The yellow-robed man, blinded by greed, seemed to have lost all thought, his eyes fixed solely on the treasures before him. He even suspected Zhou Yan possessed even greater riches. Driven by immense desire, he disregarded everything and declared, "Kid, hand over the goods, or I'll make you regret it!"
"The goods are right here. If you have the ability, come and take them yourself!" Zhou Yan didn't even glance at the man, completely ignoring him. This infuriated the yellow-robed man. He was a revered elder of the Luoyun Kingdom, and even the Emperor of Luoyun would show him considerable respect. Accustomed to his high status for too long, the yellow-robed man had grown complacent and no longer bothered with rational thought. Angrily, he exclaimed, "You said it yourself, don't blame me."
With that, the yellow-robed man produced a green dagger, unleashing a powerful surge of magical energy to activate it. The dagger transformed into an incredibly potent green light, hurtling towards Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan merely sneered and, without even lifting a hand, exhaled a gentle breath. The green dagger, as if struck by an unseen force, instantly shattered into dust and fell to the ground.
"How is this possible!" The yellow-robed man was stunned, staring at the scene in disbelief. This was his full-powered attack, defeated by a mere breath. Alarmed, he quickly asked, "Are you from the Xuan Yin Hall?"
"Hmph! What is the Xuan Yin Hall to me?" Zhou Yan retorted dismissively.
"Swish!" The yellow-robed man transformed into a streak of light, attempting to flee. He seemed to have sensed that Zhou Yan was no ordinary individual, finally realizing why Zhou Yan had been so composed – his strength was immense.
"Since you've come, you might as well stay," Zhou Yan said, extending a hand. The fleeing yellow-robed man was immediately pulled back by an irresistible force, crashing to the ground.
"Pfft!" The yellow-robed man landed heavily, fear in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Yan. He had been on the verge of becoming a demigod, yet he was so easily injured. "Immortal Master, spare me! I know I was wrong, please let me go!" he pleaded, falling to his knees.
"Thump!" The purple-robed man beside him witnessed this and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly knelt, saying, "Immortal Master, forgive my transgressions. I offended you earlier, please spare my life."
"The Emperor has arrived!" At that moment, a procession of people entered, guards and eunuchs surrounding a man in a dragon robe.
"My son!" The Emperor of Luoyun, Zhang Yi, rushed towards his most beloved eldest son, Zhang Hua, who lay on the ground in agony.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," the white-robed elder respectfully cupped his hands towards Zhang Yi. Nearby, a younger man, the second prince Zhang Qianyu, watched Zhang Hua's suffering with a flicker of excitement in his eyes. If all went according to plan, the Luoyun throne would have been beyond his reach, but seeing Zhang Hua in this state, he was overjoyed, wishing his brother would die right then.
However, Zhang Qianyu maintained a pretense of anger. "Elder officials, what is going on? How could you torture my brother like this!"
The elders glanced at Zhou Yan, too afraid to speak. Zhang Qianyu followed their gaze and realized Zhou Yan was responsible. He couldn't help but think, 'Well done!' But then he wondered, 'Why didn't he just kill my brother?'
Nevertheless, Zhang Qianyu angrily confronted Zhou Yan, "So it was you! How dare you attack a prince of the current dynasty? Elders, what are you waiting for? Seize him at once!" The elders looked at Zhang Qianyu as if he were an idiot. Did this second prince lack the brains to see they were too intimidated to speak before Zhou Yan? Why was he, like the yellow-robed man, venturing out without a mind?
"What are you doing? Are you not obeying the royal command? You are the esteemed elders of our royal family, how can you be so slow to apprehend an assassin?" Zhang Qianyu put on a show of being furious, as if it were genuine. In his heart, he was still wondering, 'Why hasn't my brother died yet?'
Zhang Yi, being the Emperor, saw that Zhang Hua was not critically injured and might even benefit. He was surprised and observed the elders and Zhou Yan closely. "And who is this..." Zhang Yi asked Zhou Yan, utterly bewildered, not immediately assigning blame.
"Father, this is the perpetrator who attacked my brother. He should be dragged out and executed," Zhang Qianyu declared with a show of righteous indignation. The elders nearly collapsed, quickly saying, "Second Prince, please be quiet!" "We beg you, stop talking." The elders were terrified. This second prince was a fool. Fortunately, the entire royal lineage would not fall into his hands, or the kingdom would be ruined.
Zhang Qianyu, however, was not deterred. He turned to his father and said, "Father, listen! Listen! Are these the words an elder should utter? My brother is near death, and they act like this!"
"Slap!" A clear palm print appeared on Zhang Qianyu's face. He looked at his father in disbelief, complaining aggrievedly, "Father, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong?"
"Which eye saw your brother die?" "Do you wish your brother would die quickly so you can inherit the throne?" "How could I have given birth to such a creature!" Zhang Yi berated his useless son, nearly choking with anger. Did he have no judgment? Fortunately, there was still the eldest prince, otherwise, the Luoyun Kingdom would be destroyed by this spendthrift.
Zhang Qianyu dared not speak, but he was deeply resentful, even wanting to retort, 'I was born by Mother!' He also began to resent Zhou Yan, blaming him. If he had just killed his brother outright, none of this would have happened!
Zhang Yi then turned to Zhou Yan and cupped his hands, "May I ask who this young brother is?"
"I just returned with Zhang Hua and decided to stop by. In a few days, I'll help you get rid of the Xuan Yin Hall," Zhou Yan said casually. The white-robed elder nearly lost his footing, terrified. Destroying the Xuan Yin Hall spoken of as easily as one might swat a fly – was he serious? The onlookers were also stunned. For Zhou Yan to say such a thing so casually, could it be believed? And to get rid of the Xuan Yin Hall as an afterthought? Did he think this was a game? Zhang Yi was also astonished. Regardless, judging by the reaction of the elders, this person was undoubtedly extraordinary.
"Your Majesty, save me," the yellow-robed man pleaded, crawling towards Zhang Yi.