Chapter 696: Prince Huai's Mansion

Zheng Yang and the others were his personal disciples, having followed him all the way from the Tianxuan Kingdom, enduring countless life-and-death situations. He had long regarded them as his closest kin. If anything truly happened to them, he would not hesitate to turn the entire Hongyuan Empire upside down!

Even if it were the heavens, he would poke a hole through them!

If anyone dared to harm them, they would face his boundless wrath.

“Master Zhang, rest assured, their safety is not an issue!”

Seeing his grim expression, Master Hong realized that his hesitation might have caused a misunderstanding and quickly explained: “It’s Prince Huai’s Mansion. They sent people yesterday to take them away, and we didn’t dare to stop them…”

He had been responsible for looking after these people, and now that Master Zhang had returned and found them missing, anyone would be furious.

It was already fortunate that he hadn’t exploded on the spot.

“Prince Huai’s Mansion?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had never even heard of this name. Why would they take them away?

“I don’t know either!” Master Hong was also puzzled. After a moment’s hesitation, he said: “Prince Huai, Yu Longxuan, is the emperor of the Hongyuan Empire’s own uncle, the imperial uncle. He is second only to the emperor and above all others, holding a revered status. Even Princess Yu Fei’er, whom we met earlier, must respectfully call him ‘Grandfather Xuan’!”

“Yesterday, he suddenly sent people over, insisting on taking them to stay for a few days. I saw no ill intent, and since he is a powerful figure of the court, I didn’t stop them…”

“Stay for a few days?”

Zhang Xuan grew more and more puzzled.

He himself had no connection with this Prince Huai Yu Longxuan. As for his four students—Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Yuan Tao, and Liu Yang—only Wang Ying came from a decent family, but even that was just one of the major clans of the Tianxuan Kingdom. Yuan Tao was an orphan who had wandered since childhood, living as a rogue cultivator in the Earth Emperor City, unable to even find a cultivation technique.

Zheng Yang and Liu Yang were no better. They certainly couldn’t be related to a prince of a first-rate empire. So why would he want to take them for a stay?

It was far too strange!

“When did you arrive? Did they cause any trouble?” A thought struck him, and Zhang Xuan recalled something.

These disciples of his, along with the steward Sun Qiang, were all troublemakers who feared nothing. Especially the latter, with “Master Yang” as his backing, he was lawless and reckless. Could it be that they had stirred up trouble and caught the attention of Prince Huai’s Mansion, leading to them being taken away under some pretext?

“We arrived yesterday morning… As soon as we got here, we came straight to this place. We didn’t cause any trouble…”

Master Hong frowned, carefully recalling the events of the previous day.

“How can you say no trouble? Remember when we first arrived yesterday and hadn’t found this place yet, that chubby student of Master Zhang…” Seeing that he couldn’t remember, Master Feng interjected.

“Chubby student? Oh, right, Yuan Tao did get into a fight with someone yesterday. But it was a minor matter, and the other party was just an ordinary person. It shouldn’t have anything to do with Prince Huai’s Mansion, right?” Master Hong was startled, then remembered, and couldn’t help saying.

“What happened?” Upon hearing that Yuan Tao had caused trouble, Zhang Xuan looked over with a dark expression.

“Actually, it wasn’t Yuan Tao’s fault. Yesterday, as soon as we arrived, we had a conflict with someone who looked like a rogue cultivator. That person deliberately picked a fight and insisted on sparring with him. Yuan Tao taught him a lesson and even got injured in the process, bleeding a little. But the other party gave him some healing pills as compensation. Judging by his attire, he seemed like a merchant. Could it really be related to this?”

Recalling yesterday’s events, Master Hong frowned.

The person Yuan Tao fought with seemed like an ordinary traveling merchant, with very average strength. It shouldn’t have any connection to Prince Huai’s Mansion, so he hadn’t thought of it until now.

“A spar? And he was injured?” Zhang Xuan’s frown deepened.

Although Yuan Tao, Zheng Yang, and the others were lawless, they knew to restrain themselves when he wasn’t around. Moreover, with Yuan Tao’s activated physique and invincible defense, making him bleed was no easy feat.

Could it be that this so-called Prince Huai was indeed related to this matter?

If not, why would a prince he didn’t even know want to summon them?

“Where is Prince Huai’s Mansion?” After thinking for a while and still unable to figure it out, his frown growing tighter, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help asking.

“Master Zhang wants to go to Prince Huai’s Mansion to find them? You can’t go alone…” Master Hong was startled and quickly waved his hand.

As the imperial uncle, Prince Huai’s residence was heavily fortified, with experts as numerous as clouds. There were certainly many Saint realm experts. Going there like this would be extremely dangerous.

“Tell me where it is!” Interrupting him, Zhang Xuan snorted.

Although his cultivation and rank were inferior to Master Hong’s, after defeating that Brother Feng and with his various legendary feats, he had an air of transcendence about him, carrying a powerful aura that made others dare not oppose him.

“Yes…”

Knowing that the other was determined to go and that he couldn’t dissuade him, Master Hong’s face turned pale, and he had to say: “Prince Huai’s Mansion is not far from here. Exit the Scholar’s Sea and go a few dozen kilometers, and you’ll see it…”

As he spoke, he pointed in a direction.

