Stellar Transformation-Chapter 87 - 17: Qin Yu Returns

Qin Yu and Little Black felt a wave of relief wash over them, no longer desperate as before. The two brothers, one man and one eagle, weaved through the clouds, heading straight toward Yan Capital City Prince Mansion. Meanwhile, the town of Xiyang was about to face two terrifying figures.

With their black robes billowing, Xiang Yang stood in the void, his eyes seemingly piercing through space as he overlooked the entire Xiyang Town. Next to him was Wood, whose green robe fluttered in the wind.

Xiang Yang didn’t bother concealing his power at all, allowing his immense presence to emanate from him as the center, enveloping the entire Xiyang Town. That oppressive feeling was almost palpable to everyone in Xiyang Town, within the residence of Qin De.

"Creak—"

Qin De pushed open the door and walked directly from his room into the courtyard, looking up at the sky with a hint of a calm smile on his lips.

"Oh? Xiang Yang has finally arrived," Qin De murmured, while Xu Yuan also stepped out of the room, feeling that terrifying oppressive sensation. Looking up, he immediately saw the two figures standing in the void.

"Prince, they are..." Xu Yuan was shocked. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Qin De turned his head to Xu Yuan and said, "Xu Yuan, do you remember the silk pouch I gave you earlier? Go back and open that pouch, and follow the steps I’ve outlined inside."

"Qin brat, come out and meet me at once!"

A voice, booming like thunder, reverberated throughout Xiyang Town. The terror in the voice whitened the faces of all the soldiers in Xiyang Town, and those with weaker constitutions even fainted outright.

"Remember, go back and open the pouch!" Qin De solemnly told Xu Yuan, who, being a highly intelligent man, could guess a bit of what was happening by seeing Qin De’s expression. Nevertheless, he nodded and said, "Prince, rest assured, Xu Yuan will not let you down!"

A smile appeared on Qin De’s face, and then a flying sword appeared beneath his feet.

Standing on the flying sword, Qin De soared into the sky.

Qin De using Sword Control Flight, soon encountered Xiang Yang, who stood suspended in the void. Xiang Yang’s black hair danced wildly, and his black robe fluttered. However, it was his cold eyes, seemingly able to see through people’s hearts, that was truly terrifying.

"Xiang Yang, truly a distinguished member of the Xiang Family," Qin De thought, admiring Xiang Yang. Back when the Overlord of Western Chu dominated absolutely, contending for supremacy across the lands, he offended many forces. After the Overlord’s death, Xiang Family became the target of many, but luckily, the young Xiang Yang emerged outstandingly, using both diplomacy and power. Eventually, he divided the world into three domains with the other two major forces.

Years later, Xiang Yang managed the Chu Dynasty for decades, turning it into the strongest among the Three Great Dynasties. Not only was he adept at state affairs, but his martial arts talent was said to rival that of his father, Xiang Yu. Despite being distracted by state affairs, he still managed to reach the Golden Core Realm.

Xiang Yu was domineering and extremely tyrannical, yet lacked benevolence. Meanwhile, Xiang Yang was nearly perfect—whether merciful, ruthless, overtly noble, or covertly murderous. His methods were versatile, truly a natural-born emperor.

"Qin De has seen senior Xiang Yang," Qin De said with a smile, bowing slightly, neither servile nor overbearing.

Xiang Yang glanced at Qin De, noting that his counterpart saw him without a hint of nervousness, which revealed the gap between his own descendant, Xiang Guang, and Qin De. However, no matter what, he, Xiang Yang, was a man of the Xiang Family, and a smile crept onto his lips.

"Qin De!" Xiang Yang scrutinized Qin De and then said with a laugh, "Indeed a remarkable character. No wonder you managed to capture most of the Chu Dynasty’s territory in such a short time. I, Xiang Yang, really appreciate you. However... I am from the Xiang Family, and being a wise man, you should guess why I am here, shouldn’t you?"

Qin De glanced at Xiang Yang and Wood, and when he saw Wood, a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"Wood," Qin De suddenly recalled the scene where his son, Qin Yu, perished together with Wu Xing. Wood looked at Qin De, his eyes also filled with a hint of murderous intent, as he had never forgotten the death of his junior brother.

Xiang Yang spoke with a heavier voice, "Qin De, did you not hear my question?"

Qin De turned to Xiang Yang and said, "Senior Xiang Yang, I really have no idea why you’ve come here with such fanfare to do what exactly?" Qin De pretended to know nothing.

Xiang Yang’s brows slightly furrowed, and a cold light immediately shone in his eyes, "Oh, so the intelligent Qin De has figured it out? Then let me be clear — I want your Qin Family Army to retreat. In that case, the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures will still belong to your Qin Family. Your Qin Family will still be a vassal to the Xiang Family, and even the affairs of the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures will be left unchecked by the Xiang Family, considered a ’country within a country.’ How about that?"

"Retreat? A ’country within a country’?" Qin De suddenly burst out laughing.

