Whoosh!
A figure suddenly appeared.
It was Huang Gang.
When he saw what was happening in the bamboo grove, his pupils shrank slightly, then he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Everyone talks about how monstrous Yang Cheng is, but no one realizes you're a little monster too."
Three days later.
In the same bamboo grove.
There were no bodies here anymore—clearly someone had cleaned up the scene.
Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu were walking side by side.
"You killed Ouyang Qin right here?"
Yang Cheng asked.
Tang Xingyu seemed a little sulky, like she was hard to coax.
Yang Cheng flipped his palm over and, like performing a magic trick, pulled out two sticks of candied hawthorn and handed one to Tang Xingyu.
Tang Xingyu took a fierce bite of the candy, like she was venting her frustration through it.
After a while, her bright eyes turned a little misty. "Chengcheng, I get why you were angry… but the Horn Constellation Realm isn't the Wasteland Realm. Maybe I'm a burden to you, but my master still has some connections here. If you'd told her ahead of time, no matter what, she could've helped keep you safer."
Yang Cheng rarely saw her like this.
In his mind, Tang Xingyu had always been this sweet little bundle of joy—just like the candied hawthorn she was biting into.
But now, her eyes held grievance, her tone was full of blame, and her face showed real fear.
It was like… just imagining Yang Cheng being in danger here terrified her.
And to be fair, she wasn't wrong.
Of everyone in this world, if anyone truly understood Yang Cheng, Tang Xingyu was definitely in the top three—even if not the number one.
She had grown up with him since she was two, and Yang Cheng was only one.
The only time they'd been apart was a little over a year.
Especially when they were little, Yang Cheng would cultivate with her during the day. At night, he'd return to Splendid Radiance Hall to stay with Yun Liyue—but that was just sleeping.
In truth, Tang Xingyu had spent more time with him than Yun Liyue ever had.
So even though she didn't know the full extent of his power, she had a solid idea.
That's why, whether it was Su Lingchen or later the assassin Night Owl, she'd never really been worried.
She always thought, 'If I can handle them, Chengcheng definitely can.'
But now, seeing her look at him like this, Yang Cheng actually felt a warm, numb wave of guilt.
When he made up his mind to destroy the Ouyang family, he'd been consumed with rage and bloodlust. He had totally forgotten to consider Tang Xingyu and Cheng Junyi.
"How could you ever be a burden to me?"
Yang Cheng quickly said, "Whenever I think of you, I feel stronger."
Tang Xingyu almost laughed, but quickly forced herself to keep a straight face.
"Just this once. Don't let it happen again."
Yang Cheng could only nod. "Deal."
"Since you gave me candied hawthorn, I'll let it slide this time."
She wasn't upset anymore.
It was like… she really was the easiest girl in the world to cheer up.
But Yang Cheng knew—Tang Xingyu was only like this when she was with him.
She wasn't easy to coax. She was just easy for him to coax.
Tang Xingyu wasn't like him.
He had the soul of a five hundred-year-old monster. In his past life, he was the Asura Demon Lord, drenched in blood from countless battles.
Tang Xingyu, on the other hand, was just a real thirteen-year-old girl.
And yet, for him, she killed someone.
Actually, she killed three people in one go.
She didn't show it, but Yang Cheng could easily imagine how scared she must've been when she did it.
Unless you were born a killer, no one felt good about their first kill.
And it wasn't hard to guess—Ouyang Qin definitely tried to bargain before she died, probably offering the Ouyang clan's riches.
But to Tang Xingyu, all the wealth of the Ouyang clan couldn't compare to one stick of candied hawthorn from Yang Cheng.
And she hadn't told him any of this. She was still worried about him.
"Tangtang."
"Hmm?"
"Having you around is really nice."
"Heehee, having you around is nice too! Otherwise, who would buy me candied hawthorn?"
In his heart, Yang Cheng thought, 'Tangtang, with your talent and beauty, if you wanted, there'd be countless men lining up to buy you candied hawthorn. They'd pile up mountains of divine stones just to please you.'
In her heart, Tang Xingyu thought, 'Sure, for other men, buying candied hawthorn isn't a big deal. But it's not just any candied hawthorn—it's one that Chengcheng gave me. Even a mountain of divine stones can't compare to the random begonia blossom he once picked and handed to me.'
That same day.
Yang Cheng returned to the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy.
This time, his arrival caused a huge stir.
In the past, Yang Cheng had been somewhat well-known at the academy. But the academy had seen many dazzling prodigies, so no one had paid him too much attention.
But now, things were different.
His recent achievements were just too outrageous.
Even with the academy full of geniuses, not a single person dared to say they could compare to him.
Wiping out the entire Ouyang clan at twelve years old—that was something no normal person could even imagine doing.
In everyone's eyes, Yang Cheng was no longer just a person. He was a saint who transcended the limits of mortals!
Their Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy had really birthed a sage seed—someone born with divine understanding.
Three days later.
Yang Cheng arrived back in Fengtian City.
This time, the uproar was even bigger.
The golden dragon chariot rolled down the center of the street, while on both sides the citizens packed in like the tide, cheering wildly like a thunderstorm.
Above a pavilion by the roadside.
Head Grand Secretariat Xu Yan and several ministers stood together, expressions heavy.
"Now, the Crown Prince's prestige already surpasses His Majesty's."
"This is not a good thing for the nation."
"His Majesty is still in his prime. Are we really going to make him abdicate and become Supreme Emperor now?"
The ministers voiced their concerns.
But Yang Cheng had no idea this conversation was happening.
He returned to the imperial palace.
Recalling how he had stormed into Western Luo and killed both the emperor and crown prince, Yang Cheng left the golden corpse puppet in Splendid Radiance Hall.
With that, even if a peak-level Insight God powerhouse showed up, they still wouldn't be able to harm his mother.
Besides that...
"Mother."
Yang Cheng told Yun Liyue about the God Mountain. "The cultivation environment there is way better than the palace."
Yun Liyue was clearly surprised. She hadn't expected Yang Cheng to have such a backup plan.
But then her face grew serious. "Cheng'er, you set up this fallback so many years ago. What were you preparing for?"
He had nothing to hide from his mother.
"There can't be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a nation."
Yang Cheng said, "Mother, do you think my rising prestige is entirely a good thing for Great Zhou?"
"And have you ever wondered why Father hasn't returned from Tianyuan all this time? Are the battles there really that busy and intense?"
Yun Liyue didn't look shocked. She just sighed.
She wasn't some naive young girl—how could she not understand?
"Maybe Father doesn't know how to face me anymore. That's why he hasn't come back."
Yang Cheng said, "Most of the court officials don't support me. In fact, most of them oppose me. The more my prestige rises, the more anxious they become. If Father returns now, he'll be flooded with memorials calling for my impeachment. That'll put him in a tough spot."