Red and the others left the private room and turned towards the exit.
"Wait."
Turning around, Red saw the Empress Aeriel standing a few meters behind them.
"Hello there, little phoenix. Is there something that you need?"
Aeriel was feeling a bit awkward being called like that, but she didn't care too much anymore.
This stinky man wouldn't just start calling her differently just because she asked him to, right?
"About that pill..."
"Hahahaha... Little phoenix, do you not trust me?"
"I do trust you, but... Do you need any help?"
"Hahahahahahaha..."
"Why are you laughing now!?"
"What help would I need? You know how strong I am. If you want to tag along for fun, just say so. There is no need to beat around the bush."
"You! Can't you at least let me keep some dignity?"
"Hahahaha... What dignity? There is nothing wrong with wanting to have some fun. You can follow us... And, by the way, why do you want to join? I feel like there could be some enmity between you and that empire?"
"Naturally, there is enmity. The Azure Empire is one of the strongest empires in the world. They have five Martial Emperors. I always had to be careful when dealing with them just because they had more Emperors! They can do nothing to me, but they can invade my empire easily, and I won't be able to save all my citizens. They were always very arrogant. Even that stupid prince thinks that he can ignore me and act as he wants..."
"Oh? Interesting... Then, let us have some fun... But, make sure to change your appearance or those thugs wouldn't dare to attack us."
"I know..."
Scarlett took a black mask out of her spatial ring and wore it. Her appearance instantly changed to that of a normal woman. There was nothing special about her anymore.
Red could still see her real appearance behind the mask.
"I can still see you. How does that work?"
"You are stronger than me, so naturally you can see through it. Anyone weaker wouldn't be able to see my real appearance."
"Okay then..."
Saying that, Red turned towards the exit and continued walking while holding Eve's hand. Scarlett and Aeriel followed behind them.
......
Exiting the auction hall, Red immediately sensed five cultivators trailing them from behind. A slight smile appeared on his face.
He continued to lead the group towards the street, then headed in a random direction.
He wanted to see what those guys were planning.
......
Half an hour later...
"Damn... Are these guys stupid? We've been walking around the city for this long and they still didn't do anything? I even intentionally entered some deserted streets to lure them out..."
"Darling, should we just capture them?"
"No, my dear. There is no fun in that. I want to see their smug looks when they surround us."
"Darling, you are so evil..."
"Hahahahaha... I just want some fun... But they seem to be stupid..."
Red waited for a little longer, but the attackers still didn't make their move.
He eventually became tired of waiting.
"Sigh... Forget it. Let's just go home."
"Home?"
Eve looked at him curiously.
"Yes. I have a castle waiting for us. We can deal with those idiots when they finally decide to attack."
Red raised his hand and stopped a passing carriage.
After speaking with the driver, the group entered the carriage and began making their way towards the Vaelanor family estate.
The attackers followed them from a distance.
They had been ordered to wait for the right opportunity, and they didn't want to attack in the middle of the city where there were too many people watching.
They didn't know that Red was already aware of everything.
......
The carriage continued moving through the streets.
Red sat comfortably inside while Eve leaned against his shoulder. Scarlett and Aeriel were sitting opposite them.
"How long until we arrive?"
"Not too long. The estate isn't far from here."
Red looked outside the window.
The streets were gradually becoming less crowded as they approached the outskirts of the city.
He could already see the distant walls surrounding the Vaelanor family estate.
'Finally...'
He had almost fallen asleep from boredom.
Suddenly...
*BOOM!*
A terrifying attack struck the carriage from the side.
The carriage was instantly thrown sideways and crashed into the street.
The driver didn't even have time to react before the attack knocked him unconscious.
Red remained completely calm. He had already sensed the attackers moving.
"Finally."
He stepped out of the destroyed carriage.
Eve followed him immediately, while Scarlett and Aeriel also exited.
Five figures were standing around them. They had completely surrounded the group.
The leader of the five stepped forward with a smug expression on his face.
"Patriarch Vaelanor, you certainly made things difficult for us. We have been following you for half an hour."
"Half an hour?"
Red looked at him.
"Was it really that long?"
The man's face twitched.
"You..."
The other four cultivators laughed.
One of them looked at Eve and Scarlett before turning towards Red.
"Not only did we capture the famous Patriarch Vaelanor, but he even brought two beautiful women with him."
Another attacker looked at Aeriel.
"That one isn't bad either."
Aeriel's eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't like the way these men were looking at them.
Red noticed it too. However, he didn't immediately react. He wanted to see how far these idiots would go.
The leader smiled.
"Patriarch Vaelanor, hand over everything you obtained at the auction. The Wyvern Egg, the sword, your spatial rings... Everything."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you will suffer."
The man laughed.
"You are nothing more than a useless Patriarch who somehow managed to spend a ridiculous amount of money at the auction. Did you really think that you could escape from the Crown Prince's men?"
"Useless?"
Red raised an eyebrow.
"That's what we heard."
The man looked at Eve again.
"And after we take your possessions, I'm sure His Highness will be very interested in these women as well."
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Red's smile disappeared. He had endured their nonsense long enough.
A slight evil smile appeared on his face.
"Are you finished?"
The five attackers looked at him in confusion.
"Finished with what?"
"Talking."
Red released his cultivation.
*BOOM!*
An invisible pressure descended upon the entire area.
The expressions of the five men changed instantly. Their bodies trembled violently.
"What..."
"Martial... Emperor..."
"Impossible!"
Their legs buckled.
*Thud!*
All five of them fell to their knees. The leader's face became pale.
He couldn't even breathe properly under the terrifying pressure.
"How... How can you be a Martial Emperor!?"
Red slowly walked towards them.
