Chapter 453: Disowning All Six Relatives

Ye Liuyun sent the images of the two people to the Ninth Princess, letting her confirm whether they can be eliminated.

"These two people—one is the Fourteenth Younger Brother, the other is the son of the Minister of State," the Ninth Princess confirmed.

"I'm asking whether you can kill them," Ye Liuyun asked.

"Of course you can! You may kill anyone you wish! But not now. They each retain a strand of Divine Sense in the Royal Palace; if they die, the palace will know. You can capture them first, then kill them after you leave," the Ninth Princess said dismissively.

"Uh… so this Ninth Princess truly disowns all six relatives!" Ye Liuyun was speechless.

His impression of the Ninth Princess plummeted instantly. After a pause, he said, "That Fourteenth Younger Brother—doesn't he have a blood relation with you?"

"So what? When my mother died, who knows who caused it! Brother Liuyun, don't think that we siblings, the queen, and the concubine are all good people. They may look respectable on the surface, but they're actually wicked, each more scheming than the last."

The Ninth Princess also sensed the change in Ye Liuyun's tone and explained, "Being born into the Royal Palace is like that—there's little affection, only mutual scheming. Their methods are harsher than those of external enemies. My mother was killed by them, yet the culprit remains unfound!"

Ye Liuyun thought for a moment and nodded. He thought to himself, "Perhaps this is the tragedy of being born into the Royal Palace! Open and covert struggles within the palace are inevitable!" At this thought, he felt a bit of sympathy for the princess.

When the Ninth Princess was only ten, her mother died of a sudden illness; it was said to be disease, but everyone knew she had been killed. There was simply no evidence.

For a girl to survive to this age in such a dangerous place is no small feat.

"Fine! I'll knock them out, then deal with them later," Ye Liuyun said, not wasting any more time. He immediately vanished into the void, appearing behind each of the two, one after another, and knocked both unconscious. To be safe, he placed them into his Storage Ring and pulled their Souls into his Divine Sense domain, preventing them from waking midway.

Then he released the people around him and began excavating the Spiritual Stone Vein.

Later, under cover of night, they dug a second Spiritual Stone Vein, again knocking out two cultivated Royal Palace members, and hollowed the vein until daylight broke.

The two Spiritual Stone Veins have been sufficient for Ye Liuyun for a long time; digging further would likely be discovered by those inside the Secret Realm, and once the sky is fully bright, escaping would also become difficult.

"Let's go!" Ye Liuyun decided decisively.

He then gathered everyone into the Storage Ring and rushed toward the entrance. He remained hidden in the void the whole way, so no one noticed him.

Just as Ye Liuyun materialized and prepared to burst out of the Formation at the entrance, two people dressed as princes emerged from the Formation, colliding head‑on with him.

"Who are you?" one of the princes asked upon seeing Ye Liuyun's sudden appearance.

Ye Liuyun had no time for words; he immediately unleashed his Divine Sense domain, pulling their Souls into it. Both were at the Tian Gang First Rank.

He then collected their Physical Bodies into the Storage Ring and stepped into the Secret Realm's Teleportation Array.

At the moment he reached the exit, he instantly vanished into the void. Just before entering the void, Ye Liuyun glimpsed two guards—one recording, the other sorting Tokens. They apparently hadn't noticed him; even if they sensed a disturbance, they saw no figure.

When Ye Liuyun emerged from the void again, he had arrived at Demon-Sealing Mountain.

He must first deal with those Royal Palace youths before returning to the Iron Eagle Sect Headquarters, or else it would cause trouble for the Iron Eagle Sect.

Ye Liuyun first threw out their Physical Bodies, then reconfirmed with the Ninth Princess whether these people could be killed.

"Kill them all!" the Ninth Princess said calmly. "Be careful—their Storage Rings have tracking functions. Just take what's inside; don't take the rings themselves."

"The imperial family truly lacks compassion!" Ye Liuyun sighed helplessly.

This time he didn't hesitate; he searched their Storage Rings, taking only the Spirit Stones and leaving everything else untouched. He then began annihilating their Souls while absorbing the bloodline power within their bodies.

These people truly are of Royal blood; their bloodline power is relatively strong, and not absorbing it would be wasteful.

He then vanished into the void again, disappearing on the spot. He traversed from the void back to the Iron Eagle Sect, all without anyone noticing.

After returning, Ye Liuyun released everyone again. Having harvested so many Spirit Stones, everyone was in good spirits.

Only Ye Liuyun couldn't feel happy. He was worried about what to do with the Ninth Princess.

"This Ninth Princess truly has a thin affection for her family, even some hatred. He doesn't know whether keeping her close would be dangerous. What if one day she feels the same toward those around him? Yet now she is devoted to Ye Liuyun, not displeasing him, but what about the future? Moreover, Ye Liuyun doesn't want to provoke her."

He wanted to clarify things with the Ninth Princess early to avoid delaying her. But saying it now feels a bit like killing the donkey after unloading the mill. Having just relied on them to dig two Spiritual Stone Veins, now forcing them out seems excessive.

Thus he was troubled, not knowing how to treat the Ninth Princess or how to let her go.

Unexpectedly, the Ninth Princess took the floor in front of everyone and initiated a conversation: "Do you think I'm so ruthless toward my own kin that you're worried about me?"

Ye Liuyun remained silent, merely glancing at the Ninth Princess while thinking, "This girl is sometimes cunning, sometimes foolish; I never know when she's normal."

"Rest assured, I won't harm you or those around you! I can sense that you have no intention of harming me. This is a skill I've cultivated since childhood. I can roughly guess others' intentions," the Ninth Princess said calmly.

"Also, I know you dislike me and keep thinking about how to drive me away. But I have nowhere to go now; leaving on my own is even less safe. Though I like you, I won't force you, so please don't drive me away, okay? Perhaps if I stay with you longer, I'll gradually stop liking you! Maybe one day I figure it out and return to the Royal Palace on my own!"

Ye Liuyun hadn't expected that the girl seemed to understand his thoughts perfectly. He realized he still hadn't truly seen through her.

Wu Qingcheng and the others actually understood Ye Liuyun's thoughts. Yet they never expected such words to come from the Ninth Princess's mouth. Seeing her usually giggling, they were surprised at how perceptive she was.

After the Ninth Princess finished speaking, she noticed everyone eyeing her, and instantly shifted from a slightly sorrowful, earnest demeanor back to her usual capricious, wilful self.

"What? Never seen a girl as beautiful as this princess before?"

Ye Liuyun thought it over and, since everything was out in the open, thought it was fine. He found himself somewhat admiring this little princess.

So he smiled and, jokingly, said, "You've said everything, so I have nothing left to say! Fine, I'll do as you suggest. Princess, you should experience mortal hardships; from now on, be my maid!"

"Yes, master!" the Ninth Princess stuck out her tongue, echoed Ye Liuyun's words with a single assent, making everyone laugh.