Chapter 726: Visiting the Imperial Court

Xu Yang had never heard of the Ancient Xia Dynasty, but having studied ancient texts in Qizhou for many years, he was somewhat familiar with cultivation methods that relied on primal power, like those practiced by the Crown Prince.

According to those ancient texts, most cultivators across the myriad worlds only unlocked less than ten percent of their primal power potential.

Primal power cultivation wasn't mainstream in the myriad worlds, not because the laws of the myriad worlds were unsuitable for it, as some claimed. Instead, it was due to the extreme rarity of individuals who truly understood how to develop primal power; there were only a handful across the entire continent. Over time, this cultivation path was largely lost.

Upon meeting someone from the Crown Prince's lineage, Xu Yang's long-dormant desire to develop primal power was rekindled. He believed this accidental encounter might prove to be a special opportunity.

Unlocking primal power meant deeply excavating one's cultivation potential and further enhancing all aspects of physical ability.

If his team members also had the opportunity to acquire this cultivation method, it would undoubtedly greatly assist them in forging their divine personalities in the future.

Xu Yang had always harbored a concern.

The perilous process of forging a divine personality was self-evident; a single misstep meant death and the end of one's path, with almost no second chances. Few survived if the forging failed.

Xu Yang worried about his companions, like Long Kun. Most of them had followed him, gaining opportunities for advancement, and while their inherited strength reached the threshold of the divine, individuals like Long Kun and Ling Yao had rarely experienced the truly life-or-death extreme trials that Xu Yang had faced.

Simply put, their tempering, physical strength, and endurance were quite limited. They relied on their inheritances to compensate for insufficient foundations, which didn't affect their power output. However, when it came to forging a divine personality and conversing with the myriad laws of the heavens, no one could escape the ultimate test of the Heavenly Dao's judgment.

Xu Yang feared they might be outwardly strong but inwardly lacking. If they blindly attempted to forge a divine personality with the Heavenly Dao and failed, it would be too late for regret.

However, Xu Yang knew he couldn't explicitly tell them this. Inadvertently doing so might backfire, affecting their Dao-heart and causing more harm than good.

The appearance of the Crown Prince and his people showed Xu Yang another way to "insure" his teammates. If they could acquire this method of developing primal power, the success rate for individuals like Long Kun to forge their divine personalities in the future would undoubtedly increase significantly.

It had to be said, Xu Yang, as their leader, truly acted as both a father and a mother, treating each team member like a sibling and a child, constantly worried that someone might fall behind.

Fortunately, the immediate conflict was temporarily resolved. At Xu Yang's suggestion, the Crown Prince did not immediately kill the rebellious slave.

To ensure the slave wouldn't escape, Xu Yang had six mages from his team place a six-pointed star mark on him. With this mark, tracking his location would be effortless, even if he fled to the ends of the earth.

Moreover, with so many masters present, including top-tier experts like Xu Yang, Xiao Hua, and the Empress, how could that sly fellow possibly slip away?

Soon, led by the Crown Prince's guards, Xu Yang and his group returned to the Ancient Xia Dynasty's settlement.

According to the map provided by the Crown Prince, the surrounding area spanned tens of thousands of miles, occupied by five major imperial forces. The westernmost Bei Qing Empire was backed by the Boundless Abyss, which led to the end of Wuyue Heaven's inner path.

In other words, their current location marked the last external force they would encounter before ascending to Wuyue Heaven.

The majestic palaces they might have imagined were nowhere to be found.

This area was covered by thousands of mountains, with very few plains. The five imperial dynasties were engaged in continuous warfare year after year, and their people were almost entirely soldiers; even women could join battles and kill enemies.

It had to be said that this also revealed another benefit of cultivating primal power: achieving a populace where everyone was a soldier was not something just any nation could accomplish.

"Look, the Crown Prince is back!"

While some scattered tribal people still lived in tents, the Crown Prince's settlement was reportedly superior: an inner city built from tall stone and earth mounds. Those residing within the city walls were likely considered nobles of the Ancient Xia Dynasty.

A large number of tribesmen surrounded the group. Seeing this, Xu Yang and his companions gained a certain understanding of this imperial lineage.

Most were farmers, yet each was incredibly robust. Men, women, old, and young alike could join battles, cultivate fields, and hunt tigers in the forests, truly embodying the spirit of a warrior nation.

Led by the Crown Prince, the team entered the castle built from stone mounds. The generous servings of fish and meat used to entertain Xu Yang and his group were considered rare ingredients in the Ancient Xia Dynasty.

"Come, let's toast! On behalf of Ancient Xia, I welcome all of you!"

It had to be said, the Crown Prince was quite open and straightforward, seemingly quick to put the previous tense confrontation between them behind him.

Meanwhile, the guilty slave remained kneeling in the palace hall, listening as Xu Yang and the Crown Prince exchanged toasts.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively. Only then did the Crown Prince put down his cup and fix his gaze once more on the guilty slave in the hall below.

"Whatever you have to say, speak clearly in front of Sir Xu Yang and everyone else. As for your punishment, we will discuss it later."

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, the guilty slave meticulously explained the full story, from beginning to end.

He admitted that he had been recruited by an external force due to his identity as the Crown Prince's close servant. Initially, he refused to betray the Crown Prince, even attempting suicide to prove his loyalty. However, the other party took him to the cursed mark at the bottom of the Ten Directions Valley and personally divined the future fate of the Ancient Xia Dynasty for him: the Crown Prince would be completely demonized by a special power, becoming an executioner who would madly slaughter the people of the Ancient Xia Dynasty.

The scene described by the guilty slave was imprinted as a soul mark by Xu Yang using powerful means, then materialized with the magical power of six mages.

In this magical light screen, the Crown Prince appeared extremely hideous, like a crazed, bloodthirsty demon king, leading countless demonic shadow soldiers in a massacre on the Ancient Xia Dynasty battlefield.

Upon seeing these images, even the Crown Prince himself couldn't remain calm.

"This is absurd!"

In his fury, the Crown Prince slammed his palm onto the table, shattering the stone table in front of him.

Xu Yang smiled calmly: "Your Royal Highness is hot-blooded and naturally cannot tolerate such absurd claims. In my opinion, this is clearly someone from the other four imperial dynasties plotting mischief, intending to sow discord within the Ancient Xia Dynasty and thus affect the battlefield. As long as we can find and remove this 'nail,' the problem will be resolved."