Chapter 1830: Emperor Palace Hunter

"I am Situ Nan, greetings to Brother Yun Xiao!"

Regarding Yun Xiao’s question, the man who identified himself as Situ Nan showed no hesitation; instead, he raised the wine cup in front of him, speaking to Yun Xiao as if they were already familiar.

"Situ Nan? Could it be..."

Upon hearing this name suddenly, Yun Xiao was stirred. He thought to himself that this place was already close to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud Eastern Territory. Could it be his good fortune to encounter a descendant of the Situ family upon arrival?

The clan leaders of the four great families, Nangong, Murong, Ouyang, and Situ, had a good relationship with the Long Xiao Battle God back in the day. Unfortunately, they were all wiped out by Lu Qinwan, ceasing to exist henceforth.

This person who claims to be Situ Nan showed no sign of reverence towards the Emperor Canglong Palace at all, and even dared to casually tear down their arrest warrant notices, indeed seeming to have a grudge against the Emperor Canglong Palace.

But merely a name was not enough for Yun Xiao to be too certain, yet he still drank the wine from his cup. At the very least, he hadn’t sensed any hostility from this Situ Nan for the time being.

"Brother Yun Xiao, do you want to see a good show?"

Seeing Yun Xiao dry the cup, Situ Nan seemed rather pleased, and his words further confused Yun Xiao, pondering what kind of good show could be seen on this pavilion.

"Look at the Empress Statue over there; it has stood in Red Rock City for a full thirty years. Countless cultivators passing by it have all held reverence, some even worship, the Empress’s majesty truly rooted deep in people’s hearts!"

Situ Nan talked extensively, his gaze flickering slightly as he stared at the distant Empress Statue. It was unclear whether his words were genuine or veiled in sarcasm.

"I believe in a few more years, it’s likely that the cultivators of Nine-layered Dragon Cloud will only recognize the Emperor Canglong Palace and not their own sects or families."

Though Situ Nan spoke as a sigh, he inadvertently revealed the truth, causing Yun Xiao to look at him in a new light, thinking to himself that this person, not much older than himself, had such vision and insight, undoubtedly a dragon among men.

Yun Xiao had returned to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud for nearly a year, having experienced many cities. During this time, everything he witnessed in the major cities unmistakably indicated that the Emperor Canglong Palace’s big move was blatantly being executed.

Not to mention the change in Ye City’s Hidden Blade Sect back then, which was essentially a microcosm of the whole plan. Any forces opposing the inclusion into the Emperor Palace would undoubtedly be brutally eliminated by the Emperor Canglong Palace.

For over a hundred years, the dominance of the Emperor Canglong Palace has deeply entrenched itself in people’s minds. Subconsciously, all cultivators now regarded the Emperor Canglong Palace as unmatched.

This is partly due to the Empress Statues. Even if some harbor dissatisfaction, just laying eyes on those two Empress Statues evokes an inexplicable sense of awe and powerlessness, dispelling any thoughts of rebellion.

"Brother Yun Xiao, keep your eyes wide open!"

Just as Yun Xiao was engulfed in his thoughts, across from him, Situ Nan suddenly ceased his remarks and, with a solemn proclamation, extended a finger to point afar at the Empress Statue in the square.

Whoosh...

It seemed that Yun Xiao’s half-step Holy Rank power of soul sensed an invisible power erupting from Situ Nan’s fingertip, surging toward the Empress Statue in the square.

Crack! Crack!

In just a moment, under Yun Xiao’s unwavering gaze, the distant Empress Statue on that far-off square suddenly exploded with a rumbling sound, sending debris flying all around with an astonishing momentum.

"What happened?"

The sudden and shocking incident caused all cultivators near the Empress Statue to be thoroughly alarmed. Looking at the collapsing debris, they couldn’t seem to wrap their heads around it for a moment.

"The Empress Statue... was destroyed?!"

An elder, with hair turning white, appeared rather composed. His murmuring voice finally brought everyone back, and upon realizing this fact, a tempest was stirred within their hearts.

As Situ Nan had mentioned, the Emperor Canglong’s statue in Red Rock City had stood in this central square for a full thirty years. Over the years, it received worship, and hardly anyone dared even to touch it.

Who knew that today, it would be smashed to pieces by some mysterious power, clearly an intentional act? Who would have the Dragon Heart Phoenix Gall to blatantly provoke the Emperor Canglong Palace, the sovereign?

At this moment, the many cultivators surrounding the square were looking at each other, seemingly attempting to identify the bold individual who dared destroy the Empress Statue, but ultimately to no avail.

Everyone present seemed shocked, and no one looked like they had the guts to desecrate the statue. Moreover, after destroying the statue, it was unlikely anyone would stand there, awaiting capture by the palace officers.

