Chapter 98: I Actually Have Nine Lives!

Minghao City, inside the City Lord's mansion.

In a secret chamber, the young master of the City Lord's mansion, Bai Yichen, sat cross-legged with a long sword resting across his knees. His eyes were closed, as if he were in deep contemplation, and a faint golden glow flickered at the center of his forehead, mysterious and brilliant.

Suddenly, a crazed, elderly voice echoed through his mind via a transmission talisman:

"Old Southern King's body has been taken over by a demon. Mobilize all forces, at all costs, and destroy him within one day!"

Whoosh!

His eyes snapped open, emitting a sharp, piercing light. In an instant, he stood up and walked out of the chamber.

Hum!

A vast surge of spiritual energy radiated from his forehead, expanding into the dark night sky, stretching thousands of miles.

At the same time.

A figure was frantically flying through the night sky, like a fleeing dog—it was the old Southern King, or rather, the demon that had taken over his body.

His name was Duan Tianlang.

He was a demonic cultivator who had perished in an ancient war. A fragment of his soul had miraculously survived, sustained by a rare soul-nurturing stone.

His remnant soul was nourished by the stone for tens of thousands of years, and recently, he had finally regained consciousness. However, the stone had exhausted its energy and crumbled into dust.

After awakening, his soul was still extremely weak. He urgently needed a body to nourish his soul.

By chance, the soul-nurturing stone had been resting in a tomb—perhaps because the stone appeared so ordinary, no one had noticed it for years.

When he opened the coffin, he was delighted to discover the body inside belonged to a Saint Realm expert!

Saint Realm, Fifth Stage.

Though this was far weaker than his former peak strength, it was undoubtedly his lifeline at the moment.

Thus, his remnant soul fused with the corpse.

However, while merging with the body, he caused some disturbance. The Southern King's mansion noticed the commotion and brought the "resurrected" him out.

At first, he had planned to kill them and escape, but after sifting through the original owner's memories, he realized something and decided to hold off.

What kind of memories were these?

The history of a family that had plotted a thousand-year rise to power? An epic, grand plan that spanned millennia? A monumental secret that must never be revealed?!

He realized that he now possessed knowledge of things he was never meant to know!

If anyone discovered that he had taken over this body, the Jiuyang royal family would never allow him to live. The Jiuyang royal family was a force he could not contend with in his current state.

So, he had decided to blend in.

To pretend he was still the old Southern King.

Unfortunately, he was exposed by the Southern King's old friend!

Now, he had to run.

The Jiuyang royal family would undoubtedly hunt him down to prevent him from spilling their secrets to the Yang family in the Eastern Domain.

In truth, he had no intention of exposing them!

He had his own secrets to protect. Why would he risk doing something so dangerous?

Betraying them carried enormous risk!

If he informed the Yang family of the Eastern Domain, they would likely capture and torture him. Even if he spread rumors, the Yang family could trace the source back to him and subject him to severe punishment.

Thus, revealing their secrets was never an option.

But no matter what he did, the Jiuyang royal family wouldn't trust him.

So, they would inevitably kill him.

Now, he felt utterly trapped.

To others, the Seven Nations was vast, and one could easily hide. But he knew better—the Jiuyang royal family had infiltrated every corner of the Seven Nations. There was no place to hide!

If he was discovered, he would be relentlessly pursued and ultimately destroyed.

His only hope was to use the old Southern King's memories to find a place where the Jiuyang royal family didn't hold sway, then go into hiding.

Revenge could wait for another day.

Survival first.

A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years!

"Minghao City doesn't seem to have a royal family presence," he thought, breathing a sigh of relief as he prepared to descend quietly into Minghao City.

He would hide for a while.

After all, he now knew many secrets. Even though this land was in decline, he knew how to rise again—and he had several methods!

Hum!!

Suddenly, a sharp blade of light shot up from the ground, slicing through the night sky like a curtain and splitting the heavens in two.

Slash!

