The Prince's Revenge, Barely Begun

"Your Majesty!!"

A loud roar came from a corner of the palace, and long crossbow bolts, like spears, shot out rapidly.

Are there more experts?

Chu Tianshu turned his head and looked down, extending a single palm.

The crossbow bolt struck his palm and shattered into pieces, sending wood chips and metal fragments flying everywhere.

The one who made the move was the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was also one of Yang Zhenyi's relatives.

This man, in his forties, with a broad forehead and leopard-like eyes, was dressed in iron armor and exuded an air of majesty. He was leaping swiftly across the palace wall, heading towards the rooftop.

"Traitor, prepare to die!"

With his final leap, he stepped on a section of the palace wall, and soared into the air as if he had sprouted wings, swooping towards the roof of the palace.

While still in mid-air, Chu Tianshu raised the hand he had used to block the arrow, and released a burst of energy from his palm.

The enraged commander of the Imperial Guards froze in mid-air, feeling a surging wave crash against his iron armor, causing his entire body to vibrate violently.

A moment later, he was blasted into a cloud of blood mist by a palm strike from a distance.

He is indeed a master, but only a second-rate one.

Before entering the palace, Chu Tianshu had already opened his Heavenly Eye and knew what this person's cultivation level was. He hadn't even touched the edge of the Plain King realm, and he didn't even know what the essence of heaven and earth was.

But this person only got started.

Inside the palace, there were actually more than a dozen figures rushing towards this side, all quite skilled, and most of them dressed as imperial guards.

When Chu Tianshu interrogated the scholar, he learned that Zheng Tianchang had become increasingly greedy and cruel towards ordinary people, palace maids, and servants in recent years, treating them like dirt.

However, the salaries and rewards of the guards he used to protect the royal family were always very good and were never reduced.

After all, he himself didn't actually need these soldiers for protection.

However, his beloved children, grandchildren, and even some favored ministers who were not skilled in martial arts always needed elite guards to protect them and provide assistance.

In doing so, a number of die-hard loyalists have indeed emerged.

These dozen or so figures, leaping across rooftops and shattering bricks, rushed towards Chu Tianshu.

Even more guards suddenly removed their armor and rushed into the inner palace.

These people were only wearing tight-fitting undershirts; some picked up a little princess, while others grabbed a prince and left.

The concubines, princes, and princesses in the harem had just heard the madman's shouts and the series of loud noises, and they didn't know what had happened.

"The king has been defeated!"

A guard growled, "Lead them to challenge that madman, create a distraction, and buy some time."

"We will immediately change our clothes and leave separately, escorting the royal family members to the common people so they can lie low. Only then will we have the opportunity to restore order, restore our kingdom, and avenge ourselves!"

Amidst the low growls of the guards, one of them even kicked over a cluster of palace lanterns.

The long sword struck the bronze branch, sparks flew, and a burst of flames ignited.

"Set fires everywhere, drive those lackeys to flee; only when chaos reigns will it be easier for us to escape."

Those who were young still couldn't believe their father would be defeated.

Several older princes had calmed down and took the initiative to direct their guards.

It wasn't just one or two guards who did this.

With a large number of guards doing this, dozens of fire spots suddenly appeared in the inner palace, thick smoke billowed, and the fire gradually intensified.

Numerous eunuchs and palace maids fled, creating utter chaos.

Chu Tianshu stood atop the main hall, overlooking the entire palace, and raised an eyebrow.

"Ha, are you trying to play the Prince's Revenge game with me?!"

However, the prevailing social atmosphere is indeed quite different nowadays.

He deftly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing against his brow.

The Great Void Heavenly Eye suddenly opened.

Dark eyes, wide open, emerald pupils shimmering with an incomparably beautiful light.

The Imperial Guards experts rushing towards him seemed to simultaneously hear a piercing scream from the depths of their souls!

Emerald-colored ripples of light, seemingly endless and layered, erupted wildly from the top of the hall and spread in all directions.

The piercing sound of the roaring waves was an auditory hallucination produced when these ripples swept across the human body.

A skilled Imperial Guard soldier carrying a spear, who was sprinting across the wall, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Heavenly Fragrance and Wonderful Dance, with the Bright King in hand."

In a flash, he moved his body, his feet forming a bow stance, his spear slung diagonally behind him, his center of gravity lowered.

As his blood and qi surged, a powerful aura emanated from him, his skin flushed red and radiating heat.

The first few wisps of emerald green that touched him seemed to be neutralized by his aura, fading and disappearing before they could even enter his body.

But his resistance was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

Many ripples that shouldn't have been directed at him suddenly turned and surged toward him.

In the blink of an eye, a thin green light crowded around him, almost wrapping him up in a verdant cocoon.

The last glimmer of green light filled the gap, obscuring his terrified eyes.

Then, all the green light shrank inward.

The color of the armor remained unchanged, but the face of this Imperial Guard expert had turned bluish-green, and his body was stiff.

As soon as the wind blew, he fell straight off the wall.

After successfully transforming his foundation, Chu Tianshu could now use the Great Void Heavenly Eye with almost effortless ease and control.

As the ripples of the Heavenly Eye spread out, those with higher strength within the entire palace naturally experienced greater pressure.

Once these ripples enter their bodies, they cause several key blood vessels to become abnormal, resulting in loss of mobility.

Although he was temporarily alive, his tongue had gone numb, and he couldn't even utter a coherent sentence.

From the main hall towards the outer perimeter of the palace, one by one, imperial guards, princes, and concubines collapsed, their faces turning pale.

