Chapter 49: A Twisted Heart

eauty. Her holy garments were stained crimson, and a deep gash marred her otherwise porcelain complexion.This woman is named Wan Huayu, the only daughter of Wan Zhaoyi. She has had some dealings with...A tavern in the camp, with a private room inside.

It's a pity that I encountered a genius who was qualified to challenge the top one hundred hunters right from the start. Otherwise, this prince would still have a chance to pass the first stage of the hunt.

A young man in a golden, opulent robe sat there, with two people standing beside him.

One of these two people is precisely Situ Yu.

And the other one is that genius Tu San, who was deemed qualified to challenge the top ten hunters, from the Qi Wangfu.

Whether it was Tu San or Situ Yu at this moment, sitting before that young man, they both appeared extremely respectful.

"Young Master, I have already passed down the order. Within three days, your so-called genius and his entire family, including those close to him, will be eradicated." Tu San said respectfully.

Don't be so cruel, killing his whole family is enough.

The young man waved his hand, his words were extremely indifferent, as if he had killed a whole family, just like crushing a pile of ants, insignificant.

The Imperial Hunt was meant to be a fair competition where the geniuses within the Tianyan Dynasty could rely on their own abilities to succeed.

Even if eliminated during the hunting process, one can only blame their own insufficient strength.

The young master in front of us, simply because he was eliminated, wants to take his anger out and destroy the entire family of that genius who eliminated him...

"Rumors were true after all, Si Tu Yu thought to himself."

He had heard some rumors before.

The son of the Qi Wangfu, Xia Yuanji, was born out of wedlock. Growing up in an unconventional environment, his heart had long been twisted and insane. After becoming the heir apparent, he became even more reckless, often killing people or destroying entire families for trivial matters.

Within the imperial city alone, several families were wiped out by this Prince, and the reasons why were all trivial.

"Such a formidable figure, I really need to tread carefully. Otherwise, if I offend him, even my family might not be able to protect me," Si Tu Yu muttered secretly.

He really didn't want to serve a prince whose mind had already been twisted and driven mad.

But this is a family duty, to have him get along with His Highness the Prince.

"Si Tu Yu, have you seen the latest intelligence report from Chi Long Lou about this genius" Xia Yuanji suddenly looked over.

“Sītú Yù nodded repeatedly.

"According to my people, the two new prodigies who have a chance to break into the top ten seem... to be connected to you in some way," Xia Yuanji tapped his armchair with his fingers and smiled faintly.

"It was Si Tu Yu who continued to nod, "Of these two, the one named Wu Chao, I don't know him at all. We've never met before, and I have no idea why he would seek me out, let alone with such hostility."

After the first stage of the hunt ended, Situ Yu learned from the eliminated Song Miss that there was a terrifyingly powerful monk who had been searching for him throughout the first stage of the hunt.

And that Miss Song also said, because she knew the two of them were good friends, that the great monk would directly eliminate him.

It was clearly that monk came to cause him trouble.

According to the information given by Chi Long Lou, this person named Wu Chao is very strong. Even I wouldn't be sure of winning against him, Tu San said.

"Even Lian Tu San, you don't have a chance of winning" Xia Yuanji smiled in surprise. "Sima Yu, to be targeted by someone like this, you're really unlucky."

Sithu Yu also smiled wryly.

He doesn't even know why that U chao is looking for him.

“Apart from this Wu Dynasty, there's also the Su family's Su Xin…” Xia Yuanji’s eyes suddenly turned cold, “Hmph, the Su family, a clan that has long since fallen. Even their ancestral master at the Nirvana Realm is dead. But just recently, according to your Situ family’s request, the Yinglong Guard squad they sent was completely wiped out there!”

"That was a whole squad of Yinglong Guards!"

Xia Yuanji's voice was clearly filled with anger.

Sītú Yù couldn't help but tremble with fear upon hearing this.

That squad of Yinglong Guards was appointed by King Qi. As a result, they all died at the Su family's residence, which enraged King Qi. The Si clan was also implicated to a certain extent because of this.

He was sent to this prince by his family in order to curry favor and appease the King of Qi as much as possible.

"As for Su Xin, he's just a mere cultivator who has achieved the state of transformation. His cultivation level is even lower than that of this prince, yet the Chi Long Building actually believes he deserves to be in the top ten of this hunt What a joke! This prince couldn't even pass the first stage of the hunt, how can he possibly be qualified to challenge for the top ten" Xia Yuanji roared.

His experiences as a child had already twisted his heart beyond repair.

He considered himself a genius and looked down on those whose talents surpassed his own.

He was a cultivator who had achieved great mastery, having received abundant resources for cultivation at the Qi Wangfu previously. As a result, in this hunting competition, he was eliminated during the first stage.

This enraged him to the point of wanting to exterminate the entire family of that genius who had outdone him.

And Su Xin, someone who has achieved great mastery despite having a lower cultivation level than him, was able to pass the first stage of the hunt And he was even deemed qualified to challenge for the top ten

Why

"Kill him!"

"You two, whoever encounters Su Xin next, kill him directly."

A seemingly ridiculous reason, yet this summer Yuan Ji directly issued the order.

"Tu San nodded, his expression unchanged."

But Si Tu Yu was struck with amazement.

"Your Highness, this imperial hunt in the city has a clear rule written long ago, forbidding any true killing. Once it is broken..."

Before Si Tu Yu could finish her words, Xia Yuan Ji's icy gaze had already swept over.

"Clearly stated"

"Whose rule"

"Was that the Yan Emperor's that day"

Even if this prince goes against it, what can be done

Xia Yuanji's voice was icy cold, and his gaze was like that of a wild beast.

