A slender figure flitted over the palace walls. Her toes tapped on the glazed tiles without making the slightest sound.
It was obvious this person had also been deceived by the rumors, believing Xia Wuyang had obtained all the Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and the Celestial Water Essence. She was planning to be a cat burglar for the night.
From her every move, one could tell that this figure was a woman, and one with an excellent figure at that.
She traced a graceful arc through the night sky, landing on the upturned eaves of Wenhua Hall.
An errant breeze lifted her veil, revealing a face of devastating beauty.
Her skin was fairer than snow, her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of spring, and her cherry-like lips were naturally red.
Black Night Clothes enveloped her delicate body, perfectly outlining her exquisite curves. A black sash was tied at her waist, glinting coldly with her movements.
"That old fossil is about to be six feet under. What right does he have to use the Celestial Water Essence? Even giving him those Dragon and Tiger Elixirs is a waste."
As she slipped into Wenhua Hall, she muttered in a low voice filled with undisguised contempt and disgust.
In the Practice Room, Xia Wuyang immediately detected the anomaly through his Mental Force Field.
He abandoned his cultivation, silently left the Practice Room, and returned to his brocade couch. He wrapped an arm around the women on either side, feigning a drunken stupor as if he had been lying there all along.
When the graceful figure appeared in the Sleeping Palace, the first thing she saw was the scene of Xia Wuyang sharing a bed with several stunning beauties. A look of disdain crossed her delicate face. After a brief observation, she began to search Wenhua Hall.
Her slender hands flew as she searched every inch. Before she knew it, she had searched through more than half of Wenhua Hall but had only found a few vials of Dragon and Tiger Elixir. She couldn’t find any trace of the Celestial Water Essence, which was her main target.
The brazen intruder had no idea that the seemingly comatose elder Crown Prince had already activated his Soul Capturing Technique, probing her surface-level memories and thoughts.
’So it’s her... A pity it isn’t her sister!’
Xia Wuyang relaxed slightly. He quietly opened a Jade Box by his bed, allowing the fragrance of the Elixirs inside to waft out.
"Hm?"
The graceful figure’s nose twitched. She caught a faint, almost imperceptible medicinal fragrance coming from the brocade couch.
The brocade curtains hung low, and she could faintly make out the old figure sleeping within, lost to the world.
The corners of the graceful figure’s mouth curved into a sneer. Her gaze fell upon the Jade Box under the pillow. ’Could it be in there?’
She approached without a sound, reaching out to grab the Jade Box.
Her attention completely focused on the Jade Box, the graceful figure failed to notice a pair of iron-like hands silently closing in on her. She had never imagined that Xia Wuyang actually had the strength to make a move on her.
The instant she grabbed the Jade Box, she felt a pair of Iron Hands clamp around her neck. They gripped her smooth, jade-like throat so tightly that she was left with no strength to resist.
"You... You’re not a cripple!"
The graceful figure stared in horror at the elder Crown Prince, whose eyes had suddenly snapped open. He no longer looked decrepit or senile in the slightest. "Crown Prince Brother, spare me! I know I was wrong! Please, I beg you, spare me this once! I will never dare to do it again!"
"Heh... Too late!"
Xia Wuyang sneered, his hands tightening viciously. With a sharp crack of bone, the bewitching, peerless beauty breathed her last.
Her name was Princess Qing Ling, his forty-third sister. More importantly, she had a twin, the Forty-fourth Princess, Princess Qing Yu, who had bullied him several times in the past and had even snatched away the Golden Jade Healing Ointment he had worked so hard to obtain.
If the Golden Jade Healing Ointment hadn’t been stolen back then, he might have had a chance to restore his meridians. Unfortunately, Princess Qing Yu had destroyed that hope.
’To think her older sister would come to Wenhua Hall to steal things. One robs by force, the other by stealth. What a pair of sisters.’
’Too bad I’m no longer that useless Crown Prince from back then. Princess Qing Ling really picked the wrong person to mess with.’
The devastatingly beautiful young woman’s eyes were wide, her pupils reflecting Xia Wuyang’s cold face. Even in death, she couldn’t understand why this useless Crown Prince, despised by all, possessed such terrifying strength.
She was already a City-Breaking Powerhouse of the Fifth Grade Realm, yet she couldn’t even withstand a single move from him. She didn’t even have the power to resist.
’If my sister were home... if I had brought her, a Fourth Grade Martial Master, along, we might have been able to turn the tables and escape this disaster. But it’s too late... I regret this so much!’
Xia Wuyang released his hands, letting the warm, soft body slide to the floor.
After a moment’s thought, he dragged Princess Qing Ling’s corpse into the Practice Room. He poured Corpse-Dissolving Water on it, and the once peerlessly beautiful Princess Qing Ling melted into a puddle of black liquid, leaving nothing behind.
Most of the items on her body were dissolved as well, leaving only a few Entry Level Weapons. Xia Wuyang didn’t dare use them, so he took out another special concoction and destroyed them completely. ’What a pity,’ he thought.
’If I had sold them, they would have fetched a good price.’
After disposing of the nation-toppling thief, Xia Wuyang returned to the Practice Room and resumed his cultivation as if nothing had happened.
Using the Soul Capturing Technique to peek into Princess Qing Ling’s surface memories, he had learned that she had come alone and told no one.
After all, for a dignified Princess to be caught stealing her own brother’s Elixirs and treasures—including something like the Dragon and Tiger Elixir—her reputation would be in tatters if word got out.
Therefore, even if she died outside the palace, no one would know where she had gone or why she had disappeared.
’It’s a shame Princess Qing Yu didn’t come. If she had, I might have had the chance to kill them both and get my revenge.’
He had heard that Princess Qing Yu was currently not in White Jade City but had gone abroad to train. ’Since I can’t kill her for now, taking care of her twin sister first is fine. I’ll just consider it collecting some interest.’
Spiritual Power +1!
A new day dawned, and Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power increased by another point. His Spiritual Power had now reached forty points, breaking through a small bottleneck.
Unfortunately, he didn’t awaken a new Companion Talent. He wondered if he would awaken one when his Spiritual Power reached fifty points, which would cause his strength to leap forward once more.
Even if it didn’t directly increase his strength, it could help him in other ways. Take Unforgettable Memory and Mental Force Field, for example—both were extremely practical for him.
Compared to common Companion Talents that simply increased strength, Xia Wuyang preferred ones like Unforgettable Memory and Mental Force Field, which could offer him far greater benefits.
Although he hadn’t awakened a new Companion Talent, after his Spiritual Power reached forty points, he could clearly feel that his speed of comprehending and improving various Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques had increased.
His Dragon and Phoenix Body Technique was on the verge of a breakthrough, about to advance to the Great Success Realm.