C4 Fierce King the Benevolent!

In the capital, on Black Tortoise Street, Yao Lingyun was moments away from reaching his hideout to activate a pre-arranged teleportation formation when Soong Lin silently materialized behind him.

"Still trying to flee?"

"If you dare kill me, the Vrabouton Empire is doomed!"

Yao Lingyun boasted with unwavering confidence.

A chill crossed Soong Lin's face.

Before Yao Lingyun could grasp what was happening, Soong Lin nonchalantly swung the Skybreaker.

Puff!

The sword's light flashed, and Yao Lingyun's head tumbled to the ground.

"To think you would be so bold in my presence? You're seeking your own death!"

With a scoff, Soong Lin sheathed his sword and departed with poise.

Unbeknownst to him, as he turned to leave, a nearly undetectable wraith sped from Yao Lingyun's corpse, vanishing without a trace.

Silence fell until Soong Lin resumed his cultivation in the imperial mausoleum, but by then, Soong Wang had already detected the disturbance of the Vrabouton Empire's Golden Dragon of Fortune.

He glared at the State Preceptor in anger.

"The audacity of these alien races to attempt stealing our capital's Golden Dragon of Fortune! State Preceptor, lead an investigation at once. Leave none who are involved alive."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The State Preceptor, filled with dread, hastily gathered his men and departed.

Soon after, he returned to the Imperial Palace, his expression a mix of emotions.

Soong Wang's eyebrows lifted in anticipation. "Results already?"

"Your Majesty, seven alien races sought to gaze upon our Great Vrabouton's Golden Dragon of Fortune. Six met their end in the imperial mausoleum, and one on Black Tortoise Street," the State Preceptor reported.

Soong Wang was elated.

"Such prowess, State Preceptor! A reward is in order!"

The State Preceptor, embarrassed, looked at Soong Wang and shook his head.

"Your Majesty, it wasn't by my hand that these alien races perished."

"What are you implying, State Preceptor? Besides you, who else in the capital could dispatch so many Foundation Building aliens in one fell swoop?"

Soong Wang was visibly confused.

The might of the Vrabouton Royal Family was waning.

Aside from the Core Formation elder in seclusion, only the State Preceptor possessed the prowess to slay so many warriors from the alien races.

If not the State Preceptor, then who else could have aided the Vrabouton Empire?

"Your Majesty, I've meticulously inspected the deceased's wounds; each was a one-stroke kill. The swordsmanship was precise and decisive, unmistakably the work of a seasoned warrior. Moreover, I detected the distinct aura of the Vrabouton Royal Family lingering on the wounds."

"Could it be... King the Benevolent?"

Soong Wang was both astonished and delighted.

Upon further reflection, he deemed it highly probable.

"King the Benevolent once led our military as commander and has personally vanquished formidable foes. His swordsmanship is legendary, and as a Core Formation cultivator, it's very likely his handiwork."

Recalling his recent rebuff when he sought an audience with King the Benevolent, Soong Wang's certainty wavered.

"State Preceptor, the implications of this are profound. I urge you to conduct a thorough investigation. If it truly was King the Benevolent's intervention, the Vrabouton Empire's foundation will be secure for a century."

The State Preceptor nodded solemnly in agreement.

"King the Benevolent's breakthrough to the Core Formation Stage and his direct action in eliminating a threat is a boon for the people of Vrabouton and a blessing for you, Your Majesty."

After a brief pause, the State Preceptor, considering Soong Lin who was confined in the imperial mausoleum and might have witnessed the entire battle, quickly added, "Your Majesty, since this occurred at the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum, why not summon Prince Soong Lin for a clear account of the matter?"

"Agreed!"

Soong Wang commanded.

A eunuch was dispatched posthaste to the imperial mausoleum to fetch Soong Lin.

Some time later, the eunuch returned to the palace with an odd look on his face, but without Soong Lin in tow.

"Where is Soong Lin? Has he dared to defy the imperial command?"

Soong Wang's face grew stern with displeasure.

The eunuch, terrified, fell to his knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty, Prince Soong Lin has been standing at the entrance of the imperial mausoleum, lost in a trance. Despite my repeated calls, he wouldn't acknowledge me. It appears he's been... startled."

Soong Wang's brow furrowed deeply.

His puzzled gaze shifted to the State Preceptor.

