'He gathered Qi into his palm… but how?' the Sect Master thought in shock, his eyes wide. 'It was so fast… and he seemed to merge that Qi with another, stronger energy inside him, before releasing it at the perfect moment just before contact. The increase in his attack power was overwhelming.'
For the first time, the Sect Master truly witnessed what it meant to have complete control over one's Qi. And it left him speechless.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince struggled to lift his head. "What… happened?" he muttered weakly, his voice slurred.
His back was resting against the remains of a crumbled wall. Blood ran down his face, and shattered teeth fell one by one into his lap.
His entire body ached, and his mind was still dizzy from the force of the slap.
"I find it annoying when others are more arrogant than I, even when I'm being humble," Itachi said coldly. "You're a nobody. I listened to your disrespect, turned the other cheek, and went on with my day… Did you really think that was weakness?"
The Crown Prince weakly lifted his head, only to find Itachi standing directly over him. He wanted to stand. He wanted to attack. But his head was spinning too much. The moment he tried to move, his body collapsed uselessly to the ground.
"You brat!" a furious cry rang out. An elder, sword in hand, appeared before Itachi seemingly out of nowhere. With a roar, he slashed downward, cutting straight through Itachi's body, severing him clean in half.
But the elder's face twisted in shock the next moment. What he had cut wasn't Itachi at all. It was just an afterimage.
The elder quickly spread out his spiritual sense, searching for Itachi. He caught a presence behind him and turned sharply, slashing his sword once more, only to realize he had cut through yet another afterimage.
He spun around, eyes wide, and found himself surrounded. Countless afterimages of Itachi slowly walked toward him, their steps steady and light.
What truly shocked him was that each afterimage felt real. None of them gave off the slightest hint of being fake.
"You might be wondering," all of the afterimages said at once, their voices cold and mocking, "how a level 1 Body Tempering Realm cultivator managed to overpower your trashy young master."
Every single Itachi smiled at him with the same mocking expression.
"First," all the afterimages spoke at once, their voices calm and steady, "you gather Qi into your body. Once you find the perfect balance of Qi and chakra, you create Senjutsu Chakra. This greatly increases your overall capability, giving unmatched speed and perfect control of energy."
They paused briefly, letting the elder's fear grow. "Well… you have none of this."
Feeling deeply uneasy, the elder quickly jumped back, preparing to defend himself. But his eyes widened in horror as he watched all the afterimages suddenly cover their bodies in lightning.
The sharp crackle of energy filled the air as their speed skyrocketed. Before he could even react, they appeared around him, a level 8 Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, surrounded by a sea of Itachis.
Without warning, all the afterimages merged their palms together, forming a single devastating strike. At the same moment, the real Itachi casually reappeared, already sitting beside the wounded Crown Prince, looking completely unbothered.
Boom.
The elder was sent rocketing away, the impact so violent that his head exploded on the spot. The shockwave tore through the entire Sect Master's building, leveling it completely.
The elder's corpse flew off the floating island altogether and continued hurtling thousands of miles across the sky, straight toward the direction of the capital.
"So, what did we learn today?" Itachi asked, turning to look at the Crown Prince with a cold smirk.
The Crown Prince's pupils shrank in horror. What made it even worse was the sight of Itachi's body, covered in spiderweb cracks, as if it had nearly exploded from the overwhelming power he had just unleashed. But those cracks healed rapidly, disappearing in less than a second.
"I'm the Crown Prince, y-you—" the Crown Prince started to say, his voice trembling. Before he could finish, Itachi kicked him across the mouth, shattering what few teeth he had left.
"I'm not stupid. I know who you are. I know your grandfather is a Martial King and all that," Itachi said, his voice cold. "Clearly, I don't care. I'll let you go today."
He snorted and turned away.
"Next time, bring your grandfather with you if you want to have a fighting chance… because clearly, you're a joke." The Crown Prince burned with rage, his whole body trembling as Itachi casually walked off.
"Oh, and by the way," Itachi added, glancing back with a friendly smile, "you're no longer the Crown Prince. I like that title. Since I'll be the future emperor of the heavens, it's only right that I be known as the Crown Prince. If I hear you using my title again… I'll kill you."
