.The news of the fall of Wuguan Pass first reached the Star Luo royal family, and then, like a hurricane, swept across the entire continent.
In Xingluo City.
The ancient capital, which has stood on the continent for tens of thousands of years, began to stir with unrest among its people.
"Who would have thought that the Fourth Prince, whom the Star Luo Royal Family considered a taboo, would actually return? Haha, how laughable! The mighty Star Luo Royal Family has been slapped hard across the face by a mere brat whom they once regarded as an ant!"
"Over the years, the Star Luo royal family has acted domineeringly. Anyway, this is just an internal family feud. Let's just watch and see how the Star Luo royal family loses face!"
"Should we call this fourth prince temperamental or foolish? He insisted on rushing back to save Prince Hengyu. As far as I know, the fourth prince is exceptionally talented and destined to become an unparalleled powerhouse in the future. When that time comes, revenge will be a piece of cake; right now, he's just throwing his life away."
"Not necessarily. The Spirit Hall is secretly supporting that Fourth Prince. It's still uncertain who will win or lose. Let's wait and see."
Dai Yao's breach of Wuguan Pass, openly declaring his intention to attack the Star Luo royal family, shocked the entire Star Luo Empire. The prince who had once been like a stray dog returned with his forces, not only to rescue his uncle but also for revenge.
The Star Luo Empire has always been domineering, and so has its royal family; no one in the Star Luo Empire dares to raise any objections.
Under such high pressure, not only were many nobles dissatisfied with the Star Luo royal family, but even some commoner soul master forces were dissatisfied with their own experiences.
Therefore, upon hearing that Dai Yao had returned for revenge, and with the encouragement of the Spirit Hall, these people tacitly chose to wait and see.
Although in their hearts, Dai Yao had no chance of winning; it was merely a futile attempt. No matter how powerful Dai Yao was, he was facing the entire Star Luo Royal Family!
There are more than ten Contras alone, not to mention that level 96 old monster.
However, they were quite happy to see Dai Yao make the Star Luo royal family lose face.
Apart from the direct descendants of the Star Luo royal family, there are basically no forces supporting the Star Luo royal family, only the Imperial Guard under their own control and the Zhu family with whom they have been married for generations.
For a time, undercurrents were surging within Xingluo City.
Xingluo Imperial Palace, the inner palace.
In the magnificent palace, the Queen sat quietly in front of her dressing table, gazing at her stunning reflection in the mirror. Compared to her youthful and vibrant self of yesteryear, her face now bore the marks of time, with crow's feet appearing at the corners of her eyes.
This lingering charm can drive countless men crazy, but it can't win back the heart of the Star Luo Emperor.
Her beautiful eyes were lifeless.
"Bai Su, Bai Su, I have truly lost to you. Back then, you stole Hengtian's heart, and now, even my son is no match for your son!"
Hengtian was the real name of the Star Luo Emperor, whose real name was Dai Hengtian.
In a daze, she saw a stunningly beautiful figure appear behind her in the mirror, smiling gently. It was Dai Yao's mother, Bai Su. Those laughs were so grating to her heart, as if mocking her years of hard work, all of which had been in vain.
Sizzle—
She picked up the wooden box beside her and smashed it hard against the mirror. With a piercing sound, the mirror shattered and fell to the ground, breaking into tiny fragments.
The Empress gasped for breath, staring blankly at everything.
Hearing the commotion inside the hall, a maidservant called out urgently and worriedly from outside the door:
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"Get out!"
The Empress, still seething with anger, glared at the palace gates and roared.
Outside the palace gates, all was immediately silent.
Silence returned to the palace, but the Empress felt a chill in her heart.
She and Dai Hengtian had been betrothed since childhood, and she thought they would be together for life. However, a woman suddenly appeared by Dai Hengtian's side and stole his heart.
She tried everything to win back Dai Hengtian's heart, but in the end, it was all in vain.
She lost to Bai Su.
But the proud woman never wanted to admit that she and Dai Hengtian had been childhood sweethearts, how could she lose to a commoner girl? Driven by jealousy, she secretly plotted to kill Bai Su during her childbirth when she became empress.
Unexpectedly, Dai Yao survived.
Since she can't beat Bai Su, she'll let her son beat Bai Su's son.
