Return Without Fear of Fulin’s Revenge
Martial heroes break the law by force. At first glance, the jianghu and the imperial court seem unrelated, but the court has never stopped trying to control the jianghu's power. Just as the Former Dynasty's Lan clan and the Phoenixfield Clan both intervened in jianghu affairs, Prince Nolan would never let the martial world develop unchecked.
When water overflows, disaster follows; if the jianghu grows too strong, the court is at risk. In recent years, the Four Kingdoms have been busy fighting among themselves, leaving the martial world to flourish. Major sects have expanded quickly and masters have emerged, and while they aren't yet a direct threat to the court, unchecked growth will eventually challenge imperial authority.
Prince Nolan will never allow the martial world to become too powerful. Once he uncovered Zhe Zhe's plot and its ties to Skyvault Fortress, he decided to intervene—not by suppressing them outright, but by letting them compete freely.
Of the Four Great Xuan-Sect Alliance, Mystic Healer Valley serves Prince Nolan; Heartshadow Pavilion is all but defunct; Moonvault Palace Sect is openly hostile to him; and Skyvault Palace Sect remains neutral, though it leans toward Serena Feng because of her influence.
As long as Skyvault Palace Sect remains in Sean Xuan's hands, it will never truly submit to Prince Nolan. Nolan knows exactly how strong Skyvault Palace Sect is, and that's precisely why he wants to wear down their strength.
Sean Xuan understands this perfectly. That's why he openly confronts Moonvault Palace Sect and Skyvault Fortress, rather than scheming quietly. This way, even if he crushes Moonvault Palace Sect's momentum, his own sect will suffer heavy losses too.
Even though Prince Nolan hasn't unified the Nine Provinces yet, anyone with eyes can see what's happening. Just like the Cui Clan, who made their position clear early on—they showed Nolan they aren't a threat and won't challenge his rule.
Right now, it looks like Skyvault Palace Sect is getting the worst of it, but in the long run, they'll be the ones who benefit. Prince Nolan left Moonvault Palace Sect and Skyvault Fortress for Sean Xuan to deal with—he's giving him a chance.
Throughout history, it's always the tall poppy that gets cut down first. It's time for Skyvault Palace Sect to lie low and regroup.
Now that both the Cui Clan and Sean Xuan have started to rein in their ambitions, there's no way Serena Feng can do nothing. Right now, Prince Nolan still has feelings for her and lets her build power—but if her authority ever grows enough to threaten his rule, or if he suspects her of ambition, even the deepest affection will wear thin.
"Left Shore." Serena Feng didn't hesitate at all—she called out Left Shore and sent him back to the Assassin Alliance.
It wouldn't make sense for Sean Xuan to take action against Moonvault Palace Sect and Skyvault Fortress for her, while her own Assassin Alliance sat idle.
"Finish this last job, then have them stand down. The Assassin Alliance surely has Prince Nolan's people inside—transfer control gradually." Some things, even when everyone knows, can't be done too openly.
"Is that really wise?" The Assassin Alliance was the Phoenixfield Clan's final lifeline—if the clan ever faced annihilation, the Alliance would fight to the last man to save a single Phoenixfield bloodline, leaving a path for escape.
"The Assassin Alliance is already exposed—it no longer has value as a lifeline." Looking back, Serena Feng felt she’d been foolish; every asset she controlled, Prince Nolan already knew about.
Her troops were sent by Prince Nolan to fight in Southern Lyn—who knows how many will survive.
Her grain stores were also borrowed by Prince Nolan. Whether they'll ever be returned is another question—and even if he does return them, she might not dare to accept.
The Assassin Alliance, the Wolf Tribe—all of Phoenixfield Clan’s trump cards are now laid out in front of Prince Nolan. If he ever moves against Phoenixfield, she truly has nowhere left to run.
"I should be grateful he still feels something for me... or maybe not." Serena Feng gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh.
Clearly, she was still too naïve. Love is love, clan is clan—mixing the two was a dangerous mistake.
