He Yunfeng was utterly bewildered. He didn’t know whether to believe Zhouhai or not, yet for some reason, his subconscious was inclined to accept this absurd story. Forget the fact that a low-class empire like the Xuanling Empire shouldn’t produce such a talent. Even if it did, it wouldn’t have the resources to forge a Spiritual Treasure Soldier for this boy that surpasses the Thunder Dragon Spear!

"Then tell me, how old is that boy? And why did it lead to the events you described? Is there really a connection between the two?" He Yunfeng asked, completely baffled.

Zhouhai replied with a grave expression, "That boy is only fourteen or fifteen years old, three years younger than His Highness the Crown Prince, who is a Third-Ring Martial King."

He Yunfeng was stunned again, and he growled, "What? Three years younger than Long’Er, yet he’s a Five-Ring Martial Spirit? And he could jump a Great Tier to defeat Long’Er? If this boy had appeared in a Dynasty, I might be half-convinced. But he appeared in the Xuanling Empire! How am I supposed to believe such a ridiculous claim?"

Zhouhai once again slammed his head on the ground with a loud THUD. "Your Majesty! This old servant has not spoken a single lie. As for why the subsequent events occurred, it was because His Highness the Crown Prince had the Empire’s interests at heart and wanted to crush this boy in the cradle before he could fully develop! Just think about it. If this boy can already defeat the Celestial Eagle Empire’s strongest Crown Prince now, what about in two years? If he appears in the imperial tournament, the Xuanling Empire’s prestige and status will soar to the heavens! At that point, in this region spanning tens of thousands of miles, our Celestial Eagle Empire will no longer be the top power. The Xuanling Empire, having been suppressed for so long, will surely ignite the flames of war and retaliate against the empires that have always bullied it. And the Celestial Eagle Empire will bear the brunt of it!"

He Yunfeng was stunned by Zhouhai’s words. Zhouhai continued, "So, after His Highness the Crown Prince recovered from his injuries, he led the four of us on a resolute raid of the Imperial Academy, wanting to kill this boy in one fell swoop. Originally, everything was going smoothly. The boy was already caught in a fatal trap, but a slight accident caused the entire plan to fail."

He Yunfeng’s eyes widened. "So it failed! With the strength of the four of you, you couldn’t even escape alive? Not to mention, how many experts could a low-class empire like the Xuanling Empire possibly have? Even if there were some masters holed up there, couldn’t you have used the Shadow Concealing Dust? Didn’t Zheng give you those things?"

Zhouhai gave a bitter smile. "At the time, I was the only one outside acting as a lookout, so I saw everything inside with perfect clarity. Right after Big Brother launched the surprise attack, a transparent barrier appeared out of nowhere, covering an area ten thousand meters around the site of the raid. That barrier was extremely strange. No matter how Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother attacked it together, they couldn’t destroy it. What’s even stranger is that even using the Shadow Concealing Dust, they couldn’t pass through the barrier from the inside!"

He Yunfeng was taken aback. "Such a thing exists? The Shadow Concealing Dust is a treasure that can allow one to escape even from a Five-Ring Martial Venerable. How could a barrier possibly block it? Or are you saying the Martial Artist Realm of the person who cast this barrier has already surpassed a Five-Ring Martial Venerable? That’s impossible. If the Xuanling Empire really had someone like that, why would they have to swallow their pride and endure the constant humiliation from other nations? Or was it also the effect of a treasure?"

Question after question swirled in He Yunfeng’s mind, making his thoughts a jumbled mess. "Wait, Zhouhai. Tell me everything that happened after you arrived in the Xuanling Empire again. I want every single word!"

Zhouhai hurriedly said, "Yes!"

Next, Zhouhai vividly recounted everything from his journey to the Xuanling Empire to his final escape, not leaving out a single detail. The more He Yunfeng listened, the darker his expression became, his features twisting with grimness. Finally, He Yunfeng slammed his hand on the table and roared, "What a Xuanling Empire! What a Mu Chen! They actually dared to kill three of my Celestial Eagle Empire’s Elders and my only son! Inform the Cangyue Country emissary! This Emperor wishes to use their Empire Transmission Array! In ten days, I will lead a mighty army to crush the Xuanling Empire and offer them as a blood sacrifice for my Long’Er!!"

He Yunfeng practically roared the last few words! The sound waves, laced with Primordial Power, swept rapidly through the entire Imperial City. Everyone in the Imperial City trembled, and they began to discuss among themselves, "Could something have happened to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Someone replied, "I don’t know. Judging by the signs, we’d better not provoke the Emperor today. Otherwise, we won’t even know how we died!"

After receiving his orders, Zhouhai seemed to be revitalized. His travel-worn appearance vanished instantly. With bloodshot eyes, he declared, "Xuanling Empire, since you dared to do it, you must dare to face the coming storm! I won’t let a single one of you go! Brothers! Your little brother will definitely avenge you!!" With that, his figure flashed and disappeared from the study’s entrance...

After Zhouhai left the study, a red glint flashed in He Yunfeng’s eyes. ’Once I go to the Xuanling Empire, I will uncover the truth behind all of this! Hmph, Xuanling Empire...’ "Someone, come! Summon Lola, the Headmaster of the Celestial Eagle Empire’s Imperial Academy. Tell her I have urgent business with her!"

