"Yo... youn.. young patriarch!!!" The elder's voice cracked with shock and disbelief.
Who would have thought the naked person reported here would be his young patriarch that he was tasked to protect.
The sight before him was so absurd, so utterly unexpected, it sent him reeling.
Overwhelmed, the elder crumpled to his knees. A moment later, a burst of uncontrollable laughter erupted from him.
"Pfthahahahahaa" roared the elder with laughter, trying to stifle his laughter with his hand but failing miserably.
I mean who could blame him when seeing such a sight?
The poor bastard's body was hanging by a rope attached to his foot hanging off the side of a water fountain. On his stomach was writing that said "Daddy's little princess"
Who knew their young patriarch's manhood would be cursed by the heavens. How he would keep his marriage partner happy in the future is a mystery.
Hearing the elder's laughter echo through the silent city caused the guards to start sweating a bit at his behavior.
"Has this old man lost it?" thought one guard.
"He looks as if he has found his perfect prey" said another with a chill running down his spine.
Minutes passed and the guards were forced to watch as the elder roared with laughter, sometimes dropping on all fours or even his back.
Minutes passed until the elder finally regained his composure.
"Hehe... I needed that" spoke the elder to no one.
Slowly standing up, he walked up to the water fountain, grabbed his young patriarch's soaking-wet hair, and pulled him out, dragging his naked limp body on the ground.
Seeing him still unconscious, the elder in his thousand years of wisdom knew exactly what to do.
Balling up his hand, he blew on it, cocking it back, he smashed it down on his young patriarch's head.
"WAKE UP!! DUMBASS"
Dust blew everywhere, everything within 2 meters was blown to bits by the sheer power behind that fist.
"Seems you're finally awake you idiot" said the elder while looking down at the young patriarch holding his head in pain with tears pooling in the corner of his eyes.
"Damn you, old bastard, just wait till my father hears about your behavior" roared the young patriarch while trying to ease the pain in his head.
Standing up straight the elder spoke "I think you have bigger problems to worry about" while pointing at him.
Following the elder's finger, he saw him pointing at himself "Me??" He asked stupefied.
Looking down, horror-struck him as he realized he was stark naked in front of the elder and a crowd of guards.
"Giahhhhhhhhhhhhh" His scream of terror pierced the air.
Frantically, he tried to cover his manhood with his hands. "Don't just stand there, get me something to wear!"
"Not so fast," the elder retorted, a hint of disgust in his tone. "It's about time you learn some humility, young man."
"This is the perfect opportunity to develop your character and humble those arrogant bones in you"
The elder then commanded the guards, "Open the area up, let everyone see the shamelessness of this one."
"Yes sir!" roared in unison the guards and they quickly let the people through.
Seeing the masses headed his way, the young patriarch was just about to fly away but was caught by a firm hand.
Slowly turning to look, he saw the elder had a sly smile on his face "Not so fast young patriarch, as I said, treat it as a learning experience"
Feeling his cultivation become sealed, he knew his reputation and character were over.
"I'll be awaiting the good results of my work 5 hours from now" And with that, he disappeared in front of him.
Slumping down on the ground, he felt naked and afraid. Never had he been treated this way in his life.
Growing up, everyone had treated him like royalty, always enjoying the adoration he received. No one dared to treat him wrongly and if they did, their entire generation would be wiped off the continent.
He enjoyed the best resources the continent had to offer, had access to the best teachers, and unmatched talent that no one had seen in thousands of years.
Who gave this elder the courage to do this to him, not even his father would dare lay a hand on him.
"Mommy, what is that guy sitting down in the street all wet" said a little girl nearby, her innocent eyes wide with curiosity.
Her mother, quick to shield her child's eyes, spoke with a tone of disgust, "Don't look over there, honey. That's just an ugly, shameless man who forgot his decency."
