Fantasy: Unparalleled Prince, Conquering the Heavens!-Chapter 695 - 699: Backing Up_1

DONG, DONG, DONG...

At dawn, the ancient bronze bell tolled from deep within the Qin Dynasty's Imperial Palace. Its resounding, lingering peals echoed throughout the nine heavens and ten earths, reaching the ears of all Qin citizens.

In the Red Dragon Starfield, numerous powerful Martial Artists, their immortal energy circulating in their eyes, gazed into the distant Star Sea, their sights set upon the Nine Provinces Realm.

They had received intelligence: the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court was on the verge of advancing to a Heavenly Court.

If successful, it would become the fourth major power in the starfield, altering the current balance.

"To advance to a Heavenly Court only a few months after ascension... The Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court is set to break historical records!"

Within a magnificent Minor Thousand World in the Western Starfield, a sovereign presiding over his own Saint's Court stood in a celestial pavilion. He looked towards the central region of the starfield, his face filled with undisguised envy.

Well-versed in the history of the myriad heavens and myriad realms, he knew that even the fastest power among those that had ascended to the Second Heaven had taken a full century to advance from a Saint's Court to a Heavenly Court.

Even so, that achievement had caused tremendous waves in the Second Heaven.

Subsequently, that nation, which had achieved such an advancement in a century, continued to ride the tides of fortune, eventually ascending to a Medial Thousand World within a millennium, leaving behind a legend that astonished countless people.

Yet, the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court had not only broken the record but had done so in less than half a year.

Terrifying! Inconceivable!

"Hmph! Offending the Extreme Devil Hall and the Molting Dragon Heavenly Court, and they still dream of advancing to a Heavenly Court? What deluded fools!"

In the Northern Starfield, the leader of a faction allied with the Extreme Devil Hall spoke coldly. It was not difficult to discern the jealousy and potent killing intent lacing his tone.

In his view, such an outrageously talented power should not be allowed to exist.

「Black Panther Tribe」

This faction, which had once established a Saint's Court only to be reduced to a vassal of the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court, had relocated to an ordinary world to begin to thrive and multiply.

Damn it!

The Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court is advancing to the Heavenly Court... when will I, this king, be able to reclaim my kingdom?

In a modest palace, the former Crown Prince of the Black Panther Saint's Court, now the Black Panther King enfeoffed by the Qin Dynasty, sat upon his throne. His fists were clenched so tightly that his sharp nails pierced his flesh, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Compared to the bitterness of his nation's fall and the feud of his father's murder, what was this fleeting pain?

Below him, hundreds of ministers stood with bowed heads, none daring to speak. Their expressions were somber, their hearts filled with desolation.

However, no one noticed a flicker of light in the eyes of a young minister standing towards the rear.

"Your Majesty," an elderly minister with white hair and a wrinkled face, after a moment of silence, tremulously walked to the center of the hall, knelt, and said respectfully, "according to Etiquette, when the suzerain state holds a grand ceremony, we, as a vassal state, must attend. It is getting late; we should depart soon."

With these words, the atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.

To watch the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court ascend!

For them, this was undoubtedly akin to rubbing salt in their wounds.

A disgrace! An utter disgrace!

And that was not even the worst of it. The worst part was their inner turmoil: they vehemently resisted the idea but could not refuse. Instead, they had to feign joy, donning smiles and preparing lavish gifts to attend their enemy's grand ceremony, only to witness that enemy grow stronger.

"Granted!"

On the throne, the Black Panther King's expression shifted multiple times before he finally managed to force out the word with suppressed frustration.

「As the sun rose higher from the eastern horizon」

Cultivators arriving to observe the ceremony began to enter the Nine Provinces Realm one after another. These individuals were uninvited; some wished to cultivate good relations with the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court, others were opportunists, and some were merely present for the spectacle.

Regardless of their motives, Liu Zhiyan dared not be negligent. He arranged for officials from the Ministry of Rites to entertain them warmly and even had more spectator seating added at the martial training ground.

