"Well, 'bro' means 'teacher'… or someone senior but very close," Liyun answered casually, saying whatever came to mind while watching the pressure spread across the area under the Dark Immortal Monarch's aura.
"Alright, now shush! Don't talk to me again, or they'll notice," the Dark Immortal Monarch replied, cutting him off. It was as if he had ended a call. No matter how much Liyun spoke after that, the Monarch gave no answer.
When Liyun counted carefully, there were twelve ships in total. The Monarch's aura was heavy, but the ships themselves were not weak in presence. They stopped, and from each one stepped out a figure. If the Dark Immortal Monarch stood for darkness, then all twelve of them represented light.
"Hehe… you bastards teamed up? I thought you'd never love me this much," the Monarch chuckled. The cracked sword in his hand looked almost pitiful compared to the radiant beings before him and their glowing weapon. They seemed ethereal and sacred, while he stood there filthy and twisted.
"You stole. You are a thief. We are here to take back what is ours."
A lady in green stood with a steel spear, its shaft laced with veins of green like polished marble. The aura she released was the complete opposite of the Dark Immortal Monarch's. His presence was gloomy and crushing, pressing down like a mountain. Hers carried brightness, but under that dark pressure it trembled, barely managing to stand.
"I stole?" The monarch sneered. "I slayed the god and claimed it. It is mine now. You cannot defeat me."
He scoffed, his disdain rumbling through the air. Then, before Liyun's eyes, something happened he could never have imagined. The cracked sword vanished from the monarch's hand, and in that instant the heavens split apart. A gaping rift opened, revealing the void within—no light, no color, nothing but hollow emptiness.
Liyun froze. That sight reminded him of the time he had been trapped in the void, drifting for endless days in a place of pure darkness, where nothing existed but silence.
Ships broke apart in an instant, millions of soldiers inside perishing without a sound. No words, no spells, no resistance—just destruction. The Monarch's aura swelled, becoming so thick that even Liyun, who did not need to breathe, found himself gasping for air.
"Boy," the Dark Immortal Monarch said coldly, "this is only my first move—'Sword Before Thought.' I don't think you can take another in your brain just yet. So you'd better come back later if you want to learn more."
Liyun's body, which had been lying motionless in the courtyard, suddenly jolted awake. He gasped for breath, chest rising and falling rapidly. At only three years old, there was little he could do about his nose and mouth, they were too small to take in enough air.
"Damn! That Dark Immortal monarch, he's too powerful."
Liyun said he then picked up the ancient scroll that Xin Wei gave him, it was wet because he had peed on it, but this thing was very precious, so he stored it inside his ring.
I need to wash my hands first… As for that move, I still don't understand it. I'll have to recall it again and again.
But what did that bastard call it? Sword Before Thought? Wtf is this naming sense, bro?
Liyun then saw a black pearl in the ground, he picked it up and felt it was warm and also felt like Dark Immortal.
So, I guess this will take me to the Dark Immortal when I am ready.
Liyun stored it as well in his storage ring. He then took a big breath and sat in a chair. His mind can recall a thing over and over as he has photographic memory. He tried to learn what Dark Monarch was doing, but no matter how much he recalled the scene, he felt like he was missing something.
Liyun didn't think too much about it. To clear his mind, he walked into his big garden and watered the plants. His body was getting stronger passively anyway. His courtyard was like a hanging garden, built high above many buildings—like a tall tower that overlooked the entire palace. Only his father's palace and the Crown Prince's mansion stood higher than his.
With his exceptional eyes that can look far and wide, he saw a boy being dragged by two other boys inside a large mansion. The mansion was just outside the palace and looked important, it was being decorated for some reason.
"Luo Yan!"
Liyun said loudly without looking back, he wanted to know which clan owns that building and what was happening down there.
"Your Highness, Luo Yan went to her home, she will be back before sunset."
A maid with an average look came and bowed behind Liyun.
"Home?"
Liyun muttered, and while raising an eyebrow, he looked like he was thinking about something.
Luo Yan was fifteen this year—far too pretty to be just a maid. Her looks alone could outshine most noble girls, but what made her stand out even more was her intelligence. She knew the capital well, understood its power balance, and could tell exactly which clan lived where.
"Do you know who owns that mansion?"
Liyun pointed at the mansion, which was being decorated, and people were going in and out, he also saw two young men dragging one inside quite forcefully.
"That? That's the mansion of Old General Luo. General Luo died on the northern border, leaving his son, Luo Chen. Ah! Now that Your Highness has mentioned it, Luo Yan is also the adopted daughter of Old General Luo, so that is also her home."
The maid said she was obviously a bit jealous of Luo Yan, whom the prince adores, but she didn't dare lie to the prince.
"Eh?!! Such a coincidence?"
Liyun smiled widely hearing the piece of news, it felt like this news was the missing puzzle in his mind.