Before he could finish, a sharp cry sounded from the air, and a huge Purple-Winged Heavenly Eagle descended. Zhang Xuan stamped his foot on the ground, leaped onto the beast’s back, and flew straight in the direction he had pointed.

“Master Zhang…”

Not expecting Master Zhang to move so quickly, without even discussing anything, and heading straight for Prince Huai’s Mansion, Master Hong’s face turned pale with fright.

Who was Prince Huai?

The imperial uncle of the current dynasty, holding the highest official position. Even the emperor himself had to bow and show respect, not daring to overstep. And you, riding a spirit beast directly there without a word, if you anger him, the consequences would be dire…

“Ruohuan, come with me quickly to the palace to find Princess Yu Fei’er. Perhaps only she can avert this disaster…”

Gritting his teeth, he called out and led Ruohuan Gongzi out the door.

The only royal relative they knew now was Yu Fei’er. He hoped she would remember their time cultivating together in the Purification Pool and help Master Zhang this once…

…

The Purple-Winged Heavenly Eagle flew swiftly. Zhang Xuan stood on its back, looking down. Before long, he indeed saw a huge mansion.

The mansion was decorated resplendently, with many guards in golden armor. Even before approaching, it exuded an invincible aura.

“This should be it…”

He had the Purple-Winged Heavenly Eagle circle nearby, ready to come at his command, while he himself lightly shook and descended from the sky.

He did not directly charge into the mansion, as the other party was the imperial uncle. Without knowing the exact situation of Yuan Tao and the others, it was better not to fall out with him.

Landing on an empty street a few hundred meters from the mansion, he changed into a new set of master teacher robes before walking over.

Approaching, he saw the three large characters “Prince Huai’s Mansion” on the gate, shining with golden light. They seemed alive, constantly moving, as if about to break free and soar into the sky. He didn’t know what level of calligrapher had made them.

“Probably the work of a six-star calligrapher!”

His gaze sharpened.

For the characters to be like swimming dragons, with sharp edges fully revealed, the person who wrote these three characters must have been at least a six-star calligrapher.

Four guards stood before the gate, clad in iron-blue armor, each with a faint aura that gave a sense of soul-crushing pressure.

“Mortal Transcendence Sixth Layer Bridge Heaven realm experts?”

His pupils contracted.

He hadn’t expected that these four guards at the gate were all Bridge Heaven realm experts, stronger than him by a level.

Such experts, in the Huanyu Empire, would be high-ranking officials, capable of commanding thousands of troops wherever they went. Here, they were merely guards. This Prince Huai’s Mansion was not ordinary in its power!

No wonder Master Hong had been so worried earlier. Now it seemed that even if this place wasn’t a dragon’s pool or tiger’s den, it was close enough.

But even if it were a dragon’s pool or tiger’s den, so what?

If they truly dared to harm Yuan Tao, Zheng Yang, and the others, even if it were the imperial family, he would make a huge scene!

At worst, he would unleash the more than twenty puppets—over twenty Saint realm experts with invincible defense and tirelessness, plus that unfathomable “ruthless person.” No matter how formidable the place, he was confident he could storm it!

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan approached the guards.

“Prince Huai’s Mansion. Unauthorized persons, stay back!”

Seeing him approach, a guard brandished his spear and snorted.

“Master Teacher Zhang Xuan requests an audience with Prince Huai. Please announce me!”

Smiling slightly, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist and produced a name card, handing it over.

Until he determined the other party’s intentions, it was better not to create a rift.

“Master Teacher?”

The guard looked at him doubtfully and casually took the name card.

It was very simple, only bearing the title “Master Teacher” and his name, without indicating his rank.

A four-star master teacher was the highest level in the Ten Thousand Kingdoms City, but compared to a first-rate empire like this, separated by a second-rate empire—two whole major levels—it was somewhat insignificant.

If he wrote his actual rank, it might not be easy to see Prince Huai.

They might not even deliver the name card.

“This…”

Handing the name card to the other guards for a look, this guard hesitated: “May I ask, Master Zhang, what rank are you? Do you know our prince? Do you have an appointment?”

Since the other hadn’t written his specific rank, as guards, they had to ask.

Their prince was not someone who could be seen just because someone presented a name card.

“I have not met Prince Huai, but I am friends with Princess Yu Fei’er. Oh, and I am also an old acquaintance of Master Mo Gaoyuan!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

If he said he was a four-star master teacher, the other party would definitely not let him in, so he fudged a bit.

But what he said was true. Princess Yu Fei’er, having gone through life and death together, could be called a friend. Mo Gaoyuan he had known before, so “old acquaintance” was not an exaggeration.

“An old acquaintance of Master Mo?”

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the guards’ expressions turned serious.

Mo Gaoyuan was the head of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall, a peak six-star master teacher. To dare call himself an old acquaintance of such a person, he was probably at least a six-star master teacher!

But… why was a six-star master teacher so young?

“Master Zhang, this way, please. We will report to the prince immediately!”

Though puzzled, they did not dare to be negligent and quickly invited Zhang Xuan into the courtyard to rest.

Master teachers had infinite means. Although this one looked young, it didn’t guarantee he wasn’t older. Regardless of whether it was true or false, as a master teacher, he was not someone they could afford to offend.

“Mm!”

Seeing that they were going to report to the prince, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and followed the guard into the mansion.