On a chair in the rear garden of the imperial palace, Emperor Qiao An lay sprawled helplessly, his face pale with a hint of weakness. His eyes were closed and he remained silent. The court attendant beside him could only serve carefully, silently wondering: "His Majesty was in a fine mood just a moment ago. What happened after that brief talk with Grand Master Lin Lei?"
Emperor Qiao An's eyes snapped open.
"Relay my orders. Have Marquis Jifu report to the Central Province and join the Jax Corps. Have Legion Commander Resser assign him an idle position. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, Jifu is forbidden from re-entering the capital," Emperor Qiao An said flatly. He truly never wanted to see Marquis Jifu again. Every time he laid eyes on the man, he couldn't help but think of Prince Yulin.
Today's affair was a humiliation buried deep in Emperor Qiao An's heart. But he knew there was nothing he could change. All he could do was accept it.
Though the attendant was puzzled by the emperor's command, he still replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Seated in his chair, Emperor Qiao An looked as though he had aged a great deal in the blink of an eye.
From the imperial capital to the provincial capital of the Southeast Province, even for someone like Lin Lei who flew in a straight line, the distance was nearly two thousand li. Midway through the flight, the anxious Lin Lei simply transformed into his Dragon Blood Warrior form and raced toward the Southeast Province at maximum speed.
When Lin Lei had departed the capital, the sun was already touching the western horizon.
By the time he arrived at the provincial capital of the Southeast Province, the entire landscape was bathed in only a faint glow, and countless common families had already begun preparing their evening meals.
"Whoosh!" Lin Lei, now in his Dragon Blood Warrior form, flew to a position directly above the provincial capital. His Mental Power spread outward effortlessly, locking onto the most conspicuous and extravagant castle in an instant.
That was where Prince Yulin resided.
"Boss, do you want me to handle it?" Bei Bei flew alongside Lin Lei.
"No need!" Every time Lin Lei thought of his brother Rein, the fury in his chest blazed hotter. The entire journey here, though already flown at incredible speed, still felt agonizingly slow — too slow!
At this moment, threads of blood had appeared in Lin Lei's dark-golden eyes.
"Yulin!" Lin Lei muttered through clenched teeth, and the gaze emanating from his dark-golden pupils grew ever more frigid, ever more cold.
Inside the castle of the Southeast Province's capital, several thousand guards patrolled and stood watch throughout the grounds, while lovely maidservants walked to and fro.
In a secluded chamber within the castle, behind hazy gauze curtains, low panting and seductive moans drifted ceaselessly outward as two bodies intertwined.
After a long while…
A low groan, and the curtains fell still.
"Your Highness," a voice came, soft, sweet, and cloying.
"My little darling, you really are captivating. Far better than that wife of mine." Prince Yulin drew back the gauze, donned a loose robe, and stepped down from the bed. "Rest here, little one. I'll have someone bring you a meal shortly."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Behind the gauze, the woman's azure hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her eyes were the kind that could ensnare a man's very soul.
A self-satisfied smile played on Prince Yulin's lips.
He was thoroughly pleased with his life.
What good was being emperor? As a prince, he had servants at his command and women at his disposal. Wasn't such a life more blissful than that of a god?
"My dear brother is always fussing. So what if that Rein fellow died? He still had the nerve to scold me about it." Prince Yulin curled his lip in disdain.
His life was far too precious.
So what if some ordinary noble died? What did it matter? Prince Yulin had a bottom line — anything that threatened his life, no matter how trivial, had to be eliminated.
Prince Yulin strolled out of the chamber with satisfaction.
"Your Highness." Two maids at the doorway bowed respectfully.
Prince Yulin lightly touched one of the maids on her cheek and chuckled, "Sweetheart, you'll be serving me tonight."
"Yes, Your Highness." A flash of delight crossed the maid's face.
Just as Prince Yulin was basking in how wonderful his life was, a frigid voice descended from the sky above, echoing across the entire castle: "Prince Yulin, are you enjoying a comfortable life?" The hatred and resentment woven into that voice was so intense that Prince Yulin's entire body shuddered.
"Who?!" The guards in the castle immediately raised their weapons, shouting in alarm.
"It's above — ah, it's a demon!" One of the guards spotted Lin Lei high in the air.
Fear crept into Prince Yulin's heart. He didn't know who had come for him. The people Prince Yulin had offended were all beneath him. He was perfectly aware that certain supremely powerful beings must never be provoked.
"What is this?" Prince Yulin looked up and went deathly pale.
Lin Lei hovered directly above Prince Yulin's courtyard. In his Dragon Blood Warrior form, dark-green Battle Qi churned around his body like roiling clouds. Suspended in midair, Lin Lei was every bit as terrifying as a demon risen from an abyss.
His dark-golden eyes fixed upon Prince Yulin below.
Lin Lei had only needed to probe with his Mental Power for a moment — catching fragments of Prince Yulin's conversation with the maids — to confirm that the man before him was indeed Prince Yulin.
Lin Lei's body plummeted downward at blinding speed. A terrifying shockwave radiated outward from him in all directions.
"BOOM!"
Surrounding structures shattered under the force of the blast. Lin Lei crashed heavily onto the ground, and the stone courtyard floor cracked apart as though struck by a massive boulder.
"My lord, might I ask who—" Prince Yulin forced a smile onto his face, his manner as humble as could be.
The man before him was a Saint Realm powerhouse — Prince Yulin was absolutely certain of that.
He guarded his life with extreme caution, which was precisely why he never offended those in the Saint Realm.
"Perhaps my lord has come to the wrong person?" Prince Yulin struggled to keep the smile on his face, but just then, a guard's voice rang out from a distance: "Your Highness, that man is Grand Master Lin Lei! I saw him in the capital during his battle against Lord Hadesen!"