When Long Chen heard that the Ninth Prince was coming, he shut his mouth even though he was having a great time insulting Li Ziling. He was smart, so he knew who he could and could not afford to offend. With the Lingwu family behind him, he could anger Li Ziling. However, an important figure from the Biyang Imperial Capital like the Ninth Prince was not someone he would dare to offend.
Also hearing the news, Li Ziling, whose face was green with rage, was also tugged down to her seat by Li Wudi next to her. When he saw that Li Ziling was still furious, he said in a low voice, “Ziling’er, you must learn to contain your anger. You’ll be going to the ancient ruins the day after tomorrow. Instead of arguing here, you should plan how to vent your anger there.”
“Grandfather, I understand. I want to kill him there. If I had not been exhausted, even a hundred Long Chens would’ve been no match for me,” said Li Ziling, calming herself down.
“You’re one of the top three cultivators of Yuanling City’s younger generation, why would you get angry over a small character like that? Remember, Yan Danqing and Mo Xiaolang are your true opponents. Don’t lose sight of the prize over a small distraction,” said Li Wudi.
“Yes, I have learned my lesson.”
When Li Wudi heard her, he smiled with pride. Then his gaze turned along with everyone else towards the depths of the Jade Royal Palace. There were two figures walking out, and they could quickly make out their faces in the bright lights of the palace.
Long Chen eyed the two of them carefully. The person walking behind was wearing all black. His hair was black with streaks of white, combed back tightly into a bun so not even a strand was out of place. His back was bent, so clearly his position was beneath the person walking in front. Long Chen guessed that the black-clothed old man was something like a butler.
The young man in front surprised Long Chen. He was about twenty years of age, wearing luxurious, black and white brocade clothing. He had a tall nose with clearly defined brows, his skin as fair as white jade, radiating sophistication. He was handsome and confident, his beauty on par with Dongfang Xuanxiao’s. Compared to Dongfang Xuanxiao, however, he had an aura that shook the onlooker to their core.
Long Chen found it difficult to describe his aura. From his eyes to his fingers, all Long Chen could see was one thing—a sword. This man was like a sharp sword. Although he did not put his strength on display, hints of Sword Qi radiated in all directions. Everyone felt a prickling sensation on their skin.
Sword Qi. It’s as if he’s a human being made out of Sword Qi. Long Chen was shaken. It was clear that the Ninth Prince was a Heavenly River Realm master, and he definitely was no weaker than the most powerful cultivator present, Emperor Yuan.
Indeed, he’s from the Biyang Imperial Capital. That place is one tier higher than Yuanling City, thought Long Chen. The feeling he had was the same as when he was in Baiyang Town looking at masters from Yuanling City. His heart was filled with reverence, and before he had the capability of seeing this person as an equal, he chose to lay low.
When the Ninth Prince arrived, he sat down in his seat with a smile on his face and his gaze swept across the crowd. He had completely recalled all of the Sword Qi on his body, so his gaze looked as warm and friendly as spring. His eyes resembled the prettiest stars in the sky, and some of the girls swooned when they met his gentle gaze.
Everyone stood up and quickly left their seats, bowing their heads in respect.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Ninth Prince!”
Long Chen imitated everyone else and looked practiced. However, he noticed that Mo Xiaolang was a bit stiff. It seemed that he held a grudge against everyone in the royal family. Even though the Ninth Prince had nothing to do with the annihilation of his family, he still had royal blood running through his veins.
“Please take your seats, everyone. There’s no need for formalities,” said the Ninth Prince with a smile, looking around. His smile was like a spring breeze, making people feel close to him.
As Long Chen sat down, he eyed the Ninth Prince secretly.
When he made his entrance, he deliberately showed a little of his power to scare us. Now he’s treating us with gentle friendliness. He controls the carrot and the stick well, making everyone both respect and fear him. It seems he has many tricks up his sleeves, though he does have the signs of a royal family member. Both his status and capabilities make him powerful, so if I want to become an Immortal Guard, it will be most dependent on him. No matter what happens, I must act humble and build a good relationship with him. Long Chen thought.
He wasn’t even this careful when he first met Mo Xiaolang. Right now, he felt like an ant in front of the Ninth Prince.
At the time, Xiaolang was also much stronger than I was, but now he’s my best friend. If the Ninth Prince isn’t some evil-hearted guy, I can try climbing this very tall mountain.
While Long Chen was privately planning, the Azure Dragon Patriarch and the rest were already starting to greet the Ninth Prince. The grand feast had officially started, and countless precious, rare foods were served. However, most people did not eat, only watching the three faction leaders wine and dine the Ninth Prince, chatting away happily.
