Chapter 3

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Tianwen Palace.

Ye Xuan was immersed in joy. The sudden phenomenon allowed him to obtain the Golden Dragon Body Barrier. This kind of unexpected gain was ridiculous, and to be honest, it was really… awesome.

He didn’t know that his life would completely change after he checked in to the strange phenomenon in the void.

A series of footsteps came from outside the palace, and Ye Xuan was slightly startled. Why would someone come to Tianwen Palace at this time? In the past three years, the servants would come to deliver food at a fixed time. Other than that, no one would come to Tianwen Palace.

In the bustling Chang’an City and the bustling Xia Palace, the Tianwen Palace was a forgotten place.

He looked out of the palace and saw two servants appear. They walked through the overgrown path and came to the main hall. One of the servants bowed. “His Majesty has an order which is to summon Crown Prince Xuan into the palace.”

“Please follow us to the Imperial Study, Crown Prince.”

Ye Xuan became more and more confused when he heard this. In the past three years, the servants in charge of his meals had been very polite to him on the surface, but they had always called him the deposed Crown Prince behind his back. Today, these two servants were addressing him as the Crown Prince.

Furthermore, Emperor Xia had even summoned him to the Imperial Study. His first reaction was, did his identity expose because of the strange phenomenon in the void that he had just checked in?

That shouldn’t be the case.

He had the system with him. As long as he didn’t release spiritual Qi, no one could see his realm. How could he be exposed?

Just as he was deep in thought, the voice of the servant came from outside the hall again. “Please enter the Imperial Study, Crown Prince.”

Ye Xuan sorted out his feelings and walked out of the hall. After three years, he finally had the chance to walk out of Tianwen Palace. It really felt like a lifetime had passed, and he felt like he had been reborn.

It was impossible to refuse Emperor Xia’s decree, or else he would be charged with disobeying the decree. He could also take this opportunity to go out and see the beautiful mountains and rivers of this era, and see if they were as magnificent and majestic as the books recorded.

Under the guidance of two servants, Ye Xuan stepped out of Tianwen Palace for the first time. He looked at the majestic palace of Great Xia in front of him. It was empty and illusory, beautiful like flowers, and surrounded by spiritual Qi. The ancient totems on the palace were vivid and lifelike. It was as if they could break the void at any time and soar to the top of the celestial vault.

Along the way, everyone he met bowed to him with great respect, which made Ye Xuan even more suspicious. The servants in the palace knew how to judge the situation. The news that Emperor Xia abolished the Directorate of Celestials for Ye Xuan spread throughout the palace.

Rumors began to spread in the palace that the Crown Prince would soon return to the Eastern Palace.

Walking along the long corridor, from Tianwen Palace to the Imperial Study, they crossed the entire Xia Palace. After the servant entered the Imperial Study to report, Gao Ying’s voice came from the palace, “Summon the Crown Prince to the palace.”

Ye Xuan entered the hall and raised his head to look forward. His eyes fell on Emperor Xia, who was sitting in front of the dragon table. “I, subject, Ye Xuan, am here to pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

Emperor Xia’s expression changed slightly, and he was somewhat moved. Ye Xuan referred to himself as a subject and did not call him father. He knew that the two had drifted apart and had become familiar strangers.

He gave Gao Ying a look, and the latter understood tacitly. He bowed and retreated out of the hall. Emperor Xia slowly rose and walked down from the dragon table, appearing beside Ye Xuan.

“Xuan’er, we haven’t seen each other for three years, but you haven’t changed at all. Do you still hate me for throwing you into the cold palace?”

“I dare not!”

Ye Xuan said in a deep voice as he secretly observed Emperor Xia’s cultivation. He was actually an expert at Tongxuan level nine.

Emperor Xia took a step to the window. “Xuan’er, I banished you to the cold palace in order to protect you. Under those circumstances, I could only use this plan!”

Ye Xuan was silent.

Seeing that Ye Xuan was silent, Emperor Xia asked, “Xuan’er, don’t you want to know why I banished you to the cold palace?”

