Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 107 - 103 Great Practitioner

Chapter 107: Chapter 103 Great Practitioner

Ye Yunke and the middle-aged man walked ahead, followed by the Governor of Chu State, Meng Yong, and a group of people, all trembling with fear.

With just one word from Ye Yunke earlier, a deputy commander was executed.

The Emperor of the Da Li Dynasty is at the peak of his reign, thus the position of the crown prince has not been established yet, and there are three candidates eligible to compete for this position and inherit the throne.

Ye Yunke in front of us is the Seventh Prince of the Da Li Dynasty and is one of those three candidates. His birth mother is a favored concubine of the current emperor and the most cherished consort in the harem.

This is Ye Yunke’s advantage.

But his weaknesses are also quite evident: he is not born of the empress, ranks seventh, is still young, and his cultivation is far from enough.

Therefore, if the position of the crown prince were to be established now, Ye Yunke would have no hope. Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor is not in a hurry to make such a decision, so Ye Yunke still has a lot of time.

He needs to put in more effort to have the possibility of securing a chance.

It is somewhat surprising that such a noble prince has come to Chuzhou City in person.

"Your Highness secured Sun Qian as a gesture of goodwill to him?" the middle-aged man asked.

"More or less," Ye Yunke replied with a smile.

"He is not sensible, why should Your Highness be so courteous to him?" the middle-aged man said indifferently.

In his view, Ye Yunke personally going to the inn to recruit Li Fan was already giving him enough face.

However, not only did Li Fan not accept, but his attitude was also very unfriendly.

Ye Yunke smiled, some things are only understood intuitively.

"Do you think Li Fan can leave Chuzhou City alive?" Ye Yunke asked.

"It’s difficult," the middle-aged man replied.

Although the princess went to the Imperial Palace intending to spare Li Fan’s life.

But in that Imperial City, there are people who want Li Fan dead now.

Even if they do not act directly, as long as their will is there, it will be tough for Li Fan to survive.

His Majesty won’t concern himself with a young man’s life or death, and he is also willing to give face to Ye Qinghuang, after all, His Majesty is a famous filial son and would not make the Holy Empress Dowager unhappy.

But His Majesty’s indifference does not mean others don’t care.

As long as His Majesty does not involve himself, Li Fan will not survive.

Ye Qinghuang, although a princess in name, is, in fact, only a former dynasty’s princess, and her will cannot save Li Fan’s life.

"Sir, how about we make a bet?" Ye Yunke proposed.

"Oh?" the middle-aged man asked, "How does Your Highness want to bet?"

"I bet Li Fan will not die," Ye Yunke declared.

"Why does Your Highness think so?" the middle-aged man inquired.

"I guess my cousin returned to the Imperial Palace primarily to prevent Father from issuing this order, and others will refrain from openly taking action," Ye Yunke said. "Moreover, I heard my cousin was extremely clever when she was young; being outside for so many years, she must have improved considerably. Since she wants to protect that boy, she would not be without a backup plan."

"Now that the boy has appeared in Chuzhou City, I guess, besides Wen Ruyu, there are others from Li Mountain," Ye Yunke smiled and said.

"Your Highness is perceptive," the middle-aged man praised, "but it depends on who will show up."

Whether or not they hold enough weight.

"Wait and see," Ye Yunke said, turning back. "Meng Yong."

"At your service," Meng Yong, the Governor of Chu State, stepped forward. He heard their conversation and was quite startled, but fortunately, he did not get involved in the matters concerning Li Mountain and the Chen family.

During such a sensitive time, it’s wise to be cautious.

"The demons are wreaking havoc in Chuzhou City, yet I hear you, the Governor of Chu State, haven’t shown your face?" Ye Yunke looked at Meng Yong with a half-smile.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, I deserve death," Meng Yong knelt to the ground with a thud; despite being at the Condensed Core Realm, he showed none of the demeanor of a great practitioner.

However, he was honest without any excuses, knowing that excuses would be pointless.

He had just seen how Sun Qian died.

With a single word from Ye Yunke, Sun Qian could die, and so could he.

"You indeed deserve death," Ye Yunke said coldly, "The government doesn’t kill demons; instead, the Chuzhou Family gets involved. The Court sends you as the Governor of Chu State, yet even the family is beyond your control. Where is the dignity of the Court?"

Meng Yong trembled and did not dare to speak.

"Take people to the Cui family, invite the Cui Family Patriarch, Cui Lengzhou, to the prefecture. Tell him there’s something I’d like to discuss with him. Remember, it’s an ’invitation,’" Ye Yunke emphasized.

"Yes, Your Highness." Meng Yong knew his life was spared. He got up, taking people with him to invite Cui Lengzhou.

Thinking this Prince of Da Li has just arrived in Chuzhou City yet seems to know everything happening here like the back of his hand.

These royal offspring are not easy to deal with.

......

Li Fan returned to the courtyard.

"Junior brother, this Ye Yunke is the Seventh Prince of the Da Li Dynasty, born of the emperor’s favored concubine. His ambition seems apparent by trying to win you over," Wen Ruyu said.

"Is the competition among the princes of Da Li fierce?" Li Fan asked.

