Just then, a series of slightly chaotic footsteps came from the edge of the ruins, breaking the deathly silence.
“Someone’s here?!”
A-Long immediately tensed, barking out a low warning.
The remaining guards swiftly gathered and shielded Margaret.
Dustin also lifted his gaze slightly. His spiritual sense flowed out like liquid mercury, sweeping across the surroundings before settling again. It seemed he had already noticed.
A group of people carefully walked out from between drifting smoke and fallen giant pillars.
The three leading the group were none other than the three princes who had been separated on the island earlier—Li Wenxing, Li Guanglong, and Li Juntang!
The soldiers behind them had been reduced in number, and those who remained were all injured, their clothes torn, their faces exhausted. Clearly, they had encountered many dangers on their way.
The three princes looked extremely bedraggled—robes ripped, hair crowns askew, faces smeared with dust and blood.
They had followed the overwhelming shockwaves of battle earlier, and the final burst of seven-colored celestial light that pierced the sky. They thought they would witness some peerless treasure emerging or perhaps a disastrous mutual defeat—yet what awaited them was this world-ending devastation.
Everywhere they looked: collapsed palaces, melted jade, scorched earth, and bottomless chasms.
This was no longer an overseas immortal island—it was clearly a land that had just endured an apocalyptic calamity!
And at the center of the ruins stood a white-robed figure, and beneath his feet—suppressed by strange seven-colored runes—lay a charred figure radiating traces of terrifying aura. The sight made their hearts violently tremble.
“Th-this… what happened here?”
The second prince, Li Guanglong, widened his tiger-like eyes in disbelief.
Especially when he looked at the suppressed Ao Kun. Even dying and nearly powerless, the lingering pressure from that body still made his heart palpitate.
Li Juntang, meticulous as ever, swept his gaze rapidly across the scene. Finally, his eyes landed on Dustin—filled with unprecedented shock and scrutiny.
He recognized the tattered black armor on the restrained figure—similar in style to the terrifying Bai Chan from before—but the power this one had unleashed far surpassed Bai Chan.
Yet Dustin… had managed to suppress such a being?!
Li Wenxing appeared relatively calm outwardly, but his fingertips trembled uncontrollably.
The sight before them was simply too horrifying.
The immense palace… reduced to rotting debris.
“Mr. Dustin… is the danger here already dealt with?” Li Wenxing asked cautiously.
Dustin nodded slightly in response, his tone flat:
“The demon here has been subdued. The disturbance has settled.”
A simple sentence—yet it struck the princes like a heavy hammer.
It was truly him!
With his own strength, he pacified this immortal palace and suppressed a being comparable to an immortal demon!
Thinking back to how Dustin intercepted that golden-clad white-robed man in the canyon earlier, the three princes now realized—that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Margaret stepped forward at this moment and gave a brief account of what had happened—naturally omitting many details. She said only that Ao Kun and the others were evil cultivators occupying Penglai, attempting sinister deeds, and that Dustin and two hidden hermits had joined forces to defeat them.
The two hermits, she added, unfortunately fell in battle.
She did not mention the Void Dragon, nor the core secrets of the seal, nor the exact origins of the Immortal Essence Pill. She only said it was a spiritual medicine refined by Dustin to save the Emperor.
But the word “spiritual medicine” instantly triggered the princes’ sharp instincts.
Their gazes drifted toward the milky-white pill in Margaret’s hand, glowing softly and emitting a refreshing fragrance.
A pill refined by Dustin after a battle of immortal-demon scale… how could it be ordinary?
Thinking of Dustin’s unfathomable strength… the pill’s effects must be astonishing.
Li Wenxing took a deep breath, suppressing the throb in his heart. He tried to make his tone sound composed:
“Mr. Dustin possesses divine ability and even masters alchemy? May I ask… what miraculous effects does this pill have?”
Dustin glanced at him, answering calmly:
“It is called the ‘Immortal Essence Pill.’ Refined using the lingering spiritual energy of this place and the purified essence of the demon. It strengthens one’s foundation and prolongs life.”
Prolongs life!
The moment those words fell, the three princes’ breathing grew noticeably heavier.
The Emperor sought longevity. But they—princes trapped in political struggle—how could they not yearn for more years, more chances to seize power?
Li Guanglong’s eyes burned with undisguised desire as he asked:
“Life extension…? How many years can it extend?”
He had fought countless battles. He did not fear death—but if he could live ten more years, he could seize far greater territory!
Dustin’s gaze swept over the three of them, clearly seeing the greed and longing hidden in their eyes.
His voice remained calm as he spoke two words:
“Ten years.”
Ten years!
For ordinary people—especially princes entangled in deadly power struggles—ten years of lifespan meant countless possibilities.
More schemes.
More opportunities.
Perhaps even… the chance to fight for the supreme throne.
A strange, heavy silence fell over the ruins.
Only the distant, muffled growls from the sealed fissure remained—along with the princes’ heavy breathing. - Marinien
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