Chapter 42 – The Southeast Administrative Province
Book 9, His Fame Shakes the World – Chapter 42, The Southeast Administrative Province
Emperor Johann lay down on a bench within the imperial palace’s flower gardens, feeling utterly powerless. A weak, pale look was on his face. His eyes were closed, and he was silent. The only thing the nearby palace attendant could do was to carefully take care of him. The palace attendant was very puzzled. “Just then, his Imperial Majesty was in a fine mood. But after chatting a while with Master Linley, he became like this?”
Emperor Johann’s eyes suddenly opened.
“Transmit this decree. Marquis Jeff is to go to the Central Administrative Province and join with the Jacques Legion. Let Legion Commander Lace arrange a relaxed assignment for him. Unless there are special circumstances, Marquis Jeff is not to be permitted to return to the imperial capital.” Emperor Johann said calmly. He truly did not wish to see Marquis Jeff again. Whenever he saw Marquis Jeff, he would be reminded of Prince Julin.
The event which occurred today was the deepest humiliation in Emperor Johann’s heart. But Emperor Johann knew that there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was accept it.
Although the palace attendant was puzzled by the Emperor’s orders, he still said respectfully, “Yes, your Imperial Majesty!”
Emperor Johann sat back down on his seat. Suddenly, he seemed to have become much older.
From the imperial capital to the Southeast Administrative Province, even flying at high speed in a straight line, over two thousand kilometers had to be traversed. In mid-flight, the impatient Linley transformed into his full Dragonform, making haste towards the southeast at top speed.
When Linley had left the imperial capital, the sun had already sunk down to and reached the edges of the eastern horizon.
When Linley arrived at the provincial capital of the Southeast Administrative Province, the entire world had begun to grow dim, and the countless commoners had begun to sit down in their homes and prepare for dinner.
“Whoosh!” While flying towards the top of provincial capital in his Dragonform, Linley suddenly spread out his spiritual energy, easily encapsulating that luxurious castle in the center of the city within it.
Prince Julin was living there. “Boss, should I handle it?” Bebe was flying side by side with Linley.
“No!” Whenever Linley thought of his bro, Reynolds, the flames of fury in his heart burned ever hotter. Although he had flown here at high speed, Linley still felt that this trip had been a long one. Too long!
Linley’s dark golden eyes had turned slightly bloodshot.
“Julin!” Linley ground his teeth and said in a low voice, and then his dark golden eyes became all the more grim and callous.
Thousands of guards were currently on patrol outside the administrator’s castle of the Southeast Administrative Province’s provincial capital. There were many beautiful maids and servants walking about the castle as well.
Within one quiet, secluded room within the castle. Behind a hazy gauze screen. The sound of low panting. A coquettish voice moaning nonstop. Two bodies intertwined with each other.
After a long moment…
A low growl. And then, the room returned to utter silence.
“Your Imperial Highness.” A soft, sweet voice.
“Baby, you really are bewitching. You are much better than my wife.” Prince Julin opened the gauze screen, then put on his long robe and left the bed. “Baby, rest here. I’ll order someone to bring you food.”
“Thank you, your Imperial Highness.” The woman behind the gauze screen had jade hair which cascaded down like a waterfall, and her eyes seemed utterly bewitching.
A hint of a satisfied smile was on the corner of Prince Julin’s face.
He was very satisfied with his life.
What was so good about being an Emperor? As a Prince, he had as many servants as he wished and as many women as he wished. Wasn’t this sort of life even better than that of a god’s?
“That big brother of mine. Jeeze. All I did was cause that Reynolds to die, but he lectured and berated me.” Prince Julin pursed his lips disdainfully.
His life was extremely valuable.
If a common noble died, he died. What was the big deal about it? Prince Julin’s absolute bottom line was this; anything which might threaten his life, no matter how small, had to be stopped.
Prince Julin walked out of the room, feeling satisfied.
“Your Imperial Highness.” The two female attendants outside the room said respectfully.
Prince Julin gently stroked the face of one of the female attendants. Laughing lightly, he said, “Baby, tonight, you can come serve me.”
“Yes, your Imperial Highness.” A hint of joy actually appeared on that female attendant’s face.
