Reborn and Returned

Great Yan, Imperial Capital, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Ye Yu, you actually cultivated Demonic Arts. What else do you have to say for yourself?!"

Ye Yu raised his head and looked at the familiar scene before him, a trace of ruthlessness flashing through his eyes.

I really was reborn!

In his previous life, he had been framed by his imperial younger brother, scorned by the world, and ultimately murdered by several of his Imperial Sisters working together.

Yet no one could have imagined that he had been reborn!

In this life, when facing this pack of ungrateful wolves, he would no longer bare his heart and soul like he had in his previous life! He would no longer do such foolish things!

"Heh, I cultivated Demonic Arts? You say I cultivated them, so I cultivated them?" Ye Yu raised his head and stared directly at Ye Qingwan on the high seat.

This regent of Great Yan, this accusation without a shred of evidence, had been the beginning of everything.

Five years ago, Ye Yu had been invested as Crown Prince, and for a time, his glory knew no bounds.

He had also devoted himself wholeheartedly to Great Yan, becoming a Crown Prince who truly loved the people as his own children. But after Ye Yu returned from the Nine Nether Blood Spring a year ago, everything changed.

Rumors spread throughout the world that the Nine Nether Blood Spring had been created by Ye Yu in collusion with Demonic Cultivators, all for the sake of cultivation.

As for Ye Yu entering the Nine Nether Blood Spring to suppress the Nine Nether Blood Qi, it was said to have been a self-inflicted wound—a scheme meant to seize the Imperial Throne of Great Yan!

"Eldest Sister, I believe Imperial Brother would never cultivate Demonic Arts. Could there be some misunderstanding here?" Ye Xuan said from the side, his face full of grief and indignation.

Ye Xuan was the youngest Imperial Prince of the Great Yan Royal Family. Before Ye Yu left, he had merely been an obscure, marginal prince.

But Ye Yu knew that Ye Xuan was not as harmless as he appeared. On the contrary, his scheming ran deep.

In just one year, Ye Xuan had taken Ye Yu's place in the hearts of several Imperial Sisters and become the Imperial Prince with the greatest support in Great Yan.

In his previous life, Ye Yu had not failed to try explaining everything. Yet every member of the royal family, along with the people of Great Yan, chose to believe this hypocritical Imperial Prince. They did not even care how absurd the matter was.

For instance, this time, Ye Xuan had clearly slipped the Blood Demon Heart-Losing Pill into Ye Yu's medicine, yet now he was putting on an act as though he were defending him.

"You are still an Imperial Prince of Great Yan! Do you not even understand seniority and proper respect?! Is that the attitude you should take when speaking to me?!"

"Yesterday, you suffered a backlash while cultivating Demonic Arts. Demonic Qi covered your entire body, and everyone saw it clearly. Are you still going to quibble?! Kneel and admit your mistake!" Ye Qingwan spoke icily. She rose to her feet and looked coldly at Ye Yu.

Ye Yu suddenly sneered, staring straight at Ye Qingwan on the platform as he said coldly, "Kneel and admit my mistake?! Are you worthy?!"

As soon as those words fell, an invisible force erupted from Ye Yu's body. Ye Qingwan and Ye Xuan's expressions changed instantly, and fear rose in their hearts.

Ye Xuan was horrified. He looked at Ye Yu in disbelief, inwardly groaning without end. Wasn't Ye Yu crippled? Even his spiritual roots were destroyed—how could he still possess such terrifying bearing?

But Ye Qingwan and Ye Xuan quickly came to their senses.

The aura around Ye Yu did not come from his cultivation. It came solely from himself.

Remembering that she, a dignified Golden Core Stage cultivator, had been intimidated by the aura emitted by a cripple, Ye Qingwan became somewhat embarrassed and enraged. Her eyes turned even colder as her Golden Core Stage cultivation erupted.

A sea-like pressure crashed straight down upon Ye Yu.

