91: Chapter 91 Confrontation Between the Palace and the Night

Just as Xuanyuan Zhanxian stepped out from that majestic and heavy palace gate, his figure merging into the cold moonlight outside—

A figure stood directly in his path, neither to the left nor to the right.

That person wore an extremely ostentatious gilded crown. The several pearls embedded in it shimmered with a cold, piercing luster under the cold moonlight, almost blinding to the eyes.

He wore a bright yellow python robe woven with gold thread, which was incredibly conspicuous in the night. It was densely embroidered with top-quality gold and silver threads, depicting a lifelike five-clawed giant python seemingly about to take flight. The python's eyes were ferocious, its scales and claws vivid, exuding an undisguised, aggressive air of nobility and ambition.

He leaned lazily against the white jade-carved railing, one hand idly caressing the intricate auspicious cloud patterns on it, a trace of undisguised, playful mockery curling the corners of his mouth.

However, there was not a hint of a smile in his eyes; there was only a cold, sharp scrutiny like a hawk eyeing its prey, along with undisguised amusement and hostility, as if a beast had locked onto its target, exuding a dangerous and highly aggressive Aura from his entire body.

"Yo—"

The young man drew out his tone, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the silent palace corridor, carrying a deliberate flippancy and undisguised provocation. Every word was like a needle soaked in oil—sharp and slippery—drilling straight into one's ears and heart:

"Isn't this our… amazing… Eldest Imperial Brother, who just returned to the palace?"

He deliberately emphasized and slowed down the three words "Eldest Imperial Brother," the mockery within them almost overflowing.

"What a huge… Face, what a huge… air you have." Second Prince Wu Yuanchen clicked his tongue twice, his gaze scraping back and forth over Xuanyuan Zhanxian like a hook. "To be able to make our busy Father Emperor summon you alone in the Imperial Study for so long. What? What heaven-defying benefits did Father Emperor promise you? Is he impatient to make you a Prince, letting you taste the immense wealth of the Imperial family? Or is it…"

He paused, leaning forward slightly, malicious light flickering in his eyes. He lowered his voice, yet the words sounded all the more grating:

"…Simply bestowed the position of Crown Prince upon you as well? Letting you, this 'lost' prince, ascend to the heavens in one step?"

The person who arrived was none other than the Second Prince of the Great Wu Dynasty, Second Prince Wu Yuanchen. His maternal clan was the Duke of the State's mansion, which held heavy military power and deep roots. Their influence was intertwined, spreading throughout the court and the military, to the point where many important court officials had to give them way by three points.

He himself possessed excellent cultivation Aptitude and, at a young age, had already reached the Nascent Soul Stage. He was widely recognized by the court and public as one of the hot favorites most likely to compete for the position of the Crown Prince.

His pride and his ambition were always as bright and obvious as the golden python robe on his body, displayed openly without the slightest concealment.

His appearance here on the path that must be taken from the palace gate was clearly not a coincidental passing.

Rather, he was specifically "waiting" here, not only to probe the depths and reality of this "suddenly appearing" Imperial Brother, but also to use this naked provocation to fiercely suppress his arrogance and nail him firmly into the awkward position of an "outsider" and a "challenger."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's footsteps stopped.

His gaze landed calmly on Second Prince Wu Yuanchen.

This look was so indifferent, it was as if he were merely looking at a strangely shaped stone by the roadside, or a reasonably crafted sculpture.

There was not the slightest fluctuation because of the other party's magnificent robe that displayed his status, no trace of anger arose from those malicious, provocative words, and… there was not even a shred of wariness or regard shown because of the other party's noble status as the "Second Prince."

It was a purity to the extreme, a calmness and detachment that seemed to be completely uninvolved.

Such a clear, yet ice-cold gaze caused the deliberately maintained, playful, and arrogant smile on Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's Face to stiffen slightly.

In his heart, an extremely unpleasant and wicked fire inexplicably flared up—he had long been accustomed to the awe, flattery, or cautious gazes of others; when had he ever been so thoroughly, calmly… ignored?

This feeling was like a tiny wooden splinter, unexpectedly pricking into his most delicate flesh. It wasn't fatal, but it made him feel uncomfortable all over, inexplicably restless.

"Second Prince Wu Yuanchen."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian nodded slightly, counting as a greeting.

