Before he could finish speaking, Elder Han thrust his sword once again, driving it straight into the old man in the green robe!
*Splash!*
The old man in the green robe bulged his eyes, staring at Elder Han in disbelief. Until the moment of his death, he could not believe that Elder Han would actually dare to kill him right here in the Prince Wu's Estate.
"Your Highness, this old servant will report this matter to the Emperor for a final verdict. You should leave now, and you are not permitted to come and disturb the Ninth Prince ever again!" Elder Han shouted.
Upon seeing Elder Wang killed on the spot, the servants of the Prince Wu's Estate were scared out of their wits. How dare they linger any longer? They hoisted Chu Yang up and scrambled out of the courtyard in a panic.
"Chu Yu, you just wait for me! I'm not finished with you!"
Before leaving, Chu Yang hurled a harsh threat back.
"Your Highness, this old servant has arrived late. Please punish me, Your Highness," Elder Han said, kneeling to the ground.
"Get up quickly. Between the two of us, there is no need for such formal courtesies."
Chu Yu said this, genuinely moved; when he had fallen to such a wretched state, Elder Han had still remained fiercely loyal and followed him. It was truly a rare thing.
"Your Highness, have you re-condensed your Dao Wheel?" Elder Han asked.
Chu Yu nodded, having nothing to hide from Elder Han.
"That's wonderful!" Elder Han's gaze shook. "If the Emperor learns of this, he will surely be overjoyed! Perhaps he will even allow Your Highness to return to the imperial palace!"
Chu Yu smiled. He feared that Chu Lingfeng, Consort Hua, and the members of the Hua Clan would learn of this news even faster.
Even before the news could reach the imperial palace, Chu Lingfeng had already sent men to deliver a fatal blow.
"Elder Han, you should return to the imperial palace. I don't need you here."
Elder Han was stunned for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "Your Highness, are you trying to drive me away? With me here, at least the people of the Prince Wu's Estate wouldn't dare to act presumptuously in your presence. If I leave, there will be no one left to take care of Your Highness."
"I have my own plans and do not need your care. Mother is suffering in the cold palace right now, and who knows when that woman Consort Hua might make things difficult for her again? She needs you by her side to take care of her much more."
Chu Yu said expressionlessly, his eyes cold, as if nothing in this world could ever stir a ripple in his heart again.
Elder Han sighed, seeming as though he wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat and ultimately went unsaid.
"This old servant obeys your command. These are some medicinal pills this old servant went out early this morning to buy for Your Highness. Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness!" Elder Han said.
Chu Yu nodded, a flicker of hard-to-detect emotion flashing through his eyes.
He was not someone adept at expressing his feelings, but Elder Han's loyalty was something Chu Yu kept firmly in his heart.
Chu Yu had grown up under Elder Han's care; in Chu Yu's eyes, Elder Han was not merely some old servant, but more like an elder to him.
"This old servant takes his leave!"
With that, Elder Han departed from the Prince Wu's Estate.
Returning to his room and bolting the door tight, Chu Yu once again stepped into the Samsara Ancient Pagoda.
His current cultivation had reached the Ninth Layer of Dao Wheel Realm. Having devoured Chu Yang's Dao Wheel, his power had surged by another massive margin, leaving him only a single step away from the Inscription Realm.
The gap between the Ninth Layer of Dao Wheel Realm and the Inscription Realm was simply too vast—as different as the clouds from the mud.
To step into the Inscription Realm, merely increasing the spiritual energy within his body was far from enough; more importantly, he needed to absorb the Dao intent from the heavens and earth and transform it into the power of the Dao. Only then could he successfully carve rune marks and unleash cultivation techniques and divine abilities with exponentially magnified might.
The Dao intent inherent in the heavens and earth was far scarcer than spiritual energy, yet within the Samsara Ancient Pagoda, the Dao intent was boundless—truly a sacred sanctuary for cultivation.
"Hehehehe, how does it feel to use the Devouring Dao Wheel for the first time?" the Sky-Swallowing Beast asked with a strange laugh.
"Not bad. The Heaven-Devouring Art is astonishingly tyrannical."
