It was dreadful that the Eighth Prince had been decapitated in Yunwu City. If the generals and soldiers could not find the assassin and punished him severely, all the members of the Royal Family would be in danger!
The Yunwu Commandery Prince was inflamed with anger. He summoned 10 generals who had guarded Yunwu City that very night. He demanded that they close the city gate and lock down the Martial Market. He told them that catching 100 innocent suspects was better than letting a single guilty person escape.
“It has been many years since someone dared to assassinate a member of the Royal Family in Yunwu City!” the Yunwu Commandery Prince said.
Inside the palace, the 10 Generals felt like they heard a loud boom of thunder. Their eardrums seemed broken as they all shivered and sank down to their knees.
Each of the 10 generals commanded thousands of soldiers and horses. Their martial cultivation was tremendously powerful. Yet, the Yunwu Commandery Prince only needed to groan slightly to frighten all of them into kneeling down on the ground.
That was because the Yunwu Commandery Prince was a warrior in the Heaven Realm, and he was known as a Martial Arts legend. All the Martial Arts warriors regarded him as a god.
Minister Xue Jingtian stood respectfully before him and said, “Your Majesty, do you think this incident is related to the Moon Worship Demonic Sect? Only the Moon Worship Demonic Sect and the Black Market dare to oppose the Royal Family in the Yunwu Commandery.”
“Although numerous evil and unsavory people gather around the Black Market, they only work for their own benefit. Killing the Eighth Prince does not serve their interests. I doubt if they are involved in the assassination.”
“Yet, the Moon Worship Demonic Sect worship devils, and they like meddling in high-profile affairs. It is highly possible that they’ve killed the Eighth Prince in order to provoke the dignity of the Royal Family,” the minister added.
“The Moon Worship Demonic Sect?” The Yunwu Commandery Prince’s eyes sank as he digested what the minister had just said.
The Royal Family was no doubt the most powerful group in the Yunwu Commandery. They had conquered the land and they held power over the military.
Other suzerains and superior families were subservient to the Royal Family.
However, some well-known groups often challenged the Royal Family, such as the Federation of Inscription, the Moon Worship Demonic Sect, the Black Market, and the Martial Market Bank.
The Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank had control over all of the alchemists, weapons refiners, tamers, and other unusually talented people in the Yunwu Commandery, as well as more than one-third of the assets of the commandery.
The Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank were located all over Kunlun’s Field. They were influential enough to alter the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s decisions with just one word.
Of course, the Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank worked in partnership with the Royal Family to achieve mutual benefits. Under normal circumstances, they would not confront the official power.
In such a peaceful era, the Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank symbolized subservience to the official power. They accepted the governance of the Royal Family.
Yet, the Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank were left to manage their core interests themselves. The official power did not get involved.
The Black Market, like the Federation of Inscription and the Martial Market Bank, had been completely free from the supervision of the official power since ancient times.
It was a place specifically for all kinds of illegal businesses. It was the seedy underbelly of the world.
They controlled half of the assassins, prostitutes, thieves, wanted murderers, as well as a large number of slave traders and thugs-for-hire in the commandery.
To a certain extent, the Black Market was powerful enough to compete with the Martial Market Bank.
The official power was somewhat able to suppress the Black Market, but they could not completely eliminate it. In another commandery, the Black Market had dominated the entire government and military, turning it into a dark paradise.
The Moon Worship Demonic Sect was even more terrifying. Large numbers of warriors worshiped devils in every commandery. They had established a branch gang for every region to confront the official power there.
They even wanted to overrule the First Central Empire, and they took control over Kunlun’s Field.
The Moon Worship Demonic Sect had built an assembly hall in every commandery and had appointed a branch chief to run it.
The power of the Moon Worship Demonic Sect was no doubt present in the Yunwu Commandery.
The chief of the Moon Worship Demonic Sect in the Yunwu Commandery was also a warrior with a cultivation in the Heaven Realm, as well as a Martial Arts legend.
“If the assassin who killed the Eighth Prince is a member of the Moon Worship Demonic Sect, it is definitely a threat. They must be testing the Yunwu Commandery. Perhaps heresy masters are planning to attack the Yunwu Commandery,” Minister Xue Jingtian said.
The minister was the brother of the queen. He must have known that her assassins had mistakenly killed the Eighth Prince instead of the Ninth Prince, their intended victim.
He had to direct the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s suspicions away from his sister. Xue Jingtian needed to guide the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s attention to the Moon Worship Demonic Sect.
Assassinating a prince was a serious matter, but the Moon Worship Demonic Sect was even more important.
The Moon Worship Demonic Sect had eliminated more than one commandery during the last 800 years. This was a nightmare for many rulers.
Even if the Moon Worship Demonic Sect decided to attack the Yunwu Commandery, the Yunwu Commandery Prince would definitely make it a priority.
The Yunwu Commandery Prince’s face grew serious as he listened to the minister. The Moon Worship Demonic Sect was threatening his position as a Commandery Prince.
The minister glanced at the Yunwu Commandery Prince and felt a little relieved.
He was relieved because he had finally switched the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s attention to the Moon Worship Demonic Sect. If the Yunwu Commandery Prince ordered an investigation of the Eighth Prince’s murder, it might expose the queen.
