Chapter 405 - 404: Prince?
Xu Jian was dumbfounded by the scene. He had thought the information about the phoenix would be his last-ditch lifeline, but who would have known that the Little Phoenix had already fallen into Yi Tianyun’s hands.
"Th-this phoenix is really here?" Xu Jian stammered after a moment of shock, then immediately began to beg for mercy. "I, I won’t tell anyone, I just beg you to spare me! I’ll never cause you trouble again..."
"You think I’d believe you?" With a wave of Yi Tianyun’s hand, the two Giant Dragons pounced. Accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream, Xu Jian and the incapacitated Ji Long beside him were crushed to death, bursting into a considerable amount of experience. "Only the dead can keep a secret."
Yi Tianyun didn’t want any more trouble. If he let Xu Jian go, the man would surely tell everyone everything. Since he had already revealed his Giant Dragons, it meant he had to kill to silence. He absolutely wouldn’t let Xu Jian live.
Yi Tianyun then recalled all his pets. After looting the bodies, he used the Immortal Fire to destroy the corpses and erase all traces, burning them to absolute ash.
"It’s about time to leave. The haul this time wasn’t bad. I even got a phoenix. I can take it back for Aunt to raise." Yi Tianyun smiled. The Little Phoenix was too small right now and needed some time to be nurtured; otherwise, it was just too fragile.
After cleaning up, he quickly flew out of the passage. Exiting through the same tunnel they had entered, he confirmed that this was indeed the inside of that mountain—a very hidden corner that they had nevertheless managed to find.
Their luck really wasn’t half bad. It seemed it could be found with a careful enough search.
When he returned to the Imperial City, the state of the conflict hadn’t changed. The Celestial Dragon Imperial City was proceeding as normal, with no major developments. In reality, he hadn’t been gone long—half a day at most—so of course the war front wouldn’t have seen any changes.
The Dragon Chancellor would need a lot of time to prepare an attack; he wouldn’t just strike on a whim. To do so would be far too rash.
"Yi Tianyun, where did you go? I was looking for you everywhere." Just as he returned to the imperial palace, Ren Zhirou rushed over and said.
"I went out to look for some treasures." Yi Tianyun gave a mysterious smile. Just as he was about to keep her in suspense, Ren Zhirou grabbed him and started dragging him toward the Imperial Hall of State Affairs.
"Now isn’t the time for that! Ren has an important announcement to make, and he’s been waiting for you for a long time!" Ren Zhirou completely ignored his talk of treasures and pulled him along.
"Waiting for me? What does this have to do with me...?"
Under Ren Zhirou’s lead, they walked outside. A large crowd of ministers had already gathered outside the Imperial Hall of State Affairs, all of them supporters of Ren Long’s faction. Yi Tianyun glanced over them; there were twenty or thirty people, all with impressive cultivation at the Core Formation stage.
These were the elders or Patriarchs of major families, who also served as ministers of the Celestial Dragon Empire. Behind every minister was a family clan, which meant that representatives from twenty or thirty different factions were gathered here.
This was the power of an Empire-level force: dozens of second- and third-rank factions gathered together could effectively form a fourth-rank power.
Among them, Yi Tianyun saw a familiar face: Hua Xiyin. She had come to attend the court assembly as well. The moment they appeared, all eyes fell upon him, filled more with impatience than any sort of welcome.
"Who is this kid? He’s so late, making us wait all this time..."
"Exactly. Who is he? He looks so young. Is he up to the task?"
"If he doesn’t have any real ability, I won’t acknowledge him!"
One after another, the ministers voiced their dissatisfaction, though they were mostly curious about his identity. Who was important enough to make them wait for so long?
"Ren, what’s going on?" Yi Tianyun felt a bit awkward. He hadn’t thought he would be summoned. It seemed he had missed something.
"Where did you go?" Ren Long asked with a smile.
"I just stepped out for a bit. I didn’t expect to be called out here..." Yi Tianyun felt helpless.
"I didn’t expect you to be out, either..." Ren Long turned to the crowd and announced, "He is my sworn brother, and from now on, he will be a Prince of the Celestial Dragon Empire!"
"What? Emperor Ren’s sworn brother?"
They were utterly stunned. A Prince appointed just like that? His origins were a complete mystery. How could they be expected to accept this?
"Great Emperor, this subordinate does not object to you taking a sworn brother. However, to casually appoint him as a Prince—this is a matter of power! The authority to mobilize most of the forces in the Celestial Dragon Imperial City is being handed over to him so carelessly. This is far too reckless!" The minister who stepped forward was none other than the Xu Family Patriarch, Xu Wenlong.
From his appearance, Yi Tianyun could see a faint resemblance to Xu Fei. They were clearly father and son.
"Indeed, this subordinate also objects. If you cannot convince us, we will not acknowledge this Prince." Another minister stepped forward. They were loyal to Ren Long, but that didn’t mean they would support all of his decisions. He had been gone for so many years, and now, just after returning, he wanted to appoint Yi Tianyun as a Prince. It was far too rash.
Yi Tianyun stood frozen on the side. ’Making me a Prince? This is something I really need to think over carefully.’ The power of a Prince was immense, even higher than Ren Zhirou’s status.
Aside from them, one minister after another voiced their opposition.
Ren Long was not surprised by their objections. Appointing an unknown person as a Prince would make anyone dissatisfied.
"You object. Then what will it take for you to acknowledge him?" Ren Long asked unhurriedly.
"We are completely unfamiliar with him, and he has no merits to his name. How can you expect us to accept him?"
"Right! And what about his strength? Without strength, how can he hold such a position?"
"If the Great Emperor cannot give us a convincing reason, we will not acknowledge him!"
They were all united in their opposition. Without a convincing argument, they would certainly not allow Yi Tianyun to become a Prince.
"He saved my life. Is that not enough? If it weren’t for him, I would not have been able to escape from the Coiling Dragon Cave," Ren Long stated calmly.
The crowd was taken aback, then turned to stare at Yi Tianyun in shock. They never would have thought this young man was so capable.
"But... but he has no prestige. He can’t command respect..." Someone was still not convinced. Saving a life was one thing, but did saving Ren Long automatically qualify someone to be a Prince?
A guard might save a princess, but that didn’t mean he would become the princess’s husband.
Ren Long frowned. ’It seems a few years’ absence has indeed diminished my prestige.’
Ren Zhirou’s beautiful eyes darted around, and she smiled at Yi Tianyun. "Yi Tianyun, show them what you can do! Give them a little scare!"
Ren Long watched his sister curiously, wondering what she was up to.
Yi Tianyun shrugged helplessly, took a step forward, and clenched his fist. A protective barrier instantly enveloped his body, and the familiar Celestial Dragon Power radiated outward, stunning everyone present.
Even Ren Long was shocked, because Ren Zhirou had never mentioned this to him.
Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, Ren Zhirou chuckled softly. This was exactly the result she had wanted to see. No matter what other strength he showed, nothing could be more shocking than this.
After all, being able to control the Celestial Dragon Treasure meant one could become the Great Emperor, or at the very least, the next in line for the throne!