“Thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince’s golden words, there will be no beast tide this year, so everyone will have a good year. Next year, the Princess will choose a good prince consort, and the commoners will live a peaceful life…” Wang Shun spoke cheerfully. He had been in an exceptionally good mood recently.

Originally, being a guard for his entire life, luckily breaking through to a third-grade martial artist and becoming a small leader was his lifelong dream. But now, he was already a fourth-grade martial artist and had many subordinates.

The crown prince only asked him to deliver food once every three days to chat with him. Besides, the crown prince was an easy-going master. So he was content.

After Wang Shun left, Li Yuanqing took a stroll in the Wilderness valley like usual. Hu Jiujiu and a qilin that looked like a deer were following him. It looked at Li Yuanqing warily and hid behind Hu Jiujiu when it heard anything.

There were no outsiders in the valley at the moment.

Li Yuanqing did not say anything. He just kept walking forward silently. Hu Jiujiu was a little hesitant. She slowed down her pace and fell behind with the qilin. When they could no longer see Li Yuanqing, Hu Jiujiu suddenly slapped the qilin’s forehead with a furious expression.

The qilin bent its pitiful knees and knelt on the ground. It even lowered its head as though it wanted Hu Jiujiu to sit on it. However, Hu Jiujiu kicked it angrily.

The qilin’s head shrank back in fear, and its entire body curled up into a ball. Its entire body was trembling, and it seemed to be extremely afraid of Hu Jiujiu’s wrath.

Li Yuanqing knew that there was something wrong with the qilin as well. Hu Jiujiu was even more so. The reason why there was no beast tide this year might be because of Hu Jiujiu and the qilin. Therefore, he had to improve his Manipulation Art a little.

A level four Manipulation Art already gave him a sense of danger. Hu Jiujiu is severely injured now. As long as her injuries were healed, her strength would definitely not be weak. She might even be comparable to a Martial Saint.

Therefore, his Manipulation Art had to immediately advance to the fifth-grade.

He was already a peak eighth-grade martial artist and could advance to a ninth-grade martial artist at any time. In the Northern Kingdom, even the Emperor was only an eighth-grade martial artist and he had not advanced for ten years.

Li Yuanqing wanted to solidify his foundation and his Clear Sky Sword Art to reach Master level before he advanced to the ninth-grade. That way, he would be stronger. So that he as a ninth-grade Martial Artist could fight against a Martial Saint!

[System detected that the host has arrived at the hinterlands of the Wilderness Valley. Do you want to sign?]

“Sign in!”

[Congratulations to the host for signing in successfully. Reward: Intermediate Restore Origin Pill!]

[System reward (available!)

One: 100 Intermediate Restore Origin Pills.

Two: Sand Escape Technique!]

Intermediate Restore Origin Pill?

The effect should be better than the basic Restore Origin Pills. Li Yuanqing realized that the elixirs signed by the system had also advanced after he reached the eighth-grade. The effects were getting better each time.

And this sand escape technique?

Li Yuanqing chose the Sand Escape Technique without any hesitation. Although the intermediate Restore Origin Pill was precious, he was trying his best to suppress his grade. In fact, it was not difficult for him to advance to the ninth-grade.

Furthermore, he still had a large number of basic Restore Origin Pills in his hands. He could not finish it even if he treated it like candy every day, so the Sand Escape Technique was the most important thing to him now.

Very quickly, a streak of white light flew into Li Yuanqing’s mind. The cultivation technique recorded in the Sand’s Escape Technique turned out to be an escape technique. This pleased the cautious Li Yuanqing.

If he couldn’t win, he could hide and run.

With this escape technique, he would be able to run extremely fast even if he couldn’t win. He would stay in this desolate land and sign in here at a leisurely pace. He would leave after he became a Martial Saint.

In the following days, he ate Restore Origin Pills every day and then practiced his Manipulation Art. The Sand Escape Technique, especially the Manipulation Art, under his continuous practice every day, had broken through to level five!

Sometimes, the qilin would disappear, and other times, it would appear. However, most of the time, it was following Hu Jiujiu. Whenever it saw Li Yuanqing, it was like a mouse seeing a cat. It would always avoid him intentionally.

However, Li Yuanqing did not take it to heart. Hu Jiujiu had been infected by his inner demon seed. There was nothing she could do about it.

Time passed quietly just like that. In the blink of an eye, it was the fourth year since Li Yuanqing arrived in the Wilderness. Something major had happened in the Northern Kingdom that year—Prince Zhongyi had advanced to a ninth-grade peak-level martial artist.

In the same year, Princess Zhaoyang was betrothed to Prince Zhongyi. One year later, the princess would be married to him when she was fifteen!

The entire Northern Kingdom was in an uproar. When Li Yuanqing heard the news, he did not speak for a long time. He did not even take a sip of the tea Hu Jiujiu brought him.

Prince Zhongyi was already fifty years old this year, but he still looked like he was in his prime. He looked like in his thirties but he already had four children. Three sons and one daughter. He was also the highest-ranking member of the Northern Kingdom.

There was no other reason, because his father and the late Emperor had established the Northern Kingdom together. Moreover, he had always been the person who was most likely to become a Martial Saint other than the Emperor. He was also the most powerful prince in the entire Northern Kingdom.

Wang Shun sighed. “Prince Zhongyi is the top expert of the Northern Kingdom. By right, he should be able to match up to any beauty in the Northern Kingdom. But, alas, His Majesty has already issued a decree. Perhaps this is a match between a hero and a beauty!”

His Majesty had already given his decree. There was no more repentance. One year later, Zhaoyang would marry Prince Zhongyi.

He was truly his good father. He had not changed at all.

A few years ago, his father had told him to marry the princess of the Myriad City Kingdom. After he was stripped of his title, he still wanted the Second Prince to marry the princess of the Myriad City Kingdom even though he knew that this was a trap. All because it benefits the Northern Kingdom for the long term.

In the end, a fifth-grade martial artist, the Second Prince, fell off his horse and died.

Yet, his father did not learn his lesson. He only made the young Fourth Prince the Crown Prince, and then he wanted to marry Princess Zhaoyang to Prince Zhongyi!

Prince Zhongyi had many children, and he was even a year older than his father. However, he was a ninth-grade martial artist, and his strength was even higher than his father. In order to win him over, and even for the sake of the Northern Kingdom, his father had actually decided to sacrifice his children again?

Others might think that no one in the entire Northern Kingdom was worthy of Princess Zhaoyang, which was why His Majesty chose the most powerful Prince Zhongyi.

Only Li Yuanqing understood.

In the heart of the current Emperor, there was no deep love between father and son. All he had was the empire of the Northern Kingdom. As long as it was for the empire of the Northern Kingdom, he could abandon the lives of his children. Why would he care if their marriage was fortunate or not?

Bastard!

Zhaoyang lost her mother when she was young and he was not by her side. At such a young age, she was working hard to protect him and let him return to the palace.

Since the Emperor had sacrificed him, Li Yuanqing could only sigh and retaliate while hiding in the Wilderness to accumulate his strength. However, Li Yuanqing would not agree to sacrifice Zhaoyang, who was stubborn and wanted to protect him, again.