"Considering Prince Soong Lin is merely at the early stage of Qi Refining, it's understandable that he'd be shaken by witnessing a Core Formation cultivator in action. Perhaps we should allow him some time to regain his composure?"

"Agreed!"

Unaware of these concerns, Soong Lin continued his daily ritual within the Imperial Mausoleum.

He amassed an ever-growing collection of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

...

Years slipped by in a flash.

Soong Lin had barely moved from his spot, now just thirty feet from the mausoleum's entrance.

"Ding dong! Congratulations, host, for successfully checking in at the ten-yard mark of the Imperial Mausoleum's entrance. Your reward: a top-grade Essence Consolidating Pill."

"Top-grade Essence Consolidating Pill? Rubbish!"

Soong Lin scoffed.

He nonchalantly tossed the pill aside at the entrance.

By now, he possessed four supreme-grade Storage Rings, each brimming with a variety of the finest Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, including pills, Spirit Artifacts, and charms.

Top-grade pills!

To any cultivator in the Vrabouton Empire, such items were exceedingly rare and valuable.

Yet to Soong Lin, they were as worthless as garbage.

The monotonous grind of cultivation could wear down even the most steadfast practitioner over the years.

But Soong Lin remained tirelessly devoted to the pleasures of his daily check-ins and cultivation.

Meanwhile, the conflict between the Vrabouton Empire and the Evilkind had concluded a year prior with a defeat for the frontier army.

When news of the defeat reached the capital, Soong Wang erupted in rage.

He ordered the State Preceptor to lead the Imperial Guards in rooting out all the hidden Evilkind spies within the city, executing them at the Noon Gate.

That day, the area outside the Noon Gate was a whirlwind of chaos, with blood flowing like a river.

But for Soong Lin, these events were a distant concern, utterly disconnected from his world.

He was content to remain in the imperial mausoleum, signing in and cultivating, aspiring to one day wield his sword with such might that he could sever mountains and rivers, his lifespan matching that of the heavens.

"Su Lang?" Soong Lin was settling into his cultivation practice when he noticed Su Lang entering, bearing food and wine.

Su Lang had managed to survive the skirmish with the Evilkind, but at the cost of a leg.

Now, he walked with a pronounced limp.

"You look troubled. Is something weighing on your mind?" Soong Lin inquired, noting Su Lang's furrowed brow.

"Your Highness, you may not be aware, but since our frontier army's defeat in the northwest, the Evilkind have demanded the northwest's medicinal gardens and spirit ore as reparations. These are the lifeblood of the Vrabouton Empire; if we relinquish them, our empire is surely doomed," Su Lang explained, a bitter smile on his lips as a flash of cold light sparked in his eyes.

"What's most exasperating is that the Envoys of the Netherworld are on their way to discuss the terms of this surrender. They've even had the audacity to suggest settling it in the Arena of Life and Death, aiming to humiliate our cultivators... It's as if they're mocking the Vrabouton Empire for lacking a Pure Genius!"

Though Su Lang had risen to the rank of commander, his injury had relegated him to a secondary role. Still, his concern for the teetering fate of the Vrabouton Empire remained.

"Enough of this talk. Let's drink!" Soong Lin's brow creased as he steered the conversation away.

Su Lang's heart wasn't in it, and the wine lost its flavor.

Once Su Lang had departed, Soong Lin cleared his head of the alcohol with a mere thought.

"The Vrabouton Empire's defeat and coerced land cession is a national disgrace! The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen, and Su Lang truly embodies the spirit of our people," Soong Lin reflected.

As the deposed crown prince confined to the imperial mausoleum, there was little he could do.

He sighed deeply, and once his mind returned to a state of serenity, he resumed his seated meditation and cultivation.

In half a month's time, an entourage numbering in the hundreds from the Evilkind, led by their Third Prince Yao Ming Qing, took up residence in the Vrabouton Empire's Court of State Ceremonials.

Concurrently, a towering Arena of Life and Death, reaching ten zhang in height, materialized at the entrance to the Vrabouton Palace.

This bold move left Soong Wang, the ruler of Vrabouton, seething with shame and indignation, a sentiment echoed by his subjects who felt deeply dishonored.

The cultivators of Vrabouton were itching to ascend the arena and vanquish the Evilkind's cultivators then and there.