Many eunuchs and maids who were preparing to take advantage of the chaos to flee with a large amount of wealth also swayed and stood frozen in place due to the disturbance of their blood and qi.

The emerald ripples reached the outermost high wall and slowly receded.

At the main gate of the palace, soldiers and retainers from various households had just arrived from all parts of the inner city.

A few impatient ones crossed the ruins of the palace gate and rushed in, but they all fell to the ground, and no one dared to step inside again.

Inside the palace, the flames that had been lit earlier were extinguished by the green ripples.

But wisps of smoke still lingered in the air.

The entire palace was eerily silent.

Suddenly, a large, blood-stained hand emerged from the ruins of the palace gate.

Yang Zhenyi shook off the bricks covering his body, dragged himself out, coughing up blood.

His chest cavity was ruptured by a single palm strike, damaging all his internal organs. His head then slammed against the palace gate, and he was subsequently struck by the city gate tower, severely weakening his vital energy.

The ripples that had just spread to this point were miraculously overcome by him.

His family's soldiers were outside. When they saw their patriarch crawling out of the ruins, they were both shocked and delighted, and they all rushed to greet him.

Despair!!

When Yang Zhenyi saw the people outside the door, he suddenly pulled his feet back, realizing something was wrong. He barely managed to straighten himself and turned his head to look behind him.

Chu Tianshu had already reached the ruins, standing atop a beam pointing diagonally towards the sky.

Didn't you mention Cheng Xin to me before?

Chu Tianshu said, "I won't trouble two people with one matter."

"Please take me to see their cells."

Within the royal city, there is a celestial prison.

It is located in the northwest corner of the inner city, at the border with the outer city.

This place is guarded by elite soldiers on the outside and has thousands of jailers on the inside. Of course, it is not just Cheng Xin's family that is imprisoned here.

Each cell was enclosed by thick wooden bars, with walls made of piled stones and doors locked with iron chains.

The wall had a small window, about the size of a human face, that allowed ventilation, but it was blocked off with a row of iron bars.

The cell was filled with straw, cockroaches, rats, chamber pots, and swill, creating a strange mix of smells.

In comparison, the cells where Cheng Xin's family lived were actually quite good.

The cells were deliberately placed on the outskirts, in a place with better air quality, and the hay was changed every month.

At least the food wasn't spoiled.

However, besides his son and daughter-in-law, and his sixteen-year-old Sunzi, Cheng Xin also has a four-year-old granddaughter.

After being confined here for so long, the little girl's complexion turned sallow, and she became extremely thin.

There were some strange noises in the city today, and the little girl, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened and felt a bit stuffy and short of breath.

"I can tolerate them putting Qingtang Heart-Weakening Poison, but to put it in a child like this is even worse."

Cheng Xin touched his granddaughter's head through the fence, feeling her dry and brittle hair, and felt utterly helpless.

They usurped the throne because the King of Nanzhao was foolish and extravagant, treating state affairs like child's play, leaving a legacy of disaster for his people.

The foolish king, even with a group of loyal ministers and people, could not withstand their coup.

However, Zheng Tianchang was clearly much smarter and stronger than the previous king.

Cheng Xin discovered that the other party's actions had contradicted the promises made before the uprising, he secretly made up his mind to use some tricks.

Zheng Tianchang immediately noticed, seized the knife first, and captured the entire family.

Although they didn't kill his entire family, they would randomly select one day each month to administer a strange poison produced in Qingtang- Tubo on the meals they delivered.

This poison can cause mental distraction and impaired physical strength. For experts, if their vital energy is too strong and their intentions are not properly conveyed, their strength will be greatly reduced.

For ordinary people, this poison only makes them feel sickly and listless.

Fortunately, the little girl was only stunted and didn't die from the poisoning.

The daughter-in-law said worriedly, "Father, since the King still cherishes old feelings, what if he softens his stance..."

"Shut up!"

Cheng Xin rebuked him, then sighed, "Do you really think he's sentimental? It's just that when I was about to make my move, he wanted to get there first; he acted too hastily."

"Outsiders thus know that I was arrested for rebelling against him. If I had died tragically at that time, perhaps the Red Emperor would have sent someone to question me, which is why he spared my whole family."

"But if we give in, he can just let us out for a few months and then arrange for us to die quietly. At that point, it will truly be a pointless death."

The daughter-in-law lowered her eyes and said nothing more.

Cheng Xin glanced at the small window on the wall and felt a small fire burning in his heart day and night, causing him great pain.

But there were still some things that kept him going.

"If I were to truly back down, those brothers in the army who were dismissed from the pursuit would likely be driven to their deaths by my anger."

"Those who are already dead cannot be brought back to life..."

Upon thinking of this, Cheng Xin chuckled.

His family looked over in surprise, wondering why he was laughing.

The granddaughter called out, "Grandpa, Grandpa, what good news have you thought of?"

The little girl couldn't hear the desolation in the laughter; she was only focused on her curiosity.

Cheng Xin paused, then said, "Ah... there really is something funny... let me think..."

"Old General!"

A jailer suddenly rushed over, excitedly exclaiming, "Great news! Great news! Someone has come to rescue you!"

Cheng Xin was startled. "Who was so foolish as to attempt to break into the Heavenly Prison?"

"They didn't break into the imperial prison, they broke into the royal palace."

The jailer stammered, "Uh, no, anyway, your whole family is getting out."

The prisoners had already heard the sound of a large group of people approaching from outside the cell.

(End of this chapter)