On Heaven's Side

The royal family of Xun Kingdom is different from that of Li Country. Although there is currently a minor issue of brothers fighting amongst themselves, the tiger in the Taichu Palace is still alive and can still keep things in order.

This time, he mobilized seven Divine Transformation cultivators to guard Xingye City. No matter how stubborn or overpowered Li Fan was, he couldn't possibly fight his way into the palace to seize the Heavenly Book. So, he could only try his luck at the Marquis of Jianchang's Mansion's residence in Jiujiang, based on Cen Hun's intelligence.

He happened to remember being ambushed by a monk with a fleshy growth at the entrance of Lou Guan Tower three years ago. Later, he found out that the monk had been taken away by someone else. His Dharma name in life was Pu Shan, and his origins were unknown. He was Golden Core cultivator from the Central Plains and was staying at the Iron Buddha Temple in Jiujiang Prefecture of Xun Kingdom. He was a retainer of the Marquis of Jianchang's Mansion. Perhaps this time, if he went to Jiujiang Prefecture in person, with the help of Si Nan, he might be able to find some clues and settle the score.

But Li Fan wasn't in a hurry to set off; after all, he still needed to deal with the kidnapping. He hadn't expected this spy to rise to such a high position as Dachangqiu, and his ally in Xun Kingdom was none other than Princess Quan...

No, actually, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. Luo Feng's inner circle was naturally aiming to wreak havoc on the Xun Kingdom's court. How could they possibly help the legitimate Crown Prince? Of course, they would instigate a prince like the Prince of Lu who harbored treacherous intentions, indulge a domineering maternal relative like Quan Huang, and win over a cunning and treacherous woman like Princess Quan.

In short, it's clear that the power struggle between the two palaces was largely due to Luo Feng's long-term behind-the-scenes maneuvering; he played this double agent game with remarkable skill. The Prince of Lu's faction, these seemingly villainous fools, certainly never imagined that there were remnants of the previous dynasty within the harem.

But you know what, without those particularly annoying, and definitely doomed, buffoons often seen in TV dramas being used as pawns, it really becomes quite inconvenient for ambitious people hiding behind the scenes to get things done.

So Li Fan and Cen Hun secretly plotted how to hand the eldest princess over to Luo Feng's men, so that the whole family would owe another big favor, or put another big blame on the Crown Prince.

This young eunuch, though young, was remarkably shrewd and courageous, unlike the cowardly type who always sought permission from his master and dared not take responsibility. He wasted no time, immediately giving Li Fan a waist token as a token and informing him of several estates outside the city, claiming they were privately acquired properties. He instructed Li Fan to first send Princess Quan to any of these estates for resettlement. Meanwhile, Cen Hun himself returned to the palace to report, and once his master gave the order, he would arrange for someone else to take over.

The more chaotic the Xun Kingdom became, the more suitable it was for Li Fan to fish in troubled waters. So he acted according to plan, fleeing the city overnight to observe the situation at the manor. These houses were probably safe houses used to hide people and escape just in case. Indeed, the location was quite good, nestled against the mountains and by the water, not only convenient for escaping, but also with spiritual veins where he could set up magic arrays.

So Li Fan went to the dry well, carried the coffin over, and moved it there. Based on the rich experience accumulated by the predecessors of the Beichen Sword Sect in their battles of wits and courage with the Three Enclosures, if the kidnappers cannot calculate the location of the hostage in the first three days of the kidnapping, then the secrets of heaven will become chaotic and difficult for even a diviner to see clearly. At this time, most of the wealthy people will give in and obediently pay the money, and then they can try to write a letter to discuss the ransom.

So Li Fan opened the coffin lid to take a look and see how the hostage was doing.

As soon as the coffin was opened, a stench hit him, almost making Li Fan faint. He covered his nose and peered inside, then poked it with his flute, but there was no reaction at all; the muscles were practically stiff. He then used his Divine Sense to sense it again, and lo and behold, it was barely breathing.