Chu Yu replied indifferently. The Devouring Dao Wheel condensed through the cultivation of the Heaven-Devouring Art had indeed given him a pleasant surprise.
"Hehehe, the truly astonishing parts are yet to come! Cultivate diligently; the stronger your strength becomes, the greater the surprises the Samsara Ancient Pagoda will give you," the Sky-Swallowing Beast said.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Chu Yu closed his eyes and began to circulate the Heaven-Devouring Art. Instantly, the surrounding spiritual energy and Dao intent surged toward him in rolling billows.
Once Elder Han left, he could no longer remain in the Prince Wu's Estate; he had to find an opportunity to escape.
...
Inside the Prince Wu's Estate, within Chu Yang's chamber, one hysterical roar after another echoed out from inside!
"He dared to cripple my Dao Wheel! I will chop him into ten thousand pieces and grind his bones to ash!"
"I will slaughter him with my own hands, and I won't spare Consort Ling either!"
With disheveled hair and looking utterly deranged, Chu Yang's eyes were filled with venomous malice!
A year ago, Chu Yu had first broken one of his legs, causing him to be demoted to a commoner and ruling him out as a contender for the Prince Wu's title; today, he had crippled his Dao Wheel all over again. His future prospects in life were completely ruined at Chu Yu's hands.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger! I have already sent men to deliver the news of the Ninth Prince re-condensing his Dao Wheel to the Third Prince!"
"The Ninth Prince won't be able to act arrogantly for much longer! In less than half a month, the Third Prince will surely send experts to kill him!"
Two servants knelt on the trembling ground, speaking with immense trepidation.
Hearing this, far from calming down, Chu Yang grew even more enraged.
"Are you looking down on this prince? In your eyes, is this prince incapable of killing him, and we can only wait for Chu Lingfeng to make a move?"
"No, no! This servant truly didn't mean that!"
Terrified out of their wits, the two servants kowtowed frantically like pounding garlic.
With a face ashen with fury, Chu Yang directly drew his sword and slashed off both of their heads.
"I can't wait that long! Go and summon Yan Jue to me!"
This man was an assassin he had cultivated for many years—an expert at the Fifth Layer of Inscription Realm who obeyed only his commands.
Tonight, he was going to make Chu Yu die right here in the Prince Wu's Estate!
...
Chu Yu cultivated within the Samsara Ancient Pagoda until nightfall.
While the rest of the Prince Wu's Estate was brightly lit with lanterns, the courtyard where Chu Yu resided remained pitch dark.
A masked man in black, a trace of ruthlessness gleaming in his eyes, pushed open the courtyard gate, locked it tightly behind him, walked up to Chu Yu's door, and gave it a few knocks.
"Who is it?"
Chu Yu had already emerged from the Samsara Ancient Pagoda and was sitting cross-legged upon his bed.
"Bringing a late-night snack for the Ninth Prince!"
Chu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. The people of the Prince Wu's Estate hadn't even sent him dinner, yet they came delivering a late-night snack in the dead of night—how laughable.
For Chu Yang to be foolish to this extent truly brought a smile to his face.
"Come in!"
*Screech!*
The door was slowly pushed open, and in the next instant, the man in black charged straight inside. A Dao Wheel materialized, out of which a sharp dagger condensed, lunging directly to assassinate Chu Yu!
Right at that moment, Chu Yu abruptly opened his eyes. The Devouring Dao Wheel, which he had prepared for quite some time, suddenly materialized from his palm, forming a pitch-black vortex as it met the attack head-on!
*Swoosh!*
In the span of a mere breath, the dagger in the black-clad man's hand was devoured. Chu Yu slammed a palm directly onto his chest, and the devouring force poured into his body like a rushing tide, directly consuming the spiritual energy and Dao intent within him.
The masked man's expression shifted drastically. He had been far too careless! He had assumed that with his sudden ambush, the Ninth Prince would surely be completely unguarded, never expecting that the Ninth Prince was already prepared.
Desperately, he tried to circulate the spiritual energy and Dao intent within his body, but it was already too late!
