Chapter 85

The intermittent, sorrowful moans echoing from the palace filled the air. Li Hao’s face turned an alarming shade of purple-green. His expression was twisted and menacing, making him appear particularly terrifying.

“Why? Mother, why did you deceive me? Yang Chen, you dog bastard! Damn it all!” Li Hao let out a low growl, like a beast on the verge of going berserk. His body surged with true qi, poised to punch the palace wall and force out the people inside.

At that moment, a black beam of light struck Li Hao’s head, freezing him in place. He couldn’t move or make a sound as the increasingly loud voices within the palace slowly caused him to lose consciousness.

“Ha! Boy, you’d better not disturb the master’s pleasure!” In the distant darkness, Yan Jiu merged with the night, waved his hand, and grabbed Li Hao, who was completely immobilized.

[Ding! The host has removed the profound Yin qi from Zhao Shirou. Li Hao overheard it, causing his mental state to collapse. The host has plundered 4000 points of Li Hao’s Providence Luck received 4000 VPs!]

Yang Chen was momentarily stunned. Li Hao overheard? Plundered 4000 points? Could it be that Hao’er is outside the palace at this moment?

Yang Chen was shocked but pleased at the same time. Plundering 4000 points of Providence Luck must mean that Hao’er was deeply hurt.

Sigh, it seems Yan Jiu has him under control, preventing him from storming in. Poor Hao’er, why did you have to come back? I didn’t intend for this to happen, but you stumbled upon a good show. Don’t blame me for this. Ha!

“Darling!” Zhao Shirou’s soft and seductive voice broke into his thoughts, urging him. Yang Chen snapped back to reality, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

Yan Jiu wrapped Li Hao in a black mist and sent him back to Tianyang Palace. After an hour, the control over Li Hao was lifted. At this moment, Li Hao’s face was completely distorted, his eyes blood-red and his veins bulging. He looked like a wild beast driven mad.

“Yang Chen! Damn you! Damn you! I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!” Li Hao howled in the palace, his voice filled with indescribable pain. It was even more sorrowful than when Li Zhan died. Outside, the eunuchs, maids, and guards, hearing the new emperor’s cries, were so frightened they knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

“Mother, why? Why did you deceive me? Didn’t you say that you were only cooperating with that bastard? Ah! Mother must have been forced! I knew something was wrong with Mother today! That bastard Yang Chen must have threatened her with me! Despicable villain! I will kill you and destroy all of Xuanyuan Sect, sending all its female disciples to the brothel!”

True qi surged uncontrollably from Li Hao, his face turning livid. Finally, he could not hold it any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing unconscious.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” The eunuchs and maids rushed in, panic-stricken.

“Quick, summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!”

[Ding! Li Hao has fainted from rage and his mental state is severely damaged. The host has plundered 1000 points of Li Hao’s Providence Luck and has received 1000 VPs!]

Yang Chen’s expression turned slightly stiff. Hao’er had fainted from anger.

Ah, such a temper! However, it shows how much Zhao Shirou means to him, she’s undoubtedly his reverse scale.

Initially, Yang Chen intended to use this tactic on Xu Qingxuan, Li Hao’s fiancée, but this unexpected opportunity came. Thanks to Hao’er, indeed.

“Brother Chen, why are you smiling?” Zhao Shirou nestled against Yang Chen’s shoulder, her face flushed and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Her breath was sweet and seductive.

“Nothing, just a bit of a backache,” Yang Chen replied with a playful grin. He couldn’t help but think that the Profound Yin physique was favored by the Pleasure Harmony (Hehuan) Sect for a reason. He had experienced firsthand that it was not just for storing Profound Yin qi.

“You’re so annoying!” Zhao Shirou pouted coquettishly; her allure undeniable.

The next day, when Yang Chen woke up, Zhao Shirou was already gone. “She must have heard about Hao’er fainting and went to check on him,” he mused. “Sigh, I’m such a neglectful stepfather, not rushing there immediately.” After dressing, he prepared to visit Hao’er and perhaps gain more destiny points.

A black mist suddenly appeared before him, forming into the desiccated figure of Yan Jiu. “Master!” Yan Jiu knelt on one knee.

“Yan Jiu, you did well last night!” Yang Chen praised his subordinate without hesitation. Yan Jiu’s face, dried and cracked like tree bark, twisted into an ugly smile.

“It’s my honor to serve you, Master! However, this morning I detected a strange soul fluctuation!”

“A strange soul fluctuation?” Yang Chen’s brows furrowed. Yan Jiu, as a soul cultivator, had keen senses for soul qi. If he sensed a soul fluctuation, it must be significant. Only those close to forming a nascent soul could emit such a fluctuation.

“Explain in detail!” Yang Chen commanded.

“Master, the soul fluctuation was not powerful but extremely erratic. It should not be from a soul body. I suspect a cultivator of the Nascent Soul realm has arrived in Li City, and there were rolling thunder sounds within the fluctuation!”

“Rolling thunder sounds?” Yang Chen’s eyes narrowed. “It seems someone from Wind Thunder Sect is here! They’ve sent a Nascent Soul cultivator! They must be determined to claim Liyang Kingdom.”

Yang Chen’s brows knit tighter. In the Northern Spiritual Realm, Wind Thunder Sect’s thunder cultivators at the Nascent Soul realm were few but powerful. Though their foundation was not as strong as Xuanyuan Sect, they were still a dominant force. The alliance between Wind Thunder Sect and Liyang Kingdom showed their long-standing ambition. Now that Yang Chen had killed Li Tengshan and Li Zhan, regaining control over Liyang Kingdom for Xuanyuan Sect, Wind Thunder Sect would not easily back down.

However, their arrival was timely. A smile crept onto Yang Chen’s face as a perfect plan formed in his mind. Li Hao must die; although Yang Chen enjoyed taking in stepchildren, he had no intention of truly raising someone else’s son. Wind Thunder Sect could serve as his unwitting pawns.

Yang Chen left Zhao Shirou’s palace and headed to the State Preceptor’s residence. He planned to enter seclusion for a few days, aiming to break through to the Seventh stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Once he reached the late Nascent Soul realm, his combat power would significantly increase, allowing him to confront the Nascent Soul cultivator from Wind Thunder Sect.

Meanwhile, in the State Preceptor’s residence, Xu Qingxuan stood on the pavilion, gazing towards Yang Chen’s courtyard. Her delicate brows knitted slightly.

The Holy Son had not returned, and the true qi fluctuations in the palace had ceased long ago. He should have completed his seclusion, but he did not attend the banquet last night. Could the rumors be true? Was he with the Dowager?

Xu Qingxuan’s mind began to wander. Beside her, Xu Hui watched his daughter, his eyes filled with satisfaction. Since awakening her Ice Phoenix bloodline, Xu Qingxuan exuded a cold and noble aura, making her even more breathtaking. The disciples of the State Preceptor’s residence were all smitten by her beauty.

“Qingxuan, did you spend time alone with Li Hao last night?” Xu Hui recalled the banquet scene and asked.