Chapter 653: A Flick of His Fingers

"What happened in the end?" Zhang Lie asked the ninth prince.

"In the end, the third prince took no wife. Even now, he only has a number of concubines to his name."

In other words, the relationship between the Wang clan and the third prince had only soured gradually over time; it hadn't been caused by a single, abrupt event. However, while the relationship was fraying, it wasn't yet completely cut off.

Suddenly, as the sound of a horn rose into the air, the crown prince cut short their conversation. "Alright, it's time for the royal hunt to begin!"

The ninth prince bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, eldest brother."

The three of them strode back to the rest of the princes and prepared to set off, raising flags and banners representing each prince.

Zhang Lie asked the ninth prince, "Do you have a banner prepared?"

The ninth prince shook his head.

The royal hunt began with the ear-splitting boom of a drum. An imperial envoy called out, "His majesty expectantly awaits each prince's exemplary performance. He reminds all gathered here that this kingdom was built on the back of skilled warriors who cleared out a patch of safe haven, and..."

Each prince jumped up onto their respective mounts. Many of the princes had superior-grade mounts, whereas the crown and second princes actually had peak-grade mounts.

The two princes glanced at each other with frost and mutual distaste.

Zhang Lie asked the ninth prince, "Do you have any techniques for taming beasts?"

"Of course, Master."

"When we return to the palace, let me have a look at a few manuals."

Zhang Lie wouldn't need such techniques himself, of course, but it would be a different story if he could pass such techniques to Zhang Hanxiang back on Earth.

The kingdom of Limit controlled a large group of peak- and superior-grade lifeforms via Zhang Lie's disaster-grade mistmeld clam soulshard and Zhu's own mental compulsion abilities, but it would surely benefit from methods that everyone could use.

Red Comet whirred by Zhang Lie's side, giving off the aura of a peak-grade lifeform. The crown and second princes both looked askance at the ninth prince, shocked that he too had access to such a lifeform.

Only when the retainers for each prince had gathered neatly together was it blindingly obvious that the ninth prince had almost nothing to his name. The other princes all had dozens of people, whereas the ninth prince's party was composed of three lifeforms and two men.

Jian Mo continued staring at Zhang Lie, his gaze like two drawn swords.

The Jindao, on the other hand, were all focused on the golden tent in which the king of the realm resided. When the second prince coughed, they snorted and turned around.

Zhang Lie's face was a veneer of calm. Rainbow fog surrounded his body, giving him an ethereal appearance.

Not far away, the eighth prince yelped, "Hey, what're you doing?!"

Zhang Lie preferred to ignore trash.

The imperial envoy finally finished, "...in hopes that you will assist each other, valuing fraternity over the results of the hunt. I hereby announce the commencement of the royal hunt!"

The princes all set off at once, rushing into the forested area where the hunt was slated to take place.

At the same time, the rainbow fog erupted from Zhang Lie's body.

"What's going on?!"

Amidst the rainbow fog, a beam of sword energy shot into the air. Jian Mo slapped his mount, which jumped up into the air. At the same time, the other princes made their moves.

The first and second princes' peak-grade mounts bellowed simultaneously, temporarily stunning the other princes' mounts. A few of the weaker guards' mounts even collapsed to the ground.

The Jindao in the second prince's retinue shot toward the fourth prince, beheading their mounts.

The Yinlian supporting the sixth prince brandished their scythes, whereas the seventh prince's Heijie tossed out black cans that spilled an oily, viscous substance onto the ground. Any lifeform that touched the oil slumped over.

The Zijing standing by the eighth prince likewise made their move. A purple, crystalline powder spread through the air, causing anyone who inhaled it to go into a rampage.

Zhang Lie laughed loudly as he rushed out of the melee with the ninth prince. Formless energy shielded him from any errant attacks and pushed aside all those standing in his way. Just then, a wave of sword energy tore apart the curtain of rainbow-colored mist and disintegrated whatever stood in its path as killing intent erupted from the man who had launched the attack.

"Jian Mo!" Everyone present stopped short. The concentrated killing intent that he had revealed made them feel as though a sea of blood and mountains of corpses were about to overwhelm them.

Zhang Lie met the fearsome attack with a smile, as though he couldn't sense the killing intent at all. Calmly, he stretched out a hand.

In the chaos of the melee, only a few people had been able to catch Jian Mo's blow in its entirety.

The crown prince shook his head. "The ninth prince's master is rather arrogant, isn't he?"

The second prince laughed coldly. "Trying to defend against Jian Mo with just a hand—risible."

Even the two of them couldn't guarantee that they would be able to achieve such a feat at full strength.

Zhang Lie's fingers tapped Jian Mo's blade in an explosion of energy. The impact produced what sounded like a sonic boom, as though the ground where Zhang Lie had been standing had just been bombarded by a collection of cannons.

The bystanders looked on in disbelief as Jian Mo and his sword flew out into the distance while Zhang Lie and the ninth prince rode gaily into the forests with their mounts.

The crown prince was agape for far too long before he began to laugh. "And here I thought the ninth prince's master was a clown—but it was me!"

The third prince smiled. "The ninth prince really has hidden his trump card well."

From a distance, the ninth prince turned and bowed to the gathered princes.

.

The second prince's face turned dark for a moment. "Could you get past this man if he were to block you?"

The Jindao by his side replied, "He's certainly strong, but no match for me."

During the commotion, the king of the realm had stepped outside his golden tent without drawing anyone's attention. As he glanced at the aftermath of the melee, a faint smile danced around his lips. "It's rather exciting this year, isn't it? They've begun to quarrel even before the start of the hunt..."

The guard standing outside the tent jumped up in shock. "Your majesty! Is something the matter?"

The king of the realm waved a hand at him, motioning for him to step back. "I'm not dead yet." His eyes honed in on one prince in particular, upon which he sighed. "I'm really getting old."

Subsequently, he clasped his hands behind his back and returned to the golden tent.

Meanwhile, Jian Mo flushed with shame at the fact that Zhang Lie had dealt with him with just a flick of his fingers.

Two decades ago, he had been the peerless bladewielder of the Wang clan, a honed sword that had never suffered any defeat. However, his embarrassing performance now—in plain sight of the princes and their retinues—would result in countless jokes made at his expense. Such an incident left him unbelievably furious.

1. Zijing (紫晶), lit. purple-crystal.