Xu Changge

In Cangyuan, entering a cave abode only required jumping off Hanging Heaven Cliff. The screen would go black, then light up, and you would find yourself inside the cave abode.

But now that it had become a real, physical experience, the fall through the air seemed to have no end.

As gusts of wind howled past his ears, an inexplicable drowsiness crept over Xu Yuan. It swiftly turned into a heavy exhaustion that spread through every inch of his body.

During the fall, time seemed to lose all meaning. Xu Yuan's eyes slowly closed, and his consciousness was gradually drawn out of his body.

Amid clouds and mist that stretched beyond sight, only the two embracing figures remained.

Atop Hanging Heaven Cliff, a cold wind swept over the desolate summit.

Within a quarter of an hour after Xu Yuan had jumped off the cliff of his own accord, four or five figures had already arrived one after another on the vast plateau.

After a brief silence,

another rush of wind sounded, and a man and a woman descended onto the mountaintop one after the other.

The bearded man with a sword on his back looked around. A smile immediately spread across his face as he cheerfully waved to everyone.

"You're all here early. Where's the Third Young Master?"

"..."

Silence fell over the mountaintop. No one paid him any attention.

The bearded man wasn't embarrassed. After working with these people for so long, he was used to it.

This bunch of bastards all liked to keep quiet and act like masters.

Just then,

a delicate-looking man leaned against a tree beside Hanging Sky Cliff, arms folded across his chest. He glanced at him with a hint of amusement, though his voice remained cool and indifferent.

"Zhou Chen, the Third Young Master was taken away by a woman. The mist beneath Hanging Heaven Cliff can block Will Soul detection."

At that, the bearded man looked toward him and raised an eyebrow.

In the next instant,

the bearded man appeared beside his old friend and said with a grin,

"Well, well, Si Ziyu, your qi-concealing art keeps getting better. If you hadn't spoken, I wouldn't even have noticed you."

As he spoke, the bearded man reached out familiarly to put an arm around his shoulder.

"Long time no see! Weren't you accompanying the Crown Prince on his mission to the Northern Barbarians? When did you get back? Once this is done, when we return to Jingjiang City, your big brother will treat you to a drink at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

But he hadn't even finished speaking.

"Vmmm—"

A faint tremor rippled through the air around Si Ziyu, knocking Zhou Chen's outstretched hand away. His voice was cool as he reminded him,

"The Eldest Young Master has already gone down into Hanging Heaven Cliff. Keep your hands to yourself."

Zhou Chen's palm tingled. He shook it out, then gave up trying to cozy up to the other man.

"Fine. We'll talk about drinks in private later."

With that,

Zhou Chen put away his lazy manner and turned his gaze toward the enormous python head in the middle of the summit.

The pair of eyes on the Seven-Life Python's head remained wide open. After half a day, the deathly aura emanating from it had nearly engulfed the entire summit.

If left untreated after its death, a great demon's corpse would corrupt the land and breed sinister creatures. But the deathly aura here posed no threat whatsoever to those present.

Zhou Chen stared at it for a while, his eyes tinged with regret.

Only two days ago, he had followed the traces of battle to track down the giant python. Now, when he saw it again, all that remained was its head.

A great demon that had cultivated for hundreds of years had simply died just like that.

Lost in thought, Zhou Chen casually asked Si Ziyu,

"Ziyu, which of you got here first?"

Si Ziyu said nothing. He glanced into the distance.

Zhou Chen followed his gaze.

Beside a boulder several dozen meters away, a kind-faced, bald man sat leaning back with his eyes closed, resting.

As if sensing their gazes, the bald man opened his eyes and nodded to them.

Si Ziyu knew what Zhou Chen wanted to ask. He spoke softly.

"Juexing and I came together. After Ran Qingmo locked onto him with her Will Soul, we sent her a voice transmission ourselves."

Zhou Chen's pupils contracted. His gaze swept toward the opposite side of the Hanging Heaven Cliff face.

"What? That monk Juexing sent her a message, and Ran Qingmo still escaped with the Third Young Master?"

Si Ziyu nodded slowly.

"Right. You know what that means, don't you, Zhou Chen? The State Preceptor and the Prime Minister..."

"Don't, Si Ziyu. Keep your mouth shut."

Zhou Chen hurriedly waved a hand to cut him off. "I don't know what it means. I don't know anything. I'll treat you to drinks another time. I'm leaving."

As he spoke, Zhou Chen patted Si Ziyu on the shoulder and turned to leave, giving him no chance to say another word.

"..."

Si Ziyu glanced helplessly at his old colleague, but said nothing more. He continued leaning against the tree to rest.

