Little Seventeen...
The Seventeenth Prince listened to that voice, at once familiar and strange, and felt his heart and throat tremble.
For a moment, he had no idea what to say. His mouth felt as though it held a great stone, and he could only stammer... He had always acted as if he scorned all this, but now that it was truly before him, his mind went blank.
Fortunately, the person before him inspired neither awe nor a sense of cold indifference. Instead, he was gentle. In a daze, the prince felt as though he was no different from his mother had once been—just as warm and kind. He seemed less like Emperor Yu and more like a gentle elder of the family.
Beyond that gentle voice, the Seventeenth Prince thought he heard a trace of age. He assumed he had misheard. Though Emperor Fu was nearly a million years old, he had always looked vigorous and young, only slightly more "mature" than the Eldest Prince.
People said that, with Emperor Yu's abilities, he could easily live another five hundred thousand years, perhaps even pass a million and a half and break through his limits... How could he possibly have grown old?
With that question in mind, the Seventeenth Prince slowly mustered a little strength in his neck. He raised his head, his Primordial Chaos Eyes following the imperial robe upward until, at last, he saw the man up close.
The instant he saw his face, the Seventeenth Prince shuddered. His eyes quivered, and he stopped breathing altogether.
Before him stood a gaunt, white-haired old man. His gray-white hair was dry and coarse as weeds, wrinkles covered his face, and even the five-aspect Primordial Chaos Eyes of the Tai Yu bloodline had grown dim...
Everything about him resembled parched land