Judging from their clothes and demeanor, there wasn't one man in that new group that didn't belong to the high nobility. But regardless of how extraordinary their own backgrounds were, they formed perfect lines behind the young man at their helm, walking with impeccable military discipline.
Dressed in black brocade robes embroidered with a red tiger, and with a jeweled crown resting on his head, that young man exuded an aura of irresistible martial might—the type that only years spent on the battlefield could give birth to.
He had yet to utter a word, yet all on the scene dropped to their knees. Nangong Huanya's armored guards were no exception, for even if they didn't recognize the chiseled face and combed dark hair, one look at that man's red tiger emblem and jeweled crown was enough to tell…that he belonged to the royal family!
And not just any member. This was a royal prince!
"S-seventh prince…" Nangong Huanya blurted out. Despair filled his heart, and to the audience's shock, Nangong Huanya dropped to his knees, banging his head on the floor as he kowtowed at the seventh prince.
"Young master…"
"Shut up!" Barely had one of the armored guards tried to object that Nangong Huanya snapped, not giving the armored guard the opportunity to finish his words.
In theory, members of Golden Blood families didn't have to bow to royals. But in truth, this was handled on a case-by-case basis. Had it been any other royal prince, Nangong Huanya wouldn't have dropped to his knees. But in front of Zi Shou, the seventh prince of Yin, no need to mention Nangong Huanya, even his father the Southern Duke dared not face this young man with his back straight.
And how else could it be…when Zi Shou was not only the only son of Queen Wen, Wen Tianhua's very own darling niece, but the one and only disciple that Wen Tianhua had accepted in his 2,500 years of cultivation!
There was a common saying in Yin, "Better be an ordinary member of the Wen clan than a prince of the royal family." And while slightly exaggerated, this wasn't far from the truth. Wen Tianhua had no children of his own, and after becoming a Saint, focused all the wealth he'd accumulated throughout his life on nurturing his younger siblings, nephews and grandnephews. The result was that, after 1,500 years of cultivation, the Wen clan had not only caught up to, but surpassed the royal family, now being the indisputable number one power of the Yin Dynasty.
Zi Shou not only had the blood of the Wen clan flowing through his vein, but as the only disciple of Wen Tianhua, the training, resources and martial skills that he had access to were simply unfathomable. But perhaps the most terrifying aspect of this prince…was that no one knew anything about him.
No one knew his bloodline grade, his body refinement level, battlefield accomplishments, and even his face was a topic of secrecy, known only to the high nobility. It was almost as if the royal family was desperate to erase the existence of their most remarkable prince.
But was he even?
No one could tell!
Nangong Huanya didn't care. As long as Zi Shou remained the disciple of Wen Tianhua, even if he only had a Blood Purification cultivation base, Huanya would never dare to show the tiniest bit of disrespect before him.
"What's wrong, young master Nangong? Not so long ago weren't you actively showing off your power and wealth? Why is it that now you're groveling at my feet? Members of Golden Blooded families do not have to kneel, much less kowtow, before a royal prince. Stand up, less these commoners mistake me for my royal father," Zi Shou said, and identic to his aura, his words carried crushing martial pressure that made the Blood Purification level warriors within the crowd tremble in fear.
"Your servant…doesn't dare. Please forgive your servant for stepping out of bounds!" Even with Zi Shou's permission,
In fact, now more than ever, he dared not. For unlike the low-level warriors in the crowd, by analyzing the energy fluctuations flowing out of Zi Shou, Nangong Huanya now had a rough estimation of his body refinement level.
The seventh prince was only 22 years old, but had already reached…the Congenital realm. Even Golden-blooded warriors needed about 45 years of cultivation to reach the Congenital realm. Nangong Huanya achieving that cultivation at such a young age could only mean two things:
One, Wen Tianhua used some kind of secret pill or technique to speed up his disciple's cultivation.
Or two, the seventh prince's bloodline exceeded the golden level. And knowing Wen Tianhua, this was the most likely option.
Was that news to spread, the entire Yin dynasty would be turned upside down. Neighboring states would dispatch hordes of assassins, determined to execute the young prince as soon as possible.
In fact, no need to mention neighboring states, the threat of another Wen Tianhua, this time born in the royal family, would be enough to force the four Great Dukes to take action.
'Fuck! Why have my senses suddenly become so sharp that just based on his aura, I was able to tell his cultivation base? Now I can't move!' Scared stiff by Zi Shou's cultivation level, Nangong Huanya shivered, breaking into a cold sweat.
Now, it was Zi Shou's turn to be surprised. At first, the seventh prince only wanted to scare Nangong Huanya and make him leave the old man in peace. But judging from the absurd level of fear in Huanya's eyes, Zi Shou was starting to wonder if the Nangong young master had not seen through his cultivation base.
But how could that be?
"I said…stand up!" Now eager to find out what Huanya knew, Zi Shou raised his right hand, the might of his fleshly body kicked in, causing a blast of formless energies to shoot at Nangong Huanya.
As far as Zi Shou and his men were concerned, no matter how much weaker Huanya was, that blast would just be enough to forcefully raise him to his feet.
However…
"Your Highness, please don't kill me!" Controlled by forces that amplified his fear, Nangong Huanya begged for mercy—causing the faces of Zi Shou and his subordinates to twist into grimaces.
Right afterward…it began.
*BANG*
In one loud banging sound, Nangong Huanya's head burst into blood and gore, his body falling limp immediately afterward.
"W-what? H-how?!" Shocked numb by this result, Zi Shou stammered in disbelief, unable to comprehend how his casual hand movement had resulted in Nangong Huanya's head exploding like an inflated balloon.
"AAAARGH! Young master!"
"Zi Shou, you heinous beast! Even if the young master was in the wrong, you didn't have to kill him!" Enraged to murderous heights, Nangong Huanya's 20 bodyguards leaped to their feet. But before they could make another move…
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
In a loud succession of banging sounds, all 20 armored guards' heads exploded into blood and gore. As with their master beforehand, their corpses fell face-first, laying limp on the floor.
"Your Highness…what is wrong with you?" Horrified by the situation, some of Zi Shou's subordinates pressed their lord for answers. But barely had the words left their mouths that…
*BANG*
Their heads burst as well, all 19 sons of high-ranking aristocratic families becoming headless corpses.
"No, nononono! Noooo!" Now bathed in the blood of his subordinates, Zi Shou went mad from fright, stammering as he looked left and right, seeking answers, something that still made sense in all this madness.
"The seventh prince has gone mad and is slaughtering people left and right!" The crowd rose to its feet, dispersing in a hurry.
"It's not! It's not me! I'm innocent!" Zi Shou barked for all to hear.
Alas…
More banging sounds, and hundreds of citizens' heads popped as well, forming a pool of blood and gore with Zi Shou at its center.
"Tac, tac, bang, bang! Bang! Bang, Bang! Tac, tac, bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang! Boom, bang! Bam, boom, bang!" Meanwhile, Huan Yi and Taotie floated in the sky, invisible to all underneath them. The Demon Child hummed a strange and incomprehensible tune, rhythmically snapping his fingers.
Each time Huan Yi's fingers snapped, a bunch of heads popped underneath, adding to the bundle of corpses that formed around Zi Shou.
"Oh, gracious heavens. I hate bystanders with a passion," Huan Yi said, prompting Taotie to nod in approval.
"Likewise, master. They add nothing of substance to the scene, yet somehow always find their way in."