Chapter 131: The Holy King of Loulan

Prince Chu flew eastward, his movements swift as lightning. After traveling continuously for nearly a day and a night, passing through three or four cities, he finally reached the imperial capital.

It was early evening, and the imperial city was heavily guarded by countless royal soldiers, maintaining a strict and solemn atmosphere. Yet, given Prince Chu’s profound cultivation and incredible speed, he bypassed the city defenses with ease and entered the inner city, heading straight for the Grand Preceptor’s residence in the east.

At the entrance to the residence, the steward stood with an air of arrogance. When various high-ranking officials came to request an audience, he shook his head at each one, refusing them all. "The Grand Preceptor is tired today and requires rest," he would say. "He is seeing no one."

Just then, Prince Chu arrived. With a cold snort, he commanded, "Get out of the way!" He flung the steward aside; the man tumbled across the ground, covered in blood, and began to wail in agony.

The surrounding soldiers were incensed and quickly surrounded Prince Chu. Yan Nantian had only just been appointed as the state’s protector; with his influence at its zenith, who dared to be so insolent? However, as they stepped forward, Prince Chu plucked them up one by one and tossed them aside.

Then, Prince Chu let out a roar like a lion: "Yan Nantian, get out here!"

The crowd was in an uproar. No one had expected this man to dare address Yan Nantian by name, let alone behave with such audacity.

A young Taoist acolyte emerged from the residence. Wearing a purple-gold cap and holding a horsetail whisk, he said coldly, "Who dares to be so presumptuous?"

Seeing the acolyte, the injured soldiers and the steward cried out joyfully, "Little Immortal Master, please, teach this fellow a lesson!"

The young acolyte, a disciple of Yan Nantian, held a position of great prestige. Aside from this acolyte, Yan Nantian saw no one else, and in the eyes of the public, the boy’s status was second only to the Grand Preceptor himself. Seeing the chaos on the ground, the acolyte was filled with fury and rushed toward Prince Chu.

But halfway there, he recognized Prince Chu. His expression shifted drastically, and he made a sharp, panicked turn. In his haste, his prized purple-gold cap flew off his head, but he didn't even stop to retrieve it; instead, he turned and fled without uttering a word.

Prince Chu, his anger mounting, moved like a bolt of lightning, seized the acolyte by the neck, and demanded, "Tell me, where is Yan Nantian? Speak!"

His voice crashed down like thunder, sharp and severe, leaving everyone stunned.

Terrified and trembling, the acolyte felt the dragon-like power radiating from Prince Chu. He knew that if he uttered a single falsehood, he would surely be executed on the spot. Daring not to offend him further, he stammered, "My master is at the Imperial Palace! Please, Prince Chu, spare my life!"

Upon hearing this, the anger of those around him instantly transformed into a chilling, absolute terror. It was Prince Chu! The crowd was struck dumb, not even daring to breathe.

"The Imperial Palace? Good!" A fierce, burning light flashed in Prince Chu’s eyes. Without a second thought, he turned and soared toward the palace.

Moving with the speed of a lightning bolt, he bypassed the palace guards entirely. After vaulting over countless halls, he reached the golden pinnacle of the palace in moments.

There, surrounded by the Imperial Golden Guards, stood a man in yellow robes—and beside him was Yan Nantian.

The man in yellow possessed an imposing, tyrannical aura, as if his words could command the heavens and his actions could reshape the world. This was none other than the reigning Holy King of the Loulan Kingdom.

Loulan was the most powerful nation in the region, peerless and unchallenged. For ten years, the Holy King had campaigned across the lands, conquering countless neighboring states. His fame was universal, and he was admired by all. With his financial acumen—establishing banks, replacing gold and silver with paper currency, and opening ports for trade—the nation had grown incredibly wealthy, and its people lived in prosperity. Whenever the kings of the surrounding barbarian nations heard the name of the Loulan King, they turned pale with fear.

At this moment, the King was drinking with Yan Nantian.

Prince Chu suddenly appeared atop the golden pinnacle. The Golden Guards were startled, shouting, "Protect the King!"

The entire palace seemed to tremble. For years, no one had dared to attempt an assassination on the King, whose cultivation was peerless, spanning over fifty years of Daoist arts, and whose palace was protected by countless arrays.

The Loulan King waved his hand and said, "Stand down." He then smiled faintly at Prince Chu and said, "I sensed a disturbance just now. It is you, my brother. You have finally returned. You have had a long journey."

There was a hint of genuine excitement on his face.

Prince Chu knelt and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities. We are brothers; why be so distant? You know my nature—I dislike such grand gestures." The King reached out, and a gentle force lifted Prince Chu to his feet.

After performing the salute, Prince Chu turned his gaze directly toward Yan Nantian and said coldly, "Yan Nantian, I have finally found you!" His voice was like thunder, filled with a surging, righteous rage that seemed to shake the very heavens.

Yan Nantian shuddered, unable to meet Prince Chu’s eyes. He turned his gaze away and said with a sneer, "Prince Chu, this is the Imperial Palace! Before you stands the sovereign of the world! Who gave you permission to be so arrogant?"

Prince Chu roared like an enraged lion, his voice trembling with sorrow and indignation: "Yan Nantian, you have hidden in the Yan Sect for years. Did you think you could escape retribution forever? Today, we shall settle our accounts!"

The onlookers were stunned, never expecting Prince Chu to be so bold in the presence of the Loulan King. Even more surprising was that the King showed no displeasure, watching the scene in silence. Was this truly the same Loulan King who usually tolerated no insolence?

Prince Chu continued, addressing Yan Nantian: "When you committed your atrocities years ago, I spared your life out of mercy. Yet, you harbored this grudge, spiriting away my eldest son, Chu Yuwei, to teach him your dark arts and intentionally poison his heart against me. Now, you have even incited Chu Yuwei to turn against Chu Youcai, driving brothers to fight until death upon the execution platform. Does a man like you deserve to be the head of the Four Protectors of the Yan Sect?"

Hearing this, the onlookers finally understood. No one had realized that such a deep-seated enmity existed between Prince Chu and Yan Nantian.