Emperor of the Mysterious Heavens

Chapter 8: Put them all down

In the duel between Feng Shao and Yan Chuan, there was never a shred of doubt about the outcome.

To the disciples of the Dahe Sect, it was a given that Feng Shao, with his superior cultivation, would easily crush Yan Chuan. As long as Yan Chuan wasn't killed, they'd turn a blind eye to the whole affair. But who could have predicted this ending?

Feng Shao was choking to death on a grape that Yan Chuan had flicked at him?

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed it. Even when they returned to the sect, no one would believe them. A grape? A single grape?

The absurdity of the situation didn't just leave them dumbfounded; it made them frantic. What would they do if Feng Shao died? How would they explain this to the sect?

Not only was Feng Shao frothing at the mouth, but everyone was sweating in panic.

"If you don't want him to die, move aside!" Yan Chuan's voice cut through the tense air.

"Huh?" All eyes turned toward Yan Chuan.

Now, they looked at him in disbelief. This was the man responsible for Feng Shao's current state.

"Do you know how to save him?" Jiangnan, the senior disciple, frowned as he looked at Yan Chuan.

"He's the grandson of my father's sect master. I'll save him as a favor to the sect master," Yan Chuan said casually.

At eighteen, he knew he'd eventually have to confront that sect. Yan Chuan didn't want to escalate things now. Feng Shao's life or death was insignificant to him. After all, Feng Shao wasn't even worth remembering.

"Then hurry up and save him!" Jiangnan urged, his brow furrowing deeper.

Moments ago, Jiangnan had been indifferent to Yan Chuan, but now he was practically begging. As the leader of the group, he had no choice but to care about Feng Shao's life.

"Huo Guang!" Yan Chuan called out.

"Your servant is here!" Huo Guang replied, excitement in his voice.

Just a moment ago, the mighty Dahe Sect had been looking down on them. Now they were asking for help from the prince. Not only were the silver-armored soldiers swelling with pride, but even Huo Guang was beaming with excitement.

"Turn Feng Shao upside down," Yan Chuan ordered.

"Yes!" Huo Guang stepped forward.

Though the powerful disciples of the Dahe Sect hesitated, they had no choice but to hand Feng Shao over to Huo Guang.

With eager hands, Huo Guang grabbed the once high-and-mighty Feng Shao and hoisted him like a rag doll.

"Liu Jin, strike his back!" Yan Chuan instructed.

"Right away!" Liu Jin, equally excited, stepped forward.

With a swift motion, Liu Jin delivered a powerful strike to Feng Shao's back.

*Thud!*

Liu Jin didn't hold back. After all, this was the same man who had slandered the old emperor and insulted the prince. Liu Jin had no reason to go easy on him.

*Pop!*

A grape, coated in thick phlegm, shot out of Feng Shao's mouth.

*Gasp!*

Feng Shao's body jolted as he sucked in air, his chest heaving as he took in deep, desperate breaths. Although his body still trembled and remained weak, he was alive.

"It's out! It's out!" The Dahe Sect disciples let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Toss him back to them," Yan Chuan said calmly.

"Yes, my lord!" Huo Guang responded.

With a casual motion, Huo Guang tossed Feng Shao back to the group as if he were nothing more than a discarded animal.

The disciples rushed to catch their senior brother, their concern evident.

"Are you alright, senior brother?" They crowded around Feng Shao, their voices filled with worry.

Meanwhile, Huo Guang and Liu Jin returned to Yan Chuan's side, standing tall.

The soldiers couldn't help but gaze at Yan Chuan with newfound admiration.

Yan Chuan glanced at the crowd and said indifferently, "So weak, yet you dare venture out to train? Take him back."

The word "weak" sent a jolt through the Dahe Sect disciples. Was Yan Chuan calling Feng Shao weak, or were they all weak?

How could they argue? Feng Shao had been defeated by a grape. If that wasn't the definition of weakness, then what was? The disciples stood in awkward silence.

"Weak? Ha! Feng Shao was just caught off guard!" Jiangnan couldn't help but defend his junior brother.

The others quickly nodded in agreement, trying to convince themselves that it was true. After all, believing that Feng Shao was merely careless made them feel better about the humiliating defeat.

"Caught off guard? Hahaha!" Yan Chuan's laugh echoed.

He didn't say what was so funny, but the laughter alone made the Dahe Sect disciples feel a burning embarrassment.

Caught off guard? In a life-and-death battle? What a childish excuse, yet Jiangnan had said it aloud.

Even Jiangnan knew he had misspoken, but his anger only grew. He was furious at Yan Chuan's arrogance and furious that someone at Yan Chuan's level of strength would dare disrespect him.

