"Ruan Tianhe? I can't believe such a mysterious figure is hidden in the small Quyuet..."
Fang Yuan muttered to himself, a flicker of unusual light flashing in his eyes. He became intrigued by this powerful figure he had never met before.
After all, this was the closest person to the [Martial Saint] realm that he knew of.
No wonder the previous dynasty had gathered such detailed intelligence about Quyuet. It seemed that Emperor Yan had placed great importance on Ruan Tianhe back in the day.
"Could he have already become a Martial Saint? Interesting, finally, a worthy opponent has appeared..."
Fang Yuan smiled, and a rare look of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
...
As Fang Yuan destroyed his alliance with Sangkong and rushed towards Quyuet, the Emperor of Quyuet, Ruan Wenxiong, was leading a group of princes and grandsons, all kneeling in front of a quiet mountain valley.
Since hearing the news that Fang Yuan was about to step into Quyuet, Ruan Wenxiong had not dared to delay for a moment and had immediately rushed here.
"Ancestor, the Emperor of the Xia Kingdom is about to arrive in our Quyuet. This is a critical moment that concerns the fate of our kingdom. Please, Ancestor, come out and take charge!"
Ruan Wenxiong cried out with tears in his eyes, his voice hoarse, and the royal family members behind him followed suit, their cries echoing.
But the only response they received was the endless silence of the valley.
However, Ruan Wenxiong would not give up easily. He continued shouting with all his might, "Ancestor, if you don't come out, we will stay here and die in this valley!"
Ruan Wenxiong resorted to desperation, but he was truly left with no other choice. After all, the only hope left for the entire Quyuet was this mysterious ancestor, who had never shown his face to the world.
When mentioning this ancestor, Ruan Wenxiong's heart was filled with mixed emotions—both respect and fear.
The ancestor's power was said to be terrifying, yet he had secluded himself in this valley for over a thousand years, never once showing himself to the world.
As a result, many royal descendants didn't even know there was such a legendary figure in their family.
Ruan Wenxiong couldn't be sure whether he could convince the ancestor to come out this time.
After all, past emperors had come here to beg for help in times of trouble, but the ancestor had always remained indifferent and never extended a helping hand, watching as Quyuet slowly declined.
From once being a powerful kingdom, Quyuet had become a third-rate nation. Later emperors gave up on seeking the ancestor's help.
But now, with the threat of annihilation looming, Ruan Wenxiong had no choice but to try again.
He had also planned in his mind that if the ancestor refused to show up, he would lead the Xia Emperor straight here as soon as he arrived!
At that point, the ancestor would have no choice but to intervene.
Just as Ruan Wenxiong was thinking through his plan, a deep yet clear voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Get up, kneeling here, aren't you ashamed..."
The royal family members present all trembled at the sound. A middle-aged man in a long robe was standing calmly ahead.
They hadn't even noticed when this person had appeared, as if he had materialized out of thin air!
"Who are you..."
Ruan Wenxiong asked cautiously. The royal family kept a portrait of the ancestor, but this man's appearance didn't match the image at all.
"I am the guard of the late emperor, Ruan Chaohan." The middle-aged man answered slowly.
The guard of the late emperor... Ruan Wenxiong was stunned. He had only thought the ancestor might still be alive, but he hadn't expected that a guard of the late emperor was also still alive!
But there was no time to dwell on these things. Ruan Wenxiong was surprised by how quickly his cries had been answered. He hastily said:
"Please, sir, quickly inform our ancestor and ask him to come out and save Quyuet from this crisis!"
"Your request has already been heard by the late emperor," Ruan Chaohan nodded slightly, his tone calm, "However, the late emperor has no intention of intervening."
"Why?!" Ruan Wenxiong's emotions instantly went out of control, and he shouted, his face filled with urgency, "Doesn't the ancestor care about seeing his descendants slaughtered? Is he really going to stand by and watch Quyuet perish?"
"Calm down." Ruan Chaohan frowned, his tone full of reproach, "You are the Emperor of Quyuet, and you are shouting like this? What kind of conduct is this?"
Being reprimanded by a mere guard left Ruan Wenxiong burning with anger, but the situation was critical. He had no choice but to say respectfully:
"Your words are wise… but the situation is too urgent, we cannot delay for a moment."
"The late emperor has his own reasons, and you, as his descendants, should understand. Moreover, though the late emperor won't act personally, he has specially sent me to carry out the task."
Ruan Chaohan placed his hands behind his back and spoke confidently, "As long as I'm here, Quyuet will be safe."
Ruan Chaohan spoke lightly, but Ruan Wenxiong's heart raced. Could this guard really stand against the powerful Xia Emperor?
After considering it for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, have you reached the level of a Grandmaster?"
"A Grandmaster?" Ruan Chaohan chuckled as if he had heard a great joke. A slight sneer appeared on his lips. "Just an ant..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ruan Wenxiong and the entire royal family of Quyuet were shocked to the core!
The man actually considered a Grandmaster to be an ant? What kind of power must he possess to speak with such arrogance!
Seeing the stunned expressions of the royal family, Ruan Chaohan's sneer grew more apparent.
To him, these mere mortals who were obsessed with worldly power struggles would never understand the true strength of his half-step Martial Saint level!
He had followed the late emperor in cultivation for thousands of years, and his power had been rapidly growing during this time.
His thirst for power had long been embedded in his bones. He had become a complete martial enthusiast, spending day and night in training, all to catch up to the late emperor.
Had the late emperor not foreseen the impending disaster and ordered him to come out and save the kingdom, he would never have bothered with the fate of these mortals.
Now that his training had been interrupted, Ruan Chaohan was deeply dissatisfied. But luckily, he would soon have a good outlet to vent his frustrations—the Xia Emperor.
"Enough of this nonsense..." Ruan Chaohan straightened his sleeves, and with the awe and complex expressions of the royal family members, he casually ordered:
"Take me to meet the Xia Emperor."
"Let's just hope he has some strength and courage, otherwise, I will be wasting my time..."