The assassination of the Eighth Prince within the royal city, along with his beheading, was a severe offense. If the culprit wasn't found and harshly punished, wouldn't it embolden others to target the royal family in the future?
The Duke of Yunwu was furious and summoned the ten generals guarding the city to the palace overnight. He ordered the city gates sealed, Martial Market closed, and a thorough search launched. It was better to apprehend a hundred innocents than to let one guilty person escape.
"After all these years, someone dares assassinate a member of the royal family in the capital? Such audacity!" the Duke of Yunwu growled.
Inside the grand hall, the ten generals felt the Duke's anger like a thunderous explosion. Their ears rang, and they trembled as they immediately knelt.
Each of them commanded tens of thousands of troops, holding immense power. Moreover, they possessed formidable martial skills. However, a mere grunt from the Duke was enough to intimidate them into submission.
No one could forget that the Duke was a powerhouse at the Heaven Extreme Realm, a legend in martial arts and a figure akin to the heavens among warriors.
The royal advisor, Xue Jingtian, bowed respectfully and said, "My lord, could this incident be related to the Moon Worship Demonic Sect? In Yunwu Commandery, the only groups daring enough to oppose the royal family are them and the Black Market."
"While the Black Market harbors many ruthless and evil characters, they usually act out of self-interest. Killing the Eighth Prince brings them no benefit, so it doesn't align with their style."
"On the other hand, the Moon Worship Demonic Sect worships demonic gods and behaves unpredictably. They could very well assassinate the Eighth Prince to challenge the authority of the royal family."
"The Moon Worship Demonic Sect?" The Duke's eyes narrowed.
In Yunwu Commandery, the royal family was the most powerful force, commanding all the armies and boasting countless strong warriors.
Other sects and clans paled in comparison to the royal family. However, some groups could rival the royal authority, such as the Inscription Guild, the Moon Worship Demonic Sect, the Black Market, and the Martial Market Bank.
The Inscription Guild and the Martial Market Bank spanned the entire Kunlun Realm. Their influence was such that their words could sway the Duke of Yunwu's decisions.
However, these two organizations typically cooperated with official powers, mutually benefiting from such relationships. Under normal circumstances, they would not oppose the ruling forces.
In times of peace, they symbolically submitted to official control, accepting the jurisdiction of authorities to some extent. However, when it came to their core interests, they remained autonomous, beyond the reach of governmental interference.
The Black Market, like the Inscription Guild and the Martial Market Bank, had existed since ancient times and remained beyond official control. They specialized in illegal dealings and represented the world's darker side.
They controlled assassins, thieves, outlaws, slave traders, and dark mercenaries across the realm. The Black Market's influence rivaled that of the Martial Market Bank, and despite official efforts to suppress them, they remained resilient. In some regions, the Black Market even controlled entire commanderies, turning them into havens of darkness.
The Moon Worship Demonic Sect was even more fearsome. With numerous experts in every commandery and city, they openly opposed governmental forces. Their goal was to overthrow the First Central Empire and dominate the Kunlun Realm.
In each commandery, the sect established a main base led by a Grand Altar Master. Each city under the commandery had its own branch, led by a Branch Master.
In Yunwu Commandery, the Moon Worship Demonic Sect had its presence as well. It was rumored that the Grand Altar Master here was also a Heaven Extreme Realm cultivator, making him a martial arts legend.
"If it truly is the Moon Worship Demonic Sect behind the assassination, it's a serious threat. They are likely testing Yunwu Commandery's defenses, gathering their forces to prepare for an all-out assault," Advisor Xue Jingtian added.
Xue Jingtian, being the Queen's brother, knew that the Eighth Prince had been mistakenly killed by people sent by the Queen. To divert suspicion from the Queen, he had to shift the Duke's attention to the Moon Worship Demonic Sect.
The assassination of a prince was serious, but a threat from the Moon Worship Demonic Sect was even more so.
For the past eight centuries, the sect had destroyed several commanderies, becoming a nightmare for many rulers. If the sect truly intended to invade Yunwu Commandery, even the most pressing issues would have to be set aside.
Hearing the advisor's words, the Duke of Yunwu's expression turned grave.
Xue Jingtian glanced at the Duke, finally feeling relieved. He had successfully diverted the Duke's attention. If the Duke had ordered a thorough investigation into the Eighth Prince's death, it might have led back to the Queen.
