Royal Family Shaken

"So, this saber is still a half-finished product?"

"You could say that. As for how to sharpen it, you'll have to figure that out yourself. My Wang family is powerless to help."

Wang Yuanzheng replied somewhat nervously to Zhao Ping'an's question.

"Alright, I'll take this saber. After you go back, if you encounter any trouble you can't resolve, you can find my Master to help. If he can't handle it, I'll step in personally.

Remember, you only have three chances. Think carefully before using them."

"Three times? Good, good, good! Thank you, Young Master Zhao!"

"Thank you, Young Master Zhao!"

Upon hearing that Zhao Ping'an agreed to accept the treasure saber and offered three chances to act, Wang Yuanzheng immediately stood up happily to express his gratitude. The other six people who had come with him also stood up together to thank him.

"Mm, then that's settled. I'll write a letter to my Master later. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you. Butler, see them out!"

"Esteemed guests, this way please..."

"Then this old man shall not disturb you further, Young Master. Farewell, please don't trouble yourself to see me out!"

Led by the butler outside the door, the Wang family entourage quickly departed Wu'an Mountain.

Zhao Ping'an did not rise to see them off. They could not afford such an honor.

Or rather, no one in the entire Profound Water Dynasty could afford it.

"Outer Realm Meteorite Iron? A meteorite? It shouldn't be. Meteorites are just iron ore; they couldn't possibly be this heavy.

Never mind, I won't think about it. Let's first see if this thing can withstand the impact of True Essence."

No sooner said than done, Zhao Ping'an immediately grabbed the long saber and flashed away from Wu'an Mountain, speeding towards the distance.

He didn't dare to test it on Wu'an Mountain. With one wrong move, he could collapse the entire mountain.

With his cultivation at the second level of the Martial Venerable Realm, his True Essence could be projected outwards for nearly thirty zhang, which was over ninety meters.

This meant that if he wished, he could wield a giant saber nearly a hundred meters long and slash around.

[PS: The distance for True Essence projection in the Martial Venerable Realm: First level: ten to just under twenty zhang, Second level: twenty to just under thirty zhang... Ninth level: ninety to just under one hundred zhang]

And the Nine Forms of Hegemonic Saber he cultivated only enhanced the attack power after True Essence projection and reduced True Essence consumption.

It did not increase the distance of his True Essence projection.

Just as Zhao Ping'an was moving far away from Wu'an Mountain to test the limits of the nameless treasure saber's True Essence resistance, The capital of the Profound Water Dynasty—Profound Water City.

In the Royal Palace, within a tall and magnificent palace.

A tired, majestic voice suddenly rang out: "Have you found the Old Prince yet?"

"Your Majesty, we are still searching everywhere, but there is no news for now."

"Useless! More than a month, a full month has passed, and you haven't found any useful information! What's the point of me keeping you?

Could it be that the Prince of the First Rank of my Profound Water Dynasty has simply disappeared without a trace?"

Shui Gaoxing, the current ruler of the Profound Water Dynasty, roared in anger.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. We investigated and found that more than a month ago, the Old Prince suddenly received a letter. Not long after, he disappeared with two teams of Black Underworld Guards.

We also found that at the same time, four peak Grandmaster realm experts from Zhongzhou Prefecture also disappeared.

They are Shangguan Xing of Surging Waves Palm, Jia Chengzhi, the Hall Master of Thunderclap Hall, Guan Liang of Mountain Breaking Fist, and Scorpion Woman Qian Yingying.

However, for experts of this caliber to travel, unless someone is watching them at all times, it is difficult to determine their whereabouts.

But we have confirmed that all four of them disappeared after receiving the Old Prince's letter, and we have roughly locked onto their direction of travel. I believe we will have some results soon!"

Wen Jiamu, the Undercurrent Guard Commander below, immediately prostrated himself on the ground and spoke rapidly.

The Undercurrent Guard was the intelligence agency cultivated by the Profound Water Dynasty's Royal Family, and they were also responsible for some dirty work.

They were like the surging undercurrents beneath the water's surface, ready to devour anyone at any moment.

Within the bodies of all the Undercurrent Guards, the Royal Family had planted a failsafe. Their life and death were in the Royal Family's hands, and no one dared to betray them.

"Dispatch more men, and I'll give you three more days! If there's still no news, then you can bring your head to see me! Get out!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Wen Jiamu immediately got up and quickly left the great hall.

He, a dignified peak Grandmaster realm expert, was admired by thousands wherever he went.

Unfortunately, ten years ago, he committed a grave mistake while drunk, and the Royal Family caught him, planting the Heart Devouring Gu in him, making him a puppet from then on.

"Sigh..."

Wen Jiamu sighed and walked towards the distance.

He also knew the reason for the current Profound Water King's anger. The Royal Pillar of the Nation, the younger brother of the previous Profound Water King, Shui Wuwei, Shui Gaoxing's own uncle, had been ambushed and severely injured, leaving the Royal Family's combat strength depleted.

And Shui Gaoge, the Prince of the First Rank, who was at the sixth level of the Great Grandmaster realm, the third strongest in the Profound Water Dynasty's Royal Family, had also disappeared at this critical juncture.

This was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

The current vast Royal Family is only propped up by one Old Ancestor at the seventh level of the Great Grandmaster realm.

Of course, the Royal Family has a few other experts at the third to fifth levels of the Great Grandmaster realm, but they are clearly not enough.

After all, in the Profound Water Dynasty, it's not just the Royal Family that has Great Grandmasters; several Great Noble Families and sects with hundreds of years of history also have Great Grandmasters stationed there.

If these people were to unite and try to overthrow the Royal Family, the current members of the Royal Family would not be able to resist.

Fortunately, that assassin was killed on the spot by Shui Wuwei with a single palm strike. Otherwise, Shui Gaoxing would not be anxious and angry, but terrified.

Profound Water City is currently under strict martial law, with soldiers searching the streets for spies everywhere.

The imperial court is also in turmoil, with civil officials and military generals choosing sides, all unwilling to be caught in this disaster. Many even want to take this opportunity to profit.

Time passed quietly for two days.

On the morning of the third day, Wen Jiamu, holding a piece of intelligence, quickly met with King Xuan Shui, Shui Gaoxing.

"Your Majesty, the Undercurrent Guard has investigated and found that the direction the Old Prince and his entourage were heading is towards South Ridge City in Tannan Commandery, Southern Prefecture.

Furthermore, scouts found the warhorses ridden by the Old Prince and his group near Thousand Guts Valley outside South Ridge City. The horses bore the mark of the Black Underworld Guard.

However, no trace of the Old Prince and his entourage was found, and, and..."

As he spoke, Wen Jiamu became hesitant, as the following content made him afraid to speak.

"And what? Speak quickly!"

The current King of Xuan Shui stared at the stammering Wen Jiamu and berated him sternly.

Seeing Shui Gaoxing's expression change, Wen Jiamu gritted his teeth and spoke again:

"Furthermore, we learned from the local mountain dwellers of a rumor that over a month ago, long screams were heard from within Thousand Guts Valley. My subordinate speculates that the Old Prince and his entourage have likely met with misfortune.

At the same time, a shocking event occurred in South Ridge City, the closest city to that location.

The relative of a peak Great Grandmaster realm expert in the city was kidnapped. We learned from the City Lord that the Grandmaster's last known destination was Thousand Guts Valley.

Moreover, he returned with his relative safely. After comparison, the timing of both incidents is almost identical."