The Imperial Capital was unlike any other place on the continent.
Even from miles away, Shen could feel it — the pressure of countless experts, the layered formations woven across the sky, the dense ocean of spiritual qi rising like mist. This was the heart of the continent. The center of civilization. The throne that ruled not one nation, but dozens.
And at its core lay the Imperial Palace.
A sprawling world of its own.
Even with his aura hidden behind the Eternal Veil Art, Shen could sense the unfathomable power sleeping within its walls. It thrummed faintly through the air like distant thunder.
He knew who it belonged to.
His father.
The Emperor.
The man who stood at the 14th realm.
The man who ruled millions.
The man Shen once admired… and feared.
Inside the Imperial Palace
Deep inside the palace, beyond hundreds of protective formations and towering jade walls, lay a secluded courtyard. Everything inside was still — the trees unmoving, the wind silenced, even the air itself frozen.
Because within this courtyard, a man sat cross-legged in meditation.
His presence was a mountain.
His qi was an ocean.
His eyes, though closed, could command nations to rise or fall.
The Current Emperor of the Human Dominion.
Realm: Apex Shattering Heart (14th Realm).
Title: The Unbroken Sovereign.
Name: Emperor Tianren.
And in that silent courtyard…
His eyes suddenly opened.
Golden light flashed within them — sharp, divine, searing through the air like a blade.
A single word escaped his lips, heavy with disbelief and raw emotion:
"…My son."
The air trembled.
The imperial formations stirred.
Because the bloodline he had believed lost forever…
had just flared to life within the Empire.
He rose slowly from his meditative seat, long robes sweeping across the floor like falling waves. His aura, suppressed for decades, leaked out for a brief instant — and every guard in a three-kilometer radius dropped to their knees, trembling.
Dozens of high-ranking ministers felt the pressure and gasped.
Cultivators across the capital instinctively lowered their heads.
The Emperor inhaled deeply, his expression shifting between shock, fear, anger… and something more vulnerable than any subject would ever see.
Hope.
"He lives," he whispered, voice shaking slightly. "After all these years… my son lives."
A ripple of energy pulsed from his heart, reaching every corner of the palace.
The Imperial Bloodline Recognition Formation flared to life.
Dozens of ministers gasped. Imperial guards straightened in panic. The formation hadn't activated in eleven years — not since the Crown Prince vanished.
Reports began to flood toward the palace instantly.
But the Emperor had already moved.
He vanished.
One step —
And he appeared in the sky above the capital, undetectable to nearly everyone.
His eyes scanned the entire Imperial Domain, searching, hunting, reaching out with the imperial bloodline connection.
Yet after five breaths…
He clenched his jaw.
"He is hiding his presence," he murmured. "Even from me."
That alone was terrifying.
Even the 14th-realm Emperor should be able to feel the faintest thread of his son's bloodline.
But now…
It was like the boy stood behind an impenetrable wall.
A concealment at this level should not exist.
Tianren narrowed his eyes, golden energy burning beneath his skin. "What have you experienced, child? What power shields you so completely?"
He descended slowly, suppressing his aura, returning to the palace in an instant. He could not simply roam the skies. Not without alerting enemies or alarming the continent.
Still, his heart beat faster than it had in years.
In the Imperial Throne Hall
The advisors and generals had already assembled by the time he arrived. Kneeling in rigid rows, they bowed low as the Emperor entered.
"Rise," he commanded.
All stood.
The Grand Marshal stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the Bloodline Formation has—"
"I know," the Emperor cut him off. "He is alive."
A tremor ran through the hall.
Many of the ministers had suspected the Crown Prince died years ago. Some believed he had been kidnapped. Others thought he fled. None dared to voice their opinions publicly.
But now—
The fate of the Crown Prince was undeniable.
The Emperor's gaze darkened. "Seal all movement logs from the last hour. No one outside this hall is to know of this. Do you understand?"
The hall thundered:
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!"
"The one who dared strike my son four years ago…" the Emperor murmured, "may believe they succeeded."
A faint, murderous heat rolled off his body.
"But they failed."
The Grand Elder stepped forward—an ancient cultivator who had served three emperors. "Shall I mobilize the imperial shadows to search for him immediately?"
The Emperor paused.
He thought of his son — that bright, stubborn boy, quick-witted, mischievous, proud, with the potential to surpass even himself.
If he was hiding…
There was a reason.
"No," the Emperor said finally. "Do not search for him."
Shock rippled through the hall.
The Emperor continued:
"Whoever my son has become… whatever strength he now possesses… he chose not to reveal himself. He used a concealment so powerful that even I cannot sense him."
He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp as blades.
"If we interfere, we may ruin years of effort. If an enemy still hunts him, we may expose him."
Silence gripped the hall.
Then the Emperor finished:
"We will wait."
Those words felt like boulders crashing into the ground.
The ministers bowed deeply.
The Emperor Alone
Later, when the hall emptied and the palace quieted, Emperor Tianren walked slowly through the Moon Garden—the place where Shen used to run around as a child.
He paused beside the pond.
Their last interaction replayed in his mind: his son's small hand slipping out of his grasp, the burst of light, the panic, the chaos…
He shut his eyes.
For four years, he had believed only two possibilities:
His son was dead.
Or his son was taken.
But now…
His son was alive.
Stronger.
Hidden beneath an impossible veil.
Returning toward the capital.
"Shen…" he murmured, speaking his son's true name with trembling breath. "I will not force you to return. Come when you choose to."
A small, uneven smile tugged at his lips.
"I will be waiting."
His aura rippled gently.
And throughout the capital, every imperial guardian felt the shift.
The Emperor — the unshakeable sovereign — had hope again.
Meanwhile, Shen
Shen felt the ripple of imperial qi explode through the capital like a silent storm.
His father had sensed him.
Even through the Eternal Veil Art, even through the concealment, the Emperor had reacted.
Shen stopped walking, his heart thudding softly.
"That pressure…"
Even now, he remembered the warmth he felt as a child when held by that same man. The pride, the encouragement, the strict training, the heavy expectations — all wrapped together into the image of a father he hadn't seen for over a decade.
Shen looked toward the center of the capital.
A faint golden aura flashed in the sky for a single heartbeat before vanishing.
Shen smiled faintly.
"Father… I'll see you soon."
But not yet.
Not until he was strong enough.
Not until he could answer the questions of the past.
And not until he discovered who tried to erase the Crown Prince from existence.
With the sun setting behind him, he pulled his hood tighter and stepped deeper into the capital.
The Emperor awaited.
And Shen was ready to reclaim his fate.