Chapter 24: A Misunderstanding of Mercy

As the Ninth Prince scrawled his signature on the life-and-death agreement, Chen Guan arrived at Yao Ye's side.

He had rushed all the way to the palace, arriving just in time to witness that infuriating spectacle. Any citizen loyal to the Jia Ma Empire would have been furious, to say nothing of Chen Guan, who was already so close to Yao Ye.

He had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and Yao Ye's eyes had found him instantly. A simple, almost imperceptible gesture from Chen Guan was all it took. Despite being apart for over a year, the tacit understanding between them was as sharp as ever. Yao Ye understood his meaning at once, leading to the scene now unfolding before them.

She had placed her absolute trust in him.

"Try to leave him alive," Yao Ye whispered, her voice low and urgent.

This was no place for a reunion. Business came first.

The Jia Ma Empire was beset by troubles, both internal and external. The problems were severe, but the solution was simple: they needed another pillar of strength, someone who could shoulder the burden of the nation. The moment Chen Guan returned, those problems had shrunk into insignificance. He would surely have grown strong enough by the time Jia Xingtian's life reached its end.

Yao Ye was confident of this. So was Chen Guan.

And with that confidence, there were fewer reasons to hold back.

Chen Guan gave a firm nod.

Soon, the grand square was cleared, leaving only Chen Guan and the Ninth Prince standing opposite one another. Ninety percent of the eyes in the audience were fixed on Chen Guan, trying to decipher the source of Yao Ye's confidence. Only a few could see the truth.

"You've run out of luck, boy," the Ninth Prince sneered. "Under these rules, I am invincible. Remember to be born into a better family in your next life."

The prince's Dou Qi erupted, forming a protective armor around his body as the aura of a Six-Star Da Dou Shi washed over the square. Those with keen senses could tell his power was genuine. For all his arrogance, he possessed some talent.

Like a lion hunting a rabbit, the Ninth Prince may have looked down on the young man, but he attacked with his full strength. He took the initiative, his hand streaking toward Chen Guan's throat in a killing blow.

He came in fast. He flew back even faster.

The sudden reversal stunned the entire square into silence.

A single move. There was nothing more to be said.

As Chen Guan let his own aura flare, Mitel Tengshan shot up from his seat in the VIP section, his face a mask of pure shock. The elders of the Mu and Nalan clans, and even Sect Master Yun Yun herself, could not conceal their astonishment. Next to her, a cold, murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the Great Elder, Yun Leng.

To be a Da Dou Shi at sixteen...

Compared to him, the so-called geniuses they had fawned over in the past suddenly seemed like clowns.

The royal family... they hid him this well!

Many couldn't help but steal a glance at the Emperor. Though he was seen as a coward, perhaps he was a man of deep cunning after all. What they didn't know was that the Emperor was just as stunned as they were.

On the field, Chen Guan didn't bother to conceal his power any longer. He walked slowly toward the crumpled form of the Ninth Prince, his face an icy mask.

"Who dares to claim invincibility?" he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Are you even worthy?"

"You... you're a Da Dou Shi too?!" the Ninth Prince sputtered, scrambling to his feet, his mind reeling in disbelief. He finally understood. This was the source of Yao Ye's confidence. He was the one who had been played for a fool.

There was no time for curses. The Ninth Prince's face grew serious. Without hesitation, he threw two pills into his mouth.

A Rank 3 Wind-Walking Pill, to temporarily heighten his sensitivity to the wind attribute and increase his speed.

A Rank 4 Beast Power Pill, to grant him a massive surge of raw strength.

His aura instantly swelled, his combat power nearly doubling. The potent effects of the elixirs gave him the confidence to turn the tables.

"You're strong," he snarled, "but I will be the one laughing last! Tian Ice Wheel, die!"

The prince, possessing a rare ice attribute, unleashed his Xuan-rank intermediate Dou Skill. A spinning wheel of ice, two meters in diameter, shot toward Chen Guan, its chilling power so great it seemed to cool the air in the entire square. It was an impressive attack... but to Chen Guan, it was no threat at all.