Li Fan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Seriously... You're supposed to be a Golden Core cultivator, how can you be so useless? He usually goes into seclusion for at least three years, and you're dead after only three? Or was he just inexperienced, or were you tied up too tightly? If you let this hostage die, that would be a real disaster...

Li Fan didn't care about the filth covering her body. He quickly tore off the sealing talismans Imprisoning Immortal Rope, stuffed a Golden Core into her mouth to prolong her life, and then massaged her, performed artificial respiration and CPR, even using palm lightning and cardiac resuscitation techniques.

After working tirelessly for most of the day, and sweating profusely, he finally managed to pull Princess Quan back from the brink of death, and she gradually began to breathe again.

Damn, this health bar is too fragile. I need to get rid of this hot potato quickly.

To everyone's surprise, on the evening of the fourth day, Li Fan not only did not receive any help, but instead received a secret message delivered by Cen Hun via carrier pigeon.

The letter said to wait two more days.

It turns out that the king summoned four Divine Transformation cultivators to court this time. To avoid an imbalance of power between the two sides, he specifically chose two who favored the Crown Prince and two who were optimistic about Prince of Lu. But the problem is, those cunning old foxes, who knew the king's suspicions, would never express their opinions casually. Instead, they told everyone they met, "Young man, I have high hopes for you!"

This not only failed to deter the court, but also led to changes in the power structure, giving both parties unwarranted confidence. As a result, the disputes in the court became more intense, with the two sides vying for power and even fighting on the spot!

First, the Grand Commander Quan submitted a memorial, saying that he had not received the ransom demand after several days, and believed that his wife's disappearance was all arranged by the Crown Prince, who impersonated the Beichen Sword Sect to carry out the crime, in order to retaliate against him by impeaching Gu Mo.

His mention of Gu Mo only caused an uproar among the Crown Prince's faction, who accused him of assassinating Gu Mo by Luo Feng's remnants and of being sabotaged by Prince of Lu. The bandit leader still hadn't been found, yet Quan Huang was diverting manpower to search for his wife—but who kidnaps someone without demanding a ransom?

Moreover, the Zongzheng Temple used the princess's jade register for divination and came up with the result. "Heaven blesses her, all is auspicious and without misfortune." What kind of nonsense is this?! How can they kidnap someone like this?! This is clearly a scheme orchestrated by the Prince of Lu's faction to obstruct the investigation into the real culprit who assassinated Gu Mo!

The two parties then argued so much in the court that they ended up in a brawl.

The Ruler of Xun Country was practically spitting out blood. He had schemed and plotted his entire life, meticulously dividing his officials into two irreconcilable factions, acting as a mediator and sitting back unchallenged. He never imagined he would have to pay for this in his old age. Finally, driven to desperation, he issued an edict reprimanding the Crown Prince and Prince of Lu, strictly ordering them to stay home and study, forbidden from leaving the palace to associate with ministers—in short, punishing them equally and confining them both to their quarters.

You could say that Prince of Lu deserved to be scolded, given his ostentatious behavior, hosting banquets for his cronies, causing his elder sister to be kidnapped, and his brother-in-law to be cuckolded. But what does this have to do with the Crown Prince? It's like he's sitting in the Eastern Palace and getting blamed out of nowhere, which only fuels the Crown Prince's discontent. Meanwhile, Prince of Lu still can't find Princess Quan and refuses to let the matter rest.

As a result, the conflict between the two sides intensified, leading to situations where they sent assassins to spy on each other's residences and even killed people.

Therefore, given this situation, Cen Hun's master thought it best to drag it out a bit longer and let them fight until they were all killed.

Although Li Fan could understand the Luo Feng Immortal Palace's gloating and desire for a good show, this stalemate couldn't continue. It not only delayed their journey but also put Li Fan in agony by watching helplessly. It would be better to have a different eunuch guarding them...

After another long day of toil, as night fell, Li Fan Divine Sense sensed many cultivators approaching. He immediately cast a Void Returning Invisibility Talisman, placed it on the princess's forehead, and then vanished underground.