Just as Prince Julin was feeling that his life was simply too perfect, a cold voice rang out from the skies above, covering the entire castle. “Prince Julin, are you enjoying your life?” That voice was filled with resentment and hatred, causing Prince Julin to suddenly tremble.
“Who is it?!” The castle guards all raised their weapons and roared angrily.
“Up above. Ahhh! It is a demon!” A guard saw Linley standing in mid-air.
Prince Julin’s heart was filled with terror and fear. He didn’t know who had come to act against him. The people whom Prince Julin had offended were all people who were inferior in status to him. Prince Julin knew very well that some powerful experts were not to be offended. So who was this? Prince Julin raised his head high…and his face turned ashen in terror.
Linley was currently standing in mid-air above Prince Julin’s residence. In full Dragonform, Linley was surrounded by a dense fog of azurish-black battle-qi, which swirled and roiled about him. Linley did indeed look like a demon from the abyss.
His dark golden eyes were staring down at Prince Julin.
All Linley had done was to use his spiritual energy to search and investigate. After hearing Prince Julin’s words to the two female attendants, he knew that this person was indeed Prince Julin.
Linley’s body suddenly descended, and a terrifying surge of energy blasted out in every direction.
“Boom!”
The nearby buildings were all blown apart by this terrifying blast of force. Linley landed heavily on the ground, and the stone floor of the residence instantly cracked and shattered, as though it had been struck by a massive falling boulder.
“Milord, who are you?” Prince Julin squeezed out a smile, appearing to be incredibly humble.
The man in front of him was a Saint. Prince Julin was absolutely certain of this.
Prince Julin deeply cared about his life, so he never offended any Saints.
“Milord, is there perhaps some mistake? Why have you sought me out?” Prince Julin forcibly maintained his smile, but just at this time, from afar, a guard’s voice could be heard. “Your Imperial Highness, that person is Master Linley. I went to the imperial capital and watched his duel with Lord Haydson.”
Many people had watched the duel between Linley and Haydson. People from the Southeast Administrative Province had gone as well. Naturally, that guard recognized Linley.
Prince Julin hadn’t gone.
To Prince Julin, watching experts fight wasn’t as interesting as playing around with some beautiful women. It was fortunate for him that he was the Emperor’s younger brother, because otherwise, in a country like the O’Brien Empire, where people worshipped experts and valued training and personal strength, his life would have been terrible.
“Master Linley?”
Prince Julin’s heart shook. What he had feared the most had come! Previously, at Neil City, he had caused Reynolds death. After Prince Julin had discovered the relationship between Linley and Reynolds, he was filled with regret, but it was too late.
“What the hell did my big brother do? Didn’t he say that Linley didn’t know that this affair had something to do with me?” Prince Julin began to curse Johann in his heart. Meanwhile, Linley just stared at Prince Julin.
His dear brother, Reynolds, had died because this Julin had extinguished Reynolds’ last chance at life due to his own cowardice. His dear brother didn’t have to die.
“Do you know why I have come?” Linley was unable to restrain his fury any longer.
“Ah! So it is Master Linley!” Prince Julin hurriedly said. “It is Julin’s honor to be able to welcome you here, Master. But I actually do not know why you have come here, Master.”
By now, groups of people had clustered around them, watching.
There were many of Prince Julin’s women, some of his children, and many guards and female attendants. They all watched with terror. Even the two experts of the ninth rank who were Prince Julin’s special guests stood far away, their hearts filled with terror.
“Master Linley, if there’s anything you want, please speak calmly. I think, Master, you must have some sort of misunderstanding about his Imperial Highness.” The caretaker of the castle said from the side in a trembling voice.
Linley turned back to glance at the caretaker, whose face instantly turned white.
“Misunderstanding?”
Linley walked towards Prince Julin, one step at a time. Cold sweat poured from Prince Julin’s forehead. He was so frightened that not a hint of blood could be seen in his face. Linley’s lips quirked upwards, revealing a terrifying smile.
“Whoosh!” Linley’s ferocious black draconic tail suddenly moved, wrapping around Prince Julin’s body and constricting him like a whip.