"Didn't your Crown Prince tell you?"
The man couldn't answer.
Red stopped in front of him and looked down.
"You should investigate people properly before trying to attack them."
The four weaker cultivators were already struggling to remain conscious.
Red casually snapped his fingers.
*Snap!*
Four small spatial cracks appeared beside the four attackers. Their bodies froze.
The next moment, their heads exploded from the pressure contained within the spatial cracks.
Blood splattered onto the ground everywhere around them.
The leader stared at his dead companions in horror.
Red hadn't even moved. He had killed four Martial King-level cultivators with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.
"Please... Please spare me!"
The man immediately started begging.
Red crouched down in front of him.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."
The man's eyes lit up with hope.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Red smiled.
"But I have something I want you to do."
"W-What?"
"You are going to lead me to your Crown Prince."
The man's expression stiffened.
"His Highness..."
"Yes. Take me to him."
The man hesitated.
Red's smile became slightly wider.
"Or I can just kill you and find him myself."
"N-No! I will take you!"
"Good."
Red stood up.
"Let's go."
The man quickly got up and began leading the way.
Eve and Scarlett happily followed beside Red.
Aeriel walked behind them with a strange expression. She had already known that Red was incredibly powerful.
But seeing him casually kill four Martial Kings that were tied to a powerful empire without any hasitation still gave her a strange feeling.
'This man really doesn't take anyone seriously.'
She couldn't help but smile slightly.
......
The remaining attacker led them through several streets before eventually arriving at a luxurious hotel.
Red looked at the building.
"This is where the Crown Prince is staying?"
"Yes..."
"Good."
They entered the hotel.
The servants inside recognized the cultivator immediately and didn't dare to stop him.
The attacker led Red and the others directly towards the room where Doneveer was staying.
He opened the door.
"Your Highness, I have returned."
Doneveer, who was sitting comfortably inside the room, immediately looked towards the door.
His eyes widened when he saw Red.
A smug smile appeared on his face.
"Hahahaha! Well done!"
He stood up and looked at the servant with satisfaction.
"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. You actually managed to capture Patriarch Vaelanor and his companions!"
The servant's face twitched. He didn't even dare to say anything.
Doneveer walked towards Red.
"So, Patriarch Vaelanor... Did you enjoy your little adventure?"
Red remained silent.
Doneveer laughed.
"You were quite arrogant at the auction, weren't you? You dared to compete with me and even made me spend so many spirit stones."
He looked at the women behind Red.
"And you brought them here as well. Excellent."
Doneveer's eyes moved between Eve and Scarlett before stopping on Aeriel, whose appearance was still concealed.
He didn't recognize her.
"Take their spatial rings."
Red finally spoke.
"You really are an idiot."
Doneveer's smile disappeared.
"What did you say?"
"I said you are an idiot."
Doneveer's face became furious.
"You still dare to act arrogantly after being captured?"
Red looked at the man who had led them here.
Then he looked back at Doneveer.
"Did you really think I was captured?"
Doneveer frowned.
At that moment, Red released his cultivation.
*BOOM!*
The entire room shook. A terrifying pressure descended upon Doneveer. His knees almost gave out immediately.
"W-What..."
His face became completely pale and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Martial... Emperor..."
Red slowly walked towards him.
Doneveer took a step backwards.
"How... How can you be a Martial Emperor!?"
"Why are you surprised?"
Red smiled.
"You should have investigated me properly before sending your servants after me."
Doneveer gritted his teeth.
"Y-You... Do you know what you are doing!?"
Red raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
"I am the Crown Prince of the Azure Empire!"
Doneveer tried to calm himself down.
"You cannot touch me! If you kill me, the Azure Empire will never let you go! My father is a Martial Emperor, and the Azure Empire has five Martial Emperors! Even if you are a Martial Emperor yourself, you cannot fight against our entire empire!"
He spoke quickly, trying to use the empire's name to intimidate Red.
"You will regret this!"
Red simply looked at him.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm telling you the truth!"
Doneveer's voice became louder.
"If anything happens to me, the Azure Empire will know immediately! They will hunt you down and destroy the Vaelanor family!"
"Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHA..."
Red started laughing.
Doneveer stared at him.
"What are you laughing at!?"
"You really still don't understand the situation."
Red shook his head.
"You are standing in front of a Martial Emperor, surrounded by people who are all stronger than you, and you still think your title can save you."
Doneveer's expression became uglier.
At that moment, Aeriel finally stepped forward.
"He's right."
Her voice was calm.
Doneveer turned towards her.
"Who are you?"
Aeriel reached up and removed the black mask covering her face.
Her appearance slowly changed.
Her white hair and beautiful face were revealed.
The pressure surrounding her body also changed.
Doneveer's eyes widened.
"Y-You..."
Aeriel looked at him coldly.
"It seems that you really don't recognize the people around you."
Doneveer's lips trembled.
"The... Empress Aeriel..."
"That's right."
Aeriel took another step forward.
"You were quite arrogant at the auction earlier, Crown Prince Doneveer."
Doneveer's face became completely pale.
He looked at Red, then at Aeriel.
His mind was finally starting to understand the situation.
The woman he had been looking at so casually was actually the Empress of the Arcadian Empire.
And she was standing beside the man he had just tried to assassinate.
Aeriel's eyes became cold.
"You said your empire would never let us off?"
She smiled faintly.
"Then let them come."
Doneveer swallowed nervously.
"Y-You..."
Aeriel's smile disappeared.
"I don't care about your threats."
She slowly raised her hand.
"And if you think your status can protect you..."
Her eyes became cold.
"I'll kill you myself."
* * * * * *
[A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! If you have any suggestions, please comment.]