SWNOVELXO Chapter 15
“Hey!”
Hong Qianye laughed in anger, her palm igniting with dark red flames, terrifying waves of heat rippling through the air.
“You keep pushing my buttons, do you really think I have no temper?”
Ye Junlin stared at the furious young man in front of him, a smile creeping onto his face. “Good of you to come. Just in time to heat up some water for me.”
Seeing the silver-haired youth without a shred of shame, Hong Qianye could no longer hold back; it was time to tear the mask off!
“Listen up, I—”
But at that moment, an anxious voice came from outside, “Esteemed Celestials, I have urgent news regarding the strange occurrences in the Wei Kingdom!”
“Identity?”
Ye Junlin extended his Divine Sense through the door.
“I am the Crown Prince of the Wei Kingdom.”
The Crown Prince appeared in splendid robes, respectfully cupping his hands.
“What is it? Speak.”
Upon hearing Ye Junlin’s calm voice from inside, the Crown Prince quickly knelt down, his tone filled with unease: “Esteemed Celestial, I’ve kept this secret from my father, but I’ve discovered that the strange occurrences might stem from the back mountains of the Imperial Palace. I accidentally saw several black bat demons sneaking into a cave that night, and there have also been frequent disappearances of palace maids and eunuchs. I believe it’s definitely related.”
“I’ve long heard of your esteemed reputation and know you possess extraordinary abilities; only you can save the people of Wei. Please, take action to eliminate the bat demons in the back mountains!”
With that, the Crown Prince knocked his forehead against the ground, sincere in his posture.
“Oh?”
Ye Junlin’s Divine Sense frantically extended, carefully sweeping through the back mountains of the Imperial Palace.
However, he didn’t find anything unusual.
But…
After a moment,
The door creaked open.
The Crown Prince looked up to see the black-robed youth striding forward, his long silver hair contrasting sharply, cascading down to his waist with a shimmering glow.
“Greetings, esteemed Celestial.”
“Take me to that cave.”
“Yes!”
The Crown Prince quickly rose, a barely noticeable coldness in his gaze.
When his eyes landed on Hong Qianye, that coldness was replaced by a greedy glint.
After the earlier incident, Hong Qianye’s expression was as frosty as ice, the crimson flame mark on his brow looking even more sinister.
Watching Ye Junlin’s back, Hong Qianye smirked secretly.
Fine, I’ll settle the score with you later.
In the corridor,
The little princess hid behind a pillar, peeking at the scene.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s actions, the little princess couldn’t believe her eyes. “How could my brother…”
Only she, as his little sister, knew just how terrible her brother’s usual behavior was!
The one Father was most dissatisfied with? It was him!
Now, this scoundrel dared to privately meet with the two Celestials of the Xuantian Sect?!
“I need to tell Father immediately.” The little princess dashed away.
Back in the mountains,
Weeds were overgrown, and the rocks were jagged.
The Crown Prince led the way, Ye Junlin walked leisurely, while Hong Qianye furrowed his brow, feeling something was off.
“Here we are.”
The Crown Prince turned around, wearing a strange smile.
“And where are the bat demons?” Ye Junlin asked casually.
“Fool! There are no bat demons! This is your grave!” The Crown Prince’s expression twisted with madness.
He pulled out a jade slip and shattered it.
Swish!
A blood-red Five-Point Star Fiend Formation materialized from the ground, emitting waves of terrifying energy.
A protective sphere enveloped the Crown Prince as he was instantly teleported away.
He steadied himself and triumphantly announced, “Elders, it’s your turn to act.”
Whoosh.
The space distorted.
Five figures shrouded in black robes emerged, each taking a position around the Five-Point Star Fiend Formation, encircling Ye Junlin and Hong Qianye.
Beneath their hoods were sullen faces, smiles twisted with cruelty.
“Ye Peak Master of the Xuantian Sect, you’re quite the hotshot lately.”
The one-eyed elder spoke in a hoarse voice.
“We suspected you would come personally, and we’ve set an elaborate trap. Even you won’t make it out alive!”
Another elder sneered.
All five were at the Nascent Soul Stage, the strongest among them at the middle stage, relying on this special formation to ensure they could kill anyone below the Transformation Stage!
Ye Junlin shook his head, “Just get your leader out here, I’m tired of talking to lowly pawns like you.”
Ye Junlin had already seen through the Crown Prince’s little scheme, but he couldn’t care less, even looking forward to what tricks the mastermind behind this would pull.
As it turned out, a few old Nascent Soul fools appeared, which left Ye Junlin somewhat disappointed.
“You little brat! You dare underestimate us?!”
The one-eyed elder growled.
