The overcast sky made it seem like it could rain at any moment.
Tick-tock--
However, what fell to the ground and shimmered into crystals was not rain, but pale golden drops of blood and strips of cloth fluttering on the ground.
Jiang Yu, his face disfigured, gripped Jiang Chulong's neck, his double pupils reflecting her gray-white eyes, now exposed to the light after the bandages had fallen off.
There were no more tears of grievance or disbelief inside.
In my memory, Jiang Chulong was clearly a timid and fragile little girl.
Even when she was bullied by palace maids and they replaced the royal winter charcoal with smoked charcoal, she would quietly thank them.
Later, he protected Jiang Chulong for several years because he disliked the greedy brothers and sisters who surrounded him for personal gain.
Jiang Chulong is different. She can cherish a rag doll that Yu Yang threw away and be happy for a long time.
He was also always curious as to why Jiang Chulong was living in the Cold Palace.
Later, the Empress Dowager's personal maid told him that this was all the Empress Dowager's intention.
Jiang Chulong's entire situation is caused by his mother, the Empress Dowager. He, the pride of his mother, is playing the role of a savior in a self-indulgent manner.
Of course, if that's all there is to it, the two will at most become distant and cold towards each other in the future.
But one day he learned the reason why his father, who was once as powerful as a god, was gradually weakening.
Those who ascend the throne cannot live forever.
My father was not originally the crown prince. He loved to travel the world, was full of vigor and ambition, made friends with heroes from all over the land, and made a great name for himself. He was known as the reincarnation of Martial Emperor. Later, the crown prince died suddenly, and my father inherited the throne. However, over the long years, he became weaker and weaker.
At first, he was full of confidence, believing that if his father was like this, he might not be, and that he would definitely surpass his father.
It wasn't until the ancestral worship ceremony that he found the Divine Intent left by his father when he was young in the imperial clan.
Ten battles, ten defeats.
The young emperor was also in his early twenties.
Despite having double pupils, he suffered a crushing defeat, losing time and time again until he couldn't even lift his head. In the end, he felt no pain, only a sense of bewilderment coming from all directions.
Have Father been hiding his true abilities all these years?
He went to Dragon-Raising Observatory with a belly full of questions.
What he saw was not the revered, wise and powerful Emperor of the Great Yu, who commanded respect from all sides.
Instead...
A tormented loser, a caged beast locked by fate.
That night, he walked in a daze along the long, complex, and secluded palace walls.
But at the end of that darkness, a door opened for him.
"Brother Crown Prince, you've come to see me again..."
Looking at the little girl leaning against the door, she smiled hopefully yet cautiously.
The mad thoughts that arose from despair in my heart were like a thorny vine.
He instinctively grabbed it.
Climb up!
Leave everything behind...
Even if the end he's heading towards is an even deeper abyss...
"Double pupils are the path to invincibility, hehe..."
Jiang Yu snapped out of his daze, his double pupils becoming even colder.
He raised his longsword, wanting to pierce Jiang Chulong's chest and see what divine object was causing the Sword Bone to resonate.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp, piercing pain in his chest.
Within the manifested Divine Intent, the divine sword held in the mouth of the Golden Dragon suddenly began to struggle violently, piercing the dragon's mouth and drawing blood.
Puff--
His chest was ripped open first.
The blood-stained, sword-shaped bone, radiating a noble silver light and carrying a divine Divine Charm that penetrates all paths, struck the Venerable Dragon Sword, causing it to break in mid-air.
"Sword Bone, mine..."
Jiang Yu could no longer care about Jiang Chulong and reached out to firmly grasp the Emperor Sword Bone.
His Divine Intent surged like a storm, a golden dragon roared, and the imperial realm thundered, instantly changing the color of heaven and earth. He was only one step away from the Inner Scene.
This intense fluctuation of energy has far exceeded the Inner Scene.
"What's wrong?"
Those who witnessed this scene were completely bewildered. Why did Jiang Yu's Divine Intent suddenly tremble so violently?
Those in the martial arts world and ordinary people who were unaware of the truth were completely bewildered.
"The Emperor Sword Bone wants to return to Chulong," Ying Bing said softly.
"Chulong, come back quickly!"
Li Mo shouted towards the stage.
New Sword Bone have grown within Chulong's body; the goal has been achieved.
By the time Jiang Yu recovers, it might be too late for him to leave.
Princess Little Jiang, who always listened to Big Brother Li, quickly ran back, hugged the rabbit, rubbed it several times to calm it down, and then whispered:
"Big Brother Li, the Green Leaf is broken..."
"You've done very well. It's just one sword. I'll forge ten or eight more for you later."
Li Mo looked towards the stage.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man with an expressionless face, wearing a tall hat and a simple black robe, appeared beside Jiang Yu.
However, as soon as he arrived, the surrounding Heaven Patrol Guard all bowed their heads respectfully.
He represents the Great Yu.
The middle-aged man in the black robe slapped Jiang Yu on the shoulder, then with a single blow, he pulled the Sword Bone back into Jiang Yu's chest.
Then, a completely emotionless voice echoed throughout the inner and outer cities via the Map of Mountains and Rivers:
"Jiang Chulong falls off the stage, Jiang Yu wins."
After saying that, his gaze lingered on Jiang Chulong, Li Mo, and Ying Bing.
With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished from the spot.
"The game continues."
At this moment, the eunuch in purple robes on the judges' panel also spoke loudly.
The anomaly came quickly and went quickly; before anyone could figure out what had happened, it seemed to be over.
Everyone just has this feeling.
It sounds like the Crown Prince won, but it actually feels like he lost.
On the side of royalty and nobility.
"Elder brother, are you alright?"
Princess Yuyang presented him with a bottle of medicine, subtly observing Jiang Yu's expression.
Surprisingly, Jiang Yu not only had a rosy complexion, but his breathing was also very steady.
"It's nothing."
Jiang Yu seemed oblivious to the stares directed at him from the surroundings.
Although he hadn't clearly seen what was inside Jiang Chulong's body, he did have some good news.
The power that had been resisting him within the Emperor Sword Bone seemed to have weakened considerably after its recent outburst.
It's much easier to adapt and use it for our own purposes.
He looked up at the Map of Mountains and Rivers.
He won this match, which means he will advance to the next round, and his opponent...
Will it be either Li Mo or Ning Que?
Why is it said as "or"?
Because the winners of the other arenas had already been decided.
Ning Que has only just defeated Huang Donglai and is now preparing to face Li Mo.
On the ring.
Ning Que took a deep breath of fresh air and put down the jade flute that he had been playing for half an hour.
"Can't run anymore? You could have given up a long time ago. Why do we have to exhaust ourselves?"
This means you're a bit weak.
Huang Donglai shook his head.
"You'd be exhausted even if you bragged for half an hour!"
Ning Que couldn't hold back any longer. He angrily picked up his jade flute and struck Huang Donglai, knocking him off the stage.