Chapter 105: Chapter 104: A Super Ferocious Slap

"Higher than that... is there more?"

What the old man in black spoke of were things Qin Li had never heard before. It was all quite startling to hear. ’I never thought so many powerful beings existed. It seems this world and Earth really are fundamentally different!’

In that moment, Qin Li finally shed his transmigrator’s mentality and truly became a part of this world.

’So, I’m still at the very bottom of this world. I won’t accept it! I absolutely refuse to be content with a life tucked away in some corner as a wealthy man. I will openly set foot on Profound Island, and right in front of that ten-thousand-year-old virgin, I will take my wife back!’

’No one... can stop me!’

The old man in black sneered. "Of course there’s more, but that’s a level you’ll never be able to reach, so it’s useless to tell you! What, feeling a sense of longing? While I admit you’re one of the few geniuses I’ve ever met, it’s not that I’m looking down on you. The greatest achievement of your life—if you’re lucky—will be breaking through to the Celestial Level and reaching the Celestial Shattering Realm. Even then, you’ll still be at the bottom of this world! You know why?"

The old man in black gloated, "Who do you think those ancient Noble Sects in the Secret Land are? They control entire nations, harnessing the power of a whole country to serve a single family or Sect! Some even have the power of several nations at their disposal! Without overwhelming authority, you’ll never get your hands on those peerless, miraculous treasures! You’ll never even find out what Spirit Stones are! You will never have a chance! You think you’re some kind of hero just because you look down on the Crown Prince? That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever heard!"

Having said so much in one breath, the old man’s chest heaved violently, his one eye glowing with a mad light.

"Haha, you should know that even if you annihilated the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s Royal Family and wiped out their Zhao Family, you could never become the Monarch of this kingdom! Countless powers could tear you to shreds in an instant! Because you’re just a little bastard with no backing... Hahaha!"

Hearing the old man’s words, Qin Li smiled too. "Old man, choosing to provoke me at a time like this is not a wise move. Truly. If I were you, I’d just quietly wait to die. I might have even given you a quick end. So, you really shouldn’t have provoked me!"

"Provoke you? I’m telling you the truth! And you actually think I’m deliberately trying to provoke you! If you really want to climb to the pinnacle of this world, then follow the example of the New Qin Kingdom’s emperor and become a powerful Monarch first! What do you say, you dare? Haha!"

The old man in black laughed heartily. He had long since seen the ambition in Qin Li’s eyes and knew that he didn’t even need to plant any seeds of rebellion. This devilish youth was by no means the type to resign himself to a mundane life. He could even foresee Qin Li being executed by a thousand cuts for treason in the near future. The more he thought about it, the happier he felt. The scene even formed a complete picture in his mind.

"Fine. Since you’ve said so much, I’ll give you a quick death!" Qin Li said magnanimously.

A flash of joy crossed the old man’s face, followed by a surge of tragic heroism. ’I’ve been a hero my whole life. Now... I’m finally free!’

"However..." Qin Li blinked, then continued, "I’ll give you a quick death, but I’m still going to hang you from the flagpole! I want Zhao Xinghe to see what happens when someone offends me! Don’t worry, though. I won’t strip you naked before I hang you up. I’m being quite merciful, don’t you think?"

"Qin Li! You goddamn son of a bitch! You little beast! You little bastard!..."

PFFT!

With a flick of his finger, Qin Li sent a sharp blast of Qi Force into the old man’s throat. The endless stream of curses stopped abruptly. The old man’s single eye was wide open, his gaze a mixture of seven parts relief and three parts resentment. Perhaps he had long regretted being tempted by the Crown Prince’s priceless Ten-Thousand-Year Rejuvenating Grass into personally trying to kill this demonic youth.

But all of it was now frozen in the moment of his death.

「」

Early the next morning, earth-shattering news broke in the Imperial Capital of Cyan Dragon City, spreading rapidly through every street and alley. From the noble houses down to the street vendors, nearly everyone was talking about it.

The faces of everyone discussing the matter showed a full spectrum of expressions: shock, anger, excitement, fear, sorrow, joy, indifference... every emotion imaginable was on display.

The Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, a High Level Tributor of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, the Vice-Chief Instructor of the Royal Guard, a peerless expert at the Third Stage of the Celestial Level with Ninth Layer Primordial Power... Murong Tian... had been hung from the massive flagpole at the south gate of Cyan Dragon City! The pole itself was over a hundred meters tall, with a base so wide it would take two people to wrap their arms around it.

Dangling from the flagpole was a white cloth banner, three meters wide and over thirty meters long. On it, a message was written in blood-red letters: "Zhao Xinghe, this is a warning! Next time, it’ll be you hanging here!"

It was madness!

Everyone was going crazy. The vast majority of people wore expressions of gleeful excitement. It wasn’t that Crown Prince Zhao Xinghe had a particularly terrible reputation in Cyan Dragon City; rather, people were just incredibly curious about this mysterious individual who dared to so brazenly and directly challenge the authority of the Royal Family!