His broadsword flashed. With the force of an axe splitting a mountain, a deep red sword energy erupted from the blade, meeting the ice wheel head-on. The move was simple, direct, and brutally effective.

In the VIP section, the shock on the faces of Yun Yun and the other experts deepened. Only they could see the truth of that single, unpretentious slash. In that fleeting instant, Chen Guan had actually struck seven times. The speed was simply too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Yao Ye, though in the best mood of all, was also surprised. Her strength wasn't on Yun Yun's level, so she couldn't perceive the trick, but she cared more about the deep red color of his Dou Qi. He's changed to a higher-level Qi Method. Is this related to his disappearance?

The moment the two attacks met, ice and fire collided in a violent reaction. The massive ice wheel lasted for only a heartbeat before it exploded into a cloud of glittering shards. It was obvious which was stronger.

The wave of crimson sword energy, radiating astonishing murderous ferocity, continued onward, a signature of the Thousand Flames Sword Art.

Normally, the Ninth Prince would have had no hope of dodging. But empowered by the Wind-Walking Pill, his speed was greatly enhanced. He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the lethal attack.

Just as he landed, shocked and already planning to use his speed to fight a guerrilla war, a hand suddenly fell upon his dantian. The next moment, a massive, condensed surge of Dou Qi poured into his body, utterly shattering his foundation.

Against Chen Guan's powerful soul perception, such speed was a transparent illusion.

Like a punctured ball, the Ninth Prince was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he crashed heavily to the ground.

Severe pain wracked his body, but it was nothing compared to the dawning horror as he realized his cultivation had been destroyed.

"I told you," Chen Guan said coolly. "You're not worthy."

Those five words were like fuel on a fire. The Ninth Prince, who had always prided himself on his composure, completely lost his mind.

"You ruined me! You dared to ruin me!"

As if feeling no pain, he dragged his broken body to its feet and staggered forward, screaming his accusations.

"Take one more step, and I'll kill you," Chen Guan advised calmly.

But the prince, lost in his madness, didn't hear him. He continued his heavy, stumbling advance, determined to get an explanation.

A gentleman's promise is a heavy thing.

Chen Guan kept his word. Without a flicker of hesitation, he swung his sword.

The movement was slow, but to the Ninth Prince, who had lost the support of his Dou Qi, it was like the scythe of death itself—inescapable. At the critical moment, sanity finally returned. His face went pale. "Save me!" he shrieked.

The prince's guard, a Dou Ling, had been about to move, but a powerful pressure from the VIP seats had pinned him in place. The moment the prince screamed, the pressure vanished. A Dou Ling could condense their Dou Qi into physical form, and with his enhanced speed, he might just be able to save his master.

His hopes were dashed.

A black shadow suddenly appeared in his path. A single, ferocious punch not only sent him reeling backward but also inflicted a grave internal injury. Someone had ambushed him without a shred of honor!

When the guard finally steadied himself and looked back at the field, his master was already dead, impaled by the sword, blood soaking the ground around him.

Chen Guan recalled his Rank 4 puppet and glanced at the guard. Seeing the man just standing there in a daze, not immediately exploding with rage to avenge his master, he didn't bother with him. The royal family could deal with him.

Chen Guan was satisfied. The anger in his heart had finally been vented.

He returned to Yao Ye's side, only to be met with a charmingly exasperated roll of her eyes.

She was speechless. The instruction she had given him and the action he had just taken were two entirely different things. She seriously suspected he had done it on purpose. But now that it was done, there was no point in saying more. According to her original plan, the Ninth Prince was only meant to live a few more days anyway.

"Sister," he said with a bright smile, "you look so beautiful today."

"Oh?"

"...Your brows are like verdant mountains, your eyes like pools of starlight. You sit untouched by worldly dust, with the skin of an immortal..."

"No amount of flattery," Yao Ye interrupted, a smirk playing on her lips, "is getting you out of explaining what happened this past year."

Chen Guan's smile froze.

Well, that was a waste of perfectly good poetry.

***

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All

My Fanfics!!] [www. p@treon.com/meowthtl]

[+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]