After the great roar, a messenger below quickly flew towards the Celestial Eagle Empire’s Imperial Academy. In a short while, a blonde woman in a seductive, long red dress arrived gracefully. Upon entering the study, she threw her arms around He Yunfeng’s burly waist and said, "Yun Feng~ You were looking for me? Did you miss me after not seeing me for a month?"

But He Yunfeng was in no mood to flirt with Lola at this moment. He only said coldly, "Long’Er is dead."

Lola froze, then her whole body suddenly trembled. "Are you saying... Long’Er... he’s dead?!"

He Yunfeng took a deep breath. "From all the signs, it’s true. But I must find out how Long’Er died! I don’t believe what that Zhouhai said, but I still have to go to the Xuanling Empire, and I will go fully prepared! Lola, go and tie up that exchange student from the Xuanling Empire right now. If the Xuanling Empire really is responsible for Long’Er’s death, then I will make that student show them a very ’cute’ expression!"

After speaking, a bloodthirsty look appeared in He Yunfeng’s eyes. Those who knew him understood that once He Yunfeng showed this expression, it meant a sea of blood would follow!

Just as the situation grew tense and the Xuanling Empire was besieged from all sides, a black figure landed with a SWISH in a paradise-like land shrouded in mist and clouds, far away in the Central Continent. He appeared beside a handsome man dressed in purple robes, his hair tied up with a purple silk ribbon. The handsome man stared expressionlessly at a pavilion in the middle of a lake and said faintly, "You’re back."

The black-clad man said, "Yes, Young Master."

The handsome man known as the Young Master closed his folding fan and continued, "Go on."

"Understood," the black-clad man said in a low voice. "The young man you had me observing seems to be in a lot of trouble."

"Trouble?" The handsome man turned his head. His eyes, like stars, fixed on the black-clad man. "What kind of trouble?"

The black-clad man lowered his head and continued, "Over the past month, this young man has grown stronger again. The speed of his growth is... frankly, astonishing. I’m afraid he’s on par with the Direct Lineage of some of the great families in the Central Continent, and that’s only based on the abilities he has shown so far."

A look of great interest appeared on the handsome young man’s face. "Oh? Then I must hear more."

The black-clad man nodded. "The last time I returned, I reported to you, Young Master, that his Martial Artist Realm had reached Sixth-Ring Martial Master, and he was capable of Tier Jumping to defeat a Three-Ring Martial Spirit. But now, just over two months later, I have to update that record. He is now a Five-Ring Martial Spirit and possesses a very high-grade Spiritual Treasure Soldier. And... he has also performed Tier Jumping to defeat the Crown Prince of a Middle and Upper Class Empire—a Third-Ring Martial King who wields both Thunder Attribute Elemental Power and a Spiritual Treasure Soldier."

Hearing this, the handsome man’s brow furrowed, but he quickly relaxed. "To break through two Great Realms consecutively in two months and be able to use Tier Jumping to challenge a High-level Martial Artist at the King Realm... this kid is a bit peculiar. If we give him another two years, what heights will he reach? I’m quite looking forward to it. But, what was the trouble you mentioned?"

The black-clad man said, "The trouble is that the Crown Prince from that Middle and Upper Class Empire had four Emperor Realm experts by his side, one of whom was even a Ninth-Ring Martial Emperor. They wanted to crush the boy in the cradle. After hearing this news, I was initially prepared to return immediately and report to you, Young Master. But after some thought, I decided to stay behind. I know you have a slight favorable impression of this boy, so I wanted to stay and protect his life. But this kid..."

The black-clad man then recounted, without leaving out a single detail, how Mu Chen underwent Demonization and single-handedly killed three Emperor Realm experts. As the handsome man known as the Young Master listened, he grew more and more astonished. By the end, the black-clad man saw an expression on his revered Young Master’s face that he had never seen before—one of utter stupefaction.

"Er..." Seeming to notice the strange look the black-clad man was giving him, the handsome man awkwardly fanned himself with his folding fan to compose himself. Then, he said calmly, "In that case, the Celestial Eagle Empire will certainly not let Mu Chen go. It’s even possible they’ll vent their anger by wiping out the entire Xuanling Empire. It seems I can’t ignore this. No matter how you look at it, this kid is no ordinary person. Given time, he will surely transform into a dragon and roam the heavens and the earth! If I do him a favor before he’s fully grown, a relationship between us will be established when he reaches his potential. Black Soul, go find Elder Qin Yuan. Tell him I need to go out and that he is to accompany me to the Xuanling Empire."

The black-clad man was shocked to hear this. "You mean, Elder Qin Yuan?"

The handsome man nodded. "Go on. Don’t be surprised. I naturally have my own plans for doing this."

The black-clad man nodded, and with a flicker of his body, he vanished on the spot...

After the black figure disappeared, the handsome man listened to the sorrowful sound of a qin drifting from the pavilion in the middle of the lake. He sighed and murmured, "Oh, my dear sister. Although I hate to say it, I have to admit... your judgment really is better than your brother’s..."