Chapter 123: Hidden Killing Intent

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Hidden Killing Intent

Inside the Great Chu Imperial Palace, a powerfully built man with a face as resolute as chiseled stone stood imposingly in the center of the grand hall, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Before him, a single, powerful character filled his vision: [Overlord].

All else faded from view, leaving only the purest essence of an overlord’s might.

After a long while, the young man finally averted his gaze. He exhaled like a dragon, expelling every last bit of air from his lungs.

He took a deep breath, and the very air in the room seemed to rush and stir with a great WHOOSH.

He gave a slight raise of his right arm, and a sturdy, white-haired old man abruptly appeared behind him.

"Crown Prince, what are your orders?" the old man asked respectfully.

Before him stood none other than the first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the Crown Prince of Great Chu, Xiang Longtao!

"I feel that my body, spirit, and techniques have all reached their zenith. No amount of arduous training will allow me to advance further."

Xiang Longtao stated impassively, "Therefore, I intend to challenge my limits and initiate the Overlord Emperor Trial—alone."

SHWISH!

The instant the words left Xiang Longtao’s lips, the old man snapped his head up in shock.

The Overlord Emperor Trial was a mandatory test for all members of the royal family, to be completed before their twentieth year.

The trial required one to hunt down a Martial Artist of the Heaven-Ascending Road Realm—alone. Only success could prove one a worthy successor to the throne of Great Chu.

However, most past successors had waited until they had reached the First Turn Realm before attempting the hunt.

After all, the gulf between the Transcendent Body Realm and the Heaven-Ascending Road Realm was as vast as that between a mortal and a deity.

Those who, like Xiang Longtao, dared to undertake the hunt while still at the Profound Gate Ninth Layer were exceedingly rare; there had only ever been two.

The first was the founding king of Great Chu. The second was the Great Chu Overlord, who was only narrowly defeated by the King of the Great Yan Country. Both were legendary figures who had once dominated an era.

The old man’s body trembled with excitement, as if he were witnessing a myth coming to life before his very eyes.

He slowly bowed his head. "As the Crown Prince commands," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "This old servant will see to it at once."

The words had barely been spoken before the old man’s figure vanished, leaving the room in deathly silence once more.

...

Back outside Cangren City, Fang Can’s gaze was fixed on the slender figure inside the phoenix carriage, his mind racing.

Considering the Martial Restriction Order, the fact that she clearly wasn’t a practitioner, the current time and place, and their destination...

Fang Can nearly blurted out the two words "imperial selection."

’It doesn’t matter, though,’ he thought. ’The so-called imperial selection is useless to me. I’m not short on money or women right now. What good is a throne if it can’t help you cultivate?’

This was a common sentiment among many princes and princesses. After all, becoming the monarch meant you could never cultivate, so you might as well just dedicate yourself to martial arts.

With the royal family’s backing and a sea of resources, it wasn’t that difficult to reach the First Turn Realm if you put in the effort.

Wouldn’t living for two hundred years, free of illness and disaster, be much more comfortable than being some ordinary emperor who dies after a few decades?

’Besides... what man doesn’t fantasize about the throne?’

’Of course, I’m not talking about some restricted throne. I’m talking about the fantasy of absolute power, the kind where "all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people on its shores are the king’s subjects."’

’There’s a saying: "The throne is for the taking, maybe it’ll be my turn next year." I’ve even considered setting up a dictatorship and being emperor for a few days once I’m strong enough, just for the hell of it.’

’So, yeah... "shelling Jinluan Hall" or whatever? So tacky.’

’When I feel like playing around, I’ll just make Ye Qingshi the empress and borrow the imperial palace as my personal film set. It’ll all be perfectly legitimate. Then I can "shell" it however I damn well please.’

After a brief chat with Commander Yan, Fang Can politely excused himself and returned to his group.

After all, Ye Qingshi was still up on the city wall, getting chilled by the wind. He had to get her down from there.

He leaped atop the wall in just a few bounds. "See?" Fang Can said with a smile. "Just a few scumbags. Didn’t take long, did it?"

"Your last slash hit me," Ye Qingshi said languidly, causing Fang Can’s face to stiffen.

As she spoke, she unconsciously stroked her fair neck, a hint of lingering fear in her eyes.

The distance had been great, so the sensation hadn’t been too strong.

But she’d never imagined that the first time she was caught up in a battle between Martial Artists, she would be accidentally wounded by Fang Can of all people.

"My apologies, my apologies. Need me to comfort you?" Fang Can said with an awkward, sheepish grin.

"And how would you do that?"

"How about I give it a nice rub for you?" Fang Can said with a straight face. Her cheeks flushed, and her mind involuntarily wandered to who-knows-where.

Down below, inside the red palanquin, a fair hand parted the side curtain. A voice full of curiosity looked at the figure on the wall and asked, "So that’s Fang Can?"

"Yes, Princess. That is Fang Can," the handmaiden beside her replied with a nod, her own eyes filled with unconcealable excitement.

Though she was always at the princess’s side, this was the first time she had ever witnessed a battle between Martial Artists.

As the handmaiden stared, transfixed, Commander Yan stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Princess, this humble subordinate has a request."

"Speak freely, Commander Yan."

"The times are perilous. Our retinue is small and our strength is meager; I fear we cannot guarantee Your Highness’s safety. Should malicious parties try to cause you harm, I cannot be certain of my ability to protect you. Therefore, I wish for us to follow Young Master Fang’s group as we travel north to the capital."

"...Very well. We shall do as you suggest, Commander Yan."

"As you command." Commander Yan cupped his fist, then turned and walked over to Fang Can’s procession of god-worshippers, presenting the request directly to Ye Yonglie.

"Follow us?" Ye Yonglie was surprised but agreed readily. As long as they didn’t get in the way, he didn’t care. He’d just have to report it to the god later.

Besides, the entire purpose of this journey was to build their god’s reputation. The more followers they attracted, the better.

That single battle had already turned at least a thousand people in Cangren City into potential believers.

Later, they just needed to leave a few trustworthy believers behind in the city, and it wouldn’t be long before a new branch of the faith was established.

Meanwhile, in their palanquin, Fang Can, having returned with Ye Qingshi, frowned slightly.

Just moments ago, a terrible sense of crisis had washed over him.

It wasn’t an intense feeling, but it clung to him like a sickness in his bones, bringing a wave of nausea.

At this thought, Fang Can instinctively rubbed the bridge of his nose and began to take stock of his gains from the recent battle.

The main prize was learning the Heaven-Soaring Shocking Wave Slash. A technique that could directly cleave a Heart Image was an enormous advantage in a fight.

Even a defensive mental art like the Steadfast Rock Meditation would be torn asunder by such a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

The only reason Fang Can had been unfazed was because his Heart Image’s capacity was thirty to forty times that of an ordinary person; he had simply overwhelmed it with sheer volume.

But any future enemies at his Realm would not have such an easy time dealing with a slash that burned through thirty to forty times the normal amount of Heart Image energy.

’Challenging myself really is the right way to go. Another lesson learned,’ Fang Can thought, satisfied. But then, a slight throb in his temples made him frown.

’So... where is this danger coming from?’ He glanced around instinctively.

He’d had this ominous premonition ever since defeating those men, the feeling of being watched from the shadows.

At the same time, elsewhere, Wan Chenyu, who was also preparing to return to the capital, saw Uncle Ghost, who was beside him, suddenly freeze.