Chapter 9

The Champion Marquis Manor!

In the spacious hall, numerous injured warriors lay sprawled, with Prince Anhe, the leader, still oozing fresh blood from his limbs. The once quiet hall was now filled with groans and moans. Zhou Mie stood there, his face expressionless as he looked at the people lying in the hall. A retainer of the Champion Marquis Manor trembled as he recounted the events to Zhou Mie and his companions.

"Did you say that the second son of the Demon Suppression King, who is obsessed with pleasure and debauchery, has reached the innate realm with a single thought?" The man in the dragon robe beside Zhou Mie spoke. If his identity were known outside, it would surely shock people, for he was none other than the Tiger King, a former king who once guarded the Blood Scorpion Rock. Unlike Prince Anhe, he was a true warrior who had experienced countless battles. It was unexpected that the Tiger King was so close to Zhou Mie.

"Yes! Not only did he reach the innate realm with a single thought, but he also achieved the eighth level of the innate realm!" The retainer of Zhou Mie's manor answered cautiously.

"Nonsense! This is impossible. If a spoiled brat can reach the innate realm with a single thought, do you think the innate realm is dog shit?" The Tiger King shouted angrily.

The retainer, intimidated by the rebuke, showed fear on his face. "Everyone here can confirm it. He indeed reached the innate realm with a single thought."

Seeing the Tiger King about to rebuke again, Zhou Mie suddenly laughed. "I underestimated my younger brother Ze. I didn't expect him to bring me such a big surprise after disappearing for three years."

"Uh..." The Tiger King frowned at Zhou Ze's attitude. "Do you really believe he can step into the innate realm, and even reach the eighth level?"

"So many eyes don't lie!" Zhou Mie replied to the Tiger King, then turned to the retainer and said, "Did my good younger brother say these are gifts for me?"

"Yes!" The retainer's body trembled, but he had to speak.

"Good gifts!" Zhou Mie laughed again. He was handsome, and his smile was so bright that any woman who saw it would surely be captivated.

"What else did he say?" Zhou Mie continued to ask.

The retainer thought for a moment and said very cautiously, "He said: He won't tell others that you severed Prince Anhe's tendons."

This statement made the Tiger King lose his composure. He slapped the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces, and roared in anger, "Is the Demon Suppression King's mansion really so reckless?"

Zhou Mie's smile finally disappeared. His face turned dark as he stared intently at Prince Anhe, whose mouth still had dog feces, and the foul smell filled the hall. The retainer trembled even more at Zhou Mie's expression.

"Better this way. If someone dares to harm a royal descendant, I don't believe a mere heir of the Demon Suppression King can withstand the royal wrath." The Tiger King suddenly sneered. The Demon Suppression King wouldn't dare do such a thing, yet his heir dared to do it. Did he really think no one could punish him?

"Didn't you hear? I was the one who severed Prince Anhe's tendons!" Zhou Mie turned and calmly looked at the Tiger King. This statement made the Tiger King's eyes widen in shock, his fury instantly freezing. He looked at Zhou Mie in disbelief, as did the retainer and the just-awakened Prince Anhe, who had been groaning but now fell silent.

These words actually came from Zhou Mie!

"Spread the word that Prince Anhe's cultivation of primordial energy went out of control, and I had no choice but to sever his limbs."

Zhou Mie's words struck the hearts of everyone like thunder. No one expected Zhou Mie to take the responsibility. What a joke? Zhou Ze said you severed Prince Anhe's tendons, and you actually admitted it? Why do you listen to him so much?

"Champion Marquis!" The Tiger King wanted to say something but was stopped by Zhou Mie's wave.

Zhou Mie's face was dark. He hadn't expected this farce to end so thoroughly. He naturally didn't want to take the responsibility, but he had no choice. Prince Anhe was his pawn, and if the pawn was taken, who could blame him? What good would it do to complain to the emperor?

From the emperor's calm reaction to the death of a quasi-marquis by Zhou Ze, Zhou Mie knew the emperor was wary of the Demon Suppression King. Zhou Mie also understood that the emperor would not easily move against the Demon Suppression King, and the Demon Suppression King would not easily provoke the emperor.

What he and Zhou Ze did could only be handled by themselves. If he dared to let the royal family move against Zhou Ze, the Demon Suppression King would not let him off.

Does the royal family have a reason to move against Zhou Ze? Does the Demon Suppression King not have a reason to move against him? Prince Anhe was his pawn! Thinking of his former adoptive father, Zhou Mie couldn't help but feel a chill. That was a terrifying existence that instilled fear in everyone.

"Zhou Mie!" Prince Anhe's eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared, spewing more filth from his mouth. Zhou Mie frowned in disgust and ordered the retainer, "Carry him away and clean his mouth."

"Yes!" The retainer immediately sent many people to carry Prince Anhe away, ignoring his angry shouts.

After the hall was cleared, the Tiger King looked at Zhou Mie, whose face had returned to calm. He felt a bit dazed. The Champion Marquis had been defeated twice by Zhou Ze.

