Chapter 72: Chapter 71: The 9th Prince! Born in the Emperor’s House, yet Without an Emperor’s Fate

Why would there be a Cyan Hall on the lowest level of the prison?

Before entering the prison’s lowest level, Su Bai had imagined what kind of scene he would find there.

Perhaps a disastrous scene of bones piled into mountains and rivers of flowing blood!

Perhaps a terrifying sight of rampant Demon Qi and billowing Demonic Qi!

Demon Kings roaring! Great Demons howling at the sun!

Monsters running wild! A sea of corpses and blood!

But he never expected to find such a lavish scene upon entering the lowest level.

Yes, lavish!

The Cyan Hall before him was constructed in a rather luxurious fashion, brilliant and dazzling.

Inside, the hall was lined with all sorts of exquisite lamps burning a special fish oil, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance that soothed the mind.

A dazzling array of fine furniture was arranged neatly throughout the space.

The air was mixed with a rich aroma, like a field of flowers in full bloom.

The various scents of decay and the prison’s malevolent Evil Qi that should have filled the hall were completely absorbed and isolated by a special Array.

In the depths of the hall was a large bed made of Purple Gold Wood.

The wooden bed was draped with a silvery-white gauze canopy embroidered with patterns of ancient, rare beasts. The silver Celestial Foxes on it were so lifelike they were breathtaking.

The entire palace didn’t look like a place to imprison criminals at all. It was more like some prince or nobleman was vacationing here.

WHOOSH!

Su Bai’s figure flickered. He soon discovered an Array, still active, in a corner of the hall.

The Evil Qi, Demonic Qi, and Demon Qi from the surrounding area!

It was all being completely absorbed by this continuously operating Array.

At the same time, a special, exquisite piece of Jade was placed at one of the Array’s cores, continuously emitting wisps of fragrance.

The scent in the hall must have originated from it.

Looking over the entire hall, Su Bai’s overall impression was one of pure extravagance.

Just the resources required to keep that Array running day after day would amount to a staggering sum.

Su Bai explored the quiet, spacious hall for a while.

Before long, he discovered a young man sitting cross-legged in a corner.

This person had shoulder-length white hair, star-like pupils, and long ears.

He wore a long, silver robe and had a handsome appearance.

He had the very image of a noble young master.

At this moment, the young man was holding a light brown, ancient book in his left hand, reading with great relish and complete absorption.

In his right hand, he toyed with a small, delicate, half-foot-long Wooden Sword.

The blade was engraved with the two rather conspicuous words: "People’s Heart."

Su Bai was a little curious and glanced at him.

’His Martial Arts Realm is only the Extraordinary Realm First Layer?’

Su Bai was surprised when he perceived the young man’s Cultivation.

This was the lowest level of the prison!

How could someone with such a low Cultivation be living in such a luxurious palace?

It was quite strange.

’This person’s cultivation is only Extraordinary First Layer, but the treatment he receives from the higher-ups of the Great Xia Dynasty far surpasses that of an ordinary Innate Realm criminal.’

’Even a Spirit Transformation Realm criminal probably wouldn’t get such treatment, would they?’

’His identity must be extremely special.’

’Could he be a member of the Imperial Dynasty’s Royal Family? Or the child of some powerful expert who made a mistake?’

Su Bai was lost in thought.

Before he knew it, Su Bai had arrived beside the young man.

"Ah!"

The young man was clearly startled when he saw Su Bai’s sudden appearance.

He scrambled to his feet, looking at Su Bai with a shocked expression.

In his panic, the book in his hand slipped and fell to the ground with a CLATTER.

Su Bai glanced at it and saw the title was...

On the Emperor’s Throne and the People’s Heart!

"Who... who are you? How did you get in?"

the young man asked, looking rather nervous.

Now it was Su Bai’s turn to be even more shocked than him.

’This shouldn’t be possible!’

’The young man’s Cultivation was clearly lower than his, so how could he see my Divine Thought Incarnation?’

’Could it be... that this person cultivated some special Cultivation Technique?’

’Or is his own Spiritual Power also very strong?’

Before Su Bai could react,

the white-haired young man in front of him seemed to notice Su Bai’s spiritual state and said to himself with some vexation,

’Oh dear! This gentleman’s physical body has clearly died, and he’s become a lonely soul!’

’I wonder if my panicked reaction scared him!’

After his bout of vexation, the white-haired young man asked cautiously, "May I ask, sir, are you now... in a ghostly form?"

Su Bai froze.

’It seems... this person didn’t see through my Divine Thought technique. He can only see me due to some special reason.’

Su Bai thought for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.

"My apologies! I didn’t mean to just now. I hope..."

"I didn’t frighten you, did I?"

The white-haired young man bowed slightly and spoke with a hint of apology.

’This young man is rather interesting!’

Su Bai shook his head and smiled.

Afterward, the two gradually became acquainted through conversation.

Perhaps because it had been a long time since he had spoken to anyone, the white-haired young man was very excited while talking with Su Bai.

During their conversation, the white-haired youth asked curiously,

"May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

After a brief thought, Su Bai recalled His Highness the Flame Demon, Xu Qing, whom he had killed earlier.

So, he smiled and said, "A name? It’s just a title."

"You can just call me Xu Qing."

Xu Qing...

The white-haired young man mulled over the name for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"Brother Xu, you’re really amazing!"

"There’s an isolation Array set up in this hall. I’ve never seen anyone break in before!"

The white-haired young man said with an admiring smile.

"It was just a trick, nothing worth mentioning."

Su Bai made up a random excuse to brush it off.

He then asked for the white-haired young man’s name.

The other person seemed to find it difficult to say. "My name is Jiang Guanshui. I am from... the Jiang... family..."

Jiang Guanshui mumbled the last part, too embarrassed to say it clearly.

Su Bai didn’t press him.

"Ninth Prince! Who are you talking to?"

Just then, a deep, rather stern voice suddenly came from the depths of the hall.

"N-nothing!"

"I’ve been alone for too long, just talking to myself!"

Jiang Guanshui was a bit flustered, but he suppressed his inner panic and managed to sound relatively calm.

After a moment, no more sound came from the depths of the hall.

"Brother Xu, it seems our conversation must end here."

After a while, Jiang Guanshui spoke with a touch of melancholy.

His time for free activity was up.

Next, he had to go into the room to study the Emperor’s Fate Technique.

Su Bai smiled at him, and in the next moment, vanished before his eyes.

Looking at the empty hall, Jiang Guanshui felt a pang of sadness.

After so many years, he had finally found someone to talk to, but it had been so brief.

Born into an emperor’s family, but without an emperor’s fate.

Such was his life.

...

After leaving, Su Bai didn’t depart immediately.

Instead, he went to the depths of the hall.

There, he saw a decrepit old man who looked to be on the verge of death.

He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, cultivating with his eyes closed.

He wore a cyan Daoist Robe, had a brown face, silver eyes, and drooping ears.

His skin was dry, and his aura was heavy and condensed.

This was the person who had just spoken.

Upon sensing Su Bai’s presence, the old man instantly flickered, hastily putting distance between them.

Then, his face filled with shock as he exclaimed,

"A Divine Thought Body?"

"You are... a Celestial Realm Great Venerable!?"