Chapter 293: Everyone’s Attitudes
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Nandou Nation, imperial palace.
In the past year, there seemed to be a force of pressure in the skies above the palace causing the entire area to feel suppressed. There were many emperors in the Cangye Kingdom and also all emperors were willing to ally with them. Ye Futian was also fought over by top powers of the Eastern Barren Territory. All of this combined caused everyone in the Nandou palace to feel heavy-hearted.
Emperor Luo felt extremely pressured and thus, he spent the past year almost entirely on cultivation. He was waiting for an opportunity. When happenings of this past year faded into the past and when he became more powerful, Emperor Luo was going to head to the center of the Eastern Barren Territory. There, he was going to get rid of Ye Futian once and for all. He was willing to wait—wait for the perfect time. He was not going to give Ye Futian a chance to grow.
Just then, a group of powerful cultivators appeared in the sky above the palace. This got the attention of many in the palace, causing them to lift their heads. When the sight of the youth leading the group became clear, everyone grew excited.
"The Crown Prince is back."
"Junlin had returned leading Nobles."
More people looked up. This was the moment they felt the heavy burden being lifted off.
Crown Prince Luo Junlin had returned and he was leading a group of Nobles. What did this mean? Immediately, people came running from all directions of the palace. The entire place began crowded and lively, contrary to the pin-dropping silence it was in before.
A figure stepped into mid-air. It was Emperor Luo. He looked to Luo Junlin and the Nobles. "Junlin, you're back."
"Father," Luo Junlin called out. "This is my teacher, and these are elders from the Royal Xuan Temple." The Royal Xuan Temple's fifth lord, He Yulu. He had come in person to see Luo Junlin kill Ye Futian. If Luo Junlin couldn't kill Ye Futian, then he would watch Luo Junlin be killed.
Emperor Luo's heart pounded. He had heard from Luo Junlin last year that his teacher was the fifth lord of the Royal Xuan Temple, a bigshot in the Eastern Barren Territory. And now, he was here in person.
"Greetings, fifth lord." Emperor Luo was very polite. He placed himself below the other party. Even though he was an emperor, he was nothing when in front of a person of high status from the Eastern Barren Territory.
He Yulu simply glanced at him. "Let's go down."
"Yes, teacher," nodded Luo Junlin. He was not in the best mood right now. He had been watched for days now, there was no way he could escape this battle.
There was a light in Emperor Luo's eyes. Luo Junlin's teacher didn't seem too happy.
"Where is Miss Xirou?" Emperor Luo asked his son. He knew that He Xirou was the fifth lord's daughter and Luo Junlin's girlfriend. She was very polite to him when they had met. He quite liked this future daughter-in-law.
"Father," called Luo Junlin. He watched as He Yulu stopped in his track and glared coldly at Emperor Luo. This caused the father-son duo to shiver. They had a bad feeling. Could it be that Luo Junlin came back because something happened?
He Yulu descended and walked into the palace with the Luo's following behind him. There was tension in the atmosphere. Luo Junlin saddled up beside his father, "Father, Ye Futian challenged me to a battle here in Nandou."
Emperor Luo's eyes sharpened immediately. Ye Futian challenged Luo Junlin to a battle? It had only been a year. Was Ye Futian able to fight against Luo Junlin now? On top of that, he had been the one to initiate the challenge. Did this mean Luo Junlin was the passive party?
"Where's Xirou?" Emperor Luo used spiritual energy to project his message. He could feel something was amiss.
"Xirou." Luo Junlin was muttering. "Xirou went up against Ye Futian for me. She has died because of Ye Futian's clan. I will avenge her."
Emperor Luo halted abruptly, heart pounding loudly. All the color left his face.
He Xirou was dead! And her father, a big shot in the Royal Xuan Temple, had come here with Luo Junlin who was the passive party in a challenge with Ye Futian.
Of course, he knew what this meant.
Was Ye Futian now capable of causing the death of the daughter of a Royal Xuan Temple lord? What's more, Ye Futian set the battle in the Nandou Nation. Why?
Emperor Luo thought of a lot of things at that moment. He thought back to when both Luo Junlin and Minister Hua reported to him about Ye Futian. He had then nonchalantly written up the imperial order and set it directly to Donghai City. He had said that everything under the heavens belonged to him.
In Nandou, his will was the will of the heavens.
He wanted Ye Futian to be a study attendant, essentially a servant, and Hua Jieyu to be the Crown Princess. Now, in merely two years, he felt shivers hearing Ye Futian's name again.
Others in the palace did not know why Luo Junlin had come back. They were still in heated discussions regarding this topic. Everyone seemed so excited. The news of this continued to make its way out of the palace.
Not long after, Minister Hua stepped into the imperial palace. He moved rapidly and had a commanding presence. His eyes were sharp and a smile was spread across his face. Was the Crown Prince back with a group of Nobles?
This was exciting news.
At the same time, there was a remote courtyard located at the border of the deep palace. It was a run-down location that looked like it hasn't been cleaned in a long while. It was hard to imagine that such a place existed in such an extravagant palace.
Just then, an extremely beautiful female walked into the courtyard. The guards outside bowed and greeted, "Princess."
