Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 23: Assertive

“Rabble!” Wang Chuan glanced at them once more, dismissing them from his mind. He took Xu Wei by the hand, intending to leave, unwilling to be entangled any further.

“Stop! Under the Son of Heaven’s gaze, the perpetrator dares not surrender?” The crowd parted to both sides as a squad of constables in official attire appeared. Their leader, a middle-aged man, wore the robes of office and bore a face of square-jawed integrity.

Li Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief—this must be the contingency arranged by that important person. The man before them was Liu Dazheng, the chief of the Department of Justice, responsible for Fucheng’s security and administration, famed for his incorruptibility and hatred of evil. When provoked, he would even confront the emperor without fear, a man of unyielding resolve.

It mattered little that the man before him was merely the crown prince of Jin.

Now, escape was impossible.

“Always you causing trouble!” Liu Dazheng cast a glance at Li Jiu, whom he recognized as the leader of the Stormcloud Gang, and his brow furrowed. “Take them as well!”

An uproar broke out among his men.

Li Jiu, after a moment’s thought, stopped them and chose to surrender, deciding to endure for now.

As long as he could bring down the Crown Prince of Jin, his own ambitions—to dominate Fucheng’s underworld—would be fulfilled.

Liu Dazheng’s stance was forceful, pressing Wang Chuan for a response.

Of course, no answer would satisfy him.

These two groups clearly weren’t together—being used as pawns, Wang Chuan saw clearly.

No matter. He was not to be trifled with.

“Detain them!” Liu Dazheng ordered with a wave of his hand.

He was wary—this man seemed to be a cultivator.

But no matter who he was, in this realm, the law must rule over men, not men over the law. Order must not be disturbed and cultivators could not act without restraint.

The constables, experienced in arrests, rushed forward together.

But before they could close in, a surge of force erupted. The group was sent hurtling back, flung several yards away.

Liu Dazheng’s frown deepened. A cultivator, and a formidable one at that.

There had been rampant cultivators in the capital before, but they had to be taught their place. The Empire had prepared three thousand elite cavalry specifically to deal with such threats—each a top-notch fighter.

But capturing a cultivator came at a heavy price. The last battle had cost them dearly.

Everyone feared these men, wielders of power beyond the mundane.

“Take these men back first!” Liu Dazheng ordered, having his men remove Li Jiu and his gang.

A few dead henchmen were a small matter. What mattered was discovering Wang Chuan’s identity and the true cause of these events.

The sudden turn of events made Liu Dazheng sense something deeper at play, and he knew caution was needed.

“Sir Liu, you cannot let him go!” Li Jiu shouted desperately, sensing the situation slip, but was forcibly dragged away by the constables.

Liu Dazheng was no fool.

“Who are you?” he asked Wang Chuan.

“Someone beyond your reach,” Wang Chuan replied coolly.

“You…” Liu Dazheng was momentarily speechless.

Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps. Another group appeared, clad in black uniforms—an entirely different league from the Department of Justice.

“The Imperial City Guard is handling this—by-standers clear the way!”

A voice rang out as their leader appeared before the crowd.

“Liu Haoji, what are you doing?” Liu Dazheng looked in surprise at the other commander.

The Imperial City Guard was different—a national instrument, directly under the emperor’s command, responsible for intelligence and especially for dealing with cultivators.

They had their own methods.

And the right to monitor all officials.

Their very name struck terror into common folk and could make infants cry.

“Protect the princess!” Liu Haoji glanced at Xu Wei beside Wang Chuan and issued a deathly command.

“What? She’s the princess?” Liu Dazheng looked again at the peerlessly beautiful girl.

“Sir Liu, this matter no longer concerns you. You may leave,” Liu Haoji said brusquely, his attention fixed on Wang Chuan.

At his signal, the Imperial City Guard charged straight at Wang Chuan.

“Withdraw!”

The palace guards quickly escorted Xu Wei away, but she still clung tightly to Wang Chuan’s hand.

Wang Chuan did not stop her, but in the end, he faced them alone.

Several blasts of energy swept toward Wang Chuan without hesitation, shining brightly.

They were clearly cultivators, and powerful ones.

With this attack, the onlookers felt a tremor of invisible vital energy, and those nearby were thrown backward by the shock.

Some felt their flesh and blood suppressed, bound tightly, terror stealing into their hearts as if death itself pressed near.

What was it like to stand at the center of that storm?

Boom—

A thunderous explosion shook the earth. The crowd felt their blood surge wildly, blockages that had resisted cultivation suddenly cleared by the sound of swords singing. Their pores opened, warmth suffused their souls, and a deep comfort arose from within.

But for the Imperial City Guard, it was the opposite. Their vital energy stalled, blood sank, and even their refined souls felt a deep unease.

The power of fate—one thought to give life, another to bring death.

With a casual sweep of his hand, Wang Chuan unleashed his supreme energy.

An irresistible force, cleaving through all, crashed into his attackers.

Faces turned ashen with terror as they instinctively tried to evade the blow.

Their souls spun, their energy surged, seeking escape.

But Wang Chuan’s strike found its mark, and then—nothing but endless darkness.

A muffled sound, and they all collapsed, blood streaming from every orifice.

“Aah…” Those who remained conscious cried out in terror.

Xu Wei, in the distance, stood frozen in shock, tears streaming down her face as she screamed for Wang Chuan. “No! Please, no…”

“Nothing more than that,” Wang Chuan said lightly, after dispatching the group, and turned to Liu Haoji. “Now, do you have anything to say?”

A demon—he’s a demon!

These were his best agents. Cultivators were everywhere, but training these few had cost a fortune.

His Majesty had supported it only with great reluctance, yet their missions had always been accomplished with ease.

But now, Wang Chuan was simply too powerful to withstand.

He had reached an entirely different level.

“What is your rank—Earth Tier? Or Heaven Tier?” Liu Haoji, despair etched on his face, asked.

Though his legs trembled, he forced himself upright, unwilling to los