Inside the Imperial Hall of the Chu Empire, several members of noble families and generals with powerful auras were seated on elevated chairs. At the end of the hall, in the center, sat a man wearing a crimson robe embroidered with black dragons. Although he was suppressing it, an overwhelming oppressive aura still leaked from his body.
One of the nobles spoke.
"Your Majesty, what is the reason for this meeting?"
The Imperial Prince replied,
"My brother, the Emperor, has gathered all of you to officially acknowledge the only illegitimate son I have. He also saved my niece's life."
"He is currently in the Bai Empire, and my brother will send his daughter with a delegation to bring him back. His name is Chu Feng, a disciple of the Seven Peaks Sect."
"The delegation will depart in one hour to bring him back from the Bai Empire."
...
One Hour Later
A gigantic flying ship stood ready for departure.
Many cultivators boarded it, along with the princess, who respectfully bid farewell to the Emperor before leaving.
After a large number of spirit stones were placed into the ship's engine, it slowly rose into the sky and headed toward the Bai Empire.
An hour and a half later, they crossed into the Bai Empire's territory.
As they flew onward, they noticed ruins in the distance. They appeared to be destroyed sects.
The people aboard the ship looked at one another in confusion.
"What happened in the Bai Empire?"
As they approached the ruins, they discovered dried corpses scattered everywhere.
Everyone was shocked.
One cultivator muttered,
"It looks like a demonic cultivator wiped out these sects."
The princess's protector, a middle-aged man, spoke to everyone.
"Ignore it. We must continue our journey."
...
Half an hour later, the flying ship arrived near the territory of the Seven Peaks Sect.
As it approached, the disciples guarding the sect immediately became alert.
One of them used a voice amplification technique and shouted,
"Who are you? Stop immediately, or we'll open fire!"
The delegation ignored the warning and continued flying toward the sect.
The guarding disciples immediately unleashed their techniques at the flying ship.
A man suddenly appeared in the sky.
With a single strike, he killed every one of the disciples.
The Sect Master and the elders sensed the disturbance and immediately rushed toward the source of the aura.
The Sect Master arrived and saw a man standing among the corpses of his disciples.
The stranger radiated the aura of a Soul Transformation cultivator.
The Sect Master stared at him coldly.
"Why did you kill my sect's disciples?"
The man replied indifferently,
"They were nothing but trash. They tried to stop me."
The Sect Master clenched his fist but endured his anger.
"Then why have you come?"
"We're here for one of your disciples, Chu Feng."
The Sect Master looked surprised and turned toward the elders.
"Do any of you know him?"
The elders looked at each other.
Qing Li's grandfather quickly stepped forward.
"Yes, Sect Master. He was merely an outer disciple. I expelled him from the sect."
The man immediately became furious.
He grabbed Qing Li's grandfather by the throat and began squeezing.
The elders attacked him but couldn't even injure him.
At that moment, several Soul Transformation cultivators descended from the flying ship and began attacking the elders.
The Sect Master rushed forward to save Qing Li's grandfather and barely managed to rescue him before his neck was crushed.
Even so, the Sect Master and the elders were continuously beaten back by the enemy cultivators.
Suddenly—
A terrifying aura erupted across the battlefield.
It belonged to a Void Refinement cultivator.
It was the supreme ancestor of the Qing Family...
Qing Ji.
The Chu Family delegation was shocked.
Immediately afterward, another Void Refinement aura appeared.
It belonged to the princess's protector.
The Qing Family's ancestor spoke coldly,
"Cultivators of the Chu Empire... do you really think we're easy targets? You dare attack members of my family?"
The princess's protector, a middle-aged man, stepped forward.
After considering every possible outcome, he realized that fighting would only cause heavy losses for both sides.
So he said,
"Calm down, old man. We didn't attack your family without reason. They expelled and mistreated a member of the Imperial Chu Family. That's why my followers retaliated against your people. Let's end this matter here."
Qing Ji burst into laughter.
"Do you know that Chu Feng became a demonic cultivator?"
"He's probably already been killed by the Bai Family's ancestor."
"Go. You might still be able to collect his bones."
The protector's face turned red with rage.