His tone was calm and waveless, neither showing the closeness of deliberately trying to build a relationship, nor any—even superficial—respect stemming from the other party's status, as if he were simply stating a fact:

"Your Majesty only chatted with me about some old family matters. There were no other rewards."

"Family matters?"

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen seemed to have heard some huge joke and suddenly sneered. He straightened his body, no longer leaning against the railing.

His golden python robe flowed with a cold, hard luster under the moonlight, just like the tone that had suddenly turned cold, carrying an undisguised, almost overflowing mockery:

"Chatting about… 'family matters'… with our Father Emperor who sits on the Dragon throne?"

He enunciated the two words "family matters" heavily, the look of contempt in his eyes deepening, as if he were looking at a naive child telling an absurd fairy tale:

"Eldest Imperial Brother, I'm afraid you… just returned to this palace and don't yet understand our Father Emperor's… 'temperament', right?"

He took a step forward, closing the distance, his voice lowered, yet every word was clear, like the hissing of a poisonous snake:

"In his eyes and heart, besides this vast and picturesque land, besides that supreme authority, what else can he… hold space for as 'family matters'? To talk about 'family matters' in this place…"

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen shook his head, the mocking arc at the corners of his mouth stretching wider:

"Heh, it really is… naively heartbreaking."

On both sides of the palace corridor, exquisite palace lanterns burned quietly, casting warm yellow halos that flowed like water over the cold, smooth bluestone slabs.

However, this warm light could not shine into the depths of Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's eyes, which were now as cold and deep as a frozen pool.

He suddenly took a step forward!

The sole of his boot ground against the stone surface, emitting a crisp "click" sound that seemed exceptionally jarring in this overly silent palace corridor.

He walked up to Xuanyuan Zhanxian, stopping suddenly at a distance of only half a step away!

This distance was close enough to clearly see the finest patterns on the other's black Daoist robe and to feel the ripples of each other's breathing, yet it was precisely separated by an invisible, intangible boundary filled with cold hostility and the atmosphere of a confrontation.

The two were naturally of similar height. However, Second Prince Wu Yuanchen deliberately held his back straight, his chin lifted slightly, and with a condescending gaze that scrutinized goods, he slowly and oppressively scraped over Xuanyuan Zhanxian's Face inch by inch:

From the smooth, full forehead that showed not the slightest emotional fluctuation, to those deep eyes that were calmly heart-stopping, and then to the thin lips tightly pressed into a cold, hard line with a perfect arc—he wouldn't even let go of the subtle arc at the corners of the eyes that seemed naturally to carry a hint of detachment.

It was as if he wanted to forcibly dig out even a shred of guilty conscience, greed, cowardice, or any flaw that he could grab onto and attack from beneath this overly calm Face.

"I heard…"

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen suddenly leaned in without warning, bringing his Face closer. His warm breath, carrying a hint of alcohol, almost sprayed onto Xuanyuan Zhanxian's ear.

He lowered his voice extremely low, like the hair-raising hissing sound of a poisonous snake slithering through grass—sharp, cold, and filled with malicious probing:

"…You refused Father Emperor's conferment?"

He paused, his tongue seemingly licking his somewhat dry corners of his mouth, the malice in his eyes intensifying:

"What? Do you think… a mere Prince position is unworthy of you, an 'otherworldly expert' who 'eats clouds and drinks dew' and 'cultivates in the mountains'?"

"Or is it… that you had already calculated a shrewder plan, wanting to… wait for a better price to seek a higher, more prominent position of power?"

As he spoke, his fingertips unconsciously and repeatedly stroked the jade belt hook at his waist, which was embedded with pigeon-blood rubies.

Under the intertwined light of the moonlight and palace lanterns, the gemstones reflected a cold and eerie red light, shining into his slightly narrowed eyes, full of undisguised mockery and suspicion.

In this imperial palace, in this world, royal honor and the position of a Prince were the supreme honors that countless people would break their heads over, gamble their lives and fortunes on, and even not hesitate to stir up blood and chaos to fight for!

Who would so decisively, or even one could say "ungratefully," actively push it away?

Moreover, based on his understanding of Father Emperor, having been refused like this, he didn't fly into a thunderous rage, but instead let this person walk out of the Imperial Study so "unscathed" and calm?