Cen Hun had said that if they were to send someone to pick them up, they would first deliver a message, and judging from their formation, they seemed more like they were searching than launching a surprise attack; these people were most likely not Luo Feng's men.

It's been five days already, and someone still managed to predict the princess's whereabouts? Was it because the commotion during her emergency treatment was too great, allowing someone to foresee it? Or Cen Hun really betrayed us? Oh well, I'll eliminate these people first, then move her back to the dry well...

So Li Fan used his burrowing ability to sneak up beneath the newcomers and scout around. The newcomers were four Golden Core cultivators, all dressed in black and masked. They were clearly not from the righteous path, nor were they practicing the trashy fake Golden Core techniques of the Immortal Palace. They were all practicing legitimate immortal cultivation Cultivation Method. He couldn't discern their backgrounds at first, but they seemed similar to the rogue cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Most obviously, when Li Fan approached and scanned them with his Divine Sense, the four of them suddenly became alert, instantly shifted their positions, stood back to back, paired up, took out talismans, activated their magical treasures, and were on full alert, clearly having sensed something!

Li Fan frowned. It had been a long time since he had fought a proper Qi Refining cultivator, and he had been a bit careless. These people were probably experts worshipped by the Xun Kingdom. He didn't know if they were rogue cultivators or direct disciples of the Three Great Sects. As long as they weren't Golden Core cultivators from the Xuanmen, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Li Fan decided to test the waters first, so he put a Changchun Pill in his mouth, randomly picked the most handsome guy, suddenly emerged from the ground, and slapped his palm straight at the head of the newcomer!

The man shouted, and suddenly his eyes turned blood red, his pupils flashing with starlight, like sword shadows, spinning faster and faster, flashing brighter and brighter!

"Holy crap!"

Li Fan shouted and suddenly used the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascent Technique to flash away. In the blink of an eye, two beams of light burst out from the Golden Core cultivator's eye sockets! The shattered eyeballs and lens fragments flew straight past Li Fan's face! The Sword Light drew a golden line across the sky!

"Where did you learn the Crimson Vein Child Sword?!" Li Fan shouted in surprise and anger.

Golden Core, now blind, remained silent, simply turning around to switch places with the person behind him. He then popped a red pill into his mouth and sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing. The other two leaped into the air, splitting into two groups on the left and right, leaving the remaining three to form a triangle around Li Fan, remaining silent.

However, a man's voice softly sounded in Li Fan's ear, "Are you from Qingcheng?"

I clearly didn't see anything in my Divine Sense... It's an astral projection! Tsk, they even recognize the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascension Technique, that's a bit ruthless...

Li Fan's eyes darted around, and he sneered, "What, are you also remnants of the Beichen Sword Sect, here to recognize some relatives?"

The male voice, still drifting uncertainly with the wind, said, "It's not surprising that someone from Qingcheng... impersonating the Sword Sect, but it's a bit strange that they would come all the way to Xun Kingdom to impersonate the Sword Sect."

"Are you acting on someone's behalf? Do you perhaps have connections with the local powerful clans? Wouldn't it have been better to have just killed Prince of Lu that night? With your cultivation level, that would have been a piece of cake. What are you hiding?"

Li Fan was about to speak when a sudden chill ran through him, and he instantly dodged away.

At that instant, the three Golden Core cultivators surrounding him attacked simultaneously. One spat a precious pearl at his face, another wielded a precious sword to behead him, and the third leaped forward and thrust his sword straight at Li Fan's chest!

At the same moment they made their move, the system simultaneously displayed three consecutive notifications.

'Li Fan suffered a spiritual attack, and his mood dropped slightly.'

'Li Fan suffered a spiritual attack, and his mood dropped slightly.'

'Li Fan suffered a spiritual attack, and his mood dropped slightly.'

The three attacked at the perfect time, almost simultaneously. Moreover, they used some kind of elixir or secret technique, making their speed far exceed that of the Golden Core realm. If it weren't for someone skilled in body tempering, an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator would likely perish if suddenly attacked by a Nascent Soul technique and then surrounded by their combined attack!

