When he said that, the air suddenly turned quiet.

Ye Futian... Was he born with the surname "Ye," or had he been given the surname "Ye"?

Many didn't know what happened back then, but as the most powerful organization in the Divine Prefecture, he naturally knew some insider information. The individual whom he spoke of just now was a taboo in the Divine Prefecture. He didn't even dare say his name directly in front of Princess Donghuang and had to refer to him as "that man."

But everyone present knew who "that man" was referring to.

Back in those times, he was widely regarded as on par with Donghuan the Great, one of the two emperors of the Divine Prefecture—Emperor Ye Qing.

However, many years ago, Emperor Ye Qing died one night, and all those in the top echelons of the Divine Prefecture knew that Emperor Ye Qing had died at the hands of Donghuan the Great. In the Divine Prefecture, who else but Donghuang the Great could kill Emperor Ye Qing?

A cultivator on the level of a Great Emperor, even if he would let you ambush and assassinate him without resisting, anyone below the level of a Great Emperor wouldn't be able to kill him.

Only Donghuang the Great could do it. Moreover, Donghuang the Great ordered to wipe out all traces of Emperor Ye Qing's existence after the incident.

Now, they found out that Ye Futian came from Qingzhou City. Donghuang Princess once went there, and there was even a statue of Emperor Ye Qing there.

Combined with Ye Futian and Yu Sheng's natural gift, some amongst the top forces of the Divine Prefecture had begun to connect the dots between Ye Futian and Emperor Ye Qing. They came to report the matter to Princess Donghuang.

If this suspicion proved to be true, then Ye Futian would die without a doubt.

Furthermore, even if it weren't proven, as long as the Donghuang Imperial Palace suspected Ye Futian, this would be the end of him. There would be no future for Ye Futian; he could even be brought away by the Imperial Palace.

Donghuang the Great wiped away all traces of Emperor Ye Qing's existence, so how could he tolerate someone related to Emperor Ye Qing to exist? Especially since Ye Futian could be Emperor Ye Qing's kin.

Ye, was that his original surname, or was it bestowed upon him after the fact?

No matter which situation it was, the Donghuang Imperial Palace would not allow it.

A formless might shrouded the space in the area, and terrifying divine lights shot out from Princess Donghuang's pretty eyes and swept across the cultivators who were talking below her. Her gaze turned razor-sharp as a thought crossed her mind.

"You suspect that Ye Futian is related to Emperor Ye Qing?" Princess Donghuang asked directly. Though the others didn't dare to carelessly mention Emperor Ye Qing's name, Princess Donghuang didn't have any scruples. Even if Donghuang the Great knew about it, what could he do to his only daughter, whom he loved so much? He wouldn't fuss about it at all.

"Ye Futian's origins are strange, to say the least, and he has such great talent, not to mention he was able to receive the inheritance of several Great Emperors. After learning of his origins, we investigated several clues and had to raise this suspicion," one of the individuals said. "But, we weren't able to confirm the truth either. Everything so far is just speculation, which is why we came to the Donghuang Imperial Palace. We believe that Princess can investigate the matter and make the decision so we wouldn't need to worry about it."

As long as the relation between Ye Futian and Emperor Ye Qing was proven, they wouldn't need to worry about dealing with Ye Futian. However, all those secrets, treasures, and inheritance Ye Futian held would have nothing to do with them.

Once the Imperial Palace decided to deal with Ye Futian, all of Ye Futian's belongings—including himself—would belong to the Imperial Palace, and they would have no chance to obtain it.

Of course, it would eliminate a threat for them. At least Ye Futian wouldn't have the chance to develop himself.

"Understood," Princess Donghuang said coldly. "I will investigate this matter, and the Imperial Palace will intervene. As for you, do not partake in the matter anymore, and don't tell anyone about it."

"Yes, Princess," the Divine Prefecture cultivators bowed and greeted her before leaving.

The whole purpose of the trip was to alert Princess Donghuang. There was no need for them to be concerned about what happened afterward.

After the cultivators left the Donghuang Imperial Palace, several figures appeared behind Princess Donghuang. All of those who appeared had their eyes locked on Princess Donghuang. One of them was surrounded by magnificent divine lights. Standing there, he gave off the impression of extraordinary elegance, as though he was someone of great noble status.

"Your Highness, do we head to the Heavenly Mandate Realm first to capture Ye Futian?" that person asked. His voice was so apathetic it was as though capturing Ye Futian would be an extremely insignificant task for him.

Donghuang the Great ruled over the entire land of the Divine Prefecture, and the whole prefecture was under his jurisdiction. While the forces of the Divine Prefecture faced difficulties dealing with Ye Futian, it would only take one command for the Imperial Palace to deal with him.

Now, since the matter had involved Emperor Ye Qing, regardless of whether it was proven, it would justify capturing Ye Futian first then investigating.

Princess Donghuang looked into the distance. She seemed to be deep in thought and didn't reply to the person behind her. After being silent for a while, she then said, "Deploy someone to monitor him. Don't capture him just yet. Ye Futian is now the ruler of the Original Realm and has enormous influence. If he isn't actually related to Emperor Ye Qing, then the whole affair will be a mistake, and he would likely hold a grudge against the imperial palace as a result. The decision shall be made after everything is thoroughly investigated."

"Alright," the person behind her answered. He wasn't concerned that Ye Futian would escape. If the Imperial Palace really wanted to get Ye Futian, the only path left for him was to run to another world to hide. Otherwise, where could he escape to with the Imperial Palace after him?

"I'll arrange it," the cultivator said before leading the group to leave. They went to deploy people to monitor Ye Futian's every move.

Princess Donghuang did order the Divine Prefecture cultivators not to tell anyone else about this. But since they could think of it, the other organizations in the Divine Prefecture would likely be able to think of it as well. If what they had speculated turned out to be true, their actions would alert Ye Futian and prompt him to try to escape.

As such, they must still have a grasp of Ye Futian's whereabouts at all times.

…

Ziwei Segmentum, inside the Ziwei Imperial Palace.

Ye Futian had been feeling uneasy for the past few days. He had a bad feeling about the situation.

It was all still related to the battle on that day.

Jieyu and Yu Sheng both returned and reunited with him. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, and he was indeed happy. But afterward, he was worried.

During the battle, the cultivators from the Divine Prefecture mentioned that they had investigated him. In addition, Xi Chiyao also reminded them. Now that Yu Sheng had returned, it was likely that those from the Divine Prefecture were even more suspicious now. While the Divine Prefecture was extremely distant from here, the top forces would still be able to find out many things. Unless all Nine States just vanished, there would be no way he could cover up his past.

As long as they continued to investigate, even if there were no clues, the forces in the Divine Prefecture would still become suspicious. When that happened, it would cause great trouble for him.

Just then, a figure arrived, speeding through the skies. In an instant, he landed before Ye Futian. It was Fang Gai. A concerned expression appeared on his face. He said to Ye Futian, "Your suspicion was right—there are already rumors about you starting to spread there. I'm afraid this ain't looking good for you."

"What rumor?" Ye Futian's heart trembled a little as he looked at the Fang Gai. He had a feeling that it wasn't anything positive.

"There's news saying that you could be related to Emperor Ye Qing, that you could be his successor or even his descendent," Fang Gai said. Ye Futian's pupils constricted a little. It seemed that his feeling was right; the inevitable had happened!