Chapter 41: The prince's birthday party, all the big shots are here!
Leaving the Divine Strategy Military Prefecture, Ning Ye quickly disappeared into the night, heading towards the Junlin Imperial Palace located in the center of the Capital.
He passed through Tiantongyuan.
He walked past Huilongguan.
He stepped over the Capital's famous Sansheng Bridge.
Finally, he arrived before the grand and magnificent Junlin Imperial Palace.
Ning Ye simply took out his jade token and handed it to the guard. A retinue of guards then led him into the Imperial Palace, heading towards the Eastern Palace, which was exclusive to the Crown Prince.
Along the way, many powerful figures of Junlin couldn't help but frequently glance at Ning Ye. The undisguised, fiery gazes of many daughters of Junlin's powerful families seemed to want to pierce through him.
However, Ning Ye had no interest in these meaningless gazes, because he had a premonition that tonight would not be a peaceful night. Therefore, along the way, he focused on the defensive layout of the Imperial Palace to ensure his subsequent actions could proceed smoothly.
'The Eastern Palace is on the east side of the Imperial Palace.'
'The Scripture Pavilion is on the north side.'
'The Junlin Imperial Guards' patrol interval is two and a half minutes.'
'There are at least ten obscure Qi auras above the Imperial Palace!'
'I just don't know if they are the Ten Junlin Divine Generals who are famous throughout the Eastern Wasteland!'
'I hope... Jun Qianyue can truly attract the firepower of the Imperial Palace and Mu Lingxi tonight, allowing me to smoothly enter the Scripture Pavilion!'
His thoughts stopped there.
Led by a guard, Ning Ye walked into the main hall of the Eastern Palace—the Hall of Mental Cultivation!
This was where Crown Prince Wu Chen was holding his birthday banquet.
Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, opulence met his eyes everywhere.
Vivid Heavenly Dragons were carved on resplendent golden pillars, and a red carpet covered the entire hall.
At this moment, the hall was already filled with the powerful figures of the Junlin Dynasty:
The Director of the Supervision Institute!
The Commander of the Imperial Guards!
The bigwigs of the Six Ministries!
The Warden of the Prison Division!
The Chief Minister of the Dali Temple!
The Dean of the Junlin Royal Academy!
...These powerful figures, who usually appeared and disappeared like dragons, were all present.
And when Ning Ye walked into the main hall, countless fervent gazes were cast towards him, and he instantly became the center of attention.
"Presumably, this is the Prince from the Yan Yun Dynasty!"
"Indeed, I didn't expect someone so young to claim the top spot in the Eastern Wasteland's Prodigy rankings!"
"I heard that in front of Tianmen Pass, he conjured a Buddha's Fury Lotus, blowing up many Evil Sect powerhouses and a Divine Punishment Elder. He is truly a Prodigy!"
"Stop talking! Stop talking! My daughter mentions this kid's name every day; my ears are calloused!"
"Who isn't? If he hadn't been betrothed to Miss Jun, I would have taken him as my son-in-law no matter what!"
"Tsk tsk tsk! If you were to poach from the Jun Family, do you still want to survive in the Capital?"
"Tch! Can't I even think about it? Besides, the Capital now belongs to the Wu family, not the Jun Family!"
"Shush! You shouldn't say such things!"
...
Listening to the chaotic and noisy sounds around him, Ning Ye shook his head, not paying much attention. He thought it best to sit down in his designated seat first.
Just as he was checking the jade token for information and looking for his seat, a familiar voice rang out.
"Ning Ye, over here!"
Hearing this, Ning Ye looked up and saw a woman in a noble feather robe with a clear, stunningly beautiful face waving at him from beside the highest seat in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Princess of the Junlin Dynasty, Wu Yao."
Ning Ye muttered, then walked towards her.
"Your seat is here."
Wu Yao pointed to the empty seat beside her and said with a smile.
"Mm!"
Ning Ye nodded upon hearing this and then sat down next to Wu Yao.
"I have to say!"
"The battle at Tianmen Pass!"
"The Prince defeated us terribly!"
Seeing Ning Ye seated, Wu Yao couldn't help but cross her arms, lean back in her chair, and tease him with a playful smile, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.
Hearing this, Ning Ye glanced at Wu Yao and, finding no resentment in her eyes, couldn't help but think highly of her. After all, he believed in one saying: hatred doesn't solve problems; if you're weak, practice more!
"Where is your Brother Xiao Tu?"
Ning Ye poured himself a glass of crimson wine and asked casually. The battle at Tianmen Pass, when the Evil Sect attacked, was too chaotic, so he hadn't paid much attention to Xiao Tu, the Child of Destiny.
However, he did know that Xiao Tu had been rescued by Wu Yao; after all, they were childhood sweethearts, and their affection was still there.
