"Chi Yao, I loved you with all my heart, yet why did you take my life?" Zhang Ruochen thundered and charged forward, causing the gilded bed to creak under his weight as he sat up abruptly.
It was just a dream, and Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.
But it couldn't be just a dream!
How could what had happened between him and Princess Chi Yao be a dream?
Zhang Ruochen was originally the sole son of Emperor Ming among the Nine Great Emperors in the Kunlun Realm. At the age of sixteen, he had achieved the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Extreme Realm with his extraordinary physique.
However, just as he was on the verge of becoming the top young genius in the Kunlun Realm, he was slain by his childhood sweetheart and fiancée, Princess Chi Yao.
Princess Chi Yao was the daughter of Emperor Qing, one of the Nine Great Emperors. Emperor Ming and Emperor Qing were bosom friends, and Zhang Ruochen and Princess Chi Yao had been engaged since they were infants. They had grown up together and practiced martial arts simultaneously. One was heroic and dashing, while the other was beautiful beyond compare. They were a perfect match and should have become a glorious chapter in the history of cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen could never have imagined that Princess Chi Yao would actually turn on him!
After being killed by Princess Chi Yao, when Zhang Ruochen regained consciousness again, he found himself eight hundred years later.
Princess Chi Yao had already quelled the Rebellion of the Nine Emperors, unified the Nine Kingdoms, and established the First Central Empire, becoming the supreme ruler of the entire Kunlun Realm - Empress Chi Yao.
Eight hundred years ago, the nine emperors who had reigned supreme in the Kunlun Realm had become a thing of the past and vanished into the long river of history.
The nine emperors were dead, and the empress had ascended the throne.
In this era, there was only one emperor, that is, Empress Chi Yao, who reigned over the world with absolute power.
"Why did she kill me? How could her heart be so cold and ruthless? Or is it that all women's hearts are as cold as ice?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes were as sharp as daggers, and his heart was as firm as a rock. He was filled with countless questions, but there was no one who could answer him.
Eight hundred years had passed, and the world had undergone a profound transformation. Everything was different. Except for Empress Chi Yao, who was a supreme powerhouse with extraordinary cultivation skills and who remained young and immortal, all the former friends had long turned into dust and bones.
Even the nine powerful emperors who had once dominated the world had disappeared without a trace, leaving only glorious stories that were passed down and praised by future generations.
"Creak!"
A frail palace maid in a silk dress pushed the door open and entered. She looked at Zhang Ruochen sitting on the bed with concern and said, "Chen'er, have you had another nightmare?"
This beautiful maid was Lin Fei, the wife of Prince Yunwu and Zhang Ruochen's mother.
The original owner of this body had been plagued by a weak constitution and had died of illness three days ago.
After being killed by Princess Chi Yao, Zhang Ruochen was reborn in this body, bringing the dead teenager back to life. Coincidentally, the original owner of this body was also named Zhang Ruochen.
When Zhang Ruochen first woke up, he still resented Lin Fei. After all, in his eyes, Lin Fei was just a stranger to him.
However, after three days of contact, Zhang Ruochen gradually discovered that Lin Fei really cared about him deeply, taking care of him with meticulous attention. When Zhang Ruochen had a nightmare and was frightened awake, Lin Fei even rushed to his room immediately, regardless of the cold weather.
In his previous life, Zhang Ruochen had never seen his biological mother. It was said that she had passed away at his birth! Unexpectedly, after being killed by Princess Chi Yao and being reborn in this body, he had gained another mother and experienced the warmth of maternal love.
"Maybe she doesn't know that her Chen'er passed away three days ago!" Zhang Ruochen thought to himself. "If I tell her the truth, she may not be able to bear this tragic news."
Zhang Ruochen looked at this beautiful maid and his eyes became gentle. He smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry about me. It's just a dream."