The Crown Prince folded his arms, appearing to enjoy the show, coldly grinning, “Elders, kill that man, and take care to cripple that woman in red. I want to enjoy her properly.”
Boom!
Hong Qianye hadn’t taken it seriously at first, but upon hearing those words, rage surged within him, his eyes flashing with frost, his black hair whipping around like a vengeful demon.
The ground fractured, and flames ignited.
He raised his hand, dark red flames swirling, and shattered the seemingly solid formation with a single slap!
“Poof!!”
The five elders spat blood, retreating in shock, disbelief writ large on their faces, exclaiming: “Transformation?!”
What nonsense is this?!
How could the Xuantian Sect possibly have a Transformation-level master?!
Hong Qianye flashed to the Crown Prince’s side, his icy voice chilling to the bone, “You—say that again?”
The Crown Prince stood there, petrified, first in shock, then fear crossed his face as he almost wet himself.
“Fairy, have mercy!”
At this address,
Hong Qianye sneered, raising his hand to send a beam of fire into the Crown Prince’s body.
“AHHHH!” the Crown Prince screamed, his skin scorched crimson like it was seared with a branding iron. He rolled on the ground in agony, suffering worse than the top ten tortures in the Wei Kingdom.
“Heh,”
Hong Qianye said.
He wouldn’t kill him right away; slow torture was the plan.
Many righteous cultivators had perished in his hands, begging for mercy as they did so.
“What a tragedy.”
Ye Junlin clicked his tongue.
“Esteemed Celestial!”
At that moment, a vast troop of Imperial Guards arrived, the Wei Emperor riding a white steed, with the little princess beside him.
The little princess pointed at the Crown Prince rolling on the ground, shouting in astonishment, “Father, Brother is there!”
The Wei Emperor looked at the Crown Prince, then at the scene inside, already guessing what was happening.
“Ungrateful son! You dare collude with evil cultivators against the esteemed Celestials of the Xuantian Sect! Are you trying to kill me?! You’ve utterly shamed me!!”
The Wei Emperor roared in rage.
Ye Junlin mocked, “Your eldest son is truly something. He colluded with the mastermind, endangering the Wei Kingdom. How filial of him!”
“What?!”
The Wei Emperor couldn’t believe it; the thief had already infiltrated the family!
“You ungrateful son, why would you do this? Answer me!!”
His eyes reddened as he questioned.
Hong Qianye snapped his fingers, easing the Crown Prince’s pain enough for him to face his father’s questioning. The Crown Prince forced a sad smile, “Why should I? You’ve never thought of passing the throne to me anyway. I might as well ally with them, and once I succeed, I’ll be the emperor!”
“Foolish! How many innocent lives have been lost because of you? At this rate, the whole nation will be hollow! What good is it for you to become emperor?!”
The Wei Emperor lamented in despair.
“Heh, I don’t care! I just want to be emperor. Those commoners? Let them die! After this, with their help, I can step into the world of cultivation and live freely!”
The Crown Prince sneered.
“You… are beyond saving!” The Wei Emperor spat blood, eyes filled with disappointment.
Looking at the five terrified elders, Ye Junlin impatiently said, “You weaklings think you could deal with me? Just hurry and bring your leader out.”
“We will never betray our master!”
The one-eyed elder gritted his teeth.
“Heh, then die.”
Ye Junlin raised his finger and lightly poked.
Boom!
One elder exploded into fragments! His Nascent Soul extinguished!
Boom!
Another elder burst into a mist of blood.
Boom!
That was the third!
Ye Junlin dismissed them casually; whoever he pointed at perished.
This scene left everyone’s scalps crawling.
“Heavens! Who the hell said he was a Nascent Soul? This is clearly a Transformation master!!”
The one-eyed elder gasped.
Transformation-stage cultivators were high profile even throughout the Eastern Domain, sought after by major factions.
In this godforsaken Arid Province, someone actually reached Transformation? And two at once?!
“What are you waiting for? Run!” another elder yelled, fear and despair etched on his face, abandoning any thought of resistance as he prepared to escape with secret techniques.
Just as he blinked and vanished, appearing a thousand meters away, every hair on his body stood on end, chills running down his spine.
“No—”
Boom!
He exploded into blood mist.
“Only you are left.”
Ye Junlin smirked coldly, pointing a finger at the last one-eyed elder.
Shadows of death loomed, sweat poured from the elder’s forehead as he had never felt such dread before, instinctively screaming, “Master, save me!”
BOOM!!!
At that moment, the entire mountain trembled violently, a blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky, shattering the vast firmament.
Recognizing the familiar aura, Hong Qianye looked on in disbelief. “It really is him…”
Ye Junlin flicked his fingers, intrigued, “Heh, I’ve been waiting for you.”