But Li Fan wasn't one to follow the beaten path. After all, he had encountered far more dangerous situations and opponents before, not to mention that the system was practically a natural counter to the Primordial Spirit Technique. This kind of minor situation was nothing special.

He even managed a cold smile, advancing instead of retreating, and launched a counterattack on the spot! Holding a flute in his left hand, he used his refined Puhua Sword Method, striking the precious pearl with his left hand, deflecting the precious knife that was about to hit his throat with his right, and then with a backhand flourish, he shattered the sword that was aimed at his face, twisting the arms of the Golden Core cultivator who was throwing himself into the attack into a pretzel shape, breaking his tendons and bones. At the same time, his right hand struck three times in quick succession, showing no mercy, his finger force directly shattering their Inner Landscape Golden Core, crippling the cultivation of all three!

"What, is that all...?"

Before Li Fan could finish speaking, the blind Golden Core let out a long, ghostly howl, his face flashing with crimson light and countless runes. In an instant, he burst open like an inflated balloon with a deafening 'BOOM!' The explosion engulfed the nearby villages and manors, leveling the area and sending a massive mushroom cloud rising into the distance!

Li Fan was truly caught off guard this time. He only had time to condense a protective layer of black charcoal on the surface of vital areas such as his heart, lungs, abdomen, forehead, and throat before he was blasted away by the shockwave of the explosion. He was blown hundreds of meters away! The flesh on his face was blown apart, revealing a skull-like face!

Thanks to the strength of his Nascent Soul Stage- level Dao Body, and the fact that his protective layer immediately covered his vital points, Li Fan was at least not torn to shreds by the negative pressure of the explosion. However, many parts that weren't covered in time were mostly blown away! The flesh of his arms, legs, and cheeks was blasted to charred pieces, leaving only bloodied flesh and bone. His whole body was fried until it was crispy and fragrant, just like a chicken carcass...

Fortunately, thanks to the Qiongqi Dao Body's enhancement of his steel-like bones, Li Fan's foundation remained undamaged, and his meridians were protected. Moreover, he had the Changchun Pill in his mouth. Thus, with the full activation of his Gui Xu Nascent Soul, a large amount of his Returning Void True Essence was consumed. Combined with the Heavenly Divine Transformation's bone and flesh regeneration, it activated baleful energy to repair and revive him. In an instant, his entire body was shrouded in dense baleful energy, like a self-immolator emerging from a sea of fire with billowing black smoke. At a speed visible to the naked eye, his bones grew flesh and blood! He was reborn from the ashes!

I survived the explosion, but it really hurt! It was excruciating! I haven't felt this bad in a long time! And that damn flute even broke in half!

'Consume 500 points to repair the Jade Flute?'

Damn it! This is utterly disgraceful! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this! From now on, every time I see this flute, I will ask myself, "Do you remember the humiliation of today?"

At this moment, Li Fan turned his head and looked around. The nearby vegetation had all been leveled, and even the manor not far away had been swept into ruins by the violent explosion. What kind of weird move was this?! Was it that red pill, or some other supernatural power? It actually blasted Golden Core cultivator to smithereens, and even his Nascent Soul stage body was severely injured, almost blown to pieces... Oh!

Li Fan suddenly realized what was happening, rushed back, and swept away the rubble and ruins.

Princess Quan was truly unlucky. Not only was she robbed, but she was also caught in the blast. Although she was far away, her trashy Golden Core, while not instantly reduced to ashes like the four assassins, was still blasted, causing her to bleed from all seven orifices, her meridians to become disordered, her pulse to weaken, and her breath to become unsteady. She was critically injured and on the verge of death.

But Li Fan didn't have time for CPR right now, so he just gave her a pill to prolong her life, then carried her away.

The formation that concealed the heavens' destiny was gone, and with such a massive explosion, it was impossible for the Xun Kingdom to have failed to react in time. That treacherous fellow whose primordial spirit had left his body is still lurking nearby. Perhaps he's not only deployed four assassins, but has other plans in store! It seems a bloody battle is on the horizon!

Damn it, all of you are so eager to die, then bring it on!