Lin Fei, who was thin and wearing a red fox fur cloak, sat by Zhang Ruochen's bed, stroking his forehead and said worriedly, "It's been three nights already. You've always been awakened by nightmares, and you keep shouting 'Chi Yao's' name. Who is she?"
Lin Fei naturally couldn't associate the name "Chi Yao" with the empress of the First Central Empire.
Moreover, after Empress Chi Yao unified the Kunlun Realm and established the First Central Empire, she was known as the Great Venerable and Great Female Saint Emperor. Normally, no one dared to mention the name "Chi Yao" because it was a serious taboo.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It's nothing, mother. You must have heard it wrong!"
Lin Fei sighed and said, "In the future, never directly call out Princess Chi Yao's name, even in your dreams. That's the empress's name. Directly calling the empress's name is an act of disrespect. Once someone with ulterior motives hears it, you will be in great danger."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and tightly squeezed his fingers, with a profound meaning as he said, "Definitely not! In the future..."
In the future, I will be her worst nightmare.
Lin Fei looked at Zhang Ruochen, who was thin and pale, and sighed softly. Her heart was filled with bitterness.
Although she was born into the royal family, he had suffered from a weak constitution since childhood. At the age of sixteen, he still had to stay in bed all year round. It seemed that this was his fate!
Outside, a chaotic sound of footsteps approached.
"What are you doing? This is the Yushu Palace. Who gave you the audacity to break in randomly?" A beautiful maid tried to stop Prince Ba from entering, but she was gently pushed aside by Prince Ba and fell more than ten meters away.
Prince Ba was a martial artist with a cultivation level of the Yellow Extreme Realm. With a single palm strike, he could send a three-hundred-jin stone plate flying ten zhang away. Not to mention a maid who weighed only a hundred or so jin? With a flick of his finger, he could send her flying.
The maid let out a shrill scream and fell to the ground heavily. Her left arm was broken.
Prince Ba was wearing a golden dress and a jade belt around his waist. He was strong and tall, with long arms and a steady gait. He walked into the Yushu Palace and glared at the maid and said, "How dare a maid stop me? She's simply asking for trouble."
Behind Prince Ba, six guards in leopard-skin armor followed him. They were tall and strong, with broad shoulders and big waists. They were obviously powerful martial artists and belonged to the imperial guards of the royal palace.
Lin Fei heard the commotion outside and, after comforting Zhang Ruochen, she closed the door and went out.
She stared at Prince Ba and frowned slightly, saying, "Prince Ba, this is the Yushu Palace. Even if you are a prince, you can't just break in without permission."
Prince Ba raised his head and stared at Lin Fei, saying loudly, "The queen has ordered that the palaces of Princess Lin and Prince Nine should be moved to the Ziyi Side Hall. From now on, the master of the Yushu Palace will be my mother, Princess Xiao."
Lin Fei's face changed slightly. She had expected this day to come, but she didn't expect it to come so soon.
Lin Fei forced a smile and said, "Is the queen in such a hurry to drive us母子 away from the Yushu Palace? Well! Tomorrow, I will move to the side hall with Chen'er."
Prince Ba said, "I'm sorry! My mother said that she wants to move into the Yushu Palace tonight. Please move to the side hall immediately, Princess Lin!"
Lin Fei knew that Zhang Ruochen was weak and sick and couldn't bear the trouble. With a pleading tone, she said, "Prince Ba, you also know that your ninth brother is in poor health. It's already late at night and the weather is cold. What if..."
Prince Ba sneered and said without hesitation, "Princess Lin, there are many poor people in this world, but not everyone deserves our pity. Since the ninth prince is so weak and sick, what's the point of him still living in this world?"
"He is your ninth brother!" Lin Fei still wanted to say something. Suddenly, the door behind her opened.
Zhang Ruochen, who was weak, supported himself by the door post to barely stand up and stared at Prince Ba. His seemingly weak body seemed to be filled with an unwavering will as he said, "There's no need to beg them. Let's move now."
