This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 247 Turbulent Times in Yong'an

In the Prince Kao Shan's mansion, a day and a night had quietly passed. The news that Xiao Xingchen's life was hanging by a thread spread like wildfire, and as Ling Xue had predicted, the Martial Emperor was furious.

Emperor Wu once sent someone to personally investigate Xiao Xingchen's injuries. However, after learning that he was recuperating, the person left reluctantly, but left behind a harsh statement from Emperor Wu: "If I find out who injured Prince Kaoshan, I will make them pay with their blood!"

Immediately afterwards, Emperor Wu's warning to the envoys of various countries resounded like thunder: "Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be killed!"

This menacing statement, like a sharp sword, pierced the hearts of the representatives from various countries, filling them with fear. Although they were quite resentful, they understood the principle that one must bow one's head when under someone else's roof.

However, before they could recover from this shocking news, another strange event occurred within the imperial palace.

In the dead of night, flames raged throughout the imperial palace, like fire dragons soaring into the sky. Yun Xiyao, the water spirit, stormed out of the palace, wounded and exhausted.

There are very few experts at the sixth realm in Yong'an, and Yun Xiyao is already as beautiful as a fairy, stunningly beautiful. Anyone who is not blind can tell that this is the work of the Water Domain.

In this way, the suspicion that Xiao Xingchen was injured also weighed heavily on Shuiyu.

After all, experts at the sixth realm are extremely rare, and a little investigation would reveal who is behind this.

But as everyone's eyes were focused on Shui Yu, Shui Yu was furious. It turned out that Yun Xiyao was seriously injured and on the verge of death, which enraged Shangguan Yun and the group of people from Shui Yu.

Unable to contain his inner turmoil, Shangguan Yun, like an enraged lion, was about to storm into the palace to question Emperor Wu.

However, at this critical moment, the unconscious Yun Xiyao clung to him like a lifeline.

"Don't go, go find Xiao Xingchen..." Yun Xiyao's last words before she fainted were like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone in the water area stunned and speechless.

Looking for Xiao Xingchen? Xiao Xingchen is now on the verge of death, like a candle flickering in the wind, how could we possibly find him?

But these words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing Shangguan Yun's anger and restoring his composure.

At this moment, the most urgent task is to save Yun Xiyao; as for other matters, they can only be discussed later. Their ultimate goal has always been the great demon beneath the ancestral temple. Having realized this, he acted decisively and quickly relayed the message to the various kingdoms, indicating that it was all a misunderstanding.

However, none of them were fools. First, Xiao Xingchen struggled desperately, and then the prodigy of the Water Realm was severely injured and fell into a coma. Leaving Xiao Xingchen aside for now, it wouldn't be difficult for anyone with enough courage to attack him. But what about Yun Xiyao?

Who on earth possessed such power to inflict such a terrible wound on her? Could it be that this imperial palace harbors a peerless master beyond the sixth realm? This speculation was like a bombshell, terrifying everyone into a panic.

If there truly are beings above the sixth realm, then they will have to reassess their own strength.

Within the Tianling Kingdom's territory, Hua Xiaolou and her fellow junior sisters were the type of people who would rather lie down than sit.

They came to Yong'an entirely under their master's orders. Since entering Yong'an City, they have disappeared without a trace. Except for the eldest sister who occasionally goes out for a stroll, the others are completely oblivious to what is happening outside.

However, the news of Yun Xiyao's injury deeply moved Hua Xiaolou. Tianling Kingdom, like the waters, was a place that constantly interacted with the Nine Heavens.

Both her own senior sister and Yun Xiyao were seeds of hope for the Nine Heavens. Now that such figures had suffered this calamity in Yong'an, she realized that there were probably hidden secrets here, and it was definitely not a simple matter.

"Senior Sister, you've fought Yun Xiyao before. Do you think anyone in Yong'an could beat her up like that?"

She asked her senior sister, who was also at the sixth realm, and her senior sister's answer was like a guiding light, extremely valuable for reference.

"Yun Xiyao is a prodigy. To injure her like that, firstly, it's due to the suppression of their cultivation levels, and secondly, it's because they are also prodigies. Ordinary people at the sixth realm would never be able to do that. Even I could only fight them to a draw. The Imperial Palace is probably far more complex than we imagine."

The eldest sister was also shocked. Yun Xiyao had suffered a serious injury, which meant that there was an opponent in Yong'an who could also seriously injure her. This made her feel scared. It was truly unbelievable that such a person existed in a mortal country.

"Is that really the case? Yong'an is quite interesting. In the few days we've been staying indoors, the outside world has been turbulent and unpredictable. What do you think so many people are after?"

