"Are you alright?" Daoyi asked from her position.
Xi Ri spared a glance at the little nascent soul atop the spiritual beast atop his shoulder before looking forward again. Compared to Daoyi, Xi Ri had been sealed much longer, and who knows what method the possessed emperor used on him.
Compared to Daoyi, Xi Ri's soul must have been damaged with the year-long self-sealing technique he forced upon himself. Xi Ri was an inner disciple, he should not have touched upon the core secrets of the Buzhou Immortal Sect like core disciples like Daoyi and Tianyi, but Xi Ri was Grand Elder Xi's nephew. Perhaps thinking like this, the possessed emperor must have attempted to interrogate Xi Ri numerous times.
Xi Ri was someone who spent the last years of his previous life in the apocalypse. Compared to Tianyi, his will could only be firmer, but Daoyi knew the terrifying abilities of soul cultivators, being one herself, so she couldn't help but worry.
"I'm fine," Xi Ri said woodenly.
Daoyi sighed as she glanced at the dark circle around Xi Ri's eyes. She had already inspected Xi Ri for any soul leaches and found none, but that didn't mean Xi Ri was safe from torture. Sealing one's soul wasn't an absolute defense. Take Daoyi, for example, she could induce nightmares into her targets even if their soul was sealed.
"It doesn't matter. I have to save Emperor-Father," Xi Ri adamantly said as if for himself more than Daoyi.
Daoyi knew that they were changed men and women after experiencing the apocalypse. How could an ordinary person who experienced the horrifying end of the world remain normal? Daoyi knew that she was far from normal.
Several times when she still lived at the Qi Ducal Estate, she thought of hacking the duchess to death with a rusty blade. Luckily for her, reason won out over desire, but she still had dark fantasies.
Sometimes, she envied Tianyi for his purity. The apocalypse was a place where love between a parent and child could become worth less than shit. Daoyi, for one, knew that she would never be able to have a relationship without weighing the benefits or detriments.
She knew something was wrong with her.
Then what about Xi Ri? When she heard that he wanted to build a utopia, she didn't believe it. Those fools were the first to die in the apocalypse long before the world became worse than hell.
Xi Ri was a living contradiction. Obviously, he was an amiable cultivator who made friends as much as possible, but, simultaneously, he never trusted anyone. Daoyi doubted that he trusted Tianyi or herself, yet all his actions suggested that he trusted them. Sure, he displayed emotions such as distrust, anger, sadness, and many more, but they felt like remnant emotions that he used to have.
It was as if he was trusting because he had to. He didn't live like a living being. If anything, it was as if he was playing the act of Xi Ri behind a controller, but it was different at this moment.
Contrary to before, Xi Ri's current actions were far different from his cool-headed persona of the past. Although the situation was dire, Daoyi felt that Xi Ri had some more color for him now, but that also made her worried at the same time.
"Prince Ri? What happened to you?!" A eunuch asked with shock.
Along the way, Xi Ri and Daoyi passed by numerous servants and soldiers who were running like headless chickens. Coupled with his disheveled appearance, it was a wonder that anyone would have recognized him.
Xi Ri said nothing as the space around his hand warped into a sharp point and pierced towards the eunuch running towards him.
"W-why?" The eunuch only had disbelief written in his face as Xi Ri pulled his hand out and continued running without looking back. His eyes were still filled with confusion as his lifeblood continued to flow out.
Daoyi said nothing. Truthfully speaking, she, too, would be suspicious if anyone recognized her if she was in the same state as Xi Ri, but his actions were far too cold. She could feel his blazing soul, but his efficiency was ice-cold. It reminded Daoyi of herself while she was still living in the apocalypse.
In fact, Daoyi also lived like this for the first few years of her life. It wasn't helped by the toxic environment under the duchess's management. Her mother helped her acclimate to being a normal person over the years, but Daoyi could always revert to her apocalypse persona at any instance, just like Xi Ri.
"Prince Ri! What happened? Why is Your Highness back? Is His Majesty okay?" Another eunuch ran towards Xi Ri. He looked young and fired off sentences like a machine gun, but Xi Ri wasn't any less merciful in his strike.