"Chen'er, why did you get out of bed? It's cold outside. Come back quickly." Lin Fei quickly went forward to support Zhang Ruochen, fearing that he would catch a cold.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head stubbornly and said, "Mother, we don't need to beg anyone. Sooner or later... we will regain our place here!"
Lin Fei looked at Zhang Ruochen's firm eyes and seemed to be infected by his emotions. She nodded with tears in her eyes.
Lin Fei supported Zhang Ruochen and walked out of the Yushu Palace step by step. Except for the maid who was pushed out by Prince Ba and broke her arm, the other servants did not follow them to leave the Yushu Palace.
Everyone could see that Princess Lin and Prince Nine had completely lost their power and influence in the county king's mansion and would never have a chance to rise again.
Originally, they were servants of the Yushu Palace. Now, they naturally chose to stay in the Yushu Palace wisely and all went to curry favor with Prince Ba, the new master.
The Ziyi Side Hall was usually the residence of the neglected princesses and was very secluded. There were fallen leaves all over the ground, and it seemed that no one had lived there for a long time.
It was deep at night, and the cold wind was howling.
Sitting on the cold stone bench, Zhang Ruochen, who was thin, was wrapped in a coat, but still felt the cold penetrating to his bones.
"This body is too weak. Only by practicing martial arts can I strengthen my body. Otherwise, even if I am the son of the county king now, I will still be at the mercy of others." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Eight hundred years had passed, and Zhang Ruochen had no idea where he could go. Since God had arranged for him to be reborn in this body, whether it was to take revenge on Empress Chi Yao in the future or to take care of his mother, who had been taking care of him meticulously, he had to become stronger.
The humiliation and mistreatment he had suffered today were all because he was too weak to resist, unable to control his own destiny, and even his residence had been forcibly occupied by others.
If he wanted to gain the respect of others and obtain a warm and comfortable living environment, he had to become a martial artist and prove his ability.
In the Kunlun Realm, if you wanted to become a martial artist, you had to first open the "Shenwu Mark".
The so-called "Shenwu Mark" was the divine gift bestowed upon humans to practice martial arts. Without opening the "Shenwu Mark", it was impossible to cultivate true energy and become a powerful figure in the world.
Zhang Ruochen was already sixteen years old, but he still hadn't opened the "Shenwu Mark".
After the age of sixteen, it was the best time to practice martial arts. Even if he opened the "Shenwu Mark", he might not achieve much.
Why was Prince Ba able to be superior to others and drive Zhang Ruochen and Lin Fei out of the Yushu Palace?
It was because Prince Ba had opened the "Shenwu Mark" at the age of ten and was now a young martial artist at the Yellow Extreme Realm.
"As long as I can open the 'Shenwu Mark', I can practice the 'Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra'. With the profound mystery of the 'Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra', even if I have missed the best age for cultivation, I may still have the chance to catch up with other geniuses and regain my status as a martial artist."
The "Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra" was the supreme scripture practiced by Emperor Ming. Except for Emperor Ming, only Zhang Ruochen knew the complete cultivation method of the "Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra".
"Tomorrow is the Sacrifice Ceremony. I hope I can receive the recognition of the gods and open the 'Shenwu Mark'." Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists and was filled with an eager hope to open the "Shenwu Mark".
After Lin Fei tidied up the room, she came to support Zhang Ruochen and said, "Chen'er, you should go to bed early! Tomorrow, you have to attend the Sacrifice Ceremony."
"Mother, I am confident that I will be able to open the 'Shenwu Mark' tomorrow!" Zhang Ruochen said firmly.
"Okay! Mother believes in you!" Lin Fei looked at Zhang Ruochen deeply and let out a soft sigh.
In fact, she didn't have much hope that Zhang Ruochen could open the "Shenwu Mark". After all, Zhang Ruochen was already sixteen years old, and it was almost impossible for him to open the Shenwu Mark at this age.
However, as a mother, she had to encourage her child and give him confidence.