Zhou Chen walked back to the woman with a high ponytail in fitted martial clothes, his expression faintly grim.

He knew what Si Ziyu had wanted to say.

If Ran Qingmo hadn't known who they were, that would have been one thing. But now that she knew they were from the Prime Minister's Estate and had still fled, it was enough to confirm that she was the culprit who had taken the Third Young Master.

If someone else had been responsible, it wouldn't have mattered much. But Ran Qingmo had the Sword Sect behind her—and the State Preceptor of the dynasty.

Could this mean that some unknown rift had opened between the Prime Minister and the State Preceptor?

Rumor had it that the Emperor's health wasn't good. If those two started fighting...

Zhou Chen quickly stopped himself. This wasn't something a retainer who merely waited for his stipend should be thinking about. He should simply wait for the Eldest Young Master to give orders.

With the most talkative man, Zhou Chen, falling silent, deathly stillness settled over the mountaintop.

All seven people present waited quietly for the Eldest Young Master to arrive.

Time trickled by.

Suddenly, a gale swept past. A figure in blue quietly leaped up from below the Hanging Heaven Cliff face and landed at the edge of the sheer precipice.

The newcomer had sharp brows and bright eyes, and a handsome, graceful bearing. He wore a black, narrow-sleeved python robe, its cuffs embroidered with golden clouds. A vermilion-and-white jade belt was fastened around his waist, and his sleeves and ink-black hair, tied back, stirred gently in the mountain wind.

A slender woman dressed as a Shadow Guard leaped up after him.

A black veil covered her face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. She wore a thin, tight-fitting black outfit that traced the curves of her chest and left her fair arms bare. A pair of bracer-mounted sleeve swords covered her forearms, gleaming with a sinister chill in the sunlight.

When the man arrived, the seven people on the mountaintop all rose to their feet.

Xu Changge, dressed in blue, paid no attention to those behind him. He simply gazed at the sea of mist below.

After a while,

Xu Changge gave a helpless shake of his head and murmured softly,

"The Dianyuan Illusion Mist Array... So it really was planned long ago. Who would have thought Ran Qingmo knew there was such a maze here?"

As he spoke, Xu Changge slowly turned to face the people behind him and smiled.

With Source Qi amplifying it, his warm voice reached everyone present with perfect clarity.

"This array was built along with Heaven Gate Mountain. It cannot be broken by force. But once its Source Qi is depleted in a month, the mist will disperse on its own. Until then, I must trouble you gentlemen to keep watch here."

With that, Xu Changge cupped his hands and bowed to everyone present.

Zhou Chen and the others said nothing. They silently returned the gesture.

When he was done,

Xu Changge glanced over his shoulder at the woman and spoke gently.

"By the way, Ying'er, you won't be following me for now. Wait here."

The slender woman dressed as a Shadow Guard paused. Her voice was slightly hoarse.

"Eldest Young Master... where are you going?"

Xu Changge glanced at the Seven-Life Python's head, its eyes still open in death, but said nothing.

Ying'er seemed to realize what he intended, but before she could speak,

a gale had already lifted Xu Changge into the air.

And rising with him,

was the enormous python head, more than ten meters across, from the mountaintop!

Xu Changge hovered in the air, his long hair streaming behind him. His dark eyes gazed down at those below, and his voice was soft.

"Gentlemen, I need to go to the Ancient Abyss for a while. It's a long journey, and I may not be back within a month. I'll leave Ran Qingmo to you. Show no mercy. If you find her, kill her on sight. As for Changtian..."

At that, Xu Changge's tone abruptly changed. The gentle gaze in his sharp eyes turned icy as he slowly swept it over each person present. He spoke each word slowly, his tone mild and soft.

"Chang­tian may be very stupid. He may be a complete good-for-nothing. But no matter how useless he is, it isn't an outsider's place to discipline him."

"I must ask you gentlemen to ensure Changtian's safety."

"Chang'an left us three years ago. If anything happens to Changtian now, I won't be able to stop my father from doing whatever he might do."

"..."

Silence.

The air atop Hanging Heaven Cliff seemed to freeze at the blue-robed man's words.

Back when the Second Young Master died, a great many people had died in the Imperial Capital.

After a long silence,

Xu Changge's handsome face once more softened into its usual warm smile. He laughed as he spoke.

"I'm entrusting Changtian to you, gentlemen. Afterward, I'll tell my father just how hard you worked."

When he finished, Xu Changge bowed once more to the people below. Then he and the enormous python head transformed into streaks of light and shot westward through the air.