Si Tu Yu was so scared that she didn't dare to say a word.

He already knew that this Prince's actions were wild and unrestrained, but he indeed had the qualification to be so.

King Qi, he once competed with the reigning emperor for the throne. The battle was fierce and lasted for a long time, during which he was able to stand toe-to-toe with the emperor.

Although he eventually lost the fight, Qi Wang's power remained immense, so vast that even Tianyan Emperor who had ascended to the throne for so many years dared not make any move against him.

This summer, Yuanji, who was previously so rampant and killed at will, even the Heavenly Flame Emperor could only tolerate it.

...but it was just a random killing on the hunt. The Heavenly Flame Emperor probably wouldn't care much about Xia Yuanji even if he killed a genius on the spot.

Understanding this, Situ Yu immediately felt gloating pleasure.

"Being targeted by the prince of Qi Wangfu, Su Xin, you are really unlucky."

He's got it much worse than I do.

He was also unlucky, being targeted by a mysterious man from the Wu Dynasty.

At least the old Wu Dynasty still followed the rules of hunting.

But now fixated on Su Xin is a real, flesh-and-blood madman who follows no rules at all.

Moreover, the reason this madman set his sights on Su Xin is utterly ridiculous.

……

Soon, three days passed.

A thousand geniuses who passed the first stage of the hunt entered the Tianyan Imperial City under the guidance early in the morning.

The colossal imperial city was far grander than the Thirty-Six Prefectures of the Tianyan Imperial Dynasty, bustling with an unprecedented fervor.

Densely packed, countless exquisite houses and attics.

The street was crowded with people, and there were many powerful individuals.

Within Xuanwu Gate, there is a vast training field that can accommodate tens of thousands of people at the same time.

When a multitude of geniuses arrived at Xuanwu Gate, there were already quite a few people standing on this vast schoolyard.

These people were all dressed differently, some gathered in groups of three or four, while others stood alone. However, the aura emanating from each of them was extremely powerful, clearly indicating that they had already entered the Void-Breaking Realm.

"These people..."

A thousand geniuses who had just arrived at the schoolyard all looked at the people in front of them with confusion.

"Unlikely, it should be those powerful figures and sects from within the Heavenly Flame Imperial Dynasty."

Duanyunfeng and Suxin stood together, saying: “Every time the Imperial City Hunt is held, the top ten geniuses will certainly be absorbed into the Tianyan Palace. But besides these ten geniuses, the other talented individuals also possess immense potential and gifts. This is when the major forces and sects of the Tianyan Dynasty each vie for them.”

Su Xin nodded slightly.

He also knew that the Imperial Hunt within the Heavenly Flame Dynasty was the largest gathering of talents in the entire dynasty.

This banquet attracted so many geniuses precisely because it gathered the attention of all forces within the Tianyan Imperial Dynasty.

Through hunting, those geniuses who originally came from certain forces or sects can not only rely on their strength to make a name for themselves and their respective forces or sects, but also launch an assault on the Tianyan Palace.

And those geniuses who had not joined any factions or sects before can also prove themselves through hunting and join those large factions and powerful sects.

Within the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, those powerful factions and major sects also possess a considerable amount of resources. Joining these powerful factions and major sects would bring numerous benefits as well.

Like the Su family where Su Xin was from, during its heyday, it also sent powerful figures to participate in this hunt several times, trying to absorb some truly talented individuals.

Even if we ultimately weren't able to absorb these talents, making friends with them in advance wouldn't be a bad choice.

"I'll give you one hour to prepare. In one hour, the second stage of the hunt will begin."

The majestic voice reverberated throughout the entire schoolyard.

"An hour's preparation"

Su Xin's heart moved, and she immediately understood that this hour should be used by those forces to attract geniuses.

The first stage of hunting, although never publicly announced, took nearly ten thousand years to whittle down the participants from millions to just one thousand. By that point, most of the geniuses who were destined to emerge had already done so.

Even if some people still have hidden potential, it wouldn't be much.

These forces can now recruit geniuses based on the intelligence provided by the Red Dragon Building.

As expected, the many powerful figures who had already gathered there all began to move.

……

A corner of the schoolyard.

"Elder Mo, I didn't expect you to come in person for this year's Imperial City Hunt"

"There's no way around it, this year's hunting prodigy is clearly more outstanding than the previous few years. Naturally, the sect places even greater importance on them."

Two familiar people gathered together, chatting casually.

"Well, have you found any promising geniuses yet" one of them asked.

“The top-tier ones, destined to join the Tianyan Palace, are out of the question. But among the other prodigies, there are a few good seedlings who have been called ‘Elder Mo’ by someone. A white-robed elder with a smile held a piece of information about talented individuals from the Chi Long Lou in his hand.”

Compared to the information that circulated among those geniuses, the intelligence received by these powerful figures was more detailed.

And at this moment, Elder Mo was staring intently at the name of one person on the intelligence report.

"Suxin!"

Master Mo's eyes were burning with intensity.

According to the information provided by the Chi Long Tower, this Su Xin is only nineteen years old this year, and his cultivation level has only reached the peak of the Huanghai stage. However, his combat strength actually qualifies him to challenge the top ten hunters!

"Too awesome!"

He must have awakened his bloodline!

Compared to those top-tier geniuses in this hunting expedition, Su Xin's talent is even higher.

Elder Mo pondered for a moment, then walked toward Su Xin's location.

……hed the peak of the Void-Breaking realm, while that attendant was only at the mid-stage of the Void-Breaking realm.The Executor, after receiving the elixir, merely gave the white-robed old man a cold...