But to the soldiers, Yan Chuan's carefree attitude made them feel even more proud. Their prince remained composed, even in front of the prestigious sect. He wasn't afraid of them; he controlled the situation. It was a moment of triumph for the entire army.

High above, the girl riding the celestial crane watched Yan Chuan with amusement in her eyes. "He's... interesting."

The crane chirped in agreement.

Back on the ground, Jiangnan stepped forward. His fellow disciples watched, hoping their senior brother would teach Yan Chuan a lesson.

"Yan Chuan, it seems we've underestimated you. Since you think we're weak, I, Jiangnan, would like to challenge you," Jiangnan said coldly.

A challenge?

Huo Guang and Liu Jin tensed up. Earlier, Yan Chuan had been clever with the grape, but could he really win again?

From above, the girl scowled. "This Dahe Sect is shameless. A cultivator at the seventh level of the Essence Stage, challenging someone at the third level of Strength Stage?"

If the duel had been amusing before, now it was just distasteful. A clearly uneven fight, and yet Jiangnan still pushed for it.

"Little Crane, should I help that boy out? I'm starting to like him," the girl mused.

The crane shook its head.

"Alright, let's just watch," she said with a smile.

Below, Yan Chuan shook his head at Jiangnan's challenge. "You? Not even close. Step aside, and I'll pretend this never happened."

"Hah! You think you can talk to me like that?" Jiangnan laughed bitterly, his frustration boiling over.

His fellow disciples glared at Yan Chuan, their expressions full of contempt.

"You don't see it, do you? You're no different from Feng Shao," Yan Chuan said with a sly smile.

To Jiangnan, being compared to Feng Shao—who had just been humiliated by a grape—was an unbearable insult. His face twisted in anger.

"Hmph! I'll only use ten percent of my strength, and I won't hurt you. Now, show me if your skills match your sharp tongue!" Jiangnan sneered.

Yan Chuan narrowed his eyes but remained calm. Finally, he shook his head slightly and said, "You're too weak."

"Arrogant fool!" Jiangnan roared, drawing his sword.

A wave of killing intent swept through the air as Jiangnan advanced.

But Yan Chuan didn't flinch. He simply stood there, unmoved.

Jiangnan took a step forward.

Suddenly, his body wavered as though he'd lost his balance.

*Thud, thud, thud!*

Jiangnan stumbled, his legs unsteady, as if he were about to collapse.

He looked up at Yan Chuan, his face filled with shock and confusion. "What's happening? What have you done to me? This is impossible!"

And then, with one final step, Jiangnan fell to the ground.

The duel between Feng Shao and Yan Chuan was over before it even started—there was no suspense.

To the onlookers from the Dahe Sect, it was expected that Feng Shao, with his superior cultivation, would simply toy with Yan Chuan. As long as Yan Chuan survived, they would turn a blind eye to the bullying. But no one could have anticipated this outcome.

Feng Shao, dead because of a grape?

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe it. Even when they returned to report to the sect, no one back there would believe them either.

"A grape? A single grape?"

Everyone stood in disbelief. But beyond the absurdity, a creeping panic set in—if Feng Shao really died, how could they explain it to the sect?

Not just Feng Shao, who was foaming at the mouth, but almost everyone was now drenched in cold sweat.

"If you don't want him dead, stand aside!" Yan Chuan's voice rang out abruptly.

"Huh?" The crowd all turned to look at him.

Their gazes were filled with shock. This man, this boy, had done this to Feng Shao?

"You can save Feng Shao?" Jiang Nan asked, frowning at Yan Chuan.

"Since he's the grandson of my father's sect leader, I'll save him—out of respect for the leader," Yan Chuan replied calmly.

At eighteen, Yan Chuan knew he would eventually need to deal with that sect. He didn't want to escalate things too soon. Feng Shao's life wasn't worth much in his eyes, as Feng Shao himself wasn't important enough to even hold a grudge against.

"Well, then hurry and save him!" Jiang Nan frowned. His earlier indifference now turned to a plea. This shift in attitude made him uncomfortable, but as the one leading the group, he had no choice but to care about Feng Shao's fate.

"Huo Guang!"

"Here!" Huo Guang responded eagerly.

The once-proud members of the immortal sect now had no choice but to ask the prince for help. The silver-armored soldiers couldn't hide their excitement, and even Huo Guang felt a burst of pride.

"Flip Feng Shao over," Yan Chuan ordered coolly.

"Yes, my lord!" Huo Guang stepped forward at once.

The elite cultivators, though reluctant, had no choice but to hand Feng Shao over to him. With enthusiasm, Huo Guang grabbed the once-mighty Feng Shao and hoisted him up like a rag doll.