How many years had it been since something this monumental had happened in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom? If this incident hadn’t torn a hole in the very sky above the kingdom, it had come dangerously close.

The Crown Prince’s tutor... he was the future Imperial Preceptor! A High Level Tributor to the Royal Family, holding the rank of a Grand Duke! While it was only a title without an actual fiefdom, his status was already incredibly illustrious!

Across the entire kingdom, there were no more than twenty Martial Artists with a status higher than Murong Tian’s!

And his power—Third Stage Celestial Level, Ninth Layer Primordial Power—was enough to strike fear into the hearts of countless people. On his own, he could have wiped out many small- and medium-sized families numbering in the thousands!

And now, he had been found with his legs severed and an eye put out, then brutally murdered. That wasn’t all—he was then hung from the tallest flagpole in all of Cyan Dragon City! A message had even been left, its spear tip aimed directly at the future Monarch of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom: the current Crown Prince, Zhao Xinghe!

What kind of audacity was this? What a powerful show of intimidation!

This was exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating! 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

At that moment, an unknown number of people were inwardly roaring with excitement, shouting in sheer delight!

And who knew how many of the Imperial Capital’s great Noble Families were now dejected, shocked, and pale-faced. These die-hard members of the Crown Prince Faction felt as if a dark cloud had suddenly gathered over their heads.

The common folk just saw the spectacle, but these people saw the truth behind the event.

The spear’s tip was incredibly sharp, aimed squarely at the Crown Prince!

What kind of power did the person who killed Murong Tian possess? What about the severe consequences of this act? Would the Crown Prince be able to withstand the Monarch’s thunderous rage? If he couldn’t, if he were to be deposed, where would they go?

This... was their true worry.

A Celestial Level Martial Artist could use a mouthful of Primordial Power to fly a considerable distance, but they couldn’t soar as high as an eagle. And the giant flagpole on the south gate tower of the Imperial Capital, Cyan Dragon City, was a hundred meters high! The gate tower itself was also a hundred meters tall! Moreover, there were Guards stationed there day and night!

Because this massive flagpole had been personally erected by the founding emperor of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, Zhao Longteng, using a piece of Black Iron Wood from the south that was over one hundred thousand years old.

No one knows how much effort it took to transport that colossal timber from the south back then. It is said that the founding emperor, Zhao Longteng, had already broken through the Celestial Level to reach the Celestial Shattering Realm, which was how he was able to raise the flagpole single-handedly. Soon after, he abdicated the throne to the Crown Prince and vanished, never to be heard from again.

Therefore, this flagpole held immense significance for the Royal Zhao Family, and indeed for the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom.

Only during the most important festivals was the massive Cyan Dragon Banner of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom hoisted upon it. Each time, it required two Celestial Level Martial Artists to slowly climb up and affix the banner. At a height of two hundred meters off the ground, the astral winds in the sky were already quite strong. A single misstep could get them blown away. While a Celestial Level Martial Artist wouldn’t die from the fall, the humiliation would be unavoidable.

But now... someone had actually hung a dead body up there! What level of power would that take? Moreover, this was a vicious slap across the face of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s Royal Family!

The source of the white cloth was quickly traced. The shopkeeper had been angrily complaining to everyone about having been robbed the previous night. When he discovered what his cloth had been used for, he was sick with regret, cursing his own loose lips. Why did he have to run his mouth all over town? If the Royal Family decided to hold him accountable, the annihilation of his entire clan would be a light punishment!

This incident was a monstrous insult to the Cyan Dragon Royal Family and to the founding emperor, Zhao Longteng!

Soon, the shopkeeper’s entire family was taken away. The soldiers who had been patrolling the South City gate tower that night also mysteriously vanished.

This event became the talk of the town, discussed in every street and alley of Cyan Dragon City. It was a topic that would show no signs of fading for at least the next few months.

And in places ordinary people could never see, powerful undercurrents were forming massive whirlpools, destined to swallow up an unknown number of great and noble clans. Perhaps only the man on the dragon throne knew just how many would be swept away.

As for the architect of this incident, Qin Li himself had no idea that his actions would produce such earth-shattering consequences. It was like a butterfly flapping its wings thousands of miles away, unleashing a massive storm right here.

His actions had not only left Zhao Xinghe completely stunned and reeling, but they had also delivered a resounding slap to the face of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s Royal Family.

The far-reaching repercussions would even directly influence the future line of succession for the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s throne.

If Qin Li knew, he would undoubtedly be grinning like a thief, absolutely delighted.

At this moment, Qin Li had completely changed his appearance. He now looked like a handsome, dapper young nobleman of seventeen or eighteen. Dressed in lavish clothes and holding a folded fan, he sauntered down one of Cyan Dragon City’s most bustling streets, shaking his head as he sized up the pretty girls who passed by.

With that air about him, if he just had a few fawning servants trailing behind, he’d be the very picture of a profligate young master, a prodigal son from a wealthy family.