Around them, similar murmurs and disdainful comments filled the air. As the crowd's disgust grew, the men, irked by the exposure of such indecency to their families, started to close in on the young patriarch, their faces twisted in anger.
"Have you had enough of your sick fantasies" said one person cracking their knuckles.
"I bet your parents are beaming with pride, seeing you like this kid" another jeered sarcastically.
A third onlooker, glancing at the young patriarch's exposed manhood, shook his head and chuckled, delivering a crushing blow to the young patriarch's pride.
Cornered and desperate, the young patriarch tried to assert his authority. "Do you know who I am?! I can erase your entire families from this continent!"
The crowd of men looked at each other with laughter.
The crowd shared a look of amusement before bursting into laughter. One man stepped forward, bowing mockingly. "Oh, the naked man has a background. Enlighten us, young master," he said, dripping with sarcasm.
Grinding his teeth in anger, he knew they were mocking him but what could he do? He couldn't just say he's the young patriarch of Sky Palace, that would mean ruining his reputation.
Reaching a boiling point, he felt something within him snap, like a thread holding the monster within him finally became undone.
Before he knew it, he felt a monstrous rage, long suppressed, began to bubble to the surface.
"COURTING DEA-" he started to roar, but his declaration was cut short.
But one man in the crowd, already having a particularly bad day snapped when seeing this indecent man on the street exposing his manhood to his wife and kid broke the last straw.
Within the next hour, everyone in the vicinity heard pleads of mercy and terror-filled screams coming from an alleyway.
When questioned, the guards casually brushed it off as a 'survival exercise,' easing the crowd's growing anxiety.
Soon darkness enveloped the city, in a dark alleyway, we find the young patriarch of Sky Palace in a dumpster container tied up and covered in his dirt and his own blood.
"Just wait till I find those two women who did this to me" roared the young patriarch in the dumpster container.
Thousands of miles away, in the night sky Illuminated by the moon and stars, we find a male flying away with a female at top speed, occasionally unknown bursts coming from their feet propelling them faster than their cultivation should allow.
"I think this is far enough" spoke the handsome male, his voice carrying a mix of exhaustion and relief.
Glancing back to ensure no one was following, the beautiful female responded between heavy breaths, "Yeah, I think you're right. I can't go any further."
Reaching the ground, they came to a secluded spot in the woods and flopped to the ground, both drained from having flown at their max speed and more for hours.
"Hey," the male said after a moment, his breath still ragged from the exertion, "Do you think it's such a good idea to stay here defenseless in the middle of the woods"
"Probably not..." she admitted, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
There was a pause as they both contemplated their situation
"Do you think they'll find us?" she finally asked, her voice laced with a mix of fear and uncertainty.
Chuckling a bit he answered "Maybe not me, but you?? I'm sure that bastard Li Chen has labeled you as his eternal enemy"
"Dammit Jun, this is all your fault, we could have been treated as royalty in the future looking down on everyone if you hadn't tickled me" shot back Yinling.
"Maybe..."
Catching his breath again, he continued "We could have been world nobles but at the expense of becoming that guy's wife"
She looked at him, puzzled. "Wife? What are you talking about?"
"Well didn't you find it odd how that Li Chen only ranked 3rd when he clearly should have gotten first place"
"Maybe a bit but we als-"
"The city lord also mentioned how he himself is not capable of making such decisions like letting someone join Sky Palace, but he was granted permission to do so. Just think about it"
With a gloomy face, she could finally see the truth of the matter. They only won those positions so they could join that Li Chen in his journey.
Luckily she had trusted Jun and ran away with him otherwise... she didn't even want to think about that.
Seeing the disheartened look on Yinling's face, Jun tried to lighten the mood. "Anyway, it's probably for the best that we didn't join. Who knows if our attributes are some kind of forbidden taboo? Could've gotten us killed."
"So where do we go now" Yinling asked.
A heavy silence fell between them, the only sound being the rustle of leaves in the gentle night breeze.
After a long pause, Jun finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't know..."