In this life, Yang Cheng had never felt his emotions fluctuate so violently before.
For him, his mother was without question the one thing that could never be touched—his reverse scale.
Though his heart burned with rage to the extreme, his expression grew only calmer.
"How is Mother's condition now?" he asked evenly.
"She suffered heavy injuries, but her life is not in danger," Lin Shu replied.
Even so, her own heartstrings were taut.
She had followed Yang Cheng since the age of five—eleven full years had passed.
So she knew better than anyone how deep the bond between His Highness and the Empress truly ran.
Those assassins and the people behind them probably didn't realize that they might have just made the biggest mistake of their entire lives.
In others' eyes, Yang Cheng had always been terrifying.
But as the person who managed his entire intelligence network and stood closest to him, Lin Shu knew the truth—Yang Cheng was normally indifferent, almost careless.
He had never shown his true strength.
Whether it was dealing with Su Lingchen or killing Night Owl, Yang Cheng had always done it with effortless calm.
So if this time he was truly angry... just how terrifying would His Highness be?
After that thought, Yang Cheng ordered Old Huang to gallop at full speed.
The journey of a thousand li was completed in only three hours.
Da-da-da...
Yang Cheng strode quickly into Splendid Radiance Hall. Everyone around him immediately felt it—that aura which, on the surface, seemed no different from usual, yet carried a pressure so heavy it made breathing difficult.
Then, he saw Yun Liyue.
Yun Liyue was seated cross-legged on the bed, meditating to heal.
She had the Primordial Peaches and Xiantian Spirit Liquid Yang Cheng had left behind—both were supreme divine medicines for recovery—yet even so, traces of her injuries still lingered on her body.
That alone showed how severe her wounds had been.
Yang Cheng didn't disturb her. He quietly withdrew from the room.
Right now, Yun Liyue needed calm and focus to heal; she couldn't afford to be distracted.
He walked out of Splendid Radiance Hall and looked up at the sky, his gaze cold and distant.
At that moment, regret welled faintly in his chest.
He hadn't expected that after spending just one month in the alchemy chamber, such a thing would happen.
But this also revealed something else—his level in his past life had been far too low.
He still didn't truly understand how those great realm clans operated.
He had known they were despicable and shameless, believing only in the law of the dark forest.
Yet even so, he had underestimated them.
"In this life, my talent was too strong. It made me used to growing quietly in the shadows, always thinking that as long as I kept my head down, I could surpass one power after another."
"And because of my attitude toward killing in my past life, I held back in this one."
"But maybe it's exactly because of that restraint that those outside forces mistook my calm and humility for weakness."
Yang Cheng's eyes grew darker and colder.
"Ouyang Clan—this time, I truly have to thank you. You've awakened me."
He had never put the Ouyang Clan or any of those powers in his eyes. That arrogance had led him to overlook them slightly.
And in that single moment of negligence, the Ouyang Clan struck hard.
"Mother and Uncle survived this disaster by sheer luck," he muttered. "That's only because the Ouyang Clan underestimated their strength."
"But luck like that won't come every time."
Just thinking about it made Yang Cheng's chest tighten painfully.
Scenes from his previous life flashed through his mind—his uncle's death, his mother's imprisonment in the Cold Palace.
"It's my fault."
"In my last life, I was a useless waste. Uncle died for me, and Mother sheltered me under her wings."
"Now that I've become a genius, I still talk about keeping a low profile, yet I can't even shield them from the storm."
"Then what's the point of being a genius?"
"If, at the very first moment I sensed the Ouyang Clan's hostility toward me and toward Great Zhou, I had struck them down with thunderous force, then neither Uncle nor Mother would have suffered this calamity."
"Since the Ouyang Clan loves the law of the jungle and worships slaughter, then I, Yang Cheng, will grant them both—their precious law and their endless killing."
"If so many people have forgotten fear, then I'll use killing—keep killing—until they remember what fear is!"
Whoosh!
In the dark void, a sword talisman trembled violently.
Behind that talisman seemed to stretch an endless sea of blood.
Just then, Yang Cheng seemed to sense something. His calm voice rang out.
"A bunch of useless fish—still not satisfied after failing to kill Mother last time? You dare come again?"
Buzz!
In the same instant, five distinct auras burst forth simultaneously.
Five half-god assassins had silently infiltrated the Great Zhou Imperial Palace!
If Yang Cheng hadn't returned, Yun Liyue—still recovering from her wounds—would have faced yet another assassination attempt.
—
Qilin Volcano.
Tang Xingyu walked along the mountain path when a figure appeared ahead.
It was a handsome young man, the sort that would usually make many girls swoon in admiration.
"Tang Xingyu."
The man's gaze burned as he stared at her.
"What is it?" Tang Xingyu's tone was cool, her eyes indifferent—as if she were merely looking at a passing stranger.
That man was none other than Ouyang Yi.
"I think from now on, you'd better stay away from Yang Cheng," Ouyang Yi said.
Tang Xingyu's expression turned cold. "Move."
"Ouyang Yi sneered, "Great Zhou won't last more than a few days. By then, Yang Cheng's title of Crown Prince will be worth less than dirt."
"You're too close to him. You'll only be dragged down when he falls."
Tang Xingyu's voice grew colder. "This is the Dao Academy, so I haven't bothered to draw my sword. But if you keep blocking my way, don't blame me when my blade doesn't show mercy."
Ouyang Yi's expression stiffened; he could only step aside.
As Tang Xingyu walked away, a dark glint flashed in his eyes.
"Xingyu, once I crush Yang Cheng beneath my feet, I'll make sure you see his miserable face. Only then will you understand—he's nothing compared to me."
—
Great Zhou Imperial Palace.
The bronze bells under the eaves of Splendid Radiance Hall were silent, yet the faint scent of blooming roses drifted against the wind.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light flashed. The sharp whine of sword qi splitting the air came too fast for the ear to catch—its edge already hovered three inches behind Yang Cheng's neck.
"What a fast sword."
Yang Cheng's voice carried no hint of emotion. At his fingertip, a blood-red sword talisman instantly condensed.
For years, the Blood Sea Sword Talisman had hungered for slaughter, but Yang Cheng had always suppressed it.
This time, he no longer held it back.
He didn't even turn around. Simply raising his palm upward, the Blood Sea Sword Talisman glided forward like a living creature. The moment it met the blue light, it transformed into a scarlet streak.
The two forces clashed in an instant.
The sound that burst forth wasn't the clang of steel, but the sharp crack of glass shattering—like an ice pick piercing through crystal.
The blue light broke apart inch by inch.
The half-god assassin who had launched the strike fell from midair. A bloody hole had pierced through his forehead, his eyes still frozen with shock that hadn't yet faded.
Boom!
His body hit the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The scene was too horrifying. The four assassins hidden in the shadows all widened their eyes in disbelief.
A half-god cultivator—someone who would stand at the very peak in an ordinary mortal world—had been killed by Yang Cheng in a single instant.
And the one who'd made the strike was no weaker than any of them, yet he had died before even reacting.
It was simply unimaginable.
"Attack together!"
One of the half-gods roared. Poisonous green mist surged up from his palm.
Two others wielded twin blades—one black, one gold—their slashes weaving together into a deadly net.
The fourth half-god summoned a storm of icy blades from the air.
Without hesitation, the four half-god assassins launched their joint assault on Yang Cheng.