With this in mind, she spared Dai Yao's life. But she wouldn't let him off easily, torturing him wantonly while he was in the cold palace. She ordered the eunuchs and maids to humiliate him at will. Dai Yao's mother was just an ordinary noblewoman; of course, in her mind, such nobles were no different from commoners.
Without a powerful maternal clan, Dai Yao's fate was already sealed. Therefore, under her orders, the eunuchs and maids humiliated Dai Yao with impunity.
Bai Su possessed only a Fire Fox Martial Soul, which tainted the Dai family's bloodline, preventing her from awakening a pure White Tiger Martial Soul. Therefore, in her heart, the day Dai Yao awakened his Martial Soul proved that her son had defeated Dai Yao. However, she still wouldn't let Dai Yao go.
Since Bai Su is dead, let Dai Yao bear her wrath.
Unexpectedly, Dai Yao not only awakened the Sacred White Tiger Martial Soul, which surpassed the White Tiger Martial Soul, but also defeated her youngest son, Dai Mubai.
She initially thought it was an accident, just Dai Mubai underestimating her opponent, but Dai Yao's victory over Dai Yaming made her realize that Dai Yao was an unparalleled genius. She realized that Dai Yao could no longer be suppressed and she had to eliminate him as soon as possible; otherwise, even Davis, who was twelve years older than Dai Yao, might not be her match.
But at this moment, Dai Yao escaped.
She could only hope that Dai Yao was no match for Davis.
But years later, at the Continental Soul Master Tournament, Dai Yao defeated Davis, shattering her illusions completely. Despite the twelve-year age difference, Dai Yao still managed to defeat Davis.
When she heard the news, she was extremely disappointed and stayed in the palace for three months.
She had to admit that not only had she lost to Bai Su, but even her son was no match for Dai Yao.
She was a complete loser.
"You brat, since you dare to come back, I'll make sure you don't leave alive! I'll get the Zhu family to help the Dai family, so don't even think about leaving here alive!"
She hissed in a low voice.
······
As time went on, more and more people received news that Dai Yao had returned to the Star Luo Empire.
Inside the Crown Prince's palace, Dai Mubai's eyes flickered as he looked at the letter in his hand, his heart surging with uncontrollable turmoil. A cool breeze blew in from the window, and he felt a chill. Gazing at the old tree outside, its leaves already withered and yellow, he couldn't help but murmur softly:
"The weather is getting colder, Dai Yao, you're back again."
The years have weathered his once sharp features, and he has begun to compromise with reality, navigating the power struggles and intrigues among his ministers.
After receiving Dai Yao's message, he suddenly thought of his elder brother, who had been banished to the cold palace by him, and had the idea of going to see him.
He instructed his servants to prepare wine and food, and a moment later, he carried the wine and food, dismissed the servants, and walked alone toward the Cold Palace.
Before the gates of the Cold Palace, crows cried mournfully, adding to the desolation of this exceptionally quiet place.
Two guards stood listlessly at the door.
Upon seeing Dai Mubai's arrival, the two guards immediately straightened up, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. If the Crown Prince saw them so slack off, they'd be dead.
Dai Mubai didn't care about the two guards' intentions. He casually waved his hand, then stood at the door, staring at the door with its red paint peeling off. After a moment of silence, he reached out and knocked.
The Cold Palace, like a slow-witted old man, heard the knocking for a long time before a hoarse but excited voice finally came from inside:
"Come in quickly."
The vermilion gate opened, and inside the courtyard stood a disheveled fellow with loose blond hair and a dirty face. He was a far cry from the handsome prince he once was, and his face even showed a hint of neurotic excitement.
Upon seeing Dai Mubai, Davis's face immediately froze. Years of solitude had made him count the number of weeds in the yard. But upon seeing Dai Mubai, his somewhat manic state slowly vanished, replaced by an indifference as cold as ice.
His hatred for Dai Mubai brought him back to his senses.
"What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me?"
Davis stared intently at Dai Mubai and said coldly.
Dai Mubai shook his head, saying nothing. He looked around, found the pavilion where Davis usually rested, went inside, and placed the dishes he was carrying one by one on the stone table. He said calmly:
"Please sit down."
Dai Mubai's actions left Davis completely bewildered, unsure of his intentions. He followed Dai Mubai to the pavilion, gritted his teeth, slammed his hand on the stone table, and roared:
"Dai Mubai, what exactly do you want?! Isn't it enough that you've already beaten me to everything?! Do you still want to come here and humiliate me?!"