"Liu Jin, hit him on the back!" Yan Chuan commanded again.

"Yes, my lord!" Liu Jin stepped forward eagerly, too.

With a single strike, Liu Jin's palm slammed into Feng Shao's back.

*Thud!*

Liu Jin didn't hold back. Feng Shao had insulted the prince, so Liu Jin wasn't inclined to be gentle.

*Pop!*

A grape, covered in saliva, shot out from Feng Shao's mouth.

"Huff, huff..."

Suddenly able to breathe again, Feng Shao gasped for air, his whole body trembling. His condition was far from fully recovered, though, and he remained weak, still unable to move properly.

"It's out! It's out!" one of the experts sighed in relief.

"Toss him to them!" Yan Chuan said.

"Yes, my lord!" Huo Guang complied.

With a single throw, Huo Guang tossed Feng Shao over to the other cultivators as if discarding a dead dog.

The group hurried to catch him.

"Senior brother! Are you okay?" they crowded around, anxious.

Huo Guang and Liu Jin returned to stand behind Yan Chuan, while the crowd's gaze on Yan Chuan grew more reverent.

"Is this what you call cultivation? He's so fragile. Take him back home," Yan Chuan said casually.

Fragile? The group stiffened. Was Yan Chuan calling Feng Shao weak, or were they all being called weak?

And how could they even refute him? Feng Shao had been taken down by a single grape. How could they argue that wasn't weakness?

"That's not fair, Yan Chuan! Senior Brother Feng Shao was just caught off guard!" Jiang Nan protested, unable to accept it.

His fellow disciples nodded in agreement, not just to support Jiang Nan but to reassure themselves.

"Caught off guard?" Yan Chuan burst into laughter.

He didn't specify what he found funny, but his laughter made the group feel their faces burn with shame.

Caught off guard? In a life-or-death fight, does being 'caught off guard' even count as an excuse? It was a childish notion, but the words had come from Jiang Nan's mouth.

Jiang Nan realized he had misspoken but felt more angry than embarrassed. Angry at Yan Chuan's arrogance, angry that this mere mortal dared treat him, a true cultivator, with such disrespect.

Yan Chuan's carefree laughter, though, filled his soldiers with pride.

The commander is the spirit of the army. If their prince could remain unfazed in front of immortal sect members, even bringing them to heel, how could they not feel proud?

Above them, in the sky, a young woman watched Yan Chuan intently, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"This one... really is something," she murmured with a smile.

"Caw, caw!" the celestial crane nodded in agreement.

Below, Jiang Nan stood up slowly and took a step forward.

His fellow disciples watched eagerly, anticipating their senior brother to finally teach Yan Chuan a lesson.

"Yan Chuan, it seems we've underestimated you. Since you think we're weak, I, Jiang Nan, would like to spar with you," Jiang Nan said coldly.

Spar?

Huo Guang and Liu Jin tensed up again. A moment ago, Yan Chuan had won with a clever trick, but could he do it again?

Up above, the young woman's face darkened with disdain.

"These people from the Dahe Sect are shameless. A seventh-level expert challenging a mere third-level cultivator? What a disgrace."

If she had been curious about the fight earlier, she was now disgusted by this shameless display. How could they be so dishonorable?

"Should I help him, little crane? I'm starting to like this boy," she mused aloud to the celestial crane.

"Caw, caw!" The crane shook its head.

"Alright, let's just watch for now," she said with a nod.

Below, Yan Chuan shook his head at Jiang Nan's challenge. "You? You're not strong enough. Leave, and I'll pretend this never happened."

Jiang Nan laughed coldly. "Just who do you think you are?"

The other disciples sneered, glaring at Yan Chuan.

"Don't you realize how similar you are to Feng Shao?" Yan Chuan asked with a smile.

Feng Shao, humiliated by a grape, was already a disgrace to Jiang Nan. Being compared to him was unbearable.

"Don't worry, I'll only use one-tenth of my strength, and I won't hurt you. Show me if your skill matches your arrogance," Jiang Nan said arrogantly.

Yan Chuan narrowed his eyes at him, then slowly shook his head again. "You're too weak."

"What?!"

With a flick of his wrist, Jiang Nan unsheathed his sword, and murderous intent filled the air.

Yan Chuan, however, stood unmoved, watching calmly.

Jiang Nan stepped forward, but his body swayed as if he were about to fall.

"Thud, thud!" He stumbled forward, his face turning pale as he tried to steady himself.

"What's happening? What did you do, Yan Chuan? This can't be happening!" Jiang Nan shouted in panic.

With a final stumble, he collapsed to the ground.