Time passed slowly as everyone watched the Ninth Prince with forced smiles. The Azure Dragon Patriarch and the Ninth Prince were chatting away happily. It did not matter if it was the Azure Dragon Patriarch, Li Wudi, or Emperor Yuan, they all called him “Your Highness.” The Ninth Prince looked displeased and said, “You three are all my elders, and this is not the Biyang Imperial Capital. I’m just here to relax and enjoy myself, so there’s no need to be so formal. My name is Lin Cangtian, so you can call me Cangtian.”
“No, no! Ninth Prince, we can’t toss away formalities! If the Sword Emperor found out that we called you by your name, our heads would be on the ground,” said the Azure Dragon Patriarch hurriedly.
“What Brother Dongfang says is true. It would be very inappropriate,” said Li Wudi hurriedly.
“Since you both think so, then I shall not insist. Hehe, it’s getting late. It’s time for the feast to end. I’m very satisfied with the welcome I’ve received,” said Lin Cangtian with a faint smile.
“Yuanling City is a poor place, so it doesn’t have anything good. Our welcome wasn’t good enough,” said Li Wudi of the Dawn Trading Alliance with a smile.
“You’re being too humble, Chairman Li.” The Ninth Prince chuckled. Then he recalled something and asked the Azure Dragon Patriarch, “Patriarch Dongfang, I once came to Yuanling City when I was young. At the time, there was a guy named Jin something, and I really liked him. May I know where he is?”
The last time he came to Yuanling City, the Ninth Prince was here to hide from some trouble. At the time, he was one of the less-welcomed princes. Now, everything was different because while he was not the strongest, he had some power in the Biyang Imperial Capital.
When he first came to Yuanling City, the cunning Jin Luan had offered Lin Cangtian his daughter, planning to skyrocket his status from this. That was Lin Cangtian’s first taste of a woman, so naturally there was some emotion tied to it. However, he returned to the Biyang Imperial Capital later and soon forgot about this minor matter. Now that he was in Yuanling City, he suddenly remembered and decided to ask about the man.
Many people in the Eastern Azure Dragon family knew about this, but they didn’t think much of it. Dongfang Xuanyu had remembered this incident when Long Chen left for the Fire Thunder Mountain Range, which was why she had recruited Jin Luan and Chu Tianxiong. If the Firestorm Talisman could not kill Long Chen, then she thought the Ninth Prince would finish him off. Wouldn’t that guarantee Long Chen’s death?
Not many people knew of the full story, but almost everyone present knew that Long Chen had killed Jin Luan.
The Ninth Prince had only asked the question casually, but when everyone fell silent and they looked at each other, he lost interest and said, “You guys don’t know him? I might have remembered wrongly. Perhaps he’s dead.” Then he shrugged it off.
However, Long Chen grew cautious because he sensed that something was off. Because the Azure Dragon Patriarch and the others all glanced at him. That was when Li Ziling, who was sitting opposite them, suddenly spoke with excitement in her eyes. “Your Highness, I know who you’re talking about. It’s Jin Luan, the Grand Elder of the Lingwu family’s Golden family! However, he was killed by Long Chen just a few weeks ago!”
Everyone drew in a sharp breath when she spoke. They then looked at Long Chen pitifully. From their perspective, a person whom the Ninth Prince remembered had been killed by Long Chen, meaning Long Chen was going to die.
Long Chen was initially confused, but he very quickly realized the Ninth Prince was talking about Jin Luan. This was completely beyond his expectation. He didn’t know that Jin Luan and the Ninth Prince once had a relationship. In that case, this was terrible news …
Seeing everyone’s strange looks, Mo Xiaolang sensed that the situation had turned south. He grabbed Long Chen’s arm, clearly very nervous. If the Ninth Prince made a move, then it would be a duel to the death for them tonight.
And they would likely die.
When Li Ziling finished speaking, she smiled coldly at Long Chen, gloating.
Everyone was staring at Long Chen. The Ninth Prince didn’t even have to ask and already knew who Long Chen was.
Long Chen’s heart was in his throat, waiting for the final judgment made by the young man, who was eyeing him with interest. He thought he had dealt with the assassins Dongfang Xuanyu had sent him, but he hadn’t expected that bitch to make such a powerful move. This trump card had been hidden from sight, and from this, he could see that she was evil.
“Haha …” The Ninth Prince suddenly laughed and patted the armrests of his chair. “You’re only at the initial Heavenly Core Realm, yet you killed a late Heavenly Core Realm cultivator. Not bad, kid! I’m looking forward to your performance at the Burning Heaven Secret Realm.”
Then he stood up and turned around nonchalantly. He moved his foot and then disappeared.
Everyone looked at each other, all of them impressed by Long Chen’s luck. Not many people were happy with his brush with death, but many hung their heads in sorrow, or rage. Li Ziling initially thought he’d die for sure, but was frustrated that he had survived.
After surviving the ordeal with ease, Long Chen was left with countless questions. Based on logic, he should just be an ant to the prince, so why hadn’t the prince killed him?
Also, was the Burning Heaven Secret Realm the name of the ancient ruins?