He shouted,
"Let's go! I've already located his position!"
The flying ship immediately sped toward the Yin-Yang Sect.
.....
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived.
The entire sect had become nothing but ruins.
Everything had been destroyed.
A faint Saint aura still lingered in the air.
The protector's eyes instantly turned blood-red.
If Chu Feng had truly died here...
That could mean war with the Bai Empire.
After carefully examining the battlefield, he found traces of blood leading toward the Beast Forest.
He immediately rushed in that direction.
Soon, he discovered a beast cave.
As he approached it, an ominous feeling filled his heart.
When he entered the cave...
He found nothing but dust and bloodstains covering the walls.
After comparing the blood with the Imperial Prince's bloodline,
he confirmed that they matched.
He carefully gathered Chu Feng's remains before rushing out of the cave.
Calling everyone to follow him, he headed straight toward the Bai Family in the imperial capital to demand an explanation.
Even if Chu Feng had become a demonic cultivator...
He still carried the bloodline of the Chu Family.
....
An hour later, they arrived above the imperial capital.
The protector shouted with spiritual energy amplifying his voice.
"Bai Family! You owe me an explanation!"
Everyone in the capital heard his roar.
Generals and nobles flew into the sky.
The senior members of the Bai Family also emerged.
One of the elders stepped forward angrily.
"What is wrong with you, Jin Rang? (The Princess's Protector)"
Jin Rang replied coldly,
"Do you know what you've done?"
"You killed the Imperial Prince's son of the Chu Family!"
One of the generals snorted.
"Do you know what he did?"
"He massacred innocent people and exterminated entire sects."
Jin Rang replied indifferently,
"So what if he did?"
"They were nothing more than weak insects."
The general became furious.
"Do you think the Chu Empire is superior to us?"
Jin Rang answered without hesitation.
"Yes. You are beneath us."
No one could deny it.
The Chu Empire truly possessed far more Soul Transformation cultivators than the Bai Empire.
The general clenched his fists.
"But don't think the Chu Empire can do whatever it wants inside the Bai Empire."
"This is our land."
"And we still have our Imperial Ancestor."
Jin Rang fell silent.
The only reason the Chu Empire had never invaded the Bai Empire...
was because of that Imperial Ancestor,
who had reached Half-Saint Realm.
Jin Rang examined the imperial palace.
He sensed a Saint aura...
but it was extremely weak,
as though it could disappear at any moment.
He burst into loud laughter.
"It seems your ancestor doesn't have much time left."
"Once he dies..."
"We'll deal with all of you."
Everyone's faces twisted with fury.
Veins bulged across their foreheads as they struggled to suppress the urge to kill him.
Seeing their expressions,
Jin Rang laughed mockingly.
"I'll withdraw for now."
"But when I return..."
"It will be the day this empire is destroyed."
.....
After returning to the flying ship and boarding it, he ordered the pilot to head back toward the Chu Empire.
The princess hurried over.
"Where is Chu Feng?"
"Is he alright?"
Jin Rang looked at her with disappointment.
"He's dead."
"And it appears the Bai Family is responsible for his death."
The princess burst into tears.
Her eyes turned blood-red as killing intent poured from her body.
"I'll destroy the family that killed you."
"I swear I'll avenge you, Chu Feng."
"Rest in peace."
.....
Meanwhile...
Qing Li was training with the Dragon Sword he had obtained from Chu Feng.
After subduing the sword's spirit, he was finally able to wield it properly.
Although he had heard all the commotion outside, he never left his residence, fearing he might be questioned—or worse, that someone would discover he was the one who had killed Chu Feng.
Two days after the Chu Family delegation incident,
Qing Li successfully broke through to the Soul Transformation Realm.
At the same time, his inscription mastery advanced to Rank 2.
The System screen updated.
(System):
Host Name: Qing Li
Cultivation Level: Soul Transformation (1)
Bloodline: Demonic Dragon (20%)
Body: None
Spirit: None
Dao Bones: None
Talent: Good
Social Status: Young Master of the Qing Family
Personal Fate: None
Age: 22
Destiny Points: 0
Evil Points: 2700
Secondary Skills: Master of Inscriptions (Rank 2)
...