The Heaven-Devouring Art was simply too tyrannical, directly sweeping away all cultivation within the black-clad man's body. In the end, even his Dao Wheel was sucked out by Chu Yu and promptly swallowed.
"You—"
Before the masked man could finish his sentence, Chu Yu slammed a palm down onto his head.
"Agh!"
A miserable scream rang out from the room, loud enough for even the people of the Prince Wu's Estate outside the courtyard to hear with absolute clarity.
Yet everyone acted as though they had heard nothing at all; they already knew what was bound to happen tonight.
Inside the room, blood trickled from the seven orifices of the masked man as he met a tragic end. With a cold expression, Chu Yu tore off a three-foot length of white silk and used the assassin's blood to leave behind a single line of text:
"The day of my return shall be the moment the Chu Kingdom is overthrown!"
Following that, Chu Yu stripped the black garments from the man's body and put them on himself. Masking his face, he stepped out of the room with absolute composure and closed the door behind him.
Outside the courtyard, the two Inscription Realm experts assigned to watch Chu Yu noticed nothing unusual.
"Tomorrow morning, send someone to collect the corpse," Chu Yu said.
"Understood!" one of them replied.
With that, clad in black, Chu Yu swaggered out of the Prince Wu's Estate under the gazes of many.
Shortly after, Chu Yu left the city of Wángwáng, shed his black garments, and vanished into the boundless wilderness.
---
### Chapter 5: Ambushed in the Dead of Night, Forging Alone into the Cangyun Mountains
Early the next morning, two servants of the Prince Wu's Estate feigned delivering meals and walked into Chu Yu's room.
The two of them were just about to put on a show of acting startled when they discovered the strip of white silk bearing the line of bloody characters, alongside the corpse of Yan Jue.
"This is bad! Someone's dead!"
A terrified shriek burst out from the room, echoing over the skies of the Prince Wu's Estate.
With pale faces and panicked expressions, the two servants bolted out of the room as if they had seen a ghost.
Right at that moment, Chu Yang walked in with his entourage.
"What's wrong? Who's dead?"
Chu Yang feigned ignorance, a playful sneer on his face. Of course he knew who was dead—he was the one who had arranged this assassination.
However, the very next sentence made Chu Yang's expression instantly turn deathly ashen.
"Yan Jue is dead, and the Ninth Prince is gone!"
"What?!"
Chu Yang's pupils violently constricted. He shoved past the two servants, rushed into the room, and beheld a sight he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life!
Yan Jue lay dead on the floor with blood streaming from his seven orifices, and the line of bloody text on the three-foot silk was utterly shocking.
*Thud!*
With a pale face, Chu Yang collapsed heavily onto his backside. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his plot to assassinate Chu Yu would instead become the very opportunity Chu Yu used to escape the Prince Wu's Estate!
With his Dao Wheel re-condensed and having reached the Ninth Layer of Dao Wheel Realm at age seventeen, Chu Yu escaping the Prince Wu's Estate was equivalent to a tiger returning to the mountains and a dragon plunging back into the vast ocean.
If Chu Lingfeng learned that it was because of his blunder that Chu Yu was given the chance to escape, given Chu Lingfeng's temperament, he would certainly never let him off!
...
Meanwhile, heading all the way east and traveling for over two hours, Chu Yu had already broken into the depths of the Cangyun Mountains.
Crossing through the Cangyun Mountains lay the Wèncāng Pavilion—one of the three ancient academies of the Eastern Wastelands.
Knowing that staying in the Prince Wu's Estate meant certain death, Chu Yu had long since decided to head for the Wèncāng Pavilion.
As one of the three great ancient academies of the Eastern Wastelands, even the Chu Kingdom did not dare to come into conflict with the Wèncāng Pavilion, let alone the Hua Clan.
If he could enter the Wèncāng Pavilion to cultivate, Chu Lingfeng and the people of the Hua Clan would be utterly powerless to kill him.
In the Cangyun Mountains, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was dense and permeated with Dao intent, making it a veritable spiritual land.
Here, ancient trees grew lush and verdant, with majestic mountains stacked one upon another like coiled giant dragons. Boulders littered the earth, each weighing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of catties.
