Dao of The Demonic Cultivator

The youth, now reduced to a state of stupefaction, was known as Chuan Deyou. Chuan, a surname of the Sunzi royal family, and Deyou his given name.

After perusing his memories, Chu Xuan discovered that the young man had never come into contact with a Psionic Cube.

Yet, there lingered a faint aura about him, an aura that was gradually fading. This suggested that from a young age, Deyou had grown up alongside a Psionic Cube, though the cube might have transformed its form of existence.

"It seems then, the most likely location for the Psionic Cube would be... the Sunzi Imperial Palace!"

A light of realization sparked in Chu Xuan's eyes. It seemed a visit to Sunzi was inevitable. Well, he thought, let it be a journey then.

Chu Xuan returned to the deck, which by now had become a true ship of death. Not a soul survived. Every resource from their bodies would be utilized to perfection.

The diligent worker bees would carve the flesh into small chunks, consuming it and through multiple processes, regurgitate it as blood honey. The souls would be captured by the Myriad Souls Banner, serving as nourishment for malevolent spirits.

As for the bones... well, sometimes the corpse puppets found them particularly appealing.

Chu Xuan recalled the corpse puppets and the blood bees back into their respective Tower and Beehive. He then boarded the Azure Shadow Shuttle and continued towards Sunzi.

The kingdom was approximately a thousand kilometers from the Han country. With the speed of his Green Shadow Shuttle, it would take only two hours to reach Sunzi.

...

Sunzi, Sun City.

This city was the oldest in Sunzi, unmatched in its antiquity. Just a glance upward would reveal the snow-capped Mount Sun.

However, no one considered it a serene peak; it was, in reality, a dormant volcano. Many believed that one day it would bring destruction to Sunzi.

At the heart of Sun City lay the Imperial Palace of Sunzi, home to the unbroken line of the Sunzi Imperial Family for thousands of years, a family revered by the people of Sunzi. Many believed the royal family to be divine, the beloved children of the great deity Sun, which justified their unbroken lineage.

However, not long ago, the general launched a rebellion and annihilated the royal family.

Since then, the general moved into the palace. This act stirred massive upheaval throughout Sunzi.

Loyal royalists frequently attacked the new government regime, and while many publicly remained silent, there was widespread, simmering hatred toward the general, believed to inevitably invite divine retribution from the Sun.

Even if heavenly punishment had not yet arrived, it would surely descend upon the government one day. Some even whispered that the missing eighth prince would one day return to cast the sinful government into an abyss with no end.

At this very moment, atop the highest point of the imperial palace, a burly man stood bare-chested on the balcony, hands clasped behind his back.

Since annihilating the Sunzi royal family, he had resided at the pinnacle of the palace, as if to suppress the spirits of the thousands of wronged souls of the royal lineage. He was the government general, Gui Yongren.

Below the royal family of Sunzi were four major families: Gui, Long, Yu, and Hong.

Yu family had always been a staunch royalist and had been secretly eliminated by him before his coup. Their power and territories were swiftly consumed by the Gui, Long, and Hong families.

"Why do you stand here every day, Great General?" A woman, similarly unclothed, approached Gui Yongren from behind, her laughter tinkling lightly.

Gui Yongren responded calmly, "I am waiting for news."

The woman nibbled on his earlobe, her breath as sweet as an orchid, "Waiting for that missing eighth prince of the Sunzi royal family?"

Gui Yongren shook his head with a smile, "No. That eighth prince, short-sighted and unstable, even if he did escape, he is no match for me. I am waiting for news from Hong. I want to know why the Sunzi royal family had access to Psionics before the burst. That is what I am most curious about."

As Gui Yongren was about to continue, something caught his eye—a streak of azure light across the sky.

"Hmm? What is that?" he furrowed his brows.

The woman followed his gaze and gasped upon seeing a dark figure atop the azure light. "There's someone up there!"

Gui Yongren's eyes widened in recognition. Indeed, it was a person!

"Immediately send word to Long and Hong family, have them come here!" he commanded with a grave tone. "A big guy has come to the palace."

"Yes," the woman nodded.

…

Within the Sunzi Imperial Palace, Chu Xuan strode purposefully in a specific direction. Before setting out, he had brought the Psionic Cube with him.

These unique artifacts seemed to possess a strange attraction to one another, instinctively seeking to merge.

Chu Xuan didn't even need to sense the direction; the Psionic Cube was guiding him.

"Who goes there! Who permitted you entry into the palace!" a guard shouted fiercely.

Without hesitation, Chu Xuan breezed past them. The guards, roaring in anger, attempted to intercept him but found their bodies suddenly weak, collapsing to the ground in a heap, silenced in an instant. Those who tried to stop Chu Xuan all met the same fate.

Soon, he arrived at the palace's rear garden, adorned with intricately designed rockeries and an artificial lake.

"It's here," Chu Xuan's eyes brightened as he sensed the familiar aura.

"Who are you, and why do you trespass in our palace?" a cold voice called out ahead.

Chu Xuan looked up to see a man nearly three meters tall approaching with large strides, his physique reminiscent of a small giant. The man's muscles were impressively defined as if he had been sculpting them from a young age.

Sunzi language was not difficult. With Chu Xuan's intellect and wisdom, he had grasped most of it after hearing it just a few times. Hence, he understood the man's words clearly.

This muscular giant was the strongest warrior of the Hong family, Hong Jian. His brow furrowed as he sized up the black-clad youth.

For some reason, he sensed an extremely dangerous aura around this stranger, even more daunting than the general, Gui Yongren.

Was it a misperception? Or intuition? Hong Jian did not know. However, one does not truly know the strength of an opponent until they clash.

Hong Jian, an eighth level superhuman, considered himself among the mightiest in the world. Even if the stranger before him was formidable, surely he could spar a few rounds with him?

Chu Xuan, observing Hong Jian's robust form, couldn't help but chuckle, "Had it been when I first arrived on this planet, a body like yours would have been the perfect material for crafting a corpse puppet."

"Now, however…" Before he could finish, Hu blurted out eagerly, "Master, Hu wishes to fight!"

Chu Xuan chuckled, resigned, "Let the feast begin."

"Yes!" Hu charged forward. The master seemed interested in this man's physique—a new corpse puppet could mean a shift in his master's affections. This was no mere rivalry. Strong measures had to be taken!