Chapter 1

"Wu Yu! As the crown prince of the current dynasty, how could you commit such a heinous act that defies human decency!"

"You are the eternal disgrace of our Dongyue Wu Kingdom! The reputation of our Dongyue Wu Kingdom, which has lasted for ten thousand years, has been destroyed by you in one fell swoop!"

"If the late emperor were still alive, he would surely be so enraged by your beastly behavior that he would die of anger!"

The sharp, furious voices tore at Wu Yu's eardrums, causing his head to throb. He tried his hardest to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as if they were weighed down by heavy stones. His mind was buzzing, and his body felt weak.

"It must be a dream. I remember that I am to ascend the throne tomorrow. I have already gone to bed and need to wake up early tomorrow..."

With his martial arts cultivation, his body would only be so uncontrollable in a dream.

"Wu Yu! How long do you plan to continue this heinous act that defies all morality?" Another sharp voice, like a cold wind, pierced his ears, as if someone was screaming fiercely right next to him.

"Um..."

The scene before him was blurry, and it seemed he was on a bed.

It was the middle of winter, and despite his martial arts cultivation, he still felt the bone-chilling cold.

"Um?"

In the midst of his headache and blurred vision, Wu Yu saw a woman sitting on the other side of the bed, her clothes disheveled, her face extremely alluring and captivating. Her tattered clothes barely covered her fair, delicate skin, and her disheveled hair fell over her chest, making her even more alluring.

Such a beauty seemed to be sharing the bed with him. However, she was huddled in a corner, looking at him with fear, her exquisite face already streaked with tears.

"Xi Fei!"

Wu Yu felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Xi Fei was the late emperor's concubine, in other words, the woman of Wu Yu's father, the late emperor.

Wu Yu did not like this woman. Why would such a scene appear in his dream?

Moreover, he felt extremely cold, as if he was only wearing a pair of shorts.

His head was pounding, and he fainted again.

"Whoosh!"

A bucket of ice water was poured over his head, jolting Wu Yu awake. He found himself lying on the cold floor, indeed unclothed! There were people all around, their eyes filled with hostility, disappointment, and disgust.

"This isn't a dream!"

Wu Yu's mind buzzed. Although he still felt weak and disoriented, he could tell from the situation around him that this was definitely not a dream.

"I am to ascend the throne tomorrow. The bed with the carved phoenix is not mine! This is the 'Xihe Palace,' the residence of Xi Fei! How did I end up here?"

His eyes scanned the crowd and saw the captivating Xi Fei surrounded by palace maids and guards, now draped in a thick sable coat.

According to the rules of the Dongyue Wu Kingdom, ministers were forbidden to enter the inner palace. Yet, so many princes and ministers were gathered around him, surrounding him tightly. Clearly, something major had happened. Recalling the earlier events, Wu Yu knew he was in trouble.

"Oh no!"

He tried to stand up but found that he couldn't. His muscles had lost all strength, and even lying down was a struggle.

"Wu Yu! You! You! You are a beast! Xi Fei is your mother's concubine! How could you intend to violate her! If not for the timely discovery, the face of our Wu Kingdom would have been utterly disgraced by you!"

"Scandal, an unprecedented scandal! Late emperor, late emperor, this is a great misfortune and a great humiliation for our Dongyue Wu Kingdom!"

The princes and ministers were in deep distress.

"I have always said that Wu Yu is not fit to be the crown prince, let alone the emperor of our Wu Kingdom! He is obsessed with military conquest, has a violent and unpredictable personality, disregards the law, and acts on his own. He does not study the art of governance but is obsessed with martial arts. How can this be the way of an emperor of our Wu Kingdom!"

The speaker was a prince, who held a high position in the Wu Kingdom and had always looked down on Wu Yu.

Wu Yu couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The so-called obsession with military conquest was actually Wu Yu leading the Wu Kingdom's army at the age of fourteen to repel the neighboring country's invasion and eventually counterattack, capturing a quarter of the neighboring country's territory. The name of the Wu Kingdom's crown prince struck fear into the hearts of the world, and he was revered as the 'Young Military God'!

