Ripples spread through the air.
Words appeared again on the translucent panel.
[The palace is full of dangers. With your current identity, it's already extremely difficult to return to the palace and see your mother Yun Liyue.]
[Your mother Yun Liyue's strength is exhausted, and she's on the verge of death. For you, saving her will be even harder than scaling the heavens. We believe you will pour your heart and soul into this, enduring countless hardships.]
[Congratulations, host, for successfully completing the mission.]
[The Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill has been issued. Do you want to take it now?]
"No."
Yang Cheng immediately refused.
The Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill was refined by ancient powerhouses using the energy of the Heaven-Mending Stone.
It could completely reshape a person's body and defy fate.
Taking it could cause a huge commotion. There was no way he'd dare swallow it in front of others.
'But this mission was way too easy.'
Yang Cheng's gemstone-like eyes glinted brightly.
Normally, this system would awaken when he was 500 years old.
Completing this mission at that time would be as hard as reaching the sky.
But now, he was only one year old.
Mother was right in front of him.
None of the disasters had started yet.
That made the mission ridiculously easy.
As he thought, Yang Cheng felt his eyelids getting heavy.
He was still a poisoned one-year-old baby, and his energy was terribly low.
Before he knew it, he fell asleep.
When Yang Cheng woke up, it was already late at night.
He quickly looked around. He was alone in the crib.
Curtains surrounded the crib.
Even though there were palace maids outside, they couldn't see inside the curtains.
"Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill, take it."
Yang Cheng made up his mind immediately.
The Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill appeared in his mouth on its own.
It melted instantly.
A sweet, cool sensation spread like nectar down his throat.
Then the medicinal power turned into a subtle, invisible force, seeping into his eight extraordinary meridians like spring rain soaking the earth.
His tiny body, curled up in the brocade swaddling, trembled slightly. Black, greasy filth and foul-smelling toxins oozed from his pores.
"Oh no!"
Yang Cheng suddenly clutched his belly.
Thunder roared inside his organs, and the sound of gurgling intestines was shockingly loud in the quiet chamber.
He glanced at the window. The moonlight at third watch during the Yin hour looked like a thin veil.
If he soiled his swaddle now, the rumor of the crown prince wetting himself would spread through the entire harem by morning.
He wasn't truly a one-year-old baby. There was no way he'd let that happen.
Before, Yang Cheng had been terribly weak.
But the Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill was truly a heaven-defying treasure.
In just a moment, he felt his whole body filling with strength.
His chubby little hands grabbed the carved crib rail, and he used the strength to flip out of the sandalwood baby bed.
The whole process was silent.
Splendid Radiance Hall, being the empress's residence, had a private bathhouse and toilet.
Without alerting anyone, Yang Cheng finished his business and cleaned up, then slipped back into the crib like a nimble kitten.
Lying on the bed, Yang Cheng felt brimming with energy.
The Myriad Despair Divine Water was an ancient, terrifying poison.
But now, in front of the Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill, that poison was like nothing.
Yang Cheng could clearly sense he was no longer the same as in his previous life.
The Myriad Despair Divine Water had stuck to him like maggots on bones, torturing him for nearly 500 years.
It had left him constantly suffocating.
Now his body felt light, as if he could float on air.
He had finally escaped the shadow of the Myriad Despair Divine Water.
Without its suppression, his natural talent began to awaken.
He had inherited Emperor Qian Yuan's gift: the "Divine Dragon Sword Body."
This Divine Dragon Sword Body was on par with the Heavenly Sword Sacred Body.
But with the transformation from the Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill, it had undergone a complete rebirth.
It transformed into the "Ancestral Dragon Sword Body."
If the Divine Dragon Sword Body was like a king of sword cultivation, then the Ancestral Dragon Sword Body was like the ancestor of sword cultivation.
'No, it's more than that.'
Yang Cheng's heart surged with excitement.
He realized he also possessed a hidden sword body—the Primordial Devouring Sword Body.
This sword body evolved from the Sacred Moon Sword Body.
His mother Yun Liyue had the Sacred Moon Sword Body, which let her absorb the power of other sword cultivators to strengthen herself.
Yang Cheng actually didn't have the Sacred Moon Sword Body. He only carried a trace of its bloodline.
But with the transformation of the Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill, that tiny trace of Sacred Moon Sword Body bloodline had fully evolved into the Primordial Devouring Sword Body.
Yun Liyue could absorb power from other sword cultivators. Yang Cheng could directly devour it.
This was a hundred times more overbearing than Yun Liyue's ability.
'This sword body must never be exposed.'
Yang Cheng's heart grew cold.
If word got out, he'd probably become the enemy of every sword cultivator in the world.
From now on, he would openly show the Divine Dragon Sword Body, while secretly hiding the Primordial Devouring Sword Body.
Luckily, the Primordial Devouring Sword Body was of such a high level.
As long as Yang Cheng didn't purposely reveal it, no one would ever be able to sense it.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.
No one noticed anything unusual about Yang Cheng the night before.
Half-awake from a nap, Yang Cheng was startled awake by a wave of loud voices.
"Imperial Physician Chang, are you saying Cheng'er was poisoned with Myriad Despair Divine Water?"
Yun Liyue looked like she'd been struck by lightning. Her pretty face turned pale.
"Your Majesty the Empress," said an old man with white hair and beard, "yesterday I took a drop of the Crown Prince's blood and recorded all his symptoms."
"After returning with the other imperial physicians, we spent the night researching the medical texts and discussing. We confirmed it was indeed Myriad Despair Divine Water."
Yun Liyue turned to the other imperial physicians present with eyes full of unwillingness.
"Your Majesty, please restrain your grief."
"Just as Imperial Physician Chang said, it truly is Myriad Despair Divine Water."
The other physicians bowed their heads.
"Myriad Despair Divine Water destroys a person's blood and bones, ruining their foundation beyond any cure."
A deliberately loud voice rang out.
A woman in a purple brocade palace dress stepped forward, a red plum blossom mark on her forehead.
A palace maid beside her held a baby about the same age as Yang Cheng.
"Greetings, Noble Consort."
All the imperial physicians bowed.
This woman was Noble Consort Zhuang Wanrong.
Her son was the sixth prince, Yang Xiu.
Seeing her arrive, Yun Liyue forced herself to stay calm, glaring coldly at her. "Sister, what do you mean by these words?"
Noble Consort Zhuang's narrow phoenix eyes lifted slightly. "Elder sister, the crown prince of a nation cannot be a cripple. Now that the crown prince has been poisoned by Myriad Despair Divine Water, he's destined to be useless."
"So, I believe our Great Zhou should act decisively and replace the crown prince."
Yun Liyue's eyes flashed with sharp light. "The matter of Myriad Despair Divine Water hasn't even been investigated yet, and you dare speak so lightly of changing the heir to the throne? It seems you not only disregard me but also our emperor."
Zhuang Wanrong's face changed slightly but quickly regained her composure. "Elder sister, you misunderstand. I only speak out of concern for Great Zhou."
In the crib, Yang Cheng's eyes turned cold.
Zhuang Wanrong!
Even if she wasn't the mastermind behind his poisoning, she definitely wasn't innocent.
Clack, clack, clack…
Footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
A group of people entered the hall, and the atmosphere turned tense in an instant.
At the front was a tall, imposing middle-aged man.
He walked with the presence of a dragon, his eyes radiating authority even without anger.
The moment he stepped into the hall, everyone's breathing instinctively stopped.