I alone am the Honoured One!

They all bowed for a few seconds, and Zhao Tian waved his hand dismissively "Now you all can leave and inform everyone about the new emperor."

The nobles, ministers, and sect leaders trembled as they nodded frantically and their bodies moved before their minds could fully comprehend his words.

Some nearly tripped over themselves as they turned to flee, desperate to put as much distance between themselves and this man who had turned the wedding hall into a slaughterhouse.

None of them wanted to become the next corpse littering the marble floor.

As they left, the prince turned his head and hesitated for a second before bowing "T-Thank you, brother."

Zhao Tian sighed in his heart, feeling the pain still wrecking his body, and his gaze flickered toward Li Jia and stayed a bit on Velnorah.

Both of them smiled and walked toward him.

Leaning toward him, Velnorah kissed his lips "Tian..."

Zhao Tian reciprocated the kiss, his hand instinctively resting against Velnorah's waist.

When they finally parted, Velnorah's crimson eyes held an unspoken depth of emotion.

She traced her fingers along the side of his face, as if ensuring he was truly there. "You came back to me."

Zhao Tian let out a slow breath and his eyes flickered with exhaustion "Mhm..."

Before she could respond, a pair of delicate hands suddenly wrapped around his other arm.

Li Jia leaned against him, and her body trembled slightly.

"You idiot." Her voice quivered.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were? How worried I was?"

Zhao Tian didn't reply immediately.

He knew there were no words that could truly ease their concerns.

Still, he placed a hand atop Li Jia's head, ruffling her hair in the way he always did. "I'm here now."

Li Jia pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to scold him further, but in the end, she only let out a small huff and buried her face into his chest.

Ji Shuang, who had been silently watching, finally stepped closer "Tian, are you alright?"

Looking at her, he gave a faint nod "Hmm... I am good."

At this time, the Empress, who had been standing in silence, finally took a deep breath and stepped forward as she lowered her head in respect.

"Zhao Tian, thank you..."

Her voice trembled, filled with gratitude and perhaps even a lingering fear.

Zhao Tian waved his hand dismissively "There's no need for thanks."

Then his gaze moved to Zhou Hanyue and Lan Shuqin.

Lan Shuqin showed a smile and lowered her head in respect while Zhou Hanyue just looked into his eyes.

Zhao Tian looked at her as if expecting her to say something.

Her lips curled into a smile as she lipsynched, 'What are you looking at... Husband?'

Zhao Tian just closed his eyes and turned to look at Velnorah and Li Jia "Let's leave..."

The three of them moved toward the demolished door.

The Empress, now standing alone amidst the wreckage of what was supposed to be a joyous occasion, clenched her hands into fists.

The weight of her position, her losses, and her gratitude to Zhao Tian all mixed into a complicated storm of emotions.

She wanted to say something... to ask what his next move would be, but in the end, she remained silent.

The newly declared emperor, the eldest prince, stood to the side, still shaking from the encounter.

He watched Zhao Tian's retreating back, understanding that his rise to power had not been through his own strength but through the mercy of the man who now walked away.

Zhou Hanyue looked at his back and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Lan Shuqin glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not going to follow him, Lady Hanyue?"

Zhou Hanyue let out a quiet chuckle. "He didn't asked me to."

Lan Shuqin sighed, shaking her head. "You really are…"

The grand wedding hall, once filled with celebration and anticipation, now lay in ruins.

Blood stained the marble floors, and the air still carried the scent of death.

The Empress turned her head and uttered "Arrange people to clear the bodies and clean this place."

"Yes, Mother."

...

Stepping out, Zhao Tian glimpsed at Ji Shuang "Thank you for helping me, Sect Master."

With a shake of her head, she replied "I didn't do anything. You did everything yourself."

His gaze lowered slightly and he gave a faint nod "I will take my leave then."

With that the three of them disappeared and Ji Shuang blinked in confusion "Just like before.. he just disappeared like that."

...

Reappearing in the artifact's grassland, Zhao Tian took a deep breath.

The cool breeze brushed against his weary face, but it did little to soothe the exhaustion weighing on him.

Without a word, he began walking toward the grand mansion in the distance, with Velnorah and Li Jia following him.

Everyone who has been waiting for him in the hall hurriedly stood up, seeing him "Tian, what happened?"

"The marriage?"

"Did you manage to stop it?"

"Are you alright, Husband?"

Concern was etched deeply on their faces but Zhao Tian raised his hand gently to calm down as they all swarmed him with questions.

Velnorah stepped forward and spoke "Yeah, Tian stopped the marriage..."

Zhao Tian didn't say a word.

Instead, he took a step back from the group and his gaze was distant, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely.

Then, without another glance, he turned and began walking toward the staircase leading to his room.

Xia Shenyi, noticing his uncharacteristic silence, quickly stepped forward and grasped his wrist. "Tian?"

The others also looked at him in confusion as he was already leaving.

Normally, he would stay and talk to them, reassure them, even tease them... but now, he was leaving without a second thought.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at them "I am going back to my room... and leave me alone for a while."

Huh? Xia Shenyi's fingers tightened slightly before she reluctantly let go.

"Alright..." She didn't press further, but a deep sense of unease settled in her heart.

With a slight nod, he teleported to his room upstairs.

As he disappeared, the women looked at each other in confusion.

"Is it only me? Or he feels strange after his return..."

"I also felt the same..."

"And I haven't seen him smile yet."

"What happened in the vampiric High Star?"

Velnorah's gaze narrowed 'As I thought... did they torture Tian for his blood?'

Zhao Tian possessed the rarest and most coveted physique in existence.

To vampires, his blood would be more valuable than any treasure. If they had captured him, then…

With a hesitating breath, she muttered "U-Uh, Sisters... I think maybe Tian got severely tortured for his blood."

"T-That's why he must be so traumatized..."

The moment the words left her lips, a heavy silence filled the air.

The other women froze, and their eyes widened in horror.

"W-What?"

"T-Tortured?!"

"Then, the s-scars on his chest?"

Before it could spiral any further, Velnorah calmed them down "Wait.. I might be wrong."

Snapping out of her shock, Li Jia spoke "No, No, let's not make any assumptions. Sect Master.. she was with him when he arrived, maybe she knows something..."

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!