Imperial City Forbidden Ground

Before long, Chen Fan spotted a mission that interested him: investigate the mysterious disappearance of the prince of West Ridge Royal City. West Ridge City was the largest mortal city in the entire West Ridge Mountains and was also known as West Ridge Royal City. The lord of West Ridge City was the king of all mortals in the West Ridge Mountains, and his son was the prince of West Ridge City.

According to the brief description in the mission, the prince had vanished several months ago. The King of West Ridge had hastily dispatched numerous troops to search for him, but they found nothing. At first, it was assumed that it would end like the missing children cases. Yet, several days after disappearing, the prince had returned alone. Strangely, he remembered nothing of what had happened before. Moreover, over the past few months, he would often vanish in bizarre fashion, only to reappear later. Even under the King of West Ridge's layers upon layers of guards, the prince could still disappear as if by magic.

When Chen Fan saw this mission, his first reaction was that it had to be connected to the human traffickers from before, and that further developments had occurred on the foundation of the children's disappearances. Perhaps by investigating the West Ridge prince's case, he could follow the vine to find the melon and uncover some hidden secrets.

After giving it some thought, Chen Fan made his decision. He directly confirmed with the old man that he would accept the mission. The old man did not try hard to dissuade him. Everyone had to take responsibility for their own actions. Besides, it would not matter much if he failed to complete the mission; the sect had its own methods to verify whether he had actually taken part in it.

For missions of this kind, once accepted, the recipient would generally first visit the mission issuer and communicate with them about the specific details before proceeding further. Therefore, the sect would confirm with the issuer whether the mission recipient had fulfilled his duty.

Chen Fan had no intention of muddling through. After accepting the mission, he made a few quick preparations and set out. Holding the map provided by the sect, he hurried along the road. This map was far more complete than the one Murong Zhu had given him back then. The major cities, as well as the surrounding towns, forests, and rivers, were all marked with perfect clarity.

West Ridge City was not far from Swordcry Mountain. The distance was roughly the same as Pingliang City had been, except it lay in a different direction from Swordcry Mountain. Chen Fan encountered no trouble along the way and arrived in West Ridge City after more than half a day.

Viewed from outside, the city was grand and imposing. Its brick walls, tiled structures, gates, and the royal palace visible in the distance could all be called the most luxurious in the mortal world. It truly deserved to be the highest center of rule among the mortals of the West Ridge Mountains.

Chen Fan stepped through the city gate. He was not wearing sect attire this time, but light clothing. He held an especially dashing-looking treasured sword, while a black staff was strapped to his back—yes, it was Little East. Little West had transformed into a bracelet around his wrist. He had brought both snakes down the mountain with him this time. His cultivation had regressed and had yet to recover, while the two snakes had grown stronger in battle prowess. Since they could be carried on him without drawing attention, there was no reason not to bring them along.

There was far too much traffic passing through West Ridge City's gates, so aside from soldiers stationed there to maintain order, there were no checkpoints conducting individual inspections. Chen Fan headed directly toward the royal palace. Along the way, the number of pedestrians gradually dwindled, while the guards became increasingly tight.

When he reached the gates of the royal palace, several guards swept their spears across his path and shouted, "This is forbidden ground within the imperial city! Those who trespass will be killed without mercy!"

Chen Fan paused and briefly examined the royal guards. To his surprise, he discovered faint Origin Qi fluctuations within their bodies. Though they had not even reached the first level of Internal Qi, they were already considered experts in the mortal world. These were merely ordinary guards, yet the combat strength amassed within the royal city was plain to see.

Chen Fan did not grow angry. After all, these men were only carrying out their duties. He slowly spoke three words: "Swordcry Mountain." As he spoke, he took out his token. This token was much higher-grade than his outer sect disciple token. It bore the distinctive mark representing Swordcry Mountain and was temporarily issued when carrying out important missions.

