?

Swish! Swish! Swish!!

Just as the Formation trapped Chu Chen's body, three figures emerged against the light from the dense forest, forming a triangular vanguard. They had clearly been lying in ambush here for some time.

Charging at the forefront was a young man wearing a python robe. He walked with the majestic stride of a dragon and tiger, exuding an air of absolute nobility. The sword at his waist was studded with precious rubies, a clear indicator of his extraordinary status.

The other two followed closely behind the python-robed man, flanking him on the left and right. Both were dressed in black, their expressions cold and their eyes harboring icy killing intent. They were clearly seasoned fighters who lived on the edge of the blade, veterans of countless battlefields.

The three advanced and retreated together in a perfect triangular formation. This stance allowed them to attack or defend seamlessly; no matter which direction an assault came from, the other two could instantly pivot to provide support.

"The Second Prince is wise! The Second Prince is mighty!"

"If not for the Second Prince setting up this Four Seas Trapping Dragon Formation in advance, those arrows alone probably wouldn't have stopped this kid."

"Although this kid has no cultivation, judging by his movement technique, he's definitely a trained martial artist. But since he offended our Second Prince, no matter who he is, he's dead for sure!"

...

As they spoke, the three had already charged right in front of Chu Chen.

Hearing the flattery from his two subordinates, the Second Prince, Li Long, curled the corners of his mouth. Looking at Chu Chen trapped within the Formation, his face filled with disdain.

"Second Prince Li Long?"

"I don't recall any grievances between us. It seems I, Chu Chen, haven't... offended you!"

The three hadn't bothered to hide their words, so Chu Chen heard everything clearly. He found it strange. He had only been in the Divine Flame Emperor Palace for a day or two.

Aside from interacting with the Empress Lin Shuwang, the Saintess Zhang Ke'er, the five branch palace masters, and the Elder Council, as for everyone else...

He had barely even spoken to them. How could there be any karmic grievances?

Take this Second Prince before him, for example. Chu Chen didn't even remember this person, yet the other party wanted him dead. Wasn't this... wasn't this completely insane?

"You... Chu Chen, you deserve to die!!"

Li Long had expected that, trapped in the Formation and facing imminent death, Chu Chen would be scared out of his wits, pissing his pants and begging for mercy on his knees. But this guy... this guy didn't even know who Li Long was, and couldn't even remember him!!

The greatest insult in this world wasn't crossing swords, nor was it verbal abuse. It was...

It was being completely ignored!!

"I am the Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Li Long! Yesterday... yesterday, I participated in the Divine Flame Emperor Palace's outer disciple trial with you on Red King Mountain. It's only been a day, and you... you, Chu Chen, have already forgotten this prince! You truly deserve to die!!"

The Red King Mountain outer disciple trial lasted three days. The Second Prince, Li Long, had deliberately waited until the last moment to make his grand entrance. With his Top Grade Water Spiritual Root, he had instantly shocked all the trial participants and the Welcoming Elder Luo Tong. Logically, he was guaranteed to be the top newcomer and receive the Sect's rewards.

But as fate would have it...

Chu Chen had appeared out of nowhere, snatching away all the glory and rewards that rightfully belonged to Li Long.

Not only did Chu Chen possess a Top Grade Water Full Spiritual Root, but he also had Top Grade Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth Full Spiritual Roots.

A complete Five-Element Full Spiritual Root. Not even Li Long could compare to that. Looking at the entire Divine Flame Emperor Palace, likely no one could match it either.

If such a person didn't die, wouldn't keeping him around just be asking for trouble?

As long as Chu Chen was killed, Li Long would still be the top newcomer in this outer disciple trial, and still the seed disciple with the most Potential. All the rewards that belonged to Chu Chen would rightfully return to Li Long!

A mere commoner from a humble background dared to compete with him, an imperial prince and the future ruler of the Great Qian Dynasty?

This was an unforgivable capital offense!!

"Hmph, offended? If you hadn't entered this Red King Mountain, a commoner like you wouldn't even have the right to look upon our prince's face, let alone talk about offending him!"

The Second Prince was so angry he couldn't speak. Seeing this, his two subordinates immediately pointed at Chu Chen's nose and berated him, determined to help their master reclaim his face:

"Everywhere under the heavens is the king's land. If the ruler wants a minister to die, the minister must die. Our Second Prince personally coming to kill you is the greatest honor of your life. And you still dare to..."

Swish!!

