Chapter 125: Miniature Hu Yan
The Beastman on the stage clearly froze for a moment, but the axe was already swinging down. Even though he desperately tried to stop it, the heavy weapon’s momentum carried it downward.
"Ah—"
The crowd below gasped in alarm when they saw the axe suddenly plunge.
Just as Zelda heard the gasps and turned to look at the stage, the axe was already in front of Yan Yichen. He was about to intervene, but then he saw someone else had already made a move.
A pair of large hands, manifested from spiritual power, suddenly appeared and caught the axe just in time. Zelda was stunned for a moment, then his gaze swept quickly across the crowd, but he didn’t see the person he expected.
Yan Yichen had his eyes squeezed shut, but after a long moment passed with no pain, he slowly peeked them open.
The first thing he saw was the giant axe hovering firmly above his head. In front of the blade was a large, blue hand manifested from spiritual power, holding it steady.
Seeing this spiritual power, a flicker appeared in Yan Yichen’s eyes, and he quickly looked around.
He didn’t see Hu Yan, but he immediately flew out from under the axe.
This scene also caused a commotion in the crowd, and many Beastmen and females began to look around.
"Spiritual power that can take physical form! It’s someone from the royal family! It has to be the Eldest Prince, right?! No one else has spiritual power this strong."
"It’s definitely the Eldest Prince! I can’t believe the Eldest Prince is here today!!"
"That young Beastman is really lucky to run into the Eldest Prince. Being saved by the Eldest Prince... he’ll have bragging rights for life."
"The Eldest Prince is the most likely to inherit the throne now. I’m so envious of whichever female gets to be his. When the Eldest Prince takes the throne, she’ll become the Empress."
Another Beastman who heard this sneered, "If the Third Prince were still around, the Eldest Prince wouldn’t stand a chance. The Third Prince was the epitome of a Beastman; his talent and intelligence far surpassed the Eldest Prince’s. What a shame..."
"It truly is a shame about the Third Prince. To think someone like that is dead."
While most people lamented the loss of the Third Prince, a few looked around and then asked, "Logically speaking, the Eldest Prince should have a large entourage when he goes out. How come we don’t see anyone?"
"I don’t see them either. Maybe he’s trying to keep a low profile?"
"Could be."
There was a simple reason everyone thought this way. Only those from the purest bloodline of the royal Nine-tailed Fox family could physically manifest their spiritual power. The royal family’s numbers had dwindled. Apart from the exceptionally talented Third Prince, Hu Yan—who had reached SS-level as a mere teenager and repeatedly driven back the Insect Clan—only the Emperor, the Eldest Prince, and the newborn youngest Prince remained.
The Eldest Prince’s talent was considerably inferior to the Third Prince’s; even now, he had only just managed to reach SS-level.
But unfortunately, the Third Prince had already died several years ago.
Everyone present sighed with regret for the Third Prince; after all, he had once been the most promising heir to the throne.
Zelda heard the people below speculating that it was the Eldest Prince’s doing, and even he had subconsciously thought the same. After all, the only ones who could use such a technique were the Eldest Prince and the Emperor in the palace. But then, he remembered that Hu Yan was back.
Seeing that the axe had been stopped and Yan Yichen was safe, Bai Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew her spiritual power.
Only then did Bai Zhi get a clear look at the miniature Hu Yan that had appeared in her spirit sea. He was so tiny and looked quite adorable. ’I can’t even imagine how cute he’d be in his original form!!’
Just the thought made Bai Zhi’s fingers itch with the desire to reach out and poke him, an urge she forcefully suppressed.
Bai Zhi said, "Thank goodness you arrived in time. Otherwise, Yan Yichen would have been in real danger."
Hu Yan tilted his head up slightly. "Even if I hadn’t made it, you could have handled it. Next time, try not only controlling the person with your spiritual power, but also controlling their actions. It’ll be a little difficult, but I know you can do it."
It had been Bai Zhi’s first time attempting to invade and control someone with her spiritual power, so her technique was still unrefined.
But a few more practice sessions would fix that.
Hearing this, Bai Zhi nodded. "Okay."
Then she asked, "Are you still busy? You go back to what you were doing. We’ll go down and take a look."
Hu Yan: "I only split off a portion of my spiritual power to come here. It doesn’t affect anything."
Bai Zhi had been worried that summoning him so suddenly would disturb Hu Yan, so his explanation came as a relief.
At this moment, Zelda also saw clearly where that burst of spiritual power had come from.
His expression was complicated as he looked at Bai Zhi, whose attention was focused on the stage. He never expected that Hu Yan would have even given her his mark.
A mark could only be given to one person in a lifetime. A marriage contract could be dissolved, but giving a mark was an entirely different matter.
Zelda suddenly began to wonder, ’Could Hu Yan actually have developed real feelings for Bai Zhi?’
’Otherwise, why would he have given her his mark?’
Just then, the Beastman on the stage seemed to snap out of a trance, his eyes clearing. But immediately, the axe in his hands grew heavy. Caught off guard, he was pulled forward, forced to bend over as the giant axe slammed into the ground with a loud BANG.
He stared at the axe in his hands, then glanced at Yan Yichen, who was now a safe distance away. ’What in the world just happened? How did Yan Yichen dodge what should have been a fatal blow?!!’
His grim gaze fell on Yan Yichen, then swept over the tens of thousands in the audience. Although he didn’t know exactly what had just occurred, it was clear that someone of a higher level had interfered, causing him to temporarily lose control of his body and allowing his target to escape the Sky Splitting Slash.
He immediately became cautious. He couldn’t be sure if that person would intervene again if he made another move.
Just then, Bai Zhi and the others reached the front row and met up with Yue Junxiao.
When the Beastman saw Zelda standing next to Yue Junxiao, he instantly understood. He hadn’t realized those two were under the protection of the Sel Family.
Zelda was right there. If he dared to make a move in front of him, Zelda would make sure he never left the stage alive.
His goal was just to win the championship; he had no desire to make powerful enemies.
Having thought it through, the Beastman put away his axe and said to Yan Yichen, "Concede. I won’t lay a hand on you."
Bai Zhi found it a little strange. ’Wasn’t he just acting so aggressive a moment ago? Why is he suddenly backing down?’
’Is it because of what just happened?’
A moment ago, when she saw the danger, she had tried using the method Hu Yan taught her to contact him while also attempting to control the attacker with her spiritual power to make him stop. To her surprise, she had actually succeeded, but the axe, suddenly free from control, had started to fall on its own.
Luckily, Hu Yan arrived just in time. The instant he appeared in her spirit sea, he saw the perilous scene through Bai Zhi’s eyes and swiftly caught the axe with his spiritual power, creating the spectacle from before and saving Yan Yichen from injury.