I only kill. I don't spar.
......
That line was a thunderous provocation.
But faced with the golden-haired youth, the Finance Marquis could only clench his fists inside his sleeves, his weathered face flushed deep red.
He had to restrain himself. He had to endure!
Anger was meaningless; shouting protests would do no good.
Here in the imperial hall, the Finance Marquis was merely a third-rate official, hardly influential. The Tianyu Palace visitors singled him out for provocation precisely because of that.
"Tianyu Palace, Dustin Huang."
The Finance Marquis stared intently at the golden-haired youth—Dustin Huang—his gaze heavy, saying nothing.
"Heh."
Dustin Huang tilted his head, revealing yellowed teeth.
Behind him stood a cold, mountain-like youth and two proud-faced women—all cultivation prodigies of Tianyu Palace. As for the withered old woman, her depth was unfathomable; she was a Void Rift-tier existence.
These five were the guests from the Tianyu Empire!
Silence.
The entire imperial hall was utterly silent. Even if the Finance Marquis burned with rage, he still held himself in check.
This was the central imperial hall of the Chenriver Empire—vast and magnificent, with nine crimson pillars supporting the palace. The floor was made of high-grade Black Crystal, covered by a dazzling silver carpet whose shifting glow seemed to illuminate the entire hall like a silver curtain.
In the Chenriver Empire, crimson and silver symbolized nobility.
Yet at this moment, the fresh blood of the Finance Marquis's young son stained the brilliant silver carpet, as if dyeing the whole hall red.
One by one, the empire's elite watched in silence.
With Chenriver weak, humiliation and oppression were inevitable!
All they hoped for was that Chenriver Palace would punish these Tianyu Palace visitors and restore Chenriver's dignity.
"Sen."
"Sen of the Pink-Skin Humans will surely win!"
Gazes met in midair—sometimes silent, sometimes falling on the flushed face of the Finance Marquis—offering comfort and shared indignation.
The atmosphere in the entire hall was heavy.
Dustin Huang stood at the center of the palace, his indifferent gaze sweeping over everyone before he finally lowered his head arrogantly toward the Chenriver Emperor, bowing respectfully and waiting for the Emperor to speak.
He seemed polite, but in truth he held only contempt.
Only because the Emperor was present did he restrain himself.
"Hmph."
Is this the Chenriver Empire? What a feeble country.
Dustin Huang thought that even alone, he could suppress all the cultivation prodigies of the Chenriver Empire; there was no need for Bella York to act.
This delegation had five members: four cultivation geniuses and one Void Rift-tier existence.
As one of Tianyu Palace's four top prodigies, Dustin Huang considered himself second in rank. The cold, beautiful Bella York was the undisputed number one.
Across the vast starry skies, powerful women were far from rare.
Especially after reaching the Starlight Tier, the challenges that had hindered female cultivators were all easily overcome.
"But one day, I'll surpass Bella York!" thought Dustin Huang as he stood below the hall, quietly turning over these thoughts.
He cared nothing for the Chenriver Empire or Chenriver Palace.
If not for the supreme laws of the Starry Sky Human Race, the Tianyu Empire would have already invaded Chenriver Empire and ruled the entire Tianchen Stellar System.
Dustin Huang was still pondering.
At that moment, the Emperor seated at the highest position swept his gaze over the hall, his golden pupils unreadable: "I've long heard of Tianyu Palace's visit. Chenriver Palace has been prepared to receive you... For today, let this end here. Someone, ready a warp craft for our honored guests from the Tianyu Empire."