Before the black-clad man pointing at Chu Chen's nose could finish his sentence, Chu Chen suddenly broke free from the Four Seas Trapping Dragon Formation. His body blurred into a streak of light, accompanied by a dazzling flash of sword Qi.

When Chu Chen reappeared, the longsword in his hand had already cleaved the noisy black-clad man in half at the waist.

Puchi!

Blood and internal organs spilled across the ground from the massive wound. The black-clad man, split in two, fell helplessly to the dirt. His eyes widened as he felt his life force slowly drain away, an immense pain sweeping through his mind like a tidal wave.

"Ah!!!"

"Se... Second Prince, save... save me!!"

Because his vital organs were in his upper body, the subordinate didn't die immediately despite being bisected. Instead, he clawed weakly at the ground, twisting and struggling, slowly experiencing the agonizing despair of being swallowed by death and darkness.

Villains often died from talking too much. The reason Chu Chen had wasted words with the Second Prince and his lackeys was twofold.

First, he needed to figure out their origins. After all, he truly had no impression of a nobody like the Second Prince, Li Long.

Second, of course, was to buy time to break free from the Four Seas Trapping Dragon Formation.

Now that he had enough time and successfully escaped, there was naturally no need to keep rambling!

Swish!

After his successful strike, Chu Chen didn't pause. Taking advantage of the moment the Second Prince and the other subordinate were stunned, he raised his sword and launched another fierce assault.

Chop!

Sweep!

Thrust!

...

Wielding his longsword, Chu Chen attacked the remaining black-clad man like a violent storm.

"Ah!! Die for me!!"

It had to be said that those who served as guards by the Second Prince's side were no ordinary men.

After a brief moment of shock, this black-clad man quickly raised his sword to block. Relying on years of battlefield slaughter, he actually managed to trade blows with Chu Chen for a short time.

"Damn you, Chu Chen! You truly deserve to die!"

The Second Prince, Li Long, also snapped out of his shock. Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, he didn't hesitate. He drew his longsword and lunged forward, joining the black-clad man to attack Chu Chen simultaneously from the left and right.

"The Four Seas Trapping Dragon Formation is a secret Formation of my Great Qian Dynasty. How did you, a mortal with no cultivation, break free from it?"

"But even if you broke free, so what? A'niu here is at the ninth level of Qi Gathering, and I, this prince, am at the first level of Essence Condensation!"

"You killed this prince's attendant. This prince will make you pay with your life! I will make you..."

Before the Second Prince could finish, the 'mortal' he spoke of suddenly erupted with a terrifying aura. Crimson spiritual power instantly surged from his palm to the tip of his sword, igniting a spark of flame.

Swish!!

With a single strike, he slit the black-clad man's throat, sealing his fate with a spray of blood.

At the same time, Chu Chen stopped hiding his cultivation. The spiritual pressure of the tenth level of Qi Gathering burst forth instantly. Taking advantage of the Second Prince's momentary shock, he withdrew his blade and seamlessly thrust it straight into the Second Prince's chest, pinning him to the thick tree trunk behind him.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Having ended the battle with lightning speed, Chu Chen wiped the sweat from his brow. He walked over to the Second Prince, who was coughing up blood uncontrollably, and curled his lips into a smirk.

"Essence Condensation Realm, huh? How impressive!"

"The Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, the future crown prince. How majestic!"

Facing Chu Chen's mockery, the Second Prince coughed up blood and cursed:

"Chu Chen, you deserve to die! You've been hiding your cultivation all along!"

"You clearly have the cultivation of the tenth level of Qi Gathering, yet during the Red King Mountain trial, you pretended to be a mortal with no cultivation to deceive us all. How insidious! How treacherous!"

If he had known from the start that Chu Chen was at the tenth level of Qi Gathering, how could Li Long have been so careless? How could he have underestimated his enemy?

Although the Four Seas Trapping Dragon Formation was powerful, it could only trap cultivators at the Qi Gathering stage.

As the Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Li Long's Storage Ring contained Formations and hidden weapons capable of dealing with Essence Condensation Realm experts. But those were his trump cards and life-saving measures. Who the hell throws out a King Bomb right from the start???

"What if I told you I only started cultivating last night and broke through to the tenth level of Qi Gathering in a single night? Would you believe..."

Looking at the Second Prince, whose face was twisted in grief and indignation as if he wanted to tear him apart, Chu Chen suddenly lost the desire to continue. After all, this bird-brain clearly wouldn't believe him. Why bother explaining to a dying man?

