Walking through the streets of the Imperial Capital, Yin Haoran, the youngest prince of the Royal Family watched the mortals go about their lives with disdain on his face as his bodyguard and maid followed him.
He was not always like this. There was once a time when he cared about the lives of the mortals just like his eldest sister. However, after awakening the memories of his future, He loathed the mortals.
After all, it was these mortals that rebelled against his sister in the future by joining hands with the Demonic Path which led to his sister’s tragic death at the hands of that demon, Huxing Xiang, formerly known as Wang Xiang.
Despite everything his sister did for these useless people, they dared show discontent and rebel against her in her most vulnerable moment. That is why, Yin Haoran believed that these weaklings did not deserve any grace from him or the Royal Family.
Once he gains what he is searching for, maybe he will try to convince his sister to give up on being so kind to these ungrateful people.
As they passed through the commoner district, Yin Haoran turned towards his maid, the person he deliberately asked as his servant due to her connection with that demon.
“Yun Xin, are you sure that Madam Liuyue’s grave is located in this place?”
The girl with dead eyes, Yun Xin, the former young mistress of the Yun family belonging to the Heavenly Sword Sect, simply nodded with a bitter smile.
“Yes, my prince. I visited Madam Huxing Liuyue’s grave many times when I was still engaged to Wang Xiang. It is here.”
Yin Haoran nodded his head and continued following her directions, feeling his heartbeat rise with every step he took.
Graverobbing was beneath a prince like him. However, for the sake of that heavenly artifact, he had no choice but to commit such a deed.
After his sister died and the empire fell apart under the manipulations of the Heavenly Demon of his time, Huxing Xiang, many secrets that were buried by his sister and his father came to light. Secrets about Huxing Xiang and his mother were kept so hidden that even the heavenly demon was unaware of their existence.
One such secret was the location of the Huxing family’s inheritance being hidden with the dead body of Madam Liuyue, Huxing Xiang’s mother.
What no one aside from a handful of people in the Royal family and the rest of the empire knew at this time was that Huxing Liuyue was not some commoner with a special physique as everyone believed.
She was the younger sister of Huxing Longwei, the master of the Hidden Heavens Holy Land. The strongest Holy Land on the continent and one of the most mysterious.
The reason why she pretended to be a commoner is not known to anyone. But, what is known is that she made a pact with the Royal Family of the Yin Long Empire. As long as her existence is kept secret and her son is looked after by the Royal Family, she would guarantee that they would not have to suffer any troubles related to her family and that she would also help them deal with any troubles they face.
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Since the assistance of a Soul Transformation realm master like her would be invaluable for the empire, the Royal Family easily accepted her condition and helped her create an identity as a commoner from the Imperial Capital.
Then, she fell in love with Wang Wei, the patriarch of the Wang family of the Heavenly Sword Sect. A great tragedy in Yin Haoran’s opinion since that man only cared about his own strength and nothing else.
A marriage between such a heartless bastard and the Madam was destined to end in a tragedy.
As predicted, The Madam died tragically thanks to some kind of a hidden injury she sustained sometime before arriving at the Imperial Capital, leaving behind her son in the cruel hands of her apathetic husband.
What happened next, was irrelevant to Yin Haoran since he did not want to waste his strength by thinking about that demon. What is relevant, is the fact that Huxing Liuyue had supposedly stolen the Huxing family’s main inheritance before she fled from the Huxing family for unknown reasons.
The four Holy Lands are each considered the strongest forces on the continent not only because of their strength and history that stretches back to the 2nd Era but also because of the various techniques and treasures unique to their lineage.
Their techniques are said to have been derived from the original, primordial, demonic beasts of the cardinal directions.
The Black Tortoise of the North, The Azure Dragon of the East, The White Tiger of the West, and the Vermillion Bird of the South.
The Obsidian Valley Holy Lands to the North uses the ‘Tide of Eternal Waters’. A cultivation technique derived from the Water and Earth Qi cultivation of the Black Tortoise. The Crimson Realm Holy Land of the South uses the ‘Scorching Sun Flame Technique’ derived from the Vermillion Bird’s Fire Qi cultivation. The Hidden Heavens Holy Land uses the ‘Celestial Dragon Ascension Technique’ which is derived from the Azure Dragon’s Water and Wood Qi cultivation. Finally, the Autumn Fang Holy Land of the West uses the ‘White Tiger’s Dominion Technique’ that is derived from the White Tiger’s Metal Qi.
Aside from these techniques, the Holy Lands also hold a number of treasures originating from the 2nd era, also known as the Age of Immortals. Out of all these heaven-defying artifacts, each Holy Land has one artifact that is the centerpiece of its lineage and heritage.
The Heaven Encompassing Shield of the Obsidian Valley. The Scarlet Lotus Heart Flame of the Crimson Realm Holy Land. The Claws of Autumn of the Autumn Fang Holy Land.
And Finally, the Heavenly Reversal Bead of the Hidden Heavens Holy Land. The very same artifact that the prince is currently searching for.
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Yin Haouran continued walking until they arrived at the edge of the Commoner District.
However, instead of finding the small hill as Yun Xin told him, all they found was a broken-up land that looked like it was cut off by someone powerful.
Turning to look at the maid, Yin Haoran found that the girl was genuinely shocked to find the hill missing.
She instantly crashed to her knees and bowed to the prince in abject terror.
“M-My prince! Forgive this one. I do not dare lie to you. Huxing Liuyue’s grave was really located here on top of a hill. I-I don’t know why the hill is missing-“
“It's alright. Yun Xin. I believe you.”
He turned back to the cleanly cut-off land with a critical eye before speaking again.
“Judging from the cut, it is clear that someone really powerful has moved the entire hill, including the grave, away from here. So it really is not your fault this time.”
He turned towards his bodyguards and issued his commands with a sinking heart.
“Find out if the commoners in this area have seen anyone unknown or suspicious move in this area in the past year. Bribe them, threaten them, torture them, I don’t care. I want to know who is responsible for taking this place away.”
His golden eyes flashed with power as he continued glaring at the empty land.
“I want to know who took away Madam Liuyue’s grave and her former home from this place.”
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