In that instant, Long Lingtian’s peak 9th stage Creation Realm cultivation was fully revealed!
Spiritual energy surged wildly, fierce winds howled, and a terrifying pressure bore down on Xu Ning.
The tavern patrons were stunned, their eyes wide in disbelief.
Someone actually dared to attack Young Master Xu Ning?
He was personally appointed as the Northern King by the Empress and backed by the Xu Family. His power was at its peak. If anything happened to him within the Great Zhou Empire, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Tsk, as expected of a child of destiny. In just half a month, not only did he recover from near death, he even broke through two realms in succession.
Unfortunately… I’m just a tiny bit stronger than you.
Xu Ning stood with his hands behind his back, his aura suddenly erupting like an unfathomable abyss!
In an instant, the sky seemed to change color, winds and clouds reversed, and the laws of heaven and earth surged and intertwined, releasing a terrifying might!
At that moment, the strength he displayed far surpassed Long Lingtian. It had clearly transcended mere spiritual energy, reaching the level of resonating with heaven and earth!
“He-Heavenly Venerable! You’re actually a Heavenly Venerable!”
At that moment, aside from Yuwen Shuang who already knew, everyone else was filled with shock and disbelief!
Especially the two women, who suddenly understood everything.
No wonder Xu Ning didn’t bring guards!
“His Highness has already broken through to the Heavenly Venerable Realm!”
“With such cultivation, who among the younger generation can rival him?”
“They say on the day of the wedding incident, His Highness was only at the 5th stage of the 9th stage Creation Realm. Who would have thought he has now stepped into the Heavenly Venerable Realm!”
“His Highness hid his strength too deeply!”
“Long Lingtian overestimated himself—he’s doomed this time!”
The surrounding patrons whispered among themselves, looking at Long Lingtian as if he were nothing more than a clown!
At the center of it all, Long Lingtian felt the overwhelming pressure and his face instantly turned pale.
At this moment, he finally remembered the terror of being dominated by Xu Ning!
Xu Ning casually waved his hand, as if swatting a fly.
The next second—
Pfft!
Long Lingtian felt as though struck by an immense force. His blood and energy churned chaotically within him as his entire body was sent flying backward!
Everything in his path was destroyed—tables and chairs shattered into splinters as he was blasted over ten meters before finally coming to a stop.
“Xu… Xu Ning… you’ve been hiding your cultivation all along!”
He struggled to push himself up, his gaze filled with fear and unwillingness.
[The child of destiny has made a fool of himself in public. Reputation decreased. 1 strand of Primordial Purple Qi plundered, automatically converted into 200 fortune points.]
[The child of destiny has developed fear toward the host. Dao Heart unstable. 2 strands of Primordial Purple Qi plundered, automatically converted into 400 fortune points.]
Listening to the continuous increase in fortune points, Xu Ning was in an excellent mood.
Harvesting leeks… truly felt wonderful.
Looking at Long Lingtian, who now only had five strands of Primordial Purple Qi left, Xu Ning clicked his tongue slightly, considering whether to continue harvesting.
After a brief hesitation, he gave up the idea.
Leeks must be harvested batch by batch. Killing him in one blow would be a waste of fortune points.
Besides, he still needed this “treasure-hunting mouse” to open the Demon Lord’s Heavenly Tomb and clear the traps for him.
At that moment, Zhou Shuxian suddenly stepped forward, standing in front of Long Lingtian.
“I am Zhou Shuxian, eldest princess of the Great Zhou royal family. Greetings, Northern King.”
The moment the title “eldest princess” was spoken, the surrounding patrons erupted in shock.
The eldest princess? That mysterious and formidable princess rumored to possess extraordinary cunning?
She had actually been by Long Lingtian’s side all along?
The women around the child of destiny really are numerous.
Xu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, looking down at her from above.
“What do you want?”
Brother Lingtian… forgive me… She took a deep breath. A faint mist appeared in her eyes, yet she forced herself to speak steadily.
“I have long discovered that Long Lingtian was within Great Zhou territory. In order to capture him and present him to Your Highness, I deliberately infiltrated his side.”
Her tone was firm and resolute, without a trace of hesitation.
A clever woman… Xu Ning had already seen through her little trick. His sharp gaze, as if capable of piercing through everything, made her feel extremely uneasy.
“But I never expected Your Highness to arrive so suddenly, which led to this disaster.”
“Long Lingtian is arrogant and has repeatedly provoked Your Highness. Killing him outright would be too lenient.”
“I suggest imprisoning him in the Royal Capital’s heavenly prison, subjecting him to severe punishment—making him wish for death yet unable to die!”
She was confident she could deceive ordinary people.
But who was the man before her?
The deeply calculating and near-demonic genius of the Xu Family!
Behind her, Long Lingtian understood her intentions. For the sake of survival, he suppressed his humiliation and unwillingness, putting on a terrified expression, as though he greatly feared the royal prison.
In truth, he knew that even if he entered the prison, nothing would happen to him.
Such a despicable ploy… Xu Ning almost laughed. Then, as if recalling something, he gave a slight nod.
“Very well.”
Zhou Shuxian and Long Lingtian felt as though they had been pardoned. They both let out long breaths of relief.
So this so-called Xu Family young master isn’t as brilliant as rumored. The only reason he could suppress Brother Lingtian is his background… Zhou Shuxian thought with disdain.
Neither of them noticed that not far away, Yuwen Shuang was watching them with a sorrowful expression.
She understood better than anyone how terrifying Xu Ning truly was.
Even she could see the flaws in this situation—how could Xu Ning not?
She quietly glanced at Xu Ning’s side profile. Seeing his calm expression and unfathomably deep eyes, her sense of despair deepened.
She had a feeling that this time, Lingtian would fall into an abyss with no return.
The farce finally came to an end. Soon, officials arrived and took Long Lingtian away.
Xu Ning leisurely drank a few cups with the two women. Not long after, the Great Zhou royal family, having received the news, arrived.
Outside the tavern, pedestrians and street vendors were driven away by officials, leaving the street completely empty.
Twenty golden carriages pulled by flood dragons slowly descended from the sky, arranged in order of rank. The final one—a majestic dragon carriage—stopped at the tavern entrance.
A man and a woman stepped down from it. The middle-aged man wore a golden dragon robe, exuding authority without anger, while the elegant woman wore a luxurious phoenix robe with an intricate crown, radiating the dignity of a queen.
Seeing them, the surrounding patrons all knelt and said in unison, “Long live the Emperor!”
The two ignored them and walked straight toward Xu Ning, bowing respectfully.
“I am Zhou Yan, Emperor of Great Zhou. This is the Empress, Xiao Yi. We greet the Northern King.”
The Northern King was a powerful prince of the Mystic Saint Immortal Empire. Even within the imperial court, few could compare to him.
The Great Zhou Empire was merely a vassal state, and its emperor’s status was far inferior. Naturally, he did not dare to address himself as “We” before Xu Ning.
Xu Ning gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Zhou Yan showed no displeasure. Instead, he respectfully gestured toward the dragon carriage.
“Please, Northern King, come to the royal palace to rest.”
Thus, the group boarded the dragon carriage and headed toward the palace.