At once, Ye Yu felt a weight as immense as mountains pressing upon his shoulders. Even the bones in his body began to make cracking sounds. His wounds, which had only just healed, split open again, blood pouring forth in streams. Even so, Ye Yu remained standing where he was, with no intention of kneeling.

Staring directly at Ye Qingwan, Ye Yu wore a cold smile. If he had not destroyed his spiritual roots suppressing the Nine Nether Blood Qi in the Nine Nether Blood Spring, a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator would not even be qualified to stand before him.

No one knew what Ye Yu had experienced during those years in the Nine Nether Blood Spring!

Yet the more Ye Yu thought about it, the colder his heart became. He had poured out his heart's blood and rushed headlong into danger, only to receive this result.

"Eldest Sister, don't! This may truly be a misunderstanding. I am willing to guarantee Imperial Brother's innocence. Imperial Brother has absolutely no disloyalty toward Great Yan," Ye Xuan hurriedly said.

Hearing this, Ye Qingwan's expression eased slightly. She withdrew her pressure and looked at Ye Yu with confusion.

Ever since Ye Yu returned to the Imperial Capital, he had always obeyed her every word. No matter what she asked, Ye Yu would agree, currying favor with her without the slightest concern for his dignity.

But why did he seem like a completely different person today?

As that thought crossed her mind, Ye Qingwan met Ye Yu's icy gaze. Her entire body stiffened, as if something were slipping away.

"For Xiao Xuan's sake, I will spare you this time. However, hand over your Crown Prince Token. The Heir Apparent of the Great Yan Dynasty cannot be a cripple, much less someone suspected of being a Demonic Cultivator!" Ye Qingwan cast that thought aside and said coldly.

Ye Yu snorted coldly. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled from his robes the Crown Prince Token symbolizing the position of heir to the throne and tossed it before Ye Xuan without a trace of reluctance. Was this not what he wanted?

In his previous life, when Ye Yu was murdered, every person of Great Yan had cheered and rejoiced, celebrating that Great Yan had finally rid itself of a calamity.

From that moment onward, his heart had completely died. The people of Great Yan, whom he had once kept constantly in his thoughts, had long become irrelevant. The position of Heir Apparent was nothing but trash.

Imperial Grandfather! Yu'er has failed you!

Seeing Ye Yu obediently hand over the Crown Prince Token, Ye Qingwan's expression eased somewhat. Sure enough, he was still the Ye Yu who obeyed her every word. He had even handed over the Crown Prince Token the moment she asked.

Ye Qingwan's mood immediately improved considerably.

"Xiao Xuan, accept this Crown Prince Token," Ye Qingwan said, looking toward Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan put on a bashful appearance and said, "Would that be right, Eldest Sister? I am inferior to Imperial Brother in every way. The position of Heir Apparent should not be mine."

Ye Yu looked at Ye Xuan coldly. If his strength were not lacking right now, he would have long since slain this Devil Race spy.

Only before his death in his previous life had Ye Yu learned that Ye Xuan had long been colluding with the Blood Demon Clan. The Blood Demon Heart-Losing Pill used to harm him had also been given to Ye Xuan by members of the Blood Demon Clan.

"Xiao Xuan, you are simply too kind-hearted. Other than you, who else is qualified to possess this Crown Prince Token? From now on, you will be the Heir Apparent. You must not be as merciful as you are now," Ye Qingwan said as she looked at Ye Xuan with satisfaction.

The more she looked at this younger brother of hers, the more delighted Ye Qingwan felt.

Watching this scene, Ye Yu sneered inwardly. What he especially wanted to see now was the look on his Eldest Sister's face when she discovered that the younger brother she cherished most was a Devil Race spy—and when he ultimately turned her into a human stick for the Blood Demon Clan to toy with.

"Since you know what is good for you, I will give you a chance to live. From today onward, you are no longer a member of the Great Yan Royal Family. You are reduced to a commoner." After saying that, Ye Qingwan slowly sat back down and looked at Ye Yu in the center.

She knew how deeply Ye Yu valued family. She had greatly disliked his earlier resistance, and she wanted to wait for him to beg her in tears.