The laugh was full of endless mockery, and listening to Qin De’s laughter, Xiang Yang’s expression remained unchanged; he quietly waited for Qin De’s response. Qin De’s expression suddenly became serious, and he said to Xiang Yang, "Senior Xiang Yang, I respect you as a wise and enlightened ruler of the Chu Dynasty, but now you are dreaming. At this stage, my Qin Family has occupied ten of the twelve counties of the Chu Dynasty; do you think I will retreat? Is that possible?"

Xiang Yang emanated an intense chill, "Qin De, can you not see the situation clearly?"

"The situation, what situation?" Qin De defiantly looked at Xiang Yang, and despite their eye contact, Qin De was not the least bit afraid, "Besides, you’re just a cultivator, do you think you can compare with an army of two million?"

Qin De’s morale soared even higher.

Xiang Yang suddenly laughed, "Good, very good Qin De, I just want to tell you, I have already reached the Nascent Soul Stage, albeit the early-stage Nascent Soul, but I believe you understand what that means. Think about it well."

"Think about what?" Qin De replied without hesitation.

Xiang Yang’s expression changed slightly; even with great self-restraint, he was annoyed. This Qin De was pretending to be ignorant.

"Although you have reached the early-stage Golden Core, I could kill you instantly in a direct encounter, as well as that Feng Yuzi. I could also easily kill all your Qin Family’s generals. Do you understand what I mean?" Xiang Yang said word by word.

Nevertheless, Qin De still maintained a faint smile.

"Senior Xiang Yang, Feng Yuzi and I are both Golden Core Stage cultivators, whom your spiritual sense can easily locate. But do you know my Qin Family’s other generals? Even if they stood in front of you, you wouldn’t be able to tell if he is one of my Qin Family’s generals, right?" Qin De stared at Xiang Yang.

When a cultivator uses spiritual sense to search for someone, they at least need to know their aura, otherwise how could they be sure?

"In the army, the general’s tent and the other soldiers’ tents are the same; you can’t possibly pinpoint who is the general, how will you kill my Qin Family’s generals." Qin De stared at Xiang Yang, pronouncing each word carefully.

"Furthermore, as of now, sixty thousand troops from the Northern Domain Two Prefectures have already advanced into Zhenyang County, your Xiang Family’s twenty thousand army, ten thousand have already surrendered, and the remaining ten thousand are merely lingering on. The Black Water Army and the Mu Family together, amounting to sixty thousand troops, have almost taken over the entirety of Upper Sparrow County." Qin De shared the news he had just received.

Xiang Yang’s expression changed.

He had known that the twenty thousand army in Zhenyang County would definitely not be able to withstand the opposing sixty thousand army, but he hadn’t expected that ten thousand would surrender. However, it seemed normal on further thought. Anyone with a clear mind could see that the Xiang Family’s days were waning, making it isn’t difficult to tempt an enemy into surrender with money and power.

"Upper Sparrow County to the south and Zhenyang County to the north – my Qin Family has sixty thousand troops in each. Even some of your Xiang Family’s army has surrendered to us. Plus, nearly forty thousand troops from Thunder Blood County. A three-sided attack, your Xiang Family only has Ba Chu County left. Just a single command from my Qin Family, regardless of the consequences, would definitely allow us to break into Ba Chu County within a day." Qin De confidently declared.

Encircled on three sides, the Xiang Family was left with only one prefecture, and they had to defend on all three fronts. After the battles in Zhenyang County, Upper Sparrow County, and Thunder Blood County, the remaining troops of the Xiang Family amounted to only five to six hundred thousand. Moreover, having to defend on three sides, such a small army could hardly hold the line.

Qin De didn’t need to elaborate further, as Xiang Yang clearly understood the situation.

Although he was a Cultivator, once a great battle involving two million soldiers commenced, even though he was a formidable Cultivator, how could he possibly stop two million soldiers? Killing a few with a flying sword takes a long time even for just ten thousand men for Xiang Yang.

"Qin De, you still haven’t understood what I mean," Xiang Yang said with a smile.

"Oh, I would like to hear the details." Qin De replied with a bland smile.

Xiang Yang said, "Your identity as Prince Zhen Dong, the head of the Qin Family – if I killed you, I believe the Qin Family would certainly fall into chaos, right?"

Qin De smiled, "Let me tell you something, I’ve already made preparations. Once I die, a new head of the Qin Family will appear, and the Qin Family army will spare no effort in attacking from three sides to flatten the Xiang Family!"

A cold light flashed in Xiang Yang’s eyes.

An attack from three sides. If truly a battle with two million soldiers were to start, he, Xiang Yang, despite his personal strength, couldn’t stop countless soldiers clashing. Although the soldiers couldn’t kill him, Xiang Yang, he couldn’t stop so many soldiers either.

After all, there were too many of them.

The destruction of the Xiang Family was the last thing Xiang Yang wanted to see.

"However... I do wish to stay alive, so I can order my troops not to attack Ba Chu County, and you must not harm a single person from my Qin Family. How about that? If you lay a hand on them, the grand armies from Thunder Blood County, Upper Sparrow County, and Zhenyang County will directly invade Ba Chu County!" Qin De said with a smile.