The young eunuch showed a surprised expression before crossing his arms and blocking Xi Ri's attack. It wasn't fully blocked as his sleeves became a bloody mess. "Hmpf, you should have obediently stayed—"
Xi Ri didn't speak any useless words and doubled the intensity of his attack on the eunuch. How could a small eunuch from the Xi Dynasty block Xi Ri's spatial attack?
The answer was that he couldn't. The eunuch was a spy placed by the Nihility Sect.
"Xi Ri, don't expend so much qi. You aren't Tianyi. Those spatial attacks are too consuming with your current mastery and state." Daoyi used her spiritual sense to pop open the cork and pull out a pill for Xi Ri.
She wasn't an alchemist, so it wasn't a true pill. The fake pill was condensed from soul essence and several medicinal materials and had the effect of restoring qi and healing the soul. Xi Ri nodded and swallowed the pill. Instantly he felt his whole body and soul become refreshed like a cool breeze washing over.
"Thank you," Xi Ri said as he continued on his way.
Having been trapped for so long, Xi Ri's spatial ring had long been taken away, so he didn't have any flying treasure to speed up. Even if he did, he would not use it since the sky was currently filled with masters, grandmasters, and even venerable.
After nearly an hour, Xi Ri arrived at his destination, the Eastern Palace of the Imperial Palace. The Eastern Palace was special among all the palaces located within the Imperial Palace as it was the dwelling of the crown prince.
"Stop! No one is allowed—"
Xi Ri didn't bother to allow the guards to finish their words as he formed a spatial blade over his flattened hand and decapitated all of them.
"Ninth Brother, are you rebelling?"
A calm voice sounded as commented the moment Xi Ri walked through the gates of the Eastern Palace. Xi Ri looked up to see Xi Yao, the emperor's eldest son.
Xi Ri didn't bother to speak nonsense, "Where is Emperor-Father's soul."
Xi Yao stopped for a moment. He thought that Xi Ri would quibble with him, such as how he dared to occupy the Eastern Palace or whatnot, but it seemed he was wrong. He felt a ball of anger erupt when he saw Xi Ri's eyes. Those eyes didn't reflect him at all, as if he was an inconsequential person.
It was always like, even when Xi Ri was first born. When Xi Ri was born, he didn't cry or make a ruckus at all. He was frighteningly calm and caused everyone to fawn over him, saying this was an auspicious sign.
Even Emperor-Father thought so. This was only further confirmed when Xi Ri was tested to have heavenly fire spiritual veins. It was as if everyone had forgotten about the legitimate first prince. He, Xi Yao, was the prince born of the empress, the rightful inheritor of the empire!
"Xi Ri, this empire doesn't need you." Xi Yao finally said after a moment of silence. He raised his hand and brought it down.
Instantly several men clothed in black appeared and rushed towards Xi Ri. The men in black exuded the cultivation of Core Formation and Acupoint Opening Realm, and in their heads were an assortment of assassination weapons: awls, daggers, flying guillotine, knives, and many more.
Just as their weapons were about to reach Xi Ri, they suddenly paused in midair before crumpling on the ground. Xi Yao's eyes widened with shock and horror as he looked at Xi Ri. "What did you do!"
Xi Ri didn't say anything to him. "Thank you, Daoyi."
"Do you need me to deal with him too?" Daoyi asked.
Xi Ri shook his head, no need. His face was covered in a layer of frost as he slowly inched closer to Xi Yao, but his voice was steady as if nothing was wrong. "Eldest Brother, do you still remember when I was four years old when I fell into the pond? I almost died that year."
Xi Yao took a step back, his heart full of unrest as he took in his ninth brother's eyes. "N-n-no! W-why are you bringing up unrelated matters?"
"Then what about when I was six, and I fell sick one day?"
"W-wasn't just a common cold?"
"Then what about when a princess of the second rank poisoned me?"
"She d-deserved death. Emperor-Father titled her a princess, yet she dared to strike against the i-imperial family."
"When I was twelve, a stray array almost struck me in the heart. Who shot that arrow?"
"It was a c-careless mistake by one of the official's children. The whole family h-has already been punished!"
