A streak of purplish-gold light cut through space and returned to Mu Qian's body.
At the same time, a somewhat aggrieved voice rang out in his mind. "Honestly, I'd only just recovered a little of my soul energy, and now it's all gone from helping you win over a girl. Next time you come across something good, think of me first."
Mu Qian's lips curled up. "Thanks for your effort, Jinyu. Don't worry—I could forget anyone but you."
That's right. The one who had just made a commotion was the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum, who had transformed into a special spirit form.
She had been sleeping, recovering the soul essence she'd lost during the Heavenly Tribulation. She'd discovered that her soul energy recovered extremely quickly in the special space inside Mu Qian's Martial Soul.
She hadn't expected Mu Qian to suddenly call her out.
The task Mu Qian had given her was simple: distract the Earth King.
After all, even in her prime, the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum had no means of defense or attack—not to mention now, when she had lost her body.
All she could do was create a simple illusion with her Spiritual Power, simulating the pressure of a top Ferocious Beast. There wasn't anything else she could help with right now.
But that was enough for Mu Qian. It gave him time to take the Star Fruit and run.
"Roar!" The Earth King's furious bellow came from behind them.
Realizing it had been tricked, it immediately chased after Mu Qian.
Mu Qian flew at full speed. Even though he did his best to conceal his aura, he still couldn't fool the beast.
The Earth King's tiny eyes brimmed with venom as it glared at the youth ahead of it—the same youth who had dared to provoke it twice.
Mu Qian didn't dare slack off in the slightest. He pushed his speed almost to the limit.
There was no need to imagine how terrifying the destructive power of an enraged eighty-thousand-year Spirit Beast could be.
Mu Qian raced through the forest, his Dragon Wings leaving a blue-gold afterimage in the air.
The Earth King wasn't particularly fast compared to Spirit Beasts of the same cultivation level.
Feeling the gap between them widen, Mu Qian let out a long breath of relief.
At this rate, he'd lose his pursuer completely in less than fifteen minutes.
"Zhuqing, we got it. Let's find somewhere for you to eat the Star Fruit, then we can look for a suitable thousand-year Spirit Beast." Mu Qian's expression relaxed, and he spoke with a light laugh.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, excitement in her lovely eyes. Even so, she never took her gaze off Mu Qian's face.
"Thank you."
"Why thank me? I promised you, so of course I'd do it."
"We can change our target now. We don't need to focus on Hundred-Year Soul Beasts anymore. We can try looking for those few suitable thousand-year Spirit Beasts we came across earlier. I wonder if they're still in the same places."
Mu Qian smiled. No matter how he looked at it, this was good news for them.
But for some reason, things seemed to be going a little too smoothly. He had a strong hunch that this was far from over.
As he thought about it, Mu Qian couldn't help laughing at himself. Was he just being paranoid?
Wasn't it a good thing for things to go smoothly?
Did he really want to make things harder for himself?
"Hmm? Something's wrong!" Mu Qian's gaze suddenly sharpened. He abruptly checked his momentum and stopped moving forward.
In the distance, a clear black speck hovered in midair. It looked like... a person?
"Zhuqing, something's not right. Be careful," Mu Qian warned her.
Among human Spirit Masters, flying through the air without a flying-type Martial Soul meant only one thing.
A Spirit Saint!
At least a Spirit Saint, possibly even someone stronger.
Not knowing whether the other person was friend or foe, Mu Qian didn't act rashly. He turned and flew to the side, hoping to avoid the distant figure.
But that brief delay had given the Earth King, which they'd only just managed to leave behind, time to catch up again.
"Damn it. This is getting ridiculous. I really shouldn't have thought about it!" Mu Qian cursed under his breath. There was nothing he could do but hurry on.
"That person... looks a little familiar to me." Zhu Zhuqing tried to make out the distant figure's features, but it was too far away; she could only see a vague outline.
"Familiar?" Mu Qian picked up on that. "Could they have come from Star Luo City?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. She couldn't be sure either.
If the person had come from Star Luo City, then apart from people from her own family, the only other possibility was... the imperial family!
"I was careless. We should've gone to a Spirit Beast Forest farther away..." Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help feeling frustrated.
Mu Qian tightened his arm around her waist and reassured her, "Then we wouldn't have come across this opportunity. Don't worry. I'm here."
His tone was relaxed, but his gaze toward the distance had grown more serious.
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing. She leaned against Mu Qian's shoulder, her expression calm.
With Mu Qian, she felt safer than ever before. She didn't have to face anything alone.
"Wait!" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly changed expression. "That person disappeared!"
"Hm?" Mu Qian exclaimed in surprise, though there was no need to ask what she meant. The figure had already appeared right in front of them.
"That's a member of the Star Luo Empire's Offering Hall!" Zhu Zhuqing cried out.
Now that the distance had closed, she finally recognized him. "Offering Hall members are at least Spirit Saint-level!"
"Be careful, Mu Qian. He must be after me. If it comes to it... hand me over..."
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing felt a sorrow unlike anything she'd ever known.
She'd already left. Why wouldn't they leave her alone?
With an imperial enforcer blocking their way, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't think of any reason for him to be there other than to capture her.
"What are you talking about? There's no such thing as betrayal or selling someone out in my dictionary!" Mu Qian shouted, his eyes full of resolute coldness.
"The Offering Hall? So what if he's a Spirit Saint? I'll take him on!"
Mu Qian's firm words stirred Zhu Zhuqing's sorrowful heart once more.
But as moved as she was, she truly didn't want Mu Qian to die with her.
If he was captured and taken back to Star Luo City, the charge of inciting the emperor's fiancée to run away would be enough to get him torn apart by five horses...
"Don't think about it so much. I told you, ever since the day I took you away from Star Luo City, we'd face everything together." Mu Qian softened his tone and smiled at the girl who made his heart ache.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes grew moist, shining with an unusual light. Her delicate body trembled slightly as she gazed at Mu Qian's handsome face, as though she wanted to carve his image into her memory.
"Since you recognized him, do you know what his Martial Soul is?" Mu Qian asked.
They were getting closer and closer, close enough now to make out the wrinkles on the man's face.
He was an old man nearing seventy, his long hair already completely white. Wearing a lavish golden robe, he stared fixedly at the girl in Mu Qian's arms.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, setting aside her stirred emotions for the moment. "I'm not sure. The members of the Offering Hall are very mysterious. I've only seen him once, at a birthday banquet for His Majesty the Emperor."
Without the answer he wanted, Mu Qian's heart sank once more.
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