"Strange, we haven't encountered any powerful Martial Artists along the way!"

"Indeed! The Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court's military strength doesn't even seem comparable to that of a first-rate power!"

"I did sense the auras of a few Profound Immortal Martial Artists, but I detected no trace of any Taiyi Terrestrial Immortal experts!"

"Without Taiyi Terrestrial Immortal experts, on what basis can the Qin Dynasty advance to a Heavenly Court? Let's hope this doesn't end up as a complete farce!"

Once seated, the spectators began to look around and whisper among themselves.

BOOM!

Just as the crowd was murmuring, a sea of swords materialized in the starry expanse beyond the Nine Provinces Realm. It was incomparably brilliant, unleashing a peerless edge, as if a sword deity had pierced the cosmos with a single strike.

An invincible Sword Intent swept down from above, annihilating countless laws and extinguishing life in all directions.

VMMM, VMMM!

Within the Nine Provinces Realm, all Swordsmen were horrified to discover that the battle swords in their hands began to tremble violently, losing all their sharpness.

"My sword... I can't control it!" a Profound Immortal realm Swordsman observing the ceremony exclaimed, trying to draw his weapon. To his horror, no matter how much force he used, the sword refused to leave its sheath.

It would remain so unless his comprehension of the Sword Dao surpassed the Sword Intent now pervading heaven and earth.

"The Heavenly Sword Immortal is here!" an expert from the All Clans, a robust figure covered in scales with two horns on his head, declared, his face etched with fear.

"The Heavenly Sword Immortal, one of the three great Taiyi Terrestrial Immortal Martial Artists of the Red Dragon Starfield, has arrived! I wonder if the Molting Dragon Emperor and Old Man Flame Devil will also grace us with their presence!" a young Martial Artist exclaimed, his expression eager and full of anticipation.

He had come to the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court to observe the ceremony not only out of curiosity about the process of advancing to a Heavenly Court but also to witness the might of a Taiyi Terrestrial Immortal expert.

He was intensely curious about the caliber of the Red Dragon Starfield's apex cultivators.

"Today is a joyous occasion for the Human Race! If anyone dares to cause trouble, I, this ancestor, swear to hunt them to the ends of the earth!"

From within the sea of swords, the Heavenly Sword Immortal strode out, issuing his majestic command.

Shafts of sword light capable of sundering heaven and earth erupted from him, illuminating tens of thousands of miles. They embodied boundless might, enough to cleave even a Minor Thousand World with a single strike.

The crowd was in an uproar, their expressions shifting.

"Senior, please, this way!"

Li Yuanba, who was patrolling the Imperial Capital, saw the Heavenly Sword Immortal and soared into the sky, bowing respectfully in greeting.

"Good!"

The Heavenly Sword Immortal nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping in all directions. However, he found no trace of experts from the Molting Dragon Heavenly Court or the Extreme Devil Hall. His brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Leading his beloved disciple, he then followed Li Yuanba into the palace.

All eyes were fixed on the Heavenly Sword Immortal.

Even the experts of the All Clans, though they gnashed their teeth in hatred of him, showed a flicker of respect.

「Outside the Imperial Capital」

The Black Panther King, who had journeyed from afar, arrived. Witnessing the Heavenly Sword Immortal protecting the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court, a hint of resentment crossed his face. Qin Dynasty! He took a deep breath and prepared to lead his retinue into the city.

For their arrival, the Ministry of Rites dispatched only a minor sixth-rank official to greet them.

Beyond that, their presence caused not so much as a ripple.

Even factions that had once been on good terms with the Black Panther Saint's Court avoided them. Many experts from the All Clans cast disdainful and hostile glances their way.

In their eyes, the Black Panther Tribe, by becoming a vassal of the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court, were traitors.

Traitors deserved only extermination.

The Black Panther King noted all these gazes, etching them into his memory. His resentment for the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court grew even deeper.

It was all the Qin Dynasty's Saint's Court's fault. They had caused his nation to fall, his family to be destroyed, and him to be scorned by all.