At the sight of the token, the guards turned pale with shock and repeatedly bowed. "So you are an exalted master from Swordcry Mountain. We have offended you just now. Please do not take offense, sir."

Chen Fan waved his hand. "No matter. You should know why I have come. Could you inform Steward Chu on my behalf?" The Steward Chu he mentioned was the issuer of this mission and the chief official responsible for investigating the prince's disappearance in the royal city. He held high status and great authority, serving as the chief palace steward.

"Understood, understood. Please wait a moment, senior." After speaking, one of the guards immediately entered the palace.

Before long, a man dressed from head to toe in magnificent court robes hurried over. He moved with the speed of a galloping horse, while the guard who had gone to summon him could only trail far behind. This man's cultivation was evidently somewhat higher. Chen Fan could not determine his actual level, though; their cultivations were simply too low, and to him there was little difference between them.

"We did not know that senior was an exalted master from Swordcry Mountain. We failed to welcome you from afar, and we hope..."

"Enough. Stop with the nonsense and get to the point," Chen Fan bluntly interrupted before Steward Chu could finish.

"Yes, yes. Then please, senior, come into the palace so we may talk." Steward Chu did not mind in the least. Before Chen Fan, he was humble beyond measure.

This man probably did not treat even the King of West Ridge so deferentially in ordinary times. Chen Fan could not help feeling a little puffed up. Still, that was only in the mortal world. In the cultivation world, he was still a nobody.

An hour later, Chen Fan left a side hall somewhere within the royal palace and headed straight out. He had obtained more detailed information from Steward Chu: the West Ridge prince was currently living in a separate residence outside the palace, with people stationed all around it under strict guard. Yet even under such circumstances, the prince could suddenly vanish in the middle of the night. By the time the guards reacted and searched everywhere, he would have disappeared without a trace.

However, every time the prince vanished at midnight, he would return alone the next day. When asked where he had gone, he would only say that he remembered absolutely nothing.

Seeing that night had already fallen, Chen Fan decided to simply head straight to the prince's residence and wait by the tree stump for a rabbit. Perhaps he would discover something.

Following Steward Chu's directions, Chen Fan arrived outside the residence. He did not approach, merely watched quietly from a distance.

By then, the night had deepened. The guards around the residence had all sharpened their spirits and seemed to have no intention whatsoever of neglecting their posts. This was strange. According to Steward Chu, the West Ridge prince had achieved nothing notable in martial arts. Although the palace had provided him with quite a few low-grade cultivation manuals, he was always aiming too high and could never settle his mind. Now fifteen years old, he had not even reached the first realm.

These guards were clearly elite troops personally assigned by the King of West Ridge to protect his son. Every one of them should have been no weaker than the prince. If they faithfully guarded their posts, how could the prince possibly escape by himself? And if someone had broken in and taken him away, then unless it was an expert from the cultivation world, it would be impossible to do so without a sound. Someone should have noticed, right?

Thinking this, Chen Fan grew even more curious. Nor was he afraid that some expert might arrive. Judging by this gang's usual methods, the mastermind hiding behind the scenes did not dare show himself easily. Even the minor leader in black from Blackrock City had been a comparatively rare appearance. If he encountered a cultivator of that level again, Chen Fan might not be able to defeat him, but he was confident he could still preserve his life and escape.

As he was considering this, he suddenly felt a faint breeze brush past him. Then, it seemed as though something had mixed into the surrounding air. He focused and sensed it carefully—yes, using his Internal Qi to perceive it. Although the air was colorless and odorless, that familiar sensation arose in his heart once more. Could it be this again? Chen Fan watched as the guards, who had been brimming with vigor only a moment ago, suddenly collapsed one after another in the next instant.

Chen Fan was about to step forward and investigate when he heard a creak. The residence gates opened, and a youth slowly walked out. The youth wore a dull, wooden expression. After emerging, he completely ignored the fallen guards around him and walked step by step in one direction, like a living corpse.