The so-called lack of interest in governance and obsession with martial arts was because Wu Yu had his own way of governing. He believed in ruling through martial power and had already reached the fifth level of martial arts cultivation at the age of fifteen!

In the entire kingdom, and even among several neighboring countries, no one of the same age could match Wu Yu in martial arts cultivation. In the Dongyue Wu Kingdom, Wu Yu was the undisputed first genius, a martial prodigy!

Some even predicted that he would reach the tenth level of martial arts, the 'Heavenly Connection' realm, and become a supreme martial arts master in his lifetime!

Such martial talent was only possessed by the founding emperor in the thousand-year history of the Dongyue Wu Kingdom.

In the mouth of this prince, it had become an obsession with military conquest.

"Hmph! I also cannot accept Wu Yu. He was never meant to be the crown prince! If not for the early death of Crown Prince Rong, how could it have been his turn? Besides, his mother was of low status, from the countryside. If not for the late emperor's favor, how could the position of crown prince have fallen to Wu Yu! This Wu Yu, with his lowly blood, is indeed vulgar and despicable. His actions today are even worse than those of beasts!"

The speaker was a general in the army, but in terms of martial arts and power, he was always overshadowed by Wu Yu.

He had a son who was a good-for-nothing, causing chaos in the capital of the Wu Kingdom. Once, he brutally killed civilians and abducted women, and Wu Yu happened to witness it. The man even tried to offer the abducted women to Wu Yu, but Wu Yu flew into a rage and hung him at the city gate, where he was exposed to the sun for three days and three nights until he died! From then on, the young nobles of the Wu Kingdom were terrified, and no one dared to cause trouble again.

Now, Wu Yu understood that he had been framed and caught red-handed. Someone must have orchestrated this entire drama to prevent him from ascending the throne. But who could it be, someone who could still overshadow him?

To be honest, in terms of both strategy and martial arts, Wu Yu was unparalleled! Since the late emperor's death, no one had dared to challenge him, and his hatred for evil had earned him great popularity among the people!

"Summon the Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian!"

A shrill voice made Wu Yu's mind buzz.

"Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian, he..." Wu Yu was stunned. He had heard correctly; it was the name 'Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian.'

Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian was a celestial being!

He was the guardian immortal of the Dongyue Wu Kingdom, said to be over a hundred years old!

He was a celestial being, different from mortals. Even if Wu Yu reached the tenth level of martial arts and became a supreme martial arts master, he would still be far from the level of a celestial being. Celestial beings were sent by the heavens to save and protect mortals.

Guardian immortals generally did not involve themselves in mortal affairs. Their only duty was to protect the people and slay demons. They would only appear if there were monsters eating people within the kingdom's borders.

Even the late emperor held the guardian immortal in the highest regard and followed his instructions on many matters.

Wu Yu never expected that he would come...

All the princes and ministers were filled with reverence.

Wu Yu looked up and saw a figure standing at the entrance of the Xihe Palace, seemingly appearing in an instant. Wu Yu could not detect the slightest trace of his movement.

Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian was probably the only person Wu Yu truly feared.

What made Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian extraordinary was that, despite being rumored to be over a hundred years old, he still looked like a young man, with a ruddy complexion and a tall, straight figure. His white hair and eyebrows could not hide his vibrant vitality! That was the righteous aura of a celestial being!

He wore a snow-white Daoist robe adorned with many Bagua patterns, and in his hand was a duster that kept evil spirits at bay. His eyes were as bright as stars, and no evil in the world could escape his gaze.

"Welcome, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian!"

The princes, ministers, palace maids, guards, and Xi Fei all prostrated themselves on the ground.

"I am already aware of what has happened today."

Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian's voice was young, loud, and majestic, stirring the hearts of those who heard it. This was the voice of a celestial being.

"Please, Immortal, punish the sinner!" Xi Fei's face was streaked with tears, and her body trembled, showing deep distress.

Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian said, "Enough, a country cannot be governed by a sinner." His burning eyes looked at Wu Yu, making Wu Yu feel a deep sense of guilt, almost to the point of confessing.

