Before the Star Luo Imperial Palace, Zhao Yun's Startling Move

When Aiven and the others arrived before the Star Luo Imperial Palace.

A crowd had already gathered all around them.

Large numbers of soul masters, countless knights and soldiers clad in armor and wielding spears, surrounded Aiven and the others from every direction.

It was quite an imposing formation.

Zhu Zhuqing could not help being frightened by such a sight. Both outwardly and inwardly, she was panicking.

Yet when she looked at Aiven beside her and the four people around him, there was not the slightest trace of fear or timidity on their faces.

Why?

Why weren't they afraid?

Who exactly were they?

And what was his identity?

Zhu Zhuqing's mind was filled with confusion and doubt.

She also felt that Aiven was shrouded in mystery, completely impossible to fathom.

But with such a formation, weren't they surely doomed to die?

At that moment.

Two young people, a man and a woman, stepped out from the crowd.

They were Dai Weisi, the First Prince of the Star Luo Empire, currently seventeen years old with Three Rings and level 36 Soul Power.

And Zhu Zhuyun, the eldest daughter of the Zhu Family, currently fourteen years old with Three Rings and level 31 Soul Power.

There was no anger on their faces, only speechless disgust and disdain for Dai Mubai.

Dai Weisi covered his face and shook his head mockingly. "My foolish little brother!"

"Look at yourself now. You have utterly disgraced our Star Luo Royal Family!"

"What a shameful embarrassment!"

"Damn it!" Dai Mubai looked miserable and aggrieved, but kept his mouth shut.

He knew that being dragged through the streets in nothing but underpants, like a dog, all the way to the palace gates had already humiliated him beyond measure.

Dai Mubai understood that his reputation was utterly ruined. This would become a stain on his life, one that the world would mock endlessly.

But right now, he only wanted to see Aiven die!

Dai Mubai glared viciously at Aiven. "Fine, you beat me, but you even dared bring me to the palace! No matter who you are, you're all dead today!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Aiven coldly grabbed Dai Mubai and threw him down beside himself, forcing him to kneel.

Seeing this, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun's expressions darkened as well.

They did not care about Dai Mubai. They cared about the royal family's dignity. This man still dared treat Dai Mubai like this, clearly showing no regard for the royal family.

Dai Weisi was extremely displeased and arrogantly said, "Who are you people? How dare you treat an Imperial Son like this and show such disregard for our Star Luo Royal Family!"

"You are not worthy of knowing who I am. Wait until your king comes out before we discuss it." Aiven did not take Dai Weisi seriously at all.

This made Dai Weisi even angrier. "I am Dai Weisi, First Prince of the Star Luo Empire! What are you that you dare disregard me like this!"

"Brat, I'll give you Three Seconds to release him at once!"

"Otherwise, you will all surely die!"

"Do you understand, brat!"

"Ugh, you're so noisy." Aiven shook his head and sighed, then said to Zhao Yun, "Zi Long, slap him."

"Yes, Lord."

Zhao Yun nodded.

The next second, he vanished from where he stood.

Before anyone could react, Zhao Yun had already appeared in front of Dai Weisi.

"What..."

Dai Weisi, who had been acting so arrogantly moments ago, was now filled with terror.

"Oh no!"

"First Prince!!!"

Everyone around them panicked as well, but by the time they reacted, Zhao Yun had already slapped Dai Weisi across the face.

Smack~!

Pfft~!

"Waaah!"

Dai Weisi spat out blood from that single slap. With a miserable scream, his body flew away and slammed fiercely into the palace wall.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun had already returned to Aiven's side.

The entire scene fell silent. Countless people stared wide-eyed at Zhao Yun in silver robes, unable to believe that this man had slapped Dai Weisi before anyone could react!

What level of strength did that require?

Zhu Zhuqing also looked at Zhao Yun in shock. An expert. He must be an expert.

"Weisi!!" Zhu Zhuyun hurried to Dai Weisi's side, her rage boundless and killing intent surging. "Damn it! You still dared attack Weisi!"

"Such audacious criminals are unforgivable!"

"Everyone, listen up! Kill them!!!"

Just as everyone was about to swarm forward and attack, the palace gates finally opened.

A voice filled with authority rang out from within. "Stop!!"

The Star Luo Emperor of the Star Luo Empire made his appearance.

A burly, imposing middle-aged man walked out from the palace. He was the Star Luo Emperor.

He looked nothing like that frail, weak Xue Ye of the neighboring Heaven Dou Empire. The Star Luo Emperor gave off an air of great strength.

And indeed he was.

The Star Luo Empire had been founded through martial strength, and with its brutal system of royal competition, the Star Luo Emperor's strength naturally could not be weak. He possessed level 89 Soul Douluo Soul Power, with strength barely comparable to a Titled Douluo. (Many people say he was a level 94 Titled Douluo, but I really couldn't find anything in the original text saying he was Titled.)

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

As the Star Luo Emperor emerged, all the surrounding soul masters, soldiers, and knights bowed in salute.

The Star Luo Emperor carried the aura of a powerful expert. He was imposing even without anger, and killing intent lay hidden beneath his seemingly calm face. He said majestically, "You humiliated my son and then came before my palace. You must not be ordinary people."

"You must have something you seek. Speak. What do you want?"

Aiven's aura was no weaker. He slowly raised a hand. "I have only one purpose: bring out Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai's Marriage Contract and burn it in public to dissolve the engagement."

"What? So Dai Mubai was beaten because of that girl Zhu Zhuqing?"

The people around them were all astonished. They had thought Zhu Zhuqing was a hostage, but it seemed that was not the case.

The Star Luo Emperor agreed readily. "Fine. Release my son first, then we can discuss it."

But what surprised everyone was that Aiven was even more straightforward.

"Get lost."

Aiven kicked Dai Mubai straight before the Star Luo Emperor.

The people around them all sneered.

If Aiven had used Dai Mubai's life to threaten the royal family, the royal family might not have dared do anything to them. But now that he had released the hostage so easily, wasn't he simply courting death?

"Heh, hehehe." The Star Luo Emperor laughed as well, no longer concealing his killing intent. "The Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family have intermarried for generations. The engagements they established have never once been dissolved."

"Do you think an engagement can be dissolved just because you want it to be?"

"Oh? The dignified emperor of the Star Luo Empire intends to go back on his word?" Aiven asked calmly.

"I merely said to release him first, then discuss it. I never said I had agreed to your demand." The Star Luo Emperor sneered.

Killing intent completely surfaced on his face. "You beat an Imperial Son and humiliated him in the streets. You trampled the dignity of my Star Luo Royal Family beneath your feet!"

"You originally believed that by using my son's life as leverage, you might still have a sliver of hope of surviving."

"But now, you are all surely doomed to die."