"Chu Chen, I am the Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty. You cannot kill me. You cannot..."

As Li Long spoke, Chu Chen pulled the longsword out of his chest. Li Long's body fell straight from the tree trunk to the dirt.

Just as Li Long breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped death, the sword spun around, its sharp tip pressing against his throat once more.

"Your name is Li Long, right? Actually, I think you're quite pitiful!"

Li Long possessed a Top Grade Water Spiritual Root and could be considered a favored son of heaven. Having successfully joined the Divine Flame Emperor Palace, if he cultivated step by step, he would definitely break through to the Heaven Opening Secret Realm within ten years.

By the time he returned to the Great Qian Dynasty, he would no longer be just a crown prince, but the absolute ruler of the Great Qian Dynasty.

But unfortunately, this person had to come and provoke him, Chu Chen!

"Not only are you as stupid as a pig, but you're also impulsive and easily manipulated as a pawn..."

Looking at Li Long, who was kneeling on the ground with a confused and bewildered expression, Chu Chen shook his head slightly.

In truth, including Li Long, most of the trial participants who came to the Red King Mountain outer disciple trial were around thirteen or fourteen years old. To have broken through to the Essence Condensation Realm at this age showed extraordinary talent.

As for Chu Chen, because he was living his second life and cultivating anew, he was already twenty-three years old. So in his eyes, Li Long and the others were no different from children.

"You saw that my cultivation talent surpassed yours, thought I had stolen everything that belonged to you, and so you harbored resentment and set up this trap to kill me."

Chu Chen looked at Li Long, who was kneeling on the ground as pathetic as a beaten dog, with a gaze reserved for idiots, and spoke calmly:

"But have you ever considered this? I possess a Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root. Even the five branch palace masters of the Divine Flame Emperor Palace were vying to take me as their disciple, willing to fight fiercely over it, triggering a Saint King battle in the Void Battlefield."

"If you kill me, do you really think you'll survive?"

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince, Li Long, finally woke up as if from a dream. His body couldn't help but tremble.

"Let me guess. As the Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, you're not actually stupid. Doing something like this means you must have been instigated by someone."

"This instigator is in the Divine Flame Emperor Palace. No! He should be in the Red King Palace, holding a very high status and cultivation level. He promised you that if you killed me, he would not only plead for mercy on your behalf before the palace master but also reward you with many treasures to aid your cultivation."

Seeing the Second Prince, Li Long, sitting slumped on the ground in terror like a deflated ball, Chu Chen knew he had guessed correctly.

"Chu Chen, spare me! Spare me!"

"Just like you said, there's no real grievance between us. The two guards you killed today are nothing, absolutely nothing."

"As long as you let this prince go, this prince will definitely..."

Glancing at the two guards who had long since stopped breathing beside him, Chu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He had lost his patience.

"Tell me, who is the mastermind? Who instigated you to kill me?"

"With that sword strike earlier, I deliberately avoided your vital points. If you receive timely treatment, you can still live!"

Facing Chu Chen's interrogation, the Second Prince, Li Long, suddenly lost his panic. He struggled to get up from the ground, leaned his back against the tree trunk, and actually... actually started bargaining with Chu Chen:

"If you want to know who's behind this, you... you have to promise to let me go first. Otherwise, I, Li Long, would rather die than..."

Swish!!

Before Li Long could finish his bold declaration, Chu Chen flicked his longsword, easily slitting his throat.

"Chu Chen, you... you..."

The Second Prince desperately clutched his throat with both hands, but blood still spurted out from the wound, impossible to staunch.

Even in death, he couldn't understand. He was the Second Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, the future crown prince. How could Chu Chen dare... how could he dare to kill him?

And without even negotiating terms? Didn't he want to know who the mastermind was?!

Thud!!

The lifeless Second Prince fell face-first to the dirt. Chu Chen bent down, Proficiently stripped the Storage Ring from the Second Prince's finger, and turned to leave.

Who was the mastermind?

It didn't matter!

They would make a move against him again anyway.

There was one more thing Chu Chen forgot to tell this pitiful Second Prince.

Li Long's mission wasn't to kill Chu Chen at all.

It was to use his own life to frame Chu Chen for murdering a fellow disciple, so that the mastermind could legitimately make a move to capture him.

This was the tragedy of being a pawn!!

But the mastermind could never imagine what kind of terrifying existence he was provoking when he targeted Chu Chen.

Mind you, the "terrifying" here did not refer to his cultivation level or realm!

...

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