"Wu Yu, you have committed a grave error this time, one that even the celestial path cannot tolerate. By the will of heaven, I revoke your position as crown prince and emperor. From today on, your martial arts cultivation will be nullified, and you will be exiled to the military to be tempered in the mortal world and start anew."

The celestial path cannot tolerate, by the will of heaven, the revocation of the emperor's position, the nullification of martial arts cultivation, and exile to the military!

Terrible! Terrible! Terrible!

Hearing such a punishment, the princes and ministers shouted, "The Immortal is wise!"

Wu Yu, however, remained calm. He did not cry or make a fuss, suppressing all his anger within. In his heart, a massive, surging volcano formed, with countless rivers of molten lava flowing, representing his blood feud!

This is fate! It is fate!

Wu Yu couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He understood.

"At this level! No one in the kingdom dares to challenge me! Except for him, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian! It turns out he is the mastermind behind this. If Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian wants me dead, it is fate, and I cannot avoid it!"

"Today, the gods are destroying me."

Wu Yu couldn't help but laugh loudly, and everyone thought he had gone mad.

"Ridiculous! In the presence of Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian, how can you behave so improperly and laugh out loud!"

The ministers were even more disappointed.

"A disaster for our Wu Kingdom!"

Such words surrounded Wu Yu, but he paid no attention. He felt as if the entire world was collapsing. These mortal words were not worth bearing.

"Wu Yu, you are to be given the 'Soul-Severing Powder.'"

The word 'given' was so laughable.

Given ten years of hard cultivation, all your heroic aspirations will be reduced to ashes.

From today on, you will be a cripple.

Tomorrow, you were to ascend the throne; today, your soul is severed.

But now, looking at Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian, he still radiated brilliance, but in Wu Yu's heart, he had fallen from his pedestal.

"He is just the strongest mortal in the kingdom. It turns out this kingdom has always been his."

After taking the Soul-Severing Powder, ten years of hard cultivation and heroic aspirations were all washed away.

Late at night.

Wu Yu was calmly escorted away, exiled to the military.

To be used as a meat shield, cannon fodder.

With his status, surviving ten days on the battlefield would be a miracle.

"Yu!"

Suddenly, a familiar, warm voice.

In the cold prison cart, the nearly lifeless Wu Yu opened his eyes. A woman was shaking the cart, her eyes bloodshot, her face streaked with tears.

"Wu You."

This dignified woman was Wu Yu's sister, already titled 'Princess Wuyou.' Although they were half-siblings, Wu Yu respected her the most, and she was the one who understood him best in the entire kingdom.

Wu Yu's mother had passed away early, and now Wu You was his only remaining relative.

"How could this happen! How could this happen!" Wu You trembled in the cold winter, crying bitterly, her heart aching as if cut by a knife.

"Sister, I did not cause this chaos today. It is the heavens that wish to destroy me. Do you understand?" Wu Yu's hand reached out of the cart, gripping Wu You's pale hand. Despite the bitter cold, he could feel the warmth, and it made the calm Wu Yu shed tears.

"I don't understand, but I believe you." Wu You shook her head in pain.

"That is enough. I have a clear conscience, but the heavens are unjust. There is no need to grieve. In the next life, I will be your brother again." Wu Yu suddenly trembled, the effects of the Soul-Severing Powder becoming severe.

"In the next life, in the next life..."

Hearing these words, Wu You's face turned pale, and she stumbled and fell to the ground.

At that moment, the soldiers shouted and pulled the cart away on the main road of the imperial city.

The wooden wheels of the cart scraped against the stone pavement, making a creaking sound like a rapid heartbeat.

Looking back, Wu You chased after the cart, but her frail body could not keep up, and the cart gradually disappeared into the distance.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a heavy snow began to fall.

Looking up, countless snowflakes filled the sky.

A beautiful winter night, with only a few stars, like the eyes of the heavens, watching over the world.

Wu Yu, covered in snow, left the capital of the Wu Kingdom.

...

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