her?'
He patted Sister Qin's back, a resolute light flickering in his eyes...
'The strongest genius of the Qin Kingdom in a hundred years? Heh heh, I'm actually looking forward to it!'
[Author's Note: After finishing this chapter, I (Qiye) will be heading to Shanghai. I'll be traveling today, and will be in a writer's training from the 25th to the 27th. I'll have less ti to write these days, so from the 24th to the 27th, I'll stick to two updates a day. But don't worry, that ans I'll owe you all five chapters for the period of the 23rd to the 27th. Once I'm back from the training, I'll release extra chapters to make up for it! In August, an unprecedented burst of releases will continue for a long ti!]
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