This anomaly, far beyond common sense, was like a vine with poisonous thorns, growing and tangling wildly in the depths of his heart, strangling him with suspicion. His wariness, rather than decreasing because of the other party's "refusal," grew even heavier.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian turned slightly, almost imperceptibly, avoiding that overly close, uncomfortable Aura.

His fingers, hanging beneath his wide robe sleeves, curled imperceptibly, the knuckles showing a faint, jade-like cold white.

Between his brows, a trace of faint, fleeting impatience, like the smallest ripple stirred on a spring lake by a breeze, quietly swept past and instantly settled, leaving no trace.

"You are overthinking."

His voice was as light and clear as fine snow falling silently on the pine needles in the deep winter midnight, devoid of any worldly Aura, and even more so of any emotional fluctuation:

"Everyone has their own aspirations. Struggles for imperial power are, to me, nothing but flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water, fleeting clouds passing before the eyes. If Second Prince Wu Yuanchen has no other business..."

He raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's Face, which had grown increasingly gloomy due to his words, his tone remaining indifferent:

"Xuanyuan Zhanxian will take his leave first."

Before the words had even faded, he truly took another step, his direction clear, intending to calmly walk past through the half-step gap beside Second Prince Wu Yuanchen.

This thorough "ignoring," treating him as if he were nothing, made Second Prince Wu Yuanchen burn with rage and become unbearable, far more than any fierce verbal refutation or angry counterattack!

He felt like a Martial Artist who had gathered all his strength and swung a heavy punch with great momentum, only to smash it fiercely into a mass of ethereal air, not only failing to injure the enemy in the slightest but also failing to even make the other party glance sideways or take him seriously!

This stifling feeling of putting forth full effort only to miss, this sense of humiliation from being thoroughly despised, instantly turned into burning charcoal, clogging his chest and scorching his internal organs with pain!

"Stop!"

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's Face suddenly turned so gloomy that it seemed water could drip from it!

The forced, fake smile at the corners of his mouth completely shattered and vanished, replaced by an unmasked ferocity and coldness born from being offended to the extreme.

His voice suddenly rose, sharp and cold, like the most biting wind in the twelfth lunar month, as if it wanted to completely freeze the flowing air around them:

"This imperial palace, this restricted area, is not that dilapidated Daoist temple of yours in the wilderness where you can come and go as you please! Since you have returned to the palace and stepped through this gate, you must follow the rules here! Understand?!"

However, Xuanyuan Zhanxian's footsteps did not pause in the slightest, nor was his rhythm disrupted by even a fraction.

It was as if this scolding, filled with threats and anger, was merely an insignificant night breeze brushing past his ear, unable to even stir a single wrinkle in the hem of his black Daoist robe, let alone cast even the slightest ripple in his heart, which was as calm as a deep pool.

The fierce look in Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's eyes suddenly surged to the extreme at this moment! Like a dormant volcano, it erupted thunderously!

"You are courting death!"

He let out a low shout, and his right hand, which had been hanging by his side, suddenly and without warning reached out!

His five fingers curled like hooks, and golden light suddenly exploded from his fingertips!

Thick, pure True Qi flowed and leaped rapidly between his fingers like a living thing, emitting a scalp-numbing, sharp "hissing" sound, as if several enraged golden vipers had opened their fangs, carrying a terrifying momentum that tore through the air, aimed straight at Xuanyuan Zhanxian's right shoulder blade!

This grab looked casual, but it was actually extremely insidious and ruthless!

Hidden within it was the royal family's secret grappling technique — "Dragon Locking Grip"!

Wherever the finger wind passed, the air emitted an unbearable humming sound, and even the incredibly hard bluestone slabs of the imperial road beneath their feet faintly revealed fine, spiderweb-like cracks!

If an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator were struck solidly by this grab, their shoulder blade would likely shatter on the spot, and their entire arm would be crippled!

He wanted to make this "Eldest Imperial Brother," who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth and dared to ignore him, bleed on the spot and properly taste the price of offending him, Second Prince Wu Yuanchen!

However—just as his five fingers, shining with golden light and containing terrifying force, were about to touch that black Daoist robe—a sudden change occurred!

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's figure suddenly, and extremely eerily, "flickered" slightly.

That was not an afterimage left by high-speed movement, nor was it a simple sideways dodge.

It felt as if a figure projected on a calm water surface had been gently broken by a small pebble, instantly rippling, blurring, and shattering, turning into a hazy play of light and shadow, only to re-condense and become clear again the next moment, mere inches away, as if it had never moved, and as if it had always been standing there.