"He said he had somewhere to go!"
"When he returns..."
"He will come for you!"
Wu Yao responded very casually. At Tianmen Pass, she had already noticed the old grudges between Ning Ye and Xiao Tu.
Coupled with Ning Ye's impending marriage to Jun Qianyue, making him the Son-in-Law of the Divine Strategy Military Prefecture, this would only add to their animosity.
Therefore, it was certain that Xiao Tu would return to the Capital after his affairs were settled!
"Mm!"
"I look forward to it!"
Hearing this, Ning Ye indifferently tilted his head and drank a glass of the Imperial family's exclusive fine wine.
He knew where Xiao Tu would go, and that would be Xiao Tu's last chance to perform a Heaven-Defying change of fate.
This time, he was very much looking forward to Xiao Tu returning with his destined opportunity to seek revenge on him and Jun Qianyue. After all, he didn't want to lose this last chance to exploit Xiao Tu.
And once he had thoroughly squeezed out Xiao Tu's value this time, then Xiao Tu, the Child of Destiny, could die in peace.
"Hmph! Arrogant man!"
"You need to know the saying, 'thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west of the river!'"
Wu Yao snorted lightly.
"Such familiar words!"
Ning Ye spread his hands, and then a famous saying that resonated throughout countless worlds came to his mind, so he quoted it without blushing or a racing heart:
"An enemy defeated by my hand will not be considered an opponent!"
"I give him time to catch up, until he can no longer see me in the distance!"
"This..."
Wu Yao's pretty face changed upon hearing these words. She stared blankly at the calm Ning Ye, thinking, 'This guy's Martial Dao will is actually so strong. In the future, could this guy be trying to forge an invincible path exclusively for himself?!'
If that were truly the case, then Ning Ye was probably a hundred times more terrifying than she had imagined!
And just as her thoughts were racing, a guard's voice suddenly rang out from the entrance:
"His Highness, the Third Prince!"
"Princess Consort Nian Nujiao has arrived!"
The words fell.
All the powerful figures present stood up in a clamor.
At this moment, a man with an effeminate and handsome appearance, dressed in a luxurious black brocade robe, was seen slowly walking into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, holding the hand of a beautiful, mature woman in a red dress.
As soon as these two entered the main hall, Ning Ye felt the hostility and provocative intent from the Third Prince and his Princess Consort.
The problem was, Ning Ye was certain he had never met these two before, so he didn't know where their hostility came from.
"How inexplicable!"
Ning Ye shook his head.
Wu Yao, who was beside him, seemed to notice Ning Ye's confusion. She explained with a faint smile:
"Prince, you need not be surprised!"
"My sister-in-law was the Evil Sect's cherished pearl before marrying into the Imperial family!"
"In the battle at Tianmen Pass, you killed so many Evil Sect powerhouses, so it's only natural for her to hate you!"
"So that's it!"
Ning Ye nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this. He hadn't known that Nian Nujiao had such a background, but it no longer mattered.
"Furthermore!"
Wu Yao changed the subject and continued to remind him:
"Your fiancée, Miss Jun, is my Third Brother's designated future sister-in-law!"
"What does that mean?"
Ning Ye frowned.
"Alas!"
Wu Yao sighed and slowly explained:
"The Prince is new to the Capital, so it's normal not to know!"
"Miss Jun's talent is peerless, famous across the continent!"
"Naturally, she has had many, many suitors since she was young."
"And the most fanatical one is my Second Brother, the Second Prince!"
"Before he left the Capital, he made a harsh declaration: whoever dared to covet Miss Jun would have their entire family annihilated!"
"And my Third Brother has always been his most devout follower. So... how could he not be hostile towards you?"
"Second Prince?"
Ning Ye raised an eyebrow. He had heard that name before—the most renowned Prodigy of the Junlin Dynasty besides Jun Qianyue.
Three years ago, this Second Prince of Junlin had received the Nine Heavens Wind and Rain Tower's recognition to cultivate on the Holy Mountain, but he had refused.
Some said he refused to wait for Miss Jun to go to the Holy Mountain with him.
And these past years, he had been on the borders of Junlin, fighting and slaying enemies for the Dynasty against the barbarian nations, earning him the title of "God of Slaughter" in the army.
Because of his absolute devotion to Jun Qianyue, he was hailed by countless cultivators and common people of the Junlin Dynasty as "Junlin's Foremost Devoted"!
'Let me think... what was the fate of this "Junlin's Foremost Devoted" in Against the Nine Heavens?'
'It seems... he died, didn't he!'
His thoughts stopped there, and a playful arc appeared at the corner of Ning Ye's mouth.
Just then, the voice of a guard announcing guests echoed again from outside the main hall:
"Crown Prince Wu Chen!"
"Crown Princess Mu Li has arrived!"
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