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At the same time.

In Blackstone City.

After the chaos of the day, the city had once again returned to its usual tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened. Only the occasional murmurs of passersby provided some idle chatter over food and drink.

Inside a tavern.

In a private room on the second floor, a man dressed in a bright yellow robe stood with an air of authority, as if he were an emperor gazing down upon the mortal world. His eyes flickered with divine light, sharp and piercing as he looked out the window, lost in thought.

This man was none other than the eldest prince of the Great Zhou Empire—Ji Hong.

“How goes the investigation?” Ji Hong asked indifferently.

Behind him, a guard knelt on one knee, his expression respectful as he answered in a deep voice, “Your Highness, Fa Zhao’s whereabouts remain elusive. We are still searching.”

“For Fa Zhao to escape from the Great Chu Dynasty’s territory, he must possess some remarkable abilities. If you find him, do not act rashly—report to me immediately.” Ji Hong turned around and spoke calmly.

Unlike others, Ji Hong bore no particular hostility toward Fa Zhao. In fact, he even harbored some interest in recruiting him. After all, one man’s enemy could be another man’s ally.

The Great Bright Monastery had been destroyed by forces from the Great Chu Dynasty, and Fa Zhao was once its Buddha’s Son. It was impossible for him not to hold a grudge against the Great Chu Dynasty.

If Fa Zhao had remained trapped within Great Chu’s borders, Ji Hong, even as the eldest prince of Great Zhou, would have had no way to reach him. His influence simply did not extend into another nation.

But now…

Fa Zhao had escaped to Yunzhou territory, giving Ji Hong the perfect opportunity.

If he could recruit Fa Zhao, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. After all, Fa Zhao held the inheritance of the Great Bright Monastery and wielded a sacred weapon.

Perhaps he even had a few surviving high monks of the monastery standing behind him.

With such individuals by his side, Ji Hong’s chances of claiming the throne—or even waging war against the Great Chu Dynasty in the future—would increase significantly.

“Understood,” the guard replied respectfully.

“Your Highness…”

The guard hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to speak his next words.

“Speak,” Ji Hong’s gaze fell upon him, his eyes gleaming with light as he uttered a single word.

“Your Highness, the Third Princess has been relentlessly pursued by the Great Chu Dynasty’s Champion Marquis. Should we…?”

The guard’s voice trailed off.

Both the eldest prince and the third princess were members of the Great Zhou royal family. One being hunted while the other remained indifferent—it wouldn’t matter if they were far apart.

But the key issue was that both of them were in Yunzhou territory.

If this news reached the Great Zhou Empire, it would undoubtedly paint Ji Hong as cold and heartless.

“You dare teach me how to handle my affairs?”

Ji Hong’s expression instantly turned cold. Without making a single move, an overwhelming pressure descended from above, pressing down on the guard’s shoulders. His entire body sank as if an invisible force was crushing him.

In an instant, his face turned deathly pale. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead.

For a brief moment…

He could even sense a terrifying intent to kill!

Without a doubt, his previous words had displeased the prince.

“Your subordinate admits his fault! Please spare me, Your Highness!” The guard immediately begged for forgiveness.

“Enough.”

Ji Hong waved his hand dismissively, his expression returning to its usual calm. With a mere thought, he withdrew his oppressive aura and casually remarked, “You may leave.”

“Thank you, Your Highness! Your subordinate takes his leave!”

The guard did not dare to linger a second longer. He quickly bowed, then backed away and exited the room.

When the guard had left,

Ji Hong turned back toward the distance, a faint, indifferent smile appearing on his lips as he murmured to himself,

“Third Sister, go without worry. One day, your royal brother will make the entire Great Chu Dynasty pay with their lives for your departure!”

As his words fell, his expression suddenly changed.

“This is…?”

Ji Hong spread out his spiritual sense, looking toward the eastern part of Blackstone City, a flicker of doubt flashing through his eyes. However, he didn’t hesitate for long—he took a single step forward, transforming into a streak of divine light as he shot toward the east.