Hua Xiaolou sighed softly and shifted into a languid posture. However, her senior sister showed her no disrespect whatsoever. Even the people from Tianling followed Hua Xiaolou's lead, not her senior sister's. This was because Hua Xiaolou possessed a keen and insightful mind, able to see through the world's affairs with unparalleled clarity. Though she appeared to be slacking off, she had already thoroughly analyzed the various forces in Yong'an.

"I'm going to pay my respects to that powerful prince,"

Suddenly, she sprang up like a spring, drawing everyone's attention.

"Why? Isn't he nearing the end of his life?"

The eldest sister looked puzzled.

"He's not long to live, but he hasn't died yet, has he? I think Xiao Xingchen's injuries might be related to Yun Xiyao's injuries. Senior sister, come with me. Let's go see the Mountain King and then visit Yun Xiyao. If we confirm that they were both injured by the same person, I'll have some different ideas, hehe."

Without a word, Hua Xiaolou grabbed her senior sister and headed outside, giving her no chance to refuse.

"The rest of you stay put and behave yourselves. Don't go out and cause trouble during these turbulent times. We don't have the money to clean up any messes you make, understand?"

The other female students in the courtyard exchanged smiles, shook their heads helplessly, and then buried themselves in their own work, as if the outside world had nothing to do with them and they wouldn't care even if the sky were to fall.

Inside the King of the Mountain, Ruoxue and Xizhu sat quietly outside the secret room like two statues. Ruoxue's face was full of anxiety, and she kept looking back. Xizhu, on the other hand, looked calm and composed, as if everything was under her control.

She could clearly sense everything happening inside and couldn't help but secretly applaud Huangfu Lingxue's decisive action. However, just now, a vibrant life force spread through the secret room like a spring breeze, and her anxious heart finally settled down.

However, she still couldn't suppress her surprise. Xiao Xingchen had actually managed to come back to life. This kind of miracle of defying fate was shocking news even in the Nine Heavens.

"Don't worry, the person should be out of danger by now, and they'll probably be out soon."

"Really? That would be great."

"What you should be thinking about now is how to calm the storm outside. I heard that a sixth-realm expert was injured, and it seems that someone is targeting this place."

Xi Zhu reminded her. As Yun Xi Yao was injured, her suspicions became clearer.

After all, she had personally witnessed Yun Xiyao enter the imperial palace, and she wanted to take this opportunity to test the bottom line of Yong'an City.

As expected, a sixth-level prodigy was beaten half to death. Others might not understand the significance of people like Yun Xiyao, but she knew all too well that such prodigies possessed more than one secret technique for self-preservation.

All the major powers cherish their seeds as treasures and guard them strictly. They can't let the seeds they've painstakingly cultivated die halfway through, can they? Even so, the fact that the seed was so badly injured only fueled Xizhu's curiosity about the Imperial Palace. She even had the urge to go and find out for herself.

If her guess is correct, perhaps it really is necessary to make this trip, after all, those disgusting things shouldn't exist in this world. It would be fine if they hadn't seen them, but since they've encountered them, they must be eradicated to avoid causing further trouble.

Taking precautions and safeguarding the peace of the world is her inescapable responsibility.

"what should I do?"

Ruoxue asked, realizing by this moment that Xizhu was the most terrifying person in front of her.

"Let's say Xiao Xingchen is still unconscious. Whether he lives or dies depends on whether we can find another medicinal herb."

"What medicinal materials?"

“Blood in the mud,” Xizhu slowly uttered a name, startling Ruoxue.

"what is this?"

"You don't need to know what this is. Offer a high reward for this item. Just say that only this thing can heal Xiao Xingchen's injuries, otherwise even a god couldn't cure him. Oh, and add a time limit: he can only live for a maximum of seven days."

A smile appeared on Xizhu's lips, clearly revealing her thoughts, but Ruoxue didn't ask further, instead nodding.

If Xizhu harbored ill intentions, Xiao Xingchen would have been utterly destroyed long ago, and there would be no need for him to sit with her until now. Besides, Xizhu has been helping them all along.

"I'll make arrangements as soon as possible. As for here..."

"Don't worry, with me here, no one can disturb them. If any guests come, you can go and greet them."

"guest?"

"A sixth-realm cultivator is probably here to test us. Respond accordingly. Just say what you just said: wait until Xiao Xingchen wakes up before you discuss the next steps. For now, stability is the priority."

"Another sixth realm." Ruoxue exclaimed in surprise. She felt a sense of urgency. With the continuous emergence of sixth realm cultivators, it seemed that she, a fifth realm cultivator, also needed to break through quickly. Otherwise, she would be so constrained. If she also had the power of a sixth realm cultivator, would she need to be so easy to talk to?