Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor
Chapter 313 Talking Maple Changes Color

Chapter 313: Chapter 313 Talking Maple Changes Color

Upon the Dragon Throne of the Golden Throne Hall, Emperor Jin Xuan’s brows were furrowed tight, his dragon-like visage already seething with anger. Then, the attending ministers below heard Jin Xuan speak in an impatient tone, "If there is a matter, report it quickly. If not, court is dismissed! Hmm?"

Jin Xuan’s gaze swept over the silent ministers below. At a time like this, who would dare to provoke the ire of Jin Xuan? A slip might lead to their doom, so each minister was tense with nerves when Jin Xuan’s eyes landed on them.

"Court is dismissed!" Seeing no one speaking up, Jin Xuan huffed angrily and rose from his seat.

Witnessing this, the ministers below promptly responded with a resounding shout, kneeling down, "Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!"

As Jin Xuan turned and left the Golden Throne Hall, the ministers saw the golden figure gradually fade from sight, and only then did their tense nerves begin to relax as they quietly exhaled and slowly stood up from the ground.

...

In the Imperial Family’s Royal Garden, flowers bloomed in a riot of colors. A group of Golden-armored Guards followed closely behind Jin Xuan into the garden. At this moment, Jin Xuan had no interest in admiring the beauty of the Royal Garden.

Suddenly, a golden figure descended from the sky and landed before Jin Xuan, kneeling on one knee, announcing respectfully, "Your Majesty!"

Looking at the Golden-armored General kneeling before him, Jin Xuan’s expression softened slightly as he said gravely, "You went to Heavenly Sweep Mountain, did you see my Grand Uncle of the Emperor?"

"I did!" The Golden-armored General reported, "I have informed the Supreme Prince of the situation, and the Supreme Prince has agreed to come out of retirement!"

"The Grand Uncle of the Emperor has agreed to come out!" Upon hearing the Golden-armored General’s words, Jin Xuan’s face involuntarily lit up with joy, "That’s excellent!"

Immediately, Jin Xuan concealed the joy on his face, reverting to his usual solemn authority, even showing a fierce expression, "Shi Feng! Shi Feng of the Yunlai Empire! The Yunlai Empire is nothing but a small vassal state to me, yet they produced such a traitor. I will make sure that he is completely annihilated!"

...

Heavenly Mist Empire, Imperial City!

A vast city with millions of inhabitants has been enveloped in a heavy, sorrowful atmosphere for the past few days. The reason was none other than the spread of news that Shi Feng was coming to visit the Royal Jin Family of the Imperial City.

"The Mad Demon Shi Feng, a butcher who does every imaginable evil, has lost all humanity. He set the Floating Void Mountain ablaze, slaughtered the entire Floating Void Sect, leaving nobody alive—not even sparing the chickens and ducks of the sect!"

"I heard that even an infant, merely half a month old, was mercilessly slain by the cold-blooded, inhuman Mad Demon Shi Feng, pierced through the body with a single claw. Every living being that the Demon Shi Feng encounters is thoroughly exterminated."

"Now that Mad Demon Shi Feng is coming to our Imperial City, he will put it to the torch and slaughter the millions of us!"

"We can’t stay here anymore. We absolutely cannot stay in this Imperial City any longer! Otherwise, when that Mad Demon rampages through the city, none of our families will have a peaceful resting place after death."

In the Imperial City, many had heard that Mad Demon Shi Feng was on his way and had abandoned their homes to flee to other cities.

In the streets and alleys, taverns and teahouses, the most discussed topic was the inhuman Mad Demon Shi Feng.

The name of Mad Demon Shi Feng had sunk deep into people’s hearts; even mentioning Feng would cause an immediate reaction.

In a tavern named "Drunken Reverie," amidst the fervent discussion about the murderous Mad Demon Shi Feng, no one realized that the very object of their discussion sat among them,

his expression indifferent, sipping wine and savoring the dishes on the table, listening to the conversations around him as if they were not speaking of him at all.

Suddenly, there was a "smack" as a young, strong man abruptly slammed the table and stood up. The violent motion immediately silenced the tavern, and all eyes shifted toward him.

The young, strong man stood about 1.9 meters tall, with a square face and thick brows over large eyes. He scanned the tavern angrily and bellowed, "All of you, enough already! What’s with this ’Mad Demon,’ this ’Shi Feng’? You’re going on and on with no end!" At the same time, an immense pressure emanated from the young man.

Feeling the formidable aura press upon them, the patrons of the tavern changed color. Exclamations of "Amazing! Such power! This force..." followed, and many found themselves trembling involuntarily, their breath becoming labored as if a great mountain weighed upon them, causing discomfort and tightness in their chests.

"Junior Brother, let it be. Why bother with these people?" Opposite the young, strong man sat a graceful young man in white, leisurely savoring his wine as he spoke to his companion.

"Hmph!" The young, strong man snorted upon hearing the man in white, reining in the imposing aura he radiated. The tavern’s patrons felt relief wash over them. They quieted down, careful not to speak out again, lest they provoke this formidable individual and invite disaster upon themselves.

Some people discreetly left the tavern.

After the young, strong man sat back down, he turned to the man in white and said, "Hmph! A bunch of frogs in a well, all of them. This Shi Feng, this murderer—if I ever run into him, I’ll make sure he learns what it means to see there are skies beyond the sky, and people beyond man, what it means to face a true powerhouse."

The young man in white simply smiled faintly at these words, continuing to enjoy his wine. After downing his cup, he sighed with an air of lingering enjoyment, "Truly, the wine of the outside world tastes better! Ah, when I think about it, it’s been three years since I last left the mountain."

"Senior Brother, you haven’t been down the mountain for three years, while I haven’t for seven," the young, strong man remarked. "I wonder what business it is that has brought Master down personally. Do you know?"

"Heh!" The young man in white chuckled, "Coincidentally, the person our Master has come down for is none other than the one those people were just talking about—that Shi Feng!"

"What!" The young, strong man was taken aback, his eyes widening in shock. Just moments ago, he had been hoping not to encounter Shi Feng, and now he realized that Master himself had descended the mountain with the purpose of finding this Shi Feng. Who exactly was this Shi Feng, to warrant their Master’s personal attention?

The man in white didn’t answer his junior brother directly but grew increasingly solemn, saying, "Junior Brother, there is something Master said he wanted me to tell you."

"Master has something to tell me through you? What is it?" The young, strong man was perplexed as he looked at the man in white.

Alas! The man in white sighed, shaking his head, before revealing, "Your father, Hai Batian, was killed half a year ago in Moon City of the Yunlai Empire, at the hands of a young man named Shi Feng."