“It is impossible that the Eighth Prince was assassinated by the Moon Worship Demonic Sect!” Zhang Ruochen exclaimed while walking into the place.
The minister looked at Zhang Ruochen with surprise and asked, “My Ninth Prince, what’s your opinion?”
Zhang Ruochen responded and said, “The Eighth Prince was riding on my carriage. He was assassinated on his way back to the palace. Obviously, assassins were targeting me, not the Eighth Prince! His death was a mistake!”
The Yunwu Commandery Prince nodded and said, “Ruochen’s deduction is indeed reasonable. The Moon Worship Demonic Sect has always been high profile. If they wanted to challenge the Royal Family intentionally, assassinating the Eighth Prince would be too simple. This incident must be investigated comprehensively. Also, Ge Qian, you have to leave the palace and discreetly monitor what the Moon Worship Demonic Sect is about to do, just in case.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Ge Qian, the royal bodyguard of the Yunwu Commandery Prince, left the palace immediately to investigate the Moon Worship Demonic Sect.
Zhang Ruochen and the 10 generals also left the palace.
They immediately went and looked into the Eighth Prince’s death, hoping to arrest the assassin.
Zhang Ruochen went back to the Jade Palace and checked up on Yun’s injury. She had been badly hurt in the incident. Afterward, he went into the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel and started practicing.
“I was definitely the target of the assassination. Tonight was extremely dangerous! If the Eighth Prince hadn’t forced Yun to send him back to the palace, I guess I would be the headless one.”
During the Year-end Assessment, Zhang Ruochen’s performance was too outstanding. It had made a lot of warriors jealous.
The people in the palace were the most suspicious.
Indeed, the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demonic Sect were not completely free from suspicion. A talented Martial Arts warrior who had born in the Royal Family was a threat to their existence. The best way to deal with it would be to kill the prodigy.
“Stop overthinking! If my cultivation is strong enough, no one will be able to kill me. Moreover, the assassination of the Eighth Prince has caused such a big reaction that the assassin may not try again.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped overthinking and placed an Elephant Fire Pill in his palm.
The Elephant Fire Pill was as big as a longan. It looked like a flame and produced an extremely hot aura.
A Third-Class Pill was indeed different. The Pill Spirit inside was surprisingly potent.
An Elephant Fire Pill cost as much as a Fifth-Class Genuine Martial Arms. Only Zhang Ruochen would buy seven of these luxuries at one time.
On the other hand, only warriors with such a powerful body like Zhang Ruochen had the courage to take an Elephant Fire Pill. If a warrior in the Medium State of the Yellow Realm tried to take one, he would not only fail to digest it, but he might also burn himself badly.
Taking an Elephant Fire Pill was like swallowing a mini sun. The pain was even more intense than practicing in the Savage God’s Pool.
“Phew!”
Zhang Ruochen swallowed the Elephant Fire Pill. A current of pill fire and Pill Spirit poured down from the sky. It drilled into his Meridians, flesh, bones, and five internal organs. It purified his body and blood.
Zhang Ruochen spent three whole days digesting the Elephant Fire Pill. His body strength had increased drastically. Also, his Genuine Qi in the Qi Pool had doubled.
Although Zhang Ruochen had fully digested the pill fire, he had only absorbed 30% of the Pill Spirit.
After five more days, Zhang Ruochen had completely absorbed the Pill Spirit of the Elephant Fire Pill. His pool of Genuine Qi had enhanced greatly.
At this speed, if I take two more Elephant Fire Pills, I will be able to practice the Genuine Qi of my Qi Pool and reach the Peak of the Mid Stage of the Yellow Realm.
The role of the Elephant Fire Pill was to refine one’s body, not to elevate one’s Genuine Qi.
However, the Elephant Fire Pill was miraculous because while Zhang Ruochen was refining his body, his Genuine Qi also increased.
Zhang Ruochen was in no hurry to take the second Elephant Fire Pill. The Pills were so strong that, even with his physique, if he took them without any interval, they would be unbearable.
Rather than taking the second Elephant Fire Pill, he thought. “Let’s start learning how to carve the basic Inscription of Space!”
He took out the inscription pen and the Spiritual Paper. He infused the pen with his Genuine Qi and started drawing on the Spiritual Paper.
After wasting 130 pieces of paper and an entire day, he had failed to draw an inscription.
Rather than giving up, he kept drawing and practicing until he succeeded.
Zhang Ruochen spent almost every day in the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel within the next month. He only went out once every three days.
The rest of the time, he practiced the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, the Heaven and Heart Sword, and drawing eight types of the Inscription of Space.
A month outside the Time and Space Spinel equaled three months in the internal space of the spinel.
Zhang Ruochen had taken three Elephant Fire Pills in three months time. Finally, he had fully developed his Genuine Qi Pool and reached the Peak of the Medium State of the Yellow Realm. He could start practicing the Final State of the Yellow Realm.
“My physical quality is just about the same as it was in my last lifetime. Indeed, when I broke through the Final State of the Yellow Realm in my previous life, I was only six years old,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen was ready to break through to the Final State of the Yellow Realm in this current life.
“I wonder how many Meridians I will manage to open up. In my last lifetime, when I reached the Final State of the Yellow Realm, I had opened 27 Meridians. Will I be able to open more than last time?”
Zhang Ruochen’s determination showed in his eyes. No matter what happened, he had to make it.