Though Chen Fan had already formed some guesses about the prince's disappearance, he was still greatly shocked by what was unfolding before his eyes. This was simply too bizarre. Possession by a ghost? Fortunately, Chen Fan was a cultivator of considerable strength, and his courage was naturally much greater than that of ordinary people.

The prince walked slowly, so Chen Fan was in no hurry to follow. He first went to the guards and inspected them one by one.

Just as he had expected! Chen Fan was now certain that these guards had all been struck by a type of Spirit-Mystifying Incense. Though it was not Spirit-Drunken Incense, it was another method Chen Fan had encountered among the human traffickers before—Spirit-Mystifying Incense.

No wonder. With that, many of the mysteries could be explained. Chen Fan found that although the guards had been poisoned, the dose was small. They should recover on their own shortly, and once they awoke, they would not remember having fainted. Naturally, they would know nothing of the prince's disappearance either. Even if a few remembered waking after losing consciousness, they would assume they had accidentally fallen asleep. Who would go around telling people that they had fallen asleep while standing guard over the prince? Were they tired of living?

With that thought, Chen Fan turned and pursued the prince. If he had not come, the truth behind this strange affair would likely have remained hidden for some time. Once the Spirit-Mystifying Incense was released, anyone nearby trying to observe in secret would also be affected by dizziness to varying degrees. Ordinary cultivators below the second or third realm probably could not remain entirely unaffected.

Now, he only needed to follow. The strangeness of this matter was bound to lie with the prince.

From not far behind, Chen Fan followed the prince as he wound through the city. The prince clearly had not noticed Chen Fan's presence, and his expression remained as blank and wooden as before.

At last, the prince stopped. Chen Fan focused his gaze and saw that they were beneath a section of the palace wall. It was extremely secluded, with no patrolling guards in sight.

It seemed this prince truly had something fishy going on. Along the way, Chen Fan had wondered whether the prince was simply wandering around out of control. Now it seemed he was not wandering aimlessly at all. He had a destination, and was even deliberately concealing his movements as he came here.

Before Chen Fan could think further, the prince sprang up onto the palace wall and vanished over it in the next instant. What the hell? What is this now? The wall was at least four or five adult heights tall. Chen Fan did not believe that this young prince, with his level of cultivation, could possess such lightness skill. Without time to hesitate, he ran to the wall himself, lightly tapped off the ground with his toes, and leaped over it without effort. With Chen Fan's cultivation, this palace wall was no more than an empty formality.

The moment he landed, Chen Fan found himself in a garden. Judging by its scale, it should have been an artificial scenic garden within the royal palace. This place lay in a remote corner of the palace. During the day, only palace nobles could enter, and in the middle of the night, it was completely deserted. Chen Fan sneered inwardly. Let's see where you think you're going. Then he followed the thin figure ahead.

The prince was clearly intimately familiar with the palace's terrain, routes, guard placements, and patrol patterns. He ducked here and hid there. No longer did he walk like a wooden puppet; he broke into a run, fast as the wind. If Chen Fan had not been a cultivator, he truly would have had difficulty keeping up.

Following all the way and avoiding every patrol, Chen Fan trailed the prince to the front of an enormous hall. He looked up. Under the moonlight, the plaque was quite conspicuous: Treasure Pavilion. Was he here to steal? The Treasure Pavilion was the most valuable place in the West Ridge royal palace. It housed all manner of rare and precious treasures from the West Ridge Mountains region, though most of them were only precious to ordinary mortals. Still, it was said that some unknown treasures were kept within, items that held a certain attraction even for cultivators and high-level cultivators.

When Chen Fan saw the prince push open the doors and enter the Treasure Pavilion, he did not hurry after him. He simply waited outside. The Treasure Pavilion was enormous inside; one could search for days and nights without turning the whole place over. It seemed the prince was not stealing his way in here for the first time. Chen Fan guessed he had come in search of treasure, so he would let him search. If he did not find what he sought, how would Chen Fan know what it was?