“Your Majesty, what is your view?”
Ling Xiao did not act immediately, still giving the Holy Emperor some face, so he tossed this thorny issue to him.
“Alas, I have indulged Hua Yu too much. He has repeatedly offended Young Hero Ling, which is indeed wrong, but his crime does not warrant death. I hope Young Hero Ling will show mercy.”
The Holy Emperor sighed.
It seemed he intended to protect Hua Yu today.
“What if I say this wine is poisoned? And the one who poisoned it is Hua Yu. Does Your Majesty still think his crime does not deserve death?”
Ling Xiao picked up the untouched cup of wine and said coldly.
“Summon the Divine Hand Venerable!”
The Holy Emperor frowned, calling for the imperial physician, Divine Hand Venerable, to test the wine.
“Your Majesty, this wine is indeed poisoned. While it would not kill, it could completely dissipate a martial artist’s power. It is far too sinister.”
Unaware of the situation, Divine Hand Venerable spoke truthfully.
“Your Majesty, did you hear that?”
Ling Xiao asked.
“Even if the wine is poisoned, that doesn’t prove I did it!”
Hua Yu shouted hastily.
Ling Xiao sneered, “I believe Your Majesty has a thousand, ten thousand ways to make someone tell the truth.”
The Holy Emperor’s brow furrowed again. After a long pause, he sighed, “Hua Yu’s poisoning was indeed wrong. I will investigate thoroughly and give you a satisfactory answer.”
In the end, the Holy Emperor was still shielding Hua Yu.
It was not surprising. Perhaps he knew of Hua Yu’s poisoning and did nothing to stop it.
“Investigate? That sounds too troublesome!”
As he spoke, Ling Xiao suddenly stepped forward, his speed astonishing everyone present.
Hua Yu was genuinely terrified. He never expected Ling Xiao to dare attack him in front of the Holy Emperor.
“You insolent fool, stop!”
The Holy Emperor finally showed his true colours, striking at Ling Xiao with a thunderous palm.
As a Yin-Yang realm martial artist, though less powerful than Yue Nü, killing Ling Xiao was as easy as slaughtering a rabbit.
“The mighty Holy Emperor, not only shielding a criminal but shamelessly attacking a junior. I see Your Majesty is utterly muddled, no wonder the Holy Dynasty’s fortunes decline by the day!”
At that moment, a stronger force blocked the Holy Emperor’s palm, forcing him back into his seat.
The dragon throne collapsed instantly.
“I’ll spare your wretched life but cripple your cultivation!”
Ling Xiao had planned to flee if the Holy Emperor attacked, but Yue Nü’s intervention was swift. He abandoned escape and pressed forward, striking Hua Yu with a palm.
He didn’t go for the kill. Hua Yu was merely the Holy Emperor’s plaything, so crippling his cultivation was enough.
The palm’s force ravaged Hua Yu’s body, and he could feel his cultivation rapidly draining.
“You! You’ve crippled me!”
Hua Yu’s face turned ashen, his body trembling.
To remain the Holy Emperor’s favourite without cultivation was impossible. This emperor, with his peculiar tastes, would never keep a powerless pet.
Without cultivation, Hua Yu’s status before the Holy Emperor was gone.
“You bastard! I, Hua Yu, will kill you! Kill you! You slave! Filthy slave! I’ll not only kill you, I’ll wipe out your entire family and slaughter your Yuehua Sect!”
Hua Yu roared like a mad dog.
Ling Xiao, who had shown restraint, now radiated intense killing intent. “I was going to spare your life, but it seems you don’t want to live!”
His icy words made Hua Yu tremble, and as he saw the qi sword forming in Ling Xiao’s hand, his face turned deathly pale.
He regretted it, regretted spewing those vicious words.
They were his true thoughts, but why had he said them aloud?
If he hadn’t, it wouldn’t have come to this.
*Thud!*
A sharp sound echoed through the palace hall. Hua Yu’s head rolled.
This time, Ling Xiao showed no hesitation.
He couldn’t leave someone alive who constantly plotted his death.
Moreover, Hua Yu wielded significant influence in the Holy Dynasty. If he became a target, it would be troublesome.
The fierce qi sword shattered Hua Yu’s barely formed Heavenly Meridian.
“Ah—!”
A piercing scream escaped Hua Yu’s mouth.
The sound sent shivers through the onlookers.
Not because Ling Xiao was powerful, but because this madman acted without restraint, killing even the Holy Emperor’s man without hesitation.
Such a lunatic was someone no one dared provoke.
He had no inhibitions.
The soft fear the hard, the hard fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the mad.
Kind people were always bullied by self-righteous strongmen, but when those strongmen met someone fiercer, they too felt fear and caution.
After killing Hua Yu, Ling Xiao turned to the Holy Emperor.
The Holy Emperor’s face was livid.
As the revered Holy Emperor, being humiliated before so many was unbearable.
“Your Majesty, face is something you earn. Respect me an inch, and I’ll respect you a foot! Do you think I’m so foolish?
“Do you think I can’t see the array in this palace hall was altered to target me?
“Do you think I don’t know Hua Yu’s poisoning involved Sikong Zui, with your tacit approval?
“Do you think I don’t know you act polite to me while promising the Holy Son’s hand to make me a target?
“As Holy Emperor, with such a narrow mind, you bring shame to the people of the Holy Dynasty!”
Ling Xiao hadn’t wanted to expose these truths, as doing so meant fully opposing the Holy Emperor.
But now, it was clear that no amount of restraint mattered. Those who wanted to deal with him wouldn’t stop because of his concessions.
They would only grow bolder.
Looking at Ling Xiao, the Holy Emperor saw Ji Fuling standing there, fueling his anger and darkening his face.
When Ji Fuling was born, nine cauldrons surrounded him, a true imperial omen.
When the Holy Emperor was born, only five cauldrons appeared, more than most royals, but far inferior to Ji Fuling.
During the bloodline test, Ji Fuling awakened over ninety percent of the Human King bloodline.
The Holy Emperor had seventy percent, still less than Ji Fuling.
Most infuriatingly, Ji Fuling gained the recognition of the nine cauldrons, receiving their inheritance and the Nine Cauldron Martial Soul.
It was second only to the Mountain and River Martial Soul, surpassing even the ancient Nine Dragon Souls combined.
He hated Ji Fuling out of jealousy.
Though Ji Fuling yielded to him in everything, he refused to yield Yu Xuanyue, intensifying the Holy Emperor’s resentment.
Ling Xiao resembled Yu Xuanyue. In the Holy Emperor’s eyes, even if he wasn’t Ji Fuling’s child, that resemblance alone warranted death!