That's right! The first time he was slapped, and the second time he had to swallow the bitter pill himself.

Who was the Champion Marquis? He was hailed as the first among the young generation of the Great Chu Dynasty, a man of great talent and strategy who had never been defeated, always crushing his enemies with overwhelming force. But this time, he was humiliated by a spoiled brat.

"My younger brother Ze really interests me!" Zhou Mie suddenly laughed. This sudden statement made the Tiger King's heart skip a beat. He knew that every time Zhou Mie said this, his enemies would suffer unimaginably, without exception.

"He is, after all, the heir of the Demon Suppression King!" The Tiger King reminded him.

"Because he is the heir of the Demon Suppression King, I am interested, and so is the emperor!" Zhou Mie replied.

The Tiger King suddenly understood. The emperor and the Demon Suppression King were wary of each other, and neither would move against the other first. So, they would not interfere in the young generation's conflict.

"Then let's play with him!" Zhou Mie said, his body blending into the shadows of the hall, becoming blurry, but the Tiger King felt a chill.

How did the first among the young generation of the Great Chu Dynasty achieve this? Because countless talented individuals lay dead at his feet. The brilliant heir of the Mountain Shaking King, hailed as a genius of the imperial city, didn't die because of him? The promising grandson of the Flame Burst Marquis, who was expected to master the family's ultimate technique, was rumored to have died at his hands.

Whoever he took an interest in would die. This was a fact known by all of Zhou Mie's close followers.

Zhou Ze, a spoiled brat indulging in debauchery and luxury.

Zhou Mie, a battle-hardened, strategically brilliant Champion Marquis who made countless beasts tremble in fear.

The outcome was clear, the victory already decided!

...

The Demon Suppression King's Manor!

Lady Lanyang stared intently at Zhou Ze, while Lin Xi stood calmly beside her, like a pure and ethereal lotus. Her clear, water-like eyes also focused on Zhou Ze.

"Are you at the innate realm?" Lady Lanyang still felt a bit dazed, unable to believe the fact before her.

"Today in the morning, Mother scolded me for being a good-for-nothing with no cultivation, angrily demanding that I cultivate to the Gathering Qi realm for you to see. I thought Mother's words were very reasonable, so I casually cultivated to the innate realm for you to see. You won't be angry that I'm at the innate realm instead of the Gathering Qi realm, right?" Zhou Ze looked at Lady Lanyang seriously, as if he were a well-behaved child giving a self-criticism.

Lady Lanyang's face turned red, thinking about how she had dragged Zhou Ze out early in the morning and harshly scolded him, demanding that he cultivate to the Gathering Qi realm. Now, Zhou Ze had reached the innate realm, which made her feel a bit awkward.

"Of course not!" Lady Lanyang blushed and laughed a few times.

"Phew! I'm relieved. I was afraid Mother would think I was disobedient because I didn't cultivate to the Gathering Qi realm!" Zhou Ze sighed in relief.

Lady Lanyang's lips twitched, wishing she could strangle Zhou Ze, the brat. Couldn't he stop mentioning the morning incident?

"What did you do for the past three years?" Lady Lanyang changed the topic and asked Zhou Ze.

"For three years, I didn't do much. I just followed Mother's teachings and tried to figure out how to reach the Gathering Qi realm!" Zhou Ze replied.

"Zhou Ze, shut up!" Lady Lanyang finally lost her temper. "Can't you stop mentioning the Gathering Qi realm every sentence?"

"Okay!" Zhou Ze nodded. "If Mother doesn't want me to say it, I won't."

Lady Lanyang breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask Zhou Ze, "Tell me, what did you do for the past three years? Neither you nor your father will say. Hmph, your father recently wrote a letter, saying he was disappointed by what you did. What exactly did you do to disappoint your father?"

"Before I answer Mother's question, can I ask you one question?" Zhou Ze looked a bit anxious and worried.

"Go ahead!" Lady Lanyang nodded.

"Am I really not angry that I reached the innate realm instead of the Gathering Qi realm?"

Lady Lanyang fled in embarrassment, her face turning green. Didn't she say not to talk about the Gathering Qi realm? How could she scold him now?

Seeing Lady Lanyang finally leave, Zhou Ze breathed a sigh of relief. For the past few months, he had been dragged out by Lady Lanyang for scolding from time to time, as if she had become addicted to it. Zhou Ze didn't mind her scolding, but Lady Lanyang's incessant nagging was really annoying.

After dismissing Lady Lanyang, Zhou Ze thought Lin Xi would leave with her, but to his surprise, she remained, her beautiful eyes calmly watching him.

Zhou Ze was taken aback. After deceiving Lin Xi a few times, this was the first time she was alone with him in the same space. He felt honored and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Lin Xi didn't answer, standing there with her long, straight legs and smooth, creamy skin, her clear, beautiful eyes still focused on Zhou Ze.

...

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