“Ah!!!” An shrill scream burst out from Prince Julin’s throat, sounding like a woman being molested.
Linley’s dark golden eyes stared remorselessly at Prince Julin. “Why are you screaming? I haven’t even used any force, but you are already screaming. If I were to use force…”
“Spare me, Master Linley, spare me.” Prince Julin said, terror-stricken.
“Spare you?”
Linley’s voice suddenly turned into a guttural growl. “Me, spare you? What about my brother Reynolds? Who spared his life?” Linley’s black draconic tail, radiating a cold light, began to squeeze while lifting Prince Julin into the air.
Prince Julin was constricted and lifted into the air by this draconic tail which was as thick as a strong man’s arm. As the tail began to tremble slightly, Prince Julin began to howl in terror. “Ah!!” “Slash.” Fresh blood began to dye Prince Julin’s clothes red.
“Stop!” Many of the loyal guards raised their weapons from afar and howled angrily. They didn’t dare to charge forwards, but they did dare to at least shout.
“F*ck off!” Linley frowned, his heart filled with fury.
“Boom!” A terrifying surge of energy erupted from Linley, blasting out in every direction. All of the surrounding guards and female attendants were sent flying. Some unlucky guards ended up smashing into walls head first, with their brains splattering. Others fell to the ground and were heavily injured.
In the blink of an eye, aside from Linley and Prince Julin, not a single person was still on his or her feet.
“The Boss has really gone crazy.” Bebe watched quietly from midair.
Linley retracted his gaze from the surrounding people, turning to stare at the bloody-faced Prince Julin. “Julin, don’t’ worry. I’ll let you live for a bit longer…I’ll let you have the sensation of a slow death.” Linley’s voice was very soft, but it filled Prince Julin with the utmost fear.
“Master, please spare me. I’ll do anything you want, give you anything you want, as long as I am capable, anything is fine, but the important thing, don’t kill me.” Prince Julin still thought that he could escape from this situation alive.
Linley didn’t pay any attention to Prince Julin’s squabbling. The only thing in his mind was the smile of his Fourth Bro, Reynolds. That adorable youngster, so dissolute and lazy, had spent ten days and ten nights waiting for him in a blizzard when he had been carving ‘Awakening From the Dream’.
“Crunch.” A cringe-inducing sound could be heard from Prince Julin’s entire body.
His waist had suddenly become compacted to the waist of a slender young lady. Prince Julin’s face was utterly red. He wasn’t able to say a single sentence, and fresh blood was leaking forward from his mouth.
“Spare…spare…” Prince Julin stared at Linley in terror.
The distant serving women and attendants all watched with terror as Prince Julin’s waist visibly became smaller and smaller.
“Crunch!” Yet another bone-splintering sound could be heard. Blood was pouring forth from Prince Julin’s mouth, and his face had turned the color of purple jam.
The internal organs in his body had been squeezed to the point of rupture. This sort of pain made Prince Julin wish he could die.
“You can’t die so fast.” Prince Julin’s endurance was far weaker than that of Clayde’s, from all those years ago.
Suddenly, Linley’s draconic tail loosened and retracted. That nearly-dead Prince Julin fell to the ground. Prince Julin let out a sigh of relief, but before he even hit the ground…
“Bam!” Linley’s right leg kicked viciously against Prince Julin’s body.
Prince Julin’s eyes turned round from utter terror.
Prince Julin’s body was sent flying from this kick, and he smashed hard against a distant wall. That thick, sturdy wall was actually shattered by the collision. As for Prince Julin? His weak, fragile body instantly disintegrated into a pile of mud-like flesh and bone, strewn everywhere.
“Fourth Bro, don’t worry. I won’t spare a single one of those people who caused you to die.” Linley said softly to himself. A hint of moisture could be seen in those dark golden eyes.
Linley turned to look at Bebe in mid-air.
“Let’s go. We’re heading to Neil City!”
“Whoosh!” Linley rose straight into the air, flying towards the southeast at high speed with Bebe by his side. The thousands of people in the area below were utterly, deathly silent. Only, Prince Julin’s utterly disintegrated corpse was so eye-catching and so frightful to behold!