Chapter 2: Throughout Heaven and Earth...
"Don't go yet," a soft, pleading voice whispered.
Yao Qingxue—the former Regent Consort—wasn't acting like the iron-fisted ruler who once terrified the court. She was clinging to Xu Yanluo's arm, her eyes shimmering with a mix of possessiveness and worry. "Just take the decree and come back to the bedchamber. I haven't finished spoiling you yet."
"Hey! No fair!" Hu Ruyan stepped in, her fox tails swishing aggressively. "You monopolized him all night! It's my turn to spoil him. I've already prepared the spiritual oils!"
Mu Qinglan, the green-haired noble lady, stepped forward with a faint, elegant blush. "Actually... I believe the Second Prince requires a calm mind before dealing with the Sect. I shall be the one to serve him."
Beside them, the silent Ling Yuechan simply watched Xu Yanluo with a gaze so sharp and loyal it felt like a blade.
> [Character Status Window: Mu Qinglan]
> Identity: Daughter of the 'Traitor' Mu Clan (Exiled)
> Trait: Hidden Pervert / Master of Poisons
> Flashback: Found by Xu Yanluo in the rain after her clan was purged. He didn't execute her; he made her his personal shadow.
> Affection: 92/100
>
Xu Yanluo chuckled, the sound deep and resonant. He leaned in, planting a firm kiss on Qingxue's cheek and pulling her into a brief, dominant hug. "I'll let you spoil me later tonight, my Regent."
He turned to the pouting Fox Princess, tilting her chin up to give her a deep, breathless kiss that left her ears twitching in a daze. "You too, you mischievous little fox."
Finally, he brushed Mu Qinglan's green hair behind her ear. "Keep the tea warm, my dear consort." With a final, lingering wink at the silent Yuechan, he turned toward the balcony.
His white hair caught the wind like a silken banner. His regal black robes billowed as he stepped out into the open air.
High above the palace, a man hovered on a golden sword, draped in the white robes of the Heavenly Sect.
"Xu Yanluo!" the Messenger bellowed. "Kneel and receive the Decree of the Heavens! Your 'Dynasty' is nothing before the might of our Sect!"
Xu Yanluo didn't kneel. Instead, he summoned a plain spirit sword and stepped onto it, rising into the sky to meet the Messenger eye-to-eye. He stretched his arms wide, feeling the immense, "edited" power coursing through his veins.
"The Heavens?" Yanluo mused aloud. "Tell me... do you think Heaven itself would obey its own decree?"
He looked down at the capital, then back at the Messenger, his red eyes glowing.
"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One."
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Warning: Host, that line has already been used by a very famous white-haired character in another universe. Plagiarism detected.]
Yanluo blinked. 'Oh? Who was it?'
[System: His name was Satoru Gojo. A man who made girls scream just by shaking his hair. You are currently at 85% similarity.]
'85%? I need to do better,' Yanluo smirked internally.
"You dare defy us?!" the Messenger screamed, his face contorting. "You are nothing but a Prince of a backwater mortal kingdom! Your 'Immortal Dynasty' is a lie! I will one-shot you for your arrogance!"
The Messenger began a grand enchantment. "HEAVENLY SWORD RAIN!"
Thousands of golden light needles condensed in the air, screaming toward Yanluo.
Yanluo didn't move. He simply raised one hand, flicking his wrist as if swatting a fly.
BOOM.
The entire golden attack shattered into sparks. The shockwave sent the Messenger spiraling backward through the clouds.
"W-What?!" the Messenger gasped, coughing up blood as he stabilized. "Taijutsu? Pure physical deflection? You... you're a body cultivator!"
He lunged forward with his main sword, a Rank 4 Spirit Tool. Yanluo met him mid-air. The two clashed—fists against steel, palms against mana. To the onlookers, it was a blur of black and gold. But Yanluo wasn't even sweating.
He caught the Messenger's blade with two fingers. Cling!
"You're burning through your cultivation just to stay in the air," Yanluo whispered in his ear. "I'm just getting started."
"You bastard!" the Messenger roared, realization dawning. He realized he couldn't win. "You dare defy the Sect! I will bring back the Elders! This palace, your women, your kingdom—everything will be burned to ash!"
The Messenger ignited a bright yellow escape talisman and vanished in a streak of light toward the horizon.
Yanluo landed back on the balcony, perfectly composed.
'Ling,' he asked, frowning. 'Why was he so confident? We're in the Immortal Dynasty. My father is the Emperor. Why did he call us a backwater kingdom?'
[System Notification]
[Clarification: Host, you are currently in the 'Lower Realm.' You came here on a 'incognito tour' with your consorts to have some... private time. You told the locals you are 'The Second Prince of a Dynasty,' but they assumed you meant a local mortal dynasty. They think you are a fraud.]
Yanluo looked at his hands, then at his beautiful consorts running toward him.
"So," Yanluo let out a dark, amused laugh. "They think I'm a small fish in a small pond? They have no idea the ocean just arrived."
[System: Correct. Also, the Fox Princess is currently looking at your hair. I think she wants you to 'shake it' like that Gojo fellow.]