"Who do you think sent the assassins after me the month before Sword Empress Xi arrived?"
With each question, Xi Ri stepped forward, and Xi Yao took a retreated just as much, his face paler and paler until his back was pushed against the wall. "Ninth Brother, what do you plan to do?!"
Facing Xi Yao's hysterical voice, Xi Ri was as calm as ever. "What you always wanted to do with me."
"You!"
Xi Yao never finished his words as his Xi Ri appeared in front of him, and his head was sent flying.
"Do you want me to capture his soul?" Daoyi asked as she watched Xi Yao's headless corpse fall onto the cold ground.
"No need. I'm not like Tianyi, who likes to play around if possible." Xi Ri rejected Daoyi's offer.
"Then should I extinguish his soul?" Daoyi asked once more.
This time Xi Ri stayed silent a bit longer before shaking his head. "It's fine. Let him enter the cycle of reincarnation. With his previous actions, no matter how much Emperor-Father shielded him, he should have incurred some karmic sins. Whether he can remain a human in his next life remains to be seen."
After standing silent for a moment, Xi Ri sighed before entering the main hall of the Eastern Palace. With Daoyi's help, Xi Ri quickly discovered where the Xi Emperor's soul was sealed.
After he was unsealed, the Xi Emperor's nascent soul sighed and asked. "How is Yao'er."
Upon seeing Xi Ri's silence, he gave a bitter smile. "I used to think the previous emperor was a terrible emperor and father, but it seems that I'm a good emperor, but not a good father."
Blood-related brothers killing each other was not a rarity in the imperial family. Rather, it was the norm, but because of the emperor's bias, most of it was swept under the rug. The Xi Emperor was different. Just like how he treated Mengfei, he felt that family should not murder each other no matter what. Even if there were no feelings, the blood was there.
Although his own brothers tried to kill him, the Xi Emperor never gave the order to kill them. His brothers have long turned into dirt under the passage of time, unable to enter the Core Formation Realm and extend their lifespan.
The Xi Emperor knew that his eldest son harbored dreams of becoming the next emperor and expanding the empire, but the Xi Emperor was also clear that Xi Yao overestimated his relationship with Mengfei. Mengfei would only give some resources and cultivation methods at most and wouldn't take action unless the Xi Dynasty was in danger of destruction.
Towards this son, the emperor thought he could treat as an idle person or even slowly teaching, but he realized his mistake when he discovered how much ambition Xi Yao had. Especially the ruthlessness of the imperial family that was ingrained into his bones.
The straw that broke the camel's back was Xi Yao's attempts on Xi Ri, his future successor. The Xi Emperor slowly began to take away Xi Yao's influence and power in order to make him an idle prince. The Xi Emperor never realized that Xi Yao would go so far as to extract his soul and collude with external forces.
Still, Xi Yao was the son that accompanied him the longest. It was unavoidable that he would feel heartache when Xi Yao died, even though he knew that Xi Ri was finally pushed to the brink. Still, if he had half the responsibility for Xi Yao's action, then so did the empress. "Xi Ri, remember to cut the grass by the roots. The Empress and Yao'er's...children all died during the conflict with the invaders."
Since Xi Yao has gone too far, then his forces must be extinguished at all costs.
Xi Ri lowered his head. "I understand, Emperor-Father."
The Xi Emperor sighed when he looked at Xi Ri. He knew that Xi Ri wasn't conflicting over killing the empress or Xi Yao's children.
Since young, Xi Ri has rather been emotionless if bright. He was closer to a machine than a human, but the Xi Emperor saw potential in him. Only such a person, cold and emotionless, could become a perfect emperor. So, he gave Xi Ri a direction and instilled his responsibility to create a paradise for the citizens.
It was also the Xi Emperor's orders that Xi Ri joined the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Perhaps, he harbored some hope that Xi Ri would become more human. After all, Xi Ri was still his son, no matter his selfish thoughts. He knew that there was something wrong with Xi Ri, but the Xi Emperor had long gone past that.
At this moment, the Xi Emperor realized that familial relationship wasn't only represented by blood but by bond too.