The female was the princess of Nandou. She was no longer the little girl she was before. She had blossomed into a captivating beauty with a hint of indifference and grace.
Inside the run-down courtyard, a figure sat quietly on an old rocking chair. He seemed so relaxed and dazed as he looked up at the sky. It didn't seem like he noticed the princess' arrival.
"Teacher, I'm here to see you," she called out. The figure seated in front of her was the Nandou Nation's Minister Zuo. He was placed on house arrest in the palace.
"Child, I told you not to come as often anymore. Wouldn't want His Majesty to get upset," said Minister Zuo.
"My older brother came back from the Royal Xuan Temple with a bunch of Nobles," she said.
"I saw." His tone was still so calm. He did not seem fazed.
"Teacher, do you still believe in your prophecy?" she asked. "If you apologize to my father, I can put in a good word to get him to forgive you too."
Minister Zuo chuckled and shook his head. "Silly girl. This isn't a good sign for Nandou. Just look at the sky." Saying this, he reached his arm to point at the sky. "So red, blood red."
She took a look and sighed inwardly. "Take care, Teacher." Then, she turned to leave. The princess had been trying her best but never managed to persuade anyone.
Minister Zuo was still smiling up at the sky. The evils we bring ourselves are the hardest to bear.
The news quickly spread all over the Hundred Lands. On the second day of Luo Junlin's return, many emperors from surrounding countries came to pay the Nandou Nation a visit. Even when He Xirou had come, many of them arrived to see her. Now, Nobles from the Royal Xuan Temple were here and the rumors even said one of them was a lord of the temple.
In the past year, many emperors became close with the Cangye Kingdom. They were afraid that Emperor Luo might hold a grudge against them for that. There was no way these emperors from the Hundred Lands knew what was going on at the center of the Eastern Barren Territory. They also didn't know why Luo Junlin came back with the Nobles.
Ever since Luo Junlin entered the Royal Xuan Temple and the door to the Ancient Barren World opened, the Hundred Lands have been in a state of unrest. Nobody wanted to get sucked into the storm and potentially lose their lives. Everyone wanted to move up in life.
In a situation like this, how could they not visit when a bigshot from the Royal Xuan Temple was here? Thus, the entire Nandou palace—no, the entire imperial city—was filled with a celebratory atmosphere. It was as if the Nandou Nation was welcoming the peak period of their country. Nandou had its reputation ruined during the Tingfeng Banquet over a year ago. Now, the Crown Prince was back. Was he finally able to make the country proud?
Emperor Luo welcomed the visiting emperors like nothing was wrong. They drank and chatted. Through Luo Junlin, he got an understanding of the whole situation. However, he did not announce it to anyone. There weren't even that many people in the palace that knew.
On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Cangye Kingdom was the complete opposite of that in Nandou. After getting the news, everything became tense. This was especially true in the Cangye palace. Many people felt just a bit worried.
Luo Junlin was back with Nobles. It was obvious that he came prepared. They were definitely not here in the Hundred Lands for an innocent visit. So, why were they here? To destroy Cangye?
Had something happened to Ye Futian in the Eastern Barren Territory? Some people thought so. Others thought it might be possible that Ye Futian, Ye Wuchen, and the others who left for the Eastern Barren Territory weren't favored by elders of their clans. So, perhaps they didn't have any say, unlike Luo Junlin. Therefore, he was able to get Nobles on his side and get them to return with him.
This was very possible. After all, Ye Futian and the others were still at lower levels of cultivation. Luo Junlin was levels above them and even got the daughter of a high authority figure to be his girlfriend.
Presently, in the Cangye palace, Emperor Ye frowned at the news he received.
"Father, after a thorough investigation, the big shot is a lord of the Royal Xuan Temple. It's the father of Luo Junlin's girlfriend. He is also his teacher," said Ye Danchen.
"Is Luo Junlin already able to mobilize power like that?" Emperor Ye was worried.
If these people made a move on Cangye, they wouldn't be able to fight it.
"Father, should we send people immediately to investigate the situation at the center of the Eastern Barren Territory?" asked Ye Lingxi softly.
"If they really wanted to make a move, then it's already too late. I hope Futian and the others are fine." Emperor Ye thought of Ye Futian and the others, they're outstanding cultivators, so they should be fine.
"Brother Ye." A voice rang out suddenly. A group of people flooded in. They were the emperors of Yunchu, Yan, and various other countries. They had promised Ye Futian that they would stay in Cangye and listen to Emperor Ye's orders.
Emperor Ye frowned at the sight of them. How dare they barge in. They weren't usually like this.
"Brother Ye, I heard that Luo Junlin came back leading a group of Nobles from the Royal Xuan Temple," said Emperor Chu.
"And?" Emperor Ye lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Brother Ye, under these circumstances, we would like to leave Cangye temporarily. You wouldn't mind, would you?" asked Emperor Chu. In a situation like this, if the Royal Xuan Temple made a move on Cangye, they would most likely go down with the country.
Emperor Ye's gaze sharpened immediately and said coldly, "When Ye Futian made you guys stay, it wasn't so you could vacation here. It was to prepare for any danger. Now that it has come, you want to leave?"