11: The Unparalleled Emperor (Part 5)

That bloody light contained Wu Qingtian's final dignity and resentment, biting toward the back of Wu Yun's heart like a venomous snake.

Wu Yun did not look back.

The bloody light abruptly froze three inches from his back.

It wasn't a deceleration; it was an instantaneous standstill.

An invisible Domain of extreme cold completely froze the violent energy within the bloody light, then annihilated it.

"Pfft!"

The force of the shattered bloody light surged back, overlapping with the backlash of the failed secret technique. Wu Qingtian was sent flying like a tattered sack, the crisp sound of breaking bones echoing from within his body.

He fell into a coma from heavy injuries once again, his condition even worse than when he was struck by the Purple Lightning Wild Lion.

This used his own power to deliver the most thorough humiliation.

The scene fell into a deathly silence even more terrifying than before.

The pupils of the Sixth Princess, Wu Chaoyang, contracted violently.

If Wu Yun's previous handling of the Seventh Prince was "ruthless," then this move now was "terrifying."

For the first time, she realized that this nine-year-old younger brother's true strength had already exceeded the scope of her understanding.

All her original calculations about recruitment and checks and balances became incredibly ridiculous at this moment.

Wu Yun walked slowly toward the massive corpse of the Purple Lightning Wild Lion, never sparing a single glance at the unconscious First Prince nearby.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he held his fingers together like a sword.

His fingertips were covered in a faint layer of frost, easily slicing open the lion's skull, which was harder than refined iron.

He reached in and, amidst the bloody mess, accurately pulled out a fist-sized monster core surrounded by purple lightning.

Wu Yun did not wipe away the blood on it, simply holding it in his palm.

Lightning and cold air intertwined in his hand, forming a highly impactful image.

He looked around.

Everyone who met his gaze subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

This trophy was something he had seized with indisputable strength... Deep within the palace, Emperor Shenwu witnessed the entire process through the "Heavenly Profound Water Mirror."

He was shocked at first, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Good, good, good! My dear Thirteenth Prince has hidden himself so deeply!"

The Emperor's joy quickly turned into deep calculation. What he saw was not just a son with extraordinary talent, but a sharp sword capable of stirring the winds and clouds of the Empire.

On the day the hunt ended, imperial edicts were issued one after another.

The Thirteenth Prince Wu Yun was conferred the title of "Prince Yun," granted a princely manor, and given the stipend of a Prince of the Blood.

The youngest Prince of the Blood in the history of the Shenwu Empire was thus born.

Time flew by, and three years passed in a flash.

Wu Yun was now a thirteen-year-old youth.

Over the past three years, he had lived in seclusion. With the pouring in of the royal Family's endless resources, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the ninth level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm.

The Realm he had only reached at eighteen in his previous life, he had already attained at thirteen in this life.

His temperament became more reserved, but the occasional chill he emitted was even more bone-piercing than three years ago.

Wu Yun's rise completely shattered the balance among the princes.

The Fifth Prince's lineage and the Empress's faction hated him to the bone, but due to Emperor Shenwu's protection and the terrifying potential he displayed, they did not dare to act rashly for the time being.

The undercurrents in the Imperial Capital grew increasingly turbulent.

On this day, Long Jingyun, the top Genius of the Long Family, one of the Empire's four great Families, issued a public challenge to Wu Yun at the Imperial Martial Arts Arena.

Long Jingyun was sixteen years old and at the eighth level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm. He had always considered himself the Empire's number one Genius and could not tolerate someone younger than himself overshadowing his reputation.

On the martial arts arena, all eyes were upon them.

"Fight!"

With a violent shout, Long Jingyun pushed his Family's secret technique, the "Azure Dragon Battle Physique," to its limit. His veins bulged, and his Aura was overbearingly peerless. Every punch and kick carried the sound of a Dragon's roar as he bombarded Wu Yun.

The spectators gasped. In their eyes, Long Jingyun was almost suppressing Wu Yun.

But from beginning to end, Wu Yun only defended and did not attack, strolling as if in a courtyard, easily dodging amidst the violent attacks.

He seemed to be observing, analyzing, and even felt a bit bored.

Unable to land a blow for a long time, Long Jingyun became completely enraged.

"Azure Dragon Annihilation Roar!"

He activated his strongest ultimate move, and a massive blue energy Dragon head roared out, intending to swallow Wu Yun whole.

Wu Yun made his first move.

He simply raised his hand and gave a light squeeze toward the energy Dragon head.

The roaring Dragon head was instantly frozen in mid-air, turning into a lifelike ice sculpture.

Under the horrified gazes of the entire audience, Wu Yun flicked his finger.

The ice sculpture shattered with a bang, turning into a sky full of light fragments.

Long Jingyun's mind and Soul were wounded; he spat out a large mouthful of blood and collapsed straight down.

From start to finish, Wu Yun had not even moved a single step.

The title of "Shenwu Empire's Number One Genius" indisputably changed hands at this moment.

That night.

Wu Yun was returning to the Prince's Manor from the royal Scripture Pavilion, passing through a secluded alley.

Killing intent descended with a bang.

More than ten men in black surged out from the darkness, every one of them a powerhouse of the Spirit Transformation Realm. They laid out a dragnet, instantly sealing off all space.

Even more terrifyingly, two mountain-heavy Auras rose from the shadows, completely crushing all life.

Spirit Kings!

Two terrifying existences of the Spirit King Realm were lurking in the shadows.

This was a certain-death trap.

Wu Yun instantly erupted with all his power, his extreme cold Domain unfolding. Two first-level Spirit Transformation Realm assassins charging at the front were frozen into ice sculptures on the spot.

But in the next moment, the ice sculptures were shattered by an even stronger force.

A Spirit King had personally taken action.

A giant hand composed of the power of Laws descended from the sky, ignoring all of Wu Yun's defenses.

Under this palm strike, Wu Yun felt as if his Soul was about to be crushed.

Death had never been so close.

Just then.

"Sigh..."

An aged sigh seemed to come from the Nine Underworlds, echoing in the depths of everyone's hearts.

That giant hand of Laws, capable of destroying everything, quietly dissolved within this sigh.

An old man dressed in plain cloth, looking like an ordinary old servant, appeared before Wu Yun at some unknown time.

He merely waved his sleeve.

The two overbearing Spirit King Realm powerhouses in the shadows were struck as if by lightning, spitting blood and flying backward, their eyes filled with horror.

Without hesitation, they immediately burned their essence blood, tore through space, and fled.

The old man did not pursue them, merely looking in the direction the assassins fled, a hint of killing intent flashing in his cloudy eyes.

Then, he turned and bowed slightly to Wu Yun.

"This old servant has come late to the rescue. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

At the morning court the next day, Emperor Shenwu was furious. He executed three ministers responsible for the capital's defense on the spot and ordered a thorough investigation.

The investigation eventually pointed to the shadows of several enemy nations, but more clues were cut off at the doors of the royal Family itself and several top noble families.

Emperor Shenwu eventually announced that this matter was the work of enemy nations and issued a public bounty for the pursuit.

But everyone understood that this was just a front.

A bloody storm centered around the princes' fight for the succession and the struggle for power had only just begun.