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's sure-fire, ruthlessly fierce grab passed straight through!

His fingertips only felt a cold, cloth-like texture that didn't seem real; with a slight chill, he missed completely.

In the end, all that was tightly gripped in his five fingers was a handful of cold night wind, and a few wisps of fragmented and illusory moonlight leaking quietly from beside the palace lantern.

"Wha...?!"

The ferocity and smugness on Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's Face instantly froze!

His pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpricks, as if his heart had been tightly gripped by an invisible, cold hand!

An indescribable shock and disbelief, like a mixture of ice and water, surged up his spine to the top of his head, making the hair all over his body stand on end!

His speed... how could it possibly be this fast?!

This thunderous strike, which he had been preparing for so long, actually... didn't even touch the corner of the other party's robe?!

This is absolutely impossible! Was the intelligence wrong? Or...

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze locked firmly ahead.

He saw that Xuanyuan Zhanxian had, at some unknown point, calmly taken two steps forward and was now slowly turning around.

The cold moonlight, like mercury pouring onto the ground, spilled unreservedly onto his calm, waveless Face, making his deep eyes look shockingly bright at this moment!

Deep in those eyes, there was finally no longer just pure, indifferent calmness, but a layer of clearly discernible, icy coldness—like the most impenetrable black ice surface formed on a ten-thousand-foot frozen lake in the depths of winter, where even the brightest moonlight falling upon it seemed to be frozen and swallowed by that chilling cold!

"Rules?"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian spoke, his voice colder than this moon-drenched night wind, sharper than the icicles hanging under the palace eaves.

Every word was like an ice pick tempered in ten-thousand-year cold ice, clearly, coldly, and heavily smashing into the tip of Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's heart, which was pounding uncontrollably from shock:

"Second Prince Wu Yuanchen, the rules you speak of..."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze like cold electricity, sweeping over Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's palm, which had not yet been withdrawn and was frozen in mid-air, flickering with awkward golden light, his tone full of biting, merciless mockery:

"...is to act like a cowardly rat, launching such a sneak attack behind someone's back?"

He paused, and meeting Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's eyes, which had suddenly turned blood-red and seemed almost ready to spew fire, he spat out the final verdict, word by word, with absolute clarity:

"You really are... an out-and-out... waste."

"You—!!!"

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's Face, in an instant, was like an overturned dye shop, shifting through shades of green, white, red, and crimson, finally settling into a nearly hideous liver color!

Shame, indignation, shock, anger, and the fury of being thoroughly despised... all kinds of emotions were erupting and colliding wildly in his chest like volcanic magma!

He was shocked by the strength the other party displayed, which far exceeded all the intelligence he had received, unfathomable!

He was angry that his long-planned sneak attack had failed in such a ridiculous and humiliating way!

What made him even more ashamed and furious was—he, a dignified Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator and the Second Prince of the Great Wu Dynasty, had actually... failed to deal with an "older brother" rumored to have "mediocre Aptitude" and be a "mountain-dwelling Loose Cultivator"! And he had been contemptuously berated as a "waste" by the other party!

"You bastard! I want you dead!!"

Extreme humiliation instantly ignited a monstrous rage, and Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's True Qi could no longer be suppressed, erupting thunderously!

Golden True Qi rose from his body like tangible flames, his luxurious golden python robe moved without wind, his sleeves and hem whipped and snapped, billowing with violent air currents that swept up the small scattered stones at his feet and sent them flying in all directions!

His eyes were blood-red, his breathing as heavy as an ox's, clearly enraged to the point of heart-attack, already harboring the intent to kill the person before him on the spot at any cost!

The grim killing intent, like a tangible tide, surged and permeated the air, instantly lowering the temperature in this corner of the palace road!

However, just at this critical, life-and-death moment where swords were drawn and bows were bent—

"Second Imperial Brother, why are you... making such a clamor here?"

A gentle, clear voice, yet carrying a natural weight and penetrating power, like a clear mountain spring gurgling over a mossy stone beach, unhurriedly and clearly traveled from the intersection of shadow and moonlight at the other end of the palace road.

This voice was not particularly loud, but it strangely carried a power to soothe restlessness, instantly suppressing the violent Aura of Second Prince Wu Yuanchen, which was like the prelude to a volcanic eruption, by a few degrees.