Meanwhile, within Blackstone City—

Countless radiant beams of light soared into the sky.

Each streak of brilliance represented a terrifying existence. Among them were Ji Hong’s personal guards, rogue cultivators, and powerful figures from various sects.

Clearly, they had all sensed the disturbance in the east of Blackstone City.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, they had traveled 800 miles—but the original landscape of that place was no longer recognizable.

All around, devastation reigned supreme.

It was as if the heavens and the earth had been shattered by an apocalyptic battle.

Up in the sky,

Two figures were engaged in a fierce battle, their movements so swift they left afterimages.

The terrifying shockwaves of their battle swept across all directions, causing every onlooker who had just arrived to change color in alarm.

Though the combatants were both in the Divine Power Realm, the power they were displaying far surpassed that level. Even cultivators in the Life and Death Realm were left shaken by the sheer intensity of the fight.

This was no ordinary battle.

This was a clash between two future Emperors!

Among the two combatants—

One was clad in a light purple robe, exuding an aura of absolute dominance. He looked like a war god reborn, crushing mountains beneath his feet. In his hand, he wielded a massive halberd, sweeping it in unstoppable arcs.

Clang!

A deafening impact echoed through the sky as his halberd collided with a string of Buddhist prayer beads, sending sparks flying and shattering waves of auspicious light.

The devastating shockwaves tore through the land below, creating countless massive cracks in the earth.

Amidst the radiant flashes of battle—

A robed monk was sent flying backward, coughing up blood.

Yet, before he could fall too far, he forcibly steadied himself and charged forward once more!

His fists glowed brilliantly, radiating divine power. He resembled an ancient divine emperor descending upon the world, his every movement exuding an aura capable of crushing all eight desolations.

“Emperor’s Nation-Stabilizing Fist!”

Upon witnessing the monk’s technique, many onlookers gasped in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

The Emperor’s Nation-Stabilizing Fist was one of the Great Chu Dynasty’s royal martial arts—a technique with an unparalleled reputation.

Many had seen it before.

If it had been used by a member of the Great Chu imperial family, no one would have been surprised.

But today, it was being used by a monk?!

That was beyond bizarre.

“Wait— isn’t that monk Fa Zhao?!”

“Look at his face—it’s identical to the wanted posters released by the Great Chu Dynasty! But if he’s on the run, how does he know the Emperor’s Nation-Stabilizing Fist?”

“This doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Fa Zhao fleeing to Yunzhou territory… could this all be part of a greater, carefully orchestrated conspiracy?”

Suddenly—

Someone recognized the other fighter and gasped aloud:

“The one fighting Fa Zhao… that’s Profound Sun Sect’s Li Xun!”

“Hiss—!”

The crowd was stunned.

Fa Zhao had trained for over a hundred years.

Even before the destruction of the Great Bright Monastery, Fa Zhao had already been a well-respected monk of the temple.

Yet today—

He was actually being suppressed by Li Xun?!

“Something’s not right with Fa Zhao. His cultivation is based on Buddhist scriptures, yet none of the techniques he’s using belong to the Great Bright Monastery. He’s only able to exert about 90% of his true power.”

“Even at 90%, he should still be able to fight on par with a Life and Death Realm cultivator. But Li Xun has not only managed to suppress him—he’s actually about to win!”

“This proves how terrifying Li Xun’s strength really is!”

The onlookers whispered among themselves, awestruck by Li Xun’s meteoric rise.

At the same time, a growing sense of unease crept into their hearts.

Something about Fa Zhao’s actions was very, very wrong.

Even if the monks of the Great Bright Monastery had defected to the Great Chu Dynasty, it was impossible for them to completely abandon the sacred techniques they had cultivated for centuries.

And yet—

Fa Zhao was ignoring all the Great Bright Monastery’s martial techniques… and was instead using the Great Chu Dynasty Divine Technique.

No matter how they looked at it—

Something was off.