"The Emperor of Da Li has many offspring and hasn’t established a crown prince, which probably allows them to compete. However, throughout history, the struggle for royal power has been most ruthless, with brothers being pitted against each other as commonplace. Although Ye Yunke’s mother is a favored concubine, his chances are slim. The Emperor of Da Li is neither a lecherous nor a muddleheaded ruler; he wouldn’t be swayed by women when selecting a successor."

Wen Ruyu continued, "Ye Yunke is likely just hopelessly deluded."

"Perhaps he has no other choice," Li Fan muttered, thinking of his senior sister’s father, who was the current emperor’s elder brother.

"That’s true. For a prince vying for the throne, once action is taken, there is no turning back. Failure means death," Wen Ruyu remarked, feeling a bit disinterested as he loathed these power schemes.

For this reason, the human heart is deceitful like demons, willing to use any means to achieve their goals.

Despite Ye Yunke appearing respectful, it’s merely because the junior brother is valuable.

Furthermore, Ye Yunke, just a Seventh Prince, is he even worthy to recruit the junior brother?

It’s merely self-proclaimed nobility.

This prince’s status is as worthless as dirt to Wen Ruyu.

"Boom!"

At this moment, both Wen Ruyu and Li Fan felt their hearts skip a beat, and the ground trembled, causing the surrounding buildings to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Boom..."

Another violent tremor shook them, with dust falling from the courtyard’s eaves.

Wen Ruyu’s eyes turned to the direction far away, with Sword Intent surging on his body, spreading around, instantly covering a vast area.

At the same time, people surrounding the inn rushed to the streets, their hearts trembling wildly.

What happened?

The chaos with the Chen family and the demons had just ended last night, and this morning the Prince of Da Li arrives at this inn.

And now, there’s more trouble.

Truly one wave after another.

The place suffered a calamity last night, and many buildings are still under repair. With the ground shaking, those still under reconstruction seem to show signs of collapsing again.

The hearts of all beat more fiercely, as if a foot was pressing down on their chests.

"Over there."

Someone shouted, pointing to the sky above.

Everyone lifted their heads to look, shocked to see a towering figure striding towards them in the distant sky. With each step, he covered a vast distance.

Each step he took caused the ground to shake.

Many were shocked, having thought it was coming from the ground, causing the tremors.

But the person was walking from the sky; what kind of cultivation realm is this?

Wen Ruyu’s figure landed on the rooftop, looking towards that direction, surrounded by Sword Intent.

Li Fan soon joined him.

It seems some people are willing to spend a price to kill him.

The towering figure arrived above their heads in just a few steps, with a cloak made of animal skins draped casually over his shoulders, a wine gourd hanging from his right hand, and a large saber on his back. An immense force emanated from his body, making it hard for half of the city to breathe.

Is he from the court?

To kill a Li Mountain disciple, how many realms of cultivators were dispatched?

The figure in the sky stopped his steps, standing high above. He raised the wine gourd and drank fiercely, causing wine to spill from the sky.

"Refreshing," the man said loudly, his voice echoing through the void.

He glanced downward, his eyes filled with a lofty aura, and asked loudly, "Who is Li Fan?"

"Indeed..."

No one responded, but the figure sensed Wen Ruyu’s Sword Intent.

"A Sword Cultivator at the peak of the Five Realms, but you’re not him," the man said, then glanced toward Li Fan beside Wen Ruyu, smiling, "It should be you."

"Who are you?" Li Fan asked, looking up.

"Someone hired me to kill you. You are but a young lad; I shouldn’t lay a hand on you, but I owe a favor. You know, favors are the hardest to repay, so I have to come to kill you," the visitor said, "As for who I am, it’s not important."

Elsewhere in Chuzhou City, Ye Yunke also gazed up at the visitor, asking, "Sir, do you recognize this person?"

The middle-aged man beside him nodded, "I naturally know him."

"Zhou Ding," he said, causing Ye Yunke to reveal a different expression and remarked, "I wonder who hired him."

Clearly, he knew of the visitor.

The court had a general, fond of killing, whose troops were brave and skilled in battle, massacring demons, with illustrious merits.

But the general had a penchant for killing, and he killed many humans as well, later being impeached, with people wanting him dead.

Eventually, he was spared, discharged from the army, and later disappeared.

This was Zhou Ding.

Unexpectedly, he appeared here now.

However, Zhou Ding is indeed a good choice; at least, no one would know to whom he belongs.

"Since Your Highness believes Li Fan can survive, then who from Li Mountain will come?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Watch," Ye Yunke replied.

Li Fan looked at Zhou Ding and asked, "Are you sure you can kill me?"

"This Sword Cultivator has a good sword, but with cultivation at the peak of the Five Realms, he can’t protect you, so you must die," Zhou Ding said, stepping downward, making everyone feel unable to move as if a massive force weighed them down.

What cultivation realm is Zhou Ding in?

"Hmm?" Just as Zhou Ding was about to make his move, he suddenly looked up, seeing the Sky filled with Sword Intent. The clouds dispersed, seemingly turning into Sword Intent as well.

An immensely strong Sword Intent descended upon Chuzhou City, then fell, leaving those around the inn horrified.

Has Chuzhou City gone mad today?

"Who do you want dead?" a voice came from the void.

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