Duan Tianlang instinctively dodged, narrowly avoiding being cut in half, but his left arm was severed by the razor-sharp light.

Blood spurted from the stump!

"Aaah!"

He screamed in pain, hastily using his life force to seal the wound, then fled in terror.

However, in the next instant, the hairs on his body stood on end.

A figure floated in the air not far ahead, silhouetted against the full moon. The figure held a long sword and appeared like a dark, slender shadow.

Yet this slim figure exerted immense pressure, causing Duan Tianlang's entire body to tremble.

He had been locked onto. There was nowhere to run. If he attempted to flee, another sword would slice him in two from behind.

"Wh-who are you?!"

His voice trembled as he asked.

But the figure silhouetted against the moon said nothing and merely swung his sword again.

Hum!!

Another snowy blade of light tore through the night sky, icy and unstoppable, cutting down everything in its path.

"Block it!"

Duan Tianlang roared, summoning a black shield in front of him. The shield was ancient, exuding demonic energy, and formed a protective barrier.

But when the sword light struck, all his efforts were in vain. His defenses crumbled instantly.

Crack!

The shield and barrier were both shattered, and the sword light continued forward, slashing at Duan Tianlang's left arm.

Wait!!

His left arm had already been severed earlier, so when the sword passed through, he was unharmed.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, an even more deadly sense of danger engulfed him.

Whoosh!

The swordsman was now in front of him, and the long sword, radiating with lethal energy, was thrust toward his chest!

Too fast!

It was too fast!

He had no time to dodge or counter.

Thud!

The sword pierced his chest, the sharp energy within shredding his life force in an instant.

In that moment, under the faint moonlight, he caught a glimpse of the attacker's face. It was a young man, handsome and cold.

Such youth, such strength—it could only mean one thing.

"You… are the Crown Prince?"

Despair filled Duan Tianlang's heart as he asked the question with great difficulty.

According to the memories of this body, he knew that the Jiuyang royal family had a mysterious figure—the true Crown Prince!

It wasn't Yang Qitian.

Strictly speaking, Yang Qitian was the second prince. The true first prince was his older brother.

This first prince was a key figure in the Yang family's thousand-year plan, selected from birth, and would one day lead the Yang family to glory.

His identity, however, was a closely guarded secret.

Even those deeply involved in the revival plan only knew of his existence.

As for his whereabouts, age, appearance, and cultivation? No one knew.

Now, standing before him was a young man, impossibly strong—he must be the Crown Prince.

Who else could it be?

There couldn't be many such monstrous talents within the Jiuyang royal family!

"Die."

Bai Yichen said nothing. With a flick of his sword, Duan Tianlang's body was torn apart.

Boom!

Countless tiny white sword auras danced through the air, slicing his dismembered flesh into oblivion.

To kill, one must kill thoroughly!

Whoosh!

A golden light shot out, fleeing into the distance—Duan Tianlang's spirit was attempting to escape.

"Die!"

Bai Yichen coldly uttered, flinging his sword into the night sky like a streak of white light, piercing through the fleeing soul.

Whoosh!

The sword streaked across the sky, and Duan Tianlang's spirit froze in place for a moment before exploding.

Boom—

The explosion of a Saint Realm spirit was terrifying, illuminating the night sky with brilliant fire and shockwaves.

For thousands of miles around, the night turned to day!

Countless people awoke in the dark, looking out their windows to see a golden sun rising on the horizon.

This golden sun was unbelievably massive, swallowing half the horizon and taking up the entire sky...

Boom! Boom!

Moments later, an unstoppable shockwave swept across the land, uprooting trees, burying villages in waves of soil, and leveling city walls in an apocalyptic scene.

"Suppress!"

Bai Yichen snapped, sending out an invisible force that instantly quelled the explosion's shockwaves.

With a gesture, his sword returned to him from the horizon. He sheathed it and disappeared into the night.

Once again, the sky returned to calm.

Suddenly!

In the darkness, a voice cried out in astonishment, filled with disbelief and unbridled joy.

"I actually have nine lives?!"