“My mother colluded with the enemy and caused the entire Xia troops to be annihilated,” Ye Xuan replied.

Emperor Xia shook his head helplessly, his expression dejected. “Things are not that simple. Your mother was also a victim. The real person who leaked the news was someone else. I have been investigating this for many years.”

“If I had not banished you to the cold palace back then, the officials would not have let this matter rest.”

He paused for a moment and continued, “Plotting against you and your mother is only the first step of the murderer. Their real goal is to completely destroy the Great Xia Empire. Even two hours ago, the Directorate of Celestials and the officials ordered me to kill you on the grounds that you are a jinx.”

“At present, Great Xia is surrounded by enemies on all four sides. The situation in the court is unstable, and the successive defeats at the borders are all fueled by someone. I’m not asking for your forgiveness for saying so much. I just want to tell you that as the Crown Prince of Great Xia, you can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“I know,” Ye Xuan said.

Emperor Xia wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words. “Gao Ying, send the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. From now on, you will stay by the Crown Prince’s side to protect him.”

Outside the hall, Gao Ying bowed. “I understand.”

Emperor Xia looked at Ye Xuan’s back as he left and let out a long sigh. After meeting again after three years, the two of them had become too unfamiliar. The son did not know his father, and the father did not know his son.

After leaving the Imperial Study, the two of them walked towards the Eastern Palace under Gao Ying’s lead. As they walked, a system notification suddenly rang in Ye Xuan’s ears. “Ding, here’s a reminder, Master. The check-in location has been refreshed — the Imperial Study. Do you want to check in immediately?”

This worked too? It was great.

Ye Xuan didn’t hesitate at all. “Check in immediately.”

“Ding! Congratulations, Master. You have successfully checked in to the Imperial Study. You have obtained the system reward — Forbidden Emperor Sutra.”

The Forbidden Emperor Sutra was a gradeless cultivation technique that could be upgraded infinitely.

Ye Xuan looked at the system’s introduction in front of him.

As he moved forward, Gao Ying suddenly said, “Crown Prince, the Eastern Palace hasn’t changed all these years. His Majesty has been waiting for Your Highness to return. I have served His Majesty for fifty years, and I can see that His Majesty dotes on Your Highness the most.”

“His Majesty was forced to do that. Your Highness, if he didn’t banish you to the cold palace, the people hiding in the dark will definitely attack you.”

He glanced at Ye Xuan and continued, “I spoke too much.”

Ye Xuan asked, “Eunuch Gao, who was the person who saved my mother?”

Gao Ying shook his head, “I don’t know. That person has great strength.”

Ye Xuan continued, “Eunuch Gao, tell me about the current situation in Great Xia.”

Emperor Xia was right about one thing. If Great Xia was destroyed, he, as the Crown Prince of Xia, would naturally not be able to stay out of it. With his current strength, he could completely protect himself. However, the enemy was in the dark while he was in the light. It was better to understand more.

Gao Ying said, “The Northern Territory has fallen, and three counties have fallen. The Northern Barbarians sent 150,000 troops, and 52 generals of Great Xia died on the battlefield, including three princes. Even the most talented Sixth Prince has fallen.”

The Sixth Prince, Ye Chen?

Three years ago, before he was banished to the cold palace, Ye Chen had always been by his side. After he entered the Tianwen Palace, Ye Chen had not appeared again.

“Why did the Northern Barbarians suddenly attack Great Xia?”

“Three years ago, in the battle at Hantian Pass, 200,000 of the empire’s troops were annihilated. Since then, other countries have been eyeing Great Xia covetously. The Northern Barbarians, Tianyu, Dagan, and the great Han countries have begun to invade Great Xia’s territory one after another. Among them, the Northern Barbarians have suffered the most.”

Gao Ying said in a deep voice.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the Eastern Palace. Ye Xuan’s gaze fell on the palace, and memories of his life here appeared in his mind. Everything was familiar yet strange. “Eunuch Gao, the war in the north is so serious. Who does His Majesty plan to send?”

“His Majesty plan to personally lead the army!”

Ye Xuan nodded. “That’s good!”

Gao Ying was speechless.