Left Shore wasn't stupid; Serena Feng had made herself clear—what was there left to misunderstand? He nodded quietly, respecting her decision, but one thing still worried him: "What about Doudou?"
That fool may have troops, but Left Shore didn't think he could possibly win against Prince Nolan.
"Prince Nolan knows exactly what kind of person Doudou is—he won’t make things difficult for him. Besides, Doudou may be good at leading troops, but he has no head for politics or intrigue. Prince Nolan trusts him completely." Prince Nolan had always trusted the Phoenixfield Clan and Serena herself; she was only doing this to safeguard the future and leave a way out for her descendants.
Everything has its limit—go too far, and it turns bad. Serena Feng didn't want the Phoenixfield Clan to repeat the mistakes of the Former Dynasty.
"Understood." Left Shore nodded, no longer worried about Doudou. After a moment, he asked, "The Ghost King is still missing—should we ask Master Graves to come?"
"Good idea." Serena Feng touched her belly, not daring to take risks: "Pick someone reliable from inside and send them to Ethan Su Wenhang."
Wenqing’s only brother—she had to look out for him…
Of all the tasks Serena Feng assigned to Left Shore, only he and Left Shore knew the details. No one else was aware. No matter how skilled Prince Nolan’s men were, they couldn’t possibly uncover what the two discussed in private.
Still, Prince Nolan could guess at least part of it. The Demon Sect’s affairs weren’t exactly a secret—when Zhe Zhe showed up at the Feng estate covered in wounds, Serena Feng had no choice but to investigate. And once she started, the chaos in the martial world became clear.
Prince Nolan had always known Serena Feng was clever and measured; everything she did was just what he wanted, so he never interfered—though sometimes, it brought him a touch of sorrow…
Serena Feng’s actions showed she still didn’t fully trust him. Yet he couldn’t step forward to explain—she hadn’t said outright that she doubted him, just made preparations in advance. If he tried to explain, it would only look suspicious.
Sorrow aside, Prince Nolan still ordered his men to smoothly absorb the Assassin Alliance’s forces. As for Skyvault Palace Sect, he had Heaven’s First Consortium keep watch—no need to cripple Skyvault, just make sure they don’t unify the martial world.
Whatever your position, you must act accordingly. As emperor, he couldn’t just follow his heart—the more he cared for Serena Feng, the less he could push her into danger.
"Wenqing, I understand now. What I want isn’t Serena Feng walking by my side, but standing behind me—so I can shield her from the storm." Some habits die hard. Prince Nolan visited the Su estate again, but the secret chamber was destroyed, and all that remained was ruin.
Prince Nolan stood among the ruins for a long time. Only when dawn broke did he turn to walk toward the emperor—only to be stopped halfway by someone blocking his path.
"Lance Quinn, I knew you’d come. I’ve waited a year for you." Felix Fuller stood with his back to Prince Nolan, his sword glinting faintly with silver light.
"Here to kill me?" There was no need to hide his identity now—Prince Nolan knew Felix Fuller had long suspected, just needed an excuse.
Now wasn’t exactly a good time, but it wasn’t the worst either.
"Let’s fight, then." Win or lose, the feud between the Fuller Clan and the Former Dynasty would be settled.
"You’re no match for me." Prince Nolan was blunt. Felix Fuller was so angry he nearly coughed up blood: "How do you know if you haven’t fought me? You’ve suffered crushing defeats at my hands before."
"That was an accident."
"Accidents can still happen now." Felix Fuller turned, sword pointed at Prince Nolan. Prince Nolan didn’t move, just spoke coldly: "If I allow it, you wouldn’t dare let an accident happen."
With that, Prince Nolan kept walking. As he passed Felix Fuller, he paused: "Once Southlyn falls, the Fuller Clan may return."
It was a promise, given by an emperor to Felix Fuller.
He knew Felix Fuller’s identity, yet dared to use him—unafraid of Felix’s revenge, and even less afraid of the Fuller Clan’s. The Fuller Clan couldn’t challenge imperial authority in the past, and now, even less so.