"The Eighth Prince couldn't have been killed by the Moon Worship Demonic Sect!" Zhang Ruochen's voice echoed as he entered the hall.
Xue Jingtian's eyes narrowed. "Does the Ninth Prince have another perspective?"
Zhang Ruochen replied, "The Eighth Prince was riding my carriage when he was killed. It's clear that the assassins' true target was me, and the Eighth Prince was killed by mistake."
The Duke nodded. "Ninth Prince is right. The Moon Worship Demonic Sect operates with high-profile methods. If they intended to provoke the royal family, it wouldn't be through a secretive assassination. This matter must be thoroughly investigated! Furthermore, to be cautious, Ge Qian, immediately leave the palace and secretly investigate the sect's recent movements."
"I accept the order!"
The Duke's chief guard, Ge Qian, bowed before departing. He set off into the night to investigate the Moon Worship Demonic Sect.
Shortly after, Zhang Ruochen and the ten generals left the hall.
The generals went to investigate the Eighth Prince's death, while Zhang Ruochen returned to the Yushu Palace. After checking on Yun'er's injuries, he retreated into the spatial realm within the Time and Space Crystal to continue his cultivation.
"The assassins were clearly after me. Tonight was extremely dangerous. If the Eighth Prince hadn't forced Yun'er to drive him back to the palace, I would have been the one killed. Who could it be?"
His performance during the year-end assessment must have drawn jealousy. The palace members were the most likely suspects.
Of course, the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect could also be involved. After all, a prodigy emerging within the royal family posed a threat to them. To them, the best course of action was to eliminate such a talent in its cradle.
"Why bother overthinking it? If my cultivation becomes powerful enough, no one will be able to kill me. Besides, with the uproar caused by the Eighth Prince's assassination, it's unlikely that the assassins will make a second attempt anytime soon."
Zhang Ruochen stopped dwelling on it and took out a Celestial Fire Pill, holding it in his palm.
The pill, the size of a dragon's eye, looked like a burning flame, emanating intense heat.
A third-tier pill was indeed extraordinary, containing an incredible amount of energy.
Just one Celestial Fire Pill was as valuable as a fifth-rank True Martial Artifact. Only someone like Zhang Ruochen would purchase seven at once. And only someone with his formidable physique would dare consume it. If any other mid-level Yellow Extreme Realm cultivator tried, they might be consumed by the pill's fiery energy.
When Zhang Ruochen swallowed the pill, it felt like ingesting a miniature sun. The pain was as intense as the training in the Barbarian God Pool.
"Sizzle!"
The pill released streams of fiery energy, seeping into Zhang Ruochen's meridians, flesh, bones, and organs, continuously refining his body.
It took him three full days to fully absorb the pill's fiery energy, significantly enhancing his physique. His Qi reservoir also expanded, doubling in volume.
In these three days, Zhang Ruochen had only absorbed 30% of the pill's energy.
Over the next five days, he refined the rest, further increasing his Qi levels.
"At this rate, refining two more Celestial Fire Pills will allow me to reach the peak of the mid-level Yellow Extreme Realm."
The Celestial Fire Pill's primary function was to refine the body, but its potency was so overwhelming that it also significantly boosted Zhang Ruochen's True Qi.
He decided to take a break from refining pills. The intense potency of the Celestial Fire Pill was taxing, and even his resilient body needed time to recover.
"I'll start practicing the basic spatial inscriptions first!"
Zhang Ruochen took out an inscription pen and spiritual paper, infusing the pen with True Qi and repeatedly attempting to inscribe on the paper.
For an entire day, he practiced, going through over 130 sheets without success.
However, he remained undeterred, continuing to practice and inscribe.
Over the next month, Zhang Ruochen remained mostly within the spatial realm, only leaving once every three days.
He dedicated most of his time to practicing the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the Heaven Heart Sword Technique, and inscribing the eight basic spatial formations.
In one month in the outside world, three months passed inside the spatial realm.
After three months, Zhang Ruochen had refined three Celestial Fire Pills, filling his Qi reservoir completely and reaching the peak of the mid-level Yellow Extreme Realm. He was ready to advance to the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm.
"With my current physique, it's almost equivalent to my previous life. After all, I reached the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm when I was only six years old," Zhang Ruochen mused.
He prepared to break through to the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm.
"I wonder how many meridians I'll unlock this time? In my past life, I unlocked twenty-seven at this stage. Will I surpass that in this life?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes gleamed with determination. No matter what, he had to achieve it.