With that, Itachi left without another word. Behind him, the former Crown Prince sat trembling, his eyes bloodshot with humiliation and rage. Meanwhile, the Sect Master stood frozen in place, his face as pale as a ghost.
"Where did the Crown Prince run off to?" Inside the capital, the Emperor roared in panic, his voice shaking the palace walls. Before him, the battered body of the Crown Prince's guardian was brought in, his lifeless body falling apart from the damage it had suffered.
The Emperor didn't wait for anyone to explain. He immediately sensed that the guardian's Nascent Soul was still intact. Without hesitation, he reached out, pulling the Nascent Soul into his palm with his spiritual sense.
He forcefully searched his memories, and there, he saw everything that had happened at the 7 Lotus Sect. Without another word, the Emperor vanished, rocketing toward the 7 Lotus Sect at full speed.
The Emperor arrived in a flash, appearing next to the wounded Crown Prince. But his eyes didn't linger on his son for long.
Instead, he quickly turned toward Itachi, who was walking away with a relaxed, unbothered look. Itachi noticed him immediately, locking eyes with the Emperor without the slightest hint of fear or respect.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed. He couldn't sense even a ripple of unease from Itachi. Ignoring his son completely, the Emperor moved.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Itachi. For a moment, he hesitated, then, to the shock of everyone watching, especially the Sect Master…The Emperor lowered his head.
"Forgive my foolish son," the Emperor said softly, his voice low and heavy. The entire area fell silent.
Su Yan, who had been on full alert just moments ago, could only stare with wide eyes. Even the Crown Prince, who had managed to stand, froze in place, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
His father, who should have come all this way to avenge him, was now lowering his head to the very person who had beaten him senseless.
"Smart," Itachi said with a faint smile. "But I have no interest in bothering you unless you bother me even more."
He turned away casually, adding, "Just make sure the boy's mother is as smart as you. I don't care for her backing."
A chill ran down the Emperor's spine. He stared at Itachi, confusion filling his heart. He had no idea how Itachi even knew about her.
"The easiest way to tell that someone is from an abnormal background is their talent. The second is by looking into the history books," Itachi said while walking off. What he was getting at was simple.
He knew that the Crown Prince was pretty much like himself. His mother was a powerful figure who had him come to this empire to gain experience.
The Emperor had quickly realized that Itachi might have a similar background to his son, both being tied to powers his empire didn't dare to offend. So, he hadn't come here to kill Itachi, he came to make peace. At least, until the boy's mother arrived to handle things personally.
The Emperor was terrified by how easily Itachi had seen through everything. He had kept the Crown Prince's true background hidden from the world, yet Itachi spoke of it casually.
Itachi even seemed to know the character of his 'wife', and all of that just from history books? Itachi had known the Emperor wouldn't attack him. He had been completely defenseless, trapped by a few casual words.
Itachi knew the Emperor was a coward. He knew exactly what to say to shake him. It was almost as if they had met before… even though not even those closest to the Emperor understood him that well.
"I-If I may ask," the Emperor stammered in horror, "who… who are you?"
The boy's mother would surely kill him for this humiliation. All he could do now was make himself as useful as possible… and hope to survive.
"I just got myself a title," Itachi said with a wink, completely unbothered. "Call me the Crown Prince, the future overlord of the heavens."
Without sparing another glance at the Emperor, Itachi turned away, leaving him standing there awkwardly.
The Emperor could only stand frozen for a moment before turning toward the Prince, who was glaring at him with furious eyes. Without wasting any more time, the Emperor disappeared, taking his humiliated 'son' with him.
"You're so strong…" Su Yan said softly, her voice a little weak, as she watched Itachi casually pop a pill into his mouth like it was nothing. They had returned home, and Itachi was acting as if nothing had happened.
"Yeah… but at a price," Itachi said with a bored yawn. He had been born with strength that could rival Kaguya herself, and sadly, his body was struggling to keep up with that overwhelming power.
In truth, he wasn't supposed to use chakra at all. The risk of his body exploding from the strain was very real.
The situation only grew worse over time. As he continued to grow stronger with each passing day, he was forced to seal away most of his chakra just to survive. But earlier, when he used his chakra to fight, even for a moment, his body had begun to crack under the pressure.