This was a world of fierce beasts, suffused with a primordial aura; roars and shrieks of savage beasts echoed everywhere.
Without the strength of the Dao Wheel Realm, blindly trespassing into the Cangyun Mountains was pure suicide.
Even so, quite a few experts still braved the extreme dangers to venture into the mountains for trials, to search for miraculous or saintly herbs, or to hunt fierce beasts.
In ancient times, many experts surpassing the Void Dao Realm had chosen to enter seclusion and bitter cultivation within the Cangyun Mountains, leaving behind astonishing fortunes and opportunities that continued to draw practitioners from all directions.
Not long after advancing into the Cangyun Mountains, a loud crash echoed from ahead, accompanied by a powerful shockwave. It was unclear what had transpired.
With a sharp glint in his eyes and without hesitation, Chu Yu sped directly toward the source of the sound.
A moment later, Chu Yu caught sight of a black-and-white striped fierce tiger locked in a fierce battle with a man at the Inscription Realm.
This fierce tiger possessed an imposing and majestic presence, bearing a trace of the bloodline of the primordial descendant, the White Tiger.
Even if the White Tiger bloodline was extremely thin, it was still extraordinary.
"Both of them are experts at the Fifth Layer of Inscription Realm!"
Chu Yu thought to himself, a fiery glint flashing in his eyes. A fierce beast carrying a trace of White Tiger bloodline was exceedingly rare; its flesh and blood could be considered a medicinal treasure, far more valuable than many spiritual herbs.
Perched upon the branch of an ancient tree, he did not rush to make a move, instead watching coldly from the sidelines.
The man's realm and cultivation were no match for the black-and-white striped tiger, but the fierce beasts of the Cangyun Mountains all survived through brutal, life-or-death battles. Coupled with the fact that a beast's physical strength was innately superior to that of a human practitioner, the man was gradually being forced onto the defensive.
Judging by the current situation, it would not take long before the man perished beneath the tiger's jaws.
*Boom, boom...*
Deafening explosions resounded continuously as man and beast collided repeatedly, whipping up visible waves of violent energy that caused the surrounding forest to shiver violently!
*Bang!*
Another loud crash rang out as the man's figure was sent flying backward, slamming heavily onto the ground and spewing a large mouthful of blood.
The body of the black-and-white striped tiger also trembled violently from the impact, but it was clearly in much better shape than the man. Letting out a low roar, it slowly stalked toward him.
Just as the black-and-white striped tiger let down its guard, eagerly preparing to enjoy its meal, Chu Yu leaped down from the tree branch. The Devouring Dao Wheel materialized in his palm, and he pressed it directly toward the tiger's head!
*Bang!*
This palm strike carried a tremendous force of over one hundred thousand catties, slamming fiercely onto the tiger's skull.
The black-and-white striped tiger let out a miserable howl as its head smashed heavily into the ground, creating a large crater. Blood gushed forth wildly, and it died instantly.
The Heaven-Devouring Art circulated frantically, and a terrifying devouring force invaded the body of the black-and-white tiger, aggressively consuming its spiritual energy and strands of Dao intent.
Even the tiger's Dao Wheel was sucked out by Chu Yu and swallowed whole!
This was the tyrannical nature of the Heaven-Devouring Art. Even though the fierce beast possessed formidable strength, abundant spiritual energy, and formidable Dao intent, it stood virtually powerless against the terrifying suction of the devouring force.
Such a method was undoubtedly cruel, but in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, fists decided life and death, and strength was everything.
Chu Yu had to spare no means to make himself grow strong as quickly as possible.
In merely a moment, the cultivation of the black-and-white striped tiger was completely sucked dry by Chu Yu.
Following that, Chu Yu grabbed one of the tiger's legs and prepared to leave.
The flesh and blood of a Fifth Layer Inscription Realm fierce beast possessing a trace of White Tiger bloodline was worth comparison to a fifth-grade spiritual herb; it could not be wasted.
" Brat, halt right there!"
The injured man staggered to his feet and let out a stern shout.