"It seems Situ Nan was well prepared!"

On the third-floor attic, seeing the two statues collapse with a crash, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but feel a wave of satisfaction, glancing at Situ Nan who looked smug, finally confirming that this guy had no connection with the Emperor Canglong Palace.

"What happened?"

Meanwhile, the many cultivators also in the third-floor attic heard the loud commotion from outside and flocked to the windows, immediately seeing the Empress statue that had collapsed in the distance.

"How dare someone damage the Empress statue, are they tired of living?"

Among them, a cultivator who seemed to be a loyal devotee of the Emperor Canglong Palace was furious, his gaze searching around as if trying to identify the culprit from a distance.

"Wu the Youngest, if that person showed up in front of you, you’d probably be scared enough to wet your pants, right?"

Another person, who seemingly had a grudge against Wu the Youngest, immediately retorted sarcastically, and his words carried a hidden meaning, making those nearby ponder thoughtfully.

"Could it be that the ’Emperor Palace Hunter’ has arrived?"

Following that, an elderly cultivator with a long beard showed a change in expression, and as soon as he spoke these words, the entire third floor of the attic suddenly fell silent, leaving Yun Xiao, who was sitting nearby, bewildered.

"Who is the Emperor Palace Hunter?"

Yun Xiao, having traveled all the way from the west, had never heard of any Emperor Palace Hunter, but from the name alone, he surmised that they might be someone specializing in targeting the Emperor Palace.

Unlike Yun Xiao who looked puzzled, Wu the Youngest, who was just filled with anger, was now shocked, his gaze darting around, seemingly afraid that the so-called Emperor Palace Hunter was lurking among them.

"Brother, you must have come from the west, right? How come you don’t even know about the Emperor Palace Hunter?"

The elderly man who spoke earlier, looking kind-hearted, heard Yun Xiao’s confused question and immediately responded, noticing the rough-clothed youth nodding in acknowledgment.

"In the past few months, the Emperor Palaces in the three eastern cities of Red Rock City, including the Chiefs and Elders, have all been exterminated. The methods were so ruthless, it’s terrifying!"

The old man seemed to say these words with a mix of reverence, reflection, and a touch of unspeakable envy, a blend of various emotions.

"Oh? Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing the old man’s words, Yun Xiao’s eyes lit up, thinking to himself that the so-called Emperor Palace Hunter was indeed a kindred spirit. Wiping out the Emperor Palaces in three cities was a feat comparable to his own.

Thinking of this, Yun Xiao glanced at Situ Nan, who was still calmly sipping his drink across from him, seemingly unconcerned and indifferent to the old man’s words.

Due to Yun Xiao’s preconceived notion that Situ Nan was a descendant of the Situ family, if that were true, then doing such things was only natural.

"Kid, what’s with that expression? Do you think the actions of the Emperor Palace Hunter are gratifying?"

Seemingly realizing that the Emperor Palace Hunter wasn’t present, Wu the Youngest, who had been startled earlier, became arrogant again, immediately questioning Yun Xiao’s somewhat excited expression.

Wu the Youngest’s family had already aligned with the Red Rock City Emperor Palace, so naturally, he supported the Emperor Canglong Palace. Seeing the Empress statue destroyed, Yun Xiao seemingly rejoiced, which made him very displeased.

Since the arrest warrant for Yun Xiao in Red Rock City had just been posted and had been immediately removed by Situ Nan, the cultivators didn’t know that the young man in front of them was regarded as a significant figure even by the Emperor Canglong.

Yun Xiao looked too young; Wu the Youngest was a Heavenly Realm Middle Stage cultivator and believed that there was no way the rough-clothed youth before him could be stronger, which gave him confidence.

"Wu the Youngest, what are you so arrogant about? If the Emperor Palace Hunter were really here, would you dare to utter a single word more?"

The person with animosity towards Wu the Youngest clearly just wanted to oppose him; however, having realized the Emperor Palace Hunter wasn’t present, scaring Wu with this was ineffective.

"I’m speaking to this kid, what’s it to you?"

Wu the Youngest seemed a little wary of that person, rudely retorted, and then turned his attention back to the rough-clothed youth, harshly demanding, "Kid, you haven’t answered my question yet!"

With the Empress statue destroyed and having made a fool of himself, Wu the Youngest urgently wanted to regain face, and the youthful, rough-clothed lad in front of him became his best target, albeit unfortunately.

It seemed Wu the Youngest judged people by appearances; with the Emperor Palace Hunter, he dared not utter a word, but the youth before him, what did he even amount to by daring to show such an expression on his face, which was basically courting death.

However, what Wu the Youngest didn’t see was the fleeting mockery in Situ Nan’s eyes next to him when he spoke those words.