Cultivation was helping. His body was slowly growing stronger with each passing day. But even so, he was still stuck at level 1 Body Tempering, although if everything went smoothly, he should be making a breakthrough in a few days.
Itachi's attention suddenly shifted toward the door. He could sense the Sect Master standing just outside, hesitating. Without much thought, he motioned for Su Yan to open the door and invite the Sect Master inside.
"If you're curious why someone as strong as me took you as my master, it's simple," Itachi said before the Sect Master could even open his mouth. "When I took you as my master, it wasn't because I needed guidance. It's because I needed a teacher."
He shrugged casually. "Sure, I'll never truly see you as a real teacher… but you're my teacher, all the same."
Before the Sect Master could even react, Itachi continued.
"As for your fears about the Empire—don't worry. They won't act against you so long as I'm alive." He paused, his voice growing a little more casual. "Well… the sect is another matter. First, the sect will be pressured. The Emperor will suddenly find himself too busy to notice anything happening here, giving him a reason as to why he couldn't protect me if my backer comes knocking."
"He'll try to find some way to kill me before the Crown Prince's mother returns." Itachi let out a long, bored yawn. "But it'll all be pointless in the end."
"Someone did that to my son, and you did what?" Inside the royal castle, deep within a secret chamber, the Emperor stood before a large mirror.
Reflected in it was the shadowy figure of a person, their features blurred and indistinct—yet the pressure they gave off was terrifying.
"The person behind this," the Emperor said carefully, his voice tense, "comes from a background I dare not offend without first getting your thoughts. This is someone who, even at level 1 Body Tempering, managed to kill a level 8 Nascent Soul cultivator… with ease."
Unease twisted in his chest as he spoke, fully aware of how absurd it sounded.
"You fool! Do you really think a level 1 Body Tempering cultivator could do such a thing?" The Crown Prince's mother yelled in rage, her voice shaking the very walls of the chamber.
Despite his fear, the Emperor didn't hesitate. He pulled out a crystal and pressed it against the mirror. The surface of the mirror rippled like water, allowing the crystal to pass through to the other side.
"If whatever this crystal holds isn't worth my interest," the shadowy figure hissed, "you will suffer a fate worse than hell."
She grabbed the crystal harshly, sending her spiritual sense inside. What she saw left her silent. First, the memories of the Crown Prince's guardian played out before her eyes, and then, to her shock, the events that unfolded when the Emperor himself arrived.
"T-this…" She was stunned, unable to react for a long moment as the memories continued to replay in her mind.
"Kill him at all costs," she said sharply, her voice cold enough to freeze blood. "I will start heading over as soon as possible… and if he dares to still be alive when I arrive, you shall face my wrath alongside him."
The Emperor's body trembled in horror, but he quickly nodded, already scrambling in his mind to make plans to kill Itachi before it was too late.
As soon as the communion was cut off, the Emperor wasted no time. He rushed off to find the Ancestor—the true hidden power behind the royal family—and immediately began making plans to kill Itachi.
"I can just go kill him," the Ancestor said with a dismissive snort, clearly unimpressed. But the Emperor quickly shook his head, panic flashing across his face.
"Father, what if he has a guardian like the Crown Prince?" the Emperor said urgently, his voice low. "The guardian can't be too weak. We should try to force the guardian to make a move first, get a sense of his strength."
He paused, looking deeply into his father's narrowed eyes. "Plus, if he dies here… how would we face his family? I'm sure the Prince's mother wouldn't be so kind to help us."
They stood like ants before a mighty dragon, and behind that dragon, another just as terrifying loomed. One wrong move, and their entire empire could be crushed without warning. They had to make the right choice. Or everything they built would fall.
"We can use the wild beasts. We can kill two birds with one stone," the Emperor said, a scheming look flashing across his face.
"First, they can draw out the protector. Second, we can use them to create the illusion that we're too distracted to provide help in his moment of need."
He leaned back slightly, his mind already racing with more ideas. "We can also have other sects pressure the 7 Lotus Sect. And… we can send assassins to target him," the Emperor added coldly, his tone growing darker with each word.