Dai Mubai calmly poured Davis a glass of wine.
Back then, before Dai Yao awakened his martial soul, Dai Mubai was constantly suppressed by Davis. As princes, the two were mortal enemies.
However, he felt no joy of victory. He knew very well that the root of their conflict lay in clan rules. And the reason he had defeated Davis and become the crown prince was because of Dai Yao. If it weren't for Dai Yao, he might have died at Davis's hands long ago.
He said softly:
"Dai Yao is back, back to take revenge on his family."
Davis froze for a moment. After a long while, he slowly sat down, picked up his glass, and drank it all in one gulp. The spiciness burned his throat, but Davis laughed almost maniacally.
"This kid really dares to do it! Even if he had beaten me back then, I wouldn't have thought much of it, but he actually dared to attack the family! I really admire him! I wouldn't even dare to think about something like this!"
Dai Mubai remained silent, which was also what he admired about Dai Yao. In their hearts, the family was inviolable, but Dai Yao had not only betrayed the family, but now he was leading a large group of people back to seek revenge.
Davis was laughing for a while, then he started crying.
Because of Dai Yao, he lost everything: his status as crown prince, his mother's favor, and even his Zhu Yun.
After a long while, he recovered, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Dai Mubai:
"You came all this way just to tell me this?"
Dai Mubai drank a glass of wine, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"Because, besides you, I don't know who else to talk to."
Davis froze, staring at Dai Mubai, as if he were seeing his past self. If he hadn't lost his position as crown prince, he would never have realized what reality was like. He was the eldest prince, adored by thousands since childhood; only after being stripped of his title did he understand the coldness and indifference of the world.
The pain has no one to confide in, and isn't Dai Mubai the same now?
He seemed to be second only to the emperor, but to whom could he confide his loneliness? The only one he could talk to was Davis, who had once tried to kill him.
After a moment, he smiled wryly:
"Alright, Mu Bai, you shouldn't stay here any longer. Staying with someone like me who's been crippled for too long will attract the attention of certain people. Go back now, and try not to come here again. I never expected that the first person to see me before I die would be you."
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai abruptly raised his head, stared at Davis, and said, almost trembling:
"Big...brother..."
Davis smiled sadly and said, "Alright, you should go now. We won't have the chance to be brothers in this life, but we'll be brothers in the next."
Dai Mubai knew he had to leave. Even though he was the Crown Prince, many people were watching his every move. He had personally banished Davis to the Cold Palace, and now, many of Davis's remnants were still lurking in the shadows. Davis had to die, or he would be the one to die.
Soon after, he will personally execute Davis.
A moment later, he stood up, preparing to leave, when he suddenly turned back and said:
"By the way, how is Dai Yaming doing now?"
Like Davis, Dai Yaming was also banished to the cold palace by Dai Mubai.
Davis thought for a moment, a hint of envy on his face, and said:
"That guy is still lying in bed every day, but that silly girl Zhu Yue still takes care of him every day. Ever since Dai Yao crippled his arm back then, he has become increasingly depressed and his health has deteriorated. It looks like he won't make it through this winter."
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai fell silent, closed the door, and left the desolate place alone.
······
As time passed, news of the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire breaking through Wuguan and returning to the Star Luo Empire continued to spread, drawing countless gazes to the Star Luo Empire.
The Heaven Dou Empire, where Tang San was preparing for his wedding; Bibi Dong of the Spirit Hall; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School of Hanhai City; the spirit beast forces in the Star Dou Great Forest... all parties turned their attention to the Star Luo Empire, watching every move of Star Luo City.
Under these circumstances, Dai Yao finally arrived in Xingluo City.
A sudden cold wave enveloped the entire Star Luo Empire.
As if welcoming Dai Yao's arrival, snow suddenly began to fall throughout Xingluo City.
Xingluo City was covered in silver and was exceptionally beautiful, but Dai Yao did not feel good about it, which reminded him of the days when he struggled to survive.
Gazing at Xingluo City amidst a blanket of snowflakes, Dai Yao exhaled softly, his breath condensing into a wisp of white mist in the air. He silently thought:
"I never expected to return to Star Luo City in winter again. It began here, so let it end here as well." (End of Chapter)