He had fought this black-and-white striped tiger and driven it to the brink of death. Although this youth before him had delivered the final killing blow, how could he willingly watch someone else drag away the carcass of the beast?
Chu Yu glanced back at the man and said indifferently, "And what do you want?"
The man pondered for a moment before speaking. "I want half of this fierce tiger's carcass!"
"Very well," Chu Yu replied calmly.
The man was instantly overjoyed, never expecting the youth to agree so readily.
However, deep within the man's eyes, a trace of hard-to-detect, venomous malice flashed.
A fierce beast at the Fifth Layer of Inscription Realm was worth a small fortune. Even though the other party was willing to give him half, he wanted it all for himself.
"It seems this kid is coming to the Cangyun Mountains for the very first time and doesn't understand that the malice of human hearts is even more terrifying than fierce beasts. Today, I'll teach this kid a good lesson!"
The man thought to himself, wearing a hypocritical smile as he walked toward Chu Yu.
"Hahaha! Little brother is a righteous man, I truly admire you!"
The moment he closed the distance to Chu Yu, the man suddenly attacked, throwing a palm strike directly toward Chu Yu's chest!
To avoid alerting Chu Yu, he did not invoke his Dao Wheel, but the spiritual energy and Dao intent packed into this palm strike were still exceptionally formidable.
Chu Yu remained expressionless, his gaze cold, looking at the man as if watching a clown. The Devouring Dao Wheel materialized in his palm, and he met the attack head-on!
*Bang!*
The instant their palms collided, the man felt a powerful suction pull from the youth's palm, and his own cultivation began draining away at an alarming speed.
In the span of a single breath, his cultivation and Dao Wheel were completely devoured.
Stumbling backward to the ground, the man turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with despair. What kind of power was this that it could even devour another person's Dao Wheel?!
What kind of monster had he run into?!
"You ungrateful dog, do you really think your little tricks could deceive me?"
Chu Yu said coldly, murder in his eyes.
"Spare my life, Your Excellency! As long as you stop, I can tell you a secret—there is an astonishing fortune and opportunity hidden there!"
"Speak!"
"Before I tell you, Your Excellency must swear to spare my life, then I can—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Chu Yu directly lashed out with a kick, striking the man square in the chest.
Accompanied by a miserable shriek, the man flew several hundred meters, shattering a boulder weighing tens of thousands of catties into dust. Several of his ribs snapped, a massive mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth, and his aura withered to the absolute extreme.
Chu Yu walked over slowly, every step he took feeling as though it landed directly on the man's chest, leaving him utterly suffocated.
Never had he imagined that this youth would deliver such a ruthless blow without even letting him finish speaking!
"Every single second that passes, I will break one of your bones until you are willing to speak, or until every bone in your body is shattered to pieces!"
The man turned ashen, cold sweat pouring down like rain.
Having every bone in his body shattered was a fate worse than death!
How vicious!
"In this place, there is a valley known as the Crimson Flame Valley. A few days ago, a divine ray shot up into the skies; there is bound to be a world-shaking opportunity there!"
Taking the map handed over by the man, Chu Yu's eyes remained fiercely intent on murder.
"I know the secret now, so you can go die."
"I already told you the secret! Why must you still kill me?"
"I never said I would spare you. You brought this entirely upon yourself!"
Indifferent to the end, Chu Yu brought his palm down upon the man's head, ending his life.
Dragging the carcass of the fierce beast to the side of a small stream, he skinned and cleaned it, lit a bonfire, and began to roast it. Before long, rich aromas of meat drifted into the air.
The flesh and blood of a Fifth Layer Inscription Realm fierce beast possessed value comparable to a fifth-grade spiritual herb.
The Sky-Swallowing Beast also emerged from the Samsara Ancient Pagoda, drooming over Chu Yu's roasted meat and eating with great relish.
This Sky-Swallowing Beast was now a fierce beast of the Inscription Realm as well, and the aura emanating from its body was enough to make even Chu Yu feel deeply wary.
Once he had eaten his fill, Chu Yu sat cross-legged upon a bluestone slab and began his cultivation.