Xiang Yang stared at Qin De for a long time and then slowly nodded, "Alright, remember your words. Do not invade Ba Chu County, otherwise, I alone will annihilate your entire Qin Family!"

Xiang Yang’s black robe fluttered as his figure broke through the space and left. Wood also glanced at Qin De and left by Sword Control.

Qin De watched Xiang Yang leave, his brows deeply furrowed, "Things have become complicated. I didn’t expect that Xiang Yang has already reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul. I thought at most he would be in the late stage of Golden Core. With that, I still had ways to barely cope with him. But early-stage Nascent Soul... Even if my Qin Family conquered the world, he, Xiang Yang, could still annihilate my entire family."

Qin De thought hard in midair for a long time but couldn’t think of any solutions, as Xiang Yang reaching the early stage of the Nascent Soul had thwarted Qin De’s plans.

******

Qin Yu and Little Black were shuttling through the clouds, yet Qin Yu’s mood was somewhat tumultuous.

"Father and the others probably think I’m dead," Qin Yu thought, becoming increasingly eager to see his own father. Suddenly, he saw the outline of Yan Capital City below and immediately said to Little Black, "Little Black, we’ve reached the Prince Mansion, hurry up!"

Qin Yu transformed into a streak of light, diving down towards the Prince Mansion; Little Black also followed Qin Yu in a rush.

"Big Brother, I wonder what expression your father will have when he sees you," Little Black telepathically spoke to Qin Yu, who unconsciously had a smile on his face. With Qin Yu’s speed, they quickly reached the airspace above the Prince Mansion.

Spiritual Sense swept across the entire Prince Mansion.

"Huh? Big Brother, Second Brother, and Father are not here." Qin Yu directly flew into one part of the Prince Mansion.

Manager Li, the Housekeeper of the Prince Mansion, was leisurely strolling inside, buoyed by the good news from the front line. Since Ge Min died, the former Vice Housekeeper had been promoted to Housekeeper, gaining much more authority.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared in front of Manager Li, and then the figure became clearer.

"Ah!"

Manager Li involuntarily exclaimed in surprise; for someone accustomed to handling the affairs of the Prince Mansion, what could startle him so? Yet, the person appearing before him was the supposedly deceased Third Son, Qin Yu.

"Third Prince?" Manager Li’s face filled with disbelief.

He had mourned the death of the Third Son for a long time and now, suddenly, a living person appeared before him; Qin Yu’s smile made Manager Li helplessly believe that this was indeed the Prince Mansion’s Third Prince, Qin Yu.

"Uncle Li, you’ve become the Housekeeper now. By the way, where is my father?" Qin Yu asked with a smile.

Manager Li’s expression changed, and then he stared at Qin Yu and said, "Who are you? Don’t think I don’t know that an Innate Expert can shape-shift. The Third Prince was personally witnessed dead by the Prince. What deceit is this?"

"Uncle Li, you don’t recognize me anymore? Remember the last time you sent Eight External Skills Masters for me to choose a master? Last time I chose Master Zhao Yunxing," Qin Yu helplessly said.

Although Manager Li wanted to believe the person before him was Qin Yu, Qin Yu’s death had been personally witnessed by the Prince. The dead cannot be resurrected; that is a law.

"I sent eight External Strength Experts for the Third Prince to choose, many people know this, it doesn’t prove your identity." Manager Li said sternly, but he didn’t call the guards, instead hoping Qin Yu would reveal some secrets.

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled helplessly, "Alright then, remember when I was five years old, Grandpa Lian was with me, and I urinated, directly onto your face and mouth, do you remember?"

Manager Li was instantly speechless.

That incident was known only to Lian Yan and him—it was an embarrassing event he had never spoken about. Qin Yu, after going to Cloud Mist Villa, had never mentioned it either. As for Lian Yan, he was not that frivolous. Yet here was Qin Yu mentioning it.

"Also, when I left for Cloud Mist Villa, you gave me a wooden horse you had carved yourself. Also, when I was ten years old, during my visit to the Prince Mansion, you..." Qin Yu kept talking with a smile, and Manager Li’s eyes involuntarily moistened.

"Third Prince!"

Manager Li tightly hugged Qin Yu, tears streaming down involuntarily. Manager Li had watched Qin Yu grow up; originally as Vice Housekeeper, he had a deep affection for Qin Yu. Now that Qin Yu was revealing so many secrets that only he and Qin Yu knew, and with Qin Yu’s smile, his demeanor, nothing differed from the Third Prince in his heart.

"It’s okay, Uncle Li." Qin Yu also felt his uncle’s excited emotions, "Uncle Li, where is my father? Why are Big Brother and Second Brother not at the Prince Mansion?"

Manager Li released Qin Yu and immediately smiled, "The Prince? A few months ago, the Prince had already moved to wage war against the Xiang Family!"

"Waging war against the Xiang Family?" Qin Yu was startled.